By W. Laird Hamberlin, CEO of SCI and SCIF
Originally published in the March/April 2024 Issue of Safari Magazine
As SCI’s and SCIF’s CEO, I oversee the day-to-day operations, and we’re busy on all fronts. For operations, some say the devil is in the details. To me, it also means that the salvation is in the details because that’s how winners win, and SCI is a world-class winner.
On Dec. 31, the International Wildlife Museum in Tucson closed, and we are now moving the business operations of SCI/F from there to San Antonio, Texas.
This is part of a strategic divesting of real estate holdings by SCI Foundation, which continues the process of selling off properties in Wyoming, Arizona and Washington, D.C.
SCI has purchased the building in Washington, D.C., which has triggered a capital campaign to pay off the mortgage on the Armand and Mary Brachman Advocacy Center, also known as the Hunters’ Embassy, because it literally is on the edge of Capitol Hill.
I encourage all members to donate to the capital campaign so SCI can focus even more resources to advocacy in the future.
Meanwhile, SCI has leased property in San Antonio that will house the business operations of both SCI and Texas Trophy Hunters Association, an organization SCI purchased recently as part of our overall expansion efforts to increase SCI’s presence around the world.
We also are formulating the budget for the coming fiscal year and making sure that it furthers the vision incorporated in the strategic plan.
SCI is fiscally sound because its leadership has had the foresight to think strategically and act tactically. That may seem simplistic, but it is amazing how many organizations find themselves in trouble when they don’t act responsibly. SCI is in solid shape and improving its fiscal position all the time.
These things and more are intertwined in ways that require numbers of different sequential moves to assure that everything is done properly, efficiently and smoothly. For me, it’s like directing an orchestra, and what great music SCI is making lately!
Our Convention was a resounding success. We are advocating effectively for hunting before legislative bodies and courts around the world. We are partnering with more like-minded organizations than ever before. Our Chapter network is growing. Our membership continues to increase. What is there not to like about that?
But we cannot rest on our laurels because saving hunting and conserving wildlife face constant attacks. SCI is getting bigger and stronger because it must if our grandchildren and their grandchildren are going to be able to enjoy hunting and realize their dreams.
The future of hunting is now, and it is us. What we do or don’t do right now will shape what hunting looks like in the years to come.
I am confident that we will prevail, but not without a lot of hard work, ample funding and perhaps even a dose of plain old good luck.
That bright future for both SCI and hunting rests on six pillars: Advocacy, Chapters, Event Services (Convention), Hunting, Membership and Conservation.
If we all work together, everything is possible.
