2013 April–May Issue of 850 Business Magazine

The Truck Stops Here From Pensacola to Tallahassee, I-10 is a highly competitive marketplace of full-service centers vying for a cut of the professional driver’s dollar.

Jim Moran Institute’s Big Vision for THE 850

Does BP Owe You Money?

CHECK YOUR ELIGIBILITY

A PASSIONATE PAGE-TURNER: ONE ROMANTIC Success STORY

Knowing When (AND HOW) To Buy Your Office Space

bor, 1968 Destin Har

Remembering the past Seeing the future.

Destin H arbor, 195 5 Tall Ta lllah llah ahas asse as see, se e,, 1976 9776

Our world is changing. Again. Because we live in one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions, the need for a partner to guide you through this historical transformation has never been greater.

With more than a century of combined experience, the law firm of Matthews & Jones provides legal services across Florida’s Great Northwest. We are an integral part of our area’s economic development initiatives and offer representation in the fields of corporate and business law, capital restructuring, estate planning/probate, commercial litigation, real estate, land use, personal injury, criminal defense and family law. Matthews & Jones: Remembering the past, seeing the future.

DESTIN 4475 LEGENDARY DRIVE | DESTIN, FL 32541 | 850.837.3662 PHONE | 850.654.1634 FAX NICEVILLE 323 E. JOHN SIMS PARKWAY | NICEVILLE, FL 32578 | 850.729.7440 PHONE | 850.729.7871 FAX

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850 Magazine April – May 2013

IN THIS ISSUE

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850 FEATURES The Truck Stops of I-10 26 Mom and pop stores and big-name chains are changing the look of the iconic truck stop. No longer just a place to get gas and coffee, these modern facilities provide truckers and motorists with lots of the amenities of home.

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In This Issue

By Lazaro Aleman

JMI Reaches Out 34 Transitioning to a new stage, the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at Florida State University is starting a new program to boost local businesses and has its eye on expanding its reach into the rest of the 850 region. By Ashley Kahn

Recovering Your BP Losses 38 Thought you were out of luck because you hadn’t yet filed a claim for damages from the April 2010 oil spill? Or thought your business wouldn’t quality because it was too far from the coast? Think again. Learn what you could gain from a new court-supervised settlement.

By Linda Kleindienst

PHOTOs BY scott holstein

42

From the Publisher Letters to the Editor Sound Bytes The Last Word from the Editor

Corridors forgotten coast

54 Walk into the Carrabelle Junction and be transported back in time.

Departments

BAY

THE (850) LIFE

13 Randy Hanna and the state’s college system help Florida’s economy bounce back.

58 Local author Gloria Skinner turns romance into big literary bucks.

MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

capital

LEading healthy

emerald coast

62 Two homegrown companies make the world a more artful place.

14 21 tips to help you run a successful meeting.

18 Improving relationships at work and home.

Special Report

8 11 71 74

THE BOTTOM LINE

o kaloosa business journal

21 Has the time come to buy your own office space?

A look at Okaloosa’s business climate.

wi-files

66 John and Scott Russell join forces to improve the hospitality business.

i-10

24 Learn how to use LinkedIn the right way.

69 A federal grant and interstate cooperation combine to train a local workforce.

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April – May 2013

850 THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA

Vol. 5, No. 4

President/Publisher Brian E. Rowland

Does Your North Florida Business Qualify?

EDITORIAL Director of Editorial Services Linda Kleindienst Staff Writer Jason Dehart Editorial Coordinator Laura Bradley Contributing Writers Lazaro Aleman, Barbara Ann Cox, Wendy O. Dixon, Lizeth George, Chris Hum, Ashley Kahn, Margie Menzel, Cheryl Rainey, Zandra Wolfgram Proofreader Melinda Lanigan CREATIVE Creative Director Lawrence Davidson Assistant Creative Director Saige Roberts Graphic Designers Jennifer Ekrut, Lizzie Moore, Laura Patrick, Shruti Shah Production Manager/Network Administrator Daniel Vitter Staff Photographer Scott Holstein

If your business is located in the Settlement Map Area and was in business on April 20, 2010, it may Qualify for a Claim.

ACT BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE Call Attorney Scott Carruthers of the Carruthers Law Group, PLC, for a Free Evaluation: No Recovery, No Fee or Costs

850.766.1471

SCARRUTHERSLAW@GMAIL.COM

SALES, MARKETING & EVENTS Marketing and Sales Manager McKenzie Burleigh Director of New Business Daniel Parisi Traffic Coordinator Lisa Sostre Account Executives Rhonda Chaloupka, Jon Fistel, Darla Harrison, Lori Magee, Tracy Mulligan, Linda Powell, Chuck Simpson, Chris St. John Special Projects and events Manager Caroline Conway Special Projects and events coordinator Lynda Belcher OPERATIONS Administrative Services Manager Emily Bohnstengel Accounting Specialist Tabby Hamilton Receptionists Mary Elizabeth Bosco, Kimber Fraley, Jazmeen Sule WEB Social Media/Systems Management Specialist Carlin Trammel 850 Business Magazine 850businessmagazine.com, facebook.com/850bizmag, twitter.com/850bizmag Rowland Publishing rowlandpublishing.com SUBSCRIPTIONS A one-year (6 issues) subscription is $30. To purchase, call (850) 878-0554 or go online to 850businessmagazine.com. Single copies are $4.95 and may be purchased at Barnes and Noble in Tallahassee, Destin, Pensacola and Panama City and in BooksA-Million in Tallahassee, Destin, Ft. Walton Beach, Pensacola and Panama City and at our Tallahassee office.

TALLAHASSEE 325 N. Calhoun St.

SANTA ROSA BEACH 3010 S. Co. Rd. Hwy 395

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 2013 850 Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Member, Florida Magazine Association and three Chambers of Commerce throughout the region.

Awards4U is the official provider of mounted features for Rowland Publishing titles. For more information contact Sam Varn 850.878.7187.

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Proud member Florida Magazine Association

I want to

start a business Each year we graduate proud Argonauts who go on to become successful entrepreneurs, CEOs, managing partners, accountants, community leaders, marketers and more. ore.

With more than 50 majors and programs, ams, small class sizes and over 300 ways to get involved, UWF offers endless opportunities for you to discover your own successful career path and impactt your surrounding community.

We encourage you to consider the many reasons higher education is vital in shaping today's students and tomorrow's leaders. Visit uwf.edu/HigherEd for more information.

I N T H E S TAT E O F F LO R I DA

uwf.edu/HigherEd

The Median Annual Earnings of a Worker Holding a

The Median Annual Earnings of a Worker Holding a

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HIGH SCHOOL GRAD

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$27,000

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Statistics850 fromBusiness the FloridaMagazine Board of Governors' Impact| Study – MAy 2013 7 | aprilEconomic

From the Publisher

We Need To Heal Our Wounds up their minds and choose not to be confused with new facts or perspectives. They have their heads buried in the sand.

This is the same attitude that has infected Washington. It is penetrating our government, our way of life and the economic foundation that our country, our businesses and our personal lives are built on. This causes me great concern for the health, welfare and future of our country and the society we have created. And it is jeopardizing our position — and future — as a global leader.

There was a time not long ago when the world envied America and what we had built over the past 200-plus years. But now I see this admiration slowly beginning to wane as we embarrass ourselves on the world stage — airing our dirty laundry for all to see.

I began writing this column on the eve of the November election, a day that makes America unique and special because it marks a peaceful selection of our country’s leadership. At the time I could not wait for the political sewage to drain off.

Now the country has chosen its leader for the next four years, and I will support him with the optimistic hope that we can move forward.

No one should look wistfully back over their shoulder and continue to play the blame game for the quagmire America has gotten itself into.

Everyone should leave their hate bags at the door with the expectation that both sides of the political equation will come together and do the job they were elected to do.

It is time for American leadership and citizens to get America back on a healthy, positive, “can do” track.

Brian Rowland browland@rowlandpublishing.com Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

I must say that the 2012 election cycle was especially grueling and rather unpleasant.

The sheer volume of negative advertising that dominated the airwaves and print media was more than enough to get the average person depressed or angry. Being an eternal optimist, depression is not in my vocabulary, but the relentless barrage stirred up a bit of anger … at both sides of the political spectrum.

Part of my daily homework is to maintain an awareness of what is going on internationally, nationally, regionally and locally. I focus more time on the last two geographic locations because of the nature of my profession and my keen interest in the day-to-day ebb and flow of the political, business and social environment in Northwest Florida.

It deeply saddens me to see such a deep divide between our two major political parties and the level of hate, deceit and polarization that seems to govern how they deal with each other on most every issue. No longer do our government leaders practice the wonderful art of open, honest debate and compromise. How different from the vision of the great minds who wrote our constitution, believing it to be a blueprint that would guide this country on its journey for centuries to come.

I have serious concerns about the country’s future and the longterm health of our free society because of the polarization I have seen seeping into the core of American families. I have personally experienced it in my own family, between two people I respect and care for.

One person is deeply entrenched in the philosophy of the far right and the other is on the opposite end of the spectrum, the far left. During the election especially, I was bombarded from both sides with pure ugly, mean-spirited assault emails — to the point I just couldn’t even open and read them anymore. I could not even have a simple discussion with either of them because neither is willing or able to look at or consider another point of view or a different philosophy. And I’m talking about highly educated and successful people who have just made

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FROM THE MAI LBAG

“ My business is cleaning

Thank you for your continued great coverage of the I-10 corridor in 850 Business Magazine! Your recent article on the Family Dollar project in Jackson County (February/March 2013) was very well done.

Economic development is extremely competitive but to see continued growth and progress in rural communities, like Jackson County, relationships, partnerships and collaboration are necessary.

Thank you for showcasing the positive things that are happening throughout the region.

up since I switched to Mediacom Business Internet and Phone.

”

David Melvin President David H. Melvin, Inc. – Consulting Engineers, Marianna

I was so moved after reading From the Publisher in the February-March issue, and seeing the cover photo “Reappear” I had to send you this e-mail.

When we received the December-January issue, I too thought at first, “What a shame the mailing label covers the boat.” That’s when my engineering eye whispered, “Yeah, but covering the wording would be worse.” I know now that both my first impressions were wrong! I don’t believe your mailing vendor got it wrong but, on the contrary, was only adding his rendition to the “Disappearing Industry” that you are trying so hard to magically have “Appear.”

As an employee at a reinforced pipe plant, we receive many magazines from the construction industry that gain my attention. Your 850 Business Magazine is the only one I read from cover to cover and ask my colleagues if they’ve seen the next edition.

Thank you for your moving explanation.

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Collin Johnson PE Engineer Hanson Pipe and Precast, Gretna

I recently received our copy of the February/March 850 magazine, which highlights Pensacola and its future rejuvenation.

First, I would like to commend you on the publication of a great and useful magazine. Our company looks forward to receiving, reading and re-reading every publication.

I especially enjoyed this month’s publication regarding the future of Pensacola and West Florida in general.

Regarding your “From the Publisher” piece, I can understand your frustration with the placement of the mailing label obscuring important front-cover, attention-grabbing information. Just a thought, maybe the mailing label could be dropped vertically to either side of the type on the front cover?

Connie Barzacchini President Evergreen Corp., Pensacola Correction: In a story (“Staying Informed”) published in the February/March 2013 issue, we incorrectly identified the parent company of the Tallahassee Democrat. It is Gannett Company Inc. We regret the error.

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Not available to bulk accounts or in selected markets. All services, including DOCSIS 3.0 network, may not be available in all areas. There is a one-time $99.95 standard installation charge for Mediacom Business services. **The free Business Limited Basic TV bonus includes the lowest tier service and is limited to one outlet per customer; this bonus offer may be revoked at any time. For full terms and conditions go to business.mediacomcable.com. ©2013 Mediacom Communications Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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Bret Timmons and Paul Watts, CEO Electronet Broadband Communications

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We have been strategic partners with Electronet for many years. We worked closely with them in the development of their PMAN (Private Medical Area Network). Electronet built fiber into our facilities to provide next generation broadband services. Once we heard that Electronet was offering voice and long distance services, we decided to bundle all of our services together.

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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Recipiant: Electronet

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Executive Mindset

) The (850 Life

s urvive and thrive

The Educator Randy Hanna Tallahassee

Chancellor, Florida College System

T

Roots: Hanna hails from

Gadsden County, where he grew up showing pigs and cattle at local livestock shows.

He belonged to the Future Farmers of America and served as their statewide vice president.

Schooling: “I am a first-generation college student in my family. I know the impact that it has had on my life … I have a special place in my heart for the Florida College System, because it is truly the access point for higher education.”

Marriage: Hanna sold a pig to finish paying for his wife Jerri’s engagement ring. At the time they met, in a food science class, he wanted to be a vocational agriculture teacher.

The Hannas have been married since she was 21 and he was 22, just as he started law school.

Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

Career: One of Tallahassee’s most successful attorneys, Hanna began his storied career as a law clerk at Bryant Miller Olive in 1982 and rose to be a managing shareholder.

Under his leadership, the firm grew from three offices to seven and from 10 attorneys and consultants to 50.

School Ties: While working

as an attorney, Hanna served as a trustee at TCC, Florida A&M University and the University of West Florida, and as chairman of the State Board of Community Colleges. He also chaired the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.

Athletics: Hanna ran before dawn with Allen Katz, now the U.S. Ambassador to Portugal.

And he ran triathlons, which is why they keep a 12-year-old car — because it has the hardto-earn Ironman sticker on it.

he cost of a college education is in the news constantly. Graduates struggle, some for decades, to pay their student loans.

Gov. Rick Scott has challenged Florida colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees for as little as $10,000.

And Florida’s 28 colleges, formerly known as community colleges, are stepping up. Almost all of them offer four-year degrees — and each has accepted Scott’s challenge.

Their leader is Chancellor Randy Hanna, who is famous for building relationships, coalitions and advocacy as the colleges work on their plan to make Florida the first state to reach the national goal of doubling graduation rates by 2020. He is a longtime proponent of the community college system and is passionate on the subject of access, especially as the state works itself out of recession.

“When the economy goes down, people go back to college,” Hanna said. “So our enrollments increase, significantly, and we have seen that throughout the state. But when the economy goes down, the funding per student — paid for by the state — also goes down.”

Hanna has been chancellor since November 2011. He’s responsible for training people who need jobs for a workforce that must be retooled to draw business to Florida, one of the states hardest hit in the recession.

Roughly 800,000 students attend Florida’s two- and fouryear colleges, which also employ more than 47,000 faculty and staff members. About 66 percent of high-school graduates start their postsecondary education at a Florida college, as do 81 percent of freshman and sophomore minority students. Students who earn an associate’s degree are guaranteed transfer to one of Florida’s 11 state universities.

Many college enrollees are returning students, who often need refresher courses. The state’s aim is to become the top-ranked college system for affordability, job placement, accountability and partnerships with high schools and universities.

The cost of graduating after four years at a Florida college is $23,647.

— By Margie Menzel

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Executive Mindset

Management Strategies

s avvy planning

21 Tips

for Successful Meetings

By Barbara Ann Cox

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T

he old cliché has it that only two things are certain: death and taxes. But I believe there are actually three certainties: death, taxes and meetings. And, don’t you know, there seems to be a gazzilion opportunities to meet.

Most of us face staff, department and task force meetings at work.

Then there are board, membership and planning meetings for schools, church, non-profits, clubs, sports, etc. The list could go on forever.

How many times did you feel that the meeting you just left was a waste of your time because very little or nothing was accomplished?

Maybe it was the participants who were not prepared or chaos prevailed due to lack of leadership.

So, the next time you are put in charge — and have to call the meeting yourself — think about how you conduct yourself as a leader. A bit of savvy planning before, during and after meetings can ensure that things get done, participants feel productive and it was time well spent.

Follow these 21 tips the next time you are in charge of a meeting, then sit back and enjoy the accolades you receive for a job well done.

Before The Meeting

1

Why Are We Here?

First of all, establish goals — what is the purpose of this meeting?

Then objectives — what do we want to accomplish? And, finally, outcome — how do we measure our performance? These give your meeting direction, purpose and a basis for all decision making.

2

Who Should Attend?

Each person should have a reason to be at the meeting, and be sure to include decision makers who can move things forward. Perhaps an expert outside the group needs to attend. Remember, a meeting can be ineffective if there are too few or too many people.

3

The Meeting Agenda

This is critical to success. Limit the agenda to one page, if possible, and send it out to participants prior to the meeting. Identify persons responsible for topics and allot a realistic time for each topic. Address top priority items first and avoid death traps, like planning around one person’s agenda.

4

Meeting Materials

Send out materials in plenty of time for participants to read, instructing them to come prepared to discuss the materials — and not to read them during the meeting. Ask for any other information that needs to be distributed prior to the meeting.

5

Meeting Logistics

Here is your logistics checklist: location, adequate room size, room set up, A/V needs, signage, food or refreshments, phone line with speaker, easy parking, easy access, sign-in table, name tags,

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management strategies

ADA compliant. If meeting in a public place, avoid crowded, noisy areas or areas where sensitive conversations could be overheard.

During the Meeting

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At The Beginning

Start on time! After introductions all around, review the agenda and ask for any changes or amendments. If the participants are new to each other, use a fun “ice breaker” to help everyone relax and become familiar with each other.

7

Establish Protocol

Invite open and frank conversations.

Encourage people to speak without intimidation or ridicule. Ask for respect of others who are speaking. Deal with the issue, not the person. Listen!

8

Ground Rules

Ask the participants to establish rules for cell phone usage, tardiness, leaving early, absence, interrupting, side-bar talking. When participants make the rules, they tend to enforce them as well.

That means you, as leader, do not have to be the meeting police.

9

Scribes

Select two participants who are dependable and willing to take minutes or notes of the meetings. The “scribes” can share responsibilities of disseminating minutes, keeping a record of all handouts and materials as well as producing a final report, if necessary.

10

Appoint A Timekeeper

Select a person who isn’t afraid to speak up when time is running out on a topic. Of course, the group can always agree to extend the time and set a new deadline.

11

Small Groups, Short Times

When brainstorming or problem solving is needed, gather participants in small groups to discuss the topic. Ask each

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group to report 2-3 best ideas, solutions, etc. Then the entire group can combine suggestions and narrow them down to the most popular or logical ones. This exercise is effective for 10 minutes to an hour or more.

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Identify Action Items

At the end of the meeting, the chair or scribe can summarize the action items and who is responsible for them.

Identify completion date and reporting expectations (by the 10th of the month, next Tuesday, next meeting). Appoint a “nudger” who will gently remind the participants when the deadline is near.

After the Meeting

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Meeting Follow Up

17

Create A Parking Lot

When people are discussing one topic, sometimes an idea pops up about something else that is unrelated. Have stickie notes handy to record the idea and post it on a “Parking Lot” white board or paper. When the creative juices start flowing, you don’t want to lose the idea when you cannot address it at the present time.

This also establishes a sense of importance to ideas and the participants.

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Use A Facilitator

A professional facilitator is handy when long-range planning is involved or when issues on the table could provoke controversy. The facilitator is impartial and will keep the group focused in the right direction.

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Send minutes within five days after the meeting. Send absent participants all materials that were handed out at the meeting when sending them minutes. Minutes should clearly (I like in bold) identify the action items and responsibility. Be sure to note the date, time and place of the next meeting.

Cover the table with white paper and throw a box of markers or crayons on the table. Put out stress balls, legos or tinker toys, especially when the meeting is a long one. Have everyone get up and march around the room shouting, “I’m brilliant!” or “We rock!”

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Measure and Evaluate

As you go along, take time to periodically measure and evaluate your progress by referring to the original goals and objectives. Ask group members to evaluate their progress. You may be pleasantly surprised about your progress and productivity.

Meeting Tips & Techniques

15

Be Prepared

You are the leader ... take the leadership role. Anticipate needs. Have a backup plan!

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Start At Unusual Time

This really works! Start your meeting at an odd time, say 10:49 am or 3:33 pm. Participants are more likely to be on time. Maybe it is curiosity — what is he/she up to? — but it works.

Encourage Imagination

Brush Up On People Skills

Avoid problems before they arise. Encourage hesitant participants with positive feedback. Encourage all participants to be patient and inclusive. Stop private conversations. Ask questions to stimulate debates. Defuse anger.

21

Have Fun

Enjoy the experience. Keep a good sense of humor. And do the right thing! Always!

Barbara Ann Cox, CMP, is president of Meeting Makers Inc., a meeting consulting firm based in Tallahassee.

She is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and a freelance writer. Contact her at (850) 322-6184 or Barbara@ MeetingMakersInc.com. Comments and experiences are always welcome.

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Executive Mindset

Leading Healthy making a difference

“ I promise to improve my

relationships at home and work.”

10 tips on how to build trust

By Dr. Cheri Rainey

I

mproving relationships is a worthwhile goal. The quality of our relationships directly affects the quality of our life. Follow these guidelines and you will not only add to the quality of your life, but you will make a difference in the lives of others as well.

The most essential elements necessary to develop healthy, fulfilling relationships are trust and communication — whether at work or at home. To develop the relationships you desire, implement the following 10 communication and trust building tips: 1. Communicate with transparency. Have no hidden agenda.

2. Behave consistently. Emotional ups and downs cause people to doubt you.

3. Show sincere interest in others’ aspirations and goals. Ask questions and listen.

4. Take responsibility. No excuses, no justifications. If you mess up, fess up.

5. Communicate respectfully at all times. No yelling, no gossiping, no belittling comments, no embarrassing others.

6. Clarify, emotionally and mentally, how you expect to be treated.

We teach others how to treat us by the way we treat ourselves.

7. Under-promise and over-deliver. Do what you say you will do, and keep your word; if the unexpected arises, renegotiate.

8. Tell the truth, quickly, with compassion. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

9. Focus on intentionally seeing the best in the other person.

People want to be around others who make them feel good about themselves.

10. Ask for and receive feedback. Ask sincerely and openly, and respond respectfully.

How can you make it easier and more likely that you will achieve this meaningful goal?

Choose an accountability partner who wants to see you succeed and who will be honest, kind and firm. Select someone who will do whatever is necessary to support your success. Work together to create a system — with deadlines — for them to support you.

The current buzzword for goal achievement is pre-commitment.

It’s important that you pre-commit to your goal, with uncomfortable consequences for lack of achievement. For more ideas, go

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to stickk.com, a site created by college students to support you in achieving your goals. They will be happy to take your money — as a painful consequence — if you fail to follow through.

Cheri Rainey, MBA, Ph.D. is the creator of a proven, natural, solutionfocused, step-by-step method to increase personal leadership, in record time.

As an international consultant, speaker, author and coach in transformational leadership, she is also a licensed psychotherapist, holding certifications in EMDR© and RIM©, with postgraduate education in organizational development. Her company, Rainey Leadership Learning, is based in Tallahassee.

For a relationship-building exercise you can implement immediately, email Dr. Rainey at drcheri@raineyleadershiplearning.com.

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proudly announces their merger with Messer Insurance Group

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Executive Mindset

The Bottom Line

path to longterm wealth

Consider Buying Your Office Space The benefits of the little known SBA 504

By Chris Hurn

I

t’s not a question of if, but when most business owners should think about owning commercial property.

Owning your workplace is a path toward long-term wealth — one that doesn’t rely on constantly bringing in new income.

Once you’ve established your business, usually after about three to six years of operation, look into property ownership — owning your store, office or other workspace.

The smartest way to do that is through the SBA 504 — a little-known loan program administered by the Small Business Administration. It offers long-term financing at below-market fixed rates, which businesses generally can’t get through banks.

Whether or not business owners qualify for the SBA 504, they will benefit by knowing the “five Cs” lenders look at when considering loans.

Collateral: Lenders — usually banks — will want to know that the property in question is worth the loan. The property to be purchased is the lender’s collateral, so it must have the potential

to cover the loan if for some reason owners can’t. Lenders will consider the age of a property and other factors, including whatever equipment may be involved.

Cash flow (or capacity): The lender will look to see how much cash the business generates along with the amount of existing and proposed debt. In other words, they’ll want to know the cash available to service the total debt. A lender will also consider current rental payments, plus noncash expenses such as depreciation, amortization and interest costs.

Credit analysis: This reveals the business owner’s history of making good on debts and other obligations. The higher the credit scores, the better. Lenders generally shy away from credit scores lower than 650, however, they will often listen to credible explanations on lower scores.

Character: Numerous late payments, for example, suggest that owners do not manage debts responsibly, which will likely be indicated in a credit score. Factors that determine character

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The Bottom Line

judgment are largely subjective. An applicant can supply evidence in his or her favor.

Conditions: What are the conditions in the industry and the economy? The better those conditions, the more likely lenders are to give applicants a plus in this bracket. Conditions are often out of a borrower’s control, which makes a positive showing of the other four factors that much more important.

The Ins and Outs of 504 Loans How Funds May Be Used Loan proceeds must be used for fixed assets (and certain soft costs), including: >> The purchase of existing buildings; >> The purchase of land and land improvements, including grading, street improvements, utilities, parking lots and landscaping; >> The construction of new facilities or modernizing, renovating or converting existing facilities; >> The purchase of long-term machinery*; or >> The refinancing of debt in connection with an expansion of the business through new or renovated facilities or equipment*. *Note: The 504 Program cannot be used for working capital or inventory, consolidating or repaying debt, or refinancing (except for projects with an expansion component or that meet the temporary refinancing provisions of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010).

Benefits for the Small Business The 504 Loan program offers small businesses both immediate and long-term benefits, so business owners can focus on growing their business. Some of the top-level benefits include: >> 90% financing; >> Longer loan amortizations, no balloon payments; >> Fixed-rate interest rates; and >> Savings that result in improved cash flow for small businesses.

Loan Eligibility To be eligible, your business must be operated for profit and fall within the size standards set by the SBA. Under the 504 Program, a business qualifies if it has a tangible net worth not more than $15 million, and an average net income of $5 million or less after federal income taxes for the preceding two years prior to application.

Loan Specifics Maximum Loan Amount (Debenture) >> While there is no maximum project size, the maximum

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Announcing:

SBA loan amount (debenture) is $5 million. Small manufacturers or specific types of energy projects may qualify for a $5.5 million debenture. Generally, a business must create or retain one job for every $65,000 guaranteed by the SBA. Small manufacturers must create or retain a ratio of one job for every $100,000. As an alternative to job creation or retention, your business may qualify if it meets a community development or public policy goal.

Community Development Goals: >> Improving, diversifying or stabilizing the local economy; >> Stimulating other business development; >> Bringing new income into the community; >> Assisting manufacturing firms (North American Industry Classification System, Sectors 31 to 33) and all of its production facilities located in the United States; or >> Assisting businesses in Labor Surplus Areas.

Public Policy Goals: >> Revitalizing a business district of a community with a written revitalization or redevelopment plan; >> Expanding exports; >> Expanding small businesses owned and controlled by women; >> Expanding small businesses owned and controlled by veterans (especially service-disabled veterans); >> Expanding minority business development; >> Aiding rural development; >> Increasing productivity and competitiveness (retooling, robotics, modernization, competition with imports).

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Executive Mindset

Wi-Files

g etting connected

The Business Social Network Tips from the pros for LinkedIn success

By Lizeth George

I

t’s one of those new websites that pops up in your email inbox: “I’d like to add you to my professional network!”

Should you hit “delete” or give it a try? We’re talking about LinkedIn — one of the most rapidly expanding social networking websites for business professionals. Launched in 2003, LinkedIn provides an environment where businesses can connect with other contacts in order to establish future relationships. The site has more than 170 million members, and people are joining at a rate of approximately two new members per second.

In order to better understand the world of LinkedIn, Heidi Otway, director of Salter Mitchell, and Mandy Stark, senior account manager with RB Oppenheim Associates, agreed to share their personal experience with and knowledge of the website.

What do you mainly use your LinkedIn profile for?

Otway: I use the site to make connections with people I’ve met in a professional setting — because, unlike Facebook, I’m not sharing personal information with someone I’m getting to know.

Stark: I use LinkedIn to link with other professionals, including current coworkers, those with whom I’ve worked in the past, members of organizations of which I’m part, community leaders and more.

What type of people should you link with?

Otway: People in your industry and people you know outside of

your industry. I’ve LinkedIn with my family and friends all over the country because they are interacting with business professionals who could work for my current and future clients. Be sure to join the groups on LinkedIn as well.

Stark: It may be tempting to send an invitation to somebody you sort of know and choose the default, “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn,” option. This is not a good idea.

Instead, think of a mutual friend, coworker or personal connection that you may have, or refer to a time when you’ve met your potential connection.

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What should people upload about themselves?

Otway: You can put basic information, like your name, current employer, degrees, advanced training and a professional photo. Think of it as a place to showcase your “professional brand.” So that should include your resume, your skill sets, experience, case studies and even getting former colleagues or clients to recommend you.

Stark: For starters, a picture — this immediately boosts your visibility and credibility. Make sure you look natural, professional and approachable, and think of your photo as your chance to make a great first impression.

How does LinkedIn differ from other social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter?

Otway: LinkedIn is the go to place for people seeking to network, generate leads, find employment or seek information about an industry, company or individual.

Stark: This is a place to post timely, newsworthy articles, mention colleagues who were helpful or with whom you enjoyed doing business, share details about business events and more.

What is the security of the website like?

Otway: LinkedIn has a number of security options that allow users to decide what information to share publicly and what to keep reserved only for your connections. People have to make a request to connect on the site and users can require additional information before agreeing to allow someone to access to their page.

Stark: It’s safe to say that LinkedIn takes security seriously. However, members should protect their privacy and security online by crafting a strong password and changing it frequently.

LinkedIn is a valuable website for companies and business professionals looking to expand their professional contacts. As with anything on the Internet, be careful what you post because the information you share will be published online forever. It is easy to create a free profile or, if you are a business, you can dish out a couple dollars a month and get more rewards.

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truck stops

Keep On Truckin’

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Interstate truck stops have adapted to meet the myriad changing needs of the trucking industry

By Lazaro Aleman

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T

ravel I-10 for any distance, and if you were really to take notice of the 18-wheelers — not just their towering immensity and sometimes menacing proximity, but rather their abundance and variety of cargo — you might discover a startling appreciation of an industry so big, visible and integral to modern society that it’s virtually invisible. Here, after all, are trucks carrying nearly every good and commodity that consumers use — from food to fuel, cosmetics to electronics, linens to livestock, cars to chemicals and everything imaginable in-between.

When the American Trucking Association (ATA) boasts that trucking moves America, it’s no empty brag. Trucks annually transport nearly 70 percent of all freight tonnage in this country and serve as the sole source of deliveries for 80-plus percent of U.S. communities. Bringing it closer to home, trucks in the Sunshine State move 83 percent of all manufactured tonnage and wholly supply the goods and commodities to 85-plus percent of Floridians.

“A good rule of thumb is to say that everything you eat, touch or wear traveled on an average of four separate trucks to get from the manufacturer to you,” says Tisha Crews Keller, communications director for the Florida Trucking Association (FTA), an ATA affiliate.

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If you still doubt trucking’s crucial role in the country’s general wellbeing, consider the social and economic implications of a truck stoppage. In 2006, the ATA conducted an analysis to explore the possible consequences to seven key industries should truck traffic be halted or restricted. Its conclusion: “Restricting or shutting down truck operations in response to a natural disaster, elevated threat level, terrorist attack or pandemic will have a swift and devastating impact on the food, health care, transportation, waste removal, retail, manufacturing and financial sectors.” Not to mention the ripple effect to other industries and eventually every U.S. community, the analysis concluded.

But back to our I-10 scenario: Were you to pull off the highway and visit one of the many truck stops that abound alongside the interstate, you might then also gain insight into and appreciation of an allied industry that has largely grown and evolved in step with the trucking industry. The two industries, in fact, are so intertwined as to be almost inseparable, making it virtually impossible to speak about the one without touching on the other.

Arguably, essential as trucking is to America’s economic and social wellbeing, so are truck stops, to the degree they help expedite and facilitate the movement of freight by providing convenient locations

Amenities Bring Business (Left and lower right) The Flying J at Midway offers truckers plenty of food options and a laundromat.

(Lower left) Capital City Travel Center in Monticello offers a meeting space for local groups.

where truckers — or professional drivers as they prefer to be called — can park, eat, refuel and continue on their way with a maximum of ease and minimum of lost time.

“Clearly, the accessibility of adequate truck parking places is critical to the movement of freight by trucks,” says Florida Trucking Association President and CEO Mary Lou Rajchel. “So yes, truck stops are a critical piece of the equation.”

From Showers to Bowling Alleys It’s not just food, fuel and parking these facilities provide, although historically that was all they set out to do when they began in the 1940s.

Over time, truck stops have evolved into full-service centers that today offer professional drivers a host of amenities, including showers, brand-name restaurants, ATMs, Internet kiosks, wireless access and even movies, gyms and bowling alleys in some instances. And several

Photos by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

truck stops have of themselves become roadside attractions and “destination points” by virtue of their extravagant and elaborate offerings.

Nor is it any longer only professional drivers who patronize truck stops, although they remain the mainstay customer around which the services are mostly organized. Increasingly, truck stops have catered to the general traveling public, which is why the term “travel center” or “travel plaza” has come into vogue. More than mere semantics or reimaging to distinguish today’s “family friendly” facilities from the sometimes pejorative image associated with the truck stops of old, the name change underscores a true transformation, prompted in no small part by the need to augment profits by capturing a greater market percentage of “four wheelers” — the industry’s term for cars.

“Absolutely,” affirms Lisa Mullings, president and CEO of the Washington D.C.-based National Association of Truck Stop Operators (NATSO), the industry’s trade organization. “More and more of our

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members’ customers are four wheelers, and that’s even stronger among independent operators.”

Delve into the truck stop industry, and its magnitude and complexity readily become evident, as well as its tremendous growth and evolution during the last 70-plus years, both in response to the trucking industry’s needs and such advancements as the establishment of the Federal Interstate Highway System and the advent of the Internet.

Today, it’s a $60 billion industry that accounts for 75 percent of U.S. retail diesel sales and is dominated by corporations, with Love, Pilot Flying J and Travel Centers of America (TA) among the top players nationally and in Florida, and independents increasingly on the defensive. Like any big business, the industry is subject to government regulations, stock market fluctuations, global happenings, technological advancements and the general economy, particularly as it relates to fuel pricing, freight traffic and consumer spending. Possibly, the industry is also at a crossroads as it seeks solutions to a host of challenges that include shrinking profit margins, emerging energy alternatives and newly implemented or proposed trucking regulations.

Battling the Economy Unquestionably, the recession rocked the truck stop industry, as it did most other sectors of the economy. In 2007 alone, for example, more than 900 independent truck stops reportedly went under, and TA posted losses of $101 million as a consequence of higher fuel prices, tightening margins and thinning freight traffic.

“Our industry felt the economic downturn sooner than others, because the trucking industry goes first,” Mullings says, echoing an often

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repeated axiom that trucking is a barometer of the economy. “We saw diesel demand drop long before anybody said that we were in recession.”

So what’s the picture now?

“I don’t think it’s fully recovered,” Mullings allows. “But it’s strengthened in the past year-and-a-half to two years.”

You hear pretty much the same from Tom Liutkus, director of advertising and public relations for the Ohio-based TA; Jenny Love Meyer, director of communications for the Oklahoma-based Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores; and Jimmy Haslam, chairman of the Tennessee-based Pilot Flying J. “Business is fairly steady at present,” Liutkus says.

“We’re doing well,” Meyer offers, noting that Love nationally averages 18 to 20 openings yearly.

“Pilot Flying J was recently ranked by Forbes as the sixth-largest private company in America,” Haslam responds via email.

Talk to an independent truck stop owner, however, and it’s a slightly different story.

Arun Kundra is owner/operator of the Capital City Travel Center (CCTC) off I-10 in Lloyd, just east of Tallahassee. A full-service operation dating from 1973, this facility once enjoyed a booming business.

“I would say we are barely managing,” Kundra says.

Among his disadvantages, he cites an inability to compete against the chains in the areas of marketing, fuel prices and credit card transaction fees.

“The odds are stacked against small operations,” says Kundra, who counts himself among a diminishing minority of independents.

Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

Staying Competitive (Opposite page) An independent operation, the Capital City Travel Center in Jefferson County provides personalized service to bring back loyal customers and is considering upgrades to boost business.

Charles Vignos, a driver for Schneider National Inc., exemplifies the situation.

Vignos occasionally fuels at CCTC. But overwhelmingly, he fuels at chains, he says, explaining that fleet managers daily check diesel prices and direct him where to go.

“I’m supposed to be compliant 70 percent,” Vignos says, adding that the other 30 percent of the time he can choose where to fuel, with food his first priority for selecting a truck stop on his own.

NATSO’s Mullings affirms the plight of independents, citing transaction fees as being particularly onerous since about 2000, when they went from a flat charge to a percentage. She won’t vouch for Kundra’s claim that the chains are able to negotiate lower fees based on their sales volumes (nor will the three major players, calling it material information). Mullings will, however, affirm that independents are definitely at a disadvantage, given that diesel profit margins can be as thin as a quarter or half penny per gallon, and transaction fees five or 10 cents per gallon.

“It makes it impossible to compete,” she says.

Diesel, it must be understood, is not only the trucking industry’s bloodline and a major expense, it’s also the truck stops’ main commodity. Which explains why large trucking companies (consolidation also is the name of the game here) negotiate “best deals” with the chains, thereafter instructing their drivers to fuel only at these locations; and why, for example, Pilot Flying J acquired its own petroleum company.

The independents’ best bet for survival is to find a niche, avers Mullings. Which is what Kundra has done.

“Many of our customers we know by name, and they’re very loyal,” Kundra says.

“We provide personalized service. That’s our niche.”

Even so, he sees the writing on the wall.

“We are rethinking our strategy going forward,” he says, alluding to plans for an upgrade of the facility. “We need to change, and we’re going to change. In business, if you’re stagnant, you will never survive.”

Profit and the Environment It’s not only the independents that face challenges, however. The industry as a whole is facing environmental, regulatory and other pressures that call for adjustments.

The search for an alternative to diesel continues gaining momentum, prompted by economic and environmental considerations. Truck manufacturers, in fact, are expected to up production of LNG-fueled trucks this year in anticipation of growing demand. LNG — liquefied natural gas — is a plentiful, domestic fuel significantly cheaper than diesel and “arguably cleaner.” Some experts call LNG “a potential game changer.” Already, Love, Pilot Flying J and TA have installed, or have plans to install, LNG refueling pumps at many of their respective locations.

“The trucking industry’s adoption of natural gas is something we’re watching very carefully,” Mullings says. “I don’t see it as a game changer soon. However, I do see it as a potential game changer at some point in the future.”

Liutkus agrees, to a degree. Yes, LNG is a potential game changer and TA is positioning itself to offer it, he says. But it’s early in the game, he adds, speculating that

Battling Cargo Theft

Florida ranks third nationally in truck cargo thefts, behind California and Texas respectively. The FBI estimates cargo thefts cause companies $30 billion annually in losses. Ultimately, consumers bear the costs, paying an estimated 20 percent markup in retail prices.

Most truck stops, including those in Northwest Florida, have secure parking lots to safeguard against thefts. Even so, thefts occur, testament to the thieves’ professionalism.

Florida Highway Patrol Lt. William Jackson heads the Statewide Cargo Theft Taskforce. He reports 235 cargo thefts in Florida in 2012, with a vehicle value of $10.5 million and cargo value of $14.9 million.

“It could be more,” Jackson says, explaining that reporting is voluntary and values inconsistent, as some owners give retail and others wholesale numbers.

Even so, the figures approximate previous years’ losses and “show a pattern,” he says.

A recognized big trucking state, Florida’s freight traffic is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years, a development sure to exacerbate the theft problem.

“This is organized crime,” Jackson says, adding that the majority of the thieves come from South Florida and much of the stolen cargo ends up in Miami, where it is often quickly ship-bound for Latin America.

He says the thieves are knowledgeable about the trucking business; frequently include CDL drivers in their crews; and target cargos selectively.

“Sometimes, they already have buyers lined up,” Jackson says.

“They know exactly what they’re looking for.”

Few of the stolen cargos are ever recovered. And when arrests occur, the penalties are relatively light, compared with those for other profitable crimes.

“Some of these guys get 20 years and others beat us home,” Jackson says. “It all depends on the court system and the area of the state.”

— Lazaro Aleman

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Facilitating Movement of Freight were current national security concerns and the great price differential between LNG and diesel to go away, the former might not prove as alluring, especially given the LNG infrastructure installation costs.

“Right now, there’s a huge advantage to LNG,” Liutkus says. “But will the economics still favor it in future?”

Truck “idling” continues to be an industry issue, as many states — including Florida — now have idling regulations. Truck drivers idle engines for numerous reasons, including keeping cargos refrigerated and powering conveniences inside their cabs.

Unnecessary idling, however, wastes fuel and adversely affects air quality, although both industries are quick to point out that emission levels have been steadily declining, a consequence of ultra-low sulfur diesel and more efficient engines.

Among the several strategies and technologies that have emerged to reduce unnecessary idling is parking-lot electrification, which allows trucks to power amenities without idling. Pilot Flying J, for example, offers this feature. The model hasn’t always proven viable or sustainable, however. TA, for one, has removed its electrification systems and currently relies on auxiliary power units affixed right on the trucks, a solution Mullings seemingly favors.

Trucking is not only a major driver of Florida’s economy; the industry is expected to get a significant boost upon completion of the Panama Canal expansion in 2015. In anticipation of this growth, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is readying a Florida Freight Mobility and Trade Plan (FMTP).

The effort, in brief, aims to facilitate the statewide movement of freight through enhancement of the state’s intermodal transportation systems, or its roads, rails and ports, explains Richard Biter, FDOT assistant secretary for Intermodal Systems Development. The plan, he says, will serve as a tool to help the state prioritize projects.

Is the Port of Port St. Joe a plan consideration?

“Absolutely,” Biter says, offering that state funds have already been allocated for upgrade of the railroad going into the port, and talks are ongoing with The St. Joe Company, the area’s biggest landowner. The goal, Biter says, is to make the port eventually a viable import/export and manufacturing center for the region.

He offers as another example the Port of Miami, which is currently being dredged to allow for entrance of the bigger ships that will soon cross the expanded Canal.

“When the Miami Port is completed, it will be the only port south of Norfolk, Va., capable of handling these big ships,” Biter says.

Ultimately, he says, the goal is to position Florida more competitively when it comes to attracting new businesses and business opportunities.

“We don’t want to be like the dog that caught the pickup and wondered what to do with it,” Biter says. “We want to be able to tout the best transportation system in place to provide the greatest mobility of freight, and that’s where you get the connection with jobs and economic development.”

— Lazaro Aleman

Rest Stop David Kight, in his Publix truck, wheels into the Flying J truck stop in Midway.

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Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

“The fix has got to be something that’s part of the truck, because there’s a huge amount of idling that goes on in traffic, at terminals or when unloading freight,” she says. “So to have a truckstop-centric kind of solution, I don’t see it working.”

Evolving Profession and Industry Drivers’ changing needs is another issue. Driver turnover is endemic to the trucking industry and has now grown acute, a consequence of numerous factors that include a minimum age requirement of 21; possession of a CDL license, for which schooling can run up to $10,000; and an unusual lifestyle choice.

“It’s a good job and a great industry, but it’s not for everybody,” says Tommy Thomas, the Florida Trucking Association’s membership development director. “The over-the-road guys are sometimes out two, three, four weeks at a time. That’s a different lifestyle. It takes a special individual to do it.”

To reduce turnovers, trucking companies are employing strategies that range from recruiting more women and older drivers, to making tractor cabs more comfortable, to reworking freight routes to allow drivers more time at home, all of which have consequences for truck stops.

One consequence is that short-haul drivers don’t frequent truck stops as much, as they get to go home nights. Another is that even long-haul drivers are reportedly taking less advantage of traditional truck stop amenities, given their RV-like cabs, or they’re demanding new amenities. In response, some truck stops have gone to “a type of pay model,” where they charge for services such as overnight parking.

Another response has been to add or upgrade amenities, especially given today’s focus on healthiness. Liutkus notes that truck drivers are particularly prone to obesity, high-blood pressure, hypertension and other health risk factors.

“It’s a stressful and not very active job,” he says.

As Americans’ behavior has changed to embrace healthier lifestyles and as companies more emphasize employees’ wellness, truck stops have responded with healthier menu options, fitness rooms and even walking trails, among other enhanced amenities.

“Our role is to adjust to the needs of the trucking industry,” Liutkus says.

Toll roads and commercialization of state rest areas are big concerns for the truck stop industry, especially as financially strapped states eye tolls and commercialization of rest areas as viable revenue enhancers absent tax increases.

“This is a major issue because if existing interstates are tolled, it diverts traffic onto other roads and hurts our members,” Mullings says.

As for rest area commercialization, NATSO estimates it could cause the closure of as many as 50 percent of interchange businesses, with resulting property tax losses to local governments.

‘We know what the commercial rest areas do because we have commercial rest areas in Florida and elsewhere and can measure the impact,” Mullings says.

New federal regulations that aim to increase highway safety by identifying unsafe trucks and drivers via a scoring system (Compliance Safety Accountability, or CSA), and proposed regulations that require drivers to take more breaks to combat fatigue (Hours of Service, or HOS) also “are out there.”

Already, the three major players have added or enhanced their truck inspection/repair shops in response to the 2010-implemented CSA program. This system remains controversial and continues to be tweaked, however. As for the HOS rules, they go into effect in July and are currently in litigation.

Whatever the outcome of the various challenges, truck stops are sure to adapt and evolve, as they have done historically.

Certainly, it’s a long-enduring industry, with possible antecedents to the roadside inns of yore that welcomed weary wayfarers, or more directly perhaps, to the Old West relay stations that provided home comforts and meals to stagecoach travelers.

Meyer possibly best sums the industry’s prospects.

“There’s always going to be trucks moving products across the country,” she says. “So whether it’s trucks or cars, you’re always going to need travel stops to provide products and services for those folks. I don’t think that’s going to change.”

“A good rule of thumb is to say that everything you eat, touch or wear traveled on an average of four separate trucks to get from the manufacturer to you.”

Tisha Crews Keller Director of communications, Florida Trucking Association

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The Next Step Mike Campbell, hired to expand the outreach initiatives of the Jim Moran Institute, says helping businesses grow will lead to the hiring of more employees and improve the overall economy of the 850 region.

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Big Vision

for Small Business

By Ashley Kahn // Photos by Scott Holstein

Under Guidance of Mike Campbell, FSU’s Jim Moran Institute Offers New Direction for North Florida Entrepreneurs

T

he Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship is getting down to business.

Housed in Florida State University’s College of Business, the center with a legacy of leadership will shift its focus to a more programmatic approach when it launches its Small Business Executive Program this summer. The plan falls under the direction of Mike Campbell, hired in November 2012 to execute new outreach initiatives in North Florida.

Designed to help existing businesses advance by addressing today’s key issues, the nine-session series is just one component of the JMI’s vision for the future of business in our region. Outreach has always been a cornerstone of the Institute. Now, a new path will be charted

to expand that platform, reach more people and make an even greater impact in North Florida — and beyond.

Moving Forward, Looking Back It has been said one can’t move forward without first looking back. Perhaps Winston Churchill put it best when he said, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see.”

Looking back through the history of the Jim Moran Institute, it is clear to see this period of current growth was inevitable. Much work was done early to pave the road for today’s success.

The JMI thrives because of its history of adaptation — modifying its services and increasing its resources to meet the needs of a shifting workforce and economy.

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Current director F. Randy Blass shared a timeline of the JMI’s development:

1995 — The first efforts of the Institute were made possible by automobile industry mogul Jim Moran and family’s initial gift, which was dedicated to building an academic curriculum, hiring a director, establishing scholarships for deserving students and setting up an outreach program to help businesses lacking connections and best practices.

1998 — Happy with what he was seeing, Jim Moran increased the endowment through his foundation. The JMI itself had become a selffunded, enduring entity. Ten years later, revenue generated by the endowment was funding outreach in the community.

“Because of the tangible resources that come from the Jim Moran Foundation, the Jim Moran Institute has a robust capability to help our business community.”

F. Randy blass, director JMI

Today, said JMI Director F. Randy Blass, the Institute continues its local legacy while trying to reach a global audience.

“From the start, our outreach was one-on-one, gold standard, very personal,” Blass said. “But that model is very time intensive, limiting the number of clients we were able to serve, so we started looking at how we could reach a broader audience.”

The JMI developed a programmatic approach, one that would provide support by leveraging community resources and talent — where businesses could progress through a series of experiences, while still retaining the personal touch for which the Institute was known.

But to build a team of experts in subject matter from across the 850 corridor, the JMI needed a broker, a coordinator of those small business gurus. Enter Mike Campbell, newly minted director of North Florida Outreach.

An entrepreneur since 2000, Campbell owned two successful businesses (Statement Analysis Corp and Trusteria Services Inc.) while working in nonprofit consulting for nine years. When the JMI — a nonprofit devoted to small business — sought a program director, Campbell’s dual experience was a real benefit.

“The reason I enjoy this job is I’ve always had a passion to help other businesses grow and to help this community grow,” Campbell said. “The overall mission of the JMI is to help established businesses advance, and my personal goal is to be a catalyst for collaboration, bringing resources together for the good of our clients and community.”

2008 — By this time, Mr.

Get With the Program

Moran had passed. His wife,

The Small Business Executive Program (SBEP) will pool community resources to give executives of established businesses — not start-ups — the tools they need to grow. Largely through the relationship of interaction, with no true marketing plan, the JMI has listened to the needs of the community and responded.

Last summer, the Institute held a series of focus groups, presenting the idea to former clients and local economic development officials.

They then distilled the feedback and made adjustments to the program.

Sam Varn, owner of Awards4U, has been affiliated with the JMI since 2001. He got involved through former director Jerry Osteryoung, a member of his Rotary club.

“I try to listen to people I respect,” Varn said. “After the JMI analyzed our business, we got our expenses under control, and in 2004 we were Entrepreneur of the Year. The advice was good, and we paid attention.”

Over the years, Varn said, the focus of the JMI has shifted.

He stays involved to this day, speaking to classes as a mentor and attending sessions as a scholar. Varn was pleased to see Campbell appointed to lead outreach initiatives, calling him “a true entrepreneur who knows what it takes to start and run a business.”

Varn believes the SBEP will bring enormous value to the small business owner interested in participating. Members of the class may have the opportunity to meet Varn, as he is in talks to mentor in his areas of

Jan, wished to continue his legacy, so the JMI partnered with its philanthropic arm to increase presence, create opportunities for graduate assistance and fund additional travel. The new program was much more ambitious.

2011 — This year had the Board of Advisors asking, “What else can you do?” Most of the Institute’s outreach had been based in Tallahassee, by virtue of the city’s rich resources. A full-time mirror image of the North Florida Outreach program was implemented in South Florida, expanding the imprint of the JMI.

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BIG VISION

expertise, including reward and will seek “to provide a singular recognition. experience with a clear begin“Participants will get the benning, middle and end, punctuated efit of local experts sharing their by receptions and ceremonies knowledge of best practices,” Varn with a certain amount of pomp,” said. “What really works is not theBlass said. oretical or textbook, but real world The SBEP will be held once in its application.” first year, then biannually beginThe SBEP will accept applicaning in 2014. Businesses must tions for its inaugural class of 25 complete a thorough application business leaders in June 2013, with to participate, including a statean anticipated first session slated ment of goals and financial disfor the fall. Nine sessions will be closure. Accepted applicants will presented every other week over form a class, then follow a stanRandy Blass, director of The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, four months, for a total of 40 condardized curriculum designed to wants to build on JMI’s local legacy but reach a more global audience. tact hours. Businesses must have refocus their efforts through idea three or more employees to apply. sharing on a series of topics includBoth for- and non-profits will be considered. For application information ing finance and growth, marketing and sales, production and human (beginning in June), guidelines and eligibility, visit www.nfl.jmi.fsu.edu. resources.

The program will offer the JMI’s signature individualized consulting, A Grand Architecture of Service as well as workshops, Peer2Peer Groups, conferences and expert presenAs the new program launches, JMI director Blass emphasizes the importations. Alumni classes will become a resource for future generations of tance of the Institute’s grand architecture of services, both to students of small business owners. entrepreneurship and seasoned entrepreneurs.

With potential for exponential impact, small business owners may “We’re reaching out to business owners working in their business to question how they could afford to enroll in such a program. But there is try to help them work on their business,” Blass said. “The SBEP will be no fee to participate. The expansive services of the JMI are provided at no the flagship program of our outreach efforts, the primary entry point for cost, in large part from the endowment established by the Moran family. small businesses to the broader services the JMI has to offer.”

“Support from Florida State and its College of Business puts the JMI on Those services are trifold and reflect the main components of the the main stage of entrepreneurship universities,” Blass said. “Because of Institute’s mission — education, research and outreach. Education the tangible resources that come from the Jim Moran Foundation, the Jim covers the student experience, research examines issues of the discipline Moran Institute has a robust capability to help our business community.” and outreach provides unique opportunities for students to engage in The Reach of Outreach crossover with working entrepreneurs.

Though the Small Business Executive Program will be held in Tallahassee, Jim Moran Institute programs revolve around four major service its director invites any business in the 850 region to apply. Attendance offerings: is mandatory for two half-day sessions each month from August to » World-class education and experiential October, with a closing luncheon in November tying directly into the learning curriculum “Advice Straight Up” event featuring nationally recognized speakers. » Academic research and applied training “Because the program meets only twice a month,” Campbell said, “if » Consulting assistance and mentorship an executive is willing to come to our location to advance their business » Public recognition through service — and they are in the 850 region and they qualify to participate — we will welcome them.”

Under the category of consulting and mentorship, the Small Business There are more resources for start-up businesses than established ones, Executive Program is modeled after the JMI’s nationally recognized according to Campbell, and it is true the JMI does not cater to new busiEntrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV). nesses. When an existing business needs help getting to the next level, Business leaders throughout Florida wanted a similar “bootcamp” for however, the Jim Moran Institute will work with community partners their companies and the SBEP was born. to help or point them in the direction of a resource that can. In doing so, “We interpreted the need by recognizing our business owners are so the reach of the JMI extends well beyond Tallahassee and even Florida. busy running their business, they don’t always have time to think about Blass and Campbell credit the Moran Family, as well as former directheir business,” Blass said. “They are asking for some structure — a fortors like Osteryoung, with paving the path for renewed vision. matted journey through all aspects of running a business.”

“I am very confident we’ll be able to put on a world-class program,” Through collaboration with community resources such as the Campbell said. “If the Jim Moran Institute can help businesses grow, Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Development Center, Economic those businesses will hire more employees, ultimately helping the overDevelopment Council and other complementary initiatives, the JMI all economy of 850.”

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bp oil spill

Healing Financial Wounds Inflicted

By BP

Little known settlement reopens the claims process to thousands of non-coastal businesses to recover their losses from 2010 oil spill

By Linda Kleindienst

A

good portion of Matt Turner’s business involves work with the marine industry. When the BP oil spill happened in 2010, most of that work dried up. But Turner didn’t think he had a cause of action against the oil giant, because his business is located in Tallahassee.

“We do a lot of aluminum welding on boats and trailers and stainless work that is directly connected with the marine industry. For a whole year, that part of the business was non-existent. The work dried up because of fears of what effect the oil spill would have,” said Turner, of Metal Fabrication & Sales. “My business is located 45 minutes from the coast, so I thought I would just have to take it on the chin.”

But a federal judge in Louisiana has given business owners like Turner a new chance to file a claim against BP for financial damages they sustained as a result of the oil spill. And they have until April of 2014 to make that claim to tap into more than $13 billion in BP damages funds.

“I do fit the profile,” Turner said. “But is it going to be $5 or $5,000? I have no clue.”

Lori Mattice is another who may have a valid claim — and she’s grateful to know she has time to file it. Like Turner, she never thought to make a claim because her real estate office is located far from the coast in Tallahassee and she thought the time for filing was long gone. But she knows for sure she lost at least one sale — a property on Ochlockonee Bay.

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“It fell through because of the spill. (But) I just didn’t know (the claims process) might apply to me,” said Mattice, who has owned Mattice & Mattice Real Estate LLC for 15 years. “Something is better than nothing. And I’m trying to let other real estate companies in the area know about this.”

Oil and Your Business Under this new claims process, approved by a federal judge in November, businesses do not have to prove that BP was directly responsible or the direct causation of their revenue losses. Instead, it is a black and white, numbers-driven process.

A court-drawn map has created a geographic area around the Gulf of Mexico — if your business is located within that area, you are eligible to file a claim, although the test for eligibility grows a tad tougher the further from the coast you are. The map includes all of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, certain counties in Texas and all of Northwest Florida, from Escambia County on the west to Perry on the east, then down the Gulf Coast.

It does not include inland areas like Orlando or any of the state’s east coast.

Those eligible include anyone with a federal tax ID, including non-profits and charities.

“I’ve gone to Tallahassee businesses and, at first, they laugh at me, asking, ‘How did BP affect me?’” said Scott Carruthers, head of Carruthers Law Group, which has offices in Tallahassee and Santa Rosa Beach.

Payments

by State Determining Eligibility All of Northwest Florida is included in a court-drawn map that determines which businesses can still file a claim against BP, but the closer you are to the coast, the easier your claim will be to prove. Only coastal counties south of Perry are eligible.

Alabama $169 million

Florida $165 million

Louisiana $480 million

“They’re not making the connection. People in Tallahassee were focusing more on the bad economy. But BP took a bad situation and made it worse.”

The money that businesses might win back from BP could have a “real economic impact” on the region, Carruthers said. “The ultimate value of this fund is $13 billion. Imagine what Northwest Florida’s portion of that money could do.”

Among his clients, who are scattered across Northwest Florida, are a car dealership, construction companies, restaurants, contractors, a pool builder and nearly 200 seafood workers scattered between Destin and Apalachicola.

“And what I’m finding now is that there are many more businesses eligible for settlements away from the coast,” said Carruthers, whose biggest client so far is an Internet company.

The 1,200-page settlement is online at the court-sanctioned deepwaterhorizoneconomicsettlement.com. (By contrast, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare, is 906 pages). There is a map of the zones and a way for you to just plug in your address to figure out what zone you’re in.

And that’s just the beginning. Laments Carruthers, “They don’t make it easy.”

Mississippi $125.5 million

Texas $5

million Source: BP

Determining Eligibility Any business that was operating at the time of the oil spill has a potentially viable claim. But the eligibility is based on revenues — and the financial

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BP Payments as of December 31, 2012: Individual & Business Claims

$8,166,781,479 Government

test gets a little tougher the further away the “The settlement has good features, but there are business is located from the coast. some limitations,” Carruthers explained. “One of First of all, businesses cannot be in an excluded those limitations is that BP only recognizes that 1 industry. That includes gaming, real estate develit created an impact on business from May to opers, banks and other financial institutions, December 2010. If your loss continued beyond or insurance companies and any business that started after, this settlement does nothing for you.” previously signed a Gulf Coast Claims Facility Among those businesses most adversely affectrelease with BP, as well as governments. ed are in Southwest Florida, especially tourismHowever, Canita Gunter Peterson, tax sharerelated businesses that thrive during the winter 1 holder with Thomas Howell Ferguson, cautions months — the exact opposite of Northwest Includes payments for Tourism, Seafood Marketing and Testing, Behavioral Health and Contributions that even some companies that think they may fall Florida’s tourist season. They’ll see little help into the excluded category could actually be elito overcome the loss of tourism traffic during gible. It’s best, she said, to double check with folks the winter months of 2011, when Northern knowledgeable about the agreement. Even quasiEuropeans who usually flock to the area decided government organizations may meet the test. to stay home or seek out other beach vacations to Her accounting firm has been getting multiple avoid any threat of oil in the sand. inquiries each day from businesses curious if they might qualify. And she Remember, the court-supervised settlement basically says that the closer is reaching out to educate many others who are almost incredulous when a business is to the Gulf, the easier it is to prove loss. Wherever you are locatthey learn they might be able to file a claim. ed, you just need to have the revenue numbers to back up your claim.

“Individuals may think that industries such as seafood and hotels are the For instance, in Zone D, which includes Tallahassee, businesses must only ones covered,” she said. “But almost any business could qualify for sigshow a consecutive three-month, 15 percent decline in gross revenue nificant compensation, such as lawyers, accountants, retail establishments, between May and December 2010 as compared to 2009. Then, they must almost any category of business. This is a once-in-a-lifetime settlement.” show a 10 percent rebound for those same three months in 2011.

Start-up businesses with less than 18 months of operating history as of If you meet that test, you’re eligible to make the claim and then go to the date of the oil spill are also potentially eligible for compensation. a damage calculation analysis.

If you don’t meet that requirement, Carruthers said, there are alternative tests but they are complicated.

$1,375,409,917 Other

$306,890,280 Total Payments

$9,849,081,676

Gathering Financials The ease of meeting the mathematical equation to be considered for compensation depends on how good your financial record-keeping has been.

At Thomas Howell Ferguson they are asking businesses to give them records of their net monthly revenue from 2007 through 2011 to first see if they meet the causation test.

“We can run initial calculations to see if they have met the nexus,” Peterson said, adding that her firm does that at no charge. “If they haven’t met it, they don’t have to worry about getting more data.”

For those who can go further in the process, it’s important to know that BP has the ability to appeal any calculation greater than $25,000. A three-judge panel will rule on the appeal.

Seeking Compensation Lori Mattice owns a real estate company and lost at least one sale to the oil spill. She didn’t think she’d be eligible to file a claim because her business is based in Tallahassee.

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Spreading the Word Scott Carruthers is working to inform Northwest Florida businesses about their right to file claims against BP. “And what I’m finding now is that there are many more businesses eligible for settlements away from the coast.”

“BP has filed a significant number of appeals,” Peterson said. “If you don’t submit the right documentation — or what you have doesn’t reconcile back to the claim — you’ll probably have problems.”

Basically, it will all hinge on your monthly profit and loss statements. The larger the claim, the more financial documentation will be required and the slower the process is likely to be.

Other Claim Avenues Dana Matthews, senior partner with the Matthews & Jones law firm in Destin, is bypassing the court-supervised settlement, opting instead to have his clients file a claim directly against BP under the federal Oil Pollution Act. The only problem there is the short time frame left to file. The deadline is April 19, 2013 — a problem if you haven’t already started the process. (Matthews concedes that the deadline might be stretched, but right now, that’s an unknown, so all his clients are meeting it.)

As for the court-supervised settlement, he said, “The problem is … whatever the class settlement provides you, you have to accept. If you get a denial, you have no recourse. If you file a $100,000 claim and you get $5,000, you have to accept it.”

Of course, it isn’t easy for anyone to really understand filing under the Oil Pollution Act and meet the deadline that is coming on like a runaway freight train.

“This has been one of the most masterful public relations manipulations of the American public conscience that BP has been able to orchestrate,” Matthews said. “The information is buried in the BP website. It doesn’t state the date.”

M&J is working with about 250 claimants at this point and has been fielding hundreds of calls from potential clients. One client owned a surgery center along Interstate 10. The lion’s share of the center’s business came from out-of-state and overseas. Their marketing tool was to encourage patients to come for surgery and then convalesce on the beach. But after the oil spill, the patients didn’t come and the center shut down because it couldn’t pay its bills.

Carruthers is considering filing some of his clients’ claims under Florida’s Oil Protection Act, which has a four-year statute of limitations, pushing the deadline to file to April of 2014. (The federal OPA has a threeyear statute of limitation.) An added benefit to filing under the Florida law — the polluter must pay attorneys’ fees.

“It’s kind of a Hail Mary, frankly, but it could have a substantial impact on businesses that didn’t know about the (2013) federal deadline,” he said.

No matter how your business files its claim, however, Matthews warns you not to hold your breath.

“The expectation of getting any money on any time basis under any scenario is not good,” he said. “If you think you have a claim, get your claim filed and go about your life and don’t worry. It’ll be something or not, but it won’t be happening on a time frame you expect.”

Photos by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

On March 15, BP filed a request for an injunction to stop payments under the settlement agreement its attorneys had previously agreed to. The company’s argument is that “fictitious” claims with large payouts are being approved, but others contend the oil giant underestimated its liability.

“They are now hell bent on trying to re-write the agreement after the fact. I find this incredibly preposterous and immensely unfair at so many levels,” Carruthers said. “But it just goes to show what a huge multinational corporation can do with virtually unlimited funds and arrogant sense of might-makes-right, all while promoting through its ads an image of caring and ‘commitment’ to the people of the Gulf.”

Since no one can predict the ultimate outcome with any degree of certainty, Carruthers said his advice to businesses in North Florida is to quickly file their claims under the existing rules — just in case BP ultimately succeeds in re-writing the agreement.

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SPECIAL REPORT: OKALOOSA COUNTY

Investing In The Future

Okaloosa County is focusing on educating its workforce and diversifying its economy

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create new and better job opportunities, retain and enhance our skilled workforce and to support our existing industry and military sectors while creating a more diversified and sustainable economy,” Heald said as he took over the EDC’s reins. “We will accomplish this by focusing on the community factors that support business location decisions. Collaborating with existing local and state community organizations and programs will help leverage that success.”

Educating the Future Workforce

Local schools are among the best in Florida, and Okaloosa in August 2012 became home to the first STEMM middle school in the state, devoted to teaching students science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine. The intensive studies will eventually help students find jobs, since most of the state’s more lucrative job openings are in those high tech areas.

A study by the Hass Center identified aerospace engineering, industrial and systems engineering, electrical engineering and computer engineering as the industries with the highest need for new and replacement jobs.

“A significant sector of the Florida economy, the sector where there are more jobs available and fewer qualified applicants is in computer technology,” said state Senate President Don Gaetz of Niceville as he helped with the grand opening of the Okaloosa STEMM Center and STEMM Academy. “We have thousands of jobs available in this state right now for qualified applicants in that area.

In the last seven years, the percentage of students graduating from Florida universities with those skills and those degrees has dropped by 50 percent.”

u.s. air force

I

t’s got the best beaches and family vacation destinations in the country, but Okaloosa is also a booming center of economic development in Northwest Florida that boasts some of the state’s best schools, a low unemployment rate and a second-to-none workforce needed for businesses looking to relocate or expand.

With its tourism economy recovered from the 2010 oil spill, the county has pushed ahead with efforts to bring more business to the region while also keeping a watchful eye on how on federal budget cuts could affect the area’s multitude of defense-related companies.

Home of the largest Air Force base in the world, Okaloosa is the nucleus of a high tech, defense and aerospace industry cluster. With an estimated 350 businesses, it has been a boon for the local economy — accounting for about $5.2 billion a year. (Eglin, along with neighboring Hurlburt and Duke Fields, form the Eglin Military Reservation, which covers 41 percent of the county.)

Seven of the 10 largest defense contractors in Florida have a presence in the county — and most of the top ten private sector employers are defense or aerospace-related.

The military presence has also led to the evolution of a large workforce of retired military who are prime workers for any high-tech industry ready to move in.

Jim Heald, the 2013 chairman of the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa, has stressed the need to focus on “preserve” and “diversify” this year. His message: Okaloosa needs to have more than tourism and the military to keep its economy strong.

“Our EDC goal is to monitor and then engage economic initiatives to maintain and increase business opportunities, help

Mary Beth Jackson, superintendent of Okaloosa’s public schools, said an educational partnership agreement the district has with Eglin Air Force Base has allowed students at the STEMM Center to meet and interact with a different civilian or military scientist or engineer practically every week.

“Eglin is also assisting us in preparing an F100 jet engine for our STEMM Center and arranging several field trips for our students. The students love it and are engaged by the activities and attention,” she said.

The county’s public schools consistently earn high grades from the state, and the school district, which has an “A” rating from the state, is ranked as the sixth best of the state’s 67 counties. In the most recent Department of Education

Eglin Air Force Base, a training center for the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, has become a magnet for high-tech, defense and aerospace companies — helping to fuel Okaloosa’s economy.

report, 21 schools earned an “A” from the state, with seven getting a “B.” “Okaloosa County deserves congratulations for this accomplishment,” said Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson.

“Ranking in the top 10 takes commitment, hard work and collaboration, not only from those within the educational setting. It takes the support of the entire community.”

Jackson said the school district focuses on preparing students for a career early on in their education.

“We have a strong presence of career and technical education to enable our students to have the option of entering the workforce or continuing to college after graduation. We start their technology skills in elementary school, which enables them to be in a career academy and start

earning industry certifications in middle school,” she said.

“This jumpstart enables them to get more career courses to increase their employability skills in a variety of areas when they graduate. In high school, they have the opportunity to achieve a high level of mastery of their career skill to prepare them with industry certifications to make them marketable for an entry-level position after graduation.”

Real Estate Is Hot

Home prices are coming back in the county, and houses are not lingering on the market as long. But there are still plenty of bargains to be had for those looking to relocate here. “Across the board, singlefamily homes, townhomes and condos are

selling in Okaloosa County. Inventories are shrinking, and the median price is going up,” said Jan Hooks, president of the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors.

The influx of military, including the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces and extra personnel associated with the F-35 training at Eglin, has certainly helped the local market in Okaloosa County.

“Cash buyers have been a large factor as investors enter the market. With the rental market heating up, investors are pouring into the market to take advantage of lower selling prices and higher rent,” Hooks said.

There are a diverse range of real estate options on and off the water. Coupled with affordable lending rates, it makes this a true buyer’s market.

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Committed to you.

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SPECIAL REPORT: OKALOOSA COUNTY

Okaloosa Hopes Synergy Will Equal Jobs

County joins chambers of commerce to develop a strategic economic development plan

S

ometimes two heads are better than one. In this case, Okaloosa County business leaders are hoping that five will be even better.

In an unprecedented effort to spur economic development — and diversify a county economy too dependent on tourism and military spending — the Okaloosa Economic Development Council and the chambers of commerce in Crestview, Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Niceville/Valparaiso have joined forces to work on the county’s first comprehensive strategic plan to create more jobs.

“We’re working as a united front for the betterment of Okaloosa County, so we’ll be focused on the same issues,” said EDC Interim Director Kay Rasmussen. “We’re all after a vibrant, sustainable community.”

The county and chambers will collaborate on a “Six Pillars” strategic plan as their roadmap for the future, making them the first county in Northwest Florida to do so. The process, modeled on the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Six Pillars Caucus System, concentrates on creating a plan specific to six identified topics, or pillars. The six are: talent supply and education; innovation and economic development; infrastructure and growth leadership; business climate and competitiveness; civic and governance systems; and quality of life and quality of place.

By aligning itself with the Florida Chamber Foundation’s program “we will be embarking on an endeavor to ensure that our goals and objectives over the next 20 years will be much more focused and aligned with the rest of the state,” said Kevin Bowyer, chair of the county’s initiative.

The final plan will allow for the EDC and chambers to identify and partner on issues and topics that are considered a common or shared goal. But each group will also be free to work on projects to meet individual area needs.

The planning process kicked off in March, with a meeting of community and business leaders to discuss their goals. A consultant — Collaborative Labs at St. Petersburg College — took the information gathered during the meeting and will

compile it into a draft proposal, likely within three months. The $24,000 to fund the study was raised from donations.

“Creating an economic development plan and group is not an overnight success, and I’m sure there are going to be some bumps in the road,” Shane Moody, president and CEO of the Destin Chamber of Commerce, told the Destin Log soon after the initiative was announced. But Moody, who is a longtime proponent of the cooperative effort, added, “It’s an investment in the community and our future.”

Talent Supply & Education Innovation & Economic Development Infrastructure & Growth Leadership Business Climate & Competitiveness Civic & Governance Systems Quality of Life & Quality of Place 850 Business Magazine

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SPECIAL REPORT: OKALOOSA COUNTY

Tourism Soaring

The numbers are great — and so are the expectations — in Okaloosa County

to be recorded more than 22 years ago.

The total bed tax collected that year stood at $11.7 million; but 2012 topped even that with a total of $13.2 million.

The county’s restaurant industry may also be seeing an uptick in 2013. Elaine Tucker, spokesperson for Clemenza’s at Uptown Station in Fort Walton Beach, said that she sees a rising sense of optimism.

“The business attitude has improved,” she said. “I think people are still cautious, but I think it’s better. There’s a brighter light at the end of the tunnel.

And the people I’ve talked to outside our industry seem very pleased with the winter they’ve had. It’s been a very positive winter, and if that’s an indication of what’s ahead in 2013 then that’s good.”

Tom Rice, co-owner of Fort Walton Beach’s Magnolia Grill, a mom-andpop eatery with about 22 employees, agreed that while their winter seasons are great there’s still a sense of uncertainty in the air.

“A big part of our winter season is the tremendous amount of winter visitors that we have. Sometimes they call them snowbirds but we call them ‘semilocals’ because they are such a big part of our business and community,” he said.

“But years ago, when I worked as a kid in an Italian restaurant, the owner would be nervous during election time, because people were constantly reminded about higher taxes. This was back in the 1960s, but I think what we experienced then is somewhat true today. The economy during an election (is uncertain) because many may hold on to their wallet a little tighter. It seems now that the election is over, no matter what side you wanted, people have put that behind them a little bit and are out enjoying themselves … but I still cringe a little bit when election time rolls around.”

Looking ahead to 2013, Rice said the possible reductions in active duty military could affect many of his neighbors and customers.

“I hope we don’t have a lot of folks laid off, but there are a lot of folks at the bases that are nervous, and that makes me nervous,” he said.

The Okaloosa Tourist Development Council usually spends about $2.1 million per year on sales, marketing and advertising initiatives. In the wake of the 2010 oil spill, BP awarded the Council three different tourism grants to increase national marketing promotions and awareness.

Tom Rice, co-owner of Fort Walton Beach’s Magnolia Grill, is cautiously optimistic about the continued growth of tourism in Okaloosa County.

photo by nikki richter

T

he tourism industry of Okaloosa County — the second largest segment of the local economy behind the military — continues to boom along.

This year, tourist development officials are focusing their 2013 strategy on the shoulder seasons, spring and fall, in order to bring even more business to the county.

“Okaloosa County’s Emerald Coast is excited to see the continued growth in tourism to our area,” says Dan O’Byrne, director of the Tourist Development Council. “We saw our average daily rate reach a new high in 2012. Our sugarwhite beaches and emerald green waters continue to be a cherished asset for visitors, but what makes this community truly special are the restaurants, attractions and friendly faces that greet our visitors every day.”

The occupancy rate for 2011 stood at 80 percent in July. In 2012, that number had moved up to 85 percent. These are welcome numbers compared to those seen in the summer of 2010 (the year of the BP oil spill), during which only 64 percent of available rooms were occupied.

O’Byrne said his associates are excited to see where the current momentum takes them as the 2013 peak season approaches.

“We have incredible community partners and experiences to share with visitors, on top of the natural assets Okaloosa County’s Emerald Coast is known for,” he said. “Additionally, events like the Emerald Coast Volleyball Week, Florida’s state H.O.G. Rally and Oakley’s Redfish Tour add allure to attract visitors in our off-peak months.”

Almost 19,000 jobs are directly or indirectly supported by tourist spending in the local economy. As much as $324.7 million in annual workforce income comes from local lodging, restaurant, retail and attraction employment. Okaloosa County produced record-setting months in May, June, July, September and October of 2011 for bed tax revenue, overnight lodging occupancy and visitor attendance since records began

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On the sugar-white beaches of

Northwest Florida

At Hilton Sandestin Beach we think of everything to make sure your entire family enjoys your beach vacation! Relax and play in the sand, swim in the pool and enjoy family meals together at one of our many on-property restaurants. Treat yourselves to a day or night off while the kids delight in some of the many activities specially designed for their unique interests. Children 5 to 12 years old love our Kids Krew, with arts and crafts, games, sandcastle building, a pirate party, pajama party, survivor challenge and more. Our Hilton Teen Water Excursion and Kid’s Night Out entertain the kids while parents relax with some time off. Start planning your family vacation today. Visit hiltonsandestinbeach.com/getaways.

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SPECIAL REPORT: OKALOOSA COUNTY

Northwest Florida Regional Airport, located on Eglin Air Force Base, saw almost 800,000 passengers fly on its four scheduled carriers in 2012.

Expanding Transportation

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

T

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

Located on Eglin Air Force Base, Northwest Florida Regional Airport completed another successful year with almost 800,000 passengers flying on the airport’s scheduled carriers: American, Delta, US Airways and United. Meanwhile, another 10,000 square feet of terminal space ­— Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

including two new jet bridges — were added to the facility, which shares runways with Eglin. A new terminal restaurant, Helen Back, is a local area favorite and has been a big success since opening in April 2012. But that’s not all of the recent goings-on.

“We recently completed construction of an entirely new 753-stall credit card parking lot and repaved the main parking lot that has 914 stalls,” said Airports Deputy Director Mike Stenson. “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 partnership. The commercial airport 850 Business Magazine

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SPECIAL REPORT: OKALOOSA COUNTY

partners with Eglin and vice-versa on other things, and they share expense and they share resources. So it’s not a one-of-akind 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. Stenson said an $18 million widening and reconstruction of the airport’s taxiways and storm water master plan was completed in late 2012, allowing for the largest of aircraft to operate without restriction.

“Bob Sikes is poised for spectacular growth within the aerospace sector,” said Deputy Director Tracy Stage. “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 state Department of Transportation officials to design and eventually build an industrial road for intermodal connectivity. Stenson 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.

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

Airports Deputy Director Mike Stenson

The military is the

#1

contributor to the Okaloosa County economy.

Unemployment rate,

January 2013 – 5.8% (Florida, 8.0 %)

Average annual wages:

Florida

$43,524 Okaloosa County

$39,936

Median Home Sale Price January 2013 —$189,000

14.7% increase over January 2012

Median Days on Market — 80 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. Reconstruction of the runway was completed in February 2013. 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,” Stenson 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 self-sustaining 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 50

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One of the Top 25 Destinations

in the United States in 2011, TripAdvisor

Destin Beach was ranked the

No. 2 beach in Florida

by U.S. News Travel in 2012.

One of the 10 Best Places to Live & Boat in 2011 Boating Magazine

SPECIAL REPORT: OKALOOSA COUNTY

air, rail and road access to the southeastern U.S. as well as the Midwest.

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 energy-providing 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.

In 2012, Okaloosa was named the

best performing metropolitan statistical area in Florida

by Area Development magazine, a leading national economic trade publication.

Seven of the 10

largest defense contractors in Florida have a presence in Okaloosa County — for a total of about

350.

Okaloosa is the leading technology center in Northwest Florida,

with more than

156

technology-based businesses per

100,000

population.

More than half Okaloosa’s population —

54%

— have more education than a high school diploma.

The Kopersand is shown in 2011 being loaded with containers for shipment to Mexico from the Port of Panama City, a key element in the region’s transportation network.

Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

Niceville was named “Best Place to Raise Your Kids in Florida”

by Bloomberg Business Week in 2012.

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SO O N CO M IN G

WE’RE ABOUT TO REDEFINE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MOBILE

IN BUSINESS, MOBILE MEANS ANYWHERE. In the hotel lobby or at the airport, you’re constantly tending to your business. No matter where your business takes you, 850 Business Magazine will be available at your fingertips. Our new website (launching soon) will feature more commentary and stories about the people, issues and changes in Northwest Florida. And it’s designed with a revolutionary interface that automatically adapts our pictures and stories to be easily viewable on any size mobile device — phone, tablet or laptop. So, say goodbye to pinching and zooming, and say hello to the new 850businessmagazine.com.

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The new 850 Business Magazine website �—� helping you do business in Northwest Florida » Resources for businesses, with archives on Finance, Human Resources, Management and more

» Breaking news stories and updates from our team of reporters, editors and photographers

» A new “Deal Estate” section, with property listings and information about buying and selling real estate

» A searchable archive of past 850 Business Magazine issues

» Dynamic photo galleries showcasing our area’s emerging and established business leaders

» Our latest digital flipbook

» An all-new searchable and sortable guide to the top dining establishments across the region

» Plus, more stories, commentary, photos and exclusive behind-thescenes web content Current. Quotable. Well Read.

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forgotten coast Corridor

Gulf, Franklin + Wakulla Counties

Carrabelle Dreamin’ A California transplant adapts to doing business the Northwest Florida way

By Lazaro Aleman

I

f you’re a foodie, coffee connoisseur, memorabilia junkie or simply someone who enjoys sampling local flavors when traveling, the Carrabelle Junction may be just your kind of place.

Located a half block north of coastal U.S. 98 on Tallahassee Street in the heart of historic Carrabelle, the Junction — as locals call it — is a combination coffee shop/ice cream parlor/ sandwich deli and neighborhood hangout, overlaid with a funky 40s/50s/60s vintage motif.

The name, incidentally, derives from the establishment’s location at the juncture of U.S.98 and State Road 67, roadways that connect to Tallahassee.

To say the Junction’s fare is atypical of small-town eateries is an understatement. Here you’ll find a fry-free menu largely consisting of hot and cold deli sandwiches, garnished with the likes of basil mayonnaise, horseradish, avocados and sprouts. You find also a selection of fresh-baked goods and gourmet coffees, not to mention old-timey treats like soda floats, milk shakes, glass-bottled soda pop and egg cream. The last is an East Coast concoction originally made with egg whites, but today made with milk, chocolate syrup and seltzer.

“It’s like carbonated chocolate milk,” explains Junction proprietor Ron Gempel, adding that anyone familiar with the drink will respond with joy to its availability.

Gempel, who opened the Junction in 2001, is a San Francisco transplant with a penchant for philosophy and a knack for storytelling and self reflection. Variously described in online restaurant reviews as “a leftover hippy,” “a hoot” and “a curmudgeon,” the 70-year-old Gempel is more a bon vivant and raconteur, if with strong views on cell phone manners. He doesn’t tolerate customers ordering while talking simultaneously on their cell phones. Which may explain the curmudgeon epithet.

As for the eatery, the reviews generally give it high marks, ascribing to it such appellations as “top notch,” “a great find” and “worth the stop.” Trust that the food is good, the service friendly and personal, the atmosphere informal and relaxed, the prices reasonable and the ambiance nostalgia steeped.

And yes, free Wi-Fi is available.

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The Wi-Fi aside, however, stepping into the Junction is like entering a time warp, with its black/white checkerboard floor, its eclectic assortment of castoff, if authentic, furnishings (including two church pews and a high-top table with a fake palm tree rising almost to the ceiling from its center), and its hodgepodge of bric-a-brac, collectibles and other popular culture detritus from the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, including classic pop icons, vintage bottles, signature souvenirs and relic equipment.

Look around and you see an ancient Coke machine in a corner, a pay telephone against the wall, a genuine traffic light hanging from the ceiling, a hand-turned coffee grinder on a shelf and a juke box in front of the counter sporting a selection of songs straight from a 50s/60s hits parade. Don’t be surprised either to hear playing over the restaurant’s sound system the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Louie Armstrong, Elvis Presley or the Beatles.

A lifetime collector who considers himself more a preservationist, Gempel derives pleasure from customers’ reaction to his treasures.

“I enjoy when people go, ‘My gosh! I haven’t seen that in years,’ ” Gempel says. “That’s a big part of it. People like it because it reminds them of a time when there were just as many problems in the world, but we didn’t know it.”

A South Floridian from West Palm Beach originally, Gempel migrated to San Francisco during the tumultuous ’60s, when the Bay City was a counterculture Mecca.

“That was a draw, absolutely,” Gempel says.

For 20 years he owned and operated a neighborhood coffee/sweets shop in Potrero, a section of San Francisco that underwent gentrification during his time there.

“When I moved into the neighborhood, people would say, ‘Oh my God, you live there!’ ” Gempel says. “And then 10 or 15 years later it was, ‘Oh my God, you live there!’ Same house, same neighborhood.”

His sale of the Potrero shop was a spur-of-the-moment decision. He had received and dismissed purchase offers over the years. One day, however, a fellow asked how much he would take for the business and Gempel quoted a figure, thinking that would end the matter. Instead, the would-be buyer said, “Okay.”

Earning Acceptance Ron Gempel is a San Francisco transplant who opened his eclectic Carrabelle eatery 12 years ago. The atypical menu, which includes sprouts but not fries and vintage collectibles, draw customer raves and loyalty.

Photos by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

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“I kind of put myself in a corner and decided that was all right too,” Gempel says.

His equally off-the-cuff plan for what to do afterwards involved hitching his boat to his van and rambling around the country. First, however, he decided to visit his mother in West Palm Beach.

“I ended up staying there a year, taking care of her and burying her,” Gempel says. “None of which was in the plan. And then, having a brother in West Palm and another in Woodville, I suddenly got an attack of family and decided that maybe I should live closer. And basically I left San Francisco, which I never thought I would do.

But then, I was never this old before either, which changes things.”

What attracted him to Carrabelle was its resemblance to the West Palm Beach of his childhood.

“That’s one of my ironies,” Gempel says. “I couldn’t stand West Palm Beach when I was kid because it was too small, and now I can’t stand it because it’s too big.”

He quickly learned, as most transplants do, that Carrabelle, like most small towns, has its own internal rhythms and social protocols, and that acceptance must be earned. Overall, however, he has acclimated to the culture and learned to adapt and even adopt some of the local ways.

“Bridges have been crossed in both directions, and I have some extremely good friends and friendships here,” Gempel says.

He sees three basic types inhabiting the town: natives; newcomers with a mindset to change or upgrade everything; and outsiders like himself, who appreciate what’s there and want to embrace it.

Call Gempel a reconstructed outsider, given that by his own admission, he originally came with ideas of enlightening the locals. Coming to terms with his error was part of the learning curve as a small businessman.

“I thought I was going to be somewhat of a savior to the people here, in terms of bringing them real coffee,” says Gempel, whose original idea was to establish purely a coffee shop. “And I was 180 degrees wrong. After about four months of saying, ‘No I don’t have sandwiches, I have coffee,’ I figured perhaps I should have sandwiches. It’s really that simple. I brought a San Francisco perspective to Carrabelle, and that was wrong.”

With time, the Junction has developed a core of loyal customers that consists of locals, transplants and travelers.

“To a large extent, I depend on people coming into town,” Gempel says. “Carrabelle’s pretty much a wide swath in the road on the way to somewhere else. Over the years, however, we’ve developed a core of people who know to stop and get their coffee and sandwiches here. I now have a word-of-mouth reputation that hardly a week

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A Great Home Base Reminiscent of the West Palm Beach of his youth, Gempel has adapted to Carrabelle’s small town ways — and both he and Carrabelle Junction are here for the long run.

goes by when somebody doesn’t walk in and say, ‘My friends in Georgia or Tallahassee or wherever said to come here.’ ” Establishing that customer base wasn’t easy or promising initially; it entailed a learning curve both for Gempel and his customers.

“When I first did coffee here, people would ask for a cappuccino and say, ‘This is horrible,’ ” Gempel says. “Because they were used to going to the gas station, putting a cup under a machine and getting that sort of sugary milk whatever.

I don’t want to say I’ve educated people, but I’ve exposed people to things, and I have local people now who drink lattes or cappuccinos.”

It was likewise with the food.

“When I started doing sandwiches, no one knew what sprouts were, no one wanted avocados and basil mayonnaise would scare people away,” Gempel says. “I was baking fresh blueberry muffins and people would say, ‘You got donuts?’ My concept, when I started doing food, was to find a niche that was different from what everybody else did. Which eliminates some customers but also entices others.”

A continuing drawback is the restaurant’s poor visibility from Highway 98, a situation compounded by the limited advertising possibilities.

“By law, I can’t have a sign on the highway,” Gempel says. “Like so many things, it’s a yinyang thing. The concept to keep the highway green I basically agree with. I hate to see billboards coming in. But for a small business guy

trying to make it in a really small situation, it’s that much more difficult.”

All things considered, however, Gempel is satisfied with the way things have turned out.

“I didn’t come here thinking I was going to create a revolution or make a fortune,” he says.

“I was hoping to make a living, and that’s about what you can do here, using the term ‘living’ loosely. If you were to take my business and look at it strictly in terms of an accountant, you would have closed it long ago.”

So what does he get out of it?

“Everything besides money,” Gempel says.

“Part of it, it’s my movie. It’s not a very big movie, but it’s my movie. I consider it my art in one level. It’s a piece of conceptual art that people come in and out of. And there are a lot of folks who are appreciative of it, in terms of their patronage, and that’s nice too. You give people something that’s a little different, and you get a lot back from it. I enjoy the process as much as I enjoy the product.”

Is he then in Carrabelle for the long run?

“I never say never, but yeah,” Gempel says. “The fact I’ve already been here 10 years amazes me. But the nice thing about Carrabelle is that it’s a great home base. I try to sky out of here periodically and get some civilization, get some grit and gas, as they say. I still have to make it to New Orleans or Savannah or even back to San Francisco. But you get ensconced here and wrapped up in not being wrapped up. It’s a very easy pace. I can almost see the river from my front porch. And I can walk out on a beach that people drive hundreds of miles and spend thousands of dollars to do what I can do every day.”

PRESENTING

DEAL ESTATE A NEW ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITY FOR THE REAL ESTATE MARKET

The real estate market is returning, foreclosures are down, the coast is hot again and investors are on the hunt. In the June-July issue, 850 Business Magazine launches a new editorial department called “Deal Estate,” dedicated solely to residential and commercial real estate in Northwest Florida.

Packed with timely information that appeals to potential buyers, sellers and investors — and readers who just like to keep up with the market — Deal Estate will appear in every issue of 850 Magazine and be featured on the new 850businessmagazine.com.

Strategically position your company and take advantage of this new advertising opportunity by calling us at 850-878-0554.

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BAY Corridor

Panama City, Panama City Beach + Bay County Counties

So You Want to Sell Your Novel New York Times best-selling author shares how she did it, what she learned and how new authors can get published

By Wendy O. Dixon

Selling Romance Award-winning writer Gloria Skinner, AKA Amelia Grey, at her Panama City Beach home, where she recently finished her 25th book, “The Rogue Steals a Bride.”

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Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

H

er colorful characters have names like Lady Rosabelle, daughter of the Duke of Windergreen; Viscount Judson Allan Brentwood; and Harrison, Duke of Thornwick. She writes of British nobles — barons, earls and dukes, and uses a captivating mix of passion, suspense and a touch of mystery. True to the romance genre, she follows the fairytale formula of boy meets girl. They fall in love, they break up and then get back together. In each of her books, the tried and true element of conflict occurs. Ultimately, the couple must overcome obstacles to reach a happily ever after.

The most popular genre of fiction in American publishing, romance novels account for over half of all paperback fiction books sold in the U.S. and generate more than $1.5 billion dollars annually. Best selling author Gloria Skinner says romance fiction never goes out of style, and the insatiable appetite for this type of fiction means that even in a dire economy, romance sells.

“It’s easy to throw it in the shopping cart in the drug store or grocery store,” Skinner says. “Many are only $4.95, so it’s easy to include it in your weekly budget, unlike a $25 hard cover. And now some e-books are even cheaper.”

Skinner, known by her nom de plume Amelia Grey, has published 24 romance novels under both signatures, and made quite a name for herself in the genre, earning the 2012 Best Regency Romance Award from the Golden Quill Contest and the 2012 Booksellers Best Award. Both are internationally recognized published authors’ contests held by Romance Writers of America. When people learn of her successful career in romance fiction, their own story pitches come flying at her. “At almost every cocktail party I attend, someone will say to me, ‘I’ve always wanted to write a book.’ ” Those people don’t usually have the time or discipline to sit at a desk for six to eight hours to write that book, she

guesses. “But so many more people are writing now,” she says. “Because they can easily publish and upload their book themselves on e-readers.”

As the morning sunlight lazily drifts through the large window in her cheery office, with its soft white walls and shelves, plush chairs and light wood furniture, there’s a romantic air about the room, reflecting the light and delicate physical traits of the author who spends her days writing about love during the English Regency period, a short time period spanning from 1811 to 1821. The switch in subgenres from American History to Regency catapulted her career into high gear, and prompted her editor to suggest a more British sounding pen name — Amelia Grey.

Switching subgenres entailed a lot of additional work, including extensive research on clothing styles, names, customs and common language of the Regency period. “My last 11 books have been in only that time period, so I’ve done a lot of research from that period.” For “A Gentleman Never Tells,” Grey (a name Skinner now prefers to use) chose two dogs to play prominent roles in the book. “So I had to research the types of dog breeds that were popular from that time period,” she says. “For ‘A Gentleman Says I Do,’ I wanted to write about the daughter of a poet, so I referenced poets of that period.”

But she admits to using creative grammatical license for the sake of the modern reader. “You can’t make the writing stilted,” Grey explains. “People don’t like to read the way they spoke back then, very proper and with few contractions.” Her readers are savvy and quick to point out any factual errors. “I get letters from fans when I make mistakes and they catch them,” she laughs. “Sometimes they don’t catch them.”

Like most successful writers, Grey’s first manuscript was rejected again and again. “When I finished my first

Tips from a best-selling author:

» W hat are the hot genres today? Paranormal is hot now — vampires, werewolves and shape shifters. I don’t care for it, reading it or writing it.

» H ow should an author decide what to write? Write what you love to read. Sometimes in fiction books, people are unhappy. I want a happy ending, so I write romance.

» B iggest mistakes? I fired an agent that I shouldn’t have fired. There are always things you could have done, more promotion, for example, so you learn as you go.

» D o you ever meet someone and decide to use their name in one of your books? Always, (but) never the first and last name together. I love names like Mirabella and Caramarina. In “A Gentleman says I Do,” the protagonist is named Catalina because her father was a poet, so he would have given her a poetic name.

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book, I didn’t know that I didn’t know how to write, so I sent it to publishers and was promptly rejected. I got a lot of rejection letters,” she says. Meantime, she attended every workshop and conference within driving distance, and five years after finishing her first attempt at writing, she landed her break. She won first place in a writing contest and was spotted by an agent while accepting the award. “And that launched my career.”

A firm believer in entering contests to get published, Grey recommends that unpublished authors take advantage of them for exposure. “Writing organizations have many national conferences, workshops and contests where the agents and editors are the judges,” she explains. “If you’re unpublished, they’re probably going to want to see the full book first. But once you’re published, you can send a query to agents and editors.” To her editor, Grey now only writes a brief explanation in a couple of paragraphs on what each book is about.

Alas, Grey doesn’t choose the lustful heart-stopping male models or come-hither ladies who are forever locked in an impassioned, hungry embrace on her book covers.

“The artwork on the covers is completely up to the publisher; the authors have very little say on the cover,” she says. “Years ago when I started, they had models and would actually paint the covers, but now they only take pictures of the models and build the scenery around it with graphic design.”

Grey’s 25th book, “The Rogue Steals a Bride,” is the final book in the Rogues’ Dynasty series, telling of the darkly handsome and intriguing Matson Brentwood, who meets Sophia Hart, the lovely, red-haired beauty who has captured his heart. Look for it in July 2013.

Dos and Don’ts from a Best-Selling Author Do • Think about your story for a long time • Establish a character on the first page • Plunge your reader into conflict right away • Give the hero or heroine the promise of romance early in the book • Remember your characters’ personalities; no two people talk alike

Tuesdays at 8PM

Don’t • Start the story with a flashback, start the story where the story starts • Write in a lot of happiness; readers get bored with too much happiness • Make emotional scenes long or chatty • Throw logic out the window for the sake of drama

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• Forget to read — all kinds of books

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Capital Corridor

Gadsden, Jefferson + Leon Counties

Framing Their Way To Success

Local firms provide artwork for hotels across the globe

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tep into the lobby of almost any major chain hotel and you’re likely to encounter an appreciable degree of ambiance and refinement, conveyed in no small part by the wall décor. Hoteliers, in fact, seek to enhance your visiting experience by accenting lobbies, hallways and rooms with a variety of artwork, mirrors and photography that set a tone or establish a motif. Nor is the trend limited to the hospitality industry; many corporate, healthcare and government facilities likewise employ wall décor to one degree or other to enrich and make their environments more pleasant.

Two Northwest Florida companies that cater to the wall décor niche market are Kaleidoscope Limited and P.S. Art, in Gadsden and Jefferson counties, respectively. The two companies, amicable competitors whose histories are intertwined, are manufacturers

Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

Décor Connoisseurs Carrie and Stuart Rubenstein left behind their corporate jobs with AT&T in London to purchase Kaleidoscope in 2005. They see themselves as art consultants, providing services from initial design to installation.

of framed art pieces and custom-built mirrors.

Their services, however, extend beyond mere manufacturing to encompass design and frame consulting, and in the case of Kaleidoscope, actual installation of the finished pieces.

Together, the two multimillion dollar companies employ 61 workers and ship their products nationally and internationally. Indeed, the list of their clients includes such well-known hotel brands as Hilton, Sheraton, Embassy Suites and Holiday Inn, as well as many corporate offices, major hospitals and U.S. air bases, the latter in countries like Spain, Portugal, Japan and South Korea. The one major difference between the

two enterprises is that where P.S. Art focuses almost exclusively on the hospitality industry, Kaleidoscope also serves the commercial, healthcare and government sectors.

How it works: Kaleidoscope and P.S. Art partner with nationwide intermediaries — namely design firms and distributors — which in turn deal directly with the hotels, hospitals and other end customers, soliciting the business and finalizing the job orders. The two companies then help develop products that best meet the customers’ requirements and pocketbooks.

Ultimately, they produce and ship the orders.

“We’re basically an assembly plant,” says David Woodyard, owner/president of P.S. Art. “The frames, prints, substrates and glass come in, and we provide the labor to assemble all these components into the desired finished product.

That entails matting the art, putting frames around it, boxing it, preparing it for shipment and shipping it.”

Woodyard is feeling particularly buoyant this day, having just landed an order for 575 framed art pieces for a Hard Rock Hotel in Cancun, Mexico.

“This is something I’ve worked on about six months with my distributor in North Carolina,” he happily relates.

Stuart Rubenstein, who with wife, Carrie, owns and operates Kaleidoscope (she is president and he vice president), offers that theirs is likewise a high-volume operation, if with a personal touch.

“The way I like to describe it is that we combine the quality of the local framer with the capacity and capability to do really big projects,” Rubenstein says. “All our stuff is done by hand, just as if you took your mat or frame to a local framer. We use the same techniques. We’re just set up to do large volumes.”

Both companies’ websites display extensive collections of readily available artwork and frames, as well as providing links to publishers’ websites with even more selections. It’s safe to say that the choices are almost limitless, allowing for every conceivable design, pattern and style — from contemporary to classical to abstract to representational — and featuring every subject imaginable, be it animate or inanimate, fanciful or realistic.

Kaleidoscope additionally works with a group of select artists and photographers who can turn out custom projects on demand.

“If you have to have photos of St. Marks, for example, we can get one of our photographers to shoot the lighthouse, shoot the bay — whatever you want,” Rubenstein says.

Tour the two operations’ expansive facilities — Kaleidoscope’s in Midway is 22,500 square feet and P.S. Art’s in Monticello is 48,000 square feet — and you find clean, orderly and wellorganized work environments, with nicely furnished and art-decorated offices (naturally), large production and shipping areas, and stateof-the-art equipment.

The very facilities are testament to the two companies’ tremendous growth in relatively recent years. When Woodyard (formerly manager of a manufacturing division in the Wrangler Blue Jeans Corporation) purchased P.S. Art in 1990, the operation was housed in a former bottling factory in Monticello and numbered three employees, counting Woodyard. Today, P.S. Art numbers 43 employees, and its physical plant has undergone four expansions since moving to the industrial park in 1992. The company, incidentally, was started in 1986 by the daughter of the couple who founded Kaleidoscope in 1980.

As for Kaleidoscope, which the Rubensteins purchased in 2005, it was housed almost since its inception in a small, metal building in the tiny rural community of Lamont in Jefferson County.

In 2010, the Rubensteins moved the operation to a modern facility in Midway, prompted in large part by the need for additional space.

Kaleidoscope currently employs 18 people and looks to hire more in the near future.

Interestingly, the Rubensteins, both of whom previously worked for AT&T in London, purchased Kaleidoscope as an act of self determination.

“When you work for a big corporation, you see a lot of downsizing and changes,” Rubenstein says. “We decided we’d rather control our destiny. So when this opportunity came up, we said let’s take the chance and leave the safety of the corporate world.”

Rubenstein laughs in appreciation of the statement’s irony, given the economic

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uncertainty of recent times. He admits the last several years have been “challenging” — a sentiment Woodyard shares.

“The recession hit us later than most,” Woodyard says. “Most people would say it started in 2007, but 2008 was a banner year for us.

The difficult years were 2009 and 2010.”

P.S. Art’s figures graphically depict the story.

From peak sales of 162,000 pieces of art and mirrors in 2008, production plummeted to 85,000 by 2010 as hotel room occupancy rates faltered and construction of new facilities practically ceased in the grip of the recession. Recovery, however, appears to be on the horizon for both companies.

“It’s a low trajectory, but we’re coming out of the recession,” Woodyard says. “My customers are telling me the same thing. They see growth, but it’s slow.”

Rubenstein agrees.

“We’re actually seeing some strong growth this year,” he says. “It could be up to 30 percent over last year. I think the silver lining, if there is one to this recession, is that at some point there will be a flood of new work when things eventually get closer to normal, because many people who have held off renovating will say, ‘Okay, we’ve got to do it now.’ ” As in every other field, computerization and automation have greatly enhanced the two companies’ capabilities, concurrently raising the level of the job skills required.

“We’re not a cookie cutter place anymore,” Woodyard says. “When I started, everything we did was the same size and frame; we just changed the pieces of art and that was it; but not anymore.”

Granted, the two companies still largely utilize mass-produced artwork, but the quality and presentation of the finished products are now much more sophisticated. The mediums of expression also have become more varied, with such developments as the use of digitally-enhanced canvases that are then wrapped around frames or hardboards to approximate gallery pieces, and the imprinting of artwork directly onto acrylic or aluminum surfaces. Mirrors also come in a greater variety of sizes, shapes and designs. And photography has come to the forefront, at least where Kaleidoscope is concerned.

“The trend has been toward more photography,” Rubenstein says. “When we bought the business it was probably 80 percent posters; now, it’s 80 percent photography.”

The transformations in the types and quality of products reflect changes in their customers’ industries. Woodyard recalls when hoteliers barely provided art or mirrors in their establishments, and what few items they provided tended to be of inferior quality. Then one of the higherend hotel chains began upgrading its master plan, and the trend spread.

“It’s a keeping up with the Joneses’ thing,” Woodyard says. “And it’s been a boon for us,

Mirror, Mirror David Woodyard, owner of P.S. Art, said his business philosophy is, “If you want it, we’ll do it.” Over the years, mirrors and photography have become more popular.

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“When I started, everything we did was the same size and frame; we just changed the pieces of art and that was it; but not anymore.”

David Woodyard, owner/president of P.S. Art because we got in on the ground floor. It’s not your father’s Oldsmobile anymore, as they say.

And everybody just followed the trend, even the guy in the small economy unit.”

Rubenstein offers a similar example from the health care industry.

“Certainly the hospitals and healthcare facilities understand that the physical environment has an impact on how patients perceive the quality of health care,” he says. “The type of art you have on the wall doesn’t dictate the quality of the facility, but in the patients’ minds and perceptions, it has an effect. So when they survey patients and ask, was the place calm, soothing and peaceful? The physical environment influences the scores.”

As for the future, Woodyard plans to continue doing what has proven successful.

“I think we do a good job of being a low-cost provider with multiple options,” Woodyard says.

“Our basic philosophy has been, ‘If you want it, we’ll do it’. So I think working with these 20 to 25 distributors over the years, they know they can come to me and if it’s something special, we’ll work on it. That’s how we stay in business; if somebody wants it, we’ll find a way to do it.”

The Rubensteins’ game plan is similar, if with a slight variation: they want to broaden their company’s appeal.

“Basically, what we do is wall décor,” Rubenstein says. “That’s the direction we’re trying to take the company actually. We’ve tried to broaden the business model to say, we’re not just a framing company. We’re almost more like an art consultant company; we do everything, from the initial design all the way to the installation. Yes we have the manufacturing facility, but we do a lot more.”

Personalized service, a willingness to customize products and adherence to high standards are Kaleidoscope and P. S. Art’s proven framework for success.

Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

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 FORT WALTON BEACH

TOM & PEGGY RICE, PROPRIETORS

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(850) 302-0266

www.magnoliagrillfwb.com 850 Business Magazine

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EMERALD COAST Corridor

Coastal Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa + Walton Counties

Five-star Service Russell & Russell tap resources, global experience for hospitality clients

By Zandra Wolfgram

T

he Emerald Coast may be a thriving tourist destination, but a tour along Highway 98 does not include many fullservice brand hotels … yet. Business partners and luxurybrand hoteliers John Russell and Scott Russell hope to have a (white-gloved) hand in shaping the future of hospitality in the area. And for these hotel industry veterans, the future is now.

“The hotel market is underserved here, and we think that’s going to change. We would be well positioned to be on the ground with our background in the industry to assist those new developments,” John Russell says. “We can ensure those operations have success, and therefore those visitors have a great experience, which brings even more business to the area,” Scott Russell adds.

John, 56, and Scott, 51, founded their Emerald Coast-based hospitality management company, Russell & Russell, in March 2012. The former executives of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort are not related, but after working together on and off for 15 years the congenial colleagues are as close as brothers. A tag-team approach to their consulting businesses allows each to make good use of their measurable hotel experience gained from 30-year careers highlighted by leadership roles at Ritz-Carlton. John tackles property management operation issues and number crunching, while Scott primarily focuses on building integrated sales and marketing strategies and mapping out the resources needed to deploy them.

For clients like Keith Howard, president and chief executive officer of the Howard Group, which owns and operates both the Courtyard

by Marriott Sandestin and Residence Inn by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard, a firm like Russell & Russell elevates the entire destination. “John and Scott give us a much higher level of experience in the hospitality area. To have them come here with their Ritz-Carlton experience isn’t something we were attracting even a few years ago. There is a lot of opportunity in and outside of this market for them, and we are thrilled they have offices right here in Grand Boulevard and look forward to watching them grow.”

The “If You Build It They Will Come” mentality is one neither Russell subscribes to. Keeping a hotel full calls for hands-on professionals with five-star experience. “Sure anyone can open a hotel and have success, but not many know how to create a culture of service to compete at

the highest levels … that’s where we can be of service,” John offers. “You have to understand both the customer and the market, and that we do.”

They also understand that “who you know” can literally open doors, putting a start-up business on the fast track. “I feel the biggest asset anyone has is their circle of influence,” Scott says. “I was able to maintain a very strong circle of influence nationally, so when word got out that I was forming my own company, work followed.”

The word definitely got to Kate Harth, senior vice president of sales and revenue management for Morgan’s Hotel Group based in New York. Harth has known Scott Russell for more than 10 years. And when this hotel heavy hitter needed a “deep dive” look at the ROI (return on investment) for her global sales organization, she says there was only one person in her Rolodex she trusted for the task. “I have been in this business for 25 years, so I could have called a lot of people.

I called Scott, because I knew I would get results, communication and candor,” she says.

Beyond the bottom line there is one particular intangible highly valued by hotel executives such as Harth: the human element. “We have a great relationship; Scott is able to be an extension of our team. He is able to wear the Morgan’s Hotel group hat, because he knows the business,” Harth says.

Making a human connection is what attracted both Scott and John to hospitality careers.

Interestingly, but maybe not surprisingly, it was a false start for both of them. For Scott, working in personnel became way too personal, leading to sleepless nights over fellow employee issues. He tried on sales and found a better fit. He also found success; quickly moving up through the ranks of Ritz-Carlton to an executive role responsible for sales and training worldwide.

For hands-on John, the “desk job” kept him from the very folks he wanted to relate to. He found more sure footing to his career path after landing a spot in the esteemed Hyatt Hotels Management Training Program. It clearly suited him. Out of a 275-member class, he was the first to be promoted to general manager. It was a role he served in eight of the 19 hotels he worked in during his three-decade career, which took him to Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Savannah (twice), New York City and even a few plum overseas spots such as Bali, where he first met Scott, who was vacationing at the Ritz-Carlton there.

“They play off of each other well.

Scott sells the dream, and John works the nightmare.”

Matt Lindley, management consultant for Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club

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White-Gloved Tag Team Scott Russell (left) and John Russell, shown at Vue on 30A in Santa Rosa Beach, combine experience from their 30-year careers to create a “culture of service to compete at the highest levels.”

Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

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Though travel is a true passion for Scott, this globetrotter admits one of the attractions to relocate to the Emerald Coast was the opportunity to decrease his time on the road and increase time with his family, who lives in Baton Rouge. Still, he is grateful for the career opportunities that have exposed him to diverse world cultures and shaped him into a forward thinker. “When you are trained in a corporate culture, you are not worried about today, you are thinking about the years ahead. And that is still what drives me and gives me the impetus to stay ahead,” Scott explains. “If we are not on top of what’s going in our industry, we don’t have value for our customers.”

Russell & Russell is clearly focused on what business owners value most: results. Since forming in March 2012, the duo claim all of their clients have enjoyed double-digit revenue increases. On their satisfied local client list is Matt Lindley, a management consultant for Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club, who hired Russell & Russell to rebrand and market the Club last summer. “The creative is fresh and different, but still applicable to the brand of the club. We got a great return on all of our promotions and ad placements, and we are up 45 percent in revenue, so the numbers speak for themselves,” Lindley says.

Positive ledgers also speak to a seamless partnership, which Lindley sums up this way: “They play off of each other well. Scott sells the dream, and John works the nightmare.”

Though single minded in their business goals, the two friends with the same last name are distinctly different. John is an avid reader and sportsminded Midwesterner, who lives to work but is happy to hunker down at home with his wife and dogs. Scott, on the other hand, is a party-giver and musical theater junkie who bought a second house to hold his frequent family visitors.

He works to live. Both share a passion for great hotels, good wine and being engaged in the community, including work with the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, which John serves as president.

The stakes are high for any new start-up business, but for John — an ardent student of author/speaker Steven Covey — it’s all in how you approach a challenge that defines a company’s culture. “There is a difference between stress and pressure. Stress is a negative, and pressure is a positive. I always saw my role to de-stress an environment, but to keep pressure on,” he says.

For Scott, the core of any successful individual or company comes down to one thing: branding. “A brand is a promise. I believe everything you do boils back to your brand, and if you truly understand the importance of branding, you’re going to be successful.”

To ensure success for Russell & Russell, John will employ his favorite adage: “Sign your work.” For this self-described workaholic, when you work, you should work hard, work smart and have pride in what you do.

“We’re going to give all we have, and at the end of it we’re going to feel good about it because it’s going to be good enough for our signature.”

“A brand is a promise.

I believe everything you do boils back to your brand, and if you truly understand the importance of branding, you’re going to be successful.”

Scott Russell

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

i-10 Corridor

Career Pathways

Alabama and Florida colleges get millions, making way for a newly educated rural workforce

By Wendy O. Dixon

I

n the manufacturing industry, a well-trained workforce means higher productivity, higher quality, higher profits and higher growth for the company. And that translates to more good-paying jobs for workers. The availability of skilled labor is one of the top concerns for manufacturing companies, especially those that want to expand or relocate their operations.

“Delivering a final product to the market does not begin or end with a machined part,” says Jason Gilmore, chief operating officer for Bonifay-based Manown Engineering. “We must continuously research and develop products that provide value to the end-user, have the capability to design tools, test the products’ effectiveness and create demand at the user level.”

In an effort to develop a future workforce and to meet emerging technical needs of manufacturing firms like Manown, the U.S. Department of Labor provided $500 million in grants to

community colleges and universities around the country for the development and expansion of innovative training programs. The grants are part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) initiative, which promotes skills development and employment, and will offer opportunities in fields such as advanced manufacturing, transportation and health care, as well as science, technology, engineering and math careers.

One of the approved grants went to the “Alabama/Florida Technical Employment Network (AF-TEN).” Targeting trade-impacted workers, as well as the region’s large population of veterans, the network will focus on areas of southern Alabama and Northwest Florida where many adults have difficulty earning a family-sustaining wage. The project will focus on emerging high-growth jobs such as welding,

electronics and other specialties in advanced manufacturing, and use online and hybrid learning, mobile welding units, simulation technologies and open educational resources to expand learning opportunities, particularly in rural areas and small towns where access to education is especially challenging.

Colleges in the consortium are Wallace Community College (the consortium leader) and Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Alabama, Chipola College, Northwest Florida State College and Pensacola State College in Florida.

“This strategic investment will enhance ties among community colleges, universities, employers and other local partners while ensuring that students have access to the skills and resources they need to compete for highwage, high-skill careers,” says U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

Promoting Skills, Providing Jobs A federally funded job training program at rural colleges will help companies like Manown Engineering in Bonifay find skilled workers. Shown here (left to right): Jason Gilmore, COO of Manown; Jason Hurst, executive vice president of Baccalaureate and Occupational Educational Programs at Chipola College; Cheri Gilmore, owner of Manown; and Darwin Gilmore, Manown president.

Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

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Florida Stats

Nearly 18,000 manufacturers in Florida employ more than 311,000 workers — or 5 percent of the state workforce. They produce 93 percent of Florida’s exported goods. Florida manufactured goods exports have grown 142.6 percent since 2000, according to Enterprise Florida. Northwest Florida has 850 traditional and advanced technology manufacturing companies and more than 25,000 employees.

The goal is to move graduates into employAccording to Workforce Florida, workers ment within six months, Solis adds. “We’re with a welding certificate can start out making confident this goal can be met. Many worknearly $17 per hour, and the state projects ers in Florida already have strong manufacannual growth of 13,500 jobs in advanced turing skills,” she says. “Some were laid off manufacturing and construction, with 75 when their factory closed or their jobs were percent requiring postsecondary training. The moved overseas through no fault of their Alabama Department of Industrial Relations own. These folks just need to learn about the (ADIR) lists welding among Alabama’s “Hot latest processes and innovations, so they can 40 Jobs,” with expected annual growth of more adapt their skills.” than 2 percent through 2018.

Gilmore says it is challenging to find appli“For our part, Northwest Florida State cants with even a working knowledge of the College will focus on expanding the supply shop floor at a production company, so the of advanced skill welders by offering a new grant isn’t expected to help immediately. “Our Applied Welding Technology program production demands can exceed our capabilidesigned to be delivered simultaneously to all ties practically overnight,” he adds. “If a cusof our service areas through use of videocontomer’s volume increases quickly, then adding ferencing and a state-of-the-art mobile weldswing shifts or second shifts may be the only ing lab,” says the college’s president, Ty Handy. way we can keep up.”

Lectures will be broadcast live from the main Consortium Leader: But because of the speedy training program, campus in Niceville to the other college locaWallace Community College: he does expect to see results in the near future. tions. The broadcast will be interactive, allow$3,466,011 “This consortium will play a major role in our ing students to ask questions, participate in Consortium members: region’s attractiveness,” he adds. “Besides proreal-time discussions and engage in other Chipola College: $1,552,236 viding students with specific skills that are in activities normally requiring two or more high demand locally, this grant’s curriculum people to be in the same room.

Lurleen B. Wallace Community will introduce them to unique demands of local “While the theoretical portion of weldCollege: $1,723,498 manufacturers. When we need employees, it is ing can be learned in the classroom, propNorthwest Florida State College: usually a ‘right now’ need. A basic understanderly developing welding skills requires $1,332,816 ing of the manufacturing industry should hands-on use of welding and welding-related shorten the time from entry level to operator.” equipment,” Handy adds. “The mobile weldPensacola State College: $2,008,675 As the consortium leader, Wallace ing lab will focus on ‘green’ welding strateThrough the initiative, each state plus the Community College is pleased with the gies and utilize training simulators to reduce District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will investment by the Department of Labor. wasteful use of supplies.” receive at least $2.5 million in dedicated “The colleges that form the AF-TEN network Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in funding for community college career believe that this will make an immediate Andalusia, Ala., will use the $1.7 million it will training programs. In total, 297 schools and positive impact to create highly skilled receive for a three-year mobile welding and will receive grants as individual applicants workers in a high demand area,” says Linda C. manufacturing technology project. or as members of a consortium. The Young, president of Wallace.

“We are proud to partner in the consortium grants include 27 awards to community Wallace will purchase a mobile welding and grateful for the federal grant funding,” says college and university consortia totaling unit designed to travel to remote areas that are the college’s president, Dr. Herb Riedel. “Our $359,237,048 and 27 awards to individual underserved in terms of traditional training. goal is to produce a highly-skilled workforce institutions totaling $78,262,952.

“The mobile unit will house green welding to meet the needs of business and industry.” simulation technology, which will give stuLBWCC’s portion will be used to purchase dents the basic skills necessary for entry into equipment, including six traditional welding this growing field,” says Young. “Mobile units can also be used for business stations and two virtual welding simulators, says Jimmy Hutto, associate and industry to train or retrain workers in the newest welding techniques.” dean of workforce development and adult education. The grant will also Chipola College will also provide a traveling welding lab and virtual cover salaries and professional development for a welding instructor, eleclectures for its students. “We are excited about the opportunities this protronics instructor, curriculum specialist and a career coach. gram will provide for the citizens in our district,” says Jason Hurst, executive For manufacturing firms like Manown, this means delivering a quality vice president of Baccalaureate and Occupational Educational Programs at product to clients who demand precision and a quick turnaround.

Chipola College. “Welding is a targeted occupation that offers high wages “Manufacturing will always require producing a quality product, controland excellent benefits for trained welders.” ling cost and constantly improving processes,” Gilmore says. “I sometimes The Chipola project will utilize online/hybrid learning, mobile welding wonder if there is anything more challenging in the manufacturing indusunits, simulation technologies and open education resources to expand try than developing a product that provides value to the end-user, a profit to learning opportunities, especially in rural areas. the distributor and sustainability for the company and its workers.”

Alabama/Florida Technical Employment Network Total Consortium Award Amounts

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BUSINESS NEWS

Capital

Hill for then-U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam while he was chairman of the House Republican Congress.

New Beginnings

>> Veteran lobbyist Jon B. Rawlson has started a new lobbying firm, Armory Hill Advocates, to work mostly for healthcare and nonprofit clients.

Rawlson previously was a lobbyist with Akerman Senterfitt and Baker Hostetler. The firm will have offices in Orlando, Tallahassee and Washington, and will focus on working for companies that make less than $300 million a year. Before working for Akerman Senterfitt, Rawlson led the state and federal government-relations team for PharMerica.

>> First Commerce Credit Union has named Kim Howes as Brand Manager. She has an extensive background in Marketing/Communications from various positions including VISIT FLORIDA, where her team won numerous accolades for promoting Florida tourism, the Florida Credit Union League and more. A longtime Tallahasseean, she was previously COO at LeadingAge Florida and Rowland Publishing. >> Kaye Scholer, a leading national law firm, has announced it will establish its new state-of-the-art operations center in Tallahassee, adding an estimated 100 jobs to the local economy. >> Patricia Greene has joined the government affairs team at the law firm of Metz Husband & Daughton, P.A., as a senior policy advisor who will represent clients before the legislative and executive branches of government.

greene >> Tallahassee-based ISF has formed a partnership with Sitefinity, a division of Telerik, an award-winning software development firm used by more than 100,000 companies. Jim Kallinger, has been brought on to the ISF team to lead the company’s management consulting services and public-private partnership initiatives. >> Kari Hebrank, a veteran lobbyist in the construction and housing industries, has joined Wilson & Associates, a full-service government affairs and association management firm in Tallahassee.

Hebrank will serve as vice president and focus on public policy issues related to housing, building materials, energy and utilities. >> Theresa “Cissy” Proctor, formerly of Bryant Miller Olive P.A., is now serving as deputy director of Legislative Affairs at the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Chad Poppell is the agency’s new chief of staff and Monica Russell is the new chief communications officer. Russell most recently was a partner at Tallahassee-based North Public Relations. >> Lobbyist Barney Bishop III has been named president and CEO of Florida Smart Justice Alliance. Bishop previously served as vice president of the group, which works to find ways to reduce costs in Florida’s justice system. Bishop has his own consulting firm, Barney Bishop Consulting, and until recently he headed up Associated Industries of Florida. The group also announced that Jim Debeaugrine, a longtime legislative staffer and former director of the Agency for Persons With Disabilities, will work on legislative proposals with Smart Justice Alliance. DeBeaugrine is now chief executive officer of RFJ Governmental Consultants. >> Andrea Becker has joined Smith, Bryan & Myers. Becker worked for three years on Capitol

>> Centennial Bank has promoted Khanty Xayabouth to retail banking leader for its Tallahassee market, taking over retail banking activities and branch banks in the area. Xayabouth previously served as senior branch manager for Premier Bank. >> Todd Sumner has established a new Tallahassee-based law office and will maintain his statewide environmental and land development practice. >> Former Department of Transportation legislative affairs staffer Toby Philpot has joined Health Management Associates as director of government relations for Florida. >> Dennis Mason has been named director of operations for Alchemy Spirits, Tallahassee’s only speakeasy, and its neighboring bar Midtown Filling Station. >> The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association has hired former Jacksonville television reporter Elizabeth Cate as its press secretary. >> Congratulations go out to those honored with recent promotions at the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce: Tracy Cornwell, senior manager, Operations and Fiscal; Bonnie Hutchinson, senior manager, Communications and Marketing; Dana Noles, vice president of Events; and Kara Palmer Smith, director, EDC Business Development. >> Florida TaxWatch has added Tamara Y. Demko, J.D., M.P.H., as executive director of the Florida TaxWatch Center for Health and Aging. >> Tallahassee’s newest restaurant, The Front Porch, has hired: Executive Chef Joe Rego (“Chopped Champion” on Food Network’s, Chopped); Sous Chef Kevin Suber; Lee Satterfield, manager; and Elise Hardy, business development manager.

Name Changes >> Ron Sachs Communications has changed its name to Sachs Media Group. >> Pennington, Moore, Wilkinson, Bell & Dunbar P.A. Attorneys at Law recently changed its firm name to simply Pennington.

Local Honors >> Capital Insurance Agency Inc. of Tallahassee, represented by its three partners, David Moore, Sr., Dalton Tate, Jr., and Dale Lauer, was inducted into the Multiple Line Hall of Fame at the awards night of the American National 2012 Professional Seminar in February. Moore, Tate and Lauer were presented the lifetime achievement recognition for their outstanding efforts in providing life insurance and annuity

SoundByteS products to the public and to employees of the State of Florida and their dedication on legislation concerning the insurance industry at the state and local levels.

In all, capital-area members received 17 awards at the event, which included awards to all four regional vice presidents, including Buck Miller and David Corbin of Tallahassee. >> William J. Dunaway, Scott A. Remington and Richard N. Sherrill with Clark Partington Hart Larry Bond & Stackhouse, which has law offices in Tallahassee, Destin and Pensacola, have received an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

AV Preeminent is the highest possible MartindaleHubbell peer review rating designation. >> Felicia Nowels, a shareholder with Akerman Senterfitt’s Government Affairs & Public Policy practice group and a member of the firm’s International and Latin America & the Caribbean practices, has become Board Certified in International Law by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education.

As a Board Certified International Lawyer, Nowels is specially qualified to deal with all aspects of issues arising from the relations between states, nations and international organizations, including business transactions, multinational taxation, customs and trade.

Appointed by Gov. Scott >> Dr. Christopher B. King, 56, of Tallahassee, an optometrist with South East Eye Specialists, to the Board of Optometry. >> David A. Konuch, 48, of Tallahassee, an attorney with the Florida Cable Telecommunications Association, to the E911 Board. >> Heidi A. Roeck-Simmons, 39, of Tallahassee, vice president of operations at Health Connections Rehab Services, to the Board of Occupational Therapy Pratice.

Emerald Coast New Beginnings >> Whitney Lee Ladwig has joined Proffitt PR as vice president of the company. Ladwig, 26, has been a Destin local since 2008.

She served for almost two years at Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village as the Events & Marketing manager and ladwig most recently held the position as director of Marketing at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa. >> Steve Hayes has been named the new vice president of tourism for the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce. He will oversee Visit Pensacola. Hayes most recently served as the executive vice president of Tampa Bay & Company, the official destination marketing organization for Tampa. >> Legendary Marine, Boating Industry magazine’s Dealer of the Year for North America and 850 Business Magazine

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BUSINESS NEWS

SoundByteS

the Gulf Coast’s largest boat dealership with sales and service locations in Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Panama City and Gulf Shores, Ala., has hired Bob Peavler as sales manager for the Destin dealership’s headquarters facility.

Peavler brings a strong resume in automotive sales management to the position and is a former professional golfer. >> Xiocom Wireless and 30A.com have a new distribution partnership.

Xiocom is the premier provider of wireless service to condominiums and other vacation rental buildings throughout Northwest Florida. Under terms of their new multi-year partnership, 30A.com created a special co-branded home page that now serves as the official welcome page and interactive guide for all Walton County visitors who access the Internet through Xiocom. >> Pleat & Perry P.A., a full service law firm with offices in Destin, Navarre and Rosemary Beach, has changed its name to Pleat, Perry & Ritchie, P.A., effective Jan. 1. The firm’s name change recognizes the many years of hard work, community service and leadership of partner William J. “West” Ritchie, who has been a partner since January 2005. Additionally, Robert R. “Bob” Klostermeyer has joined the firm’s Destin office. He will concentrate his practice areas in Community Association Law, Municipal Law, Civil Law and Juvenile Law. Robert G. Collins has joined the firm’s Navarre office. >> The Premier Property Group is proud to announce the addition of Realtor Jo Stewart, the top selling agent in the Sandestin community, to The Premier Property Group’s new Grand Boulevard family. >> 23 Whiskey Bravo Bistro & Bar, located along Scenic Highway 30A in Seagrove Beach, is proud to announce the recent hire of Executive Chef Alan Baltazar. He joins Director of Operations George Barnes, who joined the Whiskey Bravo team in December following a 13-year run with Smiling Fish Café.

Local happenings >> Homeowners of Seaside have formed The Homeowner’s Collection, a new vacation rental agency with a portfolio of 30 upscale beach homes, cottages and townhomes. The day-to-day operation of The Homeowner’s Collection is managed by a team of seasoned professionals led by hospitality industry veteran Amy Wise-Coble. >> My Vacation Haven, a full-service vacation rental management company located in Grand Boulevard at Sandestin® Town Center, has formed a new partnership with Select Properties, led by veteran real estate broker Joe Bracciale to expand its services to include real estate sales and long-term vacation rentals.

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>> The Pensacola Civic Center has changed its name to the Pensacola Bay Center. >> Warren Averett Asset Management LLC, a privately-owned wealth and asset management firm, has announced that Joseph McNair, CFP®, JD, CPA, has been authorized by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards as a certified financial planner.

Local Honors >> Gulf Power Company crews drove long hours, worked in high winds, rain and snow far away from home and their families in 2012. For their efforts, the company was selected as a winner of the Edison Electric Institute 2012 Emergency Assistance Award, which recognizes the company for its restoration support in the recovery from the June storm in Virginia and Hurricanes Isaac and Sandy. EEI is the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies. >> Tourism in Walton County is the primary measurement of the regional economy, and statistics establish more than 20 consecutive months of visitor growth. >> Seaside has been named the “Best Beach on Earth” for families by Travel + Leisure magazine. The magazine conducted its first-ever reader poll seeking to identify the world’s best beaches. Seaside was ranked No. 1 for families, noted for its bike-friendly sidewalks and streets, nearby amenities and casual dining options for the whole family to enjoy. >> Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa has received the 2013 WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Award™ for ceremony and reception venues in Florida’s Panhandle and Mobile, Ala. The award recognizes the top 5 percent of local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate

excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. The award is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from more than 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. >> Kathy Whidden of Emerald Coast Chiropractic recently won The James D. Neilson Sr. Chairman’s Award for Volunteer Service handed out by the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce. She was honored for unselfishly giving of her time and talents to assist in all aspects of Chamber events.

Business Person of the Year honors went to Capt. Kelly Windes, of Sunrise Charters and Destin Fishing Fleet Marina Inc. The Ann Gibson Community Service Award went to Kim Wintner, Alliance Association Management Co. Inc., for his tireless service to the community. Winner of the Paul Woolman Ambassador of the Year Award was Jennifer Harris Barrett of Acentria Inc. for her large role in the Chamber’s annual Member Appreciation Day, as well as assisting with events and ribbon cuttings throughout the year. >> Members of the newly installed Destin Chamber’s 2013 Executive Committee include Chairman Mary Anne Windes, Real Estate Professionals of Destin, Inc.; Chairman Elect Amy Perry, Pleat, Perry & Ritchie, P.A.; Immediate Past Chair Bill Lindsley, SimpleHR; Treasurer Shaun Eubanks; Vice Chairman/Communications & Marketing Julie Cotton, Northwest Florida State College; Vice Chairman/Community & Economic Development Karen McCarthy, Army Aviation Center Federal Credit Union; Vice Chairman/Membership Development Ken Wampler, Newman-Dailey Resort Properties, Inc.; and Vice Chairman/Harbor Association Jami Jones, Destin Charter Service. >> Gulf Breeze Hospital was recently named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® by Truven Health Analytics, formerly the healthcare business of Thomson Reuters. The study evaluates performance in 10 areas: mortality; medical complications; patient safety; average patient stay; expenses; profitability; patient satisfaction; adherence to clinical standards of care; postdischarge mortality; and readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure and pneumonia. >> The Andrews Institute’s Joshua G. Hackel, M.D., and Wayne Smith, DPT, ATC, SCS, have met the rigorous qualifications for certification by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography® and have been awarded the Registered in Musculoskeletal™ sonography credential. In recognition of being one of the first to take and pass the RMSK exam, they also have been recognized as pioneers in setting the standard of musculoskeletal (MSK) sonography practice worldwide. >> Theresa Stucki, paralegal at Pleat, Perry and Ritchie law firm, has been named to the Shelter House Inc. Board of Directors for 2013–14. The Shelter House Inc. is a not-for-profit organization serving the survivors of domestic violence and their children throughout Okaloosa and Walton counties.

Appointed by Gov. Scott >> Luke Hunt, Harold “Ed” Moore and Marjorie “Margie” Moore to the Pensacola State College District Board of Trustees. Hunt, 71, of Gulf Breeze, is a pastor at St. Ann’s Catholic Church. Harold Moore, 72, of Pensacola, is an attorney at Moore, Hill & Westmoreland PA. Marjorie Moore, 56, of Pensacola, is the senior vice president of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.

Forgotten Coast Appointed by Gov. Scott >> Tammy McKenzie, 48, of Crawfordville, owner of Progressive Pediatric Therapy and Developmental Center, to the Board of Occupational Therapy Practice.

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>> Summit Bank NA has named Clint Mizell as vice president and commercial relationship manager of its Panama City operations. >> Innovations FCU of Panama City has announced that President and CEO David Southall is an honorary member of the International Executive Volunteer Corps of the World Council of Credit Unions. The selection criterion for this distinction is to have demonstrated in the previous two years a commitment to furthering the World Council’s efforts in international credit union development.

Compiled by Linda Kleindienst

For more details on the event and ticket pricing offers, visit: www.chick-fil-aleadercast.com/location/tallahassee 850 Business Magazine

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The Last Word In 2010, Northwest Florida’s tourism industry had to face down the BP oil spill.

In 2013, another anchor of the region’s economy — the military — has its own nightmare to confront. It’s called sequestration. And its outfall may not be pretty.

No matter what your politics or who you want to blame, sequestration is going to hurt Northwest Florida — right in its pocketbook.

By the time this magazine gets into your hands, one can only hope that some compromises have been reached in Washington. But I’m not holding out great hope.

As we are going to print, the Navy has cancelled the public appearances of its crack flight team, the Blue Angels, for the rest of the fiscal year. No big deal you say? Tell that to communities like Pensacola that host hundreds of thousands of tourists each year at local air shows — many of those tourists coming to just get a glimpse of these daring and death-defying pilots who are such a great recruiting tool for the military.

The good news is that the Air Force appears be classifying the continued work on and flying of the F-35 to be too important to cut. That mission is critical to the continued success of Eglin Air Force Base.

HOWEVER, the military’s civilian employees across our region are facing furloughs that could cost them 20 percent of their salary.

It’s possible that these hard workers, our neighbors, could face one furlough day each week for up to 22 weeks. You don’t think that will have an impact on our local economy? Restaurants, chain stores, local mom and pop stores, the housing industry and tourism could all take a hit. And that would be a travesty after our region has bounced back from the oil spill debacle.

No matter what your politics, whether you lean left or right or are in the middle, this is another time for Northwest Florida to pull together and ask Congress to settle its differences and make sure the defense budget is funded. Think regionally. Think of the greater good for the 850 region.

We’d like to send a hearty “thank you” to Florida Voices for recognition of what 850 is trying to do for Northwest Florida.

At the risk of tooting our own horn, here are some excerpts from the commentary written by longtime Florida government observer Florence Snyder after reading “A Presidential Conversation” in our February/March issue:

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“850 calls itself ‘The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida,’ but Florida’s players and taxpayers call it required reading.

“850’s profile of Don Gaetz (R-Niceville) is one-stop shopping for anyone looking to get inside the head of the man who, as Senate President this year and next, can make or break the plots and plans of practically anybody .

“850’s contributing writer Kimberley K. Yablonski knows how to extract detailed answers to big ticket questions. Gaetz knows how to sprinkle his speech with spicy asides that alleviate reporter fatigue and reader boredom.

“Gaetz is not the first political power player to observe that ‘Florida’s economic policy (has been) to wait at the welcome station with a glass of free orange juice and a real estate map.’ But few have been willing to say for publication that ‘other states . . . got up earlier in the morning than Florida did and worked harder.’

“Yablonski’s Q & A format might look like slow-pitch softball, but it works better than ‘media availabilities’ in producing clues to what the Senate’s grinder-in-chief has in his recipe book as the legislative sausage-making season gets underway.”

Apalachicola Update Gov. Rick Scott is asking the Legislature this spring to provide some help to get Apalachicola’s oyster industry back on its feet.

850 highlighted the plight of the disappearing industry in the December/January issue. To counter the effects of the oil spill on our Forgotten Coast neighbors, he is asking lawmakers to set aside $3 million in water projects to enhance the water quality of the bay.

The budget request also includes up to $500,000 to fund an analysis of the river flows necessary to maintain estuarine resources.

State and local agencies are meanwhile working together on several local projects: moving oysters from poor growing areas to other sites, where the oysters can grow to a good size for oystermen to harvest; depositing processed oyster shell on depleted oyster reefs and bay bottom areas to provide a base for oyster larvae to attach and grow; and studying the decline of oysters in Apalachicola Bay to create short-term and long-term strategies for restoring oyster populations, with their first strategy report expected this spring.

For legislative updates, please “Like” 850 — The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida on Facebook.

LINDA KLEINDIENST, EDITOR lkleindienst@rowlandpublishing.com

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