Inweekly power list 2016

#1. Bentina Terry

Independent News | March 31, 2016 | Volume 17 | Number 14 | inweekly.net | Photo by John Blackie of UWF

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2016

INWEEKLY

POWER LIST

by Rick Outzen

F

or the past nine years, the Inweekly Power List has attracted the attention of our readers.

Created on an Atlas Oyster House cocktail napkin, the first Power List was an attempt to rank the most influential people in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. No one had ever dared rank people based on their ability to get things done.

That Power List was published in June 2007 under the title, “Who’s the Man?” Fred Levin

March 31, 2016

topped the list, followed by Judge Lacey Collier, Ted Ciano, Jim Reeves, Lewis Bear Jr. and included 45 other men and women. The list was published without fanfare, and we had no idea how it would be received.

Within hours of the paper hitting the newsstands, our phones began ringing. Some appreciated being on the list, others were upset they had been omitted. From the reactions, we knew that we had a hit.

The list has since grown to 100 people. We get more input from the community, asking past honorees and readers to submit their top nominations. The screening process takes weeks, as people are moved up and down the list as we get closer to publication. The degrees of separation are slight, but they are what make this list fun to debate.

We hope you enjoy reading the 2016 Power List edition.

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2016 INWEEKLY POWER LIST

#1. Bentina Terry

by Duwayne Escobedo

Bentina Chisolm Terry / Courtesy Photo

B

entina Chisolm Terry laid flat on her back in one of the rest stations around mile 10 during her first half marathon race—The Disney Princess Half Marathon.

She had fought the whole race to avoid getting scooped up by the bus that plucked up runners who lagged too far behind the leader.

“I was just exhausted,” Terry said.

Reading the tiredness on her face, one of the race volunteers tempted her: “Do you want us to take you back to the bus so it can bring you to the finish line?”

But Terry blocked her exhaustion and her complete seven more, including fi ve last year, aching feet out of her mind. and dropped 30 pounds.

“I said, ‘No, I’m going to do this. I’m goIt’s that drive to succeed, that steely ing to finish,’” she recounted. “I told myself, willpower, that mental toughness in part ‘You can finish this that makes the Gulf race. I had people who Company’s “I said, ‘No, I’m going to do Power were waiting on me. I vice president of was going to get there.” this. I’m going to finish.’” customer service Even though it was and sales No. 1 on Bentina Terry one of the most difficult the Inweekly’s 2016 things she ever willed herself to achieve, Power List. She joins Gulf Power President Terry did finish the last three miles of that and CEO Stan Connally, who was named No. 2013 half marathon. She has gone on to 1 last year.

Terry’s thoughts also drift to her brother Ben, who died recently. Terry said Ben, who was fi ve years older, had a “passion for mischief.” That meant she became the focus of his pranks, such as playing with a frog’s eyeball that Ben insisted was a marble.

Another time Ben, a Republican and converted Catholic, hung her Barbie up in her doorway by a noose.

Terry is the highest ranking black woman at Gulf Power in this southern coastal city.

More than 330 employees answer to her in her role overseeing the company’s external efforts, regulatory aff airs, governmental relations, environmental aff airs, economic development, corporate communications, ethics and compliance efforts, security, safety and health, labor relations, facilities, real estate organizations and nuclear development efforts.

Many state, regional and local economic development, university, energy, environmental, art and charity organizations rely on her creative input.

Yet, Terry sums up her job simply: “To make our community stronger.”

Connally sees Terry as a good choice as the top influential person in Pensacola—a city she has grown to love and call home since moving here from Birmingham, Ala., in April 2007.

“She tries to put the company and people in a place where they can be successful,” Connally said. “She has a willingness to get involved at the state, regional and local level and make us more than we are today. She’s done a fantastic job of making us all better.”

Part of Terry’s power, too, comes from being instantly likeable. Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May represents District 3—one of the poorest areas, not only in Pensacola, but in the nation.

Terry points out a recent study by Harvard economists Raj Chetty and Nathaniel

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2016 INWEEKLY POWER LIST Hendren published in the New York Times Her mom had her first of four children at that finds Escambia County among the 14-years-old. However, she earned her MBA “worst counties in the U.S. in helping poor in 1994, the same time that Terry finished children up the income ladder.” Escambia her law degree at the University of Michigan. ranked 47th out of 2, 478 counties, better Now 74-years-old, Alicia, is weighing a run than only about 2 percent of counties, the for a third term on the Cumberland County newspaper reported. A childhood spent in School Board in Fayetteville.

Escambia puts local, low-income children She recalled her mom’s tradition of taking $3,870 behind in future income than chilher and her two brothers and sister to visit dren who grow up elsewhere. hospital-bound children during Christmas“It’s a horrible thing to know that our time. Alicia would lecture them, “You are young are going to start out life behind,” fortunate and blessed and these people are Terry said. “We need to start a whole effort in the hospital on Christmas.” from cradle to career. We’ll never grow as a Her dad, Ben, spent more than 21 years community unless we improve the quality in the U.S. Army and always seemed to be of our education.” doing a side job.

May fights for education and workforce As a little girl in the first grade, Terry development, too. He said he’s happy remembers getting called the N-word by a to count Terry among his close friends white student while she was drinking from since her encouragement and support in the school’s water fountain. Terry turned his 2008 Florida around and clocked House campaign the boy. The school “She’s not only concerned that he narrowly called her dad, who about her career, but my lost to the former showed up in his career. She supports her Clay Ford. ReArmy uniform. Once cently, he worked he learned what friends despite what it may with Terry when happened, he told cost her.” Lumon May she chaired the the principal that if it Restore Act Adhappened again his visory Committee and helped set project daughter would hit her classmate again. He priorities with BP settlement money from then abruptly turned and marched out of its Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf the school. of Mexico.

Ben was tough for a man the same “Everyone around her seems to prosper,” height as his daughter, Bentina. He once May said. “She’s not only concerned about took a bullet in his left arm during an ather career, but my career. She supports her tempted robbery of his used car lot after friends despite what it may cost her. She’s a he said, “I’m not giving you any of my damn leader who’s fearless.” money.” But when Bentina called him in What impresses Quint Studer about tears when she earned her first “C” in law Terry is her ability to communicate and to school, Ben was there for his baby girl. He connect with people no matter what audihad one question: “Did you do your best? ence she’s facing. The Pensacola Blue WaThen don’t worry about it.” hoos baseball team owner and community Today, Terry finds herself as one of few developer said Terry convinced the Studers black women executives working at Southto support the United Negro College Fund. ern Company. Does she ever feel lonely?

“There’s a world of opportunity for her,” Terry responded openly, saying she does Studer said. feels “green” sometimes, like in Kermit the The politically-connected Collier Merrill Frog’s song where he sings, “It’s not easy observes that Terry has made becoming being green.” powerful in Pensacola circles seem almost “I try to be positive,” Terry said. “But effortless.

I do feel green sometimes. It's all about “She’s powerful out there without trying sometimes feeling like you are different. to be powerful,” he said. “She just has a natuI would say I sometimes have green days, ral ability. It doesn’t matter who you are or where I just felt different than those I've how important you are. She makes a point to interacted or dealt with that day. make sure everyone feels a part of the team.”

“Earlier in my career, it would make me Terry grew up in Fayetteville, N.C., in uncomfortable,” she continued. “Now, it a typical black middle class neighborhood rarely makes me uncomfortable. Maybe bookended by a historically black college and I'm immune, maybe it happens less, maybe a historically black high school. The youngest I just handle it internally better. It is hard of four children, she grew up among strong, to find people just like me, especially in opinionated fighters—her parents, Alicia and a town like Pensacola compared to say, Ben Chisolm.

Atlanta. But I have so many people in my Terry, who is married to Antonio Terry, life who support me—my husband, my called her parents “the most influential girlfriends, my family—that while I can feel people in my life.” green, I rarely feel like I'm alone.” {in} March 31, 2016

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2016 INWEEKLY POWER LIST

2. Bobby Switzer Vice President of Operations, Lamar Advertising Lamar Advertising is the one of the nation’s largest outdoor advertising companies. Under his leadership, the company used a $2.5-million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and $10 million of its own funds to convert approximately 1,370 billboards throughout

3. C. Edward Meadows President,

4. Ji m Reeves

Since 2008, Dr. Meadows has served as the president of the beloved community college. He has been one of this area’s biggest champions for workforce development.

Under his leadership, Pensacola State College has expanded access to its programs through increasing distance learning and developing a new center in south Santa Rosa County to compliment its other satellite campuses in Warrington and Milton.

He commissioned a study to identify gaps in the local workforce, which led to new programs in veterinary science, healthcare management, graphic design and cyber security.

Meadows recently signed an agreement with Florida SkillsUSA to host its state conference for three consecutive years, beginning in 2018. When Pensacola State College hosted the state event from 2012-2014, the economic impact was $10 million over that three-year period.

The chairman of the Community Maritime Park Associates Board of Trustees is a consummate Pensacola power broker. The real estate attorney served in the Florida Legislature from 1966 to 1972, and later spent six years on the Pensacola City Council, 1977-1983.

During his time in the Florida House, Reeves lobbied for a $100,000 state grant that enabled the creation of the Historic Pensacola Preservation Board, which was awarded by Governor Claude R. Kirk in 1967. During his time on the city council, he pushed for creation of the Community Redevelopment Agency.

Along with McGuire Martin, Reeves created the McGuire’s Irish Politicians Club that was patterned after the infamous Silver Slipper in Tallahassee, where lobbyists picked up the tab for lawmakers and political deals were hatched in curtained rooms. IPC memberships are highly coveted.

Attorney At Law

Pensacola State College

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Florida to renewable energy.

In 2015, Switzer led an investor group that bought the Blount and Brent buildings in downtown. Their project, One Palafox Place, LLC, will transform the entire block and take the area’s renaissance to an entirely different level.

5. John Peacock Financial Advisor, CFP(R), Edward Jones

The chairman of the Downtown Improvement Board has worked hard to continue the growth and improvement of the 44 blocks that make up the DIB. The popular Gallery Nights and Palafox Market on Saturdays have grown and are fiscally sound. Downtown Pensacola has a very positive vibe, and Peacock deserves credit for keeping the momentum headed in the right direction.

His efforts with the DIB, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Panhandle Charitable Open earned Peacock recognition as “2014 Community Leader of the Year” from the Greater Pensacola Chamber.

Peacock’s commitment to the Panhandle Charitable Open sprang from his pledge to make something positive out of the loss of his 17-year-old son who died in a car accident. Last year, the golf tournament had over 200 players and netted over $170,000, all of which was donated to local charities.

Last fall, Switzer announced the Cowork Annex, a 10,000-square-foot co-working space, planned for the second floor of the Brent. The project is expected to open later this year and will serve as a collaborative, low-cost and non-lease environment for start-ups.

6. Grover Robinson, IV

Escambia County Commissioner, District 4

The seventh-generation Pensacolian is serving his third term as the Escambia County Commissioner for District 4 and his second stint as the commission chairman.

Robinson was chairman during the 2010 BP Oil spill and took a leadership role in fighting for the Resources, Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies (RESTORE) of the Gulf Coast States Act that was passed by Congress in 2012 and for the Oil Spill Recovery Act of 2011 that was passed by the Florida Legislature.

Both laws ensured that Escambia County and other counties impacted by the oil spill received lion shares of any fines and settlement monies.

In 2014, Robinson was elected president of the Florida Association of Counties. He chairs Florida Gulf Consortium for the RESTORE Act.

inweekly.net

2016 INWEEKLY POWER LIST

7. Martha Saunders

Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, University of West Florida

When Dr. Saunders took over the academics and operations of UWF in 2014, the faculty senate had passed a vote of “No Confidence” in Dr. Bense, and the university earned the lowest grade of all the state universities under the new Performance Based Funding for

Florida’s Universities rating system.

In less than a year, the State Board of Education was praising UWF for its turnaround, and Dr. Bense gave much of the credit to Saunders for delivering on the improvement plan.

Saunders definitely had the background to handle the challenge.

She served as the president of the University of Southern Mississippi from 2007-2012. She was the chancellor for the University of WisconsinWhitewater from 2005-2007, after serving as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Columbus State University from 2002-2005.

8. Debbie Calder

Executive Vice President of Greater Pensacola Operations, Navy Federal Credit Union Calder is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of over 4,000 team members. Before this decade ends, she will have 10,000 employees at Navy Federal’s Heritage Oaks campus in the Beulah area.

She has been with Navy Federal for over 23 years and has managed several

March 31, 2016

different business operations during her Navy Federal career. Prior to relocating to Pensacola in 2007, Debbie was Vice President of Consumer and Credit Card Lending at Navy Federal’s headquarters.

Other previous positions include: Vice President, Collections; Vice President, Call Center Operations; and Assistant

Vice President, Credit Cards.

Calder serves as a board member for Gulf Power Company, Sacred Heart Health System in Pensacola, Florida, the Greater Pensacola Chamber Foundation Board, and serves on the Board of Governors for the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

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2016 INWEEKLY POWER LIST

9. Julian MacQueen Founder/CEO, Innisfree Hotels The former Executive Vice President of Family Inns of America founded Innisfree Hotels in 1985.

His company has grown from a singleproperty operation to one of the largest hotel management companies in the Southern United States, with more than 2,000 rooms owned and managed and more than 1,000 employ-

ees. On Pensacola Beach alone, Innisfree has the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front, Holiday Inn Resort, Hampton Inn and Travelodge.

MacQueen was a big advocate for breaking tourism marketing away from the Greater Pensacola Chamber. In 2014, an independent entity, Visit Pensacola, was created

to handle tourism development for Escambia County.

He also created The Hive, Innisfree Hotels' corporate social responsibility program that fosters a workplace promoting community service. One of The Hive’s first projects was a sustainable community garden in the heart of Pensacola.

10. Fred Donovan Jr. Principal, Baskerville-Donovan, Inc. While it can be difficult to follow in a father’s footsteps, this professional engineer has made it look easy.

Donovan serves on the Florida Chamber Board of Governors and is a member of the Florida Chamber’s Political Institute and the Florida Chamber NWFL PAC. Mr. Donovan

is also Vice-Chair of the Greater Pensacola Chamber for Governmental Affairs, and Vice-Chair of VISION 2015. He also serves on a number of boards and committees, including the Lakeview Center Board of Directors, Baptist Health Care Finance Committee, First City Arts Center Board, and

is Chairman of the Greater Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce Sites and Buildings Committee.

He chaired the effort that brought about The Bluffs, an industrial campus to be developed in Cantonment that is projected to create some 15,000 jobs in its first 25 years.

2016 POWER LIST Congratulations UWF Recipients

DR. BRENDAN KELLY Vice President for University Advancement

DR. MARTHA SAUNDERS

Provost & Executive Vice President

JERRY MAYGARDEN

UWF Historic Trust Board Chair

DR. KIM LEDUFF

Dean of University College

DR. RICK HARPER

Associate Vice President for Research and Economic Opportunity

uwf.edu 414 1

inweekly.net

Congratulations to

Grover Robinson for being named to the 2016 IN Power List.

You continue to excel in your efforts to lead Pensacola and Northwest Florida in a direction that will enrich lives, the local economy and improve the environment for many years to come.

It is an honor and pleasure to call you a valued member of the Coldwell Banker Commercial family.

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4/2/15 12:24 PM

Congratulations to President Ed Meadows and the 2016 InWeekly Power List Honorees!

Pensacola State College is proud of our 68-year history of producing some of our area’s most powerful leaders.

Associate Degrees | Bachelor’s Degrees Career and Technical Programs Adult Education and GED prep Continuing Education

Go here. Get there. pensacolastate.edu | 850.484.1000 Pensacola State College does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, gender/sex, age, religion, marital status, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or genetic information in its educational programs, activities or employment. For inquiries regarding Title IX and the college’s nondiscrimination policies, contact the Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity/Title IX Officer at 850-484-1759, Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd., Pensacola, Florida 32504.

March 31, 2016

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2016 INWEEKLY POWER LIST

12. Troy Rafferty

14. Clay Ingram

Shareholder, Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty and Proctor

11. Teri Levin

Co-owner, Levin Rinke Resort Realty

The wife of the late Allen Levin, who lost a battle with lung cancer in 2007, has set a new standard for philanthropy. She has made major contributions to the University of Florida, Gulf Coast Kid’s House, PACE Center for Girls and to the YMCA of Northwest Florida.

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Rafferty is the immediate past president of the Florida Justice Association. In 2009 and 2010, he was awarded the Gold Eagle Award for "exhibiting a steadfast duty to protect and defend civil justice."

He is a supporter of local high school athletics. Area high schools compete for the Rafferty Cup, given annually for excellence in athletic achievement.

District 1; President & CEO, Greater Pensacola Chamber

A member of the undefeated 1999 FSU National Championship football team, Ingram has been a key player in Tallahassee. This winter, he served as the chair of the House Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee and successfully got funding for several area projects in the state budget.

13. Rishy Studer

Co-owner, Studer Properties, Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Bodacious Olive and more

Much of the revitalization of the SoGo District, the area of South Palafox Street between Main and Government streets, is due to her entrepreneurship. She took two street corners that had been abandoned for over a decade and made the area a vibrant destination for tourists and locals.

15. Belle Bear Co-founder IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area

If Belle Bear is behind a cause, then that cause will be successful. She is a fierce advocate for several local charities, particularly Arc Gateway, and she doesn’t hesitate to call Gov. Rick Scott for help. IMPACT 100 has grown from 100 members to over a thousand, thanks to her guidance.

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2016 INWEEKLY POWER LIST

16. Sunil Gupta

MD, Physician, Founder Retina Specialty Institute & Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems

This nationally-recognized retinal surgeon is a healthcare pioneer. He is founder of Retina Specialty Institute, one of the largest retinal research organizations in the country, and IRIS: Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems, a cloud-based, telemedicine tool for assessment of retinal eye disease.

17. Michael Murdoch President/CEO, AppRiver

Mr. Murdoch serves as CEO of AppRiver, a company he co-founded in 2002 to protect email accounts from viruses and hackers. Today, his company has over 47,000 customers worldwide, protecting 10 million mailboxes. Ernst & Young named Murdoch its Florida Entrepreneur of the Year winner for 2009.

18. Lumon May Founder, Southern Youth Sports Association

SYSA has served the academic, social and physical needs of children through the appropriate involvement of community, students and staff. When the commissioner for District 3 is not in an Escambia County Commission meeting or on a job site for Mays Construction, he can found coaching kids at Legion Field or in a gym.

19. Susan Davis

RN, Ed.D, President/CEO Sacred Heart Health System

Davis is the Alabama/Florida/Community Health Ministries Ministry Market Leader of Ascension Health, Inc. She was actively involved with the American Heart Association, United Way, Hospice, American Cancer Society and serves as Trustee of Florida Hospital Association Inc. Last September, she announced plans for a new five-story Children’s Hospital for Pensacola.

20. Brian Spencer Architect, SMP Architecture

The founding principal of SMP Architecture was one of the earlier investors in the revitalization of downtown Pensacola. He has been involved in the adaptive re-use of historic structures, renovations, and new construction of hospitality, housing, and commercial office buildings in the Pensacola area. He was first elected to the Pensacola City Council in 2010.

March 31, 2016

Cong�at�lations Greater Pensacola Chamber President and CEO and part of the Inweekly 2016 Power List 17

2016 INWEEKLY POWER LIST

22. Mark Faulkner,

24. Brian Baumgardner

In February, Faulkner announced a $6 million medical park opening in northeast Pensacola and a plan to revitalize the West Moreno Street District near Baptist Hospital. Last fall, Faulkner was elected to serve as chairman of the 2015-2016 Board of Trustees of the Florida Hospital Association, which represents 200 Florida health systems.

Under his leadership, West Florida Healthcare has been named to Truven Health Analytics’ “Top 100 Hospitals” list for the second consecutive year. The hospital has also been recognized as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures® by The Joint Commission for four years in a row; impressive accomplishments for Baumgardner, who took over the hospital in July 2012.

President/CEO, Baptist Health Care

21. Ken Ford

Founder & CEO, IHMC

In 2004, Florida Trend Magazine named Dr. Ford one of Florida’s four most influential citizens working in academia. His notfor-profit research institute has grown into one of the nation’s premier research organizations where scientists and engineers investigate topics related to building technological systems aimed at amplifying and extending human cognitive and perceptual capacities.

CEO, West Florida Healthcare

23. Bill Wein

25. Sandy Sansing

Co-founder/President, IMS ExpertServices, Inc.

As the driving force in the development of the legal industry’s leading expert witness search firm, Wein has seen IMS ExpertServices be named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing privately-held companies for each of the past nine years and recognized in the National Law Journal and Corporate America magazine as Best Expert Witness Provider.

President, Sandy Sansing Automotive

The auto mogul uses his talents and resources to better the local community. Specifically, Sansing focuses on the area’s youth, sponsoring over 50 local little league baseball teams.

For 40 years, he has sponsored the Sandy Sansing Spelling Bee for Escambia County School District. His passion is clearly helping children.

Leadership From the Heart Susan Davis, RN

Henry Stovall

Carol Carlan

Dick Appleyard

President and Chief Executive Officer Sacred Heart Health System President Sacred Heart Foundation

President Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola Vice President of Marketing Sacred Heart Health System

Congratulations to all who make this community great including our Sacred Heart leaders.

The best care comes from the heart. www.sacred-heart.org

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inweekly.net

Brian Spencer & Crystal Spencer InWeekly Power List 2016 Thanks to the InWeekly readers for voting Brian Spencer and Crystal Spencer to the 2016 Power List.

BRIAN SPENCER • Founder, Spencer Maxwell Partington Architects • Nationally recognized architect for commercial, hospitality, and adaptive re-use projects.

• American Institute of Architects Community Service Honor Award

CRYSTAL SPENCER • Attorney rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell • Senior Fellow of the Litigation Council of America • Florida Trend’s Legal Elite and Florida Super Lawyer

• Pensacola City Council Member, District 6

• Escambia/Santa Rosa Bar Association Community Service Award

• President, Lamont Community Music School

• Former Chair, Pensacola Charter Review Commission

Congratulations to the 2016 InWeekly Power List Spencer Law, PA 316 South Baylen Street, Suite 520 Pensacola, fl 32502 • 850.912.8080 www.SpencerLawPA.com

March 31, 2016

SMP Architecture 40 South Palafox Place, Suite 201 Pensacola, FL 32502 • 850.432.7772 www.SMP-Arch.com

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THE LIST 1. Bentina Terry, Vice President, Customer Service and Sales, Gulf Power 2. Bobby Switzer, Vice President of Operations, Lamar Advertising 3. C. Edward Meadows, President, Pensacola State College 4. James J. Reeves, Attorney at Law 5. John Peacock, Financial Advisor, CFP(R), Edward Jones 6. Grover Robinson, IV, Escambia County Commissioner, District 4 7. Martha Saunders, Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, UWF 8. Debbie Calder, Executive Vice President of Greater Pensacola Operations, Navy Federal Credit Union 9. Julian MacQueen, Founder/ CEO, Innisfree Hotels 10. Fred Donovan Jr., Principal, Baskerville-Donovan, Inc. 11. Teri Levin, Co-owner, Levin Rinke Resort Realty 12. Troy Rafferty, Shareholder, Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty and Proctor 13. Rishy Studer, Co-owner, Studer Properties, Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Bodacious Olive and more 14. Clay Ingram, State Representative, District 1; President & CEO, Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce 15. Belle Bear, Co-founder IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area 16. Sunil Gupta, MD, Physician; Founder Retina Specialty Institute & Intelligent Retinal 17. Michael Murdoch, President/ CEO, AppRiver 18. Lumon May, Founder, Southern Youth Sports Association 19. Susan Davis RN, Ed.D, President/CEO Sacred Heart Health System 20. Brian Spencer, Architect, SMP Architecture 21. Ken Ford, Founder & CEO, IHMC 22. Mark Faulkner, President/ CEO, Baptist Health Care 23. Bill Wein, Co-founder/President, IMS ExpertServices, Inc. 24. Brian Baumgardner, CEO, West Florida Healthcare 020 2

25. Sandy Sansing, President, Sandy Sansing Automotive 26. David Bear, Vice President, Lewis Bear Company 27. Buzz Ritchie, CEO, Gulf Coast Community Bank 28. Jerry Maygarden, Chairman, UWF Historic Trust 29. Henry Stovall, President, Sacred Heart Hospital 30. Charles Bare, Pensacola City Council President 31. Gary Bembry, President/CEO, Lakeview Center 32. Debbie Ritchie, President, Studer Group 33. Brendan Kelly, Vice President for University Advancement, UWF 34. Crystal Spencer, Attorney, Spencer Law, PA 35. Lisa Nellessen-Lara, Executive Editor, News Journal 36. Dick Appleyard, President, Appleyard Agency 37. Donnie McMahon, President, McMahon & Hadder Insurance 38. Lonnie Wesley, Pastor, Greater Little Rock Baptist Church 39. Larry B. Johnson, Jr., Pensacola City Council, District 4 40. Mort O’Sullivan, Managing Member, Warren Averett, LLC 41. Joe Abston, Owner of Hopjacks, Tin Cow, Pot Roast & Pinot and more 42. Miller Caldwell, Jr., President and Principal Architect, Caldwell Associates 43. Robert Rinke, Developer, Levin Rinke Resort Realty 44. Rick Harper, Executive Director, Office of Economic Development and Engagement, UWF 45. Scott Remington, Attorney, Clark, Partington, Hart, Larry & Stackhouse 46. Steven Barry, Escambia County Commissioner, District 5 47. Marcus Michles, Attorney, Michles & Booth 48. Carol Carlan, President, Sacred Heart Foundation 49. Linda “Sonshine” Moorer, Program Director, Cumulus Media -Magic 106 50. Doug Underhill, Escambia inweekly.net

THE LIST County Commissioner, District 2 51. Cyndi Warren, President, IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Ares 52. DeeDee Davis, Executive Vice President, NAI Halford 53. Maren DeWeese, Founder, Maren’s Blog 54. Ron Jackson, Past President, Saltmarsh Cleaveland & Gund 55. Wilson Robertson, Escambia County Commissioner, District 1 56. Mark Proctor, Attorney, Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty & Proctor 57. Tad Ihns, President, Avalex Technologies 58. Jack Brown, Escambia County Administrator 59. Bryan Aylstock, Attorney, Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz 60. Stephen Sorrell, Executive Director, Emerald Cost Utilities Authority 61. Ellis Bullock III, President, E.W. Bullock Associates 62. Corbett Davis, Jr., Owner, Jewelers Trade Shop 63. Justin Beck, President, Beck Partners 64. Jim Andrews, MD, Founder, Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine 65. Blaise Adams, Market President, Centennial Bank 66. John Griffing, President/CEO, NAI Halford 67. Caron Sjoberg, President and CEO, Ideaworks 68. Andy Marlette, Cartoonist, News Journal 69. Sue Straughan, Anchor, WEAR TV 3 70. Jay Bradshaw, Owner/ President, Coastal Moving & Storage, LLC 71. Mary Hoxeng, Owner/General Manager, Cat Country 98.7 & NewsRadio1620 72. Neil Overholtz, Attorney, Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, PLLC 73. Mark Lee, Broker, Levin Rinke Resort Realty 74. Scott Luth, President/CEO, Florida West 75. Mona Amodeo, Ph.D, Founder & President, idgroup 76. Lutimothy May, Pastor, March 31, 2016

Friendship Missionary Baptist Church 77. Gregg Beck, Founder, Beck Property Co. 78. Julie Sheppard, General Counsel, IHMC 79. David Peaden, Executive Director, Home Builders Association of West Florida 80. Becca Boles, Corporate Communications Director, Gulf Power 81. Danny Zimmern, President, Pensacola Mardi Gras, Inc. 82. Miller Caldwell, III, Project Manager, Caldwell Associates Architects 83. Gary Michaels, Operations Manager, Levin-Rinke Resort Realty 84. Aaron Watson, Attorney, Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty and Proctor 85. R yan Wiggins, Owner, Full Contact Strategies, LLC 86. Jason Crawford, CEO, IRIS 87. Justin Witkin, Attorney, Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, PLLC 88. Steve Hayes, President, Visit Pensacola, Inc. 89. Jeff Helms, Vice President/ Senior Practice Manager, Atkins North America 90. Meghan McCarthy, President, Junior League of Pensacola 91. Kim LeDuff, Dean/Associate Vice Provost, UWF 92. William Reynolds, Founder/ Publisher, NorthEscambia. com 93. Tommy Tait, President, Pensacola Market, Summit Bank NA 94. Frank White, General Counsel, Sandy Sansing Dealerships 95. Michael Morette, President, Morette Company 96. Robin Reshard, Filmmaker, Robert Robino Productions 97. Ed Fleming, Attorney, McDonald, Fleming, Moorhead 98. Dave Hoxeng, Co-Owner, Cat Country 98.7 & NewsRadio1620 99. Michael Carro, Broker, Sperry Van Ness Commercial Real Estate Group 100. Sherri Myers, Pensacola City Council Member, District 2 21

䌀漀渀最爀愀琀甀氀愀琀椀漀渀猀℀ 倀漀眀攀爀 䰀椀猀琀 䠀漀渀漀爀攀攀猀 ㈀ ㄀㘀 吀栀愀渀欀 夀漀甀 昀漀爀 䴀愀欀椀渀最 倀攀渀猀愀挀漀氀愀 愀 嘀椀戀爀愀渀琀 倀氀愀挀攀 琀漀 䰀椀瘀攀Ⰰ 圀漀爀欀Ⰰ ☀ 倀氀愀礀

We honor everyone working together to make Pensacola a better place to call home —Mary & Dave Hoxeng

䈀椀氀氀 圀攀椀渀 倀爀攀猀椀搀攀渀琀 ☀ 䌀䔀伀 䤀䴀匀 䔀砀瀀攀爀琀匀攀爀瘀椀挀攀猀 倀漀眀攀爀 䰀椀猀琀 ㈀ ㄀㘀 䠀漀渀漀爀攀攀

Congratulations John and DeeDee —2016 POWER LIST—

John Griffing, CRE, SIOR President and CEO

DeeDee Davis, SIOR Vice President Operations

24 W. Chase St | 850.433.0577 | NAIHalford.com 222 2

inweekly.net

2016 INWEEKLY POWER LIST

Inweekly Power List Hall of Fame

O

nce you’re named the most infl uential, you deserve a special place.

Bentina Terry will join this group of movers and shakers who each earned the number one spot on the Inweekly Power List over the past nine years.

Fred Levin (2007)

The fl amboyant and outspoken Pensacola trial attorney has the University of Florida law school named after him. His biggest achievement was helping rewrite legislation in 1993 that led to a $13.2 billion settlement by the tobacco industry with the state of Florida.

Fred has attended cocktail parties with former President Bill Clinton, former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev, U2's Bono and David Rockefeller. He was honored at the United Nations by being made a Chief in the Republic of Ghana, one of only two non-Ghanaians ever so honored.

He has received more than 30 jury verdicts in excess of $1,000,000, six of which were in excess of $10 million. He has been listed in every edition of Best Lawyers in America and is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an organization limited to 100 of the top trial attorneys in the country. In 2009, he was inducted into The National Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame.

Quote: “I think my image is a helluva lot stronger than reality. But I consider myself to be just a regular old guy who has a couple of drinks every night with my friends.”

J. Collier Merrill (2008)

This developer and restaurateur has worked behind the scenes for the maritime park, downtown improvement and political candidates and causes.

March 31, 2016

With his brothers, Will and Burney, Merrill co-owns Merrill Land Company, a real estate development and holding fi rm, and the Great Southern Restaurant Group.

He has chaired the UWF Board of Trustees, CMPA Board, Greater Pensacola Chamber, Visit Pensacola, Home Builders Association of Northwest Florida and dozens of boards.

His contacts stretch beyond the Escambia County borders, and his restaurants have served such national newsmakers as Sen. John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and Gov. Rick Scott.

His restaurant, The Fish House, has been featured on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover, the Food Network’s Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods and Emeril’s Florida, as well as the History Channel’s American Pickers and Picked Off. Collier has been named an Art Education Hero by the Florida Cultural Alliance; the Excellence Award Winner as a Community Leader, and the Emerging Leader Award Winner by the Greater Pensacola Chamber; an Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser by the National Society of Fund Raising Volunteers; and a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.

efforts, particularly working with Gov. Rick Scott and Sen. Don Gaetz in helping Northwest Florida recover from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

His company, The Lewis Bear Company, is a beverage distributorship founded in 1876 that holds the regional franchise for Anheuser-Busch with offi ces in DeFuniak Springs and Panama City.

It's diffi cult to fi nd a charity or community organization that hasn't been helped by the Lewis Bear family. In 2014, the Bear Family Foundation gave $1,482,272 to area organizations, the largest gift being a $1 million to build a new downtown Pensacola YMCA. The prior year, they gave $1 million to the University of West Florida for its engineering department and to support an endowed professorship in Supply Chain Logistics.

The cornerstones of influence in Pensacola are business success, commitment to improving the area and stubbornness to persevere regardless of how monumental the task may seem.

You can check all three boxes when you look at Lewis Bear, Jr. He has done a masterful job at reining the many political forces at play.

Lewis was the driving force behind the area’s economic development

Quote: “You have a minority of people in the community, about 25 percent, that would be against anything. You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable.”

Quote: "My father taught me long ago that we needed to give back to the community. I'm fortunate that I am able to do that."

Ashton Hayward (2011)

Quote: “M.J. Menge said a long time ago that it's much better to be the kingmaker than the king.”

Lewis Bear, Jr. (2009)

on the site of the old News Journal headquarters a $50-million apartment building, another fi rst for downtown.

Autism Pensacola, YMCA of Northwest Florida, Pensacola and Century Business Challenges and the Pensacola Promise scholars have all benefi ted from his and his wife Rishy’s philanthropy. Last year, the couple committed $1 million to start the Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of West Florida College of Business.

Their latest challenge is to improve early education. The Studers are offering $50,000 for the best ideas to improve early learning in Escambia County—$25,000 for the best idea submitted by an employee of the Escambia County School District, and $25,000 for the best idea submitted by someone who isn’t an employee of the district.

Quint Studer (2010)

The founder of Studer Group, Studer Community Institute and co-owner of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos has led the charge to revitalize downtown Pensacola and create a more vibrant place for everyone. To work, play and live.

Quint was the big champion for the Vince Whibbs, Sr. Community Maritime Park and downtown’s fi rst high-rise offi ce building in more than two decades, Maritime Place. He hopes to start soon

In 2010, the real estate developer was elected mayor of Pensacola, after the city passed a new charter forming a "strong mayor" form of government the prior year.

In his fi rst term, Ashton oversaw the completion of the Blue Wahoos Stadium, Community Maritime Park and Admiral Mason Park. He focused on improving city services on the west side by building the Theophalis May Resource Center at Legion Field and Woodland Heights Resource Center near Pensacola Village. He also tackled the city pensions, convincing the police and general employee unions to move to the state retirement system.

Ashton has also focused on creating jobs. In 2011, he announced that international shipper UPS would move

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2016 INWEEKLY POWER LIST

its regional sorting facility to Pensacola International Airport. In September 2014, the mayor signed an agreement with VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering, Inc. to establish a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at the airport that is expected to create at least 300 jobs.

Quote: “We truly have the opportunity in this decade to be the number one city in Northwest Florida. We don’t need to be outshone by Walton, Bay or Okaloosa counties.”

Dr. Judy Bense (2012)

The founder of the UWF program of Anthropology/Archaeology became the fifth president of the University of West Florida on July 1, 2008, after serving the university for 28 years. She became the hero of interim officers everywhere for turning what was originally only a 12-month gig into a full-time contract that will end this year with her retirement.

Judy connected the university with the community better than any of her predecessors. Building dorms and adding a college football program have created a fuller college experience for her students.

In recognition of her academic and research achievements, Judy has received numerous awards and honors, including induction into the Order Isabella de Cathólica by King Juan Carlos of Spain for her research in the early Spanish Colonial period, the Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award for Historical Archaeology from the Society of Historical Archaeology and the Liberty Bell Award from the Pensacola Chapter of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.

As UWF president, she has been recognized as Partner of the Year by the Florida Small Business Development Center, 2011 Woman of the Year by the Santa Rosa County Chamber of Commerce, and Sportsman of the Year by the Pensacola Sports Association.

Quote: “I’d always had the ‘Lucille Ball’ approach to life: don’t mess with success, stick with what you’re good at.”

David Morgan (2013)

His defeat of the well-financed, two-term incumbent Ron McNesby in

2008 is considered one of the biggest upsets in Escambia County politics.

And many of the good old boys have never forgiven him.

During his first year as sheriff, he dealt with a Department of Justice investigation of the jail and longstanding civil rights violations under his predecessor, budget reductions, K-9 incidents, and the Billings murders that caught international media attention. His straightforward, direct approach to law enforcement has made him one of the most well-known sheriffs in the country.

Four years later, David handily defeated his opponents in the Republican primary and 2012 general election.

In 2013, he battled the Escambia Board of County Commissioners over increasing funding for the county jail to meet the recommendations made by the DOJ. In the end, the BCC took over the jail. Six months later, the Central Booking and Detention center exploded due to a gas leak. Most recently, the jail has been plagued with several suicides and health-related deaths, which led to the corrections director being fired.

LEADING THE WAY FOR A MORE HEALTHY GULF COAST (AND BEYOND) Baptist Health Care celebrates our very own dedicated leaders who have earned spots on this year’s InWeekly Power List. Our community is a better place because of their passion and purpose to improve the quality of life for those visiting and living on the Gulf Coast. Congratulations!

James Andrews, M.D.

Founder, Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine

Gary Bembry

President/CEO, Lakeview Center Senior Vice President Baptist Health Care

Mark Faulkner

President/CEO Baptist Health Care

Meghan McCarthy

Director of Community Health & Wellness Baptist Health Care

eB A PT I ST H E A LT H C A R E . O R G 424 2

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2016 INWEEKLY POWER LIST

Meanwhile, the Escambia County Sheriff ’s Office has attained full accredited status by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation. The Neighborhood Watch groups have increased from 13 groups to nearly a 100. The monthly Operation Clean Sweeps have brought together several county agencies, military volunteers, churches and others to achieve positive change in targeted areas throughout the county.

Law honored Pap for his outstanding contributions to social justice. Last year, he was inducted into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame.

Quote: “You have to believe in something. When you’re driven like that, it creates an energy that is a power.”

Quote: “It’s hell dealing with an honest man. Make sure you’re that honest man.”

Stan Connally (2015)

Mike Papantonio (2014)

Considered the nation’s top trial attorney in the field of mass torts, Pensacola’s Renaissance man is a regular commentator on several news networks, author, jazz musician and co-hosts the nationally-syndicated radio show “Ring of Fire” with Bobby Kennedy, Jr. In 1998, Pap teamed with Kennedy, the Hudson Riverkeepers, and Water Keeper Alliance to establish Emerald Coastkeepers, Inc., a fulltime organization that serves the community as a public advocate for the waterways of Northwest Florida.

In 2001, he filed two lawsuits against polluters, which lead to a $70 million settlement. In 2007, as lead trial counsel in the environmental class action case of Perrine v. DuPont, he received a jury verdict award for a West Virginia community with an estimated value in excess of $380 million.

In 2011, Pap was awarded the Perry Nichols Award, the highest honor given by the Florida Justice Association. The following year, he became president of the National Trial Lawyers Association.

In 2014, the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Center for Social Justice of Temple University Beasley School of

March 31, 2016

The President and CEO of Gulf Power Company has worked his up the ladder of Southern Company with steps at all its subsidiaries.

Stan began his career with Southern Company in 1989 as a co-op student at Georgia Power’s Plant Yates and has held positions in various functional areas, including Customer Operations, Sales and Marketing, and Power Generation. After holding several positions with Georgia Power, he became Plant Manager of Mississippi Power’s Plant Watson in 2003 and Plant Daniel in 2004.

Three years later, Stan became Plant Manager at Alabama Power, with responsibility for Plant Barry, Theodore Co-Generation Plant and Washington County Co-Generation Plant.

Stan serves on the Board of Directors of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Florida, Pensacola Chamber Foundation, Gulf Coast Kid’s House and James Madison Institute.

He has been appointed by Governor Rick Scott to the Aerospace Alliance board, a four-state organization working to bring aviation-related jobs to the Gulf Coast. In 2013, the governor also appointed Stan to the board of Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., the nonprofit corporation charged with distributing the $1.5 billion settlement for economic damages from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Quote: “We don't need to go to Louisiana to find the talent; we don't need to go to Atlanta or Birmingham. Let's grow it right here.”

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