Your materials were truly inspiring and just the right step at this time. I thought our meeting went well … Keep up the good work!

Attached are the newest version of the plans -- they are fabulous and include some really lovely, thoughtful ideas for making this space SO MUCH MORE than a playground. It really is a vision (thanks to our community and to Nevin & David's brilliance -- if you ever see this fellas out, buy them a beer!) which has created a whole additional learning environment for the kids (almost doubling the size of the school, essentially), and we are able to have this space entirely rent-free …

Seems like you captured the main idea and likely prioritized some out …it looks good. I think the new exit is a great idea…it might lead to better viewing of the family group of gorillas too...Thanks for spending the time to listen to everyone’s ideas…they and I appreciated it.

Thank you so much for caring about making sure the habitat has what it needs in terms of structure and safety for the animals. The changes you have made will make a difference and we appreciate your attention to detail. You were definitely the right person for the job and it has been a joy to work with you on this project.

I was looking through some very early Chimp Haven stuff and saw your name. It reminded me of all the good times we had during that effort. You have always been a big partner with us and it is very much appreciated. But mostly I value the friendship.

Firstly congratulations - all at Kampong enjoyed working with you and the Kampong board was happy with your work - it is all about trust!

You and I have been in sync on several matters. I always carefully consider your suggestions because I know you understand things from my point of view.

Everyone on the staff was very pleased with the time they spent with you. They are so thrilled to be working with someone who will listen to them. Thank you for working so well with everyone. I look forward to this moving forward soon.

As a team, Nevin and Gail, comfortably meet the requirements of 'project technical director' and certainly have excellent international experience and qualification in the unique field of zoo planning and ex situ endangered species managment. They also possess an extensive network of international professional colleagues including myself upon whom they can call for specialized advice. On a personal level you will find them collaborative, congenial and easy to work with as well as highly professional.

You worked incredibly well with all levels of staff, incorporating ideas and making everyone feel that their opinion was valuable. As always, you worked well with local contractors to obtain good cost estimates. This work was a wonderful investment for Chimp Haven, as a short time later a tremendous need arose for housing for 100 chimpanzees from the federal government. The Master Site Plan resulted in successful agreements for the retirement of these chimpanzees to Chimp Haven and construction is currently under way.

Due to the level of success of the Master Plan project and our admiration for your professional skills, the county retained your services throughout 2008 via the issuance of additional contracts for site-specific projects, including exhibit design and guidance on architectural programming for a Zoo Education Center/Public Library. These projects are moving forward utilizing your input and guidance.

Nevin, is a creative, innovative person who brings great inter-personal skills to his exhibit design work. He listens well to the internal and other stakeholder teams to achieve well thought out and imaginative designs. He produces first rate work at a reasonable price. He is also adept at working in multi-cultural settings.

Nevin provides project teams with an almost encyclopedic amount of knowledge about the design of zoological exhibits. He then applies that knowledge through creative solutions that carefully balance the needs of the animals, the functionality of their exhibits, and the experience of the visitor. He is easy to work with and helps create a positive, cooperative environment on any project team that helps it to deliver the best project possible to the client.

I have worked with Nevin Lash for thirty years starting with his work on the Zoo Atlanta project during my time as the reform CEO of the organization. I retired from the zoo in 2003 but I continue to work with Nevin on various projects, most recently the programming of wellness-inspired design ideas for the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. Nevin’s company, Ursa International, is one of the most creative design firms in the world and he willingly takes on tough projects including pro bono work for conservation organizations and sanctuaries. Like the best designers I know, Nevin has a big heart and he wins many assignments because of his passion for animal welfare and conservation.… In addition to being a talented designer, what I especially like about Nevin is his ability to listen. He is thoughtful and well read on the subjects of animal welfare and wellness. Lately, he and I have collaborated on some visionary ideas about wellness, essentially optimal animal welfare and I am impressed with how well he has grasped this new construct. In fact, I’ve asked him to help me in illustrating my new book “Beyond Animal Welfare: The New Science of Wellness”. Although wellness-inspired design is relatively new, Nevin practices the art with a sense of restraint as he understands how expensive transformative architecture can be… Whenever I am asked to name the best designers in the business, I do not hesitate to mention Ursa International. I personally look forward to future projects with them and to the joy of reviewing the scope of their work throughout the world. I am pleased to offer my highest recommendation to Nevin and Gail, and urge you to carefully consider hiring them.

You bring a unique experiential perspective to the work; you don’t just replicate what you see at every other Zoos…and when asked to deliver full products on half budgets, you always keep the experience intact…effectively managing multiple strong personalities, with a clear focus on animal health and the visitor experience.