Revitalizing an Iconic Alpharetta Landmark, with Jacqueline Welch, Wills Park Equestrian Foundation (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 745)
On this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, John Ray welcomed Jacqueline Welch of the Wills Park Equestrian Foundation. Jacqueline discussed the history of the Wills Park Equestrian Center, its impact, and the public-private partnership between the Foundation and the City of Alpharetta to revitalize the Center. Jacqueline also addressed the Foundation’s aim to raise $5 million to match city funding for renovations, the facility’s ability to attract bigger, more involved horse shows after the planned upgrades, and the different ways the community can get involved, from attending annual fundraising events to providing donations. The revitalization project not only preserves an important community asset but also significantly impacts the local economy. The economic impact of the Wills Park Equestrian Center is currently estimated at $4.8 million annually, and planned upgrades would increase that impact even further.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is recorded and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Jacqueline Welch, Director of Development and Operations, Wills Park Equestrian Foundation
Jacqueline Welch quickly fell in love with horses after moving to an Alpharetta farm at 11 years old. Within a year, she competed at the Wills Park Equestrian Center in her first horse show. Over the next ten years, she made countless life-long memories and learned many life lessons at Wills Park Equestrian Center. Jacqueline credits her love for horses as a crucial element in her development, as it taught her the power of patience, discipline, and the importance of establishing strong, trusting partnerships—skills that would later prove indispensable in the world of business.
Jacqueline obtained her B.S. in Business with a Sport Management concentration from Florida Gulf Coast University before returning to Alpharetta to work for the family business, where she was given opportunities to wear many hats. She was often given responsibilities she didn’t quite feel prepared for, but she prides herself on knowing that she will always figure them out.
In 2023, Jacqueline made the decision to combine her 15 years of business and hospitality experience with her passion for horses and fond admiration for the Wills Park Equestrian Center, and she accepted a full-time position with the Wills Park Equestrian Foundation, where she currently serves as the Director of Development and Operations.
Wills Park Equestrian Foundation
Wills Park Equestrian Center has been the heart of the north Atlanta horse community since its inception in the early ‘70s. Located on 50 acres of rolling fields and woods, the center currently includes a covered arena, two outdoor competition rings, more than 290 shed row stalls, two schooling rings, and a show office.
Each year, the center hosts multiple local and USEF rated horse shows, as well as dog shows, reining shows, an annual rodeo, and other community activities.
Wills Park Equestrian Center is one of the few equestrian facilities remaining that is located in a thriving suburb of a major metropolitan city. It has become a well-loved hub for equestrians from across the Southeast. Yet as the center has grown in usage over the past five decades, the horse show industry has grown and evolved.
By upgrading the center’s infrastructure, the Foundation can ensure that this unique facility can continue to serve the equestrian community, the City of Alpharetta, and the citizens of north Metro Atlanta for years to come.
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About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
With over 740 shows and having featured over 1,100 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show welcomes a wide variety of business, non-profit, and community leaders to get the word out about the important work they’re doing to serve their market, their community, and their profession. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates business by sharing positive business stories that traditional media ignore. Some media leans left. Some media leans right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is recorded and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices.
Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
