Out back

With his portion of the money from the sale of a family-run citrus oil applications business, Paul Schulz can afford to jet set around the world, living a life of leisure.

He's instead doing something way different.

Schulz is building a Zen-like animal and environmental sanctuary, a place he calls the Outback Oasis, on and around his property and residence on Country Club Road in Winter Haven.

Schulz has upgraded every aspect of the area. He installed sod, trees and areas for turtles, birds and a visiting alligator or two. The oasis also includes real-live kangaroos, roughly 30 acres of lush vegetation and a lake he restored.

“I've loved nature all my life,” he says. “I've kept picking at this and making changes. I feel that this is a huge canvas, and I'm almost finished with the painting.”

Schulz paid around $2 million for the property and buildings, according to Polk County property records. The project also includes renovations, additions and landscaping; Schulz declined to release an overall cost of the project.

Beyond the beauty and environmental stewardship, Schulz has opened up the private Outback Oasis to friends and area nonprofits for events and fundraisers. The property has a covered venue for events. Built from cedar wood, the open-air mega-structure is decorated with Schulz's original paintings of nature (He was a Hallmark Greetings artist before he joined his family's company, Florida Chemical). He also designed an enclosed area for his two pet kangaroos.

Several events have already been held at Outback Oasis, complete with special areas for photo opportunities in front of a spa-like waterfall Schulz designed. There are also flowers and greenery specially selected to promote the butterfly population.

“Artists and musicians create their works to share,” he says. “I feel like this is my canvas, so why wouldn't I share it with others?”

The changes are evident to anyone who passes through. There's been so much interest Schulz created an area for the curious to pull off the side of the road to view a portion of his property and Watson Lake Preserve.

This line of work is significantly different from Florida Chemical. When Schulz took over, he was the only employee — just like his father, H.E. “Bert” Schulz, was, too. When his father stepped down, the company was doing $500,000 a year in sales.

“My dad had no full-time employees, did not advertise, did not do trade shows and generally was content with a small company,” Schulz says. “I was ambitious and tolerated more risk, which combined with good timing, set the stage for rapid growth.”

The company developed and sold bio-based products for a variety of industries, including oil and gas. It grew to 45 employees. Schulz and his two sisters sold Florida Chemical for $102 million in 2013 to chemical firm Flotek. The deal made the then 51-year-old a retiree.

“It took us 70 years to become an overnight success,” Schulz quips. “We were at the right place at the right time.”