Business Observer 03 24 16

BUSINESS OBSERVER

PALM COAST | ORMOND BEACH  MARCH 2016

Looking for a job? These grads prove ...

You can go home again o INSIDE: Find out how Palm Coast and Ormond Beach have welcomed home graduates to be part of the family business (PAGES 2B and 5B), or to start their own businesses (PAGE 3B).

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THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016

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Son continues legacy of giving back to the community MITCHELL NOEL INSURANCE

Owner weathers many storms over 40-year career.

Agency was founded in 1956 by John Mitchell and Henry Noel.

WAYNE GRANT NEWS EDITOR

Richard Cooper, 68, known locally as “Coop,” recently marked 40 years with Mitchell Noel Insurance Agency, 1400 Hand Ave. Suite D. Still the majority owner, he has turned over the day-today reins to his son, Rich, and now serves as a sounding board.

Cooper resides in the Keys where he has a dive boat and occasionally takes out fishing charters. A scuba diver, he is a licensed captain and dive master.

“I ran away to be a pirate,” he said recently with a laugh.

Courtesy photo

REASONS FOR SUCCESS

Richard “Coop” Cooper, owner of Mitchell Noel Insurance, now lives in the Keys.

During his decades with the company, Cooper was known for his community involvement.

He served as president of the Rotary and was Chamber of Commerce president twice. He was on the board of directors for Halifax Humane Society and served on an advisory board for Ormond Memorial Medical Center.

He said if you help a community prosper, your business will prosper also. “It all comes back to you,” he said.

His son, Rich, full-time at the agency since 2002, continues the

legacy.

“The first week I started, he sent me to see Peggy Farmer, who was president of the chamber,” Rich Cooper said. “Then he sent me to Ormond MainStreet to see what I could do for them.”

Rich Cooper now is president of Ormond MainStreet and Rotary Club Area 13, and vice president of economic development for the Chamber of Commerce.

“You meet the best people,” he said. “You develop a relationship with people when you are work-

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WEATHERING THE STORM

When asked what his proudest moments in the agency were, Coop said, “hands down, how we handled Hurricane Charlie.”

The agency’s office, then locat-

“We crammed 25 employees in my house and worked there until we were able to rent a small space which later got flooded during another hurricane.”

RICHARD COOPER, owner, Mitchell Noel Insurance

ADVICE TO CONSUMERS

His advice to consumers is to talk to your agent and tell them you want the best value. “Get every discount,” he said.

Mitchell Noel Insurance Agency was founded in 1956 by John Mitchell and Henry Noel. Richard Cooper started in 1976 as a salesman. He was promoted to manager in 1991 and eventually was able to purchase the company.

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Of his dad “running away to be a pirate,” Rich Cooper said that was what his dad always wanted to do.

“Maybe someday I’ll be able to do that,” he said with a laugh.

ed on East Granada Boulevard, was destroyed and in less than 24 hours was back up and running.

“We crammed 25 employees in my house and worked there until we were able to rent a small space which later got flooded during another hurricane,” he said.

“It was imperative that we were there for our clients. It’s been the legacy of the agency and nothing was going to stop us.”

There are other challenges in the insurance business, including the economy. Regulations change, and sometimes re-insurance is less available.

After the series of hurricanes in 2004, many insurance agencies canceled policies.

“We had to rewrite every piece of insurance,” Coop said. “That took a lot of manpower.”

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THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016

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Jeff Dawsey

Meet the ‘bounce house’ guy,

Robbie Throne

Flagler’s coolest dad

Robbie Throne has become one of the most popular business owners in Flagler County, according to kids.

JEFF DAWSEY BUSINESS WRITER

After words “mama” and “dada,” Robbie Throne’s daughter’s first words were, “Wanna jump?

Wanna jump.” Now 4 years old, she is still eager to play in one of her father’s bounce houses, along with kids from the rest of Flagler and surrounding counties.

Three years ago, Flagler Palm Coast alum Throne rented a bounce house for a family fun event and saw the effect it had, so he bought two bounce houses and created his company, Jump for Joy Bouncers & Slide Rentals, which serves from St. Johns to Volusia counties.

With three young kids of his own, marketing to other families comes easily for Throne’s business. He considers his 8-yearold, an elementary student, one of his greatest marketing tools, conveying to everyone that her dad is the “bounce house” guy.

“It’s definitely a cool feeling being the bounce house guy,” Throne laughs. “The kids are always happy to see me in the stores or wherever and yell, ‘Hey, there’s the bounce house guy!’”

Other than birthday parties, graduation events and other memorable celebrations, Throne’s best usage for bounce houses involves helping children with autism, who he says appear to get more out of the experience than the normal kid.

“We do a lot for autistic kids, when we go and set them up at their houses,” he said. “They get therapy out of it, as well as having fun in it.”

Perhaps the best times are when Throne returns to pick up a rental and sees the parents having fun on them.

“The inner kid tends to come out of the parents with bounce houses,” he laughs. “When we come and pick them up, the kids are usually done with them, but the parents are still jumping, so that’s one cool thing to see. I wish

One of Throne’s many bounce houses is an island water slide.

“The parents actually see the other side of their kids that they haven’t seen in a long time. Some parents are like, ‘We had to drag him inside; he’s been out there all day.”

ROBBIE THRONE, on bounce houses getting kids to play outside

these were more popular when I was a kid; I would’ve had a blast.

Sometimes, I think the parents get them for themselves, not for the kids.”

And then there is the joy of getting kids to play outside again. In this video game era, most kids stay inside, but not while there is a superhero or princess inflatable in the front yard.

“The parents actually see the other side of their kids that they haven’t seen in a long time,” Throne said. “Some parents are like, ‘We had to drag him inside; he’s been out there all day.’ It’s a relief for parents.”

Although the bounce houses and other rentals bring a ton of excitement to his customers, Throne and his employees can spend hours cleaning just one inflatable. But he has his way of making that process fun.

“It takes an hour to set them up, so I’ll already be hot and sweaty,” he said. “And, we usually wear swim shorts while cleaning, so I’ll usually make a few ‘test runs’ on them.”

Jump for Joy Bouncers & Slide Rentals has over 50 different rentals with multiple themes, includ-

ing obstacle courses, waterslides, superheroes, princess, basketball and interactive games. For more information, call 931-5854 or go to jumpforjoybouncersandslide rentals.com.

Unfortunately, Jump for Joy can’t accept all customers’ requests. One customer wanted to rent a bounce house to mock the movie “Project X,” which featured adults jumping off a house onto the bounce house. “I had to tell them ‘no’ because I didn’t want my bounce house popped,” Throne said.

What princess doesn’t want to jump in her castle?

Photos by Jeff Dawsey

Throne gives his bounce house a “test run.”

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Comin’ home For a lot of Ormond Beach residents, the goal isn’t to leave their hometown.

EMILY BLACKWOOD COMMUNITY EDITOR

A native of Ormond Beach, John Adams never really wanted to leave his home state. After his job relocated him to Atlanta, he kept his apartment in Tampa and would consistently fly back and forth to there and Ormond Beach until his boss told him he had to stop it.

“I remember thinking ‘This is not something I want to do,’” he laughed. “I never wanted to leave.”

After 14 years of living all over the country, Adams returned home, and is now the general manger for Adams, Cameron & Co. Realtors. He thinks the reason people usually leave is for more job opportunities.

“There are opportunities other places that don’t exist here,” he said. “If you want to work for corporate America or a multinational company...you just don’t have the same opportunity here. You don’t leave because of the weather.”

He said he was fortunate enough to have a job opportunity with his

John Adams

PalmCoastObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016

family business, otherwise, he doesn’t know how he would have been able to come back.

“We need to fill that gap,” he said. “It’s a great community, and it’s important for us to make sure we can keep as many young people here as we can.”

Suzie Calahan

SUZIE CALAHAN

After graduating from Seabreeze in 1991, Suzie Cahalan moved to Alabama to attend Auburn University, where she met her future husband. She said wanting to start a family — and be closer to her own — were her reasons for coming home.

“I came back in 2000, bought an existing business,” she said, “and now I do what I love to do, and my family is just two houses down.”

Cahalan owns and operates The Bath Hut, a professional pet grooming service, in Holly Hill.

She said she’s grateful the opportunity just fell in her lap.

“Ormond has everything,” she said. “It’s a great place to raise kids with year round things to do.”

The science behind Former science teacher Mary Rose Back uses her skills from the classroom to make the sale at her new job.

real estate HOW IS REAL ESTATE LIKE A SCIENCE FAIR? A teacher for 37 years, Mary Rose Back fell in love with the job, and particularly science fairs. When she retired to pursue a career in real estate, she noticed both projects had the following in common:

EMILY BLACKWOOD COMMUNITY EDITOR

Mary Rose Back’s DVR is probably full. She’s been so busy finding and selling houses for her clients in Ormond Beach, that she hasn’t had a chance to watch her favorite show: “Open House.”

Though she loves the luxurious homes featured in international locations, she doesn’t plan on country hopping anytime soon.

“I love my Ormond Beach,” she smiled. “I’ve traveled many places around the world, and it’s a very unique and special place to be. I love sharing it with people who are moving here. After we’re done showing houses I take them to The Loop, and I show them Ormond Middle. I’m kinda like a little tour guide.”

Of course Ormond Beach Middle School is one of the places she loves to show off; Rose retired there from a 37-year career as a teacher in 2014.

“When I started to think about retiring, I knew I was not going to totally close the door,” she said.

“It was kind of an evolutionary process in the last couple years. I made a vow to myself that it would be like a ministry to help people with one of the most important of the decisions in their lives.”

Courtesy photo

Mary Rose Back and her partner, Karen Danzig

And so far, her vow has paid off.

She was recently named Rookie of the Year in the Ormond Beach Coldwell Banker Premier Properties Office for her over $1 million production for the year 2015.

When it comes to changing careers later in life, Mary Back Rose says to chose carefully.

“You work so hard for so long that what you choose you should have a passion for,” she said.

“Something that keeps you learning. I want ion my epitaph to say ‘She died learning.’”

SHOUTOUTS

Mary Back credits her teammates for her success: n Her partner: Karen Danzig n Office manager: Michelle Overin n Broker: Daniel Mchone n Mentor/old partner: Sue Avakian

1. Experimenting. “In a science fair you have to test things out, and the same goes for real estate.

You have strategies to measure, and then you have to measure your outcomes.”

2. Collaborating: “One of the things I saw in the children in science fair projects was working in teams. You compliment each other. I really believe that’s what helped me be successful.”

3. Outcome: “Even when your outcome isn’t what you expect it to be, it’s still growth. It’s still a learning experience and that’s so important things.

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Taking over the family business John Birney Jr. of JBirney Financial and Johnny Lulgjuraj of Oceanside Beach Bar & Grill talk taking over the family business.

“People come here not only for the good food, but also the warm atmosphere from the staff. People get to know who we are as a person and what we are all about.”

ANASTASIA PAGELLO STAFF WRITER

As every new generation passes through grade school and into adulthood, certain comments are common: “After high school I’m getting out of this town,” or “There is more opportunity for success in a bigger city.”

But many who leave eventually do come back to the small town they call home. John Birney Jr., of JBirney Financial, and Johnny Lulgjuraj, of Oceanside Beach Bar & Grill, both left Flagler County temporarily, and each came back to take over the family business.

Despite being invested in vastly different businesses, Birney Jr. and Lulgjuraj share many similar opinions on the advantages of staying local.

Birney Jr. graduated from Flagler Palm Coast High School in 2006 and studied psychology at the University of Central Florida.

After working a pair of shortterm jobs back in his home town, his father, John Birney, pulled him aside and offered him a position amongst the family business at

“So far my time as an apprentice has been sort of like a drink from a firehose, but there is no better teacher and mentor than my father.”

JOHN BIRNEY JR.

JOHNNY LULGJURAJ Courtesy Photos

John Jr. is an apprentice for his father, John Birney, of JBirney Financial.

Marina Lekocaj with her sons Johnny and Tony Lulgjuraj, owners of Oceanside Beach Bar & Grill.

JBirney Financial.

“So far my time as an apprentice has been sort of like a drink from a firehose, but there is no better teacher and mentor than my father,” Birney Jr. added.

JBirney Financial.

“It was a real revelation. All while growing up I would tell people my dad was a stock broker,” Birney Jr. began. “Once I started at JBirney Financial I quickly realized the business entailed so much more. After studying phycology for so many years in college, my expertise serendipitously gave me a real advantage in my new position.”

After two years of experience with working side-by-side with his father, Birney Jr. can see the benefits of staying local.

“Each year gets a little bit easier,” Birney Jr. said. “Networking is much simpler when working in a city that is familiar to you.”

Birney Jr. continues to excel at his position as an apprentice with

MANNY’S IS NOW OCEANSIDE

Johnny Lulgjuraj and his brother Tony, took over their parents’ pizzeria, previously known as Manny’s Pizza, back in 2011.

Johnny started out pursuing a career in the music industry, Tony in real estate. But when the economy took a dive, the two looked more closely at taking over their parents’ restaurant.

“Running the restaurant was definitely a dream of mine that I always thought of accomplishing later on in life, maybe even

after retirement,” Johnny said. “I told my dad I could run the place from behind a computer, and I wouldn’t even have to be present, but boy was I wrong. We are here every day, and it makes an incredible difference.”

Johnny credits much of Oceanside’s success to networking and socializing with the customers at the restaurant in Flagler Beach.

“My mom, her husband Alex, Tony and I are always walking around greeting the guests and getting feedback from returning customers. People come here not only for the good food, but also the warm atmosphere from the staff. People get to know who we and what we are all about.”

Since the transition to Oceanside the brothers have seen a 30% annual increase in sales.

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Need for emergency communications spurs growth A high-tech company is planning for expansion.

WAYNE GRANT NEWS EDITOR

A year ago, a shooting incident broke the routine at Halifax Health Medical Center. Communication among staff was needed as a man threatened patients and nurses before shooting and killing himself.

Kevin Noel, director of safety and security, was able to contact hospital executives when the incident occurred by using a communication system supplied

by Ormond Beach-based VOLO LLC. “I was able to use our notification system to provide real time updates to our executive team as the situation unfolded,” he said in a press release.

Fortunately, the incident ended without serious injury to employees and staff, and Halifax Health has since expanded the VOLO system to all employees.

The need for communication with employees during unforeseen events, including storms, bomb threats and active shooters, has resulted in rapid growth for VOLO, 9 Sunshine Blvd., according to Felipe Portocarrero, president and co-owner.

The company, which was formed in 2009, has recently doubled its office space with a move into a larger building at the Ormond Beach Airport Business Park. Portocarrero expects to grow from 30 to 50 employees by

Photo by Wayne Grant

Felipe Portocarrero, president of VOLO LLC, and Nicole Thomas, vice president of operations, are shown at company headquarters in the Airport Business Park.

the end of the year, and said they will be high-paying technology jobs, including software and network engineers.

Portocarrero said businesses are realizing that communication during a crisis is a necessity in today’s world. New technology allows communication by text, emails, phone calls and instant computer messaging to keep companies connected.

Unforeseen events such as terrorism and workplace violence have created a need for the product. And while hurricanes and other natural disasters have always been around, 24-hour news coverage has created more awareness.

Portocarrero said he first start

creating communications software for government, and found that businesses today also need the service. His clients include Fortune 500 companies, with the largest having 200,000 employees.

There are four “tools” in the VOLO Recovery product. Notification, which sends a message to employees; Virtual Bulletin Board, which allows employees or others to call in for messages and updates; Virtual Switchboard, a backup phone system for when the primary systems is unavailable; and Thundercall, which sends weather warnings from NOAA to employees.

Their newest tool is called War Room and will help businesses

recover after an event, with such features as collecting information about damage and sending out instructions.

There’s more to the operation than just selling software. They often maintain a relationship with the companies, as consultants or providing database maintenance.

On staff at VOLO is Dr. Robert Chandler, former professor of emergency communications at the University of Central Florida, who helps provide guidance to clients on sending out notifications.

“There’s an art to it,” Portocarrero said.

For example, a company does not want to burn people out with a lot of messages, or cause a panic.

Many local residents remember the “hurricane year” of 2004, when the area was impacted by several storms, beginning with Hurricane Charley.

Portocarrero was working for a different company at the time, but that year laid the seeds for VOLO. The hurricane knocked out the phone line at the company, and they had no way to contact employees.

“During that storm, we created the four VOLO tools,” he said.

Portocarrero said companies are starting to take steps to protect employees in the case of an unexpected event.

“Care for your employees is critical,” he said.

Volo is Latin, meaning to “move rapidly.”

Visit volorecovery.com.

“Care for your employees is critical.”

FELIPE PORTOCARRERO, president, VOLO

10 THINGS SMALL BUSINESSES NEED TO DO: 1. Build Your Plan Track Key Performance Indicators 2. Know Your Margins On each Product & Service 3. Manage Your Cash Flow 4. Know Your Competition 5. Track the Conversation Know What People are Saying About You 6. Attract New Customers Network 24/7 7. Customer Service Make Excellent Customer Service #1 8. Giving Culture Give Back to the Community 9. Constantly Innovate Be Open to Change 10. Accept Help!

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THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016

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Airplanes to be sold at airport Brazilian company locates their U.S. operations in Ormond Beach.

WAYNE GRANT NEWS EDITOR

Ormond Beach Municipal Airport is getting a new tenant, a company that sells light, sport biplanes called Super Petrels that can land on water or land. The company, Super Petrel USA, plans to establish an assembly, sales, distribution and parts support business for the airplanes which are manufactured in Brazil by the parent company, Scoda Aeronautica.

They have a three-year lease on a 6,000-square-foot hangar at the airport.

People will be able to view the airplanes, learn about the specs and even fly them at the airport.

The company has sold more than 350 aircraft worldwide, including 10 sold in the latter half of 2015.

Ormond Beach Economic Development Director Joe Mannarino, who worked with the company in their relocation, said the small, two-seat airplanes are used for recreational flying.

“They are fairly quiet, comparatively,” he said. The business will add an insignificant amount of air traffic to the airport, he said.

MANUFACTURING PLANT

The company did not receive any incentives for locating at the airport, because there are currently only four employees. However, the company has expressed interest in possibly leasing a larger building at the airport for manufacturing in the future, and that could involve incentives based on expected jobs that would be created.

Mannarino said the company considered several airports before selecting Ormond Beach. One of the owners, Brian Boucher, lives in Spruce Creek Fly-in.

Mannarino credits the improvements that have been made to the airport in recent years as helping

to attract the company.

“They like the airport and the work that has been done there,” he said.

About $7 million has been spent in recent years on runways and lighting, and there are plans to expand one of the runways to 1,000 feet. Grants from the FDOT and the FAA paid about 95% of the expense.

“Hopefully, we’ll see more manufacturers,” Mannarino said.

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Also, Mannarino believes there could be synergy with other business, especially if Super Petrel USA starts a manufacturing operation. They could use the nearby

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businesses as suppliers.

The Super Petrel airplanes weigh a little less than 800 pounds empty and are about 21 feet long.

They can carry two 190-pound occupants.

Some customers have chosen the Super Petrel as their first aircraft, according to the company website. It’s capable of takeoff and landings in short distances.

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The Super Petrel can land on water or land.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016

Holland Financial announcements Holland Financial, 700 W. Granada Blvd., has announced the addition of three employees. Suzanne Cantlay, who worked there from 2008 to 2012, has rejoined as staff accountant. She is joined by Molly Beck, who will be tax assistant.

Robert Mara, who changed careers from law to finance, is now investment associate.

The company also has announced a new subsidiary, Holland Mortgage Services Inc., which specializes in reverse mortgages. The company also now provides retirement plan consulting services to local businesses offering employersponsored qualified plans.

Email christina@hollandfinancial.com or visit planstronger. com.

Solar Fit installs bank energy system

Divorce process introduced

Locally-owned Solar-Fit, a 40year provider of solar energy systems in Central Florida, was selected as the solar contracting company to install a stateof-the-art solar power system on the newly refurbished First Green Bank, 175 W. Granada Blvd.

The roof-mounted, 20-plus KW solar power system has reduced the bank’s electric consumption by an average of 50% to 70% per month since the installation, and is an important feature of the bank’s award winning, energy efficient design, according to a press release Contact Kim Brooks, of Solar Fit, at 441-2299 or e-mail kim@ solar-fit.com.

In February, the family law attorneys of Rice & Rose hosted the first east coast meeting of the East Central Florida Development Group of Collaborative Law Professionals. The group of 23 lawyers, judges, mental health counselors and financial professionals met to discuss the strategy for bringing the collaborative law model to this area, according to a press release.

Collaborative Law is a team-based process for divorcing couples that takes place in a confidential and private environment.

Visit cfl-cfl.com or call Rice & Rose at 257-1222.

Golden Lion recognized Golden Lion Café, Flagler Beach, won third place in the medium business category in the Brighthouse Regional Business Awards at a reception March 11 in Orlando.

Awards are given to small, medium and large businesses that have impacted the greater Orlando area with their products, services, and thought leadership, according to a press release.

Suzanne Cantlay

Lawyer gets top rating Politis & Matovina, P.A., has announced that partner Mark A. Matovina has been awarded the “AV” rating, the highest possible rating from Martindale-Hubble

Robert Mara

Courtesy photo

Elizabeth King, Philip Bonamo and Paul E. Rice, Jr., of Rice & Rose, are trained to facilitate collaborative divorce.

graduated from Seabreeze High School in 1973 and continued on to Daytona Beach Community College. She then attended the University of Florida and received her juris doctorate from the University of South Carolina.

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Law Directory, the country’s foremost legal directory. Matovina’s peers ranked him at the highest level of professional excellence in legal ability and ethical standards, according to a company statement.

The firm has branch offices in Ormond Beach, Palm Coast and Orange City.

Also the company announced the addition of Nancye R. Jones as an associate attorney. She

SCORE scores high Volusia/Flagler SCORE Chapter 87 celebrated their annual volunteer appreciation banquet Feb. 18 at Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach. It was announced at the banquet that the chapter has earned the Chapter Platinum Leadership Award for the second year in a row. This award is the highest recognition that a SCORE

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Pictures are for illustration purposes only. See dealer for details. Prices are plus tax, tag and $899 dealer fee. New Car pricing includes all rebates and incentives.

1150 Palm Coast Pkwy, Palm Coast, FL

386 • 447 • 3380

www.palmcoastford.com

Go Further Palm Coast Ford

www.palmcoastford.com

200643

Palm Coast Ford