Staff Spotlight: Matt Borden, Welcome Center Manager
What three traits define you?
Sense of humor, compassion and intelligence.
What is your personal philosophy?
I’m a follower of Dudeism. The overwhelming desire to have a rug that ties the room together. Basically, chill out.
What is one thing you could not live without?
Baseball. It’s the only thing I’ve ever fully understood.
What is the one thing you cannot resist?
A quality hot dog, especially at a baseball game.
What is your greatest fear?
That I will die without loving enough.
Where is your favorite place to be?
Anna Maria Island, Florida. Where I grew up.
What is your favorite thing to do?
Watching baseball or movies.
Where is the best place you have traveled to and why?
I was born in Vermont, but grew up in Florida. When I was a kid, I loved coming back to Vermont in the summer to visit my Grandparent’s dairy farm. I have over 40 first cousins and loved being with them. Gave me extreme joy.
What is the weirdest job you have ever had?
When I was in high school, I had a job stocking shelves at a local grocery store at night. Because I had very long hair and the manager only let me work when there were no customers in the store. Very surreal being one of two people in a large store all night. Would go to school in the morning without any sleep.
What has been the most important innovation you have witnessed in your lifetime? Medicines that have eradicated diseases around the world.
If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?
Playing centerfield for the New York Yankees. I wanted to be Mickey Mantle when I was a kid and still do.
How do you define success?
I’ve haven’t been very successful in a conventional way, but when I die, friends will come to my wake, get drunk, tell amusing stories and cry.