Ken Wampler, Destin’s newly elected Chamber of Commerce Chairman has not always lived with his toes in the sand, but he worked hard to get here and has now called the Sunshine State home since 1984. Wampler recently sat down with The Log to give a brief look into his life and his journey to becoming Destin’s newest community leader.
“I was a military brat, I was born in England at Chicksands Air Force Base,” Wampler said of his earliest days. He then listed four northern states he lived between with his family before finally settling in Houlton, Maine, his mother’s home town at age 11.
“I grew up in Northern Maine, and if you look on the map you will see the I-95 dead-ends in Houlton; we were right on the border of Canada,” he said.
Some little known facts about Wampler include that he speaks conversational French, was an all-around athlete in high school and earned a mere $4 an hour at his first full-time job.
“I gained a scholarship at the University of Maine at Presque Isle for basketball but also played baseball and soccer in the off season,” he said of his college days. “ I double majored in mathematics and recreation and leisure service and as part of my degree I had to do an internship for the fall of 1984.”
Wampler saw this opportunity as his chance to fly south from his frigid northern home and spent the next semester at Amelia Island Plantation just northeast of Jacksonville.
“I was a program coordinator in charge of kids programs, hay rides, bonfires, theme parties, and casino nights. We basically provided things for people to do while on vacation,” he said. “I had to go back to school the next semester but I came back as soon as I graduated because I was offered a job at Amelia right away.”
Some details never fade from memory as Wampler can still recite the exact dimensions of the resort’s fitness center 31 years later, as well as list the various amenities included in it’s facilities.
“When promoting it you never forget,” Wampler said of his sharp memory. “When you work in something you love it’s not like selling something but sharing your passion. My dream was to always start my own health and yacht club and when I worked there I felt like I was getting a taste of that,” he said.
Wampler eventually made his way further south and found himself working for a golf legend.
“I went to work for a gentleman named Arnold Palmer at his Bay Hill Club and Resort in Orlando,” Wampler said. “A funny story I like to tell about him is that he would call down to the bar around nine at night and order blue cheese-stuffed olives — it was a night-cap sort of thing for him.”
After five years at Palmer’s resort, Wampler made his move to Destin, and in 2002 was hired on as Chief Operating Officer for Sterling Resort.
“During the time I worked for Sterling we grew from three buildings in Destin to over 20 properties in three different states,” he said.
However in 2008 the recession hit and Sterling was bought out and Wampler was laid off.
“That’s when I decided to go full time with my business consulting,” said Wampler. “I began consulting for the Forbes family in Houston and also for a resort in Puerto Rico.”
It wasn’t long before Wampler’s great resume landed him a job as President of Resort Properties for Newman-Dailey, his current employer.
But Wampler is not just proficient on the work front, he is also quite active in the community. It was here in Destin that Wampler raised his two children now 17 and 21, and said at one time his evenings were spent volunteering as a little league coach.
“I coached baseball, basketball and softball and spent all my off time at Threadgill(a Destin area ballpark.),” he said. “I also played city league basketball and softball when I was younger.”
Today, Wampler’s hobbies include gardening and of course supporting the Chamber of Commerce.
“I do a lot of yard work because I love being outside,” he said. “And the chamber is one of my hobbies. I like going to the events.”
As for his role as Chairman, Wampler said he hopes to help build stronger communication between local businesses and the city of Destin.
“The chamber’s role is to make sure the city hears the business’ interests,” he said. “My goal is to make sure that what we do at the chamber in 2015 gets stronger, and how it gets stronger is to listen to the members and figure out what is best for the business owners and their businesses.”
Wampler told The Log that he believes that Destin’s rich history is the key to it’s success in both the business and residential level.
“What I think is near and dear to Destin is the history and culture,” he said. “The history of Destin cannot be lost; it all started with the fishing village. What generates the most notoriety in Destin is fishing, the white sands and the Gulf of Mexico. All the other businesses generate around that.”