Daily Record FINANCIAL NEWS &
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2015
Vol. 102, No. 251 • Two SecTioNS
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
‘I was in a little bit of disbelief ’ Attorneys escape major injuries in plane crash
By David Chapman Staff Writer The scene below from the clear, blue sky looked chaotic. A small plane tattered and in pieces downed in the swampy Everglades, perilously close to a canal. Two men in business-casual attire outside, one on the phone while the other peers into a cockpit housing the trapped pilot. It was a rescue scene that unfolded for television viewers,
live from a news chopper. It was supposed to be a routine business trip last week for Bob Spohrer and Steve Browning. The two Spohrer & Dodd shareholders had made the trip many times. “It was completely normal,” said Browning. “A nice day to fly.” Something happened this time.
Calmness before impact
Spohrer and Browning were in the back of the twin-engine
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aircraft, working during the two hour or so flight. Completely normal until Browning said he felt the descent and realized it wasn’t Fort Lauderdale.
“There wasn’t an airport,” he said. “And we were landing.” Browning was sitting in a seat with his back to the cockpit, one of the safer positions in crashes. Spohrer was in the seat facing him and calmly advised Browning to tighten his seatbelt and brace himself. Once they crashed, Spohrer said, they’d go out the emergency window. Browning has never been in that type of emergency situation before. By the time he realized something was really wrong,
Rayonier rises on earnings report
New chef in (Down)town
La Cena hires former Epping Forest cook
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Sous chef Michael Jablonski, left, and Jerry Moran, owner and executive chef, are heating it up at La Cena Ristorante Downtown. Jablonski is a former executive chef at Epping Forest Yacht & Country Club.
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Photo by Max Marbut
By Max Marbut Staff Writer There’s a new menu and a new sous chef at La Cena Ristorante in the historic Elks Building Downtown. Owner and executive chef Jerry Moran said it’s the first time he has been able to find a second-in-command for his kitchen with the skills and personality to contribute to the restaurant’s reputation, he said. Moran found what he was looking for in Michael Jablonski, former executive chef at Epping Forest Yacht & Country Club. “It’s hard to find a good sous chef, but Mike is completely competent,” said Moran. “It’s a new era for La Cena. I have more time to shop every day and handpick ingredients knowing Mike is in the kitchen.” Jablonski began his culinary career 36 years ago, when he learned to be a cook in the U.S. Navy. He continued his training at the University of California San Diego and has since worked in all types of restaurants. He began at Epping 23 years ago as the café chef, developing menus and cooking for people around the swimming pool and fitness center. During the five years before he arrived at La Cena, he was the executive chef in the mansion, where in addition to supervising the day-to-day dining, he created menus for more than 1,500 weddings. One of his most notable menus was at a reception for 370 people and was featured in the fall 2013 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. “I’ve always worked in the corporate setting,” Jablonski said. “This is my first time in a small, independent restaurant.” As for menu changes, patrons at La Cena are now offered Moran’s creations in small, medium and large sizes. “If we were guilty of anything, it was serving too much food. Offering the different sizes gives people an option if they don’t want to take food home,” Moran said. He’s also added a new selection to the 40 items on the menu. “Pestata” is a chicken or veal scallopini dish that combines prosciutto, sage, anchovies, capers butter, extra virgin olive oil
they’d hit the ground. “I was in a little bit of disbelief,” he said. What came next was a blur, he said. He remembers being outside the plane on the wing, walking, talking, unharmed. Spohrer also had made it and, besides a gash on his forehead, seemed no worse for wear. The pilot, however, hadn’t been as fortunate. Jim Townsend had steered the plane to relative safety — on CRASH CONTINUED ON PAGE A-7
Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. shareholders have seen nothing but bad news since the company split up with Rayonier Inc. in mid-2014, but the stock was one of the top performers on the New York Stock Exchange Thursday after a positive thirdquarter earnings report. Jacksonville-based Rayonier AM, which produces cellulose specialties products, reported adjusted earnings of 78 cents a share, up from 53 cents in the third quarter of 2014 and well above analysts’ forecasts of 39 cents to 51 cents, according to Thomson Financial. That report sent the company’s stock up by $2.02 to $10 Thursday. While that’s still a long way from the stock’s peak in the $40s shortly after the spinoff in July 2014, the 25.3 percent one-day gain was the sec- Boynton ond-best increase among NYSE-listed stocks Thursday. In the company’s conference call with analysts, CEO Paul Boynton said Rayonier AM has been working on three objectives: to reduce costs, optimize assets and come out with new and enhanced products. “We continue to make significant progress across the board on all of these platforms, and most immediately on our cost reduction initiative,” he said. The company said it is approaching its goal of reducing annual costs by $40 million, but it did not detail the expense cuts. BASCH CONTINUED ON PAGE A-10
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