2012 April-May Issue of 850 Business Magazine

CATTLE DRIVE

Hundreds of acres across Northwest Florida are set aside for cattle and dairy herds — a key element of the state’s agriculture industry

MARSHA DOLL: HOW TO LEAD A MODEL LIFE

GIVE YOUR BUSINESS A BOOST WITH QR CODES

PART TWO IN OUR SERIES ON THE REGION’S RISING STARS

VACATION! WHY YOUR WORKERS NEED ONE

growth YOU’RE COMMITTED TO

AND WE’RE COMMITTED TO YOU.

Here to help: SHERWOOD BROWN Business Services Manager 850.410.3565 / 264.4752 slbrown@floridacommerce.org

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Business Services Executive

Jackson County Executive

850.251.7040

850.573.2100

pbroome@floridacommerce.org

chudson@floridacommerce.org

850 Magazine April – May 2012

IN THIS ISSUE

70

Corridors

In This Issue

62 After traveling the world

to supply their Havana shop, Wanderings, Tony Lombardo and Terri Paul came up with an idea to help their own community. Meet Team Unity.

FORGOTTEN COAST

64 Resort Vacation Properties

on St. George Island is a friendly affair, literally. The company is run by five women who learned to balance work and friendship.

EMERALD COAST

66 Northwest Florida survives

on small businesses, and the Fort Walton Beach-based Small Business Development Center helps to launch many of them.

BAY

68 Andy Stein is a successful

Panama City banker who raised millions to open his own bank even as many others in the region were failing.

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07 09 59 74

Contributors From the Publisher Sound Bytes The Last Word from the Editor

Departments THE (850) LIFE

coach Marsha Doll muses on life and her work with aspiring models.

GUEST COLUMN

13 Jim Hizer talks about

Pensacola’s push for job creation and strengthening economic partnerships with the military.

LEADING HEALTHY

14 For American workers, vacations

can be few and far between. Is that good for them — or your business?

By Angela Howard

72 Those funny looking QR codes

popping up all over the place are a new tool to help you market your business. By Laura Bradley

27 Inside 6 8 10 12 20 22

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G it Along Little Doggie Few people know or appreciate that agriculture is Florida’s second major industry — and that cattle ranching is a significant component of the equation. Florida, in fact, is the birthplace of this country’s cattle industry. The state ranks 11th in the nation in cattle and boasts several of the largest cattle ranches in the U.S. Some of them are in Northwest Florida.

By Lazaro Aleman

in this second installment of 40 Under 40.

From Tallahassee to Pensacola, see who is making their mark in the business world and their own community. By Linda Kleindienst

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850 THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA

April – May 2012

Vol. 4, No. 4

PUBLISHER Brian E. Rowland EDITOR Linda Kleindienst DESIGNERS Laura Patrick, Saige Roberts CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lazaro Aleman, Laura Bradley, Lisa Carey, Jason Dehart, Wendy O. Dixon, Rosanne Dunkelberger, Angela Howard, Zandra Wolfgram STAFF WRITER Jason Dehart STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Scott Holstein EDITORIAL INTERN Laura Bradley TRAFFIC COORDINATOR Lisa Sostre SALES EXECUTIVES Lori Magee, Renee Miller, Tracy Mulligan, Linda Powell, Rhonda Simmons, Chuck Simpson, Chris St. John ONLINE 850businessmagazine.com facebook.com/850bizmag twitter.com/850bizmag

PRESIDENT Brian E. Rowland

DIRECTOR OF Linda Kleindienst EDITORIAL SERVICES CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lawrence Davidson PRODUCTION MANAGER Daniel Vitter

MANAGER OF FINANCE Angela Cundiff HR/ADMINISTRATION

DIRECTOR OF Dan Parisi INTEGRATED SALES CLIENT SERVICE Caroline Conway REPRESENTATIVE

MARKETING AND MEDIA McKenzie Burleigh DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

ADMINISTRATOR OF Marjorie Stone SALES AND EVENTS

ASSISTANT Saige Roberts

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

TRAFFIC COORDINATOR Lisa Sostre GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Jennifer Ekrut, Laura Patrick, Shruti Shah

PRODUCTION SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR Daniel Vitter RECEPTIONIST Amy Lewis

WEB SITE rowlandpublishing.com

850 Magazine is published bi-monthly by Rowland Publishing, Inc. 1932 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. 850/878-0554. 850 Magazine and Rowland Publishing, Inc. are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. Editorial contributions are welcomed and encouraged but will not be returned. 850 Magazine reserves the right to publish any letters to the editor. Copyright April 2012 850 Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Member, Florida Magazine Association and seven Chambers of Commerce throughout the region.

304 MAGNOLIA AVENUE PANAMA CITY, FL 32401 (850) 769-3434 WWW.HSMCLAW.COM

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ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION $30 (SIX ISSUES) 850BUSINESSMAGAZINE.COM 850 Magazine can be purchased at Barnes and Noble in Tallahassee, Destin, Pensacola and Panama City and in Books-A-Million in Tallahassee, Destin, Ft. Walton Beach, Pensacola and Panama City and at our Tallahassee office.

Proud member Florida Magazine Association

CONTRIBUTORS LAZARO ALEMAN is a newspaper/freelance writer who has been in the game 30-plus years, including stints as a news reporter and editor both in Houston, Tex., and Monticello, Fla. He has covered government, politics, elections and trials, as well as doing business and human interest stories. His articles have appeared in Grit, Farm and Ranch Living, Victorian Homes, Georgia Magazine, Florida Wildlife and Tallahassee Magazine, among other publications.

PHOTO BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN (DEHART) AND COURTESY LAZARO ALEMAN AND KAY MEYER (DUNKELBERGER)

JASON DEHART is a native of Central Florida, a University of Florida graduate and a former general-assignment newspaper reporter. As staff writer for Rowland Publishing, his byline appears in Tallahassee Magazine, 850 — The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida and Emerald Coast Magazine. He is also editor of Forgotten Coast Magazine. He and his wife Patricia live on the quiet outskirts of Tallahassee.

ROSANNE DUNKELBERGER is the editor of Tallahassee Magazine, a city lifestyle magazine and sister publication of 850.

She spent the early part of her career as a newspaper reporter and took side trips into public relations and motherhood before returning to her publication roots 10 years ago. Rosanne usually favors features over business writing, but when the subject is a homegrown program or local personality like Marsha Doll, she’s willing to make an exception.

INTERESTED IN WRITING FOR 850?

Send your resumé and some writing examples to Editor Linda Kleindienst at lkleindienst@rowlandpublishing.com.

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From the Publisher

PHOTO BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN

Our Stable Assets Position Us for Quality Economic Growth We are in the fourth year of what has been a sluggish and sometimes disappointing economy for our region, especially for the coastal businesses that were unfairly tainted by perceived damage from the oil spill of 2010.

But let’s soar up to 50,000 feet, look down and better analyze the economy of the 16-county 850 footprint.

The construction and housing industry has been hit hard. It’s obvious when you look at housing prices, which may take years to return to their previous highs. Many construction workers across the region remain idle.

However, there are some bright spots in the construction field, like the bulldozers working their magic and preparing for College Town, a $17 million project being built next to the Florida State University campus that will initially provide 400 new jobs.

While not immune to recession, there are many reasons why Northwest Florida is better prepared to tolerate an economic turndown than many other regions of the country.

On the eastern edge of the 850 sits Tallahassee, which shares some commonality with places like Austin. It’s a state capital, with major universities, located just off a major interstate. Every August, between 50,000 and 60,000 students arrive in town, pumping millions into the local economy. Home football games for FSU and Florida A&M University each fall result in millions more being spent on hotels, restaurants and the like. Then there is the annual 60-day legislative session, which infuses even more into the economy. All are predictable and consistent economic zeniths that help bring economic stability to Florida’s capital city.

Now let’s look west, to Pensacola, another university town located on an interstate. It happens to be home to Pensacola Naval Air Station, which has a $1 billion-plus impact on the local economy through its 20,000 employees. The city also has a busy deepwater port and a thriving seasonal tourism industry that bounced back in spades last year. And construction is now underway on a $54 million baseball complex on the bay in downtown, a project

local leaders see as an economic driver to help revitalize the area.

Moving eastward from Pensacola, we have Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County. The largest air base in the world, it has a more than $1.56 billion impact on the local economy. There’s also Hurlburt Field, Duke Field and, moving toward Bay County, Tyndall Air Force Base and Naval Support Activity Panama City. Military installations account for 70 percent of the economy in Okaloosa County alone. And not only do the military and civilian employees of each base have a direct economic impact in the communities of Northwest Florida, the bases themselves serve as a magnet to draw in military and aerospace contractors, large and small.

Thousands of new residents will be moving into the region as a direct result of Eglin becoming home to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Force and the Army’s 7th Special Forces. Those incoming members of the military — and their families — will need housing and will demand services that should result in new business opportunities. The F-35 will also draw in trainees (including many from other countries) who will have extended stays along the Emerald Coast while they undergo training. For the local economy, there is no downside to any of this as big dollars will be injected into the region.

Panama City is also home to a deepwater port, which is expected to grow after completion of the Panama Canal expansion in 2014, and a new international airport that is anticipated to bring in new business interests and more foreign tourists.

As for tourism, local experts are saying that 2011 was the best season the region had seen in many years. Some areas broke records, which could in part be a reflection of the $30 million-plus BP handed out in grants to help promote tourism. Money was spent on concerts, promotions and giveaways (including BP gas cards) to breathe life back into the coast and overcome the mistaken national perception that Florida’s Gulf Coast was damaged by the oil spill. Now, after a better than average holiday season, expectations are that 2012 will be even better than last year.

The stable economic assets that are in place — and the tsunami of growth looming on the horizon — perfectly position the 850 region for quality economic growth over the coming years as the national economy rebounds.

Entrepreneurs take notice. There are many opportunities here in Northwest Florida that are just waiting for the taking.

BRIAN ROWLAND browland@rowlandpublishing.com

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Bret Timmons (L), Director of Information Technology at Radiology Associates of Tallahassee Paul Watts (R), Chief Operating Officer of Electronet Broadband Communications

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We have been very pleased with Electronet and their highly qualified team of professionals.

If you’re looking to enhance your current communications platform while saving money, then Electronet is your perfect choice.

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Executive Mindset

) The (850 Life

S URVIVE AND THRIVE

Model Businesswoman MARSHA DOLL, TALLAHASSEE Marsha Doll Models/Promogirl.com

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1. Walmart: That’s where I

find most of my (makeover candidates), because everybody has to go to Walmart for some reason or another — and usually you don’t dress up.

2. Working at Home: I dress

up every day; that’s one of the things I teach. I feel like getting dressed and putting on my makeup; I just feel more powerful, even when no one’s here. It’s for me.

3. Meditation: I created and

sold what I called The Promise Candle. It has a tag and on the back is a little contract saying you will light this every day and be nice to yourself. Just take five minutes to think about what’s important.

Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

4. Hidden Talents: I can twirl

a baton and ride a unicycle.

Once, I did both at the same time up and down the street.

People thought I was absolutely bonkers.

5. The Bird: I’m in the

middle of cancer, I’ve got my nightgown on, I’m looking out the kitchen window and I’m just crying hysterically.

All I can think about is that I need my mom, who had died a few years earlier. I look up and a bright red cardinal is just staring at me. I named him Louie — my mother’s name was Louise. Now, three years have passed and he comes when I call. I can’t wait to get up in the morning and see Louie every day.

6. Favorite Place: I love to

go to my condo on the beach in Panama City Beach. It’s a beautiful wraparound unit.

7. Splurge: I don’t blink at $500 dinners at Daniel Boulud’s in New York City. That’s my thing.

We eat our money, no doubt.

8. Emotion: I’m getting like

(my) grandpa. I can’t get a story out without laughing or crying.

9. Describe Yourself: People

get a kick out of me because I’m so Southern, but I’ve got this New York attitude. It works.

10. The Model Ideal: If you’re

not five-foot-nine or above and have 36-inch hips or smaller you can forget it in high fashion.

It’s not going to happen.

ith a spiky blonde ’do, short skirt, sky-high heels, blinged-out jewelry and energy to spare, Marsha Doll is easy to pick out in a crowd.

Her grandfather was a Lithuanian immigrant who settled in Perry in 1924 and opened The Fair Store, a local department store that was passed on to her parents and is still operated today by her husband, Dean Faulkenberry. As a highschooler, she would attend Atlanta apparel marts with her mother, who would let Doll order clothes for the store’s junior department. On one buying trip, a model didn’t show up, the manufacturer asked Doll to fill in and … a career was born.

For 35 years, the now modeling agent and coach, has had entrée to agencies around the world — particularly in the center of the modeling universe, New York City. Doll, 52, also judges modeling competitions, hosts a television makeover segment and, several times a year, holds weeklong “boot camps” in New York for aspiring models.

Over the years, she also developed a lucrative side business in professional staffing, hiring personable young people to market everything from Bacardi rum, to credit cards to household products. At one point, she had a roster of 48,000 people and workers manning eight toll-free lines in her basement to staff events. That business dropped precipitously with the recession, but she doesn’t mind. “I love money, I love nice things, but you know what? I’m just kind of over it,” she said. “I don’t want my cell phone ringing 24/7. I don’t want that anymore.” — Rosanne Dunkelberger

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Executive Mindset

Business Speak

REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA

PHOTO COURTESY PENSACOLA BAY AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

T

he Greater Pensacola Chamber’s Vision 2015 initiative is a job creation program focused on recruiting new businesses, helping local businesses expand and strengthening the partnerships between the military and the private sector throughout the twocounty region (Escambia and Santa Rosa).

It results from several months of studying best practices and setting priorities, and places private business at the forefront of economic development to ensure implementation and accountability.

Job creation is at the heart of any successful economic development effort, and Vision 2015 is no different. By creating 3,000 new primary jobs in the region, this initiative will serve as the catalyst to stimulate existing business growth, improve the available workforce and spearhead community improvements. To date, the Greater Pensacola Chamber has raised more than $8.5 million to support the Vision 2015 initiative, a clear sign of the community’s overall dedication to the success of economic development.

An important first step was to fully staff the Chamber’s economic development department. Last August, we welcomed Scott Luth, senior vice president of economic development. Scott and I worked together in Kentucky, and with his work ethic and deal-closing skills, he is the perfect fit as our economic development leader. The director of business development, director of entrepreneurial development, existing business and workforce manager and administrative assistant complete the team.

Since the beginning of the Vision 2015 campaign, we have announced more than 300 new jobs, with approximately $75 million in payroll and $130 million in capital investment. Businesses that have added jobs include Cronimet Corporation, Hixardt Technologies, Ascend Performance Materials and Custom Control Solutions.

Existing industry is also an important aspect of the program. Last year alone, our

JIM HIZER Jim Hizer, CCE, CEcD, joined the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce as president/CEO in August 2010. He is responsible for the Chamber’s operating and planning functions, including economic development, armed services, tourism, government affairs and membership. He manages a $4 million budget and 30 employees.

team reached out to more than 200 existing businesses, doubling the goal outlined in the Vision 2015 existing business retention/expansion and workforce development strategy. In the past year, six companies received $270,000 in workforce training dollars.

In November of 2011, the Greater Pensacola Chamber hosted the Fifth Annual Strategic Health Intelligence Summit.

This summit brings together national leaders in the Department of Defense, Department of Veteran Affairs and healthcare organizations as well as private sector innovators to advance information technology as a means to transform healthcare in the 21st century. The focus was on leveraging local, state and national data connections to realize meaningful healthcare outcomes.

In partnership with Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida’s Small Business Development Center,

the Chamber established the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. This business incubator targets early-stage technology companies and acts as a catalyst to support innovative entrepreneurs who create jobs that can sustain longterm economic growth for the Pensacola Bay Area. Currently, the occupancy rate at the CIE is more than 80% and continues to grow.

Economic development would not see success without community and product development, and the Chamber is determined to create additional opportunities for economic development prospects. In 2011, the Chamber, in partnership with the Pensacola-Escambia Promotion and Development Commission, finalized the Technology Campus with a goal to create a location for 21st century jobs with a focus on innovation-based businesses. This campus, located in downtown Pensacola, has the ability to accommodate multiple companies with the capacity to be home to more than 1,000 high-wage jobs.

In addition, the Chamber developed the Sites & Buildings Committee, led

by Fred Donovan, Jr., which launched a new FAST TRACK program. This program was designed to create a muchneeded, cutting-edge database that aids the Chamber in the development of shovel-ready sites and buildings inventory, featuring premier properties in the greater Pensacola area.

Recently, we executed a rebranding process, revamping the Chamber’s website to become a world-class economic development site designed to drive business development opportunities for the greater Pensacola area. To view the economic development site, please visit www.pensacolaregion.com. In the upcoming months, the Chamber will begin a marketing campaign in order to actively market the region to prospective investors and current businesses in the area.

For additional information regarding the Greater Pensacola Chamber, visit www.pensacolachamber.com. n

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Executive Mindset

Leading Healthy WORK OR PLAY

The No-Vacation Nation Working hard for the money BY ANGELA HOWARD

T

he alarm clock sounds. You get up, get showered, get dressed and go.

You stop by Starbucks and jump in line with 15 other people, all waiting on a Vente coffee and an overpriced croissant. You check your Smart phone for the fifth time since you rolled out of bed and wish again that the baristas would move just a bit faster today.

Sound familiar? If you are one of the millions currently employed, it should, because this is the morning routine for many mainstream Americans. We get up and jump to get to work, doing our best to be caught up on the day before we walk in the door.

Preparation and timeliness are not too unorthodox. Our parents and grandparents strived for the same thing, but once their eight hours were up, they packed it in for the day and went home to relax with their families. Now, Americans are working well over 40 hours a week, staying late at the office or

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bringing work home with them, thanks to the latest and greatest technology.

So, how can we break the trend? Some would suggest a vacation, but if you live in the U.S. of A, those can be few and far between.

For many, vacation means getting away from it all, maybe on a cruise ship or a far away beach, but if you live in the United States, your time in the sun is vastly limited compared to those who live overseas.

That is because most Americans are only allowed two or three precious weeks of paid time off in addition to a handful of national holidays, while workers in other developed countries receive significantly more.

According to a 2009 study by Mercer, a resources consulting company, more than two dozen industrialized countries require employers to offer their workers four or more weeks of paid vacation each year while Finland, Brazil and France guarantee at least six weeks off with pay.

Employers in the United States are under no such obligation. There is no law mandating this type of benefit — and government figures show that approximately 25 percent of all Americans do not have access to paid vacation.

That makes the U.S. the only developed nation in the world that does not guarantee its workers paid leave on an annual basis, according to the report “No-Vacation Nation” released by the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

The lucky ones?

About 75 percent of all U.S. workers are allotted some vacation time each year, but a 2010 Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only 57 percent actually use all of the days to which they are entitled. Compare that to the 77 percent of workers in Spain, 89 percent of workers in France who used up all of their time, and the question becomes why.

“America’s social structure is different than Spain’s so the overall mentality is

different,” said Deneige Broom, a television anchor and reporter in Tallahassee, who spent time in Spain while she was a student of Florida State University. “We have a capitalistic society in America; in Spain, it’s socialistic. That mental difference is ultimately why we see the social differences when it comes to work, vacation and quality of life.”

After graduation, Broom signed up for a program with the Spanish government to teach English to young children in Madrid.

Living abroad for a year, first with a family and then on her own, Broom quickly realized a stark difference in the way Spaniards live and work.

“In America, we’d judge quality of life by income. In Spain, more emphasis would be placed on enjoying family, friends and the things their culture has to offer.”

As co-owner of GwyneMark Photography in Santa Rosa Beach, Gwyne Owens understands the demands of the working world but says everyone should be afforded a chance to relax and unwind.

“People are happier when they have some time off. We seem to all work, work, work and stay busy instead of enjoying people and just life in general. We need time to relax.”

Prior to starting her own business, Owens worked in the recording department at the county clerk’s office, as a receptionist for a local attorney and as a legal secretary for an attorney/doctor. Each allowed her one week of paid time off each year, something she and those across the Pond agree needs to change.

“We [Americans] have a bad reputation in Europe, especially in Italy. They enjoy the little things like walking arm in arm with a friend and talking. They also eat slowly, and they spend time at dinner to visit,” Owens said.

That “work to live” mentality is the way Owens views life, which is why she and her family take the time to vacation and experience as much as possible — now.

Too much of a good thing?

From paid vacation to paid maternity leave, the variation from country to country is vast. Some say two weeks is enough while others say Americans need to work less and experience more.

“I think the time off given in other countries correlates directly with their mentality about work. This isn’t to say some

Americans don’t feel the same way, but the overall feeling in many countries is that life is for living,” Broom said. “There isn’t much living that can be done chained to a desk with two weeks off every year.”

Some companies allow their employees to take unpaid time off when they have no paid time off or have used up their allotment for the year, but most do not. Some companies also use paid vacation as an incentive to entice prospective employees to join the company. That coveted time is still typically limited to two or three weeks each year. But that is still considered — by many Americans — a great deal considering the Fair Labor Standards Act (dol.gov/dol/topic/workhours/vacation_leave.htm) does not require companies to pay their workers for time not

FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR BUSINESS LEADERS: From Dr. Jay Reeve: » See vacation as a tool for workforce development. » You need to have the ‘best package’ to attract the best employees, including intangibles like a clean and efficient workplace environment and tangible items like vacation and sick time. » No matter the economy, valued employees are valuable.

worked. That includes vacations, sick leave, holidays and short-term disability.

According to the Journal of Happiness Studies, working makes Americans happy. The study’s author, Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn, is an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Dallas. He found that Americans associate hard work with success, and thus, the harder they work, the happier they are.

In contrast, Okulicz-Kozaryn found that Europeans associate happiness with leisure, so for them, the more time off to relax and unwind, the better.

However, psychologist Jay Reeve says vacation is two-fold, acting as a stress-reliever

and a way to enjoy life outside the office, and the amount of time wanted and/or needed depends less on the country and more on the individual.

“There’s not a one size fits all, but I think there’s a tendency in this culture for folks not to pay attention to their own stress,” said Reeve. “There are folks who need more than two weeks to recover from the stress of work; some say two days is enough.”

Reeve admits that he himself often takes less than his allotted vacation time each year but says it’s by choice. The president and CEO of the Apalachee Center — which helps people and families in North Florida with emotional, psychiatric and substance abuse — says vacation time in and of itself is not a panacea for everyone, but employers need to realize that each person is different.

Working like robots Sayings and quotes are found on everything from plaques to coffee mugs, urging folks to enjoy the simple things in life. This writer has one in her home that reads: “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” But for many, living and life are one in the same, and work is the driving force.

Others fear that they could lose a job or be looked down upon by an employer for taking time away from the office. And with unemployment numbers still high nearly across the board, people are lining up to do anything and everything to make a buck and pay the bills, including forgoing holidays and vacations.

What if you were required to take vacation time and lots of it, relatively speaking?

Would you move to another country to make that “what if” a reality? While many dream of long leisurely days relaxing on the beach, most Americans can’t tear themselves away from work long enough to fully appreciate a three-day weekend, let alone a week-long trip. We are electronically attached wherever we go, and many have a hard time not checking in every 30 seconds.

Yet Northwestern University professor Adam Galinsky says “detaching from a familiar environment can help [you] get new perspectives on everyday life.”

So the next time you have a day off or are out of town with family or friends, put down the computer/iPad/phone/etc. and take a look around. You may be surprised — or even inspired — by what you see. n

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CATTLE RANCHING

Git Along LITTLE DOGGIE

The cattle industry is a thriving segment of Florida’s agricultural economy

ROUN D U P Gary Tuten watches over a herd of cattle being moved the oldfashioned way, by horseback, at Tuten and Tuten Farms in Jefferson County.

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F

rom the back patio of his hilltop Spanish-style ranch house, overlooking his 2,000-plus acre spread, Herman Laramore gives me the bird’s eye view of his vast domain: 1,000 head of cattle grazing peacefully on different pastures; large swaths of frost-browned fields interspersed with stands of oaks, pines and autumn-touched hardwoods; and six large-sized ponds that sparkle like green gems in the soft yellow sunlight of a late October afternoon.

He points out his boyhood home site, far below and now embedded in his ranch. Way beyond is the barely visible line of the interstate; a tiny white water tower that rises above a sea of green, indicating the nearest small town; and the bluish-green band of the distant horizon, some 10 miles out.

“Let’s take a ride,” he says. “I’ll give you a tour of the place.”

We climb aboard his pickup, where he keeps a Winchester rifle handy for any buzzard or coyote that may attack a newborn calf or calving momma, and we plunge directly downhill, bumping and jouncing across the uneven terrain as his Australian Kelpie cow dog runs alongside.

Laramore meanders through newly-mowed hay fields and browning pastures, past herds of cows and heifers — each herd

distinct in age and calving stage, and each animal earmarked with a color coded and numbered tag containing its individual history.

He points out several of 50 bulls that are kept strictly for siring purposes. The tour includes various weatherworn structures housing heavy equipment and feed supplies, as well as the central processing facility with holding pens and a hydraulic chute, where the cattle are brought for branding, castrating, dehorning, vaccinating and pregnancy testing, among other procedures.

All the while, as we’re bouncing across pastures and dry washes, traveling down dirt lanes, rolling over cattle guards, and weaving around and through herds, Laramore talks about the operation. He’s also assessing the condition of the herds and individual animals, and checking to make sure the day’s necessary activities have been accomplished — a task he performs daily, often on horseback.

Welcome to a working cattle ranch. Not in Texas, Oklahoma or Colorado as you might suspect, but in Florida — in Jackson County, the heart of Northwest Florida, to be exact. Most visitors and newcomers to the state, not to mention a great many longtime residents, typically associate Florida with tourism and readily identify its beaches, warm weather and theme parks

BY LAZARO ALEMAN, PHOTOS BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN

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among its major attractions and assets. Tourism indisputably remains the state’s number one industry, notwithstanding whatever black eye the Great Recession and Gulf of Mexico oil spill may have dealt it. But agriculture is Florida’s second major industry, contributing more than $100 billion annually to the state’s economic vitality; and beef and dairy cattle operations are a significant component of the equation. Nationally, Florida ranks 11th in beef cows and 19th in milk cows, as well as boasting several of the largest cattle operations in the United States.

WHERE’S THE BEEF? Granted, Northwest Florida is nowhere near the player that Central and South Florida are in terms of beef and dairy operations. Jim Handley, vice president of the 5,000-member Florida Cattlemen Association (FCA), will tell you the overwhelming majority of cattle herds are south of Interstate 4, with Okeechobee, Osceola and Highlands the top-ranking cattle counties. Even so, the 16 counties of Northwest Florida, from Escambia to Jefferson, hold about 170,000 of the state’s 1.63 million head of cattle and calves, per the latest published statistics from the Florida Department of Agriculture.

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These figures, of course, are fluid as herds increase or decrease depending on the seasons, production costs, market prices and other factors.

Generally speaking, however, the state’s numbers hold true. If you then consider that milk cows represent 114,000 of the 1.63 million, that the Northwest region is home to 16 of the state’s 138 dairies and that the average dairy herd is 400, you get an idea of the limited number of milk cows in the region. That said, Jackson County ranks first in total cattle in the Panhandle, followed by Holmes, Walton and Washington counties.

Some general things to keep in mind about the cattle industry: Florida is a calf feeder or cow-calf state, meaning it largely produces calves that are weaned at about 600 pounds and shipped west to be finished, or grown and fattened to their full weight for slaughtering and processing.

The average herd in Florida is less than 50 head, with individual counts ranging from a few cows kept for pleasure, personal consumption or as a sideline income, to upwards of 40,000 head in the larger commercial beef operations. Beef producers are paid per the pound on their animals; hence, the greater an animal’s weight at sale, the more money it brings. Preconditioning — meaning the calves are weaned, vaccinated and trained to feed on their own prior to shipping, so they

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are ready to gain weight as soon as they hit the feedlots — increases their value.

Trends in the industry are toward larger operations, more women owners and managers, and migration of dairies to the West and Midwest. Lastly, genetics plays a key role in cattle operations, as producers seek to improve their herds and maximize profits.

Talk to commercial cattle people and you begin to get an appreciation of the intricacy and complexity of their enterprises, as well as the degree of forethought and calculation that goes into their products’ making and marketing. You learn they are essentially resource managers, with established production goals, whether these be to achieve higher calf yields per calving period; work for the greater feed efficiency of their herds; or improve the quality of their beef or milk products. You begin to understand their many challenges, which include high production costs (feed, fertilizer, freight, etc.), weather (too much or too little rain); animal diseases and insect infestations; competition from pork and poultry producers; and government regulations. You become aware these individuals are fairly conversant with the research in the animal sciences, if they don’t actually have college degrees in the discipline. And you get a sense that, grumble as they may about some aspects of their enterprises, they love what they do.

IT’S ALL ABOUT GENETICS

KE E P I N G WATC H Herman Laramore of Bar L Ranch and his Australian Kelpie cow dog check daily on a thousand head of cattle.

Besides overseeing the six-county 14th Judicial Circuit as Public Defender, Laramore manages and works the Bar L Ranch, which he co-owns with his brother, Gordon. A commercial operation consisting of Charolais and Brangus cattle, the Bar L — six miles south of Marianna — ships 1,000 calves and cows to the feedlots annually. It also boasts Florida’s third highest elevation, which explains the view from Laramore’s back patio.

Fifty years in the cattle industry, Laramore remembers when his father’s wood cattle roamed free, before Florida’s stock laws went into effect in 1950.

“Once people began fencing their animals, they started improving the genetics,” he says.

Laramore uses both bulls and artificial insemination for breeding purposes. The semen for the artificial inseminations comes from Midwestern companies that sell interests

F LO R I DA C AT T L E FAC T S » The first record of domestic cattle in the continental United States is of Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon bringing long-horned Andalusian cattle into Florida in 1521. » Spain’s promotion of cattle raising as part of its missionary work explains how Native Americans learned the industry. » By 1700, an estimated 15,000 to 20,000

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in their prize-winning bulls. Laramore owns interests in two bulls worth $250,000 and $90,000 respectively. Upon request, the companies will ship him frozen semen via UPS. The goal is to produce calves with specified genetic traits.

“You want calves that grow fast and that have the genetic markers for tenderness, low fat, docility and such,” Laramore says.

He also breeds for visual attractiveness.

“Part of the pleasure is to produce animals that are pleasing to the eye,” he says. “The visual is all you get; the other is on paper.”

The cows generally calf within a 75-day period, starting in early November and ending in mid January, with the calves preconditioned in July and shipped to the feedlots in August. The cycle is calculated to have the animals reach their optimum weight for slaughtering and processing in spring, when consumer demand for meat products goes up.

Data is recorded on each animal from birth to death, with the information serving as an indicator of the animal’s place of origin, vaccination history, feed efficiency and quality of meat, among other things. Producers utilize the information to further improve their herds.

“It’s getting harder to have a cattle operation,” Laramore says. “It’s getting harder to find land that’s reasonably priced and contiguous. If we weren’t getting good prices for cattle right now, we’d be upside down, as input costs are so outrageous. Bigger operations have the advantage. They can more efficiently spread their costs over more cattle.”

Overall, however, he is satisfied with ranching and the benefits it affords him.

cattle roamed in Florida from the St. Johns to Apalachicola rivers.

After British-Creek forces nearly destroyed Florida’s budding cattle industry in 1704, it was the Seminoles that revived and maintained it throughout the 1700s.

Cattle rustling and range rights contributed to the Seminole wars.

Florida cattle were so important as a source

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of beef products to the Confederacy that a special cavalry was formed to protect herds from Union raiders.

Today’s Cracker or scrub cattle — a hardy breed particularly adapted to Florida’s climate and scrubby pinelands — are descendants of the first Andalusian cattle.

The Seminole Tribe remains one of Florida’s top beef producers today.

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“It’s something I love doing,” he says. “I stay in physical condition and build an asset at the same time.”

COWS OVER POLITICS Tuten and Tuten Farms in Jefferson County, the easternmost of Northwest Florida’s 16 counties, is a commercial operation headed by J.N. “Junior” Tuten, who manages more than 1,000 head of cattle singly or in partnerships.

A former county commissioner and lifetime cattleman, Tuten has a deep and abiding love of cattle and the ranching lifestyle. But he is also a savvy, clear-eyed businessman whose enterprise happens to be beef production. Ultimately, it comes down to producing a quality product at the least possible cost and selling it at the highest possible price.

“Our desire is to produce a product that’s tasty, tender and reasonable,” Tuten says. “In order to do that, you’ve got to be aggressive with the genetics. It used to take eight to nine pounds of grain to produce a pound of beef. With genetics, that’s down to around 5½ pounds of grain per pound of red meat. That’s a savings to John Doe housewife, who in the end is paying the bill.”

Tuten breeds his cattle in 75-day cycles to assure for the continuity of production and uniformity of the calves in terms of age, size and condition — factors that enhance their marketability.

“We have three or four different management programs,” he explains. “The cattle get the same shots and basics done in each program, but one set of cows may carry in October, November and December; the next in November, December and January; and another in February, March and April. You have to be versatile to market them year round.”

Typically, he keeps the top 15 to 20 percent of calves as replacement heifers for the maintenance and upgrade of the base herd and sells the rest. The aim always is to produce cattle whose beef will grade choice or prime, as these represent “the high dollar cuts.”

“We’re constantly looking to improve the base herd,” Tuten says. “Years ago, they just turned cattle loose and then gathered them, but that day is gone. You can’t survive doing that because you can’t get your calves big enough. In those days, a 350-pound calf was considered big. Now, we’re weaning calves at 680 to 700 pounds. That’s how much the quality of the cattle has changed. My job is to get the maximum quality and gain off the resources I have.”

Tuten once tried managing a furniture/appliance store but found it insufficiently challenging. He tired of commission work after two terms, deciding politicking wasn’t for him. Cattle ranching is in his blood and satisfies his need for problem solving, notwithstanding the long hours and associated risks.

“I think challenges are extremely important throughout one’s life,” Tuten says. “Complacency will put you out of business.”

A FAMILY BUSINESS Cindale Farms LLC, six miles north of Marianna, is a family dairy owned and operated by Cindy and Dale Eade and

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M OV E ’ E M O U T Left: J. N. “Junior” Tuten is a lifetime cattleman. This Page: It’s moving day for cattle at Tuten and Tuten Farms. On horseback are Junior Tuten (in white hat), his son Gary (black hat), Thomas Goddard, Gary’s son-in-law, (orange shirt) and George Willis (maroon shirt).

daughter and son-in-law Meghan and Brad Austin. The Eades started the dairy in 1994, and the Austins joined it in 2009, after earning degrees in the animal sciences and working elsewhere for a time. Cindale encompasses 517 acres and milks 350 Jersey, Holstein and cross-breed cows, whose product is sold to a cooperative for processing and distribution to Publix, Winn Dixie and other outlets across the state. Dale is vice president of the cooperative, a post he has held for 11 years.

The cows are milked twice daily at midnight and midday, 365 days. It takes 5-and-a-half hours each time for the process, using a mechanized system that milks 24 cows at a time. The 12-hour intervals allow for the cows’ production of milk. They’re also calculated to maximize yields and relieve pressure on the udder, as cows not milked will experience discomfort and eventually dry up.

Why the strange milking hours?

Dale explains that family considerations dictated the original schedule.

“When our kids were young we decided we wanted to milk at times that would allow us to have three meals together, and it just stuck,” he says.

A cow eats 100 lbs. of feed daily to produce 10 gallons of milk. Ideally, cows are milked 305 days and allowed a 60-day dry period for recuperation and rebuilding of their milk-producing glands. They are generally impregnated in March, so they will calf and be ready for renewed milk production in January.

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“We do embryo transfers in our herd,” Dale says, adding that the goal is to improve 30 specific genetic traits through artificial insemination. The desired traits range from the obvious ones of feed efficiency and increased milk production, to improved feet and leg structure, to a better angle of the rump and tilt of the udder.

He notes that the science has gotten to the point that it can be predicted with 90 percent reliability whether a particular sperm cell will produce a female, which is what dairies want. Male calves, and old cows that have ceased producing, generally go to the slaughterhouse.

Given liquid milk’s perishable nature and generic characteristic, producers find themselves at a disadvantage in terms of branding or pricing their products.

“We have absolutely no control over price,” Dale says. “We don’t brand liquid milk. It comes down to supply and demand.”

Which is where the cooperative comes in. As part of a 280-member organization that represents dairies across the Southeast, the member dairies get a degree of collective bargaining power in the determination of pricing, Dale says.

Overall, however, liquid milk consumption continues dwindling as the population ages, he notes. Fortunately, the industry has made inroads with cheese and yogurt manufacturers, which has helped. Too, dairies have gotten a bump from McDonald’s, Starbucks and such franchises in terms of milk use; and foreign demand is up. Production costs, however, also keep rising.

“On the surface, it all looks good,” Dale says. “But at the individual level, it’s a struggle.”

Exciting to the Eades is a soon-to-be-implemented plan that involves bringing their younger, marketing-whiz daughter into the business and branding their dairy.

IMPROVING THE NATION’S HERDS Southern Cattle Company (SCC), about 10 miles northwest of Marianna, is a purebred seed stock operation that only recently branched into commercial cattle sales. The owner, John Downs, is an Alabama steel manufacturer who started the enterprise in 1992 with the Charolais breed and eventually added Angus, Brangus and Beefmasters. Today, SCC encompasses 14,000 acres and numbers nearly 6,000 head of cattle, with its Angus herd reputedly ranked in the top 10 in the country. SCC is a specialized operation, evident in its spacious, well-appointed sales barn; its more affluent clientele, reflective of the Angus side of the business; and its focus on the production of prizewinning bulls and dams for breeding purposes.

“We breed cattle to sell to other people to put into their programs and improve their herds,” explains office manager Leigh Ann Ennis, a Penn State graduate with a degree in dairy and animal science. Her husband, Lamont, manages the operation. “This is the largest seed stock operation in the Southeast.”

Take the bulls. SCC essentially produces breeding bulls with specific genetic traits that are almost guaranteed to produce offspring of whatever the desired quality, whether it be animals with enhanced marbling or leanness of meat; better able to gain weight on less feed; or capable of increased milk production.

To achieve its goals, SCC employs artificial insemination, embryo transfers, and donor and recipient cows. As Ennis explains it, the goal is

DA IRY Q U E E N S (Clockwise from top) Dry cows are given a two month break from milking; curious bovine; milk tank; milking process; (L-R) Brad and Meghan Austin and Cindy and Dale Eade at Cindale Farm.

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to maximize the production of calves from the best cows, so that instead of prized cows producing one calf each per year, they simultaneously produce multiple offspring. The complex and complicated process includes administering hormones to cause super-ovulation, removing the multiple eggs produced, artificially inseminating them with a prized bull’s seed and implanting the fertilized eggs into recipient cows.

“You’re taking your best product and making more of it to sell to more people,” Ennis explains. “This is what we did when we focused solely on seed production.”

Starting in 2011, SCC also began selling its commercial, or lesser pedigreed, cows and calves to the feedlots. The calves, Ennis points out, are preconditioned prior to selling.

“You don’t see as much sickness in these calves because they’re not as stressed,” she says. “There’s a lot of stress to pulling a calf from the cow and immediately hauling it away. It’s an easy way to do it, but it’s crueler.

Our buyers appreciate that our calves are in good health and vaccinated and they pay more.”

SCC welcomes visitors and will give ranch tours by appointment, especially to school children. The operation is proud of its accomplishments and its state-of-the art facilities.

A THRIVING BUSINESS All things considered — notwithstanding the recession, drought and increasing production costs — the cattle industry is reported doing well. Indeed, per state agriculture officials, sales of cattle and calves generated $502 million in 2010, up from $375 million in 2009. Sales of milk products were $439 million, up from $350 million the previous year.

“Overall, the state of agriculture is quite strong,” confirms Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. “Our cattle producers especially have seen strong prices due to the dramatic reduction of cattle inventory because of the drought out West. The western feedlots are looking to the Southeast and Florida in particular to fill the large demand for calves.”

Handley of the Florida Cattlemen Association agrees.

“The industry is doing fairly well,” he says. “Demand has been strong, both domestically and internationally. Some of it is due to the value of the dollar and increased exports. If cattlemen manage their costs well for the next three to four years, they should see a profit on their cattle.”

John Miller, the agriculture department’s bureau chief of dairy industry, echoes the sentiment.

“Milk prices are rising,” he says, noting that Florida dairies produced more pounds of milk in 2010 than 2009 and that annual per-cow production is also up. He attributes the increased sales in part to exports to Asia.

The biggest challenges Putnam and Handley see — aside from the ever possible weather-related disasters — are increasing government regulations and rising production costs.

Even so, Putnam sees reason for optimism.

“Despite the challenges, the future looks bright,” he says. “We’re seeing much innovation in agriculture. A lot of young people also are returning to the farm as a way of life. And you’re actually seeing some ranchers taking advantage of the bust in the real estate bubble and buying back land at lower prices. Land values are more conducive to running cattle operations than at any time in the last eight years. I feel optimistic about the future of agriculture.” n P RIZ E BR E E D E R S Southern Cattle Company stretches over 14,000 acres near Marianna and has 6,000 head of cattle, including an Angus herd ranked among the best in the country. Pictured: Lamont Ennis, general manager (left), and John Downs, owner (right).

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T H E F U T U R E O F C AT T L E R A N C H I N G It’s no accident that the University of Florida’s North Florida Research Center is in Jackson County, given the latter’s distinction as the epicenter of the cattle population in the region.

Besides agronomics and education, the center focuses on beef cattle research, with particular emphasis on bull testing, cattle management, livestock nutrition/forage and feed efficiency.

Take the latter, which relates to an animal’s ability to convert feed into weight. To producers, animals that gain more weight on less feed are most desirable, which explains the economic impetus behind the tremendous increase in feed efficiency research during the last decade.

“In beef cattle, 50 to 75 percent of the input costs are feed related,” explains Cliff Lamb, assistant director of animal sciences at the center. “Producers can’t survive without selecting for feed efficiency.”

He offers that tools being developed now will in the future be more accurate at predicting the genetic traits likely to be transmitted from parent to offspring, such as feed efficiency, tenderness of meat or increase of the rib-eye area.

“We will be able to take a blood sample or hair follicle that contains DNA and target specific traits with greater reliability,” Lamb says.

The caveat, he adds, is that DNA can’t account for environmental variables such as weather, climate and nutrition, which also influence the outcome.

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2012 OKALOOSA BUSINESS JOURNAL

Inside 6 Quality of Life 8 Education Workforce 10 Military/Defense 12 Technology/Research 20 Transportation Infrastructure 22 Business Incentives

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2012 O K A L O O S A B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

WE LCOM E L E T TE R

DEAR OKALOOSA COUNTY BUSINESS LEADER: On behalf of the Economic Development Council (EDC) and Rowland Publishing Inc., we are pleased to present the first ever Okaloosa Business Journal. This special edition has been designed to help attract and welcome business investors and visitors to our communities.

The goal is to let potential new businesses, military personnel and frequent visitors to our area know what those of us who live here already know: Okaloosa County and its nine municipalities offer a business climate and lifestyle that provides the highest level of citizen services and benefits anywhere in this great country.

Our beautiful Emerald Coast beaches are consistently ranked among the top beaches in the U.S., and our business leaders give high marks to the positive support they receive from the local and state governments and the workforce they employ. Besides our beautiful beaches, our area is home to a variety of thriving industries that represent the Aviation and Aerospace, Defense, Information Technology, Manufacturing, Life Sciences, Financial and Professional Services and Research and Development sectors. The EDC website [florida-edc. org] will provide an even greater understanding of our community, workforce and superior lifestyle.

We hope our business and leisure visitors will be enticed to learn more about our Northwest Florida communities as they page through the Okaloosa Business Journal. And we welcome the opportunity to provide our readers with an even greater in-depth profile of our superior business climate, our strong work ethic and a way of life that encourages people and businesses to locate here.

Simply email us at info@florida-edc.org to receive a package of information regarding what the EDC can do to help your business grow and prosper in an atmosphere “Where people like to work where they like to live!”

Sincerely, Larry Sassano President Economic Development Council serving Okaloosa County, Florida

Produced in partnership with:

CREATIVE. PRINT. SOLUTIONS.™

On the Cover: The Air Force’s newest fighter, the F-35 Lightning II from Eglin’s 46th Test Wing flies over Destin. Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force 2012 O K A L O O S A B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L /

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2012 O K A L O O S A B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

OKALOOSA BY TH E NUM B E R S

Population

Wage/Income

Labor Force

2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180,822

Average Weekly Wage

Civilian Labor Force (Dec. 2011). . . 97,196 Number Employed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90,268 Number Unemployed. . . . . . . . . . . . 6,928

Population Projection

2015 (ESRI Market Profile). . . . . . 198,162

Okaloosa County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $754 Florida. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $802 Median Household Inc. (2010). . . $51,173

Educational Attainment

Employment by Industry Industry Group

Establishments

Employees

Accommodation and Food Services

609

12,083

Retail Trade (44 & 45)

886

11,691

Public Administration

78

9,634

Health Care and Social Assistance

552

8,252

Professional, Scientific & Technical Svc

693

5,907

Education Services

53

4,449

Admin., Support, Waste Mgmt, Remediation

445

4,446

Construction

737

4,019

Manufacturing (31-33)

141

3,430

Finance and Insurance

312

2,684

Other Services (except Public Admin.)

488

2,528

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing

369

2,014

Arts, Entertainment and Recreation

115

1,553

Wholesale Trade

164

1,352

Transportation and Warehousing (48 & 49)

179

1,293

Information

76

1,005

Utilities

16

371

Management of Companies and Enterprises

29

316

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting

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80

Source: FL Labor Market Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Program

Climate Average Temperature

Unemployment Rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1%

No Diploma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9% High School Graduate. . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.0% Some College, No Degree. . . . . . . . . 24.0% Associate Degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.5% Bachelor’s Degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.1% Graduate/Professional Degree. . . . 10.5%

Age Demographics Age 0 – 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.5% Age 5 – 9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.1% Age 10 – 14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8% Age 15 – 19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2% Age 20 – 24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.0% Age 25 – 34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.6% Age 35 – 44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.8% Age 45 – 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.2% Age 55 – 64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.9% Age 65 – 74. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.6% Age 75 – 84 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9% Age 85+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6% Age 18+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78.0%

Housing Median Home Value. . . . . . . . . . . . $155,431 Housing Units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96,944 Owner occupied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.7% Renter occupied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.5% Vacant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.8%

Major Employers High Low

January . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 37 July . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 71 Average Annual Rain Days. . . . . . . . . . 110

Taxes Corporate Income Tax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5% Personal Income Tax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.0% Retail Sales Tax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0% Intangible Tax (per $1,000) . . . . . . . $ .50

Rank Company 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Employees

Lockheed Martin Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 932 L-3 Communications/Crestview Aerospace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 902 DRS Training & Control Systems LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 837 Fort Walton Beach Medical Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 812 InDyne Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 738 Jacobs Technology - TEAS Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700 NEW Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526 BAE Systems Technical Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476 Boeing SOF Aerospace Support Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466 White-Wilson Medical Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433

Source: Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County

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5

QUAL IT Y OF L I F E

DESTINATION OF CHOICE

A

s one of the six most bio-diverse areas in the United States, this “green” region is a nature lover’s paradise. There are the sugar-white beaches that Okaloosa is famous for. The Gulf of Mexico, gentle Santa Rosa Sound and scenic Choctawhatchee Bay lap at the shores. And the unspoiled landscape further inland is filled with hundreds of species of Florida flora and fauna.

Okaloosa is filled with rich farm land, picturesque parks shaded by tall cypress pine and behemoth live oak stands and rare spring-fed lakes — all of which beckon millions of annual tourists looking to get away to a beautiful, clean, vibrant, family-friendly destination.

But there is much more than robust tourism that makes the 940 square miles of Okaloosa County a destination of choice for businesses. The expansive green space also makes it a perfect location for the largest United States Air Force military installation in the world — not only a point of local pride, but also a solid anchor for the local economy.

Innovation is spawning growth. The launch of an unprecedented business incubator ensures healthy growth of high-tech fields. Expanding retail and service industries provide additional new opportunities, while attractive tax incentives make it affordable to headquarter a business here. These dynamic new jobs will ensure the county continues to attract a prime age labor market.

This labor market will find living here is more affordable than ever. A diverse range of real estate options on and off the water coupled with affordable lending rates makes Okaloosa County a true “buyer’s market.” Now is the optimal time for new arrivals to find great deals on housing, if not a dream home.

The bottom-line advantages for new and growing businesses are excellent, but the quality of life benefits cannot be 6

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overstated. The area has access to highquality healthcare, top-ranking schools, higher education, state-of-the-art utilities, extensive shopping and dining, not to mention a thriving cultural arts community. Okaloosa County is home to a world-class symphony, ballet company, a vibrant visual arts scene, a state-of-theart performing arts center and awardwinning art, food, music and heritage festivals hosted year round.

There is daily access to abundant fresh Gulf seafood, a large deep-sea fishing charter fleet, adventure watersports, championship golf courses, hundreds of specialty boutique and designer discount shopping and dozens of familyfriendly attractions. There is a distinct sense of place, and locals as well as loyal visitors will tell you that it is the people that make this place pulse.

After all the statistics, lists, charts and accolades, a destination’s quality of place can only be truly measured by the people who live, work and play here.

After all, their commitment to put down roots, buy a home and invest in doing business here is what makes this region a successful one.

Here is some insight into Okaloosa County shared by a longtime local business leader: “If you are able to live and work somewhere of your own choosing, you might as well pick a little slice of paradise.

The reasons that someone selects the Emerald Coast to live, work and play?

Let’s state the obvious first: beaches and weather. Seventy degrees in January — thank you very much. Next, the quality of life: cost of living is very reasonable, not too crowded — there are less than 200,000 people in Okaloosa County — leaving plenty of room to find your own space.

Our schools are ranked among the best in the state.

OKALOOSA EDC

Natural wonders and business advantages make Okaloosa County a prime location

We are a giving community with dozens of non-profit organizations and causes — all assisting those in need.

With the beaches comes tourism and with tourism comes an abundance of restaurants, retail and accommodations that locals can enjoy year round. In fact, there are more than 100 restaurants in the Fort Walton Beach area alone.

And we haven’t even mentioned the military yet. Every branch of the armed forces has a major presence in Northwest Florida bringing with it jobs, prestige, wonderful retirees and an incredible American spirit. Northwest Florida’s beaches are emerald; the people, however, are all red, white and blue.

Occasionally we all want to play tourist too, thus our Northwest Florida Regional Airport can bring us anywhere in the world. And comfortable driving distance

to New Orleans, Biloxi, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Orlando, Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham and more are all perfect for weekend getaways.

These are just a few of the reasons why folks live here. It is also why businesses can flourish here. Year-round military, a healthy tourism industry and a growing high-tech corridor make this area a very viable location for the right type of business. And as you can see, they will not have any trouble staffing with employees eager to live here in paradise.”

Ted Corcoran President/Chief Executive Officer Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce

How Okaloosa County Stacks Up Don’t just take our word for it. These impressive accolades speak volumes about Okaloosa County and the fine cities found here: » CNBC ranked Florida No. 1 on its list of “America’s Top States for Business.”

The 2008 study examined 10 different workforce categories to measure each state’s ability to attract business. » Okaloosa County was ranked 9th “Healthiest County” out of 67 Florida counties by the National Association of Counties. » Fort Walton Beach was named to Forbes’ list of “Best Small Places For Business and Careers.” (2007) » Niceville was named “Best Place to Raise Your Kids in Florida” by Bloomberg Business Week. (2012) » Destin was voted “Best Beach Town in the South” and “Favorite Family Vacation Destination” for 14 consecutive years by Southern Living magazine. » Frommer’s voted the Florida Panhandle one of the Top Destinations to Visit in the World. (2010) 2012 O K A L O O S A B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L /

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E DUCATION

INVESTING IN EDUCATION

O

kaloosa County is a well-known vacationer’s paradise. The white sand and emerald waters draw tourists from all over, but businesses are also taking a closer look at this part of Northwest Florida as they consider locating or expanding to the area. The unparalleled educational opportunities, cost of living and quality of life make it a prime spot for businesses to set up shop.

“A well-qualified workforce is frequently cited as the number one reason why a business chooses to locate in an area, as well as the primary reason they choose to remain,” said Ty Handy, president of Northwest Florida State College.

For employees, higher education generally means higher income. Okaloosa County boasts top-ranked public schools.

Nearby colleges and universities provide affordable higher education opportunities.

A high concentration of trained military workers contributes to the attractiveness of the local workforce. This investment in education and training means Okaloosa County is catching the attention of businesses all over the country.

A stellar school district

Okaloosa County’s school district is among the best in Florida, with Niceville High School ranking as the top high school in the state.

Since the inception of school grades in 2004, the Okaloosa County School District has been rated as an academically high performing ‘A’ district, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Okaloosa County Superintendent of Schools Alexis Tibbetts is convinced that having a strong education system with high performing students is vital to attracting families and businesses to Okaloosa County, adding that the county has the highest ACT scores and the lowest dropout rate in the state. “When businesses locate or relocate in our area, I am 8

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often told it is because of our outstanding schools,” she said.

A recent partnership emerged between Eglin Air Force Base, the Workforce Development Board, the Economic Development Council and Okaloosa County Schools in support of a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Center.

Tibbetts calls it a prime example of the community coming together to prepare students for careers in future high-skill, high-wage and high-demand jobs.

Okaloosa County is home to thousands of civilian, active duty military and support contractors who research, develop and test weapons systems. “We’re like the Silicon Valley of Florida with many scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technologists in support of the mission at Eglin Air Force base,” Tibbetts explains. “These highly educated military and business employers bring children to our school system motivated, ready to learn and disciplined.”

Colleges and universities collaborate

Northwest Florida State College offers associate degrees, bachelor degrees, certificates and applied technology diplomas.

“Our two-year graduates are prepared to either immediately enter the workforce or continue their education towards a bachelor’s degree,” said Handy. “Either route significantly improves their career earnings potential.”

Having a well-educated population not only results in higher earnings but is also reflected in having a healthier population that is much more engaged in civic and volunteer activities, according to Handy.

“In other words the quality of life, and therefore the quality of community, rises.”

For students who want to continue beyond an associate degree, colleges and universities have implemented articulation agreements — partnerships that

SCOTT HOLSTEIN (HANDY); NIKKI RITCHER (TIBBETTS)

An educated community means a strong business climate

allow students automatic admission to the university after graduating from the college. Northwest Florida State College and the University of West Florida have such an agreement. “When you are admitted to Northwest Florida State College, you can automatically be admitted to UWF,” explained University of West Florida Emerald Coast Director Susan Shaw. “So it’s a seamless process.”

Shaw said the collaboration benefits more than the students. “Anytime you collaborate with another college it, in turn, benefits the entire community.”

The University of West Florida and the University of Florida also partner to educate students who want to major in high-demand engineering programs at the Research Engineering & Education Facility (REEF), located near Eglin Air Force Base. The partnership in the engineering

Northwest Florida State College President Ty Handy

program allows students to earn an undergraduate degree in computer or electrical engineering (or both), then get a master’s or doctoral degree in one of several engineering disciplines.

Troy University, which has a large network of campuses worldwide and one in Fort Walton Beach, targets military personnel and their spouses who are transferring from other military bases to Eglin.

Workforce development

The Workforce Development Board of Okaloosa and Walton counties oversees employment and training services to employers, workers and job seekers through the JobsPlus One-Stop Career Centers.

“With input from the Okaloosa Economic Development Council and the Walton County Economic Development Alliance, we understand that the quality of

Okaloosa County Superintendent of Schools Alexis Tibbetts

the workforce is a major factor for business to locate or expand,” said Linda Sumblin, executive director of the Workforce Development Board of Okaloosa and Walton counties.

The Workforce Development Board is part of the 3E’s — employment, education and economic development, what Sumblin calls a three-leg stool. “We are fortunate in the local community that the 3E’s have a close working relationship,” she added.

“We rely on each other appropriately to assist with the business growth and development in the area.”

Incumbent training

Technology Coast Manufacturing & Engineering Network (TeCMEN) was formulated by the Economic Development Council for Okaloosa County to aid in retaining and expanding its manufacturing

and engineering-related industries. As TeCMEN manager Jim Breitenfeld describes it, it’s a collaboration of around 40 companies to do training programs and subcontracting.

“A lot of the smaller companies don’t have enough people to put on their training programs,” he said. “So we can get enough people and fund a program that makes it economically feasible for them to do it. The network began as a way for local companies to identify their capabilities and work with each other. If we can keep the work local, that’s great.”

Companies involved include Boeing, Airinc and Lockheed Martin. “(They) have quotas to have a certain percentage of their work done by small businesses,” Breitenfeld said. “So the more we can have them work with small businesses, the better it is for the community.”

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M I L ITARY & DE F E NSE

MILITARY MIGHT

H

ome to the largest Air Force base in the world, Okaloosa County has become the nucleus of a high tech, defense and aerospace industry cluster that has been a boon for the local economy.

Many of the businesses that have developed in the region — whether they be small, independent firms or branches of major corporations — have direct ties to what goes on at Eglin Air Force Base as well as neighboring Hurlburt Field and Duke Field. All three constitute the Eglin Military Reservation, which covers 41 percent of the county.

“The military is the single most important component of the community,” according to Jim Breitenfeld, manager of the Defense Support Initiative, a group within the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County that advocates for support of the existing military missions and installations.

The military presence, Breitenfeld added, has attracted the “Who’s Who” of defense contractors to Okaloosa and helps the county boast average earnings of $87,000 per military job. “That’s critical,” he said. “And there are 50,000 plus jobs related to the military and defense.

By any measure, economically, it’s huge.”

Fertile ground for business

There are an estimated 300 businesses involved with aerospace and national defense efforts, making military installations the primary economic generator in Okaloosa, accounting for 73 percent of the local economy — or $5.2 billion a year. Seven of the 10 largest defense contractors in Florida have a presence in Okaloosa — and of the county’s top 10 private sector employers, eight are defense or aerospace-related.

Perhaps most importantly, the military has been a major protector of the area’s economy as continued high defense 10

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spending has helped shield the region from dramatic economic downturns.

Established in 1934, Eglin Air Force Base is responsible for the development, acquisition, testing, deployment and sustainment of all air-delivered weapons.

It’s where the “Mother of All Bombs,” at 21,600 pounds the world’s largest nonnuclear bomb, was developed and tested in 2003. Eglin is also the new home of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Army’s 7th Special Forces Group. Hurlburt Field is headquarters to Air Force Special Operations Command, which provides worldwide support for special air operations. Duke Field houses the only special operations unit in the Air Force Reserve.

“There are three kinds of business opportunities,” said Gordon Fornell, a retired Air Force lieutenant general and 35-year veteran who is president of the Air Force Armament Museum Foundation and serves on the EDC’s Defense Support Initiative. “There are the people who are directly related to the projects and programs managed out of Eglin and the surrounding communities. There is a whole contractor support structure that includes high-tech people who have specialties like aerodynamic propulsion and guidance, all the things that make a weapon functional. And they are supported by administrative personnel, like the people who do secretarial work and handle mailrooms.

“It’s like tentacles,” he added. “You have major programs and then all the little ingredients that make up a program.”

Fornell explained that the Air Force demands a certain percentage of defense contracts go to small businesses, including those operated by minorities, women and veterans. That alone opens up opportunities for niche businesses and “lots of smaller engineering companies. There’s a whole office on the base devoted to small business and upcoming

OKALOOSA COUNTY EDC; SCOTT HOLSTEIN (EGLIN GROUP)

Defense — and related businesses — insulate Okaloosa’s economy

contracts in which they can participate or compete for.”

According to the Air Force, it obligated $749 million to Florida small businesses in fiscal year 2010, making Florida No. 3 in small business spending, behind California and Texas.

Protecting the military mission The EDC formed the Defense Support Initiative in 1991 as a community-based tool designed to protect the defense infrastructure and industry in the area. Many members of the group, including J.R. McDonald, the new chairman, have ties to Eglin. They are people who understand the military mission and can eloquently advocate for it within the community as well as at the state and federal level.

“They can explain why the base and its mission needs to remain here,” said McDonald, who is vice president of corporate

The generations of Eglin Air Force Base

Military employment (2011) Many of the businesses that have developed in the region have direct ties to what goes on at Eglin Air Force Base as well as neighboring Hurlburt Field and Duke Field. All three constitute the Eglin Military Reservation, which covers 41 percent of the county.

Military Personnel

Civilian Personnel

Eglin AFB (including Duke Field)

9,483

5,710

Hurlburt Field

8,000

700

Source: Florida’s Great Northwest domestic business development for Lockheed Martin Corporation. “It’s important to the local economy to protect those missions. If they’re pulled, we need to replace them with something else, and that’s not easy to do these days.”

The DSI’s mission appears to have worked. As a result of the latest round of military base changes (in 2005), Eglin

won the F-35 and the Army moved the 7th Special Forces to Okaloosa.

“That is huge,” said McDonald, who grew up in Okaloosa and flew F-15s at Eglin. “Both required significant military construction — about $900 million worth. The Army is moving in 2,500 soldiers with their families. (For the F-35) we’ll be training 2,000 maintainers and

100 pilots a year. There’s additional support coming in. Lockheed Martin will (add 300 and) have more than 1,000 workers in the area.”

All of those additional military and civilian personnel will need local services, including housing, retail and food.

A high percentage of military retirees also decide to stay in the region, which provides a ready-made workforce for businesses looking to compete for or fulfill defense-related contracts. Since military retirees are often younger than their civilian counterparts, they are eager — and already trained — for a second career.

There are an estimated 43,000 military retirees living across Northwest Florida.

“You grab a military guy who works in the area you specialize in, and he is worth his weight in gold,” said Fornell.

“They’re already trained and want to be there for the same reason we all love the Emerald Coast. There is a proclivity to want to stay.”

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11

TEC H NOLOGY & RE SE ARC H

TAKING FLIGHT

Advanced aerial technology finds a comfortable home in Okaloosa County

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remotely piloted aircraft in the skies over America. According to the Washington Times, Congress passed a bill in February that would make it easier for the government to fly unmanned aircraft weighing 55 pounds or less in United States airspace. It also would order the Federal Aviation Administration to come up with new regulations for the testing and licensing of commercial drones by 2015. This all would lead to the eventual integration of unmanned systems into skies currently dominated by manned aircraft.

New technology saves lives, money

“Drones” come in various sizes, from the huge Predator and Reaper to pintsized aircraft no bigger than a bird. In some cases, small, unmanned aircraft are already being used for environmental monitoring and police surveillance.

Their usage could become a more common occurrence. According to the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), there could be as many as 10,000 small, unmanned aircraft systems in our skies in five years, and 30,000 by 2030. Most of them would undoubtedly be used for surveillance and observation work.

“There are applications for border patrol, counter smuggling/counter piracy efforts and there is an ability to use them for performance evaluations on power lines and other infrastructure like that for energy companies,” said Terry Proulx, program manger at ARINC in Fort Walton Beach. “There’s also a strong potential for firefighting. They can be used in wilderness areas to zoom in on where the heart of a wildfire is and where it’s going. You can more intelligently deploy responders when you have a better idea of what’s going on with the fire. There’s also search and rescue in wilderness areas.”

U.S. AIR FORCE

O

kaloosa County is the vacation destination for many folks wanting to dive into its sun, fun and fishing. Most tourists don’t see the other industry taking flight, but it’s there, thanks to a focus on developing a more diverse economic base for the county.

STEM industries (science, technology, engineering and math) are quickly scaling up efforts to make the local economy stronger. The Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County has established a TeCMEN group, the Technology Coast Manufacturing and Engineering Network, which is focused on technology businesses and STEM industries.

One particularly trendy bit of technology and research is in the field of unmanned aerial systems or vehicles.

“Targeting unmanned vehicle systems will allow us to diversify the Okaloosa County economy with a technical element that supports innovative opportunities for the business sector and the workforce,” said Larry Sassano, EDC president. “Okaloosa County and all of Northwest Florida are truly positioned to attract and grow this industry with capabilities that include testing, research and development of software and hardware development, ranging from Air Force to Army and Navy applications.”

The remotely piloted aircraft, often mistakenly referred to as “drones,” are mostly used by the military but could find a rich civilian market in years to come.

“I’d say that UAVs are the hot research topic of the day,” said Dr. David Jeffcoat of the University of Florida’s Research Engineering and Education Facility (REEF), which is located in Shalimar next to Eglin Air Force Base. “The technology is advancing. There is a tremendous demand for these types of vehicles in the military to do surveillance.”

Not only is the technology advancing, so too is the push for the widespread use of

Proponents of this technology say that these new systems can save money, time and lives. They can also provide a boost to the economy.

“There are some 100 U.S. companies, academic institutions and government organizations developing more than 300 UAS designs,” according to Ben Gielow of the AUVSI. “Once enabled, commercial markets will develop in markets such as real estate photography and aerial inspections. These (small unmanned aerial systems) could perform missions with less noise and fewer emissions than manned aircraft. Once the regulatory structure is in place and markets emerge within the regulatory framework, a viable fleet will develop.”

Proulx said that while his company’s biggest client is the military, the local ARINC office is working with Okaloosa County’s Economic Development Council to commercialize this technology.

F-35 over Destin

A billion-dollar global company based in Maryland, ARINC’s Okaloosa facility is active with the EDC and all its efforts toward sustaining a growing militaryindustrial business here. Also, the local ARINC branch works with the Northwest Florida Defense Coalition, which was organized by the EDC to promote and encourage this kind of industry.

“One of the things we are most excited about is the potential for commercial applications,” he said. “We’re working heavily with the EDC on that. We function as subject matter experts to TeCMEN, the EDC, Florida’s Great Northwest and Space Florida on unmanned aircraft issues. It’s important to help the local EDC understand the technology and how it can be applied to helping this area advance economically.”

Anything that can be done in the commercial world by airplane can be done cheaper and probably even more

efficiently (with drones), said ARINC Senior Director Bob Black.

“It’s basic economics. It takes less people, less dollars and it provides you extended periods of time on-station getting the intelligence or imagery you want, in real time,” Black said. “Just like the military does, but it’s going to cost a lot less money — should we be able to operate these machines in national airspace and leverage the power of technology without the cost of all the people and large systems they have to use.”

Military research creates jobs

The AUVSI estimates that over the next 15 years more than 23,000 jobs could be created in the United States once the regulatory hurdles are cleared for UAVs to fly in the national airspace.

This could translate into more than $100 million in wages annually. With its

connections to military-based research and development, Okaloosa County stands particularly poised to cash in on that promise.

The technology and research focus at the University of Florida’s REEF in Shalimar is a component of the STEM and TeCMEN partnership. The EDC is working with a large group of partners to develop an advanced research lab for technology transfer and commercialization. The University of Florida REEF would be a partner as well as the Air Force.

Another long-term project would be to build a 100-acre research and technology park on property next to REEF. The working title of the development is the Emerald Coast Technology & Research Center, and it’s envisioned as a mixed-use office and lab facility complete with a short-stay hotel for scientists and engineers who come to Okaloosa to work on projects.

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M E DICAL C LUSTE R

BRANCHING OUT

The FAMU Crestview Education Center set to provide a boost to northern Okaloosa County

F

lorida A&M University is set to open a long-needed branch of its celebrated College of Pharmacy in summer 2012 — and it’s anticipated the new campus in Okaloosa County will eventually become the nucleus for a cluster of health-related businesses.

The branch campus will be located at the historic Alatex Building across from Crestview City Hall and has been in the works for some time, according to Dr. Seth Y. Ablordeppey, interim dean and professor of medicinal chemistry at FAMU. It’s needed because there’s not enough room for all the applications the college receives. (The College of Pharmacy routinely receives about 600 to 1,000 applications for 150 slots.)

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“It became clear to us that we needed to expand,” Ablordeppey said, who added that the new campus would eventually open up slots for 120 more students.

Looking at a map of where all the pharmacy schools are located in Florida, most are located in the southern part of the state.

“Northwest (Florida) does not have a pharmacy school. And so we wanted to extend that opportunity to folks in Crestview and the region,” Ablordeppey said.

David Fuller, CEO of North Okaloosa Medical Center in Crestview, said his organization is thrilled to have the chance to partner with FAMU in this educational center.

“Quite honestly, there is a major shortage of well-trained and well-educated pharmacists, and the idea of having an

educational program to address that shortage is great,” Fuller said. “I’m very appreciative of the state and FAMU for their efforts. We hope that as the program develops it’ll allow us to be part of the educational effort. The opportunity to partner with them is also very exciting, because when you get an opportunity to educate others it helps you become better yourself.”

The new center will also provide a boost for FAMU’s rural health initiative, according to Dr. Marlon Honeywell, interim associate dean.

“We pride ourselves on service to the community. Once we get students in place, we’ll start having health fairs, and they’ll provide blood pressure checks, diabetes screenings and patients can

bring in their meds and the student pharmacists can counsel them on their use,” he said. “Because there is no pharmacy school there, we figured we’d like to put it in an area like Okaloosa County to try to initiate this rural health initiative. Crestview seemed like a very good place (to put it), midway between Pensacola and Tallahassee, that we can actually make a difference in this rural health initiative and also recruit some students.”

Not only will rural healthcare get a boost, but it’s hoped that the campus will be an “anchor” that will attract other medical-related businesses, as well as ancillary services like lodging and restaurants.

“Because of their location here, it has spurred interest in other medical arts organizations that are giving Crestview a look,” said Crestview Mayor David Cadle. “This includes the possibility of a dental school, an osteopathic medical school and other possibilities like a physician’s assistant school because of FAMU being here. That has put the city in a whole new direction for serving the community. The Florida Panhandle is underserved for medical, dental and

pharmacy services, so this will make a huge impact on the region.”

Honeywell said that once the school opens, in its first year it will have 30 students. The second year those 30 students will matriculate to their second year, and the college will add 30 more students until 120 students are at the campus.

“Think about the students who will require apartments and require services.

They’ll need restaurants; there’ll be a number of businesses there that they’ll have to patronize. It’ll be a huge economic impact the city is going to have to think about because technically, we’re going to add 120 people there spending money and becoming citizens of the community,” he said.

Medical clusters can be immense in scope. In Tennessee, there are five major medical clusters in the Memphis region alone. The largest is located in the metro area and features the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (a world-class institution), Veterans Hospital, Regional Medical Center, The Medical Education Research Institute and the

Southern College of Optometry. There are also several located in Florida’s major metropolitan centers, including a cluster in Orlando dubbed “Medical City,” which has grown up around the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and several research institutions.

The FAMU education center will join a long list of quality healthcare centers in Okaloosa County. These include the Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, North Okaloosa Medical Center, Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast (located in Miramar Beach), Twin Cities Hospital (covering Niceville and Valparaiso) and White-Wilson Medical Center in Fort Walton Beach. In addition, the Okaloosa County Health Department has offices in Fort Walton Beach and Crestview.

“We’re excited about having this relationship with FAMU. Their College of Pharmacy is regarded as one of the top in the nation, and to bring this organization to this city is going to have a tremendous economic impact on the local community,” said Cadle. “This will be located right in the center of our historical downtown and bring revitalization to this area.”

Magnolia Grill FORT WALTON BEACH

TOM & PEGGY RICE, PROPRIETORS

(850) 302-0266

www.magnoliagrillfwb.com BUSINESS MEETINGS IN A HISTORIC SETTING

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C ITI E S OF OKALOOSA

WHO WE ARE

Okaloosa’s cities offer beauty, history and friendly neighbors

Cinco Bayou

Founded in 1950, quaint Cinco Bayou supported the growing families of Eglin Air Force Base and the expanding enterprises of its neighbor, Fort Walton Beach. Today the town centers around the Town Hall built in 1966. Roads have widened, businesses have flourished, and picturesque parks, piers and boat ramps have been added, making Cinco Bayou a town nearly 400 residents are proud to call home.

Crestview

Placed on a peak of long woodland range between the Yellow and Shoal rivers is Crestview. Incorporated in 1915, the town enjoys the enviable position of being located at the junction of three major highways: U.S. 90, State Road 85 and Interstate Highway 10. Hence it’s designation: the “hub” city of Northwest Florida. It’s $3.7 million “main street” renovation that spanned from 1997– 2003 sparked a renaissance for this friendly city that continues today.

Destin

Named one of the Top 10 Most Beautiful Places in America by ABC’s “Good Morning America,” its pristine Gulf beaches and incomparable fishing charter fleet have made Destin one of the most popular tourist destinations along the Emerald Coast. The engaging romance of a fishing 16

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village, family-friendly culture and a climate that welcomes year-round festivals, attractions and activities make Destin a thriving beach town for locals and tourists alike.

Fort Walton Beach

The first settlers to the area date back to 12,000 B.C.! Between 1940 and 1970, the population of Fort Walton Beach grew by 700 percent, making the coastal beach town one of the fastestgrowing cities in the country. Today, the “city on the move” boasts a bustling Main Street filled new businesses, shops and restaurants. Fort Walton Beach still celebrates the past, preserving its fascinating history — and leaving a legacy of a rich heritage for future generations.

Laurel Hill

Laurel Hill, named for a large tree at the town’s scenic center, was one of the first English-speaking settlements in Florida. The Yellow River Rail brought a booming lumber industry in the 1880s.

Later, Laurel Hill settled in as a small logging and farming community that was incorporated in 1905. The Laurel Hill Hobo Festival is held annually. Laurel Hill School is supposedly the only school in the United States to rally the “Hoboes,” the school’s team name and mascot.

Mary Esther

Flanked by two United States Air Force bases, Mary Esther is nestled along the scenic Santa Rosa Sound. Though it only measures 2.5 square miles, it is a vibrant community that boasts an expansive shopping mall, a terrific library and a well-respected animal rescue center, not to mention a variety of eateries and small businesses all conveniently located off of Mary Esther Cutoff, which traverses the town.

OKALOOSA COUNTY EDC (PIER, MUSEUM); SCOTT HOLSTEIN (EVERAGE); JACQUELINE WARD (FISH)

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kaloosa County spans 950 square miles, but the history, charm and vibe found in its nine close-knit municipalities are as expansive as the Gulf waters it borders. Family friendly, safe and affordable, Okaloosa County offers residents who stake claim here the foundation on which to root a family, build a business and shape a life. Here’s a glimpse at nine reasons why Okaloosa County offers such a remarkable sense of place.

Niceville This friendly town lives up to its name. Once known as “Boggy,” Niceville is situated along the scenic shores of Choctawhatchee Bay. It has the strongest schools in the county, picturesque parks, a youth center, sports fields and is home to the Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival, which attracts thousands of attendees each year. With so much to offer, it’s no surprise that Bloombergs Business

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Week (January 2012) named Niceville “The Best Place to Raise Kids in Florida.”

Shalimar

Shalimar means “abode of love.” Originally an area called Port Dixie, the town “sprang up out of the woods” in 1943 as a community of 160 houses to be used as housing for military officers that was built by local developer Clifford Meigs, who also served as the town’s first mayor until his death in 1960. Today, many of

the nearly 700 residents are military officers and retirees who enjoy proximity to Eglin Air Force base and the many conveniences off of Eglin Parkway, the town’s main thoroughfare.

Valparaiso

It was John B. Perrine, a Chicago industrialist, who developed the small settlement built near a sawmill on the north side of Tom’s Bayou in the early 1900s. Perrine platted out his dream

city, which included a mix of residential and commercial lots, 32 parks and an 18-hole golf course. Though there have been adjustments to his plan, in large part by Chicago financier James Plew who helped lay the foundation of what would become Eglin Air Force Base in the 1930s, the pretty city — whose name is said to mean “vale of paradise” — is paradise found to more than 5,000 residents and the Northwest Florida Regional Airport.

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TOURISM

RECOVERY IS HERE

Okaloosa County tourism made a remarkable turnaround in 2011

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about tainted fish and the health and safety of the beaches.”

Fortunately, though, the tourism industry rebounded remarkably well. Seevers said that in 2011, the phones started ringing off the hook. She credits that to the efforts of the county’s Tourist Development Council, the Economic Development Council and to the visitors who came down for spring break, saw the beaches were actually in great condition, and called home with glowHarborWalk Village ing reports.

“We had the best tourist season ever,” the local economy, Bellinger said. As much she said. as $324.7 million in annual workforce inIn the second month of fiscal year come is from local lodging, restaurant, re2011, the county’s tax revenues (the bed tax) were greater than the three previous tail and attraction employment. Okaloosa years. By the fall of 2011, the county had County produced record-setting months in recorded its best year going back at least May, June, July, September and October of six years. The best month was July, which 2011 for bed tax revenue, overnight lodghad a staggering 85.41 percent increase ing occupancy and visitor attendance since from the same month a year before. records began to be recorded more than Hopes are high that 2012 is another 22 years ago. banner year.

The Tourist Development Council usu“Bookings are up, and all of my sources ally spends about $2.1 million per year are telling me we are going to have a fanon sales, marketing and advertising initastic summer,” Seevers said. “Everybody tiatives. In the wake of the oil spill, BP has this renewed energy to get started and awarded the council three different tourget ready for this season. There is an air of ism grants to increase national marketing excitement that I did not see last year at promotions and awareness. this time. I’m excited about the future of “The Emerald Coast was able to agthe city of Destin.” gressively extend our reach into new geoIn 2011, an estimated 7.9 million guests graphic markets, utilizing a variety of difvisited the Emerald Coast, and visitors ferent advertising mediums as a result of spent $240,791,654 on overnight lodging. the BP grants,” Bellinger said. “The return Almost 19,000 jobs are directly or indirectly supported by tourist spending in on investment was enormous.”

LEGENDARY/EMERALD GRANDE

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he tourism industry of Okaloosa County — the second largest segment of the local economy behind the military — has experienced an incredible rebound from the slump caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010.

“The summer of 2011 was the best summer ever recorded in the Destin area for tourism,” said Mark Bellinger, executive director of the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council. “Overall, average lodging occupancy percentages have increased, the lodging industry’s average daily rates and revenue per available rooms have increased and the region has improved its tourism statistics quicker than the average resort destination in the United States.”

Tragedy struck at the beginning of the 2010 tourism season with the oil spill, and the industry plummeted as thousands cancelled their summer vacation plans, said Destin Mayor Sam Seevers.

“As far as Destin is concerned, we started experiencing cancellations in vacation rentals as well as hearing that some weddings were cancelled out of fear that our beaches would be covered with oil,” Seevers said about the 2010 season. “But we did a lot of things to ensure that our beaches were okay, and to put ‘heads in beds’ immediately.”

Seevers said it was tough fighting negative media reports and rumors suggesting the beaches were covered with oil, but the conditions were not as bad as the media was saying.

“We were combatting less of an oil spill issue and more of a negative media issue,” she said.

Meanwhile, the sudden loss of tourismgenerated revenue was devastating to the local economy, and there were fears that beach-going vacationers might be reluctant to return in 2011.

“It was a very stressful time,” Seevers said. “People lost their jobs, fishermen were landlocked and people were worried

SITE SE L EC TION

CLEARING THE WAY FOR JOBS Okaloosa is making it easy for businesses to locate here

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ow is the time for new businesses and industry to take a serious look at moving to Okaloosa County, where there is land available to be built on and developed — and there are several enticing industrial/manufacturing sites ready for occupancy.

Office space and retail space is also available, and the county and city governments are ready and willing to work with businesses to provide the best business-friendly environment that they can.

“The recent positive economic news, with U.S. manufacturing recovering nicely, is a plus for Okaloosa County, where our manufacturing base has steadily shown new growth among the local business sector,” said Larry Sassano, president of the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County.

The EDC works to assist manufacturing and non-manufacturing business sectors grow by providing support with state and local business incentives that often help reduce the costs associated with growing a new or existing business.

“Perhaps the most critical site selection factor impacting these sectors, when they are evaluating whether to expand or relocate, is the cost of labor and the availability of skilled labor,” Sassano said.

“The Okaloosa County labor force offers these growing businesses competitive labor costs and one of the highest skilled labor pools in Florida.”

There are six industrial parks in the county: Holt Industrial Park, Okaloosa-Crestview Industrial Airpark, Laurel Hill Industrial Park, Fort Walton Beach Commerce & Technology Park, Destin Industrial Air Park and Shoal River Ranch Properties. Another park, the Emerald Coast Technology & Research Center, is being developed around the University of Florida’s Research, Engineering and Education Facility (REEF).

High-tech manufacturing industries in aerospace and defense may be the key players for the county at large, but mom-andpop stores should also be considered part of the overall mix. For example, Fort Walton Beach Mayor Mike Anderson said his town is ready to make the most of the recovering economy by luring new small businesses to the downtown area.

“Commercial lending is breaking loose, and as far as projects go, we have a corner that we’re trying to put in some sort of boutique hotel right in downtown Fort Walton Beach,” Anderson said.

“And maybe build a parking garage to go along with it.”

Anderson said that while Fort Walton Beach isn’t quite the resort town that neighboring Destin is, many visitors — including “snowbirds” — still come here for festivals, events and golfing on the municipal golf course. There’s also an eclectic mix of small shops and stores that tourists like to visit.

“I used to be cautiously optimistic, now I’m very optimistic,” he said. “It’s turning around. I think we’re on our way back to the point where our planning department is getting a lot of inquiries about the availability of land. We’d like to see maybe some more high-end places, maybe a jewelry store or something like that, downtown.

We’d like to fill up the area with small shops. That’s the other piece of the economy that we’re working on.”

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TRANSPORTATION

NEXT STOP: THE WORLD

Okaloosa’s commerce is supported by air, land and sea

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he Northwest Florida Regional Airport, Bob Sikes Airport and Destin Airport stay on the cutting edge of air service and are critical components of Okaloosa County’s economic success.

But those aren’t the only options open to business travelers and visitors. The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport opened in 2010 in the West Bay region near Panama City and Panama City Beach. This new airport is just over an hour’s drive from Destin and is serviced by Delta and Southwest Airlines. Since its first day, passenger travel has tripled, servicing around 860,000 customers traveling in and out of the area.

Okaloosa is also served by CSX rail and Interstate 10, a major east-west highway corridor. Both cut through the northern part of the county near Crestview.

In Valparaiso, Northwest Florida Regional Airport completed a record-breaking year that saw 900,562 passengers fly on the airport’s five scheduled carriers. Meanwhile, another 10,000 square feet of terminal space ­– including two new jet bridges – were added to the facility, which shares runways with Eglin Air Force Base. A new terminal restaurant is currently being built and is expected to open in April. But that’s not all of the recent goings-on.

“Last year, (the airport) completed construction of an entirely new 753-stall credit card parking lot and will begin repaving the main parking lot that has 914 stalls,” said Airports Director Greg Donovan. “Advantage became the seventh rental car company to offer services while the USO completed its first full year of operations in 2011 by accommodating 30,408 service members. Most recently, daily non-stop service to Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport was announced beginning March 25 on U.S. Airways.”

The civilian airport and the Air Force base enjoy a unique relationship, according to Kay Rasmussen of the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County.

“That’s just another thing that lets us shine out from other communities, is the partnership that we do have here,” she said. “We have two entities using one runway instead of taking up more space and having two separate runways. That’s a 20

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partnership. The commercial airport partners with Eglin and vice-versa on other things, and they share expense and they share resources. So it’s not a one-of-a-kind situation, but it is indeed unique.”

Meanwhile, improvements at the county’s industrial facility, Bob Sikes Airport in Crestview, continue to pay off with new businesses relocating to the area. Donovan said Memphis-based Qwest Air Parts moved into a new 20,000-square-foot hangar in December and brought 25 new jobs with it. Capital Avionics and Air Methods also joined the expanding tenant list, and a $12 million widening and reconstruction of the airport’s taxiways will be completed by summer, allowing larger aircraft to operate without restriction.

“Bob Sikes is poised for spectacular growth within the aerospace sector,” Donovan said. “The entire airport and adjacent industrial park has been pre-permitted for large hangars and warehouses with storm water retention infrastructure in place.”

In addition, the airport now owns land that connects to U.S. Highway 90. The airport staff is working with Department of Transportation officials to design and eventually build an industrial road for intermodal connectivity. Donovan said large aerospace companies like L-3 Communications and BAE Systems benefit from the airport’s atmosphere, and more defense contractors are expected to call the Bob Sikes Airport home in the coming years.

Destin Airport, meanwhile, is thriving as a coastal access point for corporate aircraft and privately owned planes. The airport handles about 65,000 operations a year through two fixed base operators that function as terminals. Construction of a new taxi lane is currently underway, and reconstruction of the runway is being planned for the fall. An effort to establish a new air traffic control tower is moving forward as a written agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration was approved in February.

Overall, the economic impact of the local aviation business is enormous.

“More than 4,500 people work every day at our airports, and the annual economic impact to the region is over $509

million,” Donovan said. “This is all accomplished without general taxes. Our success as a transportation gateway is entirely based upon revenue from our customers and the many businesses that operate at our facilities. Our airport is financially selfsustaining with all revenue reinvested back into the airport’s infrastructure.”

Not only are the region’s airports bustling centers of commerce, but the local seaports are huge economic players as well.

Port Panama City in Bay County is the closest, in terms of distance, to the Panama Canal. When the canal expansion is finished in 2014, the super freighters will begin sailing through and head to the larger U.S. ports, where they’ll displace smaller vessels. Those smaller ships will be looking for new berths, like Port Panama City and the Port of Pensacola, which provide direct air, rail and road access to the Southeastern U.S. as well as the Midwest.

“Our geography from the standpoint of domestic distribution is good,” said Don Kirkman, president of Florida’s Great Northwest, which is working to diversify the region’s economic base. “We’re within a one-day truck haul of major cities in the Southeast. Our airports are continuing to evolve, and our port directors have done an excellent job of identifying markets in Latin America for notch opportunities.”

Port Panama City has 100 acres of land, about half of it for cargo, and 36 feet of water, enough to handle most ships in the world. It is one of the primary U.S. ports for copper imports, and it is the port used to transport a half-million tons of energyproviding wood pellets (made from the region’s pine trees) to Europe each year.

Rail and high-speed highways also play a vital role in moving Northwest Florida’s economy. With the only direct freight line that crosses the Florida Panhandle, CSX expects its cargo business to improve as the region grows. Also expected to benefit are the three short lines that serve the Panhandle: Apalachicola Northern Railroad, which runs from Port St. Joe to Chattahoochee; Bay Line, which runs from Panama City to Dothan; and the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway, which runs from Pensacola to Kimbrough, Ala.

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BUSI N E SS I NC E NTIVE S

Incentives available for expanding or new business The Economic Development Council, along with Okaloosa County and the state of Florida, provide a host of business incentives that make it easier for companies to expand and develop. Business dollars go a lot further here because there is no state personal income tax, no corporate income tax on limited partnerships and subchapter S-corporations, no state-level property tax, no property tax on business inventories and no sales and use tax on goods produced in Florida for export outside the state.

LOCAL INCENTIVES Ad Valorem Tax Abatement — Tax exemption for real and/or tangible personal property improvements, granted by the county on a case-bycase basis for new and expanding businesses. The business applying must pay higher than average wage and hire at least 10 additional employees as a result of the improvements.

Brownfield Site — Designed for expansion and redevelopment of areas with actual or perceived environmental contamination. The Fort Walton Beach Commerce & Technology Park is a designated Brownfield Site. Businesses must hire a minimum of 10 new employees to get a tax exemption of $2,500 per employee.

Enterprise Zone — The OkaloosaCrestview Enterprise Zone is approximately four square miles located in the northern section of the county. Tax advantages and incentives are provided to businesses that locate or expand in the zone, which is a distressed area, and provide new jobs.

Permit Streamlining — Companies expected to make a significant economic impact can get expedited reviews of all local, regional and state permit applications.

TeCMEN Incumbent Worker Training — The EDC has partnered with the Workforce Development Board and the University of West Florida to target training that will promote the expansion of STEM (science,

technology, engineering and mathematics) industries.

machinery and equipment may be exempted.

Technology Investment Fund — Makes co-investments with Okaloosa companies in promising technology-related projects with near-term commercial potential.

Tax Exempt Financing — Enterprise Bonds for Industry is a private corporation that provides taxexempt financing for small manufacturers to purchase land, buildings and capital equipment.

STATE TAX INCENTIVES/GRANTS

Qualified Defense Contractor Tax Refund Program — Tax refund of up to $5,000 per job created or saved in Okaloosa through the conversion of defense jobs to civilian production, acquisition of a new defense contract or consolidation of a defense contract.

Economic Development Transportation Fund (Road Fund) — Designed to alleviate transportation problems that hinder a specific company’s location or expansion decision. (In the past few years, Okaloosa companies have received more than $12 million in road fund grants.)

Export Finance — The Florida Export Finance Corporation makes pre- and post-shipment capital available to small and medium-sized Okaloosa exporters.

Florida Capital Access Plus Program — Financing is available for manufacturers and technologyrelated R&D companies with fewer than 100 employees.

Industrial Revenue Bonds — Financing assists manufacturers with property acquisition, construction, equipment and certain soft costs.

Sales Tax Exemptions — Florida offers a sales tax exemption on the labor component of research and development expenditures. The purchase of certain manufacturing

Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund Program — Designed to create high wage jobs in targeted high valueadded industries and encourage growth of corporate headquarters.

Tax refunds up to $5,000 per job created, cap of $5 million ($7.5 million in an Enterprise Zone).

STATE TRAINING PROGRAMS Incumbent Worker Training Program — Provides training to currently employed workers to keep Florida’s workforce competitive and retain existing businesses.

Quick Response Training Program — An inducement to secure new value-added businesses as well as provide existing businesses the necessary training for expansion, the program responds quickly to meet a company’s specific training needs, providing $650 per trainee.

For more information, please contact the EDC at info@florida-edc.org or (850) 362-6467 or visit florida-edc.org/BusinessAssistance.

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Young leaders making a difference in business and their communities

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heir work resumes are impressive. But learning more about how they came to be where they are — and what they do in their “spare” time — really adds the “Wow!” factor to this issue’s installment of 40 Under 40.

Elizabeth Ricci has made headlines with her work as an immigration attorney, but how many in her own community know that her civic participation extends far beyond the field of law? She served in the Peace Corps as a small business development volunteer, working on women’s micro loans in Guatemala. She was 2004 Volunteer of the Year at Pineview Elementary for tutoring an at-risk student, served on the Tallahassee/Leon County Cultural Resources Commission, was treasurer of the Big Bend Fair Housing Center, has written several articles, is president of CIAO! (the Capital Italian American Organization) and a founder/organizer of the Italian Family Festa.

Jason Kimbrell, a member of TEAM Santa Rosa Economic Development Council’s Board of Directors, is a volunteer firefighter and works with a multitude of community groups. He is on the board of the Florida Rural Health Network and the Emergency Services Advisory Council, serves on the faculty of the American Heart Association training center, holds seven professional certifications, is an adjunct professor at the University of West Florida and brought a program to the community designed to help seniors avoid falls.

In 2011, Tyler Huston established a family endowment with the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Foundation for research and education done by the hospital’s NeuroScience Center. (His dad suffered a

traumatic brain injury at the age of 26, when Huston was about two years old.) He was president of Tallahassee Young Professionals, active in Rotary and ran the Rotary Leadership Campaign at the ripe age of 25.

He mentors at Riley Elementary School and is an advisor on business program development at Keiser University.

Valeria Lento, a native of Argentina, worked at global public relations firms in New York and Miami, including Burston-Marstellar and Edelman, before coming to Northwest Florida. She served as communications manager of the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa before joining the Pensacola Bay Chamber of Commerce to run its communications department for Visit Pensacola. In 2011, she was named Communicator of the Year by the Florida Public Relations Association Northwest Florida Coast chapter and was honored for her creativity by Visit Florida.

Michael Setboun has a doctorate in pharmacology and worked for a research firm for 15 years. But he decided to pursue the American Dream, trading Paris for rural Northwest Florida, where he had often vacationed. He has transformed a historical 1930s schoolhouse into a bed and breakfast and event center that he named in honor of his mother.

La Maison de Lucy was recently selected the 2012 Best Themed bed and breakfast by the online readers of Lanier BB travel guide website.

I think you will agree that these five represent some of the best that Northwest Florida has to offer, serving as a credit to their community and the entire region. If you have someone you’d like to have considered as one of 850’s 40 Under 40, please send a nomination to lkleindienst@rowlandpublishing.com.

BY LINDA KLEINDIENST, PHOTOS BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN 850 Business Magazine

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Business Philosophy Be transparent. Be kind.

Do well.

Definition of Success In the words of Samuel Beckett, “Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Success isn’t about not making mistakes, it’s about learning from them. It’s best defined in that moment when, following a fall, one decides whether to get back up again.

Role Model/Mentor My mom has been my lifelong role model. I hope to grow up to be the honest, generous, selfless and loving woman that she is.

Hardest Lesson Learned No question is a stupid question. I think we have a natural tendency to hold back our curiosity for the fear of sounding uninformed. But, the less you ask, the less you know.

Career Since I was little, even before I spoke English, I wanted to be a writer. Later, in high school, I began cultivating my affinity for the written word with the goal of becoming a journalist. Somewhere between my junior year and getting accepted into the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, I felt strongly that the field of public relations was my ideal career fit. So far, I haven’t looked back.

What advice would you give your 16-yearold self? Don’t fret so much about the future.

It has a magical way of working itself out in the most beautiful of ways. Trust yourself. Nurture yourself. Be true to yourself. The best is yet to come.

Inspiration My parents. They have always been my rock and are my biggest cheerleaders.

Without their sacrifices, I wouldn’t have the opportunity of being in this country today, living out their American Dream.

Northwest Florida Business Growth Let the world know about all the unique offerings this beautiful destination has to offer. From rich history and exquisite cuisine to art and culture, spas and world-class accommodations, Northwest Florida offers a year-round vacation experience unlike any other — served with a dollop of Southern charm and against a backdrop of sugar-white beaches.

Fun I’m happiest when I’m surrounded by loved ones, good music, good books, coffee and the sun.

Valeria Lento, 27 PENSACOLA Director of Communications, Visit Pensacola

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Business Philosophy Help others achieve their true desires.

Definition of Success I steal my definition of success from Albert Gray: “The common denominator of success — the secret of success of every man who has ever been successful — lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.” (1940) Hardest Lesson Learned I learned that life is short indirectly. Having just turned 27 this February, I realized that I am older than my father when he fell into his 20-year coma, leaving my brother and me with my mom.

I aim to make the most of each day because who knows when it’ll come crashing down.

Role Model/Mentor One role model I’ve learned to appreciate is my mom. As I continue to become wiser, I’ve become more empathetic to her circumstances and what she went through to do the right thing for me and my brother, despite the hand she was dealt.

I’ve too many mentors to list all who helped me achieve my true potential. I’ll be forever grateful to all of them.

What advice would you give your 16-yearold self? Stop taking things so seriously, yet still continue to work hard toward your goals.

Inspiration From my advocates who keep me dreaming bigger for myself, even if I’m down in the dumps, and reading about people who’ve persevered.

Northwest Florida Business Growth Continue the focus to build up the young professional demographic by making it a place we want to live. Business will inevitably come when we keep the talent here.

Fun Play the drums and listen to music.

Volunteer a lot. One of the best events of my life was running the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards for my Rotary District in 2010 and 2011.

Reading “Lone Survivor” by Marcus Lattrell.

His story of serving as a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan. Powerful stuff. Financial books — learn more always. Discover Magazine — I’m a space and science junky.

Tyler J. Huston, 27 TALLAHASSEE Financial Advisor/College Unit Director, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network

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Business Philosophy Persevere. Endeavor.

Learn. Enjoy. Share. Succeed.

Definition of Success Being truly happy in what you are doing.

Hardest Lesson Learned Don’t be too trustworthy.

Career I always dreamed about living in the United States. This opportunity kind of unfolded itself in my hands, and I thought I would enjoy being in the hospitality business, even if there is no relation to my education.

Inspiration Comes from my family and my fiancé.

Role Model/Mentor My father. He is extremely knowledgeable and nonjudgmental in all that he does.

Why Northwest Florida? I always had the American Dream, since I was a child. I was just visiting the area and loved it. I had the opportunity to buy this 75-year-old school and turn it into an upscale lodging that is very needed around here.

What advice would you give your 16-yearold self? Not too much besides always believe in what we really want. Our mistakes, our past decisions and past events are what shape us into our present day selves.

Northwest Florida Business Growth I would like for people to understand that entrepreneurs who are not from the Florida Panhandle can also bring good things and help business in the area to grow.

In 10 years I hope to … Create a bed and breakfast chain inspired by La Maison de Lucy.

Fun When I do have some free time, I try to travel and I enjoy cooking.

Reading Mystery books, travel magazines, medical publications … pretty much anything I can put my hands on.

Michael J. Setboun, 32 ALFORD Owner and Operator, La Maison de Lucy Boutique Bed & Breakfast & Event Center

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Business Philosophy “No” is there. Seek the “yes.”

Definition of Success To me, success is building and enjoying a happy, healthy family and doing rewarding, meaningful professional work.

Role Model/Mentor My mother Theresse du Bouchet is my role model because she showed me that it is possible to be an exemplary parent while having a successful career.

Hardest Lesson Learned I have to be an advocate outside of my law practice. When my older daughter was born with a rare birth defect, I learned that if she were going to get the necessary care, I needed to advocate for her. It was both an enlightening and challenging experience, from finding out who the experts were to asking the right questions, doing my research and advocating for others who didn’t have a voice.

Career I don’t know that I “chose” my career.

Looking back it seems as though it were synchronicity. I worked at an immigration law firm in high school and college, then studied immigration under the renowned scholar Ira Kurzban. I moved to Tallahassee with visions of being a lobbyist, but when the immigration law changed shortly after I graduated from law school, I decided to pursue a niche market and use my immigration and Spanish language skills.

What advice would you give your 16-yearold self? Study hard and smart and learn people skills through travel and volunteerism without interfering with school.

Inspiration I am inspired to make a change when I see a “wrong” that I can help make “right.”

Examples range from advocating for eye exams for newborns (right now there is no mandatory exam until kindergarten, which is too late for many conditions like my daughter’s), to getting a derogatory ad about Italian-Americans pulled from a national campaign and pushing for immigration benefits for legally married same-sex bi-nationals.

Northwest Florida Business Growth Be able to submit government forms online for a meaningful, direct dialogue between government agencies and the public.

Fun Spend time with my family doing things like canoeing down the Wakulla River, making crafts with my girls and traveling. I’m excited about going to Cuba with the League of Women Voters in May with my mother.

Elizabeth Ricci, 36 TALLAHASSEE Immigration Attorney and Managing Partner, Rambana & Ricci, PLLC

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Business Philosophy Your greatest asset is your team!

leader is through the power of influence and not authority.

Definition of Success Reaching a point where your team puts their blood, sweat and tears into delivering world class healthcare, not because they have to but because they are driven to be part of something special.

My Career I began my career as a firefighter in the U.S Air Force, and the medical aspect of the fire department fascinated me. I continued to study pre-hospital medicine and received my paramedic license in 2000. The adrenaline and genuine reward that come with saving a life, of simply being the best part of a patient’s worst day, is indescribable. I now have the opportunity to reshape the pre-hospital healthcare industry through my leadership.

Role Model/Mentor I consider John Roche, “Old Bull,” the owner and president/CEO of Lifeguard Ambulance Service my mentor and role model. He is a visionary and dream chaser; a man who created a successful business, literally from nothing, and now it is one of the leading ambulance services in the Southeastern United States.

Hardest Lesson Learned I learned the hard way the secret to being an effective

What advice would you give your 16-yearold self? Work hard in school and take time to spend more time with your father, because he will not be around much longer.

I am today if it had not been for God, who blessed me with a wife and family that have encouraged me throughout my career/journey.

Northwest Florida Business Growth I would encourage business leaders to get out of their comfort zone and execute a different set of growth strategies to meet the needs of tomorrow.

Fun I am an active rodeo tie-down calf roper, competing in the Professional Cowboy’s Association across the Southeastern United States.

Reading John Maxwell, Kenneth Blanchard, Quint Studer

Inspiration I certainly would not be where

Jason L. Kimbrell, 33 MILTON Regional Director of Operations, Lifeguard Ambulance Service of Florida, LLC

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TASTE OF THE REGION Business luncheons. Celebratory dinners. Deal-making cocktails.

A sampling of the best fare the region has to offer.

A GUIDE TO FINE DINING IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA

Magnolia Grill

2011

FORT WALTON BEACH

TOM & PEGGY RICE, PROPRIETORS

(850) 302-0266

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Best Seafood Market

BUSINESS NEWS

CAPITAL

campaigns while also pursuing state government and other niche market business in the Tallahassee region.

NEW BEGINNINGS >> A handful of veteran lobbyists have joined together to form a new lobbying firm in Tallahassee called Adams St. Advocates. The lobbying partners, who will also continue to own and operate their individual firms, include Barney Bishop III, formerly of Associated Industries, Dave Ericks, owner of Clydes & Costello’s, Candace Ericks, Claudia Davant, Robert Beck, Tanya Jackson, Jim Henry, Marty Cassinni and Chelsea d’Hemecourt. >> Brian T. Cook has been named chief executive officer of Capital Regional Medical Center. He brings several years of healthcare experience to the role, most recently as chief executive officer of HCA’s Parkridge East Hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn.

COOK

PHOTOS COURTESY CAPITAL REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER (COOK), ISF (MCLEOD), PITTMAN LAW GROUP (PITTMAN) AND GOVERNOR’S PRESS OFFICE (FARAJ)

>> Longtime state government communications director Jon Peck has joined Ron Sachs Communications as a senior account manager. Peck spent more than eight years in daily print journalism before embarking on an award-winning 26-year career in state government highlighted by his service as press secretary to Gov. Bob Martinez. >> Sylvia McLeod, a certified Project Management Professional, has joined management consulting and IT firm ISF as a project manager.

The company has promoted Joe Goleniowski, who has been there since 2006, to executive client partner. And Catherine Crumb, a project manager, MCLEOD recently attained a Project Management Professional certification. >> Keith Bell, Jr. is now practicing in the Tallahassee office of Clark, Partington, Hart, Larry, Bond & Stackhouse. A member of the firm since 2002, Bell focuses on commercial and real estate litigation, creditor’s rights, bankruptcy, and trust and probate litigation. >> Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC, the 32nd largest accounting firm nationally and 3rd largest in the South, has added Brian Manuel to the local Tallahassee office as a staff accountant in the audit department. >> Moriah Murphy has joined Heartland Payment Systems, one of the nation’s largest payments processors, as a director of marketing. She will lead Heartland’s launch of cityspecific immersive marketing and recruitment

LOCAL HONORS >> Attorney and community philanthropist Sean Pittman has been selected as chairman of the “If I Could Change the World” Foundation.

The Foundation was founded by Tallahassee native, recording artist, producer and two-time PITTMAN Grammy Award winner T-Pain, aka Tallahassee Pain. The non-profit recognizes that anyone, no matter what age, race or educational background, if given the opportunity can make a difference in the world.

Anyone interested can submit an idea on how they would change the world to the Foundation’s website www.changeworlds.org. T-Pain will review entries and choose an initiative to fund. >> Wendy S. Loquasto, a board certified shareholder and managing partner at Fox & Loquasto, P.A. in Tallahassee, has been honored with an award by the Florida Bar for her pro bono work. >> Four shareholders at Greenberg Traurig’s Tallahassee office have been appointed to or joined local boards. They are: Seann Frazier, elected to the board of The Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science; Todd Sumner, voted vice president of the Northwest Industries Association; Barry Richard, named a 2012 Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers; and Reggie Bouthillier, a member of the Florida Guardian Ad Litem board for Second Judicial Circuit.

HAPPENINGS >> Florida State University’s College of Business has received a $5 million gift from Dr. William T. Hold, one of the school’s most prominent alumni, and the organization he co-founded.

The gift launches “The Risk Initiative,” an upcoming campaign to establish Florida State as a national leader in a number of academic fields that involve risk. The college’s top-ranked risk management and insurance program will now be known as the Dr. William T. Hold/The National Alliance Program in Risk Management and Insurance in appreciation of the alumnus and his organization, The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. >> Moore Consulting Group, an award-winning integrated communications firm, has established MCG Impact, a corporate social responsibility program. In 2012, Moore Consulting Group team members have chosen to support: Honor Flight Tallahassee (selected by Karen Moore, founder and CEO of MCG); Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions; The Arts at Good Samaritan United Methodist Church; and Big Bend Homeless Coalition. Each organization will receive more than $25,000 worth of pro bono communications assistance.

SOUNDBYTES >> GippsAERO, the Australian based manufacturer of the GA8 Airvan utility aircraft, has selected Flightline Group Inc. as its authorized dealer for the Southeastern United States. Flightline Group Inc., established in 1982, is a diverse, regional group of companies dedicated to providing aviation sales and support services through facilities in Tallahassee and Vero Beach in Florida and Memphis, Tenn.

APPOINTED BY GOV. SCOTT >> J. Andrew Atkinson, 38, of Tallahassee, an attorney at Broad and Cassel, to the Second Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission. >> Donna G. Callaway and Karen Moore, of Tallahassee, to the Board of Trustees, Tallahassee Community College. Callaway has been the principal of Raa Middle School since 2008, as well as from 1994 to 2004. An educator since 1961, she also served on the Florida State Board of Education from 2004 to 2008. Moore, 54, is the founder and chief executive officer of Moore Consulting Group. She currently chairs the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/ Leon County. >> Leon County Commissioner Bryan Desloge as chairman of the board of directors for the Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend Region, and Monesia Brown, 39, of Tallahassee, an attorney with Metz, Husband and Daughton P.A., as a member of the board. >> Kenneth W. Detzner to serve as Florida’s Secretary of State. Detzner was executive director of the Florida Beer Wholesalers Association for 13 years and served six years as director of legislative and policy affairs for the Attorney General’s Office. >> Alia Faraj, 47, of Tallahassee, to the Florida Elections Commission.

She has been a partner and executive vice president of Ron Sachs Communications since 2007 and previously served as communications director for Governor Jeb Bush from 2004 to 2007.

FARAJ

>> Adam J. Hirsch, 57, of Tallahassee, a professor at the Florida State University College of Law, to the Florida Elections Commission. >> Kelly A. Layman, 41, of Tallahassee, executive director of communications for the Florida Board of Governors, to the Apalachee Regional Planning Council, Region Two. >> Edwin Moore, 60, of Tallahassee, to the Board of Directors, Workforce Florida Inc. Moore has been the president and chief executive officer of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida since 2003. He previously worked as staff director for the Florida House of Representatives Policy Committee and was president and chief executive officer of the James Madison Institute from 2000 to 2002.

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SOUNDBYTES

>> Cari L. Roth, an attorney with Bryant Miller Olive in its Tallahassee office, as chair of the Environmental Regulation Commission. She practices environmental land use law and governmental affairs.

EMERALD COAST NEW BEGINNINGS >> Mark T. Faulkner, who grew up in Santa Rosa County, has been named the chief executive officer of Baptist Health Care, replacing the retiring Al Stubblefield. Faulkner, Baptist Health Care’s executive vice president and chief operating officer since 2010, will assume his new role effecFAULKNER tive June 1. He becomes only the fourth CEO in the 60-year history of Baptist Health Care. >> Northwest Florida State College has inaugurated a $25.5 million Student Services Center.

The three-story, 75,000-square-foot facility was built by Ajax Building Corporation, which has an office in Tallahassee, Atlanta and several other Florida cities. The Niceville campus facility was designed to be a central hub for the school’s 17,000 students and a centerpiece for community activities. >> Howard Group, a Northwest Florida portfolio real estate development company specializing in premier commercial developments and upscale resort residential properties, has appointed Karen McNevin as vice president of Hospitality and Human Resources for the company’s new Hospitality Management Services division. >> Baptist Medical Group has announced Teena Hendricks and Renee Weir as operations directors.

MCNEVIN

>> Kevin Moran has joined Harbor Restaurant Group as a managing partner of Crush Wine Bar, a hip and trendy restaurant located in Seaside’s Town Center. >> Ryan Winterberg-Lipp has been named as administrator of Pensacola’s Community Redevelopment Agency, which fosters private investment in the inner city. >> Pen Air Federal Credit Union has opened a financial literacy based student-run credit union, Wildcat Credit Union, at Booker T. Washington High School. This is Pen Air’s first student-run credit union in Escambia County.

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>> Summit Bank NA has named Philippe Miceli as president of its Okaloosa County operations.

Miceli (formerly of BankTrust in Santa Rosa Beach) has 23 years banking experience, the last 17 of them in Okaloosa County.

HONORS

research firm, to receive a CoStar Power Broker Award. This annual award recognizes the “best of the best” in commercial real estate brokerage by highlighting the U.S. firms and individual brokers who closed the highest transaction volumes in commercial property sales or leases for the entire year of 2011 in their respective markets. >> Ken Bryant, CPA, a partner at Destin-based accounting firm, Carter & Company, CPA, LLC, was recently appointed to the 2012 board of directors for Habitat for Humanity of Walton County.

MICELI

>> Gulf Power along with its other Southern Company subsidiaries, was named “Power Company of the Year” at the Platt’s 2011 Global Energy Awards in December. The recognition honors Southern Company as the leading power company in the world for 2011. Specific judging criteria included customer care and satisfaction, effective risk management, financial results, innovation, operational excellence, safety, security and strategic vision. >> Another Broken Egg has been chosen as one of the 10 best deals in franchising by Restaurant Management. The 18 Another Broken Egg restaurants in seven states made $24 million in sales in 2011. >> The Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce has recognized Tijuana Flats of Fort Walton Beach, owned by Brian and Jenna Leigh Burger, as the 2011 Small Business of the Year, calling them one of the most community-minded small businesses in the area. >> Niceville builder Randy Wise of Randy Wise Homes Inc. has been selected to be part of the Southern Living Custom Builder Program for 2012. He is one of 100 builders chosen for the 19th annual builder program. Each year, Southern Living carefully selects members based on their reputation among local businesses and consumers; strength of presence in their respective markets; superior quality and attention to detail; innovative style, and other criteria. >> HealthGrades, a national source for researching and selecting doctors and hospitals, recently named Twin Cities Hospital a recipient of the 2011 Outstanding Patient Experience Award. This distinction ranks Twin Cities Hospital among the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide based on an analysis of patient satisfaction data for 3,797 U.S. Hospitals. Twin Cities Hospital was also selected as a recipient of the 2011–2012 Hospital of Choice Award from The American Alliance of Healthcare Providers for the third consecutive year. >> Gulf Coast Electric of Destin has been awarded the 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award, putting it in the top 5 percent of thousands of businesses listed on the Internet site, which provides consumer reviews on local service and health providers. >> Pensacola-based Beck Property Company LLC has been selected by CoStar Group, commercial real estate’s leading independent

>> Pen Air Federal Credit Union CFO and Interim CEO David Tuyo has been named an IN Weekly Rising Star for 2012. The Rising Stars program was founded in 2008 by IN Weekly to honor successful community leaders under the age of 35. The TUYO nominees are individuals who work or live in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, and are viewed as upcoming leaders in their professions. >> Amy A. Perry, Esq., was presented with the James D. Neilson, Sr. Chairman’s Award for Volunteer Service by the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce. She currently serves as treasurer on the Chamber’s board of directors executive committee. >> Granger Properties, a commercial real estate firm based in Pensacola, won 2011 Best Broker Deal of the Year for selling a package of government-leased properties.

HAPPENINGS >> Sunshine Shuttle of Santa Rosa Beach has acquired Trumpet Coach, of Chipley, making Sunshine the largest transportation company in Northwest Florida. >> Lamar Conerly, of Bowman & Dykes, was recently installed as the new president of the Northwest Florida State College Foundation. Other 2012–2013 officers are: Dewayne Youngblood, Regions Bank, treasurer; and Fred Thomas, ThomCo Enterprises, vice president. Cristie Kedroski of Northwest Florida State College and executive director of the foundation serves as secretary and as a non-voting member. Wayne Campbell, the foundation’s outgoing president was honored for his seven years of service to the college’s foundation, as both a member of the board and the foundation’s executive committee. The 2012–2013 foundation board members include Dotty Blacker of Valparaiso, Bethany Burke of Shalimar, Wayne Campbell of Niceville, Jim Cardow of Shalimar, Lamar Conerly of Destin, David Costa, Jr. of Niceville, Bart Fleet of Shalimar, Gloria Frazier of Shalimar, Rachel Gillis of DeFuniak Springs, William Green of DeFuniak Springs, Roger Hall of Destin, Don Howard of Crestview, Scott Jackson of Niceville, Lori Kelley of Destin, Donald Litke of Niceville,

PHOTOS COURTESY BAPTIST HEALTHCARE (FAULKNER), HOWARD GROUP (MCNEVIN), DESTINATION COMMUNICATIONS (MICELI), PEN AIR FCU (TUYO)

BUSINESS NEWS

Lois Lunderman of Valparaiso, Jan McDonald of Niceville, Venita Morell of Niceville, Dennis Peters of Niceville, Donnie Richardson of DeFuniak Springs, Fred Thomas of Fort Walton Beach, Robin Wilson of DeFuniak Springs and Dewayne Youngblood of Destin. >> Growing staff and a burgeoning rental management business are behind the recent office expansion of My Vacation Haven. The five-year-old locally-owned business, located in Grand Boulevard at Sandestin, recently added a new reservationist and full-time maintenance person to their growing staff and more than doubled their office space.

APPOINTED BY GOV. SCOTT >> Timothy J. Bolduc, 35, of Fort Walton Beach, development services manager for the City of Fort Walton Beach, to the Florida Building Code Administrators and Inspectors Board. >> Alexis Bolin, 67, of Pensacola, a realtor with ERA Legacy Realty, to the Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County.

FORGOTTEN COAST >> The St. Joe Company has agreed to lease 20 acres of its former paper mill site in Port St. Joe to Panama City-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group. Eastern plans to expand its existing shipbuilding, vessel construction and repair and industrial steel fabrication operations to Port St. Joe while continuing with its operations in Panama City and Allanton in Bay County. The Port St. Joe facility is immediately adjacent to one of only 14 state-authorized deep-water ports in Florida.

BAY HAPPENINGS >> Panama City-based DeTect Inc. has opened a European office to meet growing demand for its radar products in the United Kingdom, European Union, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

The DeTect EU office is located in West Sussex, close to the Gatwick Airport. Three staff have been transferred to the new office, which is headed by Edward ‘Zak’ Zakrajsek, a founding member of the DeTect Team. >> The St. Joe Company has officially opened the Breakfast Point community, Panama City Beach’s newest residential community. Homes range in size from about 1,600 to 3,100 square feet. Prices currently start in the $220s. >> The 1.1 million square foot Pier Park, Northwest Florida’s largest entertainment, dining and shopping complex, this year will be adding: Dick’s Last Resort, Rum Runners, French Charmed, Francesca’s Collections, Charming Charlie, Pepper Palace and Forever 21.

APPOINTED BY GOV. SCOTT >> Rex E. Holmes, 53, of Panama City, the chief building inspector of Bay County Building Services, to the Florida Building Code Administrators and Inspectors Board.

Compiled by Linda Kleindienst

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CAPITAL CORRIDOR

Gadsden, Jefferson + Leon Counties

Think Globally, Bead Locally Havana’s Team Unity creates jobs by creating jewelry

By Laura Bradley

T

raveling the world to supply their Havana shop, Wanderings, with jewelry and other eclectic items, Tony Lombardo and Terri Paul purchased items from many co-ops — groups of women who united to learn a unique artistic skill in order to support their families. Working with these groups from impoverished nations inspired the father/daughter team to ask themselves a question: If artisans in countries around the globe can craft jewelry to make ends meet, why can’t people here in the United States?

The answer was Team Unity.

“We figured that we had some of the same problems here that they were facing in Third World countries, Gadsden County being the second poorest county in Florida,” Paul explains. What’s “normal” for poor people in their store’s community is not what most of us could consider normal. Many houses are in disrepair, crowded with family members. “Forget having your own bedroom; forget having your own bed,” she says. It seemed logical to create a co-op where their business is located.

Becoming familiar with wholesale markets while buying jewelry, one of Wanderings’ biggest sellers in recent years, Lombardo and Paul realized the manufacturers and products, as well as the wholesalers themselves, were predominately foreign. Americans play only a small role in that market — but Team Unity is seeking to change that.

“Over the … last 18 years, we’ve hired a lot of people on a temporary basis to come in and

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work for us,” Lombardo explains. “They’re primarily people who don’t have jobs or are very under-employed. And a lot of them have been very good people … and I said, ‘We’ve got this thing going with jewelry. Why don’t we try to train some local people who are unemployed to make jewelry?’ ” Lombardo and Paul worked with The Havana Learning Center, a nonprofit organization that helps at-risk, low-income people in the community find employment and develop skills, to recruit Team Unity’s first jewelers. Once the team was selected, they were trained with the help of Lizette Kelly, a local jewelry designer and owner of Lizette’s Beadginnings jewelry store.

The project kicked off in November 2010 with John Anderson, 26, Nicole Johnson, 26, and Tishana Perry, 36. The three received instruction and followed designs created by Kelly and Paul, making necklaces, bracelets and earrings from semiprecious stones, including amethyst, onyx, turquoise and tiger’s eye.

In the beginning, all three team members were unemployed or didn’t have enough work to earn a living. Now they are skilled jewelers with supplemental income, allowing them to seek further employment with far less financial worry. Two have found additional work and continue to make jewelry from home.

The jewelers have become so skilled they are beginning to create their own designs. Paul notes that an unexpected bonus of Team Unity’s work has been seeing each team member develop a designing style over time. “As we’ve

ARTISANS IN TRAINING Wanderings co-owner Terri Paul (second from left) along with crafters (left to right) Nicole Johnson, John Anderson Jr. and Tishana Perry, work on developing new jewelry designs that can be produced for the wholesale market.

evolved, their talents have come out,” she says.

While Johnson enjoys creating charm bracelets and necklaces — what Paul calls “dainty little jingly stuff,” Perry likes to make “really big, bold, in-your-face kind of stuff.” Anderson focuses on more masculine styles, using leather and cords that would appeal to teenagers. He has also developed an FSU-themed line. As the jeweler’s skill increases, so does the jewelry’s quality and value.

It’s not just the members of Team Unity who benefit from the work, either. Members are required to repay each hour of training with an hour-long commitment to community service within Havana. In the beginning, Team Unity painted local park equipment, and there will be more projects when more employees train.

Lombardo stresses that Team Unity is far from a handout or social program.

Photos by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

LESSONS LEARNED After buying from crafting cooperatives abroad, Tony Lombardo and his daughter Terri Paul decided to create a similar program in the Havana community.

“We’re trying to create a business that is profitable. There’s no charitable work here,” he insists. “We pay them for what they do and how well they do it. And if they don’t do well, they hit the streets like anybody else. But I’ve been blessed with three exceptionally good people.”

Beyond the additional financial security, Team Unity members are given something else: a skill doing something they have grown to love. As he beaded a bright red and white necklace, Anderson, who comes to work five days a week, noted with a laugh and a shake of his head that Team Unity has turned him into a jewelry freak, explaining, “It’s like it’s all I want to do in my spare time.”

In the future, Lombardo hopes the operation will grow to house more fulltime employees who can handcraft a lot more jewelry. Team Unity has already made steps in that direction. The jewelry’s retail debut in Wanderings last May

was a resounding success, and sales continue to look promising.

Team Unity has also begun breaking into the wholesale market, offering its wares at wholesale shows in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.

Late last year, Team Unity had its first wholesale debut outside of Florida at a show in Sevierville, Tenn.

Beyond its wholesale repertoire, Team Unity has also been garnering local attention. In September 2011, they were the primary exhibitor at the Tallahassee Mary Brogan Museum’s Titanic Gala, displaying Team Unity jewelry for sale in vintage suitcases. The displayed collections held to the Titanic theme: the “Lady Astor” set was glitzy and sparkly, while “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” carried a bold, Art Deco theme. The Titanic group captured the essence of the Arctic, with iceberg-like crystals and pearls.

Gala attendees showed “lots of interest,” noted Paul. “Everybody was excited to see us there.”

Something else that sets the Team Unity operation apart is the fact that customers who venture to Wanderings in Havana can have jewelry custom made for them by coming into the store and selecting stones, or even by simply showing clothing that the jewelry should match.

With stones of almost every color, the artists are able to create a design to match almost any outfit. The pieces can incorporate slimmer bead strings or have larger, bolder designs. Earrings, bracelets, anklets and necklaces are all available for those who want a full set. Prices range from $12–$20 for earrings to $20–$60 for necklaces.

Regardless of its past, present or future plans and accomplishments, the underpinning of Team Unity is an ideology: Given the chance, the American people will seize opportunities and work to the best of their abilities to produce outstanding results. Lombardo contends this can make us competitive anywhere, even in wholesale markets.

“We need to start pushing again. ‘Made in the USA.’ So much of that has been lost. This little community (Havana) was built around the tobacco industry, and it was a cottage industry that everybody in this community worked at. It died because eventually the tobacco industry as they knew it moved to foreign countries. We need things to replace that. I would love to replace that with jewelry. We’ve gotta get other people to embrace that: ‘Made in the USA.’ ” n

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FORGOTTEN COAST CORRIDOR

Gulf, Franklin + Wakulla Counties

SO HAPPY TOGETHER (Left to right) Barbara Mathis, Diana Prickett, Dana Ingalls, Beth Terry and Beth Brinkley have found a formula to mix business and friendship.

Friends and Partners

S

t. George Island is known as a paradise for those seeking to escape the rat race for some sun, fun and long walks on the beach.

Getting away from it all is easy here, but even in paradise, the old saying applies: Friendship is friendship, but business is business.

It holds true for the five owners of Resort Vacation Properties, a vacation rental firm owned by Diana Prickett, Beth Brinkley, Dana Ingalls, Beth Terry and Barbara Mathis. For going on seven years now, this special team has made beach vacation dreams come true for their numerous clients.

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The team may have started out at competing firms, but in the years since forming their own company they’ve developed a special chemistry that has been an asset to their joint business venture. Today, the tight-knit group is very much like a family.

Ingalls, the company’s accounting and human resources department manager, said they all seemed to hit it off well when they first came to work together back around 2001.

“We just clicked, it seemed,” she said.

The beginning Prickett, Terry and Mathis all worked at Collins

Vacation Rentals. Prickett was property manager, Terry managed the housekeeping department and Mathis the maintenance division.

Then one day Helen Spohrer of Prudential Resort Realty of St. George Island — a competitor in the St. George Island rental biz — approached Prickett with a job offer. She needed a new management team and asked her to “jump ship” and take the lead on it. Prickett added one proviso to the deal, however.

“I said the only way I’d move from one to the other is to let me buy the company at some point,” Prickett recalled. “She said yes, and Beth and Barbara came over with me.”

PHOTO COURTESY VICTOR RAMOS, SILVER QUEST STUDIOS

There’s room for both, if the rules are spelled out ahead of time By Jason Dehart

Brinkley and Ingalls were already working for Prudential; Brinkley in Internet marketing and Ingalls as property manager. And that’s where the team was formed.

“We were all brought in to restructure the vacation rental part of the business,” Prickett said. “At that time, we became friends aside from business partners.”

Prickett was hired as the property manager, and Brinkley was tasked with working with the property owners. Terry and Ingalls worked as managers of the front desk and reservation staff, and Mathis managed housekeeping and maintenance.

The new team worked smoothly together for four years, Ingalls said.

And then, true to the conditions of the agreement, Prickett was given the option of buying the property management division, which they renamed Resort Vacation Properties of St. George Island, Inc. “Owning my own vacation rental company was my dream,” Prickett said. “I always worked and gave my all as if it were mine — with the dream of one day, it would be.”

Still, the friends remained together.

“YOU CAN BE GREAT FRIENDS, BUT IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING YOU WON’T BE GREAT FRIENDS WHEN IT’S OVER.” — DANA INGALLS A working friendship Trust has made the difference in this partnership, Ingalls said. Sure, friends can be business partners, but they’d better be good at what they do. Otherwise, things can get awkward, to say the least.

“You can trust somebody as a friend (but in) the business world, you really have to know what you’re doing,” she said. “We all did, and we were fortunate that we were close friends

beforehand. You can be great friends, but if you don’t know what you’re doing you won’t be great friends when it’s over.”

Each member of the team works full time for the company, and each one has specific responsibilities for various departments and tasks.

They have, however, been known to rotate through other departments to stay sharp and to help out whenever and wherever necessary.

“We can all pitch in and support each other,” said Terry, who added that there’s no telling day to day what they’ll be doing or what they’ll be faced with. But that’s all a part of the fun. None of them are ever alone, and help is close at hand.

“There’s no hesitation to pick up the phone when you need help,” Ingalls said. “One of the biggest benefits of the five of us working together is we’re never alone. It’s more like a family than a business.”

A recipe for success Prickett said it’s no accident that the company has done well. It all depends on a clearly written plan of action to guide them through what may come.

“The first thing we did when we set this business up was we had very clear direction over things like how to buy property,” she said.

“What if someone wants to get out of the business, or if someone has a conflict? We know how to handle it. If there are things we don’t agree on, we vote on it.”

The key here is to make sure the agreements and “emergency” directives are not only written down, but are updated on a regular basis.

Also, you have to make adjustments when called for.

“You have to make sure it meets the current circumstances,” Prickett said. “If not, it becomes an issue. We tried to cover all of the angles to avoid conflict and/or resolve conflict.”

Having a firm commitment to your business goals is also paramount. This is a quality the team has plenty of.

“We all have a similar work ethic and also have the same goals in business and life, and we have good communication skills,” Terry said.

Brinkley agrees.

“We all have the same goals in mind, and we

work as a team to achieve them,” she said. “We are able to accomplish just about anything.”

The mission of paradise The mission of Resort Vacation Properties is to provide “unexpected, undiscovered and unforgettable moments,” Prickett said. “Our (goal) is to operate profitably while upholding our commitments to our guests, homeowner team members and the community.

“And we accomplish that. We’re trying to expand. We donate to the community and we’re involved. We take care of our guests, our owners and our employees. We employ the second largest number of people in Franklin County.”

The company has 50 full-time employees reinforced by an additional 20 part-timers during the busy summer months. They also have 100 independent contractors in the housekeeping department and another 50 in the maintenance department. There are currently about 360 property owners in the rental program. These are homeowners who allow the use of their home for rentals. Candy Varnes, director of marketing, said that 68 percent of their business is repeat guests.

“Our business plan has always been to manage the highest quality homes with the most amenities,” she said. “We serve the entire island.

We have beachfront homes, homes overlooking Apalachicola Bay and everywhere in between.”

The company has a very active Facebook page with 5,000 fans. There are videos of the properties online, and they send out email newsletters.

A bit of advice Prickett has definite ideas about the advice she would give to friends looking to go into business together.

“Well, it has to be very clear and defined as to what you expect of each other, and when conflict arises you have to talk about it and address it,” she said. “It has to be upfront and clear what is expected. We meet once a year, and each of us talk about where our lives are going and what we want out of the business and make adjustment if needed. The only pitfall is not doing that ahead of time, and thinking you can deal with (problems) then.” n

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IN THE BLACK (Left to right) Colby Anderson, Erin LaGrosse and Jon LaGrosse of Gulf Coast Insulation, continues to grow, thanks in part to lessons learned at the SBDC.

Small Businesses Pack a Big Economic Punch Small Business Development Center launches the Growth Acceleration Program By Zandra Wolfgram

O

perating a small business is a big deal. In fact, 99.7 percent of all companies in the United States are considered small businesses — and they account for more than half of all private industry jobs.

With unemployment still high across the nation, any relief is likely to come from growing small businesses. And, indeed, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), reports that 64 percent of the new jobs created within the past 15 years have been within small businesses.

The Emerald Coast thrives on small businesses. But only savvy, well-run businesses tend to survive over the long haul. According to the SBA, only half will make it beyond five years. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) hopes to change that statistic.

If Gulf Coast Insulation, owned by Erin Lagrosse and her husband, Jon, is any indication, its services are paying off in Northwest Florida.

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Since it opened in 2009, the DeFuniak Springsbased business has grown from three to 15 employees. “We feel great about our growth and are looking at investing in more equipment, too,” Lagrosse says.

The SBDC, operating in partnership with the University of West Florida, is part of the Florida Small Business Development Center Network, a non-profit service organization comprising 34 offices from Pensacola to Key West. The SBDC formed 35 years ago to bolster the Florida economy with its mission to provide entrepreneurs and established businesses with the assistance needed to start, grow and succeed.

In Northwest Florida, there are full-service offices in Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach that service Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties. The coverage of the region continues with an office in Tallahassee and one in Lynn Haven.

The SBDC is funded through a federal grant

from the U.S. Small Business Administration, which is matched by the University of West Florida. It operates on a budget just under $600,000 a year. Currently, they have 1,124 active business clients.

Under the direction of Larry Strain, who works out of Pensacola, the staff is a crosssection of business professionals with broad backgrounds that range from business planning and process improvement to sales and marketing strategy and website development.

“We aim to provide high-quality management counseling, training and information access to enable them to maximize their growth, competitiveness and profitability,” says Tom Hermanson, associate director of SBDC for Okaloosa and Walton counties.

The SBDC wants business owners to know it isn’t just a resource for start-ups. “We provide a lot of excellent services for existing businesses who need help for expansion, acceleration and new initiatives, services, products and strategy,” says Louis J. Tsunis, a business analyst.

But business leaders do not have to go it alone. SBDC services center on no-cost counseling. “We sit down with them and identify where they are weak and how they can improve,” says Tsunis.

Like him or not, most of us are not born with the innate business savvy of a Donald Trump.

Virtually anyone can acquire a business license, but keeping a company in the black is a file folder of another color. Leigh Rice, owner of Daybreak Senior Services in Shalimar couldn’t agree more. “Many people like me are passionate about what they want to do, but know very little about the nitty gritty of business,” she confesses. Rice went to the SBDC for assistance with a business plan and has called them regularly for advice since her business opened in 2009. “I appreciate that they never made me feel silly asking a question, and it’s nice knowing someone has my back,” she says.

When Hermanson counsels a new client he rarely begins with answers. Instead, he prefers to ask a question: Are you asking the right questions?

“Typically the hot questions small business owners ask are not always what they need,” Hermanson confides. This business expert understands that his job is to guide them in the right direction, which may mean providing information on any number of topics such as: start-up assistance, business plan development, access to capital, financial analysis, accounting, marketing, feasibility analysis and website

Photos by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

Coastal Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa + Walton Counties

ONE OUT OF TWO BUSINESSES SUCCEED.

Will you be one of them?

Here are a few tips to make your small business prosper.

» Network Every person you meet should be considered a potential customer and/ or champion of your business. Tell everyone you meet about your business.

Becoming active in local Chambers of Commerce, professional associations and community groups is a great way to spread positive word-of-mouth.

» Be Creative with your Budget Leasing office space is common for small businesses, so why not transfer that idea to other costly business expenses? Consider leasing office space, office equipment and professional services. Your services are a commodity with a tangible value.

Consider trading them with another company for services you value. Provide your catering services in exchange for graphic design support, or your public relations acumen in exchange for printing services.

» Mix it Up The most successful marketing plans consist of a diversified plan that includes a mix of print, direct mail, online and search engine optimization marketing (SEO/SEM) components. This multi-pronged approach helps businesses get better overall market penetration.

» The Power of PR Get to know the media. Your business could be featured in local newspapers, magazines, web sites, radio or on television. Tell them about your company’s grand opening, new product line or service. Local media are looking for local stories, so promote that angle prominently. Create a list of key media contacts that cover your industry. When something important happens in your business, send them a press release. After sending your press release to the media, upload it to free PR websites such as 24-7 press release. com or inewswire.com, to increase your business’ search ranking.

EMERALD COAST CORRIDOR

development and strategic planning.

Lagrosse sought out advice from the SBDC a year before Gulf Coast Insulation opened.

She began by attending workshops and talking to counselors. After reviewing research on the market and her competitors, she crafted a business plan, which for her, was just the beginning. “It’s a process, so you have to keep working hard,” she says.

Hands down, Hermanson says, the biggest concern for most business owners is gaining access to capital. “As soon as we get that question our response is to look at why are they asking it. We want to know why don’t they have money. It may not be a financial issue. Are sales down? It may be a marketing issue. It could be their pricing is wrong, or their margin is low and they are not making money. Perhaps it is a business model problem. Are their fixed costs too high? If the business model is functional and viable, it may very well be a case that their growth is limited by access to capital. So, we may assist in putting together a loan proposal,” Hermanson says.

Though capital is the greatest concern, according to Sharon Triplett, associate director of the SBDC, the most consistent weakness comes down to the basics. “The biggest area that clients don’t know they need is understanding their financial statements.” Triplett says because small business owners may only see their accountant once a year, financials are often not a priority. “What they don’t understand is that they need to manage through understanding their financial statements,” she says.

This area of need became clear after the cloudy days of the BP oil spill in April 2010.

The SBDC assisted numerous businesses with filing claims for bridge loans. Hermanson says the most pervasive issue was a lack of records.

“It was difficult. The public was being forced to interpret their financials to make a claim. It is one of the weak areas they have not tended to along with developing historical statements. It crippled them,” he says.

The SBDC is eager to set that record straight.

“We can help them establish good record keeping, financial reports and help them interpret those reports,” Hermanson says.

Beyond its one-to-one, no-cost consultation, the SBDC also offers training in the form of year-round workshops, seminars and brownbag lunches on the most requested topics from Starting a Business to Business Taxes: Figuring & Filing. “We work with any client at any level, but we’ve seen this so much, we’ve designed a

program to address all the topics they need to think about,” says Hermanson.

SBDC also provides competitive and demographic research; access to vendor and sales lead resources; a fast-track to technology services, such as patents, trademarks and licensing; and navigation through government services such as the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), which helps businesses compete for local, state and federal government contracts.

He says few business owners know exactly where to begin on their own, and fewer still are likely to begin their road to success at the same place. “Assessment of the business really comes down to judgment of where that business sits, rather than a one-size-fits-all,” Hermanson says.

To help established business owners rise to the next level the SBDC has launched the Growth Acceleration Program (GAP). It is targeted to small and mid-sized existing enterprises with sales at $500,000 up to $10 million who employ between five and 20 employees and have a three-year history in business. The GAP program is designed to help “businesses that have reached that first tier, have some substance, but may have stagnated.”

The GAP program employs a two-phase process. The first includes a comprehensive assessment of the business and financial analysis resulting in recommendations. The second phase

GROWING BUSINESS LJ Tsunis (left) and Sharon Triplett are part of the team that helps small businesses on the Emerald Coast.

includes implementation of those recommendations either with or without the SBDC’s staff.

How is it different from the existing SBDC program? “These clients are given priority, we’ll get to them more quickly, we’ll dedicate more time and effort to them, and we’ll have more resources dedicated to them,” Hermanson says.

The program is free and there is no deadline for applications. For information, visit sbdc.uwf.edu or call (850) 833-9400. n

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BAY CORRIDOR

Panama City, Panama City Beach + Bay Counties

Boutique Bank Boss One bank CEO turns a profit while other banks fail By Wendy O. Dixon

S

ince 2008, the list of failed banks has grown to a bleak roster. Massive losses forced financial institutions all over the country to shut down, being bought out by bigger banks or taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). In 2008, there were 25 failed banks. That number leaped to 140 in 2009 and 157 in 2010, and then dropped to 92 in 2011.

While hundreds of banks across the U.S. continued to suffer, Panama City banker Andy Stein, 57, raised millions, opening his own bank — one that provides a hefty array of basic business and personal services to a small, affluent client base.

Summit Bank, locally owned and run by a board of directors composed of members who are mostly Bay County-based, is a hybrid of private banking and traditional banking created specifically for the area. You could call it a community bank, or a boutique bank, which is usually defined as a relatively small bank that typically offers services in smaller corporate finance. But according to Stein, it’s all about customer service.

Summit offers concierge-style service specifically designed for customers who want a personal relationship with their banker, who readily handles financial emergencies at any hour.

Stein shares a recent example: “When customers travel, there are certain security features that are built into Visa and MasterCard networks,” he explains. “We had a customer in Paris who had a security issue because the credit card company shut it down. I got a text at 5:30 in the morning from the customer, who was trying to pay for dinner. Now 5:30 a.m. is not the ideal time I’d like to be working on it, but the customer needed it. We were able to go online from my house and fix it.”

Summit began operations in April 2008 in Panama City with $24 million in assets and has since grown to $140 million. It opened a Pensacola branch in 2009. And in December of 2011, Summit agreed to assume the assets and deposits of Crestview-based Premier Community Bank of the Emerald Coast, which had approximately $126 million in total assets and $112.1 million in total deposits. They also agreed to share a $98 million loss with the FDIC. Stein thinks the current environment is perfect

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for a bank like Summit. “One with a lot of capital to look for expansion through business combination,” he says. “We’ve got to make sure we don’t expose our shareholders to undue risk or any undue problems that the target might possess. Most of the banks that are for sale have problems, so we want to make sure that if we absorb anyone else’s problems, we’re properly compensated for it.”

Stein grew up in Tennessee, attended the University of Florida, majoring in finance, and has lived in Florida most of the time since. He earned his MBA from Florida Atlantic University, as well as the equivalent of a second bachelor’s degree

“THE BANK DOESN’T DO A LOT OF ADVERTISING … WE TARGET PEOPLE WE WANT TO SERVE. WE ARE LOOKING FOR ENTREPRENEURS WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL.” — ANDY STEIN from there. “I say I earned it,” he says with a smile, “but I just never went and got the piece of paper.”

It was while he was dating his wife, Barbara, that he was lured into the banking business during the 1970s. Stein’s then future father-in-law introduced him to some bankers, and thus began his life-long career.

He and his family moved to Panama City in 1986, when he became chief financial officer of a bank that later became Florida First Bank. He was promoted to CEO, and the bank was sold to Regions Bank in 1997.

Stein stayed with Regions Bank for 10 years, eventually rising to regional president for general banking for Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

Later, Regions Bank and Am South Bank merged.

“And the management shift took hold,” Stein says. “I retained my position through the merger but the culture of the company changed, and I

realized I could be more effective and happier in the market I consider home, which is Panama City.” Finally, he honed in on his entrepreneurial skills and started Summit Bank.

So how has Summit Bank succeeded at a time when hundreds of banks suffer distress? “Several things make us different,” Stein says, referring first to the level of service. “The way we are able to have the resources and understand our clients’ needs.” The bank doesn’t do a lot of advertising and doesn’t solicit business from the general market. “We don’t exclude anyone,” he adds. “But our marketing is more one-on-one, and we target people we want to serve. We are looking for entrepreneurs who are successful.

“We’re in a market where wealth is derived from entrepreneurship. By not looking and acting like a traditional bank, we ensure we can provide the high-end service and consultation the customer needs.”

Stein also carefully selects employees who have a diverse and extensive skill set in banking, and he compensates them accordingly. “We pay more, but we get more,” he says. “Every one of our bankers can handle 100 percent of your needs.

You don’t need to go to one person for your deposit needs and another person for a capital loan and another for commercial real estate.”

And all of Stein’s customers have his personal cell phone number. “Or they can send me an email,” he says. “The same with any of our bankers.”

Though the clientele is mainly entrepreneurs, anyone who walks in the door is welcome, Stein says. “We have around 400 clients with around $230,000 of assets under management,” he says.

“Whereas the average bank client has $12,000– $15,000. We’re not excluding anyone, we invite anyone to bank with us, but in order to assure we’ve got those resources to deliver on the promise we make to our clientele, our profit model is largely driven through efficiency, with $140 million in assets and 18 employees. There are banks that are smaller than us that have 20, 30 or 40 employees. By having greater assets per customer or client we need fewer employees.”

For anyone who contemplates opening his or her own bank, Stein has some advice. “Surround yourself with the absolute best people you can

Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

HYBRID BANKER Andy Stein has successfully mixed private and traditional banking techniques to serve a small, affluent client base.

find,” he says. “And think long and hard about what you can do. We’ve enjoyed great success, but it’s an incredibly difficult time for banks today.”

Stein and his crew had the foresight to sidestep the challenges most other banks faced recently, but he admits he thought the economic environment would have improved by now. “When we started the formation process in July 2007, I would have thought we’d be at $300 million by today, and we’re at $140 million,” he says. “But we were fortunate to open very quickly by raising $24 million in the local market and have around 100 shareholders, most from Bay County.”

Summit Bank is one of only two banks in the Panhandle to receive a 5-Star Rating by BauerFinancial Inc., the nation’s leading independent bank and credit union rating and research firm.

To earn this rating, a bank must not only report impressive capital levels, but also an enviable loan portfolio with negligible levels of delinquent loans.

Stein’s goal is to ultimately reach a size where the bank can efficiently create a public market for its stock. “Where our shareholders can have liquidity and the market will place appropriate multiple earnings on the stock,” he explains.

“That’s not a practical expectation today, because we’re not large enough and the markets just aren’t receptive to it. But we’re patient. We’re the best capitalized bank in the Panhandle.”

Outside banking, Stein is heavily involved in two community sectors. “Education and healthcare are the most important things that define a community,” says Stein, a board member on both the Bay Medical Foundation and the Gulf Coast State College Foundation. “Work in the community is vital to its success, so that’s what I’m focused on.”

When he’s not at the office, Stein enjoys a round of golf. And spending time with family takes up much of his downtime. “I like to golf, but I’m not very good at it,” he laughs. But with three grown children, getting everyone together is a rare opportunity. “So it’s a great time when we all get together,” he says.

In turbulent times for banks, Stein attributes Summit Bank’s success to his team. But he also suggests the bank’s success is the result of a little luck. “We opened in April 2008, and by late 2008 we understood where the market was and it was easy to sidestep a lot of the issues that cause problems for other banks,” he says. “In 10 years, we can look back and call it genius, but now we call it luck.” n

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Taking Aim Small-town McCoy’s Outdoors shoots down the competition with great prices and service By Lisa Carey

I

t’s a small-town secret you can’t wait to spill. McCoy’s Outdoors of Marianna is a humble gas, grocery and outdoors store on an out-of-the-way street, by the railroad tracks, in a primarily rural county. And it’s got game. It competes mightily with Walmart, just a stone’s throw away on the interstate. It holds its own against Internet sales and other big name outfitters. It has survived, thrived and even grown in a depressed economy.

“What you’ve got here is the great American entrepreneurial success story,” says Art Kimbrough, CEO and president of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.

Kimbrough attributes the store’s success to generations of consistent and exceptional service plus the ability to offer exactly what buyers want at highly competitive prices. “They have amazing product availability, delivered quickly and graciously,” explains Kimbrough. “McCoy’s runs a big town business while maintaining small town relationships. For that, they’ve been rewarded with a passionate and loyal customer base, drawing business from hundreds of miles away. The sky is the limit for McCoy’s.”

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Hidden away There is no glimmer of the bounty or success that lies within McCoy’s Outdoors from its modest storefront. Located on Jefferson Street, hunters’ trucks block the gas pumps and bottle neck at the unmarked parking lot entrance. Simple signs mark the shop front. Dogs bark. The smell of oysters, hay and petroleum wafts through the air. Men in olive green and caps crowd the store’s door and line up five deep at the cashier.

What could be intimidating and overwhelming to a new visitor, is at the same time immensely warm, friendly and welcoming.

There are quick smiles, held open doors and calls out to “come on in.” And then comes a sense of happy discovery.

Beyond the simple facade, the facility spreads out wondrously with wide open rooms of treasures connected by hallways lined with merchandise. The plain and strictly-functional convenience store front gives way to the clothing area. Then on to the gun shop to the archery shop and an indoor archery range. Brand name clothing mingles with high-end bows, next to weapons and tree stands. Bright, clean and

teaming with customers, you have to look back at the entrance to get your bearings.

“I usually give about five tours a day,” laughs General Manager Joey Peacock. “Customers pull up to the gas station, walk in to pay and get this ‘what the heck is going on here’ look.” Peacock, who has a background in national sales and customer service, has come to recognize the “wow look” in newcomers. “We hear, ‘Oh my goodness!’ quite a lot here.”

What at first may seem haphazard and rambling actually makes good sense. A hunter can stop for gas in the morning, grab corn for a feeder, load up on coffee and snacks for the day, stock up on ammunition and get ice for his cooler. After a day of hunting, the same customer can end his day at McCoy’s by showing off his kill, grabbing more ice, buying no-scent laundry detergent, Tink’s deer lures and Primos doe bleat calls. Top it off with some fresh oysters for dinner. But to offer so much, the small storefront had to grow.

Taking flight The McCoy enterprise is currently owned by Tim and Suzette McCoy but was started by Tim’s

Photos by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

Northern Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa + Walton Counties and Holmes, Washington, Calhoun, Jackson + Liberty Counties

THE REAL MCCOY (Left) A large selection of bows and guns awaits hunters at McCoy’s Outdoors. (This page) Owner Tim McCoy.

He bought up an old beer joint out back, an abandoned bar with the building just used as storage. McCoy remodeled and connected the two properties with a newly-built breezeway. In August 2010, he opened a gun shop in similar fashion — connecting another nearby property with a merchandise-lined hallway.

The result is a maze of breezeways and open rooms with a new discovery around every corner.

Today’s business

father, Troy, in the early 1970s. It began as a convenience store and gas station, complete with used tires and full service fill-ups. “Tim worked here since he was 10 years old, and it’s the only place he’s ever worked,” says Peacock. “Then, 10 years ago, Tim bought the business from his father.”

Over the years, the business successfully added feed and oysters to the line-up. But it was when son Tim noticed the bevy of hunters coming in for feeder corn that the seed of today’s expansion took root.

“Tim watched the hunters coming in for feed, in particular before archery season. He recognized the specific needs of this class of hunter and decided to open an archery shop in the small back office. Soon after, it was 350 feet of elbowto-elbow hunters. He knew he was on to something,” explains Peacock.

In what today would be called progressive and green, owner Tim McCoy managed his company’s growth over the years the best he could.

He purchased several small abandoned buildings around him, rehabilitated the properties, cut holes in the walls and connected the buildings with newly-constructed hallways.

These days, the enterprise runs as two complementary businesses. The convenience and gas and oysters up front provide for customers’ daily needs. The gun shop, archery room and apparel shop outfit outdoorsmen and provide for seasonal needs and gifts.

The merchandise is wide ranging, from specialty guns and bows to tree stands and fishing staples to game cameras to pink camo hoodies.

Often surprising first-time visitors, McCoy’s offers several popular clothing brands, including best-selling Columbia, UnderArmor and Browning. “We take that as a sign of our growing success,” says Peacock. “We used to have to pursue high-end merchandise, and now the manufacturers approach us.”

The arsenal is varied at the gun shop and includes Beretta, Kimber, Sig Sauer, to name just a few. Special order guns arrive in store usually within three days. Bow hunters will find popular Bowtech, Bear and Hoyt models among others, complemented by a full line of sights, quivers, stabilizers and more.

Seasoned and friendly staff members, including two certified bow technicians, assist customers and set up archery equipment.

By Peacock’s research and estimate, only 3 percent of Americans hunt or fish. Yet it is a mega-billion-dollar industry of passionate outdoorsmen and women who enjoy outfitting themselves, always looking for a new product or inside technique to improve their skills. Key to McCoy’s continued success is that the skills can be enjoyed and honed for a lifetime.

Peacock also sees the tradition and heritage of hunting growing. The store’s typical customer is a male, aged 25–55 years old, who learned to hunt as a child and will continue into their senior years.But teens are visiting the store with increasing frequency and, surprisingly, McCoy’s Facebook friends are mostly females, aged 18 to 30.

I-10 CORRIDOR

“We are seeing more women customers, and we’re happy for it,” says Peacock who has seen a surge in the number of women buying handguns for personal protection. “The women are here not just for gifts. There seems to be growth in the number of women who enjoy hunting and recognize the benefit of the sport. They understand you can fill a freezer for half a year with a quality protein — and not only do you know it’s free of growth hormone and antibiotics, but you have the assurance of a local processor who examined and butchered the meat.”

Customer Jessica Wilson of Southport, Fla., recently bought her first bow from McCoy’s and had it sighted at the store. “Besides the prices being the best, they have the best staff anyone could ask for,” she says.

The store prides itself on its loyal customer base, drawing outdoorsmen from all over the Panhandle area. Customers need to show their driver’s licenses when they purchase weapons, and they are from everywhere — from all over North Florida to South Georgia to South Alabama. “They keep coming back because they realize they have literally stumbled onto something good,” says Peacock. “We pride ourselves on great quality, great prices and the best service in the area. Regulars are relieved they don’t need to drive to larger destination towns to get their gear.”

The goal is for newcomers to become devoted regulars.

Taking down the competition Compelling prices and customer loyalty that’s been earned through the years help McCoy’s stay competitive. Gas is offered daily at prices lower than that found on Interstate 10. And the store has always offered layaway, even when bigger stores wouldn’t.

“It is all about service after the sale,” explains owner Tim McCoy. “We enjoy catering to each customer’s needs and wants — going the extra mile when box stores won’t. And of course, price.

We won’t be undersold. That gives us some big advantages over big box stores.”

Customer Colby Smith of Marianna agrees.

“I’ve hunted and fished all the surrounding areas. When I go, I always check out the local outdoors shops in the area. No outdoor shop that I have visited has had the variety of items that McCoy’s has to offer, and not one of the shops compares in pricing,” says Smith. “It’s the only place I do my hunting and fishing shopping.” n

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Coded Messages

Y An explanation of QR codes and how to use them intelligently

BY LAURA BRADLEY

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ou’ve seen them on signs, in restaurants and on the pages of magazines. Those funny looking QR codes with the black squiggly lines are popping up all over the place. They represent a new, high-tech tool to help you market your business. But that assumes you are using them in a savvy way. When it comes to QR codes, it’s all about seeing past the vehicle and focusing on your goals.

QR stands for “quick response.” And when deciding to incorporate the codes into your marketing strategy, it is important to first understand exactly what they are and what they can do.

Most importantly, you need to understand that a QR code is targeted at consumers who have the ability to scan it with a mobile phone. Once scanned, the address embedded in the code can be accessed and the consumer is immediately directed to a specific site.

Additionally, QR codes can prompt phones to make use of their other features, such as texting and email. Ultimately, a QR code functions as a prompt, and most lead directly to the Web. Frank Berte, senior principal for Destin Interactive, suggests

Executive Mindset

Creating Results M ASTERING TECHNOLOGY

businesses “think of it as a data point where you’re either going to get the person’s information, give the person some specific information or direct them to where they can get more information.” He points out that businesses must be conscious of how QR codes are being used, specifically on which devices they are being accessed.

“The pitfall … is that it is made essentially for a mobile space. You’re not going to go on a computer and go to where a barcode sends you.”

QR codes should send users to sites optimized for access on mobile phones to ensure the consumer has a positive experience. Sites should be designed for and tested on smartphones. Information should not be exhaustive. Flash animation, which iPhones and iPads cannot read, should not be used.

It’s also important to think of the QR code as a component to a larger goal.

“Behind the technology is a strategy. Just because you put a black and white squiggly mark on a piece of paper does not mean it’s going to be a successful campaign,” points out Mike Winn, digital marketing manager for RB Oppenheim Associates and chief digital officer for Digital Opps, the firm’s digital marketing branch.

In reality, he says, it is the thought behind the code that will determine its value. This planning should come down to the traditional communication strategies. “Who’s your audience? What is your target message? What are you going to do to really try to communicate that message and really make an impact on their behavior?”

For those of you shaking your heads, consider the added benefits of QR codes over conventional URLs. First, the embedded address is stored in the app for later use, allowing consumers to scan and save for later what they might be too busy to examine at the time. It is also important to realize the powerful analytics to be gained.

“Not only can you see where they are accessing the site from, you can see if they go to your QR code and immediately close it. Or if they go to it and they click a few links, depending on what you’re linking them to,” explains Kristen Burke, an account executive for RB Oppenheim Associates. She also points out the potential for using the analytics to understand who is accessing the site — and for what services — in order to tailor marketing to the real-life audience.

Like any marketing tool, QR codes have their limits and their pitfalls. It is imperative to remember the nature of QR codes in employing them for marketing. Rick Oppenheim, chief executive officer and senior counselor at the firm, reminds businesses, “In order for a QR code to be used effectively to market your organization and bring people to your site, you better make sure that your site is optimized for the device that’s being used to access it.”

Additionally, QR codes are not as useful for conveying large amounts of information. The screens on devices using QR codes are far from what businesses are accustomed to in designing their websites. “Physically, it’s a very limited space,” Berte admits. “You don’t want a QR code (that leads) to some kind of Excel spreadsheet … that’s just god-awful long because it’s just going to lose people; it’s just going to frustrate people.”

It is still hard to see what consumers really think of these codes, and there is a lingering sense of skepticism. But proponents say

that while there is always resistance to new technologies, once the value is created by producers, once resistant consumers find the way this technology can make their lives easier, they too will be using QR codes. It is only a matter of time.

For companies looking at whether to use the new technology, it could become a question of priorities — and what they want the consumer to remember. “I can see some companies not wanting to use QR codes because maybe they do want people to know their URL by heart. They might want that kind of reach,” says Megan Prawdzik, vice president of marketing and communications for the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.

To enhance the gift-buying and giving experience, JCPenney added a QR extension to its “Who’s Your Santa” campaign for 2011.

“Behind the technology is a strategy. Just because you put a black and white squiggly mark on a piece of paper does not mean it’s going to be a successful campaign.”

Mike Winn, RB Oppenheim Associates Christmas gifts purchased at the department store were given a unique QR code “Santa Tag.” The gift buyer could then scan the code and follow the prompt to record a voice message for the person receiving the gift. The QR code came on an adhesive gift tag for placement on the present. The recipient could then scan the code and listen to the personalized message, with the added option to send back a thank you text.

The Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce is also using the code in its outreach to develop the Technology Campus, a joint venture in partnership with Escambia County, the City of Pensacola and the Pensacola-Escambia Development Commission. The Technology Campus is designed to lure innovative, technology-driven companies that will provide high wage jobs for the community.

“It’s in the downtown of Pensacola, and it is actually land that is available to build. It is basically targeting technology-based industries, and so obviously … you want to be on the forefront of that, so we have a QR code on the sign that as people drive by, they stop by, they want to see what it’s all about, they can just use a QR code through that sign,” explains Prawdzik.

Whether you’re a corporate giant like JCPenney, a Chamber of Commerce or a small local business, QR codes can be very useful if you use them in a smart, innovative way. Just like any marketing tool before it, Berte points out, “It’s all about the content.” n

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The Last Word As I kid, I loved watching TV shows like “Bonanza,” “Wagon Train,” “The Rifleman” — and every Grade B western movie that came down the pike.

Watching cowboys ride across the plains on horses that I would have loved to own (remember Little Joe’s paint horse in “Bonanza”?) and watching wranglers corral the cattle that would always try to break from the herd really sparked my imagination. What was it like, I wondered, to round up cattle or work on a ranch with cattle, cows and horses?

For a kid living in the suburbs of New York City, it was hard to imagine. And I never did find out, although my husband and I now have five of our own horses and two rescue horses that we are fostering.

So, it wasn’t hard for freelancer Lazaro Aleman to rope me in on a story about the cattle industry in Northwest Florida.

We talk so much about the economic impact of tourism, universities, the military and military/aerospace contractors on our region that many of us lose sight of what an agricultural gem we have in Florida and the 850. Hidden along the back roads of Northwest

Florida are thousands of acres dedicated to cow and cattle-related industries, chicken farms and cotton, peanut and tomato fields.

According to the Florida Department of Agriculture, the state’s livestock inventory includes 26 million poultry, 1.5 million beef cattle, 500,000 horses, 140,000 dairy cattle, 100,000 swine, 30,000 goats, 10,000 sheep. Statewide, the industry’s economic impact is more than $100 billion. And, agriculture is responsible for close to 800,000 jobs and contributes more than $3.5 billion to state and local tax collections.

Those are awesome numbers and worth a tip of the hat to the next farmer or rancher you meet.

Florida has the longest history of ranching in the U.S. — going back to the days when the Spanish brought cattle here to feed settlers. The first ranches were established in 1565. In fact, Tallahassee was a prime location for the Spanish not only to grow food that was then transported to places like St. Augustine, but to teach the local Indians how to tend cattle. Ironically, according to the Florida Department of State, it was the Indians who kept the cattle industry alive 200 years later after the British-Creek Indian raids devastated Florida cattle ranches.

To read more about the history of cattle ranching in Florida, check out FloridaMemory.com, a website run by the Department of State. Some of the photos taken in the late 1800s and early 1900s are wonderful reminders of the early Floridians who helped the state’s agriculture economy prosper.

LINDA KLEINDIENST, EDITOR

PHOTO BY KAY MEYER AND COURTESY FLORIDAMEMORY.COM

lkleindienst@rowlandpublishing.com

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