It doesn’t take long to understand that Wayne van der Poll loves a great adventure. With a charming South African accent, international background, healthy work ethic and newfound love for east Tennessee, he’s open to most any challenge. Just make sure he’s near water. “Moving to Knoxville, my greatest concern was how am I going to cope here in the mountains?” he says with a laugh. You see, long before becoming our VP of Accounting, Wayne spent a lot of time playing water sports in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Durban, South Africa. He grew up in the city, where he launched his career, married wife, Linda, and started raising a family.