January/February 2014
Port Director Amy Miller Plus
on getting the job done in a male-dominated industry
PEnsaCon Promises Fun, Fantasy and Economic Development IHMC Expands Property and Impact
www.nwflbusinessclimate.com
from the
publisher’ s pen Malcolm Ballinger Publisher
This new year is off to a great start for Pensacola and its surrounding areas, and recent developments seem to have laid the foundation for even more greatness. This city routinely attracts top-notch talent and events, resulting in greater business and higher quality infrastructure, which of course leads to greater opportunities for both outside and inside involvement. We are truly experiencing cyclic growth. Take the IHMC expansion, for instance. In just a few years, it has grown to become a major technology-driven economic engine for Pensacola, procuring high-dollar private and governmental grants, and creating an environment where PhDs and scientists from around the world gather to conduct research and solve problems. In the next several months, you'll notice some construction at its downtown headquarters, laying the foundation for future expansion, collaboration and community engagement. Our story on page 50 demonstrates the positive outcomes of IHMC’s new three-story building and further expansion. Then there's our port. It's easy to forget sometimes that Pensacola has industrial service channels in the air, on the ground, and in the sea, but sure enough, our port continues to grow. Amy Miller, the first female director of our port and the second female port director in the state is taking the entity in exciting new directions while building upon initiatives that have been in progress for years. Read her answers to our pressing questions on page 52. A unique event is coming to Pensacola, something that will generate business and growth in an unusual way. I am referring to Pensacon, a convention of likeminded individuals who enjoy science-fiction, horror, comics, gaming and more. Much like other conventions at bigger cities, Pensacon is expected to attract key demographics who come to these events willing and ready to spend money. This is great for downtown because Pensacon is partnering with local businesses to expand the party from the Bay Center and Crowne Plaza to the streets of Pensacola. This will translate into a huge economic impact for the city, hopefully one that will continue for years to come. Learn about the business of organizing this convention on page 56. As always, thank you for reading. I hope that as you enjoy our articles, you discover something new about this city and become as inspired and encouraged as I am by our continued upward growth.
Reader’s Services Subscriptions If you have questions about your subscriptions, call Guy Stevens at (850) 433-1166 ext. 30 or email info@ballingerpublishing.com. Gift Certificates NW FL’s Business Climate Magazine makes a great gift! Contact Malcolm Ballinger at (850)433-1166 ext. 27 or info@ballingerpublishing.com to arrange a gift certificate for your friend, business associate or loved one. Back Issues Is there an issue of one of our magazines that you just have to have? Were you featured in a recent isssue? Give us a call at 850-433-1166 ext. 30. Back Issues are $5.00/issue. Letters We welcome your letters and comments. Send letters to Ballinger Publishing P.O. Box 12665 Pensacola, FL 32591, or contact specific staff members under the “Contact us: Staff info” link on www.ballingerpublishing.com. Change of Address When calling or emailing us your change of address, please provide us with both the old and new addresses to expedite the change. Writing Opportunities We are always willing to consider freelance writers and article ideas. Please send queries and/or suggestions to Kelly Oden, executive editor, at kelly@ballingerpublishing.com, or care of Kelly to the above postal address.
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Contents FEATURES 52. Port Director Amy Miller 56. Pensacon Promises Fun, Fantasy and Economic Development 52.
56.
DEPARTMENTS 48. LEADERSHIP Is ACCOUNTABILITY More Like Glue or Teflon at Your Organization? 48. 50. TECHNOLOGY
50.
IHMC Expands Property and Impact in every issue 60. AROUND THE REGION 61. PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
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January/February 2014 PUBLISHER
MALCOLM BALLINGER malcolm@ballingerpublishing.com BC EDITOR
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JOSH NEWBY josh@ballingerpublishing.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS JULIE MILLER • BRIAN BEDFORD SALES & MARKETING
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MALCOLM BALLINGER • malcolm@ballingerpublishing.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR
KELLY ODEN •kelly@ballingerpublishing.com ART DIRECTOR
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EMILY LULLO •emily@ballingerpublishing.com BUSINESS EDITOR
JOSH NEWBY •josh@ballingerpublishing.com SALES & MARKETING SHARYON MILLER, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE EXT. 28 sharyon@ballingerpublishing.com
BECKY HILDEBRAND, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, becky@ballingerpublishing.com
EXT.
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_L EADERSHIP
By Julie Miller and Brian Bedford
Is ACCOUNTABILITY More Like Glue or Teflon at Your Organization? Seven Ways to Make Sure ACCOUNTABILITY Sticks in 2014 If you know you and your employees have been lax about keeping to your company’s core values and you’re afraid of the lasting effects it could have on your company, Julie Miller and Brian Bedford explain how you can make accountability stick in 2014. As a leader at your organization, you like to think that you run a pretty tight ship. But if you’re being honest with yourself, you know that you let a few things slide in 2013. A missed deadline here and there. A few tiny white lies to clients. The fact that Mike in marketing often over-commits and under-delivers. Your own tendency to talk over others in meetings. In other words, people (you included) haven’t always done what they know they’re supposed to do or behaved like they know they’re supposed to behave—and they’ve gotten away with it. None of these transgressions have been deal-breakers. Yet you know if you don’t start holding yourself and your employees accountable for these little things, they’ll eventually lead to bigger, more damaging sins. That’s why, according to Julie Miller and Brian Bedford, one of the best New Year’s resolutions you can make is around the A-word. Accountability. “Accountability is a tricky business because it has different meanings for different people,” says Miller. “In our book, we present a definition we learned that we like very much: ‘a personal willingness, after the fact, to answer for 48
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the results of your behaviors and actions.’” “With that in mind, think about where you and your people dropped the ball in 2013 in terms of client relations, personal integrity, and interactions with coworkers,” adds Bedford. “More important, did any of you answer for these lapses? You can post core values on the company website and remind your employees about them via the company newsletter until you’re blue in the face. But if none of you are ever held accountable to these behaviors, you’ll just repeat 2013’s transgressions over and over again.” Culture Without Accountability—WTF? What’s the Fix? explains what can happen when businesses, teams, families, and individuals shirk accountability. The book is full of real-life stories of what accountability looks like and what can go wrong in its absence. It offers a proven process for installing an accountabilitybased culture, a platform for success in business and in everyday life. “Of course, you might be thinking,
January/February 2014
We’ve tried making accountability stick before, and all those initiatives just melted away over time. That’s what will happen this time,” says Bedford. “You can’t create an accountable organization in passing. Buy-in must come from everyone. Accountability must be woven into the fabric of your organization. It has to become a part of every aspect of your business.” In their book, Culture Without Accountability, Miller and Bedford provide the perfect “make-it-stick” plan. Here’s how an approach to this problem might look, using the concepts from the book. Conduct a 2013 accountability postmortem. Here’s a revelation for you: Despite the accountability failures of 2013, it’s very possible that no one at your organization thinks they’re doing anything wrong. Maybe they’ve never actually been told that they need to change how they do things. That’s why Miller says you should kick off your 2014 accountability revolution with a meeting
of the minds. “Call your team together for an open discussion of the company’s core values and required behaviors and where you’ve dropped the ball,” she advises. “Explain that no one will get in trouble for acknowledging their own shortcomings or even pointing out those of others. Ask people to share the negative effects they believe these behaviors had on the business and explain that those negatives will only get worse with time.” “Set the stage by taking responsibility for your own transgressions,” adds Bedford. “This will encourage others to be honest in turn. Finally, explain that things are going to be done differently in the upcoming year. Use this meeting to get consensus on what the core values and behaviors need to be to support the company’s strategies and goals for 2014, and emphasize that everyone, starting with the key leaders, will be held accountable for demonstrating them.” Hold an accountability boot camp early in the year. However you go about making accountability stick at your organization, one thing is for sure: You and the other leaders at your company can’t simply decree an accountability mandate and then expect everyone to fall in line. You’ll need to implement a training and development plan to help employees understand why accountability is important and what accountable behavior looks like. “A boot camp-style training session is a great way to achieve this,” says Bedford. “In these sessions you should also establish how their accountability mindset and behaviors will affect their pay and progression in the organization. Teach employees how to provide feedback to one another, since this is essential to developing a culture of accountability. For leaders, you’ll need specialized training and development programs that explain what accountability looks like for them and what they can do to be effective accountability role models. We’ve seen these kinds of programs work many times before. Through our consulting practice, we work with companies from around the world to tailor training plans specific to their needs—we don’t feel a standardized approach is as effective.” Start with a behavior statement. Everyone needs to understand that they will be held responsible not only for the results of their work, but also for how they go about their work, and their rewards will depend on both. If your most experienced salesperson has great sales numbers but bullies the shipping department every time he/she needs an
order rushed, or if you have an employee who clients love but who often misses internal targets, those transgressions must have consequences despite these employees’ successes in other areas. One useful way to communicate this is to develop behavior statements that make it clear what you’re looking for. The statements will answer the fundamental question of what, precisely, you’re trying to fix, implement, or eliminate. This is especially helpful in international companies, because accountability might mean different things in different countries, languages, and cultures. So, for example, you might establish accountability behavior statements, such as: • Always do what you say you’ll do. • Always tell the truth. • Bring issues up as you discover them. • And then make those even more clear through Dos and Don’ts. For example: • DO be open, honest, and truthful. • DON’T make excuses. “Once you’ve established accountability behavior statements and provided Dos and Don’ts, you can revisit them during performance reviews,” notes Miller. “They’ll help drive discussions with employees on how they are doing when it comes to meeting your company’s accountability standards.” Regularly meet up and talk it out. Do you hold regular communications meetings with your team or organization? Bedford and Miller recommend it, because meetings provide an opportunity for management to highlight people who have demonstrated good accountability, as well as to show where things went wrong and what could have been done better. “This should be done in a way that instructs rather than punishes,” says Bedford. “Use every available communication tool to emphasize why accountability is important: electronic signs, business reviews, one-on-one meetings, e-mails, posters, and more. If, by way of regular communication, you reinforce the changes you want to see, you will drive the value deep into the organization.” Don’t promote accountability shirkers. A sure way to express the importance of accountability at your organization is to connect it to advancement. Promotions and salary increases should be considered only for people who demonstrate accountability as defined by the organization, says Miller. “When your employees do well, reward and promote them,” she says. “If they don’t do well, apply consequences and make sure they understand that their performance will limit their success
and possible progression. Do not promote employees with problems with accountability, especially if they’ll be moving into a leadership position. If you do, rest assured that employee’s problems with accountability will become other employees’ problems with accountability.” Hire accountable people. Spice up your interviews and weed out the unaccountable by asking key questions during the interview process. Instead of asking a job candidate about her strengths and weaknesses, ask, “If I asked your boss how you demonstrated accountability, what example would he or she give?” Or say, “Share with me a time where you made a big mistake and how you handled it.” If you’re interviewing a candidate for a leadership position, you might say, “Summarize a difficult conversation you had with an employee who had failed to meet a commitment.” Or, “Describe a situation in which you very clearly held others accountable for their performance and it paid off. How did you do it and what was the outcome?” “More and more companies are using skill assessment tools and personality tests to screen potential candidates, so why not add behavior-based questions to screen for accountability,” says Bedford. “Of course, hiring an employee and then training him to be accountable is possible. But hiring people who are already accountable is a better, less costly option.” Monitor your success and make adjustments as needed. Goals and metrics should be used to guide the business on an ongoing basis, not just at the beginning and end of the year. “Use regular business meetings to establish an accountability drumbeat to keep goals and metrics on track so there is a better chance to achieve success,” says Miller. “Reviewing goals at the end of the year and hoping for success will likely end in tears.” “When left unattended, the negative results that come from a lack of accountability will spread,” says Bedford. “Will your organization be able to survive that kind of plague? Maybe. Certainly, not all companies meet the fate of the Enrons and Lehman Brothers of the world. But in the end, what will your company look like? Will it be a place where great people want to work? Will it be able to provide great services or products to customers? When you commit to making accountability stick, you improve your chances of becoming a great company. Make 2014 the year you and your employees dedicate yourselves to accountability.”
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_TECHNOLOGY
IHMC
Expands Property and Impact By Josh Newby
The Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) will soon expand its downtown facility, doubling its current space and increasing its research and public event capabilities. The new, 30,000-squarefoot addition will consolidate efforts currently housed at four separate rental sites in the area. The IHMC is one of the nation’s premier research organizations, with world-class scientists and engineers investigating a broad range of topics related to building technological systems aimed at amplifying and extending human cognitive, perceptual, and physical capacities. IHMC headquarters are in Pensacola, with a branch research facility in Ocala. As the IHMC continues to procure numerous high-profile private and
Photos courtesy of IHMC
IHMC Team
governmental grants, the additional space will used for both internal and external purposes. The entire project is slated to cost about $8 million, money that Escambia County procured in the form of a municipal loan and which IHMC is solely responsible for repaying over the next 15 years. One of the spaces will be an expansion of their current meeting space, which will increase capacity from 150 to 300. This phase should be complete by September 2014. “We have about 300 events a year, and often there is not enough space,” said Julie Sheppard, general counsel at IHMC. “This expansion addresses that while reworking and updating the entrance aesthetic.” The new building, which will break ground in April 2014, is scheduled for completion in early 2015. The three-story addition will be on Romana Street behind the current facility on land IHMC owns between Alcaniz and Florida Blanca streets. The new building’s first floor will largely consist of research labs, including an expanded robotics lab and a multi-sensory interfaces lab focused on sensory displays and human-machine interfaces. The second floor will feature a glass-walled observation area for public tour groups and others to observe the Robotics Lab safely and without interfering with the work. The third floor will hold additional offices, conference rooms and research space. “This has been a project four or five years in the making,” said architect Carter Quina. “We’re working very hard to make the project blend into the historic neighborhood. By zoning, IHMC is in the brick warehouse district, so the new building reflects the warehouse appearance, updated with modern touches. We’re using brick, steel and concrete—all historical materials used in the area, and adding glass to allow natural daylight inside and to make the interior accessible to the public.” The new space will be built with sustainable material and practices, and the team is striving for a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Gold certification. Public spaces with natural light, LED lighting and environmentally conscious electrical and plumbing work will make the building reflective of the science-based and forward-thinking initiatives IHMC represents. Staff who currently work separately in the IHMC’s other Pensacola properties will have new access to scientists from different disciplines and be able to work more collaboratively on a variety of projects as they all pursue their vision in a unified space. “We like to make sure a project can benefit from as many people from different backgrounds and cultures as possible,” said Sheppard, noting that a large portion of their staff come from outside the area or even outside the country. “With this new building, we should be able to achieve that by summer 2015.” The IHMC’s often overlooked but nevertheless substantial economic impact will likely increase with the new location as well.
“We bring outside money—in the form of grants and contracts—and outside talent here,” said Carl Wernicke, communications manager for IHMC. “As a result, much of that money, be it salary or funds spent on supplies, gets spent here. That’s a huge economic engine for the city.” IHMC has an estimated $130 million annual impact. “A big goal of ours is retention and recruitment,” said Sheppard. “That will be made easier with this new, state-of-theart building, hopefully resulting in an even greater impact.” The community, including professionals and students, will benefit greatly from the expansion as well. Sheppard said that the IHMC is a popular destination for field trips and professional development seminars. Right now, however, there either is not enough space or visitations often prove disruptive to scientists and unsafe to visitors. The new building will have a second floor glass walkway for field trips. Quina envisions youngsters and business professionals alike walking the tour circuit, protected from the research while scientists continue to work uninterrupted. “This could enhance cultural heritage tourism as well, as technology and research continues to become a part of downtown’s culture,” said Quina. While not currently a priority, Sheppard said she would like to see the building’s rooftop utilized for city events. “We’ll have an elevator and staircase going to the roof, so the city or local organizations could host events up there,” said Sheppard. With all the space that IHMC owns, parking is not expected to be a problem. The actual IHMC location boasts 74 spaces, with approximately 50 more along the streets. And with many of the IHMC staff living downtown, bike racks will be available for the city’s new Bike at Work program, as will charging stations for electric vehicles. The new center promises to be a hub of technology, research and academia that Quina hopes will serve as a further revitalization for downtown. The new building will also be elevated to avoid the flooding problems that affected IHMC during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. It will house sensitive electronic and computer infrastructure. A required archaeological survey has already been conducted, and the plans received conceptual approval from the City of Pensacola’s Architectural Review Board on Dec. 19, 2013. “We’re growing and we need more room,” said IHMC Director and CEO Ken Ford. “We’re really pleased to see the plans finally coming together. We love being in downtown Pensacola and couldn’t be happier about being part of its continued growth.” “The expression is one of new and old, as if the brick warehouse was renovated and adapted to a new use,” said Quina. “Research and invention is the product of this place and a sense of discovery, wonder and faith in science and creativity will be displayed in its architecture. It may be about layers. It may be about mechanics or electronics. It may be about technology and its role in the human condition. It will be about people.”
Atlas
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Port Director Amy Miller
Photo of Amy Miller by Guy Stevens II
on getting the job done in a male-dominated industry
By Josh Newby
On Nov. 20, 2013, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward appointed Amy Miller the first female director of the Port of Pensacola and the second female port director in the state of Florida.
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“Amy’s 11 year dedication to the Port of Pensacola makes her eminently qualified for this position,” said Hayward. “I am thrilled to announce Ms. Miller as the new Port Director and I look forward to her leadership and our port’s growing future.” An Ohio native, Miller holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. Following a successful career in print journalism that took her from Ohio to California and, finally, Louisiana, she entered the seaport industry in 1993 as communications director for the Port of South Louisiana. In 1997, she was named trade development manager at the Port of Gulfport, Miss., where she was instrumental in attracting Crowley Maritime’s Central America-Gulf container shipping service and Gearbulk Shipping’s US GulfSouth America breakbulk shipping service to that port. Miller made her way to Florida in 2002 when she became Port of Pensacola’s manager of Business & Trade Development. In 2006, her duties were expanded to include oversight of the port’s budgeting, finance and human resources activities. Northwest Florida Business Climate sat down with Miller to discuss her new role, upcoming developments for the port’s contributions to economic development, and how she feels as a female in what is still a male-dominated industry. How is the job going? So far, so good. I imagine the first month or 60 days will be a lot of acclimating, settling in, and strategizing with the mayor’s office what our purpose will look like in a year or three years from now. You were a journalism major, correct? The port industry is kind of my second career. Right out of college, I went into print journalism. I stuck with reporting for about nine years. I moved to California and then Louisiana. My very first exposure to the port industry was in California, where one of my beats was the port board of commissioners. That was my first exposure to the port business. While in Louisiana, I was managing editor for a twiceweekly publication over there. The port director at that port
called me and informed me that their marketing person just quit and asked if I was interested in changed career fields. A lot of port directors have degrees in business or public affairs or logistics, but as a journalism major, I worked my way up from the bottom over the course of almost 20 years. I believe in the power of international trade. America is at its best when we are making, selling and distributing things. I’m excited to work with other community partners in economic development and show them the power of export. Have you run into any challenges being the first female director at this port and the second female director of a port in Florida? No, I really haven’t. I’ve been really touched by the support I’ve gotten from the local community, from the port community, and from the port directors at other ports across the Gulf. The port industry and international trade are still male-dominated industries. Clearly, I’m a minority in terms of my position. I’ll still go to a lot of conferences where I’m one of two or three women in the room. However, I’ve not ever faced any obstacles because of it. I’ve never not gotten a business deal because I’m a woman. Describe the role the port plays in the city’s economic development. Ports in general are primarily part of your transportation infrastructure. So in as much as transportation is important to economic development, ports are an economic development tool. But they go beyond the value of solely being a transportation component in that they attract and move international commerce. The Port of Pensacola, historically, has served Northwest Florida, South Alabama and Southwestern Georgia, and industries located in those areas. We serve the manufacturing industries in those areas in the import of products and raw commodities and the export of finished goods and semi-finished goods.
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A couple months ago, the state budget allocated $2 million for Warehouse 9 and a shore-side utility project. How are those projects going? Both of those are moving along. That grant required some job creation commitments as a measurement tool for grant performance, so we have not actually done construction on any of those projects yet, because we want to make sure we have a tenant in place that is capable of and willing to meet those job creation requirements. We are in negotiations still currently on some prospects, and I fully expect those negotiations will conclude successfully and we will start those projects later in 2014. What type of job requirements were mandated? The grant with the state requires a minimum of 75 jobs within five years of construction completion. This port does not have container facilities. What are the pros and cons of that? There are people who say that non-containerized ports are a dying breed that will not survive the era of containerization. I disagree with that. All of the trade forecasting studies that predict what cargo flows are going to look like in 2020, 2030 and 2050, all show that between 16 and 20 percent of all world trade is going to be stuff that doesn’t fit in a container. 54
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That’s the kind of stuff this port has always handled well and been very successful at. I think there’s going to be continued niche markets for us to participate in. That said, there’s a lot of interest in the pending opening of the expanded Panama Canal, and what that’s going to mean for container trade, big-box ships coming into the Gulf that have historically stopped on the East Coast or West Coast. With the opening of the Canal, there’s a chance for those ships to come into the Gulf. Mobile has desires to participate in that market and have those big, huge container ships come into their port. Miami is building up for that, as well. Certainly, that’s not a market Pensacola can support directly. There’s just not enough land to load and offload 9,000 containers. It’s not a waterside issue for us; it’s a land challenge. But I think there are some opportunities for feeder services to grow out of that market. We’re talking about a ship that’s going to discharge 9,000 or 10,000 containers in Miami, and while that area is a big consumer market, it’s not that big of a consumer market. It’s not going to consume all of those goods coming in. The vast majority of that is going to other places in the country. Does it really make sense for all those containers to go on trucks primarily and move through the state that already has some landside congestion issues with our interstate system? Or does it make sense to put those containers on a small container feedership and move them to a place like Pensacola that can take 400 or 500 containers a week and then dispatch them to rail and truck for further transport inland from here?
I think there are some opportunities there. I think there may be some opportunities to tie in the old Escambia treating site as a developable, usable piece of industrial property very soon. The state, through its own process, is publishing a statewide mobility plan. What that will do is look at our 15 ports, their relationship to one another, each’s strengths and weaknesses, and look at how we focus limited resources on these projects to maximize our reach. Contained in that is a component called Intermobal Logistics Centers. That is a facility where you have all modes of transportation. You take product and basically move it through that facility as a distribution hub. I think that the location of the Escambia treating facility lends itself to consideration for that. I think that’s where we play into the container market. We’re never going to be a major container port that sees gigantic ships coming through the channel. Smaller scale activity makes more sense for us. Now that said, there are some challenges on the federal regulation side that need to be worked out, but that’s okay. Are there any new initiatives that have come online or things you hope to initiate? There are, but I can’t talk about them right now. We’ve got a couple of active prospects that have come up in the last couple weeks, but we can’t really talk about them too much right now. One of the things we have done is that, for a year as of this month, we have had a liner service. A liner service is a published schedule for a set rotation of ports. So anyone who has something to ship to, say, the Caribbean can pull up a shipping company’s schedule and see when they’re scheduled to be in the Port of Pensacola, what their deadline is, what their shipping date is, what date they’ll be in each subsequent port, and so on. If you have something to ship to one of those ports, you can deliver it on their ship. You can send it from the Port of Pensacola and it’ll arrive at one of those ports you designated. That’s something this port has not had in a very long time, and it’s really exciting. They’ve been here about a year doing one ship a month. We’re working on them with our rate structures and incentives to help attract more business to grow that.
What efforts are you taking to diversify your revenuegenerating streams? We have some challenges based on the fact that we’re a 50acre little plot of land, and we have to maximize it the best we can. We do have some opportunities to diversify, though. A couple of years ago we attracted Offshore Inland that does the offshore oil and gas vessel servicing. We had never done that kind of business here before to the extent we’re doing it now as a business partner. People love to see the big ships come in. It’s good revenue for the port and it adds jobs for people who come in from out of town and out of state to work on these ships in very specialized, technical ways. That’s very good business for us, and it doesn’t create a lot of train traffic, so it keeps disturbances to a minimum. It’s not traditional port business; it’s not cargo. I think there are some opportunities to expand in areas like that. I think there might be opportunities for maritime commerce related areas that are not strictly cargo-related. Of course, we’re always looking for new cargos, as well. That never goes away. You always have to play the “what if?” game in your mind. We also have great business going with GE and the things they make at the plant. That will likely grow as they increase production, and the vast majority of that will move through this port just because of geography. If something happens in the world economy, though, we have to make sure we can weather that storm. I’ve been through that before when the economy fell and nobody was building anything anymore. You have to diversify as much as possible.
Is the port self-sustaining? Our charge as a business is to make at least as much as we spend every year on a cash flow basis. We operate on vessel fees, weight fees, pilot fees, landside transportation costs and ocean freight rates. We had a few really good years and put some money in our savings account, so that’s there for down times. The goal is to always have enough cash to pay the bills, and we’ve done that, thanks to earned income on an annualized basis and the money in our savings account.
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Pensacon Promises Fun, Fantasy and Economic Development By Josh Newby
Downtown Pensacola is preparing to let its geek flag fly. The Pensacola Bay Center and Crowne Plaza Grand Hotel will host the largest independent fan convention in the country from Feb. 21 through 23.
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Between 5,000 and 10,000 guests will be able to meet more than 70 celebrities from genres like sci-fi, horror, comics, anime, gaming and more, including Gethin Anthony, who plays Renly Baratheon from Game of Thrones; Kane Hodder, who plays Jason Vorhees in Friday the 13th; and David Prowse, who embodied Darth Vader for the Star Wars original trilogy. Outside the doors of the convention, downtown is getting in on the action, too, where participants can experience first hand the Mos Eisley Cantina from Star Wars, a Tardis or two from Dr. Who, a Walking Dead-style horror party, and even gender-bending dress-up fun. All of this translates into new tourism for the area, press and media coverage for Pensacola, and a huge economic impact and outside revenue for the city, especially hotels and downtown bars and restaurants. It all started when Mike Ensley, chairman of Pensacon and selfprofessed life-long nerd, approached Ben Galecki, co-founder of independent movie production company Heretic Films, with the idea of a local fan gathering of about 500 people. Galecki took that idea and ran with it, envisioning a huge convention with thousands of visitors and dozens of guests. Fronting his own money, Galecki began assembling a team in early 2013, including Will Phillips, Courtney Hagans and Manda Manning, who would work on marketing the event and attracting big names. The team works under the name Kinematic Entertainment. From there, Pensacon snowballed into a vast partnership between local businesses, chambers of commerce, and affluent city leaders to become the largest independent fan convention in the country—and it is only in its first year. “The amount of support from the community and from the larger celebrity and comics industry has been overwhelming for a first-year convention,” said Phillips. “Generally, people are a little hesitant to commit to anything in its first year, so we had to pay some big names upfront to appear. After that, word of mouth and guerilla marketing tactics helped us attract more and more people, which generated more and more interest.” In order to create a national buzz about Pensacon, the
team traveled to all the best conventions in the country— including Comic-Con in San Diego, MegaCon in Orlando, and Dragoncon in Atlanta—analyzing what they liked and did not like, and promoting themselves and the idea of a convention to fans, celebrities, and everyone who would listen. They dressed up as characters from their favorite sci-fi and fantasy works of art, drawing attention and then pitching Pensacon. Eventually, people would start to recognize them and want to get involved. Kinematic recruited vendors from many of the conventions they visited, and some are coming from as far away as New Jersey and Missouri. All vendor spots sold out by November, nearly four months before the convention, convincing the
“Our vendor area will be on the arena floor,” said Ensley. “We have more than 90 vendor booths that range from things like steampunk to comic books and sci-fi collectibles. We have people who just do horror T-shirts. We have a huge variety of gaming, video games and tabletop gaming. From there, around the rim of the top, we’ll have a lot of fan tables from different groups like the Star Trek Club, the Star Wars clubs, the anime club locally, costuming folks, some local magazines and things like that.” team they had something truly special on their hands. “Our vendor area will be on the arena floor,” said Ensley. “We have more than 90 vendor booths that range from things like steampunk to comic books and sci-fi collectibles. We have people who just do horror T-shirts. We have a huge variety of gaming, video games and tabletop gaming. From there, around the rim of the top, we’ll have a lot of fan tables from different groups like the Star Trek Club, the Star Wars clubs, the anime club locally, costuming folks, some local magazines and things like that.” January/February 2014
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Locally, the team spread the word by recruiting local businesses to take part in the exciting developments. Pensacon has had displays at Gallery Night, commissioned storm troopers to wander through the Christmas parades Downtown, and advertised on billboards all over town to inspire people like Sandy Sansing and Lewis Bear to contribute to the event. “We couldn’t be more thankful for how supportive the Downtown Improvement Board (DIB) has been and downtown in general,” said Courtney Hagans, event coordinator. “I think initially people were a little apprehensive because we started getting people excited about it months and months out, and it’s an unusual thing, but as soon as we got the DIB’s support, everyone has been so supportive.” Social media has also served as a positive dialogue between the Pensacon team and the fans they want to please. “If someone tells us via Facebook that they would love to see a certain guest, we try our best to get that guest,” said Phillips. “This event will be most successful if the people see what they want. On the other hand, it has helped us spread awareness through non-traditional channels.” The staff at Kinematic sees Pensacon as a huge marketing effort for Pensacola—a chance to show newcomers what this city is made of. “We want out-of-town people to see Pensacola as lively and receptive to exciting change,” said Manning. “The city’s reputation is on the line,” said Phillips. “People can either come for Pensacon and be pleasantly surprised by what the host city offers, or they can come and only enjoy the convention.” Pensacon is February’s Gallery Night sponsor, and the Kinematic team hopes to see all manner of costumed vigilantes and villains roaming the streets at that time. “We hope we can encourage a lot of folks to come down in costume and be on the streets of Pensacola,” said Ensley. “Seville Quarter is onboard with us. They’re going to be doing our opening night party on Thursday night. We’re going to show the film Attack From Beneath, which was filmed here in Pensacola a couple years ago. We’re going to have an outdoor screening of that which the public is invited to come out and watch for free.” To ensure guests get the most out of their experience in the city, Kinematic has partnered with downtown businesses to take part in the fun. Vinyl Music Hall will host a Dr. Who party, the Tin Cow is putting together a Walking Dead-style gettogether, Play will have a horror party featuring Leatherface 58
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and Jason Vorhees, and there will even be a gender-bender party at Emerald City, where both genders are encouraged to cross-dress as their favorite superhero or pop culture icon. “We want the convention to really serve as a stimulus for the city,” said Phillips. “Those who have convention passes will receive discounts at area establishments, which will benefit both the patrons and the businesses.” “We imagine a Golden Ticket type of scenario in that a convention pass would open up a range of downtown options for visitors,” said Manning. All of this means huge patronage for downtown business, resulting in an estimated $2 million economic impact for the city. More generous estimates have projected as much as $10 million in economic impact.
“People who come not only spend the $60 on tickets,” said Phillips. “They buy autographs and merchandise at the convention and then food and drinks downtown.” Kinematic has also partnered with Visit Pensacola and the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce to increase visibility. Other downtown events that will be facilitated in partnership with Pensacon include speed dating, comedy shows, a scavenger hunt, masquerade parties, trivia competitions, and more. Most convention-goers are reputably respectable. There is a sense of community as thousands of people gather to appreciate their favorite culture. Eighteen to 45-year-olds generally attend conventions, with money to spend, and often bring their families, as many events will be centered toward
have to enhance the quality of the event rather that the quantity in 2015. Pollsters from Visit Pensacola will be at the event to measure visitor satisfaction, gauge event success and understand what people would like to see in 2015. “Next year awareness and anticipation will increase exponentially,” said Phillips. “To have this much excitement for a convention that has never even happened, you can only imagine what next year will be like when we have the metrics in place to gauge what worked and what didn’t work.” As more and more people are interested in the convention, outside attention will grow, prompting more popular guests and even more visitor interest. The Kinematic team has created a system of cyclic success for both the event and Pensacola,
Most convention-goers are reputably respectable. There is a sense of community as thousands of people gather to appreciate their favorite culture. Eighteen to 45-year-olds generally attend conventions, with money to spend, and often bring their families, as many events will be centered toward young adults and children. Children 10 years and under will even be admitted for free. young adults and children. Children 10 years and under will even be admitted for free. The resounding anticipated success of the convention’s inaugural year has taken many by surprise, prompting expansion from the Crowne Plaza Grand Hotel into the Pensacola Bay Center. Every room on every floor of the Bay Center will be full all three days. Three hundred volunteers will be on hand to serve Pensacon guests and visitors. The Kinematic team is training these volunteers as if they were new employees at a full-time job. “We want everyone to be a part of that culture and really enhance the visitor experience,” said Phillips. For next year, the team is looking to attract even bigger name stars. Since the city has already reached its capacity in terms of hosting space, Kinematic will
which they hope to build upon for years to come. “We’re already looking at guests for 2015,” said Ensley. “We hope to have some guests that we can announce at the end of the convention in 2014.”
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AROUND THE REGION business news bits you should know University of West Florida to expand online offerings In December, the University of West Florida announced that it will bring three additional high-demand nursing and education programs—Registered Nurseto-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RNBSN), Master of Education with a specialization in curriculum and instruction (M.Ed., Curriculum and Instruction), and Doctor of Education with a specialization in curriculum and instruction (Ed.D, Curriculum and Instruction)—online in the coming months. UWF establishes Early American Studies program, reflecting Pensacola’s history The University of West Florida Department of History recently developed a graduate program offering a comprehensive look at Early American studies, with a special emphasis on the American Southeast and the Caribbean. The program was developed by Belko and
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Dr. Amy Mitchell-Cook, associate professor and chair of the Department of History. The University began admitting students into the program this past fall, but the official launch is scheduled for fall 2014. As the program’s main focus, students are required to take core coursework in American history from European contact to the eve of the Civil War. Students are able to develop their knowledge of early American life and society in more comprehensive ways through coursework and research in various other disciplines, such as anthropology and archaeology, literature and fine arts, government and political science, and philosophy and religion. Chamber issues call for sponsors & exhibitors for 14th annual World Trade Conference In its continuing effort to help shape the region’s business climate, the Greater Pensacola Chamber will once again host the Annual Gulf Coast Trade Alliance World Trade Conference, designed to take a closer look at future opportunities in both trade and investment. This year’s theme is “Gateway Gulf Coast: Leveraging Infrastructure to Boost International Commerce,” and will be presented May 12 at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front. Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are now available. For more information or to learn how to become a sponsor, visit www.WorldTradeConference.com, contact Andrea Moore at (850) 469-8989 or amoore@eflorida.com, or contact Danita Andrews at (850) 438-4081, ext. 224, or dandrews@pensacolachamber.com. Chamber declares HeroMan Services Plant Company small business of the month The Greater Pensacola Chamber proudly recognizes HeroMan Services Plant Company as January’s Small Business of the Month. Six generations of the Heroman family have been providing horticulture services to the Gulf Coast since 1836, and, in 1987, Pat and Deborah Heroman founded HeroMan Services Plant Company. The company provides urban design and plantscaping services such as interior landscaping, exterior container gardens, urban parklets, flower gardens, green roofs, green vertical walls and custom holiday décor.
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Florida ranks first for US aviation manufacturing attractiveness Florida was recently ranked first in aviation manufacturing attractiveness by PricewaterhouseCooper. Long known as the cradle of naval aviation, Greater Pensacola’s large military presence provides a highly skilled and valuable workforce for aviation/aerospace companies with more than 7,500 qualified individuals in the Northwest Florida region who currently work for our existing companies in manufacturing, installation, maintenance and repair occupations. Baptist Health Care listed on Becker’s 100 Integrated Health Systems to Know Baptist Health Care was listed on Becker’s 100 Integrated Health Systems to Know, a list based on health systems’ range and coordination of health care services. The Becker’s Hospital Review editorial team selected health systems based on rankings by health care analytics company IMS Health, as well as on financial, clinical and operational strength. Each health system on the list focuses on the continuum of care, including wellness and preventive services; urgent, inpatient and outpatient care; hospice; health plan offerings and more. Hayward enters into lease negotiations to bring aerospace company to Pensacola International Airport Mayor Hayward recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding between ST Aerospace, Mobile, Inc. and the City of Pensacola. The non-binding MOU is the culmination of 18 months of joint efforts to build the aerospace industry in Pensacola. Hayward said, “We have aggressively been courting this company and the aerospace industry. It has been a pleasure to work with Joseph Ng and his team. We look forward to the next steps in lease negotiations.” ST Aerospace’s primary business activity is the maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft. Plans include locating a satellite operation inside Pensacola International Airport Commerce Park and would bring a minimum of 300 new jobs to Pensacola. Studer purchases downtown PNJ site On Dec. 31, Quint Studer’s Daily Convo LLC purchased the 5.85-acre Pensacola
PEOPLE
News Journal downtown site from Gannett Company for $3.4 million. Studer plans to transform the site into residential housing. UWF receives $1 million gift to support engineering and supply chain logistics The University of West Florida recently announced a $1 million gift from the Bear Family Foundation, presented by Lewis Bear Jr., chair of the UWF Board of Trustees, and his family. The gift will support the UWF engineering department and supply chain logistics program. The Bear family is contributing $700,000 to engineering, which is emerging as a distinctive department for the University. The gift will advance the University’s ability to align programs with workforce needs in the region and provide opportunities for students in high-wage fields important to Northwest Florida. The Bear family is allocating $300,000 of the gift to fund an Endowed Professorship in Supply Chain Logistics, which will enable the program to continue to recruit and retain top faculty in the discipline. UWF students named American Chemical Society Scholars Two University of West Florida students were recently invited to join the American Chemical Society Scholars Program, a prestigious accomplishment awarded to approximately 82 students nationwide per year. Since 2012, five UWF students have been named ACS Scholars and have received a total of $25,000 in annual scholarships. Freshman Amanda Tonnaer and sophomore Chiena Witt were awarded a total of $6,000 in renewable scholarships through the ACS Scholars Program this fall. They will also have the opportunity to work with a mentor through the program and network with fellow scholars and scientists at future ACS National Meetings. Navy Federal selects contractor for expansion Navy Federal Credit Union has selected Hensel Phelps to develop its expansion in Beulah. The $200 million project will break ground in March and includes the construction of two buildings, a parking garage and an energy plant. Completion of the project is expected in late 2015 or early 2016.
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Cardiothoracic surgeon joins Sacred Heart Medical Group Dr. Randy Metcalf, an experienced, board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, has joined Sacred Heart Cardiology and will serve as chief of cardiac surgery at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. Dr. Metcalf obtained his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston and became the chief resident of surgery at the University of Colorado in Denver. He performed a clinical fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at the New England Deaconess Hospital at Harvard University in Boston. Cox Media names new local sales manager Cox Communications is excited to name Jessica Duncan the new Okaloosa County local sales manager of its advertising division, Cox Media. Duncan has been with Cox Media since 2009 as both a marketing strategist and a business development consultant. Her well-rounded experience and knowledge of the area will be a great benefit to local businesses and her team. In her role with Cox Media, Duncan will lead a team of media consultants responsible for developing integrated marketing solutions for clients to include television, and on-line advertising in Okaloosa and South Walton counties. Victor Hall selected as vice president of Heart and Vascular Services for Baptist Health Care Baptist Health Care (BHC) has selected Victor Hall as vice president of heart and vascular services. Hall comes to BHC from the Cleveland Clinic where he served as the regional vice president for cardiovascular services. In addition to his new role, Hall serves as a reservist at the Navy Medicine West Headquarters in San Diego, Calif. and was recently promoted to Rear Admiral. Hall holds his master’s degree in hospital and health care administration from Xavier University and his bachelor’s degree in nuclear medicine from the University of Cincinnati. Ogletree receives designation of Certified Economic Developer Shannon Ogletree, Santa Rosa County Economic Development Office Director, has earned the designation of Certified Economic Developer, a national recognition that denotes a mastery of principal skills in economic development from the International Economic Development Council. The CEcD recognizes qualified and dedicated practitioners in the economic development field and sets the standard of excellence within the profession. Lakeview names clinical director for Addiction Treatment Program Licensed Mental Health Counselor Holiday Whisenant has been appointed as the clinical director for Lakeview Center’s Medication Assisted Treatment program in Pensacola. Holding a Master of Science degree in counseling and psychology, Whisenant has been with Lakeview since 2008 when she was hired as a mental health and substance abuse counselor for a woman’s day treatment program. Most recently she served clients in a drug and alcohol treatment program for adolescents and a day treatment program for adults with co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders. Dr. Kimberly Womack named president-elect of the International Association of Forensic Nurses Kimberly Womack, DHs, ARNP-BC, SANE-A, CEN, director of Emerald Coast Forensic Services (ECFS) and healthcare provider for ProClinic in Gulf Breeze, was recently announced as President-Elect for the International Association of Forensic Nurses. The IAFN is an international membership organization comprised of forensic nurses in 27 countries working around the world and other professionals who support and complement the work of forensic nursing.
To be included in Around the Region or People on the Move, email your news releases and business announcements to josh@ballingerpublishing.com.
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SEASON 3 Premieres Jan. 19, 2014, 9PM on MASTERPIECE on wsre.org