[Columbia, SC] - Riverbanks Executive Director Satch Krantz was awarded the Key to the City, Columbia’s highest honor, at the City Council meeting on Wednesday morning. Mayor Bob Coble along with City Council members recognized Krantz for his thirty years of dedicated service to the Midlands community.

“Satch Krantz is a true testament of a citizen in our community that has gone above and beyond the call of duty to make the City of Columbia a better place to live, work and visit,” said Mayor Bob Coble. “Throughout the past thirty years, Satch’s dedication to the community and Riverbanks Zoo and Garden has been truly remarkable. I am honored to bestow this award to him.”

Krantz began his career at Riverbanks in 1973 and was promoted to Executive Director in 1976. Among Krantz’s many accomplishments at Riverbanks, one of the most notable involved the acquisition of koalas from Australia. Krantz established a relationship with the Queensland government, and particularly the Premier’s office, and has maintained these relationships elevating him to an international ambassador not just for Riverbanks but for the state of South Carolina and the United States. Krantz also led the coalition to bring the Botanical Garden to Riverbanks in 1995 followed by the Botanical Garden/Lexington County entrance in 2001. In 2005, he was honored with the Global Vision Award by the World Affairs Council.

A leader in the zoological industry, Krantz has served as president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). He is the third American in the industry to have ever served as president for both of these organizations. In addition, he will soon become the only individual to have served two non-consecutive terms as AZA president when he assumes that position once again in September 2007.

Krantz, a Columbia native, further displays his dedication to the Midlands and the state of South Carolina by his community involvement. Krantz has served as past president of both the Columbia Rotary Club and the board at Palmetto Richland Children’s Hospital. He has also served as president of the Clemson University Board of Visitors and the University of South Carolina University Associates and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the River Alliance, the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce and the AZA.