Who is Wild About Texas®? Well, we are, that is for sure! And we love sharing the story of this family-owned, mission-driven company…
Founded in November 2009, Wild About Texas® conceptually began as the title of a newspaper column that Michael had just commenced writing for the San Angelo Standard Times. The premise of the column was to create a platform for the public to connect to and learn about the natural world that could literally be found around them, even in their own backyard.
As he began to creatively explore names for said column, words like Texas, Lone Star, wildlife, wild, about, around, and in all began to flow in different combinations. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the catchphrase Wild About Texas® came to his mind. Not only did the name emanate seamlessly, but he was also pleased due to the double entendre, with one meaning symbolizing how passionate he is about this great state and the other representing the wildlife diversity of Texas.
The column gained momentum, and by 2013 it could be seen in over 20 different newspapers across the great state of Texas. But even then, he had loftier expectations for Wild About Texas®, so he began to schedule live-animal interactive programs with the local schools, civic clubs, church groups, and scout groups. It was at this time that he made the decision that Wild About Texas® needed a logo to partner with the name.
Michael has always been enamored with the natural world, but reptiles have always been his undying, definitive passion. So naturally, he wanted a logo that incorporated a species of reptile. But deciding on which reptile would encapsulate the look he was going for in a logo was proving to be a little problematic as there are so many amazing reptiles that inhabit this state to choose from. That is, until one late summer afternoon when he found himself fortunate enough to photograph an adult Texas Horned Lizard on a backroad in Jeff Davis County, Texas. That’s when it hit him like a ton of bricks. What better reptile to use as the logo for his company than the iconic and currently threatened Texas Horned Lizard? And it just so happens that this lizard species is also the state reptile of Texas! So, he sent the photo to a marketing genius friend of his and voila! The state of Texas coupled with the state reptile equates to the perfect combination!
His live-animal programming is continuing to multiply as he has now added Texas Master Naturalists, municipalities, school districts, state parks, and even national parks to the aforementioned groups. These programs include: Venomous Animal Safety Training, Venomous Snake Safety Training, Texas Master Naturalist Herpetology Training, Nature in the Classroom, Reptile Identification Classes, and even Guided Nature Hikes, each one tailored for age appropriateness and class size.
As the reach and programming of Wild About Texas® is expanding, so is the brand. This became evident while Michael was presenting at a zoological conference in, of all places, the Czech Republic. Many people had positive comments about the logo and the name and sought to purchase a shirt like the ones he was wearing during his presentations. So naturally, the next step in the evolutionary growth of Wild About Texas® was to expand into the realm of merchandise and we have officially done so with our logo caps and shirts!
However, we do not want to sell merchandise just for the sake of selling merchandise. As with everything that we do as a family-owned and operated company, we want merchandise sales to be purposeful. To have meaning. To be inspirational. So, we have decided that a percentage of all apparel sales will be donated to organizations that are making an impactful difference in Texas Horned Lizard conservation and reintroduction. After all, the iconic lizard adorns our logo, and it is one of our favorite species of reptiles in this great state!
As you have taken a bit of your valuable time to read this, we sincerely hope that you can sense Mchael’s passion for the flora and fauna of this great state, and we sense that you too will be as passionate about the world we live in… that you too will be Wild About Texas®!!