2023 inweekly POWER LIST

3. Julian MacQueen

Chairman & Founder, Innisfree Hotels

Northwest Florida and regions beyond display the unmistakable imprint of hotel moHis Innisfree Hotels empire is in the midst of $600 million in development, with about one-third of that amount devoted to projects on Pensacola Beach.

"It's one of the largest economic developments in Escambia County, with no (tax) incentives, by the way," MacQueen said. "It'll

New development is common for Innisfree. The company withstood the COVID-19 global pandemic to expand by 150% in the past five years. That percentage balloons to 600% expansion when examining the last 10 years. New hotel locations for Innisfree include Amelia Island and Cocoa Beach, Fla; Galveston, Texas; and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

MacQueen credits the success to building a customer-friendly and positive work-environment culture over the past 40 years. The culture includes 10 customer service commandments and 10 working together commandments. "SMILE!" is No. 5 on both lists.

The MacQueen imprint expands far beyond hotels. He and his wife, Kim, participate in philanthropic activities shaped by their Baha'i faith. Baha'is believe in the oneness of humanity and devote themselves to the abolition of racial, class and religious prejudices.

Philanthropic activities for the MacQueens include Parent University, Equity Project Alliance, Dixon School of Arts and Sciences, Independence for the Blind of West Florida, From the Ground Up Community Garden Pensacola, Escambia Children's Trust and the Bail Project.

Parent University tops their priority list. The nonprofit organization holds monthly meetings at rotating schools with the goal to maximize student learning. The concept is to form a bridge between the community and schools that includes providing support and guidance to families and encouraging parents to teach each other.

"It's still in the formative stage but the impact is so deep," MacQueen said. "There's been a tremendous amount of momentum built over the past three years. It's one of our projects that's going to have more of a lasting effect on Pensacola."

Equity Project Alliance is another top priority for the MacQueens. The local initiative confronts systemic racism and promotes transformative thinking, unity and equity in the community. Its vision is a collective focus to live in a community of authentic relationships that reflect equity and a deep appreciation of inclusion.

In the wake of the social unrest surrounding the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, MacQueen invited members of the business community to participate in a series of conversations designed to allow persons of privilege to hear and understand how systemic racism impacts the lives of minorities in the community.

Over 30 participants met every other weekend for 18 months to discuss what life is like for Blacks and other minority groups in Pensacola. MacQueen described the conversations as transformative.

"I experienced segregation with Jim Crow from an extremely naive view as a privileged white kid who didn't realize we had a problem," MacQueen said.

The 72-year-old MacQueen is decades removed from that ignorant mindset, but his youthful entrepreneurial spirit remains as fervent today as the late 1970s when he established a hot air balloon business. He found his entrepreneurial footing a few years later by founding Innisfree Hotels, and he has been soaring ever since.

Thank you!

Our heartfelt thanks to Rick Outzen and the InWeekly Team for their tireless efforts to support our community.

We are honored to congratulate Robert Rinke, Mark Lee, and Gary Michaels for being recognized as some of the most influential leaders in the Pensacola area by InWeekly.

We are proud to be part of a community that is home to such inspiring individuals and organizations.

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