A new aquarium is getting close to opening at the Mall of Stonecrest, and it’s looking for workers who want to be around wildlife and sea creatures.
SeaQuest will hold a hiring event in Stonecrest next Thursday to staff its 10th and largest location. The company describes itself as an “educational land and sea adventure” with hand-on attractions and exhibits, and the space will be split into various areas for sea life, tropical birds, reptiles, sharks and other wildlife.
The company is moving into the shuttered Sears building at 2929 Turner Hill Road, which the city purchased for $2.1 million in late 2019. The building was going to house a public safety hub for Stonecrest, but Mayor Jason Lary told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday that the COVID-19 pandemic killed those plans. Instead, his attention turned to transforming the empty building into an attraction.
“I went to visit a very unique aquarium in Las Vegas by the name of SeaQuest,” Lary said. “I got in a tank with the fish and the turtles, and I was sold.”
Credit: SeaQuest
Credit: SeaQuest
The city recently agreed to sell the property to Stonecrest Resorts LLC, a development affiliate of Urban Retail Properties, which is the organization that manages the Mall at Stonecrest. Lary said the final sale price will be about $2.1 million, so the city will effectively get its investment in the property back. The deal was finalized at a Stonecrest Urban Redevelopment Authority meeting last Friday, but the details of the sale were not discussed publicly during the meeting.
The hiring event will take place next Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the mall. The company is hiring for several position, including animal husbandry, marine husbandry and guest services.
SeaQuest CEO Vince Covino previously told the AJC the Stonecrest location will create 60 jobs. The AJC reached out to the company Friday for more information on the hiring event but did not hear back before publication.
Grant Williams III, the location’s general manager, told On Common Ground News that they plan to fill 27 positions, including full-time and part-time staff members. He said guest services positions range from $12 to $14 an hour, while employees working animal stations could earn up to $40,000 annually, depending on their experience.
Covino previously said the location would open sometime over the summer, potentially by the end of July. Lary said he now expects Stonecrest’s SeaQuest location to open during the third week of October.
SeaQuest currently has nine aquariums, including locations in Fort Worth, Texas, Lynchburg, Virginia, and Las Vegas. Most of its locations operate inside malls. A planned location in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, never got off the ground due to the pandemic and protests from animal rights activists, who claim some animals have died due to neglect in its aquariums. Covino has denied those allegations.
Candidates interesting in applying should bring their resume or email it to recruiting@visitseaquest.com prior to the event. For more information, contact recruiting@visitseaquest.com.
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