Jon Winne, Property Manager
By Kathy Schwartz
Every ship has a captain, and Ouabache’s captain is Jon Winne, property manager. He has been at Ouabache since Feb. 11, 2018, and brought with him 27 years of experience in the natural resources field.
He started as a day laborer for the Elkhart County parks, then moved on to a seasonal security guard at Mounds State Park. For the next 11 years, he was a maintenance technician at Spring Mills State Park, Martin State Forest and Yellowwood State Forest. In 2006, Winne became assistant property manager at Spring Mills. Eight years later, he was appointed the property manager of Harmony State Park.
“I got to sit in the big chair,” Winne says with a smile. He stayed there until being appointed to Ouabache.
Managing a 1,104-acre property that offers 124 campsites, youth tent area, a nature preserve, fishing, boating, historical structures and bison herd is no easy task. When Jon begins his day, he never knows what duties he will need to perform that day. Flexibility and quick thinking are requirements for the position.
Supervising six permanent employees and 18 intermittent employees, which are part-time and seasonal, can be challenging, especially within the confines of a limited budget and an ever-changing work force.
“There are half a dozen different spread sheets that I keep track of pay and hours on,” Winne said. “The biggest challenge, because we have a limited number of positions available and a limited budget, is to make sure every position is staffed when it needs to be. It can be tricky when employees have other jobs, commitments and school activities that need to be considered. The monthly schedule is like a big jigsaw puzzle.”
With such a small work force, Ouabache relies on its volunteers to assist in the maintenance duties. Volunteers can be seen mowing, grooming trails, picking up trash, maintaining the many flowerbeds and anything else that needs to be done in the park. Ouabache is known for the large number of volunteers that regularly help make the park visitor-ready.
“I don’t feel like I do a whole lot for the volunteers. I treat our volunteers as I do anybody else that works here. Even though they don’t get paid, they are part of the family. If someone is volunteering out here, they are just as important to me as any of the regular employees. We are all part of the same team. Another part of the success of our volunteer program has nothing to do with me but the volunteers. They want to do it and are dedicated to the park. I would like to think that they would keep doing it if I wasn’t here.”
When new volunteers come on board, Winne takes time to show them the ropes and work with them.
“It’s a lot of extra work, but it’s worth it,” Winne said. “As they become more familiar with the park, the volunteers just come out and do what they do and it’s a tremendous help to us. Especially with only three workers, the volunteers’ help is huge.”
But supervising personnel is a small part of the job. The overall care and upkeep of the park lands on the property manager’s shoulders. The park averages around 200,000 visitors a year and that demands that the park be ready to welcome its visitors every day.
When asked what is the favorite aspect of the job, Winne did not hesitate.
“From an enjoyment standpoint, my morning inspections. I come out at 6 o’clock in the morning, and I go around and look at everything in the park. It’s quiet. There’s nobody here, except for campers and occasional walkers, but it’s not busy and sometimes there’s a little mist or fog, It’s just me out there looking at the park, the buildings and the bison.” Winne said. “One, it’s relaxing and, two, it helps me get my mind right for the day. I can see if there are any pressing issues that we need to address right away and I just kind of organize my thoughts. It’s that first hour and a half in the morning that reminds me why I do this.”
Winne smiles when asked about his least favorite part of the job.
“The one thing I hate is raking the goose poop on the beach.”
Many suggestions have been tried to solve that problem but to no avail.
“We have only 20 resident geese, but the ones that are flying through can make a huge mess. There have been mornings that I go out and there’s 200 geese on the beach.”
The second area this property manager finds challenging is dealing with complaints.
“It’s not that I’m upset with the person that is complaining, but I don’t like complaints because I feel like I am not doing my job if someone has a complaint. Even if it is not my fault, I feel it is my responsibility as the manager. It just makes me uncomfortable.”
The one thing that Winne is looking forward to is the renovation of the previous pool building into visitor center/camp store/nature center.
Cautiously, Winne shares, “I haven’t got the 100 percent directive yet so when I do I’ll let you know. That’s the ’ biggie’ that’s coming. No definite dates are available at this time.”
I actually look forward to everyday. It’s fun to come out and take care of the park. I just like it.”
Ouabache is a special place to visit and one of the reasons that it leaves a lasting impression on visitors is its manager Jon Winne and the crew he directs. l
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