Mick Hilleary

Mick Hilleary graduated from the University of Kansas in 1986 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Industrial Design. He began his career as an Exhibit Designer at Design South creating tradeshow displays, most notably a traveling theatre exhibit for IBM. Next, he served as Design Director at Design Centre where he created exhibits for Viacom, Cessna, Learjet and MTV, among others. In 1993, Mick became the Curator of Exhibits at the Sedgwick County Zoo in charge of all animal habitats and visitor experiences. In 1999, Mick founded Total Habitat, primarily as a zoo exhibit design and construction company, but soon branched out to include Natural Swimming Pools and Ponds, with the first built in 2000. Since then, Total Habitat Natural Pools have gained international attention and have been featured in The New York Times, CBS Sunday Morning, Better Homes and Gardens, and The Wall Street Journal, just to name a few. In 2002, Mick wrote the how-to eBook, Natural Swimming Pools & Ponds: THE TOTAL GUIDE, which has since sold thousands of copies and is now in its third edition. For over 20 years, Mick has been a Design Consultant, lending his expertise to many projects, companies and individuals, including Al Gore, Tom Ford, Disney Animal Kingdom and Bass Pro Shops. Mick has lectured at a number of conferences and events over the years and served as an Adjunct Professor at Friends University from 1997 - 1999, teaching a course on design for non-design professionals. Outside of work, Mick enjoys poetry and water sports, and is a singer-songwriter and musician.