850 Business Magazine- Fall 2018

SHIPPING MAGNET Wayne Stubbs and Port Panama City are attracting business with a new era of expansion

Friends Call Him Bobfish: Fisheries Association Director Casts Anchor Pawnbroker Mark Folmar Takes Pride in Exceeding Customers’ Expectations Oyster City Brewery Slakes Thirsts for Beers Crafted with a Bit of Honey

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FALL 2018

A product of Rowland Publishing, Inc.

SPECIAL REPORTS BAY COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

GADSDEN COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

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850 Magazine Fall 2018

IN THIS ISSUE Eric Grant, President of Municode

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56 50

PHOTOS BY SAIGE ROBERTS (56) AND JACK GARDNER (82)

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FEATURES Bobfish Bob Jones was living

in a cabin at a fish camp with his mother and siblings when his sister slipped from a dock and the landlord, a shrimper, saved the girl from drowning. From that point forward, Jones felt indebted to the shrimper and, by extension, to commercial fishermen, generally.

By all accounts, that debt has been repaid. By Steve Bornhoft

Law Books For decades,

In This Issue

Corridors

8 From the Publisher

I-10

16 Sound Bytes 106 The Last Word from the Editor

Departments 850 LIFE

14 Columbian-born Antonio Montoya checked into incubator space Domi Station in April as its executive director. In the few months since, Tallahassee has made a favorable impression on him.

Municode has been to local government as Hoyle’s has been to card games. The Tallahassee business, in print and digital formats, catalogs ordinances and codes without regard for whether they are enforced or ignored, archaic or contemporary. If they are on the books, they are in the books.

Special Sections

By Michael Moline

61 Familiarize yourself with some of the leading professionals in our area, representing a variety of disciplines and specialties. We summarize the credentials and experience that makes them highly reputable and highly regarded.

On the Cover: Director Wayne Stubbs has coaxed Port Panama City along to the point where its continuing viability is assured. Photo by Todd Douglas

DEAL ESTATE

47 Featured properties include a Gulf-front village and an optimally situated commercial building in downtown Tallahassee.

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BAY COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

For Bay County, 2018 has been a banner year.

Economic development chief Becca Hardin and the local Economic Development Alliance have announced plans by a call center, an aerospace contractor and an auto parts manufacturer to set up shop in Bay County. Port Panama City secured $10 million in Triumph Gulf Coast money to help pay for a wood products warehouse and other improvements.

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FORGOTTEN COAST

84 Clayton Mathis, the head brewer at Oyster City Brewing in Apalachicola, rarely has time to throw back a few cold ones. He’s kept busy satisfying the growing demand for his award-winning Hooter Brown Ale and other favorites, including Mill Pond Dirty Blonde and Tate’s Hell Lager.

CAPITAL

PROFESSIONAL PROFILES

Special Reports

82 The arrival of Allegiant Airlines at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) immediately accounted for an 18-percent jump in passenger traffic and contributed to making VPS the fastest growing airport in the country. With five new destinations, the airport is putting heads in beds.

86 Pawn shops may be seen as unseemly places, so Mark Folmar adopted a slogan, “More than you expect,” for his shop 10 years ago and set about living up to it. His department store-like business has separate rooms for guns, jewelry, musical instruments and electronics.

GADSDEN COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

There was a time, not so long ago, when Gadsden County was known to site selectors primarily as a place with available land, low tax rates and a relatively streamlined permitting process.

Its reputation is changing as the county works to add assets and become a significant logistical hub. Newly arrived employers are fueling optimism, industrial parks are on the drawing boards and inter-county cooperation is paying dividends.

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850 THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA

Fall 2018

Vol. 11, No. 1

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BRIAN E. ROWLAND EDITORIAL EDITOR Steve Bornhoft MANAGING EDITOR Pete Reinwald STAFF WRITER Hannah Burke CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lazaro Aleman, Kari C. Barlow, CD Davidson-Hiers, Steve Dollar, Erin Hoover, Rochelle Koff, Michael Moline, Craig Petrus, Rob Rushin, Rachel Smith, T.S. Strickland, David Tortorano CREATIVE CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Lawrence Davidson DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY Daniel Vitter CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut PUBLICATION DESIGNERS Sarah Mitchell, Sarah Notley, Shruti Shah GRAPHIC DESIGNER Amanda Brummet CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Michael Booini, Lawrence Davidson, Doug Dobos, Todd Douglas, Desiree Gardner, Jack Gardner, Scott Holstein, Bruce Palmer, Saige Roberts, Phil Sears, Robert Shepherd, Debbie Ward, Andrew Wardlow SALES, MARKETING & EVENTS VICE PRESIDENT/CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT McKenzie Burleigh Lohbeck SALES MANAGER, EASTERN DIVISION Lori Magee Yeaton SALES MANAGER, WESTERN DIVISION Rhonda Lynn Murray DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, EASTERN DIVISION Daniel Parisi DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WESTERN DIVISION Dan Parker AD SERVICES COORDINATORS Tracy Mulligan, Lisa Sostre ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Makenna Curtis, David Doll, Julie Dorr, Margaret Farris, Darla Harrison, Linda Powell MARKETING MANAGER Kate Pierson SALES AND MARKETING WRITER Rebecca Padgett SALES AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Mackenzie Ligas INTEGRATED MARKETING COORDINATOR Javis Ogden CLIENT SERVICES COORDINATOR Charles Shelton OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATION AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER Melissa Spear CUSTOM PUBLISHING MANAGER Sara Goldfarb CLIENT SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE/PRODUCTION SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan CUSTOM PUBLISHING EDITOR Jeff Price STAFF ACCOUNTANT Jackie Burns ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT Amber Dennard RECEPTIONIST Natalie Kazmin

DIGITAL SERVICES DIGITAL EDITOR Janecia Britt 850 BUSINESS MAGAZINE 850businessmagazine.com, facebook.com/850bizmag, twitter.com/850bizmag, linkedin.com/company/850-business-magazine ROWLAND PUBLISHING rowlandpublishing.com SUBSCRIPTIONS A one-year (4 issues) subscription is $20. To purchase, call (850) 878-0554 or go online to 850businessmagazine.com. Single copies are $4.95 and may be purchased at Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million in Tallahassee, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Panama City, Pensacola and at our Tallahassee office.

850 Magazine is published quarterly 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 September 2018 850 Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Member of three Chambers of Commerce throughout the region.

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From the Publisher

Growth Requires Change and Adapting to It It has often been said about Northwest Florida that we can avoid mistakes made in South Florida if we responsibly manage development and infrastructure improvements in ways that stay ahead of the growth curve.

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hand, public education on the other. What happened to Seattle on a grand scale will happen to Southeast Alabama and Northwest Florida on a lesser scale, now that Airbus has established an assembly plant in Mobile.

In all of this, it is essential that we recognize that not all growth is, on balance, good. We have a responsibility, as stewards of the environment, to ensure that development is accomplished, to the extent possible, in concert with the natural world and not at the expense of its demise.

In Tallahassee, for example, longstanding plans to route traffic to and from the airport via Springhill Road likely will be changed. Amid some controversy, the plan now seems to be to route traffic by a residential neighborhood, Innovation Park and what will be the new Jack Nicklaus-design golf course to the area of Doak Campbell Stadium.

Why? Community leaders believe this route will make for an extraordinary gateway to Florida’s capital city — and may be the best way to take advantage of the one chance a community has to make a great first impression.

This is the kind of consideration, common throughout Northwest Florida, that should give communities pause. Always, we should ask ourselves, “All things considered, what is the best course to take?”

New waves of growth are on their unstoppable way. The population of Atlanta 100 years ago was the population of Tallahassee today.

The future is big, bold and bright; let’s be prepared to do it right.

BRIAN ROWLAND browland@rowlandpublishing.com

PHOTO BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN

Never has that challenge been more daunting than it is today, given the unprecedented pace of growth we are now seeing. Still, as someone who has studied the evolution of the region for four decades, I must applaud today’s leaders for the steps they have taken to ensure orderly growth while embracing the inevitable change our area must work to accommodate.

Looking back, we all can recall projects, especially transportation projects, that were controversial when first proposed, but now, years later, we cannot imagine being without.

Tallahassee residents might ask themselves what life would be like if Thomasville Road had not been widened from Midtown to I-10 and on to the Georgia state line; if Capital Circle had not been widened from the “flyover” near I-10 to SouthWood and beyond; if Blair Stone Road had not been extended from Apalachee Parkway to Centerville Road near Capital Circle Northeast?

Today, projects of massive consequence are underway, including the construction of a 23rd Street flyover in Panama City’s Hathaway Bridge corridor; the widening of State Road 390 in Bay County; the widening of State Road 331 to Interstate 10 in Walton County; the widening of U.S. 98 between Sandestin and Destin; and the single largest transportation project in the history of Northwest Florida, the $398.5 million replacement bridge across Pensacola Bay. As Pensacola has so very well demonstrated, private investment tends to follow public investment. Private business initiatives in downtown Pensacola are transforming the city into an 18-hour hub of activity. Pensacola has seen a 100 percent lease-up of a downtown apartment complex and the arrival of new restaurants, retail establishments and entertainment venues.

The arrivals of new employers, such as GKN Aerospace in Bay County, have immediate and dramatic impacts on private and public sectors of the economy — housing construction on one

Audits

Consulting

Taxes

Disaster Recovery

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P RO M OT I O N

850businessmagazine.com

ASSESSING THE BEACH ACCESS CONTROVERSY

Pinnacle Award winners for 2018 were lauded on Aug. 22 at a luncheon held in their honor at the Panama City campus of Florida State University. The awards, presented

by Rowland Publishing and 850 Business Magazine, are reserved for women from Pensacola to Tallahassee who have distinguished themselves professionally and as community servants. This year’s recipients represented diverse causes and passions, ranging from public education and animal welfare to advances in health care and opportunities for people living with disabilities. Debbie Calder, executive vice president, Navy Federal Credit Union, addressed the luncheon as keynote speaker and advised all who manage others that winning the trust of employees is a product of understanding and appreciating their contributions.

850businessmagazine.com/Blog/News-2018/Pinnacle-Awards-2018/

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES » Deal Estate

Browse residential and commercial real estate opportunities, recently sold properties and dreamy second homes. Sponsored by Beck Properties.

» Blog

Find stories and reports about local business events, happenings and gatherings.

Just click on “The 850 Business Blog” on the home page or visit 850businessmagazine.com/Blog.

» Legal Insights

Stay aware of new industry issues and legal updates with these online exclusive articles, sponsored by Matthews & Jones, LLP.

» Flip Books

View 850 issues and Business Journals in a digital book format.

» Archived Stories Peruse our entire archive of articles at no charge.

LET’S NETWORK!

Find 850 Business Magazine on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

You’ll also find Rowland Publishing on LinkedIn, where you can join the 850 Business Group for conversations with fellow readers.

LinkedIn: Rowland Publishing and 850 Business Magazine pages, and the 850 Business Magazine Group Twitter: @850BizMag

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Facebook: 850 - The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida Instagram: 850bizmag

PHOTO BY LAWRENCE DAVIDSON (PINNACLE AWARDS) AND EBSTOCK/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS

PINNACLE WINNERS CELEBRATED

Florida’s Legislature unleashed a fiery debate this year by underscoring the rights of private property owners and setting aside a Walton County ordinance that entitled the public at large to “customary use” of the county’s Gulf beaches. Access proponents are now pursuing the restoration of the ordinance via a public hearing and an appeal to the courts. Attorney Dana Matthews of Matthews & Jones LLP anticipates that the dispute will not be resolved soon. To stay informed, go to: 850businessmagazine.com/ Legal-Insights/

More than video. Strategy.

Play to your strengths.

Purpose-driven cinematic storytelling for your business. vividbridge.com 850 Business Magazine

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Engineering graduate with certification in Sustainable Energy seeking mentor and boss to shift paradigms.

THE RIGHT CANDIDATE IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK.

Kelly, Engineering Student

Kelly isn’t afraid to put herself out there and challenge old methods.

As the Operationals Leader for the moving-line start-up at GE Renewable Energy, she helped lead her team to win a “Best of the Best” Award from GE in the category of Transforming the Way We Work. Kelly is ready.

Are you ready for her?

Higher level graduates. Higher level candidates. Hire UWF.

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P R O M OT I O N

FALL CALENDAR BEST BETS ​From festivals to tours and sports to the arts, ​the event and entertainment choices are endless.

For more events in the 850 area, visit 850Tix.com.

FALL

SEPTEMBER 21

OLD SCHOOL FSU TAILGATES Going to Tallahassee for FSU football games this fall? Old School Society is a semiprivate club comprised of Florida State alumni and fans that come together each home football game to commemorate the heritage and tradition of their beloved Seminoles. Old School provides a first-class, resort-style atmosphere less than a mile from Doak Campbell Stadium. Their private pre- and postgame tailgates last 7–9 hours and include live entertainment, catering from the area’s finest restaurants, open bar, shuttle service to and from the stadium, private cabanas with bottle service, appearances from former players and much more.

Justin Townes Earle brings his amazing live show to Tallahassee in support of his latest album “Kids in the Street,” along with local support from Slow Low Crow. Doors open at 7 p.m., and show starts at 8 p.m. at Fifth and Thomas. The night also features a pre-show party with live music, great food and drink specials from 6–9 p.m. $25 advance, $30 day of show, 21-plus.

Advance tickets are on sale now.

NOVEMBER 8

DECEMBER 7

Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast’s

CAFE THIRTY-A CHARITY CHRISTMAS BALL

FIFTH ANNUAL STAKE AND BURGER DINNER PHOTOS PROVIDED BY INDIVIDUAL EVENTS

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE WITH SLOW LOW CROW

Join the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast for their 2018 Stake and Burger Dinner, featuring club alumnus Hulk Hogan as keynote speaker.

Formerly known as the “Stake and Steak Dinner,” the BGEC is throwing it back this year to the event’s original name in honor of their 50th anniversary on the Emerald Coast. The event is taking place at the Hilton Sandestin from 6–9 p.m. with a VIP reception from 5–6:30 p.m.

Café Thirty-A presents its annual Charity Christmas Ball to benefit Caring and Sharing of South Walton. The event lasts from 7–11 p.m., and guests will be treated to a buffet, heavy hors d’oeuvres and music by Rock the House.

The event will also boast a large silent auction and raffle to raise funds for Caring and Sharing of South Walton, which provides food and financial assistance to area families and individuals in need. Dress is black tie optional, and there will be a cash bar.

LOCAL TICKETS. ONE PLACE. Get tickets to these events now at 850Tix.com.

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Executive Mindset

The (850) Life CAPITALIZING ON DIVERSITY

Antonio Montoya Takes the Helm at Domi

BY ROB RUSHIN

Antonio Montoya joined Tallahassee’s Domi Station as executive director in April 2018, succeeding the departing Lucas Lindsey.

Born in the nation of Columbia, Montoya has lived and worked in Europe, Latin America, South Florida and, most recently, in Huntsville, Alabama, as executive director at HuntsvilleWest, a co-work and incubator space similar to Domi.

850: You call yourself a “serial immigrant.” Tell us what that means to you and how that informs your vision for the Tallahassee startup community.

Montoya: I describe myself that way because even though I was born in Colombia, I have lived in Europe, the Caribbean, South Florida and Alabama. Each place I lived left a cultural imprint and a network of friends and business contacts that I have taken to my next adventure. As I look at Tallahassee, I see a broad range of cultures and geographic ties represented in the people I meet every day. This existing diversity and the

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fact that we are in Florida, with its globally recognized brand, is an amazing opportunity for our startup community to create economic opportunity and wealth locally while acting, selling and partnering globally.

850: Your career path looks more zigzag than straight line.

Is there a hidden logic behind this progression, or were you just following your instincts in the face of new conditions and information?

Montoya: I think my career is pretty standard for someone in tech who started in the 1990s. Like many people of my

PHOTO COURTESY OF DOMI STATION

Q&A WITH ANTONIO MONTOYA

When it comes to business, it’s best to...

generation, I found the career I wanted to pursue did not exist back when I went to college. So even as I graduated as a civil engineer, all I have done since being a student has been tech related, and my career simply followed the break-neck evolution of tech in the past 30 years: I started as a developer while still in college partnering with one of my professors on my first startup experience. This led to working as a project manager, consulting, sales, product management, marketing and finally head of organizations of various sizes. I’d say that is very typical of people in tech and has allowed me to appreciate many aspects of building and running a business.

850: Looking back over your career, what are some of the achievements you are most proud of that might inform your engagement with Domi and Tallahassee?

Montoya: I discovered the hard way early in my life that sales are the engine that drives all business. All the hard work that goes into ideating, building and shipping products is only validated when you sell them. One of my better memories was when I was in charge of a very innovative product at a global tech company. The technology was amazing, but sales were lacking. Our team reached out to our global partners for data and found an adjacent industry that had a big problem which could be solved with minor changes to our technology. This shift in thinking increased the value of our product by an order of magnitude. I look forward to working with local entrepreneurs to refine their understanding of their customers and their problems to build products and services that provide value customers are willing to pay for. This process is never easy. It requires constant iteration and ingenuity to keep customers delighted and competition at a safe distance.

850: You have had a few months to survey the Tallahassee business ecosystem. What have you seen that poses the greatest challenge to your mission at Domi?

Montoya: After three months in Tallahassee, meeting with new people almost every day, I am humbled to realize that I have yet to meet all the people who are trying to make Tallahassee a better place for business. Just to cite a few salient examples, I am very impressed with the great work of the Office of Economic Vitality in coordinating efforts across the ecosystem to maximize our impact and provide the information we need to guide our strategic initiatives.

On the private side, I am inspired by the TalTech Alliance, which is rallying our tech sector behind a wide range of community initiatives. I see a very accessible and inclusive Chamber of Commerce which is committed to attracting new business to our region. I would also be remiss if I did not mention the critical role FAMU, FSU and TCC play in supporting entrepreneurship in town through their own initiatives and supporting organizations like Domi, which create impact beyond their walls. I have seen few places where there is so much involvement and communication across the ecosystem, which is not always simple because it requires trust among those doing the work on the ground and buy-in and support of those charged with the success of each group and organization.

Keep It Simple Somehow That’s what we’ve been doing for 15 years!

We “keep it simple” by having subject matter experts on staff to support your business.

When people know what they’re doing.

Life gets A LOT simpler.

How can we make things Simple for you?

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SOUNDBYTES

REGIONAL HAPPENINGS

» Gulf Power Co. will conduct

its 22nd annual Economic Symposium on Oct. 10-12 at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. The event brings together business and community leaders from throughout Northwest Florida to discuss efforts to promote the region’s growth. Speakers will include Dave Lawrence, founder of The Children’s Movement of Florida, and Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the Florida Chamber, who will discuss the critical importance of investing in children. A panel of speakers will discuss the transformational impact of Triumph Gulf Coast funding. Sponsors include sustaining signature sponsor Hancock Whitney Bank. To register for the event, visit gulfpowersymposium.com.

CAPITAL

APPOINTED

BY THE GOVERNOR

» Malcolm Kemp of Tallahassee

» Lively Technical Center is

launching a Building Trades and Construction Design Technology program. The program addresses all aspects of the building construction industry. The 900-hour course can be completed in as little as a year, providing certificates needed for construction careers.

» Lori Magee Yeaton of Rowland Publishing Inc. has been promoted to sales manager, eastern division.

MAGEE-YEATON

» Nigel Allen has been

named the president and chief advancement officer of the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Foundation, the fundraising arm of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. His new job begins Oct. 29. Allen spent six years as president of the Big Bend Hospice Foundation, where annual fundraising revenue increased 93 percent under him.

» SRI Management LLC

announced that it had been selected as the management firm of Superior Residences seniors housing communities in Lecanto, Ocala, Clermont, Brandon and Niceville.

has been appointed deputy chief of Leon County EMS. His term runs through April 27, 2020.

LIGAS

» Mackenzie Ligas of Rowland Publishing Inc. has been promoted to sales and events coordinator. » Bill Cummings,

senior technology consultant with Aegis Business Technologies, attended a Cyber Security Training course hosted by the University of West Florida and the Florida Department of State. Upon successful completion of the course, Cummings received a Cyber Security certification.

» Florida Trend magazine recently named First Florida Credit Union as one of the 100 “Best Companies to Work For in Florida.” This is the fifth time the credit union has made the list, and it’s the only credit union to receive the honor in the mid-size company category.

» Jacquelyn L. Newman

has been appointed judge of compensation claims for the Tallahassee District. Newman is an attorney with Pennington, P.A. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and her law degree from Florida State University. Newman fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Judge John Lazarra.

» Eric Grant was reappointed

to the Tallahassee Community College District Board of Trustees.

His term runs through May 31, 2021.

» James “Lee” Marsh of

Tallahassee was appointed to the Second Judicial Circuit Court.

Marsh currently serves as chief assistant attorney general in the Office of the Attorney General, and previously served as judge advocate in the United States Navy. Marsh fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Charles A. Francis.

LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» The Tallahassee City

Commission is acquiring a south-side strip mall as the new site for a public safety campus that will also house the police department’s new headquarters.

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» CareerSource Capital Region’s

2nd annual Talent Innovation Summit is scheduled for Oct. 17 at the Florida State University Turnbull Conference Center.

CareerSource Capital Region invites business and community leaders to attend in order to gain valuable information on the current state of talent and to learn best practices for recruiting, training and retaining skilled talent. Keynote speakers include Stephen Tucker, President & CEO of Northland Workforce Training Center and Dustin Rivest, Founder and CEO of App Innovators.

LOCAL HONORS

» Matt King,

account executive with Aegis Business Technologies, was awarded an Adwords Search KING Certification by Google. The certification signifies that Google recognizes a recipient as an expert in online advertising.

850businessmagazine.com

» The Tallahassee-based Florida Dental Association was recently recognized with five membership growth awards from the American Dental Association. » Paula Allen of Capital City Bank has been named an assistant vice president.

ALLEN

» Quentin (Tod) Stupski has joined the Kelley Kronenberg law firm as an attorney. He comes to the firm with more than 20 years of experience. He will be handling matters related to worker’s compensation defense and appeals.

NEW & NOTABLE

» Lloyd Jones, a real estate

private equity firm, has purchased the Westcott Apartments at 3909 Reserve Drive in Tallahassee. The 144unit, multifamily development was recently renovated.

» First Florida Credit Union will open its sixth branch in the Tallahassee area, located at 3339 Beech Ridge Court near Bannerman Crossing.

The branch is the 14th location overall for the credit union.

EMERALD COAST

APPOINTED

BY THE GOVERNOR

» Dana Matthews of Matthews & Jones, LLP, has been appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) for the First Judicial District. His term runs through July 1, 2022. » Judge David Langham of Gulf Breeze has been reappointed as a judge of compensation claims.

He has served in that role in the Pensacola District since 2001, and has also served as deputy chief judge of compensation claims since 2006. He is an adjunct instructor at Pensacola State College and previously was in private practice. » Dr. Glenn Summers of Gulf Breeze has been named the trauma director for Sacred Heart Medical Group. His term runs through April 27, 2021. » Jim Foreman has been appointed to the West Florida Regional Planning Council. » Sherif Assal of Miramar has been reappointed to the Board of Pilot Commissioners. Assal is the senior vice president of American Guard Services, Inc. and the president of United Stevedoring of America, Inc. His term runs through Oct. 31, 2021. » Tom Wright has been reappointed to the Northwest Florida State College District Board of Trustees for a term ending May 31, 2020. » Wendell Smith has been reappointed to the Pensacola State College District Board of Trustees for a term ending May 31, 2019.

LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» Friends of the Saenger installed a historical plaque at the main entrance of the Saenger Theatre located at 118 S. Palafox Place.

The plaque details the history of the Saenger, renovations and memorable performers.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY PROFILED INDIVIDUALS

BUSINESS NEWS

» Beach Community Bank has announced the completion of a $100 million capital raise led

by Hovde Group, LLC. Beach Community Bank will use the proceeds to recapitalize the Bank, support its operations, increase its capital ratios, grow market share and to serve general corporate purposes.

The bank appointed Carl Chaney as executive chairman and Chip Reeves as president and CEO.

» Blake Management Group,

Legendary Living, and the management team of Quality Senior Living, in partnership with LongueVue Capital, introduced The Blake at Miramar Beach, a premier senior living community.

The Blake at Miramar Beach will be located at the intersection of Ponce de Leon and U.S. Highway 98. The community will feature 123 apartments offering assisted living and memory care.

» South Walton nonprofit,

Coastal Seniors of South Walton, Inc. (CSSW), has a new location at 70 Logan Lane, Santa Rosa Beach. The location will offer expanded meeting spaces for the South Walton senior community. CSSW has also introduced a new website, providing the community with information on workshops, events and related resources.

The new website is coastalseniorsofsouthwalton.org.

The Blake at Miramar Beach, a premier senior living community.

The Blake at Miramar Beach will be located at the intersection of Ponce de Leon and U.S. Highway 98. The community will feature 123 apartments offering assisted living and memory care.

» Kerri Parker was named

LOCAL HONORS

FORGOTTEN COAST

» Digital Boardwalk, a

Pensacola based company, was among the first round of 2018 Florida Companies to Watch finalists announced by GrowFL, an economic development program focused on assisting second-stage companies. The awards event honors 50 select second-stage companies from throughout the state of Florida for developing valuable products and services, creating quality jobs, enriching communities and broadening new industries.

Digital Boardwalk provides comprehensive technology management and consulting services for small and mid-sized businesses.

» Courtyard by Marriott

» A groundbreaking

ceremony was held for the new Carrabelle City Hall.

In attendance were officials including Police Chief Gary Hunnings; Commissioner Cal Allen; Commissioner Keith Walden; Mayor Brenda La Paz; Commissioner Tony Millender; City Administrator Courtney Millender; and City Clerk Keisha Messer. Pat Bragdon, who sold the property for the new City Hall to the city, also was present.

LOCAL HONORS

» Capt. David Varnes of the

» Howard Hospitality’s revenue

BAY

manager, Jeff League of Miramar Beach, was awarded the Marriott International Revenue Management Property Leader of the Year Award for his work in 2017.

of Rowland Publishing Inc. has been promoted to sales manager, western division.

of Rowland Publishing Inc. has been promoted to director of new business, western division.

Franklin County Sheriff’s Office was among 30 personnel from 29 Florida sheriffs’ offices to graduate from the Florida Sheriffs Association’s prestigious Commanders Academy.

» An interim CEO, H.D.

Cannington, will succeed Mike Cooper at Weems Memorial Hospital and the Franklin County Health Department.

APPOINTED

BY THE GOVERNOR

» Sheriff Tommy Ford of Lynn

Haven has been appointed sheriff of Bay County for a term ending Aug. 1, 2018.

» Dr. Merle Stringer of Panama

MURRAY

» Dan Parker Legendary Living, and the management team of Quality Senior Living, in partnership with LongueVue Capital, introduced

LOCAL HAPPENINGS

Sandestin at Grand Boulevard received a Platinum Circle Award for being in the top 5 percent of all Courtyard Marriott hotels in North America for guest satisfaction. Its sister hotel, Residence Inn by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard, earned a Gold Circle Award for being in the top 10 percent in guest satisfaction.

This is the 4th year in a row that Courtyard by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard has won a Platinum Circle Award.

» Rhonda Murray

» Blake Management Group,

executive director of communications for Seaside Community Development Corp. She will oversee public relations, commercial leasing and marketing strategy. Parker holds a master’s degree in internet marketing and has a Florida Real Estate License.

City has been reappointed to the Board of Medicine for a term ending Oct. 31, 2021.

Stringer is a neurosurgeon with the Brain and Spine Center.

LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» City officials decided to PARKER

add more parking spaces at the Panama City Beach Conservation Park. The new 4.5-acre lot will have 135

standard parking spots and four handicapped spaces.

» The George Butchikas Foundation for Autism donated $40,000 to Florida State University Panama City’s Early Childhood Autism Program.

The donation benefits ECAP’s scholarship program, which provides autistic children with free services. » Gov. Rick Scott approved an expanded submerged land lease for Panama City’s Eastern Shipbuilding, which is building patrol cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard.

LOCAL HONORS

» Keith Baker, director of leisure services for Panama City, won the County Commission District 4 seat being vacated by Guy Tunnell. District 2 incumbent Robert Carroll was unopposed, retaining the seat he has held since 2016 when George Gainer vacated it. » Tom Neubauer, president of the Bay Defense Alliance President, received the 2018 community Leadership Award from the Association of Defense Communities. » The Florida Dental Association (FDA) has named Dr. Jolene Paramore of Panama City as its 2018PARAMORE 19 president.

Paramore is a past president of the Northwest District Dental Association, past chair of the American Dental Association District 17 Delegation and was honored as the FDA’s Dentist of the Year in 2010.

I-10

LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» Michael John Mitchell, executive manager and Dustin Miller, managing partner for Miller and Miller opened a new Nissan dealership on U.S. Highway 90 East in Marianna.

LOCAL HONORS

» Matt Walsh was selected as the new director of the Jackson County Economic Development Committee.

—COMPILED BY REBECCA PADGETT

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SPECIAL REPORT

2018 BAY COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL AN 850 BUSINESS MAGAZINE SPECIAL REPORT

PORT PANAMA CITY | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | HIGHER EDUCATION | NEW CITY MANAGER GROWING STRONG | GKN AEROSPACE | BAY PARKWAY | INTERNATIONAL TOURISM PHOTOS BY DESIREE GARDNER (HARDIN), MICHAEL BOOINI (GROWING STRONG) AND COURTESY OF PORT PANAMA CITY

BAY COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

PORT PANAMA CITY

ROOM TO GROW East terminal project enlarges port’s footprint, bolsters warehouse capacity

by STEVE BORNHOFT

A

s lawmakers in Tallahassee were working to draft legislation to establish Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., and provide for the disbursement of reparations from the oil and gas giant BP, Wayne Stubbs was paying close attention.

It became clear that the state would be looking to fund projects that would contribute to diversifying the economies of counties affected by the Deepwater Horizon disaster, projects that would add to the public infrastructure and create jobs.

“As the Triumph program was coming together, I was confident that we could arrive at a strong application, given the goals that were emerging,” said Stubbs, the executive director at Port Panama City. “I felt like we could check all the boxes.”

The port was in the midst of a strong postrecession resurgence to the point where it was experiencing growing pains and had purchased 70 acres from WestRock paper company in August 2016 to allow for the construction of a second port terminal. Work on the first phase of the $60 million terminal expansion project had begun.

“Ships arriving to load product from the paper mill are getting bigger and, of course, they have bigger drafts,” Stubbs said. “They needed to have greater volumes of cargo available to pick up. So, WestRock was motivated to work with us here at the port in order to maintain service to their customers. We were

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Given its loyalty to long-term tenants, including pipe manufacturers, Port Panama City had limited operating room available for expansion. Director Wayne Stubbs, at right, was gladdened when the port acquired breathing room in the form of land purchased from WestRock paper.

motivated to buy land from them because we were running out of capacity at our western terminal.”

The space crunch was so great, in fact, that the port, Stubbs concluded, had no choice but to begin the project long before Triumph funding was assured.

“We had to proceed with the project in order to stay on schedule with regard to commitments we were making,” Stubbs explained. “We had a tight window for

PHOTOS BY TODD DOUGLAS

purchasing the land from the paper mill. We had to have a presence there before we could appeal to the Corps of Engineers for cooperation in deepening the channel from 30 to 36 feet. And, if we had waited two or three years until we knew that we had all the financial support we hoped for, the shipping activity could have gone away.”

Indeed, by the time the opportunity to apply for Triumph funding came about, the state Department of Transportation and Economic Development Council had committed to contributing $22 million to the expansion. The Corps was in for $5 million.

The port borrowed $12 million for land acquisition and drew down cash reserves for additional purposes; its total contribution to the project is $23 million. From Triumph Gulf Coast, it sought $10 million.

“It would be wrong to say that we were counting on Triumph funding, but we were for sure hopeful that we would get some help from them,” Stubbs said.

Absent Triumph assistance, the port would have two options: expand the project timeline and “pay as you go” or borrow more money.

“The port’s indebtedness is $27 million,” Stubbs noted. “If we had to borrow 10 more million, that would mean leveraging the port more than we want to and it would limit our ability to maintain momentum and invest and grow.”

In making the application to Triumph, the port sought funds specifically for completing construction of a 260,000-square-foot forest products warehouse; building a new bulkhead; and channel dredging. It sought to convince Triumph board members that the need for the project was acute and that economic benefits arising from the project would be significant.

An executive summary in the application noted that cargo activity at the port increased by 300% in the last 15 years. At the same time, the port has continued to provide facilities and space required by two large industrial tenants: Oceaneering, a manufacturer of large umbilical seafloor cable that encases hydraulic and electric line and fiber serving various functions, and Berg Steel, a 38-year tenant that manufactures large-diameter pipe.

“As we approached capacity at the western terminal, it would have been nice

Wood pellets have become a growing factor in port operations. The renewable fuel is used by power-generating plants in Great Britain. Underway is construction of a forest products warehouse to help meet the demand.

to have had all the space that Berg and Oceaneering occupy, but they produce more of a regional economic benefit than cargo operations,” Stubbs said. “We didn’t want to displace them. Berg is investing heavily in their plant and adding to its product line to avoid dramatic ups and downs in business. We are committed to giving both Oceaneering and Berg the support they need.”

Still, cargo is essential to the viability of the port.

“You need to achieve a certain scale,” Stubbs said. “Ports that don’t are going to be in trouble.”

The Port of Pensacola, leveled off at about 300,000 tons of cargo annually and struggling, has had to consider accommodating new activities including a research center on port property.

“In Panama City, we were at 500,000 tons in 2000 and, if you stay there, you will have a hard time surviving,” Stubbs said.

The good news is that Port Panama City is growing its cargo business across the board.

Copper, which today accounts for about a half-million tons of business annually, had dipped to 200,000 tons during the recession.

Pine wood pellets, growing too, account for some 800,000 tons annually and are shipped primarily to the United Kingdom where they are used not for household consumption but to fuel what used to be coal-fired power plants. The appetite for wood pellets is growing in Japan and Korea, as well.

“The theory is that a tree soaks up carbon as it grows and releases the same amount when it is burned, making it carbon-neutral,” Stubbs noted. “In the case of coal, you’re just taking it out of the ground and burning it.”

Plus, wood is a renewable biofuel.

The port is working to build its regional container trade and is focused in that regard on nearby markets and smaller, independent container lines versus Panamax ships that are as large as can slip through the Panama Canal and sail to ports in Asia. It is adding facilities to support refrigerated containers and is doing a growing business in cucumbers and bell peppers from Mexico.

Stubbs hopes that NAFTA issues do not interfere with the good thing the port has going with Mexico, and he finds himself checking headlines related to tariffs, retaliatory tariffs and other trade actions every day.

Steel, in particular, among products handled by the port, has been affected. But, generally, Stubbs is sleeping better these days.

The port’s $10 million Triumph application sailed through the pre-application phase, gained board approval and then, on June 12, the Triumph board signed off on a final contract authorizing use of the money. Those developments made Port Panama City the first applicant to receive Triumph funding.

Stubbs found it significant that every member of the Triumph board made time to tour the port in order to better understand its activities and its application. The support

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Bay County economic development director Becca Hardin sees the East Terminal project at Port Panama City as “transformational.” Added capacity at the port, she says, will give her more opportunities to promote among business site selectors.

supported by purchases made by those 1,256 jobholders. And 571 indirect jobs were supported by the nearly $42 million in local purchases made by businesses supplying services at port terminals and by businesses dependent upon those terminals.

The 1,256 holders of direct jobs received a total of $58.9 million in wages and salaries, an average of $46,892 per person. The re-spending of this income created another $115.8 million in income and consumptive expenditures.

The capacity of the east terminal warehouse will be between 35,000 and 45,000 tons of wood pulp and linerboard, depending on the product mix. The annual capacity of the warehouse will range between 420,000 and 540,000 tons.

The east terminal project is projected to support 148 direct jobs and 163 induced and indirect jobs. The projected total of — Wayne Stubbs, Executive Director, 311 jobs will easily satisfy the Port Panama City Triumph board’s job-generation requirement of 250 positions.

At capacity, the project is projected to The port, the consultant found, handled create $17.8 million of personal income more than 2 million tons of commodities in and local consumption expenditures and fiscal year 2015. That activity accounted for $151.6 million of direct business revenue to 2,844 direct, induced and indirect jobs in local firms providing handling and support the Panama City area. Of that total, 1,256 services related to the approximately 534,000 direct jobs were tied to marine cargo and tons of forest products throughput. vessel activity.

“It takes a long time to get everyone to Further, the consultant calculated, 1,017 agree on things related to a project of this induced jobs in the regional economy were

“… the port has been recognized and appreciated as a big contributor to the economy. Panama City was built as a port city, and the industries that are here wouldn’t be here without it.”

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size,” Stubbs said. Indeed, the terminal expansion is four times larger than any single capital project previously undertaken by the port. “It was helpful that the port has been recognized and appreciated as a big contributor to the economy. Panama City was built as a port city, and the industries that are here wouldn’t be here without it. A community can rule out a lot of potential new industry if it can’t offer some port capacity nearby.

“The Triumph dollars were the last dollars in, and that is something the board was looking for,” Stubbs said. “We had a lot of skin in the game.”

Becca Hardin, executive director of the Bay County Economic Development Alliance, views the east terminal project as “transformational.”

“The port is expanding its footprint. Not only is it adding warehouse space, it will give them additional berth space and, from an economic development standpoint, we will have more port-related property and capacity to market,” Hardin enthused.

“We applaud Wayne Stubbs and the Port Authority board for having the vision and the drive to see the project through to fruition.”

Bay County benefits, and so do surrounding counties.

“The industries we support provide an outsized benefit to the region,” Stubbs said.

“In order to export 800,000 tons a year, the pellet plant in Jackson County has to purchase 1.5 million tons of fiber at maybe $30 a ton. That puts about $45 million a year into the area economy.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PORT PANAMA CITY

of Allan Bense of Panama City, a Triumph board member and, at one time, the speaker of the Florida House, was especially helpful.

Over the next 13 years, the seven-member Triumph board will dole out approximately $1.5 billion that the state will receive from BP. The disbursements will be spread among the eight Panhandle counties most affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill — Bay, Escambia, Franklin, Gulf, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla and Walton. Minimum spending levels have been established for each county.

The award made to Port Panama City has strings attached. The port is required to hit at least one of three targets related to jobs generation, growth in the tonnage it handles and growth in the revenue it earns.

“We plan to hit all three metrics as a matter of pride,” Stubbs said.

To do so, it will both take advantage of the new capacity that will result from improvements and ride momentum that has been building in recent years.

A consultant, Martin Associates, was retained by the port to establish baseline economic impacts and to assess potential economic impacts of the east terminal project.

It released its report in November of last year.

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

BIG MO

In Bay County, one economic development project is leading to another … and another

by STEVE BORNHOFT

T

here was a time when Becca Hardin worked as a small-market broadcast journalist. These days, the world is her market.

She travels extensively, making frequent trips across the pond, as the product of Bay County’s growing reputation internationally for being a receptive, progressive and effective place to do business. That is a reputation that Hardin, as executive director of the Bay Economic Development Alliance, works both to enhance and capitalize upon.

Recent months have seen announcements involving companies, one headquartered in Paris and the other in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, of plans to establish their first U.S. operations in Panama City.

In May, the EDA, along with Gulf Coast State College, unveiled plans by Butterfly Training, which has seven locations in Europe, to gain a toehold in the U.S. by making Bay County its eighth. The company will employ just three people in the U.S. initially and a projected 10 within three years.

“But,” said Hardin, “Butterfly is an important win for us. This gives us another international company and, with it, more international attention.”

The Bay County-Butterfly connection resulted from Hardin’s aircraft business recruitment missions to Europe and her attendance at international airshows. It didn’t hurt, either, that the EDA, in 2017, landed a British

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Gulf Coast State College president John Holdnak and Bay County Economic Development Alliance executive director Becca Hardin stroll the halls at the school’s Advanced Technology Center, which stimulates entrepreneurship. Both Holdnak and Hardin recognize that when counties grow their own businesses, those enterprises tend to stick around.

PHOTO BY DESIREE GARDNER (HOLDNAK AND HARDIN)

company, GKN Aerospace, as a tenant at the Venture Crossings industrial park adjoining the airport in West Bay. Butterfly Training designs and produces e-learning solutions related to airport security, safety and dangerous goods. Its customers, more than 2,000 in total, include airlines and aviation manufacturers. It offers curriculum in 10-plus languages in more than 15 countries and trains in excess of 50,000 people per year. Its catalog includes over 100 products, designed for customers including what Hardin called the “big boys” — AIRBUS, Boeing, American Airlines, FedEx, Air France and other familiar names.

Their entrance into the U.S. market will provide Butterfly Training the proximity needed to develop clients throughout the North American aviation sector.

“Entry into the U.S. is an important step for our company,” said Olivier David, founder and CEO of Butterfly Training. “Bay County is proving to be an ideal location for our U.S. headquarters. We know we are well positioned for success.”

David anticipates that Gulf Coast State College and its Advanced Technology Center will be a big factor in that anticipated success.

He noted that the college is providing substantial training to students in digital media and computer sciences programs. “We look forward to working closely with GCSC instructors and students in the development of new products for leading aviation companies,” he said.

GCSC president Dr. John Holdnak sees his school’s partnership with Butterfly Training as mutually beneficial.

“It’s a win-win,” he said. “Our mission at Gulf Coast State College is to prepare our students for productive careers and train them to successfully enter the workforce. Through the partnership between Butterfly Training and GCSC, our students will be able to take advantage of practical, hands-on experience in the very skills and abilities expected from them upon graduation. Students and faculty in our Digital Media degree programs will now have the opportunity to work alongside Butterfly Training professionals in the actual creation of products utilized by international aviation companies.”

Jorge Gonzalez, Chairman of the Bay Economic Development Alliance and

Butterfly Training, with several offices in Europe, has made Bay County its first location in the United States. The business, which develops e-learning curriculum related to airport security and safety, is working closely with Gulf Coast State College students.

president and CEO of The St. Joe Company, said he is confident that “this project will further enhance Bay County’s international exposure to aviation companies located throughout the world. With Bay County and the entire region’s recent economic development successes, our communities are continuing to see substantial growth and progress in our regional economy.”

Increasingly, Bay County is becoming no place for an isolationist.

Also in May, the EDA announced that a leading automotive supplier would be establishing a U.S. headquarters and first U.S. manufacturing operation in Bay County.

Temp of America, Inc. (Air Temp), a subsidiary of Air Temp de México, is setting up shop in Panama City at the site formerly of Boyd Brothers Printing.

Founded and headquartered in Mérida, Air Temp produces automotive parts that include condensers, radiators, heat exchangers, evaporators and other components. Air Temp is a leading Tier 1 supplier to Volkswagen, Nissan, Ford, Peugeot, and to other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). It has been named Volkswagen supplier of the year five times.

As of June, the company had begun modernizing the old Boyd property for its manufacturing. It will be making a capital investment of approximately $6 million and create 50 new jobs for skilled employees, Hardin said.

“Air Temp had been using Port Panama City for years, and their plan to place their U.S. headquarters in Bay County is an extension of that relationship,” she added.

Hardin and Panama City Mayor Greg Brudnicki were part of a Bay County delegation that visited Air Temp in Mérida two years ago.

“Discussions heated up after the visit, and we were able to find a facility that was perfect for their needs,” Hardin said. “To have a Mexican company announce in our community we think is a great win.”

“We are excited about opening our new operation in Bay County and investing in manufacturing in the United States,” said Jorge Habib, president and CEO of Air Temp and a dual citizen of the U.S. and Mexico.

“To create a sustainable future, we must invest in creating high-skilled manufacturing jobs and growing our skilled workforce for the future,” Habib said.

“In working closely with BayEDA, Port Panama City, CareerSource Gulf Coast, local governments and other entities, we have found that Bay County is the best location for our new manufacturing operation.”

As it happens, Mérida and Panama City have been sister cities since 2003.

“We look forward to Air Temp’s example of success for other companies looking to invest and create quality jobs in our community,”

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Gonzalez said. “Our community should be proud of the team that partnered with Air Temp to bring advanced manufacturing to Panama City. It is good to have a new corporate partner as we continue to experience positive economic momentum.”

“Air Temp is the first auto parts manufacturing company to locate in Bay County,” said Port Panama City executive director Wayne Stubbs. “Their decision was based on the shipping connection between our port and the Port of Progresso in Mérida. We commend them for making this very strategic and timely move and expect others will follow their example.”

FOR THE PORT, A TRIUMPH Hardin has been heartened by recent developments at Port Panama City, which in June became the first applicant to secure Triumph Gulf Coast money from a pool of dollars paid to the state of Florida by BP as compensation for damage caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.

The $10 million award will be used to complete construction of a forest products warehouse, a bulkhead and other improvements.

“It’s an outstanding example of a transformational project,” Hardin said. “It will expand the port’s footprint, and give them more berth space. And that means we will have more property to market for industrial purposes.”

Hardin complimented Stubbs, saying, “He had been working on that project for years. You

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have to hand it to him for having the vision and the persistence to see it through to completion.”

Generally, Hardin said about Bay County’s economic development efforts, “We’ve got momentum, and that’s a good thing.”

That momentum has taken various forms: » On July 25, the EDA and the city of Lynn Haven announced that Pennsylvania-based Revint Solutions, a revenue recovery business that serves health care providers nationwide, is establishing a regional headquarters and a new 150-employee service center in Lynn Haven.

Revint will occupy space at the Tyndall Federal Credit Union Building. It plans to retain an established operation in Gulf County, while recruiting and training new employees for the Bay County operation. As of the day of the announcement, Revint had already hired 15 employees to begin training. Once fully operational, Revint will add approximately $6 million in annual payroll in Bay County.

“In Bay County, we found partners who were willing to assist in our quick timeline, a skilled workforce and the willingness of the community to help our company expand,” said Revint president Kyle Hicok. Revint offers a revenue safety net for all types of health care provider organizations, providing solutions to more than 1,600 organizations in the U.S. It helps recover in excess of $475 million in underpaid or unidentified revenue for its clients annually. » Florida State University Panama City has added a mechanical engineering major that,

Airmen in Las Vegas work on an MQ-9 Reaper.

Tyndall Air Force Base in Bay County has been selected as a site for a new wing of the unmanned aircraft.

PHOTOS BY TODD DOUGLAS (PORT) AND PHOTO BY SENIOR MASTER SGT. ROBERT SHEPHERD (U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD)

Paper products have been a significant part of Bay County’s economy for decades, and Bay County’s paper mill has long been a Port Panama City customer. The mill illustrates the historic co-dependency between it and local industries.

Hardin said, “helps create a culture that will support continued advanced manufacturing recruitment.” » GKN Aerospace hired a general manager who is living in Panama City. As of July, it had hired 40 employees on its way to 170 and had administered two training courses. “We hope to see product coming from the factory soon,” Hardin said, but exactly what that product will be remains proprietary. “They have a 25-year federal contract, and we don’t care what they are making as long as they are creating jobs,” Hardin said. Most of the jobs at GKN require security clearances. » The U.S. Air Force has chosen Tyndall Air Force Base as the site for a new wing of MQ-9 Reapers. Airmen are projected to begin arriving at the base in eastern Bay County in 2020 with the first aircraft expected to arrive two years later. The wing eventually will comprise 1,600 airmen, Hardin said. » Eastern Shipbuilding Group successfully conducted its Final Critical Design Review (FCDR) with the U.S. Coast Guard for the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) Program on June 29, the company reported in a news release. Eastern Shipbuilding’s contract with the Coast Guard includes options for production of up to nine vessels and has a potential total value of $2.38 billion.

“We’ve got a lot of big things going on,” Hardin said, “and success breeds success.”

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Engineering students at FSU-PC have a history of performing well in nationwide rocketry competitions. “Team Renegade” finished 11th in the country at the NASA University Student Launch Initiative held in Huntsville, Alabama, in May.

HIGHER EDUCATION

GROOMING THE NEXT WORK FORCE Gulf Coast State College and Florida State University Panama City are strengthening their ties with emerging industries

W

ith new degree programs and a strong commitment to affordable tuition and workforce development, Gulf Coast State College and Florida State University Panama City continue to be key players in the effort to grow and diversify the Northwest Florida economy.

This fall, FSU Panama City will launch two new engineering programs — a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in systems engineering — expected to have a direct and long-term impact on the local workforce.

“These new programs are coming to FSU Panama City because of the strong demand from local industry and support from the FAMUFSU College of Engineering,” FSU Panama

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City Dean Randy Hanna said. “With community partners such as the Navy base, Tyndall and GKN, our students will have unlimited options.”

The mechanical engineering program prompted the creation of an Engineering the Future Endowment — which has a goal of $1 million and $150,000 in initial commitments from the Gulf Power Foundation and the St. Joe Community Foundation. The endowment will be used to fund scholarships, update campus labs and provide professional development opportunities for students and faculty.

The new systems engineering program was developed jointly by the FSU Panama City and FAMU-FSU Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering with support from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City.

Another new offering this fall is a master’s

degree program in law enforcement intelligence, which includes advanced coursework in criminal justice, economics, and political and military science along with a semester-long project with a law enforcement agency.

“The law enforcement community has been asking for it,” Hanna said. “We are excited about being able to meet that opportunity.”

To fully support the new programs, Hanna has hired an additional 10 faculty members.

In addition, he has increased the number of academic advisors across the campus.

“We’re making sure our programs remain academically strong,” he said. “The advisors and tutors and career coaches, they help students and make a difference in their lives.

Retention is critically important — not only for enrollment but for student success.”

PHOTO PHOTOS

BY BRUCE

BY TODD PALMER DOUGLAS

by KARI C. BARLOW

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START HERE, GO ANYWHERE From a funding perspective, GCSC will start the upcoming fall semester in a better position than the previous year. In 2017, when lawmakers cut $30 million from Florida’s state college system budget of more than $2 billion, GCSC was left with a $1 million shortfall.

“That hurt,” GCSC President John Holdnak said. “That was tough to swallow. … Our incredible faculty and staff were able to retool, make the appropriate adjustments, and get the job done.”

Although forced to eliminate a number of positions across campus, he avoided a direct impact on the college’s roughly 8,300 students. This year lawmakers restored almost 7 percent of the 2017 cut, allowing GCSC to once again forego a tuition increase.

“We are committed to keeping college affordable as long as we can,” Holdnak said.

“It’s been about seven years since we raised tuition, and it’s not on our horizon for next year.”

In keeping with that mission, one of his top priorities is increasing the number of Northwest Florida high school students pursuing higher education.

Holdnak is especially proud of the GCSC Navigators program, which has placed a fulltime college employee on every public high

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Graduate students at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering participate in research in conjunction with the Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion in Tallahassee. This fall, the Panama City campus of FSU will add degree programs in mechanical and systems engineering.

school campus in Bay, Gulf and Franklin counties for the sole purpose of guiding students through high school and on to some level of post-secondary education. “(Students are) coming out thinking they’re done and moving into dead-end jobs, many of which are going to be automated out of existence during the first portion of their lives,” he said. “They’re going to need something. If we can help figure out the direction they want to go, they are going to be productive members of society … and that rising tide will float all boats.”

In addition to helping the K-12 system keep more students from “falling through the cracks,” GCSC Navigators have made those local school districts more aware of what GCSC has to offer their students, Holdnak said.

With roughly 40 percent of GCSC’s enrollment comprised of occupational programs — ranging from the health sciences to public safety — the college is committed to supporting the regional workforce by providing companies such as GKN with a pipeline of skilled workers.

“For many, we are their first choice for an education after high school, and for others we are their last chance,” Holdnak said. “As an open-door institution, we will take you from wherever you are educationally, and we will support and nurture you until you get to wherever you want to go. Our college slogan or motto for around 40 years is ‘Start Here – Go Anywhere!’ ”

WORKING TOGETHER In the past year, GCSC and FSU Panama City have also embraced the power of joining forces to make higher education a reality for more residents along the Emerald Coast.

“With FSU-PC literally in our backyard, we do many joint activities with them,” Holdnak said. “We have a great relationship.”

In October 2017, Hanna and Holdnak formed the Seminole-Commodore Alliance, which is designed to make it easier for GCSC students earning associate degrees to transfer to bachelor-degree programs at FSU Panama City, obtain scholarship money and interact with FSU professors earlier in their college careers. Students who have an associate degree and a minimum transfer GPA of 3.5 will be guaranteed admission to FSU Panama City and guaranteed a scholarship.

“It shows our commitment to the twoplus-two system, and it shows our willingness to work together, which ultimately benefits students,” Hanna said.

The Seminole-Commodore Alliance also extends to campus life, allowing students from both schools to participate in common activities, clubs and intramural sports.

“And participation in student activities is directly tied to student success,” Hanna said. “There really shouldn’t be a distinction between the two campuses. They’re both right here next to each other, and the students should know each other.”

PHOTO BY BRUCE PALMER

Hanna said FSU Panama City, which served more than 2,600 students during the 2017-18 academic year, is getting noticed by more students than ever before.

“We anticipate having the largest freshman class that we’ve had since we started our freshman initiative,” he said. “… We tell students — especially those from our area — if you want to live in Northwest Florida, what better way to do it than at FSU-PC where you can take classes that are small, you can have internships in your community that, in many cases, lead directly to jobs — and the view isn’t bad, either!”

FSU Panama City’s low tuition rates also make it an attractive choice, Hanna added.

“We work hard to keep higher education here at Florida State affordable,” he said. “I’m a big believer that students, especially at the bachelor’s degree level, not take out student loans, that we should work hard to help them get out of college with the smallest amount of debt possible.”

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CITY MANAGER

SETTING THE STRATEGY Panama City taps McQueen as head administrator

by ERIN HOOVER

T

he City Commission’s five members vote on city policy, but it’s the job of the city manager whom they appoint to carry out municipal business, includingsupervising some 500 city employees.

“This is one of the most important decisions that we have made as commissioners in the past 10 years,” said Billy Rader, who has served on the City Commission since 2007.

“Yes, moving City Hall is big, of course. But having the right personnel on board and the right leadership, I liken it to Bobby Bowden leading the Seminoles. You have to have a good leader.”

In February, Panama City began an in-house search following the resignation of Jeff Brown and termination of his contract by the City Commission. The city manager search had drawn over 80 applications from across the country by April, when commissioners made an announcement: They would only be interviewing one candidate.

The candidate was local. And he had a standout resume.

Maj. Gen. Mark McQueen applied for the city manager position with 30 years of experience in the United States Army Reserves.

At the time of his application, he was the commanding general of the 108th Training Command headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, responsible for more than 8,000 soldiers in 44 states and Puerto Rico.

Asked why he wanted to serve as city manager in interviews, McQueen recalled Bob Buford’s book Halftime, in which the author suggests that as in sports, “halftime” in life presents an opportunity to game-plan one’s second half.

“The people of Panama City have all supported me in my three-decades-plus of (military) service,” McQueen said. “I am who I am in the Army in part because of that

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commitment and support. It’s my time to give back to the city.”

By all accounts, commissioners were impressed — the News Herald called them “awed” — with McQueen’s answers during his interview. They voted to hire him in late April, and he signed a contract with a flexible start date between July 15 and October 1.

“He was my choice because he’s a problemsolver, a motivator and a leader. He can set the tone and the example for the city and for the city employees that we need,” Mayor Greg Brudnicki said.

The flexible start date was put in place in part to allow McQueen to donate a kidney to an acquaintance with the same rare blood type, a process he had already begun preparing for at his time of hire. He successfully made the donation in July.

McQueen anticipates a short overlap of responsibility, as he officially retires from the military on Oct. 26. “I’m going across the finish line sprinting,” he said.

Jared Jones, who has served as interim city manager since Brown’s resignation — and who McQueen praised for a job well done — will serve as assistant city manager under McQueen.

A LOCAL GUY WITH WORLDWIDE EXPERIENCE In 1988, Mark McQueen made what he thought was a temporary move to Panama City.

McQueen’s father was a career officer, an army aviator, and the family moved often.

He calls Enterprise, Alabama his hometown because he graduated from Enterprise High School. He was an ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate from Auburn University and went on to further service in the Army. In 1988, waiting to go back on active duty, McQueen answered an ad for a temporary, 60-day job at then-Gulf Coast

Community College working in job placement for disabled students.

The Army continued to delay, and he took a full-time position at the college. When he got the call, two weeks later, he asked to stay in the Army Reserve.

“I believe that it was God opening a door for me, pulling me in this direction,” McQueen said.

In Panama City, he met his wife, Karen, a teacher, and they have raised two children in Bay County. His daughter, Taylor, serves as an associate unit minister in Opelika, Alabama, and his son, Thomas, recently became a deputy with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.

McQueen has served in every level of command and staff from company command through general officer. His deployments have included Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. As deputy commanding general, United States Army Europe, he was responsible for the mobilization and deployment of reserves across 51 countries.

McQueen retired as commanding general of the 108th Training Command. For the past nine years, he also served as business administrator of the First Baptist Church in Panama City.

“The journey I’ve walked has been one of faith,” McQueen said. “When I look back at my life — my military, civilian, family and social life — I think all of these things have contributed to getting me ready for the second half.”

SETTING PRIORITIES McQueen is not the only agent to play a role in what his second half will look like.

He said that the city of Panama City has “enormous potential, untapped potential” to attract families and businesses, and that he hopes to “help develop a strategic vision and plan for the city and execute that plan to help the city realize its potential not just now but in the future, 2050.”

In his first 90 days, he plans to assess the city organization and its capabilities, a process he calls looking “down and in.” Next, he hopes to “look up and out” in creating a strategic vision and plan for the city.

The arrival of Mark McQueen as the new city manager for the city of Panama City is coinciding with work to convert a former bank building to the new location for City Hall.

“The people of Panama City have all supported me in my three-decades-plus of (military) service. I am who I am in the Army in part because of that commitment and support. It’s my time to give back to the city.”

PHOTO BY DOUG DOBOS/COURTESY OF CITY OF PANAMA CITY

— Maj. Gen. Mark McQueen, city manager, Panama City

“That won’t be a plan I do in isolation. It will be an integrated, collaborative process with community involvement, business, military and education leaders, and individuals in the fine arts community. Once we have the plan, we ought to be able to get after it,” McQueen said.

Brudnicki brought up, in particular, McQueen’s request for a contractually required 40-hour work week, at minimum.

“We need to make sure we’re serving our citizens,” McQueen said. “That means giving our best effort every day that we come to

work.” He said he plans to “meet and work alongside” every one of Panama City’s municipal employees, dedicating one day a month to working in a different department, such as picking up waste or riding along with police.

“I expect an adherence to high standards,” he said. “That’s quite frankly why I had that put in my contract.”

The City Commission has a great deal of confidence in McQueen.

“He’s been training and motivating people his entire career. He’s trained generals to be generals,” Brudnicki said. “The experience

and credentials that he brings to the table will be something that people who work under him will appreciate.”

Rader brought up the 500 city employees that McQueen will manage and the city’s considerable $100 million budget. “You can’t put a dollar amount on great leadership.

That’s what it comes down to. It’s so valuable to us. We sure need him.”

McQueen is hopeful about what Panama City and its citizens will be able to accomplish in coming years, though he acknowledged a need to build consensus among them.

“Panama City is a multifaceted entity with nearly 40,000 citizens and everyone has needs and requirements. As a result, everyone has a little bit of a different perspective. Mine is just one. My desire through that ‘up and out’ (process) is to garner input from many to make sure we know what our common objectives are. Once we get that, I think everyone will do his part,” he said.

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DEFENDERS OF THE WATERFRONT Panama City Growing Strong board members include (left to right) Teresa Sheffield, secretary/treasurer; Jim Lawrence; Robert Barnes, president; and Lesley Fontaine, vice president.

Board member Chris Moser is not pictured.

GROWING STRONG

BEAUTIFUL VIEW Citizens group hopes to define a shared urban vision

by ERIN HOOVER

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“T

he waterfront has been the main driver for our history and our heritage in this community,” began Robert Barnes, the president of Panama City Growing Strong.

It’s been a year since members of this allvolunteer organization first came together to advocate for greater citizen input regarding the future of the Panama City Marina. Bob Sonnenblick, the head of a Los Angelesbased real estate development firm, had submitted a plan, and a local group, Save the Panama City Marina, sprung up to oppose it.

“We wanted to have a voice, and not just a voice of opposition,” Barnes explained. “We made a decision early on to be supportive

of something happening on the marina, and we decided to expand that focus to the waterfront communities in general.”

City commissioners ultimately rejected the Sonnenblick plan, as they had rejected two others that had come before them since 2012.

Barnes calls the city “plan fatigued.”

“It’s a dangerous place to be, because you’ll accept a development that’s not right,” he said.

After defining its mission and vision, Panama City Growing Strong incorporated as a nonprofit organization in November 2017. They invite members to join at their website, pcgrowingstrong.org.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL BOOINI

“

HOMETOWN CROWD Barnes’s great-grandfather, Capt. Charles Anderson, lived in a house behind the current marina, where the federal courthouse is now located. Barnes spent a lot of time there as a child. Other co-founders of the organization — Teresa Sheffield, Lesley Fontaine, Judy and Bob Stapleton, Evelyn Fore, Jim Lawrence and Chris Moser — are also lifelong residents.

Board members come from different occupational backgrounds. Barnes is a certified registered nurse anesthetist; Sheffield has a master’s degree in social work. Jim Lawrence is an engineer, Chris Moser has a master’s in business administration and Lesley Fontaine is a homemaker and busy grandmother.

“The common thread among all of us that got together is that we’re lifelong residents, sometimes multiple generations, and we all grew up in the Cove or St. Andrews utilizing the marina and loving it,” said Sheffield, the organization’s secretary and treasurer.

Learning from communities that have grown successfully is part of the organization’s strategy, and they have invited experts from across the country to come to Panama City to speak, including Charles Marohn, the founder and president of a group called Strong Towns, and former Pittsburgh mayor Tom Murphy. The first event, featuring Marohn, attracted 80 residents, including Panama City’s mayor, two commissioners and the city planner.

Panama City Growing Strong connected with Quint Studer early in its learning process. Studer has been a key player in

Pensacola’s revitalization efforts, and he spoke to the group in April.

“Quint has been somewhat of a mentor to us,” Barnes said.

Currently, the group meets the second Tuesday of every month in space donated by the Panama City Marine Institute.

Barnes hopes that a marina hotel contemplated by The St. Joe Company does not become a cart before the visioning horse.

St. Joe, in a Sept. 6 letter to city officials, expressed interest in building a hotel of no more than five stories as a first step in downtown redevelopment.

About that, Barnes is cautiously optiTHE WILL OF THE PEOPLE mistic.

“St. Joe may be the perfect partner that Victor Dover, the principal of Dover, Kohl really moves the ball that others are now & Partners, visited Panama City to meet carrying to the goal line — if they are a good with the group in July. Over the last decade, steward who has Panama City’s quality of Dover’s firm has produced more than 200 life as their No. 1 priority,” Barnes said after charrettes — intensive hands-on sessions the St. Joe letter made headlines. where citizens share their collaborative “Another big unknown vision for their city, which is what the public’s opinion a design team synthesizes will be,” Barnes added. “Is into a plan that is presented the bitter taste of previous in an open public forum. deals still fresh in the Charrettes have worked mouths of many in our in Miami and other places community? Are there in Florida, and Barnes and shades of other recent others feel they could work agreements where the lack for Panama City, too.

— Robert Barnes, of openness in the process “We’ve learned from president, Panama clouded public opinion so our speakers that one of City Growing much that the deal had no the important things for Strong chance of ever coming to a community to do is to fruition? We don’t know identify a common, shared right now, but we are very excited to hear the vision,” Barnes said. “That involves citizens full scope of their plans and to work closely coming together and determining where we with St. Joe, the city and any other developers see our community going in the next 10, 15, that emerge as all of this moves forward.”

20 years.”

Meanwhile, Barnes is satisfied that Mayor Barnes acknowledged that the group’s Greg Brudnicki is giving serious considlong-term plans depend on what happens in eration to investing in and completing the the immediate future, particularly if they are strategic master vision process. able to hold charrettes.

“Our most immediate goal now is to “As a result of Victor Dover’s presentasupport and encourage the mayor to execute tion and continuing discussions with him, that process before any major development is his team, and others in his field of expertise, begun,” Barnes said. our knowledge of the process of developing Establishing and supporting citizen advia strategic master vision has grown dramatisory committees is written into Panama City cally,” Barnes said. “The implementation of Growing Strong’s mission. Barnes noted the end products will require administration that citizen advisory committees have been and oversight from our group well into the effective in Dunedin and Bradenton/Fort future.

Myers, Florida, and in Hampton, Virginia.

“As a certified planner who is a member “City leaders are elected to do the will of of our organization said, ‘Doing the master the people,” he continued. “They can’t know vision is the easy part. Making sure the what citizens want if there’s not input from vision is implemented well into the future the citizenry.” is where the hard work begins.’”

“We wanted to have a voice — and not just a voice of opposition.”

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GKN AEROSPACE

UP TO SPEED A new general manager readies GKN Aerospace for early production phases

by ERIN HOOVER

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I

t’s a big job to bring a large manufacturing facility up to production readiness. Nobody knows that better than Preston Mathis, new general manager at GKN Aerospace’s Bay County facility.

Bay EDA announced in February 2017 that GKN planned to make a capital investment of approximately $50 million and to create 170 highly skilled jobs in Bay County. Locally, the arrival of GKN Aerospace was and is considered a sign of more business to come.

GKN and its partners have certainly wasted no time bringing the site up to production.

Last November, GKN Aerospace took possession of the building site at

VentureCrossings Enterprise Centre, owned and managed by St. Joe, and in December, Mathis began working as general manager of the new operation — GKN’s first facility in Florida.

According to Mathis, GKN has been hiring and bringing in new employees since then.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GKN AEROSPACE AND THE ST. JOE COMPANY (VENTURECROSSINGS)

Mathis brings more than 25 years in aerospace manufacturing experience to his work at GKN, with previous roles at Fairchild Republic, Communications and Space Corporation; at Eaton Aerospace; and at Honeywell Aerospace. He relocated with his family from Bradenton, Florida, to Panama City Beach for this position.

Since his arrival, Mathis’s priority has been to “support not only the facility coming up, and the team wrapped around that, but the hiring process — making sure we get the right talent, and once it comes in, working to develop our culture and our general operating procedures.”

Mathis said that St. Joe worked closely with local contractors to obtain the necessary permitting, “anything from standing the building up to getting the proper electrical in place.” He also credited strong collaboration with Bay County EDA and with Gulf Power.

The VentureCrossings Enterprise Centre is a Florida First Site, an initiative launched

by Gulf Power to create certified, projectready industrial sites.

“St. Joe has done not just a superb job but outstanding,” Mathis said. “I really can’t say enough good things about Jorge Gonzalez and his team.”

He added that Bay County EDA and its president, Becca Hardin, have been helpful when GKN has run into challenges. “They tell us who to go see, who to talk to, they make introductions. … When setting up a large facility, with the amount of money it takes, time is critical.”

With a staff of about 50, the GKN Aerospace Bay County facility is now in early production phases and doing qualification testing — building parts to test new equipment and validate the site’s manufacturing processes and procedures with its operators.

Mathis said that he expects that GKN Aerospace will employ 85 people in Bay County by the close of 2018, and that they will reach the target 170 employees total by the time the site is at full-scale production in 2020.

CareerSource Florida has been recruiting for GKN “24/7” to bring in qualified candidates, Mathis said. “People can apply nationally, but the majority of our successes have been from local applications who have gone through our training program.”

“They (Bay County EDA) tell us who to go see, who to talk to, they make introductions. … When setting up a large facility, with the amount of money it takes, time is critical.” — Preston Mathis, general manager at GKN Aerospace Bay County

Gulf Coast State College has worked with GKN on its training curriculum and provided training facilities. Additionally, in January of this year, the Florida State Board of Trustees announced two new engineering programs at FSU Panama City: a bachelor’s program in mechanical engineering and a master’s program in systems engineering to begin this fall. These partnerships in higher education have been critical for GKN in pipelining talent, Mathis said.

Mathis plans to work with multiple Bay County schools, elementary through high school, to establish a relationship between GKN Aerospace and schools’ STEM programs. “When you go to college, you might think about becoming an engineer. We want to be able to have those conversations and maybe offer encouragement,” he said.

In March, British-based company

Melrose Industries purchased GKN, which employs 58,000 staff worldwide, but according a spokesperson for GKN, the change in ownership will not impact GKN Aerospace operations in Bay County.

“Melrose has indicated that it has ambitious plans for GKN Aerospace. It has said it operates and invests in its companies for the long-term and this means a heavy focus on R&D, new product development, skills, training and customer relationships. GKN Aerospace has a great future ahead,” said Wesley Bates, media and communications manager for GKN Aerospace.

They will certainly continue to have willing partners in Bay County. According to Mathis, the collaboration that brought GKN to Northwest Florida has only grown since the company’s arrival: “Bay County has totally embraced us.”

A GKN employee in this supplied file photo inspects a winglet nearing the end of its manufacturing process. GKN is an aerospace contractor that has set up shop in Bay County near the airport. It holds a long-term contract with the federal government, but precisely what it is making in Bay County is being kept proprietary.

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Development, including the expansion of Pier Park and the installation of new traffic lights, has made for bumper-to-bumper, stop-and-go traffic on the Panama City Beach Parkway (Back Beach Road) in Bay County throughout much of the year.

ROAD WARRIORS

Panama City Beach, Bay County and St. Joe team up to fight gridlock on U.S. 98

by KARI C. BARLOW

W

hen it comes to solving the traffic woes across the Panama City Beach area — one of the state’s most popular drive-to vacation spots — government officials and private business owners are learning the value of working together.

“It wasn’t an overnight thing,” Panama City Beach City Manager Mario Gisbert said. “It’s taken years to get everybody on board.”

Those efforts — which have included countless meetings, interlocal agreements, vying for state grants and levying halfcent sales taxes — appear to be paying off as Panama City Beach, with the assistance of Bay County and The St. Joe Company, moves closer to constructing the second leg of Bay Parkway.

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“We’re all looking through the same type of vision,” Bay County Commissioner Philip “Griff” Griffitts said. “It’s definitely a win-win for the beach and the county.”

The $9 million project is expected to lay out roughly 3 miles of new roadway and be completed sometime in the next two years. An east-west alternative, Bay Parkway is designed to help alleviate congestion near the intersection of State Road 79 and U.S. Highway 98, known locally as Back Beach Road. “(Back Beach Road) is at capacity and then some,” Gisbert said. “The intersection of SR 79 and Back Beach Road is a failing intersection, and it has been for some time.”

The first section of Bay Parkway, a $3 million, 1.5-mile loop from State Road 79 to Pier Park North Drive, opened in early 2017.

But officials say it’s the second section that will be the gamechanger, finally offering motorists traveling into Panama City Beach on SR 79 a true bypass of a particularly crowded portion of Back Beach Road. Under the city’s plans, the second leg of Bay Parkway will extend eastward to Nautilus Street, which connects to Back Beach Road with a traffic light.

“It’s a tremendous benefit to the city,” Panama City Beach City Councilman Hector Solis said. “That whole Pier Park area gets really bogged down. All that traffic that comes down SR 79 can now bypass that 45-minute gridlock.”

PLANNING FOR GROWTH Panama City Beach Mayor Mike Thomas sees the continuation of Bay Parkway as not only a traffic solution but preparation for future residential and commercial growth.

“It’s a necessary thing,” he said. “For the last 20 years we have known it was needed.

You can’t live in an area as beautiful as this and expect it not to grow. … You’re always going to have traffic, trash and noise. We’re just trying to minimize it.”

Griffitts agreed, noting that Panama City Beach’s roughly 17,000 rental units are a sign that the area will only grow in popularity.

PHOTOS BY DEBBIE WARD/COURTESY OF CITY OF PANAMA CITY BEACH

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“It’s a good problem to have, but … we’ve got to maintain that level of transportation ease,” he said.

The Florida Department of Transportation also recognized the need for a bypass of U.S. 98, but it had placed the project on a 30-year long-range plan.

“The city felt we couldn’t wait 30 years,” Gisbert said. “It’s vitally important. It helps us with hurricane evacuation, driving to the airport. … And most of our visitors are coming from the north down SR 79. This saves everybody time!”

To fund the project, Panama City Beach plans to contribute roughly $3.5 million, pulled from the city’s general fund and its half-cent sales tax revenue. Bay County has committed to that same amount and has also applied for a $4 million FDOT Transportation Regional Incentive Program grant for fiscal year 2019.

St. Joe Company, which owns the property over which Bay Parkway will be built, has agreed to donate the land to the city in return for credits on development fees.

“As the area grows, it is important that we continue to work collaboratively with the local community to plan for infrastructure needs,” said Jorge Gonzalez, president and CEO of The St. Joe Company. “The next leg of Bay Parkway is the latest example of such planning

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and once completed, we think it will help to alleviate traffic congestion for both residents and visitors by providing an alternative parallel road for a segment of U.S. 98.”

Solis, who also serves on the Bay Transportation Planning Organization, said tapping the city’s half-cent sales tax revenue to extend Bay Parkway bypass makes good fiscal sense.

“We’re putting (the money) where it’s needed,” he said. “I can find no better way to improve our roads. It’s the best use, in my opinion.”

In mid-May, Panama City Beach officials also approved a $700,000 contract with Gortemoller Engineering for design services related to the construction of the second segment.

“Even though it’s not an FDOT road, we are building it to FDOT standards,” Gisbert said.

He praised the different entities involved

in the project for working together toward a common goal.

“All of our municipalities communicate really well, and we have a good line of communication with The St. Joe Company and with the FDOT,” he said. “That has been one of the good things.”

Gisbert said the FDOT has looked favorably on the Bay Parkway project because “it’s literally doing their work for them.”

Solis predicted the bypass will eventually become a state-maintained roadway.

“The long-term hope is that DOT would actually take over that road,” he said. “It’s just part of the natural growth cycle.”

Solis and Griffitts said the successful completion of the second leg of Bay Parkway could also give the area more leverage to push FDOT to accelerate the widening of Back Beach Road, a project that is on the books but still several years out.

PHOTO BY DEBBIE WARD/COURTESY OF CITY OF PANAMA CITY BEACH AND ILLUSTRATED MAP BY CHARLES BAKOFSKY

Bay Parkway, which is being completed in phases, is a project designed to alleviate congestion on Panama City Beach Parkway in the area of Pier Park. The new road will extend from Highway 79 north of City Hall to U.S. 98 near the Colony Club golf course.

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INTERNATIONAL TOURISM A RISING TIDE IN PANAMA CITY Bay County sees growth, outpacing the state’s numbers

by T.S. STRICKLAND

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combined $24.7 billion — or 22.1 percent of total tourism revenue.

For this reason, state officials are eager to woo foreign travelers back to our shores. As they search for ways to do so, tourism marketers are increasingly looking to less developed destinations — like Panama City — to combat what they’ve termed “Florida Fatigue.”

The Sunshine State has been the uncontested leader among American vacation destinations for more than a decade. Of course, the downside of being on top is that gravity, inevitably, favors the underdog. Visit Florida’s data bears that point out.

Interest in traveling to Florida within the next two years dipped two points in 2017, according to the agency. The No. 1 reason cited by travelers who’ve opted not to return to Florida: “Been there, done that.”

“The rest of the world, when they think of Florida, they think of Miami and Mickey Mouse,” Leach said. “We represent something different, untapped and special.”

Bay County has recognized this fact for some time now — since at least 1999, according to Leach. The CVB has had its own foreign representation — in Germany and the U.K. — since 2010.

PHOTO PHOTOS

BY CHALABALA

BY TODD DOUGLAS / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

M

ore and more international travelers are finding their way to Bay County — even as state tourism officials struggle to maintain their footing in a market undermined by unfavorable exchange rates and political turmoil.

“We haven’t struggled as much as other destinations have these last couple years,” said Jayna Leach, vice president of marketing for Visit Panama City Beach. “While the rest of the state is working to retain market share, we are still fresh to many of our international guests and have enjoyed sustained growth.”

In 2017, international visitors to Panama City spent more than $5.7 million with their Visa cards. That’s up from $5.4 million the prior year, and this year’s figures are on track to exceed last year’s numbers.

The gains are noteworthy when one considers that the state, as a whole, has lost international market share in recent years.

The overall number of visitors to Florida has increased by 33.4 percent since 2011 — cresting last year at a record 29.2 million travelers and nearly $112 billion in spending, according to Visit Florida.

At the same time, however, international travel to the state decreased — falling 8 percent since 2013. These losses have been compounded by the fact that, in terms of economic impact, international travelers punch above their weight.

In 2017, 14.2 million foreign travelers visited Florida. This number represented only 12.2 percent of the state’s total tourism volume. However, those same visitors spent a

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“This gives us greater exposure,” Leach said, “and we’re able to respond more quickly to the media.”

The county’s efforts have produced results.

Zandra Wolfgram is marketing director for ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals, which manages nearly 3,500 condos and vacation homes in Northwest Florida and coastal Alabama.

She said she’d noticed a lot more foreign journalists visiting the area in recent years — as well as guests.

“International guests are fantastic,” Wolfgram said. “They book further in advance, stay longer, are active and engaged in their destination, and, because they have an extended stay, they spend more on activities, meals and shopping.”

Still, Wolfgram said international guests made up less than 1 percent of their overall customer mix. The bulk of these travelers are Canadian “snowbirds,” longterm, winter visitors who tend — Lino Maldonado, to return year after year.

VP of Wyndham For the mix to improve, Vacation Rentals, Wolfgram said, leaders must both increase demand through 2018-2019 chair of more effective marketing Visit Florida board strategies and improve air of directors access to the region.

“When we can market direct, non-stop flights from major international destinations, travelers will come in greater numbers,” she said.

Wyndham vice president Lino Maldonado, who also chairs Visit Florida’s board of directors, agreed.

“We need to think bigger than what our historical target has been,” he said. “We used to market to mom and dad who had a couple kids and drove here. International visitors are a great target. They stay longer. They plan vacations well in advance. They spend more money. They even buy suitcases to bring back what they purchase.”

Reaching these travelers, however, requires a change of strategy.

“We need to package experiences and become better at telling stories,” Maldonado said. “This traveler is not rate-driven. They are experience-driven. How can we capture our cultural experiences, share that story and encourage them to explore our destination? Pier Park is great, but, if we only send them there, we are limiting ourselves.”

“International visitors are a great target. They stay longer.

They plan vacations well in advance.

They spend more money.

They even buy suitcases to bring back what they purchase.”

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FOR LEASE

COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES ST. MARKS INNOVATION PARK Located 16 miles south of the Capitol and offering a bevy of amenities, St. Marks Innovation Park and the adjoining St. Marks Municipal Dock offer the perfect spot for your commercial property.

The site includes two buildings — a 2,600-square-foot office building and a 630-square-foot scale house. On-site infrastructure includes water, sewer, paved access roads and parking. Total acreage is 56 acres.

St. Marks Innovation Park

The eastern 8 acres of the property borders the St. Marks River and includes a loading dock for loading/unloading merchandise from barge to trucks. The western 47 acres of the property, with 30 acres of upland and 17 acres of wetlands, provides ample room for additional development.

The St. Marks Municipal Dock is located on approximately 3 acres of uplands with 250 feet of St. Marks River frontage and intake canal frontage of 600 feet. A submerged land lease is in place with riparian rights easement.

The concrete dock/pier is 1,440 square feet and extends 60 feet into the river. It is designed for forklift access with a turnaround. It also has a 14-foot, newly paved asphalt access road and gated security fencing.

St. Marks Innovation Park was designated as a brownfield in 2009, and tax incentives might be available to commercial businesses on a case-by-case basis.

Tallahassee International Airport is 21.3 miles away, and Interstate 10 is 25.7 miles away. State Road 363 is on-site.

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DEAL ESTATE Just Listed

Prime Office Space in Downtown Tallahassee Significant improvements planned for Florida Press Association building

By Rachel Smith THIS IS AN OUTSTANDING OPPORTUNITY TO become part of historic downtown Tallahassee. The building was recently acquired

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BECK PARTNERS

by Bayfront Capital Partners, LLC, a boutique investment firm that will be making significant improvements to the property. If you are looking for an affordable, clean and highly attractive building downtown, the Florida Press Association building at 336 College Ave. may be just what you are looking for. The property is within walking distance of the Leon County Courthouse, Capitol Building and City Hall and is near various restaurants and hotels.

Address: 336 E. College Ave., Tallahassee / List Price: $22.00 — $28.82 sf/yr (full service; gross) / Square Footage: 200-4,617 (building is 14,697 total) / Year Built: 1988 / Contact: Fletcher Dilmore, Sales Associate, fdilmore@teambeck.com, O: (850) 477-7044; Shawn Maxey, Sales Associate, smaxey@teambeck.com, C: (850) 240-1252; Jared Jackson, Sales Associate, jjackson@teambeck.com, O: (850) 727-0003

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Tuesday, October 23rd, 2018 – Gainesville, FL Florida Museum of Natural History 3215 Hull Rd Gainesville, FL 32611

YOUR IDEA COULD NET UP TO $27,000 IN CASH AND PRIZES *

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You can enter the Contest by visiting the official registration page at www.GetStartedGainesville (the “Website”) and completing all of the required information and following all posted instructions. Contest is open only to legal residents of Central Florida who: (1) are at least 18 years of age; (2) are the owner, principal, or general manager of a business that is physically located within a Cox Business serviceable area. Entry Period begins July 23, 2018. BY ENTERING THE CONTEST, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT (1) YOUR MATERIALS ARE NOT CONFIDENTIAL AND NO CONFIDENTIAL OR FIDUCIARY RELATIONSHIP IS INTENDED OR CREATED BY ENTERING THE CONTEST; AND (2) THE CONTEST ENTITIES MAY POSSESS OR COME TO POSSESS INFORMATION THAT IS SIMILAR OR IDENTICAL TO YOUR MATERIALS, AND YOU HEREBY AGREE THAT THE CONTEST ENTITIES MAY USE SUCH SIMILAR OR IDENTICAL INFORMATION WITHOUT LIMITATION, COMPENSATION, OR CREDIT TO YOU. Void where prohibited. Contest subject to Complete Official Rules. To obtain a copy of Official rules visit www.GetStartedGainesville.com To obtain a copy of the winner’s list, send your request along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to “Cox Business Get Started” Winners List, Marketing Department, Cox Communications, Inc., 6205-B Peachtree Dunwoody Rd, Atlanta, GA 30328. Sponsor: Cox Communications, Inc.,d/b/a Cox Business, 6205-B Peachtree Dunwoody Rd, Atlanta, GA 30328. (c) 2018 Cox Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

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DEAL ESTATE Second Home

New French-inspired Beach Village on 30A Gated community offers luxurious amenities and great location By Rachel Smith

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a short distance along a paved walkway from white sand beaches and is close by the Gulf Place Town Center. Find your second home in this quaint, gated community that features a luxurious pavilion, seven acres of protected habitat and the unsurpassed relaxed charm of South Walton beaches. Award-winning local builder Randy Wise has lived up to his reputation for meticulous attention to detail and customer satisfaction in creating this lovely beach village that is rich in amenities and features a FrenchEuropean style.

Address: 225 RidgeWalk Circle, Santa Rosa Beach / List Price: Starting from $684,791 / Square Footage: 2,364 Bedrooms: 3 plus bonus room / Bathrooms: 3.5 / Contact: Kelly Webb, Randy Wise Homes Realty, (850) 450-6429, RidgeWalkFL.com

NICEVILLE, FLORIDA’S NEWEST COMMUNITY! Deer Moss Creek is an 1,100 acre master-planned, mixed-use community in Niceville, FL. Deer Moss Creek will include over 3,000 homes, a trail system, bike path, parks and more, and embrace the community’s natural surroundings and recreational opportunities. We encourage you to discover your next great adventure and explore the opportunities to move into a new home, create a business, and experience the connection to nature Deer Moss Creek offers. Discover Deer Moss Creek.

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In the summer edition of 850 Magazine, editor Steve Bornhoft profiled Raffield Fisheries, a Gulf County business that for generations has farmed the Gulf of Mexico, harvesting food fishes and baitfish.

Here, he explores the career of Bob Jones, the longtime director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association, established by commercial fishing interests who recognized that they needed representation by a strong advocate. For 54 years, Jones has filled that role with a voice that is today a little breathier than it used to be, but always has been as sweet as fresh water and steadfast in support of livelihoods and a culture he is committed to preserving.

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f BOB ish Southeastern Fisheries Association’s Bob Jones is at last pulling in his oars STORY BY STEVE BORNHOFT PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAIGE ROBERTS

Bob Jones, longtime executive director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association, believes he was steered toward working for commercial fishing interests after a shrimper saved from drowning his sister, who had fallen from a dock.

BOB JONES, HIS BROTHER, HIS SISTER and his mother moved into a 12 x 16 cabin at a fish camp in Vilano Beach, Florida, near St. Augustine, in 1948. For the family, the place was a relative palace.

Jones’ parents had divorced four years earlier and, homeless, the family essentially free ranged until the camp’s owner, P.J. Manucy, a commercial fisherman and shrimper, permitted the Joneses to indefinitely occupy a cabin usually reserved for weekend anglers.

Manucy was a savior and a protector and would soon emerge as a hero.

Mary Frances Jones had often sternly demanded that Bob’s baby sister, Lessie, never go out on the dock at the camp without an adult escort. But the dock, as most things forbidden do, became irresistible. Lessie, unaccompanied, fell into the dark, moving waters of the North River.

Jones, 13 at the time, was cleaning up a room where outboard motors were kept and did not see Lessie tumble from the dock, but he caught in the corner of his eye Manucy sprinting toward the river while trying to remove his wristwatch.

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“I saw (Manucy) dive into the water and come up with a very wet, scared, lucky and sweet Lesta Ann Jones in his arms,” Jones has written in his memoir, Minorcan Gumbo for the Soul. “She would have drowned if not for P.J. Manucy. God held her in the palms of his hands that day through the strong arms of a man. It was a miracle.”

Jones would remain forever grateful for the fish camp owner’s courageous act and, decades later, reflecting on his career, concluded that he was provided with a path to follow, one that enabled him to be helpful to commercial fishermen like Manucy.

“That was intervention,” Jones said recently. “Of course it was.”

Even if the path were winding.

To be sure, Jones never would have expected it to go through Oklahoma and Texas.

He always has been the kind of individual that most any organization would love to have as a promoter of its interests. He is affable, likable, generous, kind, genuine, grateful, loyal, a good laugher and large without being imposing. He is a one-time bricklayer skilled at building relationships. And, he says about himself, “I am spiritually enchanted.”

It was not surprising, then, when Jones quickly rose to prominence as a member of the Jaycees in St. Augustine. In 52

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1961, he was vice president and in charge of documenting the club’s projects for the state organization. In truth, Jones dictated reports while his wife, Mindy, did the typing on a manual Royal typewriter removed from a carrying case.

A year later, Jones was president when the St. Augustine Jaycees were named the best club in Florida and one of the top 10 clubs in the country. By way of recognition, Jones was awarded two prizes: a trip to the Jaycees’ convention in Las Vegas and a one-year assignment in Tulsa as manager of internal affairs for the Jaycees’ national organization.

Jones, his wife and their four children left St. Augustine, headed for flyover country in a 1959 Volkswagen microbus.

He likely would have worked for the Jaycees for decades were it not for the organization’s practice of regularly turning over its staff positions. His Tulsa duties complete, Jones and family moved to Houston where he managed a motel — for a month.

“The Congress Inn on Katy Road. Hardest job I ever had,” Jones said. “Seven days a week.”

Try as they might, Jones and his wife seemed never to get off the motel property. One night, they did leave, along with their children, to go to a nearby drive-in movie theater, but they couldn’t figure out how to exit the interstate and get there.

PHOTOS COURTESY BOB JONES (SFA)

Bob Jones, at right, presented then-U.S. Sen. Lawton Chiles with a mounted spiny lobster as a token of the Southeastern Fisheries Association's appreciation for Chiles's support of commercial fishing interests in Florida. Chiles had joined the association in opposing the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which extended the federal government's fisheries management zone to 200 miles from U.S. shores and had the effect of making vessels in America's distant-water fleet unwelcome in the territorial waters of other nations.

“We stopped and asked for directions, and a acquaintance of the Pattis, they of the iconic few minutes later, we were sailing right past seafood market and restaurant. He met resthe same service station again,” Jones recalled. taurateur Dewey Destin’s father. Then it was Jones was in a place where he did not belong on to Apalachicola and Cedar Key and around and his father-in-law Charlie Usina, a powerful the peninsula.

Florida legislator, knew it. Employing his “Everywhere I went, members took me unstatus and position, he saw to it that Jones der their wing and helped me get oriented,” Soon after joining was elected “executive secretary” of a 12-yearJones said. “My first year with the association, SFA, Jones traded old industry organization, the Southeastern I spent 200 days on the road, I’m sure. And we his job-interview suit for clothing Fisheries Association, on June 20, 1964. had four kids. A year later, we had our fifth.” more appropriate Association board member C.C. Rice reWithin 12 months or so on the job, Jones to fish houses. quired some convincing on that day. He had become comfortable with his role, had couldn’t picture a Jaycees-type walking docks and visitopted for comfortable clothes and “the members were ing fish houses. letting me know that they appreciated what I was doing.”

“You sure you’re not too good for that?” Rice wanted Jones had been admitted to a fraternity made up of “guys to know. who are tough.”

Board chairman Johnny Salvador of St. Augustine in“You have to accept them as they are,” Jones learned. tervened.

“They really don’t want help from anybody. They just “Mr. Salvador had known me as a kid, football player, U.S. want to go out and catch fish and take it to market and Marine and mason,” Jones said. “He told my detractor that I support their families. Seafood businesses have their had no problem getting my hands dirty, and Rice responded marketers and salespeople and back office folks, but the by chomping down on his big cigar, squinting his eyes and men who spend their time on the water, they really will declaring, ‘Damn it, then, I move we hire the boy.’ ” tell you like it is.”

The motion passed unanimously. Jones was brought Throughout its history, the SFA has served to “protect on at an annual salary of $7,500 and was extended $250 and enhance the commercial fishing industry through all with which to move his family to Tallahassee. legal means possible.” Its members include not just fisher“They took a chance on an unknown quantity,” Jones men, but, Jones pointed out, “dealers, restaurants, truckers, said. “I knew something about membership organizasuppliers, importers, exporters, shrimp farmers and other tions, but I knew nothing about politics. My father-inaquaculture operations. If you are in the business of fish or law was my mentor.” fishing, we are there with you.”

The gamble paid off. Fifty-four years later, Jones reBeginning well before Jones’ first day on the job, the mains on the job. commercial fishing industry had been fending off foes Soon, however, he will embark on a farewell tour sure bent on curtailing their operations. to bring to his mind his first trip around the state when, “In the United States, we have been regulated since as the association’s new staffer, he visited SFA members 1928,” Jones said. “Way back when, Broward County in coat, tie and hard shoes, a practice he soon abandoned. may have been the first jurisdiction in Florida to ban net Jones, 85, announced in May that he has decided to retire by the end of 2018.

“Turning loose is a paradox,” Jones has confided to friends. “Time has taken its toll on my physical ability, but my mind is 21 or so. That is both sweet and challenging.”

With assistance from the National Fisheries Institute, the SFA was formed in 1952, largely by men engaged in trying to restart their businesses following wartime military duty. They recognized that they needed a voice and marketing expertise.

TRACING THE COASTLINE SFA president-elect Heber Bell gave greenhorn Jones the membership book.

“Start in Pensacola and work around the state and when you get back, we’ll have a meeting,” he instructed the new secretary.

In Pensacola, Jones met Clyde Richbourg, who had served as a machine gunner in the Pacific during World War II, at the American Seafood Co., and he made the 850 Business Magazine

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Gov. Claude Kirk signed legislation banning purse seines as a seafood harvesting device in Florida waters as Jones, at left, and the governor’s environmental advisor, Nat Reed, looked on.

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we are perfectly willing to share. In my final years, I want to find out when it became legal to take all of the fish and give them to one side.

“This concept of ‘gamefish’ is not in federal law, and our Florida constitution says that the fish belong to all the people. But what happens is that regulation by regulation, political deal by political deal, the commercial industry’s share of fish erodes.”

Some may argue that officials are not favoring one side versus the other, but are instead managing fish populations by regulating harvesting methods. Jones doesn’t buy that rationale.

“It’s still not enough to set aside an entire species of fish for one component of the overall fishing effort and to prohibit sale of that fish,” he contends.

SEA-CHANGING STATUTES Two laws have affected commercial fishing operations in Florida in Jones’ lifetime more than any others.

The Magnuson-Stevens Act of 1976 ultimately established regional fishery management councils and a 200mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with the inner boundary being the seaward boundary of the coastal states.

The act provided for management of fish and other species in the EEZ under plans drawn up by the regional councils and reviewed and approved by the secretary of commerce.

And it Americanized fishing by providing for regulation of foreign fishing in the management zone based on international fishing agreements and vessel fishing permits.

“The Magnuson Act succeeded in keeping the Russians off of New England and Alaska, but with the stroke of a pen, distant-water shrimping fleets instantly became overcapitalized in Florida,” Jones said.

“Our shrimpers fished in Mexico, Honduras and Costa Rica. We harvested lobsters in the Caribbean and grouper off South America. Now, all of our boats had to come back and fish in the Gulf of Mexico and the Southeast.

The fleet numbered 6,000 shrimp boats in 1983; it’s down to about 1,900 now.

“We concentrated all that fishing power in the Gulf, and meanwhile, the resource hadn’t gotten any bigger.

The act helped Alaska, but the New Englanders overfished cod despite the legislation. Florida got screwed, as it does most of the time. We didn’t have 200 miles between our state and the Bahamas.”

Then, in 1994, Florida voters participating in a statewide election and endorsed a constitutional amendment that effectively killed gillnet fishing in the state.

That, for Jones, was the biggest donnybrook of his career, pitting a Goliath in the form of sport-fishing interests against a David, the commercial industry.

“We were overmatched,” Jones concedes with reference to the money and power of the pro-ban Coastal Conservation Association of Florida and the influence of Karl Wickstrom, the publisher of Florida Sportsman magazine.

PHOTO COURTESY BOB JONES

fishing. But, historically, nets have been controversial for centuries. In 1215 in England, right after the signing of the Magna Carta, hook-and-line fishermen decided they didn’t like seiners and were burning their nets.”

Seven hundred and forty-nine years later, in Tallahassee, Florida, Jones was tasked by the SFA’s board of directors with three challenges: 1. Start a marketing program.

2. Establish the Tortugas as a shrimp nursery.

3. Prevent state and federal officials from making king mackerel and Spanish mackerel gamefish reserved for sport fishermen only.

“Marketing was the easy one,” Jones said, “because I could control that. The others involved a lot of moving parts.”

The SFA’s Tortugas initiative sought to prohibit trawling in 3 million acres of federal waters off Southwest Florida and the Florida Keys.

“Everyone knew that area was a shrimp nursery,” Jones said. “There were some folks used to catching little shrimp (in what would become the sanctuary) for sale to canning operations. But we represented offshore shrimpers who wanted the shrimp to have a chance to mature so that they would become more valuable.

“You can’t have it both ways. You can catch them when they’re little or when they are larger. You don’t have year classes. They only live 13 months.”

The sanctuary remains in place today.

The effort in Florida to ban certain saltwater species from commercial harvest — speckled trout, redfish, king mackerel and Spanish mackerel — was just getting started as Jones was getting started at SFA. Today, the commercial sector continues to receive decent allotments of kingfish and Spanish, but only negligible or no amounts of trout and redfish.

“So, if you don’t have a boat, you don’t get any, either.

Many people don’t look at us as food providers,” Jones said. “They see us as competition for sport fishermen, but

Jones has authored three books: a memoir, a tribute to commercial fishermen and a novel.

“It happened so fast, and it went into effect quickly and its impacts were immediate,” Jones said. “Livelihoods went away, and the truth is that the ban wasn’t needed.

“I don’t believe the sport fishermen are catching any more fish today than they did prior to the ban. And they thought that they were going be in heaven. Most people don’t know how to fish. In St. Augustine, there are maybe 10 families who really know how to catch trout and redfish. They know where to go, what time of day, and how to factor in the tides and the wind. Other people will go out with some live shrimp and try to catch a fish in the same spots those families favor. And when they don’t get any bites, they figure that the damn nets got all the fish.”

Jones regrets that he couldn’t do more to prevent the destruction of estuaries.

It sickens him, he said, to think about development filling in shallows at Boca Ciega Bay in St. Petersburg.

“That was probably as productive an estuary for trout, redfish and others species that you could hope to have and they built all those houses and attracted a bunch of people from New York and then all that water became theirs.

They didn’t want to look out from their waterfront homes and see a fisherman with a net. We were dismissed as rowdy and intoxicated, and we lost access to all those canals.”

Going forward, Jones plans to remain active, educating people about seafood safety issues and the prevalence of seafood fraud — the deliberate mislabeling of basa catfish from the Mekong Delta in Vietnam as grouper fillets, for example.

“Know your vendor, and don’t hesitate to ask him where his fish comes from,” Jones advises. “If a few people ask him, he will think twice about misrepresenting what he’s selling. Sadly, the fines are insignificant. Sell 10,000 pounds of basa as grouper and you might be fined $500.

That’s just the cost of doing business. You pay the fine and move on. We need basa — not everyone can afford stone crab claws — but we need honesty, too, so that the fisherman who is legitimately taking grouper to market can get a fair price for his product.”

He can’t compete with “grouper fillets” at $4.99 a pound.

Jones does not fear what is at the end of his earthly lifeline. But, as he has written, he prefers not knowing precisely when he will get spooled.

“Not knowing gives me strength to continue fighting the bad and working for the good,” Jones wrote in Minorcan Gumbo. “Not knowing keeps alive the myth that I will live forever, but that is not so, of course.”

We can hope for Jones’ sake that the end will beget a beginning, and he will — BOB JONES be greeted upstairs by a welcoming party with iced, succulent white shrimp just like the ones that P.J. Manucy, aboard his working fishing vessel, the Hoonya, used to unload at Salvador’s Seafood Market in St. Augustine.

“Not knowing gives me strength to continue fighting the bad and working for the good.”

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Moving Beyond

Binders

Municode embraces technology-driven advances story by MICHAEL MOLINE // photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

n a meeting room at Municipal Code Corp.’s headquarters on Capital Circle SW hang pictures demonstrating the reach of this homegrown Tallahassee business: Seattle. Miami. Salt Lake City. Southampton Township, Michigan.

Municode, as the company is widely known, is expanding its reach technologically, too, via a series of acquisitions that have transformed it into a high-tech comer. At the same time, it has retained its traditional business, producing hardcopy codebooks for 4,500 municipalities across the nation, including some 420 in Florida. (The City of Tallahassee was its first customer. Leon County uses Municode, too.)

The three-building Capital Circle SW headquarters, and satellite offices off Capital Circle NW and in Lake Oswego, Oregon, accommodate 180 employees — attorneys and traditional editors and proofreaders, as well as web developers and other high-tech workers.

The transformation qualifies Municode as “a 67-year-old start-up,” company president Eric Grant said. “When you think about what Municode does, in the biggest of pictures, we strengthen democracy.

“We do that by connecting the communities with their citizens. We’ve developed a suite of products that enables us to do that in a way that nobody else does. You can connect to the meetings; you can connect to the website; you can connect to the code. And all of that can push information from one location to multiple locations,” Grant said.

Its work places the company at the very nexus of the relationship between municipal governments and citizens.

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Prepress/production supervisor Starlett Lovel keeps copies flowing at Municode. While the business has moved increasingly to digital output, hard copies remain part of the mix.

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Members of the leadership team at Municode include, from left: Blaine Click, CFO; Eric Grant, president; Steffanie Rasmussen, vice president for client services; Phillip Claiborne, CIO/COO; Rick Grant, COO, MunicodePAY; Tassy Spinks, vice president, Supplement Department; Woody Estep, vice president for sales and marketing, MunicodeWEB.

Want to open a business? The local municipal code governs where you can rent or build. Got a loud neighbor? The noise ordinance establishes whether he’s breaking any laws. Want to raise chickens in your backyard? The codebook says whether that’s allowed.

Finding that information is another matter, for the layman. A typical municipal code can run to 650 pages. You’ve got to look up the zoning status of your home or business, then the section explaining what’s allowed there. You might need to scan city council agendas for any zoning or ordinance amendments in the works.

City websites don’t necessarily make that easy — too many, Municode noticed, relied on poor designs that buried links to ordinances and other vital information.

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Municode’s business strategy has centered on making the process simple. That has entailed organic growth plus acquisitions — four in the past four years. Thus far this year, Municode has picked up AgendaPal, a Texas company rebranded as MunicodeMeetings, and Municipal Codes Online in Utah. Earlier, it acquired the Colorado Code Publishing Co. and government web designer aHa Consulting, out in Lake Oswego.

Municode software allows local officials to create and approve agendas, including tallying of votes, video streaming and email notification to interested parties. The service includes notification to Municode of any changes so the company can update the published ordinances. You can even pay bills.

“You create what we call the ‘circle of governance,’ which is bringing all of those pieces together inside a unified platform,” Grant said.

In other words, Municode identifies needs and finds ways to meet them. Or “a way to do it better,” Municode’s marketing chief Woody Estep said. customers include the City “Traditionally, you have a company of Freeport in that has an agenda management process Walton County for which it — they sell that,” Grant said. “You’ve got developed a somebody who produces websites, and website. they sell those. A couple of companies have combined the agenda and the website. But, until us, nobody has put all three of those pieces together.”

The strategy has worked because of the goodwill the company generated over time. The founder was George Langford, who grew up in Thomasville; was drafted into the Army; landed in France on D-Day and fought his way across Europe; and returned to study law at the University of Virginia. He wound Software developer Philip up working for legal publisher Michie Holly is among Co., later absorbed into the LexisNexis Municode employees who empire. (Municode now owns Lexis’ book ensure that the business takes publishing business.) advantage Langford hit upon an innovation: of emerging technologies.

Why not publish books in the form of binders, so that, when a code section changed, purchasers could easily remove the old language and insert the new?

“You could open them and close them, and take pages out and put pages in. It was something the whole industry ended up adopting, which is called loose-leaf supplements,” Grant said.

Langford founded the company in 1951. His son, Lawton, became president during the mid-1980s and now serves as chairman and CEO. Tallahassee had obvious appeal as a base — it was close to home and a government town. The years “Mr. George” invested in building trust with clients would pay off.

“You now had the ability to go into the clerk’s office, the attorney’s office, the city manager’s office and say, ‘You’ve known us and trusted us with the law; now let us show you what we can do with the websites,’ ” Grant said.

Easing aHa’s absorption was the fact that its owner — like Grant and his father, Rick Municode’s chief operating officer — were U.S. Naval Academy graduates (Eric Grant served in the Marine Corps). “We immediately had a connection,” he said. “We had a very good culture fit to begin with.”

The company takes pride in its innovations — it was the second direct connection to the internet in Tallahassee, after Florida State University.

And it takes pride in its culture. That’s what attracted Grant, who, like the company’s founder, studied law at the University of Virginia. He graduated in 2007 — right before the bottom fell out of the economy — and interned with Charlotte law firms that handled mortgage-backed securities.

“Those two summers gave me enough insight to say, ‘This is not for me,’” he said. “I knew my dad had been working for Municode for about a decade. He had always spoken very highly of Lawton and Mr. Langford. So I came down here for the interview and was just immediately drawn to the type of people who worked here, its value system — saying what you mean and meaning what you say, honesty, integrity — that, to me, was very, very appealing.”

Municode’s footprint is national, and the second biggest hub is Oregon, home to the company’s website developers and many business-system analysts.

“That talent pool is extremely smart, wonderfully intelligent, very driven, but it’s extremely expensive to live

there. So our longest-serving member of Municode Web just moved here to Tallahassee,” Grant said. “For the rent he was paying in Oregon, he could afford to buy a house here.”

And, these days, telecommuting allows workers to live wherever they please.

“Why don’t we as Tallahassee position ourselves as the remote-worker destination of choice?” Grant said. “What does everybody love about Tallahassee? Great place to raise a family. What does Tallahassee not necessarily have the most of? High-paying jobs. Why “ …We’ve developed not appeal to folks who have high-paying jobs a suite of but want to live in a great place?” products that At Municode, pay is commensurate with experenables us tise; the business must compete for top talent. to do that in a way that Perks include a 401(k) match plus a profitnobody else sharing plan and more: quarterly performance does. You can awards; financial planning and debt-reduction connect to the classes; scholarships; physical education boot meetings; you camps; a gym and subsidized yoga classes; can connect to the website; massage therapy; and food trucks. you can Of course, in many high-tech companies, connect to the such perks are designed to keep employees on code. And all of site to get more work out of them. Not so at that can push information Municode, which believes in flex time. As long from one as you put in your 40 hours, you’re free to come location to and go pretty much as you please, as long as you multiple clear it with your supervisor. In fact, on a recent locations.”

Friday afternoon, a visitor found the main — Eric Grant, president Municode campus largely deserted.

“We’ve got single moms, single dads, grandparents who are taking care of their kids. All sorts of different things,” Grant said. “Some people we’ve had come in at 3 a.m. and leave at 1. Doesn’t matter.”

Micromangement? Not hardly.

“We believe in giving your teammates a mission, giving them the tools they need to succeed and then getting out of the way,” Grant said.

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PROFESSIONAL PROFILES

There are many aspects you seek when selecting a professional for matters as varied as health care services, banking, insurance, real estate purchases and even vacationing. Attributes such as courteous, experienced, trusted, reliable, passionate and reputable, likely claim top spots on your checklist. In this special advertising section of 850 Business Magazine, we share with you Northwest Florida professionals that embody these traits and aspire to exceed your expectations.

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EYE CENTER OF NORTH FLORIDA

T

hey say your eyes are the windows to your soul. Yet they are also the windows to your overall health and well-being, as they are essential to almost every task you perform. The Eye Center of North Florida knows the importance of your eyes and the pertinent health information they provide.

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BAY PHOTOGRAPHY

Left to right: Lisa A. McKim, OD, Mark S. Jones, OD, Anthony L. Aker, OD, David J. Edinger, OD, Kelly A. Smith, OD, Bret L. Fisher, MD, Paul E. Garland, MD, Jeffrey R. Pyne, DO

With four full-service eye-care clinics in Panama City, Panama City Beach, Chipley and Port St. Joe, the services offered by The Eye Center of North Florida are extensive, delivering a wide range of care, including: Routine Eye Exams, Back to School Eye Exams, Low Vision Services, Diabetic Eye Care, Glaucoma Care, Full-Service Optical Shop and a Contact Lens Department. The on-site ophthalmology-dedicated ambulatory surgery center at the Panama City location offers cataract surgery, as well as brow and eyelid lifts.

With eight physicians on staff, each doctor offers his/her own specialty to their patients. Bret Fisher, M.D., ophthalmologist, specializes in refractive cataract surgery, including femto second laser-assisted surgery with multifocal, toric and accommodative intraocular lens implants as well as LASIK. Dr. Fisher travels extensively, sharing information about The Eye Center of North Florida and techniques being implemented in surgery at the ASC facility. Paul Garland, M.D., ophthalmologist, also performs cataract surgery with multifocal, toric and accommodative intraocular lens implants. In addition, Dr. Garland is the only Fellowship Trained Oculoplastic (eye plastics) Surgeon in Bay County. Jeffrey R. Pyne, D.O., specializes in macular degeneration, diabetic eye diseases, hypertensive eye disease and glaucoma. Anthony Aker, O.D., specializes in routine eye care, caring for children, teens and adults and contact lens exams and fittings. David Edinger, O.D., also specializes in routine eye care as well as difficult contact lens fitting, diseases of the eye and low vision. Mark Jones, O.D., specializes in family eye health, contact lens exams and fittings and other ocular pathology. Lisa McKim, O.D., practices family eye care and routine eye exams. Kelly Smith, O.D., also practices family eye care and routine eye exams.

Through participation in clinical research and trials, the doctors of The Eye Center of North Florida are always looking for new technologies, opportunities and advancements within the eye-care industry to allow them to stay at the forefront of this medical field and offer optimum care for their patients. The Eye Center of North Florida was the first clinic in Florida to offer laser cataract surgery and the 16th in the nation, remaining the only practice in the area that can perform the surgery. The

“We want to be the place you choose when you have an eyecare problem, and we want our patients to feel confident in knowing that they are always receiving the best care available.� all-inclusive umbrella of eye-care services assures patients that they do not have to travel to a large city to receive quality and cutting-edge eye care.

The physicians and staff of The Eye Center of North Florida aim to provide the best and most comprehensive eye care to their patients. Locally owned and operated, this practice lends itself to family-centered care. With 120 employees, some of whom have been on staff for more than 20 years, patients are able to experience a sense of security and familiarity when they visit.

Whether it is a routine eye exam, first set of contacts, a healthrelated eye problem or surgery that will improve your vision, The Eye Center of North Florida offers you experienced doctors who practice forward-thinking techniques, all the while delivering comprehensive and compassionate care.

Panama City 2500 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. | (850) 784-3937 Panama City Beach 10900 Hutchison Blvd. | (850) 234-1829 Port St. Joe 528 Cecil G. Costin Sr. Blvd. #B | (850) 227-7266 Chipley 1400 Main St. | (850) 638-7333

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SHANNON OGLETREE SANTA ROSA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT There are many jobs that impact communities.

Shannon Ogletree’s position as the Director of Economic Development for Santa Rosa County fully encompasses impacting and affecting his community.

His big-picture role is developing the economy of Santa Rosa, by helping businesses throughout the region expand, and welcoming new businesses to the county. He interacts with the community both internally and externally. Whether that means talking with community members to learn their wants, needs and goals or communicating with site selectors and companies that are looking to relocate to Santa Rosa.

What makes Shannon unique is his style of thinking; his college major was going to be Interior Design however he was quickly able to change gears, adapt and jump into Economic Development.

For 6 years, Ogletree has been crucial in bringing jobs to his fellow community members. His desire to help others find jobs stems from 18 years prior, when he and 250 others were laid off from a company. He wants to ensure no one else ever has to experience that feeling, therefore he seeks to bring in companies that provide well paying jobs so citizens can best provide for their families.

“When I meet with people, I hope they learn more about the area and want to be a part of their community,” said Ogletree.

“Santa Rosa County is a great place to

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MICHAEL DUNCAN

“The best part of my job is getting to know and interact with people from around the world,” said Ogletree. “I enjoy learning about how different people think and communicate with one another.

It’s rewarding to share aspects of Santa Rosa County with others.”

“What I love most is the true interactions and communication I get to have with others. Meeting new people always broadens my horizon.” live. We have low crime rates, highquality schools and affordable housing.

These are the reasons we are growing so rapidly.”

a deep love for Santa Rosa County, and each day he gets to watch others experience the same feelings.

Being so heavily involved in his community, Ogletree has developed

6491 Caroline St., Suite 4, Milton (850) 623-0174 santarosaedo.com

SONJA REVELLS

SUMMIT BANK

Left to Right: Jami Searle, Norris F. McMahon, Jeff DiBenedictis, Jim Looker, Jen Miller

“The best part of our job is seeing our clients prosper — and knowing that we had a part in their success.”

– Jim Looker, Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer

What makes a business succeed or fail?

It’s been our experience as a regional community bank on the Gulf Coast that one of the most important factors is who you choose as your financial partner. When it comes to helping local businesses succeed, we’ve learned that bigger is not better. Many business owners will tell you the advantages of choosing a local bank are substantial.

At Summit Bank, our team is dedicated to truly giving our clients an edge. We’ve spent decades developing an in-depth knowledge of local markets, and our experts have experience in putting together the right commercial lending and financial management solutions for each client.

We get to know you, learn about your company and discuss your goals, both personal and professional, short-term and big picture. To get a full perspective of where you are and where you want to go, our team analyzes your current finances and business operations and offers ideas and recommendations tailored to fit your specific needs. Then we prepare a comprehensive plan for success.

We’ve arranged customized financing for new developments across the region, including the Covington Place townhome community in Pensacola, Simply Granite’s new expanded office in

Panama City and the major renovation of the Days Inn Conference Center in Tallahassee.

Often what our clients need most is someone to help them manage the financial details, so they can focus on running their business. Whether you are starting a new venture or looking for ways to grow an existing business, choosing a financial partner you can trust is essential.

Summit Bank is truly a community bank, with unprecedented market expertise, the resources you need to reach your goals and a team whose commitment matches your own.

Panama City (850) 785-3669 Panama City Beach (850) 249-4659 Fort Walton Beach (850) 362-1220 Pensacola (850) 433-5950 www.summit.bank

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CAMPUS USA CREDIT UNION CAMPUS USA Credit Union is a people helping people type of business. As a not-for-profit cooperative, they are owned by their members to best serve the interests of their members.

With 18 service centers in North Central Florida, they serve over 100,000 memberowners as a full service financial cooperative offering a multitude of consumer and business services — such as checking and saving accounts, auto and home loans, credit cards, investment services and more. Their shared vision is to empower their employees to make a positive difference in the financial lives of their members and in the communities they serve.

What sets your business apart? At CAMPUS, you’re not just a member — you own the place. Profits are returned to member-owners in the form of noand low-fee financial services and bestof-market rates on deposits and loans.

Since our members own CAMPUS, we can never be bought, nor can we merge with another institution without our members’ approval.

From left to right: Alex Gonzalez, Service Specialist (Mahan); Traci Poucher, Regional Manager (Killearn); Kendalyn Gordon, Service Center Manager (Governor’s Crossing)

“We truly love our members and the communities we serve. It’s great to see a culture of pride in the service we provide our members.”

What impact do you hope to make on the community? We want to be

seen as a committed partner in the communities we serve. CAMPUS invests hundreds of thousands of dollars every year — these funds are donated directly to local organizations that impact the community in a positive way.

What do you hope customers gain from interacting with your company? Most members are surprised

that when they bank with us, it feels

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more like being a part of a big family rather than just “banking.” We hope our members always call us first when making big financial decisions — that’s why we’re here.

Most people don’t know this but …

CAMPUS started like many small businesses — by a group of people who wanted to make a difference. The Credit

Union started with nine members who each bought a $5 share account, which is the same price as a “share” today when a member opens an account.

(850) 894-9098 Three Tallahassee locations: 101 N. Blair Stone Road, #202 3122 Mahan Drive, #706, 1511 Killearn Center Blvd.

Federally Insured by the NCUA

NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE Northwest Florida State College first opened its doors in 1964 and has become a premier two-year state college and earned a reputation for educational excellence and community involvement. As part of Florida’s public system of 28 state and community colleges, NWF State College offers bachelor’s degree programs, associate degrees and certificates.

Northwest Florida State College is also home to the Mattie Kelly Arts Center. The Mattie Kelly Arts Center is a $25 million performing arts and educational complex that hosts Broadway’s best touring shows, visiting artists, dance and opera companies. The Mattie Kelly Arts Center is also the home venue of the region’s premier professional symphony — the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra at Northwest Florida State College.

What services do you provide?

The college offers outstanding educational, career and technical workforce programs that are relevant, accessible and engaging for students of all ages and provide exceptional cultural, athletic and economic development activities for the communities served.

Who do you cater to? NWF State College serves Okaloosa and Walton counties. In addition to a 264-acre campus in Niceville, NWF State College operates a joint campus with the University of West Florida in Fort Walton Beach, the Chautauqua Center in DeFuniak Springs, the Robert L.F. Sikes Education Center in Crestview, a full-time center at Hurlburt Field and a center in South Walton County.

“The college offers outstanding educational, career and technical workforce programs that are relevant, accessible and engaging ...”

Most recent awards, honors, recognitions: In 2017, Northwest

Florida State College was named as one of the top 150 community colleges eligible to compete for the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance in America’s community colleges.

100 E. College Blvd., Niceville (850) 678-5111 nwfsc.edu

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BEACH COMMUNITY BANK CHARLES “CHIP” REEVES, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

What services do you provide?

We provide financial products and advice that allow consumers and businesses to reach their goals.

How and why did you get into banking? After graduating from Miami of Ohio in 1990, I joined Fifth Third Bank as a management trainee. For me it was a wonderful combination of marketing, sales and analytics. I fell in love very quickly with banking and adding value to businesses and consumers. In the past, I spent six years in Florida, and my parents and brother live here.

This was truly coming back to a part of the country I thoroughly enjoy.

It’s coming back to family, and Beach Community Bank feels like part of my extended family now.

Beach Community Bank recently celebrated two notable successes — welcoming new president and chief executive officer Chip Reeves and the announcement of a substantial $100 million capital raise, the largest capital raise to be awarded to a financial institution in Northwest Florida.

“What this means is we are committed and pledged to a billion in lending in the communities we serve,” said Reeves, who brings 28 years of industry experience. “The capital raise allows us to strengthen that pledge and ultimately become an economic catalyst. Being a part of the team that was able to accomplish this has been my proudest career moment.”

JIM STEWART, BLACKSUITFM PHOTOGRAPHY

What sets your bank apart? Our community connection — we are interwoven into the fabric of our community. Other banks, big national banks or out-of-state banks, have branches. But we have roots.

“We provide an exceptional level of service, advice and expertise.

We have the best bankers in Northwest Florida.”

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What is the best part of working for your company? The absolute commitment to our customers and our community. There’s a loyalty and dedication from our team that’s incredible. They’ve truly inspired me over the past few months.

What do you hope customers gain from interacting with your company? The ability to achieve their financial goals and dreams. Nothing is more satisfying than working with a prospective new homeowner, and through your advice, being able to purchase their first home.

What impact do you hope to make on the community? Being a part of the fabric of this community, where we can be most beneficial and become the economic catalyst for Northwest Florida through our team members’ talents.

17 S.E. Eglin Parkway, Fort Walton Beach (850) 244-9900 beachcommunitybank.com

DARRIS HARTMAN

A WORLD OF SIGNS

Kevin Marler, Owner, and family

“We have to be reactive and unique.

We create people’s uniqueness, therefore we have to be unique ourselves.”

We live in a world full of signs. Whether they are bright and blaring or small and stately, signs surround us as beacons of branding. A World of Signs knows that every business will have the need for signage, and if you can conceptualize it, they will create it.

At age 17, Kevin Marler walked into his first sign shop and fell in love with what he saw — signs in all shapes, sizes and

variations being created for a variety of consumers. Now 20 years later, he hasn’t looked back as his own sign shop thrives with steady customers.

“I see all facets of people wanting their art brought to life,” said Marler. “I love this industry; it is my passion and makes me enjoy coming to work every day. For 20 years, I’ve created long, healthy relationships with clients that I call friends.”

The company stands by this notion: “Anything we can design, we can output.”

From businesses just getting started to those long-established, their printing, signs, banners, vehicle fleet wraps, graphics and dimensional lettering to apparel are all specialties. Also, for the consumer wanting to change the color of a boat, vehicle or wall, A World of Signs is a place of endless options.

The employees all identify as artists —­­passionate ones at that. Each team member attends trainings and global trade shows and stays informed on the newest concepts and trends in the

industry. Two of the employees have obtained 3M preferred status.

As a business that is regularly creating for their community, they find joy in giving back. With the many events, fundraisers and charities they service, they often become sponsors, make donations or give discounts.

Community involvement, employee satisfaction and business success have proven fruitful for A World of Signs, which recently purchased land to develop a new, state-of-the-art facility and tenant space.

“Our integrity is our guarantee,” said Marler. “This business is about reaction and art being created for reality. We are the people you come to in order to make your product look good. We take that seriously and to heart because it’s your ad, your brand and your identity.”

119 Staff Drive NE, Fort Walton Beach (850) 581-7446 aworldofsigns.com

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COLDWELL BANKER HARTUNG & NOBLIN, INC.

Our mission will never waver — to deliver the treasure of home, ethically and honestly.

What services do you provide?

We are a full-service real estate company specializing in residential sales, corporate relocation, commercial sales, leasing and investment property sales servicing North Florida and South Georgia.

What sets your business apart?

First and foremost — integrity. Chip Hartung, the broker/owner, and our

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agents built the business on high standards and principles. Our success is due in large part to the relationships we’ve built with customers and the reputation we have maintained. Secondly, CBHN operates with only full-time agents. This provides our company with quality agents that are both committed to their career and helping our customers, whether it’s selling their home or finding a place to call their own. Lastly, our partnership with the Coldwell Banker national brand gives our brokerage credibility, which helps attract agents and clients. Coldwell Banker is over 111 years old, and their practices prove tried and true. They lead the industry in innovative techniques while maintaining traditional values.

What is the goal of your company?

For almost 40 years, our local brokerage has made home our purpose. It defines us and everyone in our network. Our mission will never waver — to deliver the treasure of home, ethically and honestly.

What is the best part of working for your company? We pride ourselves on the family atmosphere. Real estate is a competitive market, but at CBHN, we encourage collaboration and teamwork.

Seasoned agents are willing to share knowledge with more novice agents, while Chip and our managing broker, Joy Blomeley, continue to offer support through all transactions. When you join CBHN, you become family.

What impact do you hope to make on the community? Working as a real estate agent, your community is your place of work. All of us at CBHN hope to make Tallahassee a better area by giving back to the place we call home. We are proud to participate in an assortment of community events, volunteer programs, organizations and fundraisers all over the Big Bend.

3303 Thomasville Road (850) 386-6160 coldwellbankertallahassee.com

MAURICE STOUSE FINANCIAL ADVISOR RAYMOND JAMES

Life often presents us with situations, especially financially, that we wish to seek advice on. When seeking financial services, a financial advisor should be attentive, educated, experienced and willing to always put your priorities first. For 31 years, Maurice Stouse has outdone himself in these categories, helping people achieve their life goals through retirement and investment planning and management. Raymond James’ motto is “life well planned.” Maurice aims to take this a step further by striving to offer a life exceptionally planned.

What sets your business apart?

Adaptable, passionate, reliable.

What is the best part of working for your company? Working for a firm that

focuses on serving the client and their advisor. This results in the best services being delivered.

What impact do you hope to make on the community? I hope to always

be an active and consistent participant in charitable and civic organizations, helping to further the many needsbased charities in Walton and Okaloosa counties.

“I’ve been in this business for 31 years because I wanted to focus on working with people and working toward obtaining their lifetime goals for themselves, their families and their businesses.”

How do you measure success?

The degree to which clients feel they are getting tremendous value for the services I provide. I hope they see me as their trusted advisor and wish to stay with me throughout their life.

What do you hope customers gain from interacting with your company?

That they feel appreciated, valued and that they experience growth.

Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/ SIPC, and are not insured by bank insurance, the FDIC or any other government agency, are not deposits or obligations of the bank, are not guaranteed by the bank, and are subject to risks, including the possible loss of principal. Investment Advisory Services are offered through Raymond

James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. First Florida Wealth Group and First Florida Bank are not registered broker/dealers and are independent of Raymond James Financial Services.

2000 Ninety Eight Palms Blvd.

Destin, FL 32514 (850) 654-8122 firstfloridawealth.com

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BECK PARTNERS

Justin Beck, CCIM, CPM (CEO of Beck Partners)

“Dedication and fortitude are key as the team members make it their goal to pivot with you through each turn your business takes.”

Beck Partners has a rare approach, making them a powerful yet agile company offering three divisions that often stand alone. With real estate, property management and insurance all under one roof, a unique concept is formed. The result is a streamlined and efficient machine that services Northwest Florida and clients throughout the Southeast.

Here’s how it works. This full-service firm allows you to engage multiple experts

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Kristine Rushing, CPIA, CIC (COO of Beck Partners)

dedicated to specific industries that are critical to business and investment performance. The commercial real estate team takes time to understand your goals and needs in order to help match you with the ideal property and identify the best opportunities. Now, how do you stay protected? Whether it be commercial or personal insurance, Beck Partners guarantees that your insurance plan is tailored towards your needs. This is crucial in preventing certain risks and aiding in future advancements. Then, through property management, they ensure you are getting the most out of your asset by finding ways to save on operating costs and keeping tenants satisfied.

At their core, the company provides a comprehensive approach to your business or investment to increase your efficiency and access to innovative opportunities.

Recently honored as number 1,519 on the Inc. 5000 list, they live and breathe growth. Dedication and fortitude are key as the team members make it their goal to pivot with you through each turn your business takes. This view stems from

Reid Rushing, CPIA, AAI (President-Insurance of Beck Partners)

their core values of being Fearless, Agile, Smart and Transparent (FAST) with clients.

Beck Partners believes in cultivating healthy and vibrant communities. They seek to help businesses succeed so those businesses can, in turn, help even more people. Through connecting, protecting and advising, community growth is achieved.

To further reach this mission, Beck Partners gives 10 percent of their profit back to local charities each year.

The success of this company has a lot to do with the company culture, which strives to keep employees engaged, driven and passionate through collaboration and shared values. They were included as one of the “Best Companies to Work for in Florida” by Florida Trend magazine, proving a strong, happy team forges successful futures for all.

151 W. Main St., Suite 200, Pensacola (850) 477-7044 336 E. College Ave., Suite 203, Tallahassee (850) 727-0003 TeamBeck.com

PATIENTS FIRST

Leveraging the past, building the future.

Leveraging the Past

Patients First has been an urgent and primary care leader in Tallahassee since 1989. Having grown roots in the community, the physicians, providers and staff not only work here, but many grew up here and are raising their families

here, too. Additionally, their network of seven centers provides easy access for chronic care patients and walk-in urgent care patients. Some patients have relied on their providers for more than 20 years.

Building the Future

Patients First is now working to create a health care experience that will serve Tallahassee for another 20 years. They are renovating the physical locations, adding new equipment like digital x-rays, and the latest technology for staff and patients. A company-wide new electronic medical records system means that patients’ records are available at all locations. And a new online check-in system is now available on their website to allow walk-in patients to “skip the wait.”

Their “5C’s” Vision Guidelines Convenient: We will be easy to find, close to home, quick to serve.

Courteous: We will treat everyone with respect and show gratitude for their patronage.

Caring: We will have empathy for our patients and seek to ease or erase their health care problems.

Competent: We will provide knowledgeable staff, efficient processes and sound business practices.

Compliant: We will follow regulatory rules and guidelines and will not cut corners for profit or expediency.

8 convenient Tallahassee locations!

PatientsFirst.com

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RESORTQUEST BY WYNDHAM VACATION RENTALS GROUP SALES

Left to Right: Heather Recor, Joyce Serina, Florencia Branagan, Natalie Jones

“For me and my incredible sales team, our goal is to bring new group business to the area.” – Joyce Serina

a Wyndham initiative consisting of three pillars — be responsive to guest needs, be respectful in every way and deliver a great experience.

ResortQuest’s Group Sales team is the matchmaker for you and your ideal vacation rental. Whether it’s a family reunion, business meeting or a bride wishing for the perfect venue, the caring and dedicated group sales team, led by director Joyce Serina, seeks to perfectly pair you with a location that fits your needs and budget. To ensure superb customer interactions, the team has a culture of count-on-me service, which is

What is the best part of working for your company? The people. Everyone

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How did you get into this profession?

I started with the company 21 years ago, working part time while being a stay-athome mom raising two sons. Once they started school, I thought, I really love this company and wanted to pursue a career opportunity. I began as a reservationist and quickly rose to coordinator, then manager and now to director.

on our team gets along and collaborates well, and our leadership is outstanding.

One of the perks is how we are able to give back to the community. We always do what we can to support charitable organizations as well as our local military.

We also have a program in conjunction with PAWS where we foster and adopt out dogs here at our corporate office.

What impact do you hope to make on the community? For me and my

incredible sales team, our goal is to bring new group business to the area — particularly during the times of year that are slower. I feel it’s our responsibility to bring visitors to help the economy and tourism jobs during all seasons of the year.

How do you measure success?

For me and my team, I think success happens once a group leaves and we call them about their visit, and they share their experiences and memories made. Whether it’s a family reunion where generations come together on our beautiful beaches, or the bride who shares that her wedding at one of our resorts was the most memorable day of her life — I measure success in their stories.

546 Mary Esther Cut Off NW, Suite 3 Fort Walton Beach (844) 207-8207 spotlightonrq.com nwfloridagroups@wynvr.com

RESORTQUEST BY WYNDHAM VACATION RENTALS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TEAM

The Business Development Team along Northwest Florida helps new owners meet their best potential with their second home or investment property.

They are the initial point of contact to a well-maintained and cared-for property.

This team is a power-packed group of eight women, each of whom have a passion and well-versed knowledge of their specified regions — spanning from Perdido Key to Panama City Beach. Together, the team has more than 100 years of industry experience living along the Gulf Coast, resulting in extensive knowledge of market trends and happenings on a local level. Their strength also lies in their inclusive ability to help and care for one another, both professionally and personally.

The bond this team has reflects onto its customers as they aim to cultivate and maintain lasting relationships with homeowners.

“We know our destinations like the back of our hand,” said Sarah Ralph, National Business Development Manager. “You can expect great service and a passion for your property that’s unparalleled.

From the initial property discussion to the transition to our homeowner liaison

NICK TOMECEK

ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals is known for creating and facilitating the perfect vacation for its guests through their stunning vacation properties. A happy visitor experience is essential, but the Business Development Team is tasked with ensuring the property owner experience is just as special — so they are so at ease and satisfied that they feel like guests themselves.

Left to Right: Melissa Matern, Marketing; Jenni Blandino, Business Development; Robin Lanier, Business Development; Sarah Ralph, Business Development; Pamela Herman, Club Manager; Liz Horton, Business Development

“Our team focuses on the property owners, and we believe they should be treated with the same excellent customer service that we provide our guests.” – Sarah Ralph team, we have a process to ensure you are cared for from start to, hopefully, forever. We treat your second home as if it were our own.”

The team’s greatest success is measured by the many homeowners that have remained with ResortQuest throughout the years. The property owners consistently see the value of their home and know the care of their home is in the best hands — those who provide “Count on Me” service.

“We all have a passion for what we do because we get to help homeowners and build relationships with them,” said Ralph. “The best part is helping an owner realize their greatest rental potential in revenue, care and customer service, truly focusing on the needs of the owner first, because they all have different goals for their property. This is how we make cherished, lasting relationships.”

(855) 268-4577 JoinRQ.com

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PROFESSIONAL PROFILES

DOUG CROLEY INSURANCE SERVICES Doug Croley Insurance Services has been providing insurance and financial services to the Tallahassee community for nearly 40 years. As a family-owned and operated business, they have almost 70 years of combined experience spanning two generations.

Will Croley joined the family business after serving two combat tours in Iraq as a Marine. As someone who is independently driven, sales-oriented and community-minded, insurance became the ideal fit.

“I live, work, play and raise my kids in this community, therefore I enjoy meeting new clients and watching their families or business grow,” said Will. “I get to guide them and protect

their assets. I enjoy helping them meet their needs and watching them succeed. My idea of success is helping someone so they can be better off.”

As a seventh generation North Floridian, Will is deeply rooted in Tallahassee and its people. Through that meaningful connection, the company strives to excel in customer service and always provides open communication. “The company turns 40 this year, and it’s our goal to continue for another 40 or more years,” said Croley. “Our future is bright. We are always seeking talent and clients to grow with us over the coming years.”

2814 Remington Green Circle, Tallahassee (850) 386-1922 dougcroleyins.com

Will Croley, Insurance Agent

LENA MILLER BRANCH MANAGER, AMERICAN COMMERCE BANK How did you get into banking?

My interest in numbers — combined with a personal desire to work around people — made banking an obvious choice. Over the years, I am often the first person a newcomer to our community meets when they open their first business or personal account. It’s such an honor. My customers are my extended family.

What is the best part of working for your bank? Our organization is extremely customer-service oriented, and that is evident both internally and externally. We are encouraged to build genuine and authentic relationships. We are supported by our executive and board teams, who encourage us at every level of the bank to serve people in ways that make sense

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and not be robotically trained to follow procedures.

What impact do you hope to make on the community? It is my hope that customers have received the best possible customer service experience every time they call or stop by. When you are dealing with people’s finances, credibility, professionalism and confidence are extremely important.

What is the goal of your bank?

Whether it’s opening your first restaurant or looking for the best money market rates, we want to be the bank that is recognized for helping everyone in our community to achieve their goals.

536 N. Monroe St., Tallahassee (850) 681-7761 americancommercebank.com

SIMPLE HR SimpleHR understands just how complicated owning a business can be. There are over 2,000 laws and regulations for employee management alone. Keeping track of these constantly changing rules can be a full-time job. SimpleHR specializes in employee management, so you can focus on your business.

For over 15 years, SimpleHR has provided comprehensive human resource solutions and administrative relief for our clients, always keeping in mind our mission to maintain the highest standards in all that we do. Our services include human resources, benefits, payroll administration, workers’ compensation, safety consultation, payroll taxes and corporate filings for our clients.

ZPLUS MEDIA CO.

SimpleHR is dedicated, at all levels of our operations, to providing quality services that meet the initial and ongoing needs and expectations of our clients and employees. SimpleHR takes away our clients’ stress and risk, in turn, giving back their time and peace of mind.

36474 Emerald Coast Parkway, Building B, Destin (850) 650-9935 simplehr.com

ELOQUENT SIGNS How did you get into this profession? We entered the

sign industry due to extensive knowledge and experience in fabrication and creative appeal.

We began our journey over 10 years ago and continue to love the growth!

What recognitions have you received? We won Best of the

Emerald Coast 2017 and have been recognized throughout the community through numerous avenues for our quality craftsmanship and creative signage.

What impact do you hope to make on the community? We hope

Left to Right: Heidi Willits, Chelsea Lee

to help as many foundations and events as possible while upholding a reputation for providing quality products.

What is the best part of working for your company? We have a

fun work environment, and the finished product can be very rewarding to see around the Emerald Coast.

What does your COMPANY GUARANTEE? We guarantee you

will receive quality products and enjoy the process of having your signage made by us. We want to ensure that when you look at the work we’ve provided, it always puts a smile on your face. We hope that every customer walks away with peace of mind about the quality of our work, as well as a wonderful customer service experience.

80 South Geronimo St. Unit #2 Miramar Beach (850) 460-2425 eloquentsigns.com

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BRAD CASH TERRITORY SALES MANAGER FOR TALLAHASSEE, JACKSONVILLE, GAINESVILLE AT RJ YOUNG What services does your company provide? Innovative solutions for paper and digital information. We provide and service printers, copiers and production equipment.

We work with businesses to assess their current workflow, identify opportunities to improve their current situation, then design a custom solution to increase their productivity and efficiency. We want to help organizations be more successful by focusing on their core business, while we take care of the rest.

What sets your business apart?

The culture and core values. We are active in the community by giving back our time and resources. We have a “We Make it Right” guarantee that backs all we do.

If a customer is unhappy for any reason, we will do whatever it takes to make them happy.

What is the best part of working for your company? It’s small enough to have a voice and make an impact. I feel as if I’m part of a special team and not just lost in a big organization. There are additional things that are exciting to our industry, such as our leasing is done in-house, which gives us control and flexibility in order to keep customers happy.

How do you measure success? We measure success by customer satisfaction.

We are fortunate enough to partner with so many great customers and strive to make their productivity the center of our focus.

This means helping them take care of their equipment, so they can focus on what really matters, running their business.

(904) 866-4607 rjyoung.com

ELIZABETH EKK BROKER/OWNER OF EKK REALTY GROUP Once you know that her passion is to see families grow and to help her clients reach their goals, you understand why Elizabeth Ekk enjoys her job as Broker/ Owner of Ekk Realty Group.

Born in British Columbia, Canada, she and her husband, Dennis, met in college and relocated to the Sunshine State where they have called Tallahassee home for more than 15 years and have raised their three children Bella, Ethan and Owen. Elizabeth is an entrepreneur, savvy marketing maven, teacher and friend who enjoys the process of buying and selling real estate. She is a Top 1% Tallahassee Board of Realtors Producer and a MultiMillion Dollar Realtor/Broker.

Elizabeth also enjoys serving

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others through her community and church.

Her motto is: Serving our community by connecting people and building relationships through real estate.

Volunteer/Sponsor: Leon County Schools, Second Harvest of the Big Bend, United Way of the Bid Bend, American Heart Association, TMH Foundation, Boys Town, and The Florida Baptist Children’s Home Hashtags: #EkkFamily #BossMom #RealtorMom #EkkcellentService #TallyMom #DreamTeam #DreamJob #EkkcellentAdventures (850) 567-3455, ekkrealty.com

BONNIE ANDERSON FOUNDER, ANDERSON CONSULTING AND COACHING Bonnie Anderson, founder of Anderson Consulting & Coaching, is in the business of making your business better. She began her consulting company in early 2018 with the goal of focusing on individuals to strengthen companies as a whole.

Her core services are “Meeting of the Minds” workshops, based on the Emergenetics theory that blends genetics and learned experiences to mold the way we think and behave.

Anderson uses the Emergenetics model to assess the way organizations and companies work to develop a plan that helps each company achieve their goals, build cohesive and productive teams and create clear paths of communication.

“I can guarantee to those who sign up for a workshop that their team will experience increased emotional intelligence and personal growth. Additionally, they will learn to better understand customers, clients and coworkers, which results in new sales, new business, team building and the retention of talent,” said Anderson.

“Making an impact is most important to me. Seeing an individual have an accelerated learning path and become selfaware is one of my greatest joys.

I love to see companies actively apply the tools I left them with.”

13 Palafox Place, Pensacola | (850) 207-9283 AndersonConsultingAndCoaching.com

PORT OF PENSACOLA The Port of Pensacola’s location didn’t happen by accident — it is strategically located on the Gulf of Mexico and primed with purpose. The Port of Pensacola is a diverse and business-focused port that generates revenue from three primary sources: vessel and dockage fees, wharf fees and facility-use fees, which include warehouse leases.

Local, regional and nationwide logistics professionals rely on the port to export and import goods, making the port important to the economy of the region.

“Port of Pensacola is just as important to Pensacola’s future as it has been to its past,” said Clark Merritt, economic development manager for the Port of Pensacola.

“Local and regional shippers like GE Wind Energy, International Paper, CEMEX and Martin Marietta continue to rely on their local port to connect them to their customers and suppliers around the world, creating tens of millions of dollars

in economic impact for the Northwest Florida region each year.”

As the port looks ahead, the future is filled with opportunity and potential — including infrastructure improvements, potential for development of marine research facilities, new tenants performing mineral processing, and continued support of the offshore vessel maintenance industry, all of which will contribute to and improve the port’s impact on local and regional business for years to come.

700 S. Barracks St. (850) 436-5070 PortOfPensacola.com

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SYNOVUS At Synovus, we understand what it means to own a business. It’s your passion. Your dream. The heart of your community. Synovus offers a comprehensive range of financial services for every stage of your life — and your business. For nearly 130 years, we stayed true to the concept of banking as a service to our communities and the people who live here. We’re so much more than a community bank, we’re committed to delivering technology and financial products and services to help you manage your business. We genuinely care about our customers and their success.

Synovus provides commercial and retail banking, investment and mortgage services to customers in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. In 2017, Synovus was named “Most Reputable Bank” in the U.S. in

the annual Survey of Bank Reputations conducted by Reputation Institute and published by American Banker. Of 42 banks included in the survey, Synovus ranked first overall, first among noncustomers and in the top 10 among customers.

For more information on Synovus’ locations, products and services, please visit Synovus.com or call 1-888-SYNOVUS.

Banking products are provided by Synovus Bank, Member FDIC.

MARCUS & MILLICHAP

Jack Frazee, Executive Assistant; Mike Steiner, Panhandle Partner

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What services do you provide?

We are real estate advisors providing acquisition, disposition and consulting services for commercial real estate owners with an emphasis on multifamily properties and NNN assets.

The Babb Group is based in Marcus & Millichap’s Tampa office and recently partnered with longtime Tallahassee real estate broker/developer/investor Mike Steiner, as we saw a unique opportunity to expand the team’s brokerage capabilities in the Florida Panhandle.

Coupled with the fact Mike has been living and working in Tallahassee for the past 20 years, The Babb Group partners saw Tallahassee as an easy choice to grow their Florida presence.

sales firm in the country. The firm closed over 9,000 transactions in 2017 with a value of approximately $42.2 billion. Marcus & Millichap has perfected a powerful system for marketing properties that combines investment specialization, local market expertise, the industry’s most comprehensive research, state-of-theart technology and relationships with the largest pool of qualified investors.

We are the first national broker to establish a boots-on-the-ground presence in the Panhandle, allowing us to adequately and efficiently serve clients with properties in Panama City, Destin, Fort Walton, Pensacola and even select markets in Alabama and Georgia.

What sets your business apart?

Marcus & Millichap is the largest commercial investment real estate

200 W. College Ave., Suite 204 Tallahassee marcusmillichap.com

AEGIS BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES BLAKE DOWLING, CEO I was hired in 2006 to ramp up and enhance our sales and marketing game. Thirteen years later, I am the CEO of the company and it is a privilege to work with our team and our clients each and every day. I am from Tallahassee, so to be able to work with old friends and new friends is a blessing.

LOUIS POSKEY, COO Eight years ago, I met Blake and Jeanne Dowling at a job fair. They brought me on board and since then I have been working alongside the Aegis team to help support business and technology to enhance the lives of people in our community as we help to support their mission.

KEVIN DRAKE, CTO In the last nine years I’ve enjoyed being a part of moving the company from a technical support company to full managed services with multiple Aegis branded service offerings. It is a pleasure to come to work and support the great Tallahassee area organizations we get to work with.

1310 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee | (850) 422-2661 | Aegisbiztech.com

LOCAL MEETS GLOBAL

The team, values, and service you know.

Now with expanded offerings, trusted worldwide.

Rogers, Gunter, Vaughn Insurance, a HUB International company 1117 Thomasville Road | Tallahassee,FL 32303 | 850-386-1111

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I-10 CORRIDOR

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

Frequent Flyer VPS named fastest growing airport in the country

D

estin-Fort Walton Beach Airport’s success took off around the time of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and has yet to touch down, says Okaloosa County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel.

The devastating BP spill, a financial and ecological tragedy, ironically turned into a tourism triumph, as word of mouth spread through the rest of the country from media coverage and advertisements.

“Prior to that, we were just a destination by car for many from the Southeast,” Ketchel explained. “Now, people have discovered our white sands and emerald-green waters.

We’re no longer that sleepy little airport that you have to fly to Atlanta from if you want to reach anywhere else in the United States; we have major carriers here that take us directly to many destinations.”

ALLEGIANT AIR BASE Of those carriers, Allegiant Air has been a game-changer for the airport, known to flyers as VPS. Three years ago, the Okaloosa County Commission utilized $3 million from the Tourist Development Council to dangle a

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By Hannah Burke

carrot over VPS and snag a major airline. It just so happened Allegiant bit first.

Prior to the partnership in 2016, VPS offered direct service to five cities via Delta, United and American Airlines. Allegiant introduced six new routes, promoted an 18% increase in passenger traffic and an economic impact of $19 million in its first year, and then followed up with 10 more routes in 2017.

As of now, Allegiant Air has established a year-round, three-airbus base at VPS, adding five more destinations to the departure boards.

“Now that we’re a year-round base, many maintenance technicians have been hired to service aircrafts,” said Tracy Stage, Director of Okaloosa County Airports.

“Ground support positions have been filled, along with roughly 65 new, high-wage jobs for Allegiant aircrew alone.”

Not to mention, the increased need for support positions. Dozens have been hired to operate amenities, such as the Hudson Group newsstand and gift shop, and the airport’s watering hole, Emerald Coast Bar & Grill.

Stage notes that these businesses, as well as Allegiant and other airlines, are still seeking helping hands and welcoming applicants.

TAKING OFF: The arrival of Allegiant Airlines at the DestinFort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) resulted in an 18 percent jump in passenger traffic.

“We’re a small team at VPS but a welloiled machine, and our success emulates our growth,” Stage said. “Just look at some of these cities we’re flying into!”

Departures from key markets such as Baltimore, New York City and Dallas not only entice innumerable tourists to spend a week at the beach, but offer cheap, returning flights that cement their decision to fly VPS. “We aren’t just the fastest growing airport in the region or in the state. We’re the fastest growing airport in the country.”

SUPPLY AND DEMAND According to Ketchel, Allegiant’s routes will attract over 25,000 additional passengers per year, for an estimated $418 million in tourism revenue by 2023.

“We’re seeing such huge economic growth that we’re having to focus on building roads, and building them quickly,” she said. “We’re putting lots of heads in beds, which make all the people who own hotels and restaurants very happy. Our tourism development dollars are off the chart, which encourages us to put it back into the community and market. It’s very cyclical.”

More than 1.3 million passengers are projected to take flight with VPS this year, a whopping 43 percent increase in traffic from 2016. This May, the airport experienced the busiest day in its 63-year history.

and Madison + Taylor Counties

SOUVENIR STAND: Hudson News, below, is among the shops in the terminal building; outside, a retired Air Force jet reminds all of the military presence in the area.

With fresh routes in full swing, another record breaker is imminent. For Stage, that means increasing VPS’s scope from a priority standpoint.

“We’re expanding our fuel farm. We’re going through a master plan update to look at all the facilities from parking to the terminal area. We’re under design now to update our apron area and house even more aircrafts, and we’re adjusting our TSA checkpoint to handle additional passengers. All of this growth has driven huge demands on the infrastructure, and we’ve got an incredible team that’s working together to meet them.”

VPS also aims to create an atmosphere unique to the Emerald Coast that echoes community values. Stage notes that VPS recently hired Passenger Ambassadors, assistants that “work the floor” and offer guidance to inexperienced flyers in the spirit of our famous, Southern hospitality.

This spring, VPS debuted the Emerald Coast Visitor’s Center, where expert tipsters dish on must-see attractions. The center is nestled next to baggage claim and features a 210-gallon aquarium, where native, tropical fish blow bubbles at inquisitive tourists.

A MILITARY MODEL VPS doesn’t let the fact that the Emerald Coast is a military community slip under the radar. Screens in the lobby loop interviews with retired war veterans, and a massive Huey helicopter permanently resides at the entrance.

It’s to the military, Ketchel believes, that VPS owes its success.

Photos by JACK GARDNER

“What people don’t realize is that this is a joint-use facility — there’s only 27 in the nation, and (VPS) is one of them,” she states.

“As long as this airport serves the military, it continues to benefit our community.”

Ketchel emphasizes that Stage, a former U.S Air Force airman, understands that model, and has seamlessly transformed VPS into both a military hub and tourist destination.

As of now, an American Airline flight transports both Eglin Air Force Base personnel and civilians to Washington, D.C. daily.

Eglin Air Force Base also mans a joint-use, federal grant-funded fire station on VPS’s runway. Stage was responsible for its creation in 2017. “(Stage) has a high-charging spirit with a tremendous managerial style,” Ketchel praised. “I can’t say enough about his ability to manage and market the Destin-Fort Walton Beach airport, and how well he works with our military partners.”

Stage, who has served as Airports Director for only three years, but has been with the county’s three-airport system for 12, renounces credit.

“Like I said before, I have a great team,” he insisted. “When you’ve got a group like that, good things happen.”

As for what’s on the horizon for VPS, Stage’s reply is teasingly tight-lipped, but hints at something big.

“Let’s just say there’s much more in the wind to come.”

NOW BOARDING: Passengers line up to get boarding passes scanned at one of the terminal's gates.

ALLEGIANT OFFERS TWO NEW WEEKLY FLIGHTS TO: » Bentonville, Arkansas » Concord, North Carolina » Lexington, Kentucky » Evansville, Indiana » Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina

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FORGOTTEN COAST CORRIDOR

Gulf, Franklin + Wakulla Counties

Clayton Mathis (blue shirt) and Kyle Teaford pursue their craft at Oyster City Brewing. Mathis is governed by his own taste, which customers find to their liking.

Brewtiful

At Oyster City, business is flowing good

by Steve Dollar

O

n any given Saturday afternoon, especially amid a sultry Panhandle summer, downtown Apalachicola is abuzz with talkative pockets of lightly garbed friends and strangers working very hard at doing almost nothing.

Clayton Mathis is not one of those people.

He’s busy doing his part to make the evermore-popular Franklin County resort town a prime destination for weekend fun-seekers, while expanding one of the Big Bend’s most colorfully local brands. As the head brewer for Oyster City Brewing Company, he’s a driving force behind one of the region’s rising craft-beer operations.

The formula is a simple one. “Love, man.

It’s a lot of love that goes into making this beer,” says Mathis, sharing a table outside Oyster City’s headquarters, a 2,000-squarefoot building at the corner of Avenue D and Commerce Street. Inside, patrons sip with enthusiasm from pint-sized plastic cups

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“WE MAKE BEER THAT WE LIKE TO DRINK, AND LUCKILY A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE TO DRINK IT, TOO.” CLAYTON MATHIS, HEAD BREWER OYSTER CITY BREWING COMPANY filled with any of the dozen original brews in current rotation. There’s not much by way of decor: a small bar and souvenir shop, a few tables and rows of fermentation tanks where the beers are made. Beer comes no fresher than it does right here.

“We like to drink good beer,” continues Mathis, an affable, bearded 33-year-old South Carolinian whom the brewery’s Facebook page describes as “hunky.” “We make beer that we like to drink, and luckily a lot of people like to drink it, too.” Apalachicola’s growth as a tourist town hasn’t hurt, either. “We get a lot of people in here drinking.”

Although Mathis runs point, the enterprise is a part of a friends-and-family partnership that includes four owners: Cassie Gary, Susan

Gary, Rex Humphries and Bo Walker, who launched Oyster City in 2014. The Garys and Humphries are co-owners of Apalachicola’s Owl Cafe, where Cassie Gary’s husband Melvin Myers is head chef, and its adjacent bar, The Tap Room. Humphries’ wife Shelley Shepard, Walker’s wife Alyssa Walker and Mathis’s girlfriend Cassie Jones also play roles in the business.

As Mathis explains, the brewery was inspired one day when a customer came into The Tap Room and wondered why there was no local beer.

The gauntlet was thrown, and the home brewing began. Before long, the group took over the Oasis, a gnarly fisherman’s bar across the street from the Owl Cafe. Mathis points

A BATCH OF BREWERS. The Oyster City team, from left: Kyle Teaford, Clayton Mathis, Bo Walker, Cassie Gary, Susan Gary, Rex Humphries, Shelley Shepard, Brooks Edwards, Melvin Myers.

Bartender Brooks Edwards serves up a flight of brews. Hooter Brown Ale, above, was awarded a silver medal at the 2018 Open Beer Championships; the brew is flavored with tupelo and wild berry honeys.

out a bullet hole as evidence of the saloon’s rough-and-tumble reputation. “There was smoke so thick you could cut it with a knife,” he recalls. Soon enough, it was full of 10- and 20-barrel tanks, and Jamie Ray, a beer consultant from Alabama, was showing everyone how to make a proper brew.

Four years on, Oyster City has begun to hit its stride. Mathis came onboard in May 2015 and has helped to steer its course. “I probably know less than one percent of what I really should know,” he says “None of us knew much about making beer before we got into this. I’ve read books, Shelley gave me a stack of books that high and I read them all, and probably a bunch more of them by now, and so there’s a lot of studying involved in it and following different formulas.”

Brewed “by committee,” at least at the start, Oyster City now offers a colorful variety of beers, all flaunting names that burst with coastal flavor. “Mill Pond Dirty Blonde” and “Tate’s Hell Lager” nod to notable geography, while “Aye Aye IPA,” “Lemon Shark Wheat”

Photos by SAIGE ROBERTS

and “Red Snapper IPA” tap into pescatory inspirations. The most popular beer is “Hooter Brown Ale,” an homage to the Owl Cafe.

“The name was going to be ‘Cooter Brown,’ after a guy in the Civil War who didn’t want to fight for the North or the South and just got drunk the whole time,” Mathis explains with a laugh. “But the name was already taken.”

The ale, with a potent APR of 8.5 percent, makes up 40 percent of Oyster City’s sales.

The brewmaster credits Ray’s original recipe, which has been doctored a bit, and the use of tupelo honey — sourced from Owl Creek, 38 miles up the Apalachicola River — and wild berry honey, that makes for a smooth, sweet finish. “You just drink it,” he says. “It drinks a lot lighter than what it looks like.”

Hooter Brown is the Oyster City beer you’ll most likely see among the draft taps at Tallahassee bars and restaurants. Or, if you’re lucky, maybe there will be a keg of it at the next neighborhood oyster roast. Oyster City is sold only by the keg, but those making the trek to Apalachicola can pick up 32 or 64 oz.

growlers. (There’s also a 32-oz. “Crowler,” or canned growler, available).

“It’s a great headlining beer for us,” Mathis says, proud to discuss the finer merits of the local honey, which doesn’t crystallize but delivers a bold flavor. “It’s not anything weird. We don’t need to make a weird beer to make it attractive.”

The brewery expects to produce more than 3,000 barrels this year. But even North Florida residents who haven’t tasted any may know the name. Oyster City baseball caps are everywhere. Good thing the company’s original proposal for a name — Apalachicola Brewing Company — was already taken. “We sell a lot of hats,” Mathis says. “Whenever I go to Tallahassee, or Pensacola, Panama City, I see at least three or four of them every time.”

As an afternoon crowd gathers, disperses and gathers again inside the bar, Mathis takes note of the brewery’s fortunate timing. “The Forgotten Coast isn’t forgotten anymore,” he says. Oyster City might have just a little bit to do with that.

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CAPITAL CORRIDOR

Gadsden, Jefferson, & Leon Counties

What It’s Worth

Mark Folmar has been in the Tallahassee pawn business since 1978

By Erin Hoover

M

ark Folmar arrived at the slogan “More Than You Might Expect” when he was shooting a TV commercial 10 years ago.

He had just moved Folmar’s Gun and Pawn to its current location on North Monroe Street. By design, the store was laid out differently than other pawn shops, with separate entrances for pawning and retail, and merchandise sectioned off into “departments” — a gun room, a jewelry room, a display room for musical instruments and electronics.

“We tried to cater a little bit more to women. We wanted people to know that you’re safe to shop here,” Folmar remembered. Like other pawnbrokers, Folmar often finds himself refuting the stereotype that pawn shops deal in stolen merchandise, and he wanted the retail area to look like any other sales floor. With departments, customers who wanted to buy a gun could shop in the gun room, and those who didn’t like guns could avoid them.

A customer came up with the line. “I heard somebody say, ‘I wasn’t expecting this when I came in.’ I just threw it out there,” Folmar said.

Today, Folmar’s Gun and Pawn operates two locations with retail sales of about $2.5 million per year. A second store, opened in 2017 on Capital Circle Southeast, inspired the slogan: “Twice as Much as You Might Expect.” The stores typically carry between 10,000 to 12,000 items, everything barcoded. About 15 employees work at Folmar’s, including several family members.

AN INTERESTING BUSINESS After graduating from Leon High School, Folmar traveled to Colorado to study gunsmithing, then returned to Tallahassee to open a gun repair shop in 1975. He didn’t like the seasonal nature of the work, which tends to gear up right before the start of hunting season and then drop off. A roommate, Mike Norman, had opened a pawn shop, and in 1978, Folmar invested some of the money he made

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Mark Folmar shows off a black powder 1850s-era signal cannon, capable of firing one-inch balls.

“THERE ARE BUSINESS PRACTICES THAT ARE GOOD BECAUSE THEY’RE GOOD. ONE OF THEM IS STANDING BEHIND THE PRODUCTS YOU SELL AND GIVING PEOPLE VALUE FOR THEIR MONEY. ” MARK FOLMAR, OWNER FOLMAR’S GUN AND PAWN

DID YOU KNOW?

Less than half of 1 percent of all pawned merchandise is identified as stolen goods, according to the National Pawnbrokers Association.

Clockwise from top left: A brace of Colt single-action military guns that were manufactured 100 years apart using the same patent; a hand-carved ivory statue for the 1800s; and store departments including guns, music, electronics and jewelry.

gunsmithing to generate a year-round income in pawns.

Pawns are loans with interest that use personal property as collateral, such as gold and jewelry, coins, firearms, electronics, musical instruments, or as Folmar explained, “manufactured goods that retain value.” You’ll never see many of these items on display at the store or online at Folmar’s website. He estimated that about 70 to 80 percent of the merchandise pawned to him is later redeemed.

Many pawn stores also buy used items for resale, Folmar said. “A lot of people have lost their jobs, or they are unemployed and underemployed. People have had to make do with less. They say, ‘I’d just as soon sell this.’ ” If jewelry or other metal (such as grandma’s flatware) won’t fetch a good price, Folmar sells it to a smelter.

Folmar’s also cashes $10 million in checks per year — large checks for people

Photos by PHIL SEARS

who need the money immediately and smaller checks for households without bank accounts.

Folmar is still a gunsmith and handles all the gun repair work at the store. But now he does more work on jewelry than on guns, he said, a trade in which he is mostly self-educated, apart from time spent observing Lester Moon work at Moon’s Jewelers.

“I watched Lester do jewelry repair,” he said. “I’d take a ring made of scrap gold and cut it in half, then solder it back together again. I’d practice until I was good enough to do it to your ring.”

The store makes money reselling repaired items. “Everything we do, I thought, if I can fix it myself, do it myself, I’ll make money,” Folmar said. “In the old days, when TVs had tubes, I’d go to Radio Shack and buy a new tube to fix one. I can repad musical instruments.

I bought a flute from Goodwill A baseball autographed

by Mickey Mantle

for $79. It was bent, but I fixed it and now it’s worth $400. I spent 45 minutes.”

The old rule used to be that pawn economies were local. Not anymore. Folmar’s has sold items on eBay “almost as long as eBay has been around” and now also sells on Buya.com.

Folmar remembered the first item he sold online. “I bought an accordion for $40. It looked to me to be in playable shape, and I remember thinking it would be worth $100. I sold it for $1,200 on eBay to somebody in polka country in the Dakotas.”

Unlike pawn shops that sell items “as is,” Folmar’s offers a seven day money back and 30 day exchange guarantee on everything, with a few exceptions. Folmar believes that this guarantee helps him build a reputation.

Unlike the version of the pawn business presented on Pawn Stars, employees at Folmar’s don’t negotiate on price.

“This is something it took me a long time to truly understand: There are business practices that are good because they’re good. One of them is standing behind the products you sell and giving people value for their money.

People will deal with you over and over again,” Folmar said.

Folmar believes that every pawn shop in Tallahassee has great buys — not just his store — because the business model of pawning depends on an agreed-upon value. “If people get used to shopping in pawn shops, they’ll find their money will go further, and that they can do more of the things they want to do with their money.”

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2018 GADSDEN COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL AN 850 BUSINESS MAGAZINE SPECIAL REPORT

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW | TRULIEVE | HOOVER TREATED WOOD PRODUCTS, INC. | FOUR STAR FREIGHTLINER | FREIGHT LOGISTICS ZONE | ANDERSON COLUMBIA PHOTOS BY SAIGE ROBERTS (TOP AND BOTTOM LEFT) AND COURTESY OF CREEK ENTERTAINMENT GRETNA (BOTTOM RIGHT)

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GADSDEN COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

GROWING BUSINESS Gadsden sells its story through a growing network of partners

by STEVE BORNHOFT

F

or an economic development organization to attract business, it must think like a business and perform like one.

That’s the outlook of Beth Kirkland, the executive director of the Gadsden County Development Council.

She would resist the notion that the job of business recruitment can be made formulaic — every prospect requires a customized approach — but there are fundamentals involved: product, policy and outreach, as Kirkland sees them.

Like a retailer with products for sale on its shelves, an economic developer has to have products (or assets) to offer his prospects — buildings, sites and talent.

“When we established the Development Council four years ago, we embraced the fact that we have some good product here,” Kirkland said, “but we also recognized that a lot of our legacy buildings our outdated from an industrial standpoint.”

Many lack the type of loading docks or doors that distributors favor today, and ceiling heights are less than optimal.

“Product is racked higher these days,” Kirkland has found. “Businesses need to be able to get more product in distribution centers.”

Safelite AutoGlass provides a case in point. It was one of the first projects that the council, representing a coalition of business, education and local government interests,

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worked on. Safelite was sharing a building in Leon County with a second tenant and needed more room.

“We had a spec building under construction with eave heights that were appealing to Safelite,” Kirkland said. “The fact that construction was underway meant that the building would become available to Safelite on a short timeline, but it wasn’t so far along that Safelite couldn’t customize the front office based on their established template for a regional distribution center.”

Safelite wound up occupying the same number of square feet at the Gadsden 10/90 Industrial Park that it had in Leon County, but with more room beneath the ceiling.

Meanwhile, the joint tenant that Safelite left behind in Leon County was presented with room that they needed for expansion.

“Everything worked out very nicely,” Kirkland said. “Both businesses benefitted, and the region benefitted. This was a very good example of why we need the type of product that Safelite moved into.”

About a year after the council was formed, then-Florida Secretary of Commerce Gray Swoope challenged investor-owned utilities in Gadsden County to bring forward what they considered to be their best economic development ideas. Duke Energy responded by pitching something they had had success with in their North Carolina market: strategic sites identification.

SSI involves not just finding a piece of ground that is shovel-ready. It also looks at whether a parcel is sufficiently proximate to transportation assets and utilities and far enough removed from schools and

PHOTO BY SAIGE ROBERTS

neighborhoods. Ideally, the site comprises parcels owned by five or fewer landowners whose pieces might be acquired to arrive at an adequate whole of 150 to 1,500 acres.

“By completing the initial SSI analysis, which Duke Energy funded, we put together a portfolio of 20 sites that would make sense for light or heavy industry,” Kirkland explained. “And we also considered these sites in terms of what local governments want to do and are planning in terms of utility line extensions.”

Of the 20 sites, six were selected for a second, more detailed round of “desktop evaluation.”

“We looked at characteristics from civil engineering and environmental standpoints by pulling data from the web and from state and local data bases,” Kirkland

explained. “We wanted to honestly assess the developability of these sites. We looked for nuances that might preclude development, including the presence of endangered species or archaeological significance or landowners that just wouldn’t be interested in selling.”

The additional work amounted to a feasiBeth Kirkland, executive bility analysis. director of the “You discover where Gadsden County you want to spend your Development Council, site-acquisition money, and Steven and you are much betGruenewald, ter prepared when you Western Florida operations go to the state for fundmanager ing from a program like for Safelite the Rural InfrastrucAutoGlass, tour the company’s ture Fund,” Kirkland Gadsden County stressed. “You can prove distribution to them that you have center. The building reflects done your homework.” the ceiling The analysis didn’t heights that stop there. many businesses require today.

Gadsden was accepted into the state’s Competitive Florida asset-mapping and cataloging program, an initiative of the state Department of Economic Opportunity.

Competitive Florida communities assemble a comprehensive picture of what they have to offer, then move on to a Year 2 project in which specific sites are scrutinized.

Gadsden submitted its top SSI sites to that process. No site was eliminated.

“All of this work helps us know which properties to show someone who is looking for sites,” Kirkland said. “We get leads from Enterprise Florida, and we use a lead-generation service offered by a private company, Expansion Solutions.”

The development council’s progress has been furthered by technical assistance grants from the Competitive Florida program, cooperative marketing grants through Enterprise Florida and infrastructure grants awarded by the DEO. Kirkland serves as the council’s grant writer and is quick to acknowledge contributions made by her board of directors.

“We have a good board whose members agree to serve when called upon on,” Kirkland said. “They participate, for example, on regional economic development councils, the Apalachee Regional Planning Council

and the Capital Regional Transportation Planning Agency. They are engaged and, through their service, we build a circle of influence and our own lead-generating machine.”

Kirkland, who holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in systems analysis, has been a Florida resident since 1986. Today, she is halfway through her two-year term as board chairman at CareerSource Capital Region, whose efforts are focused in Gadsden, Leon and Wakulla counties.

“You couldn’t find three more diverse, contiguous counties in the state,” Kirkland said.

Through activities, including an annual Talent Innovation Summit, CareerSource Capital Region seeks to unite jobseekers with opportunities at managerial, skilled and unskilled levels. Three North Florida workforce boards have established alliances with workforce boards in South Georgia.

“People don’t care about county or state lines,” Kirkland said. “They just want a job and are willing to travel an hour to 90 minutes to get there. We have developed a strategic plan in concert with the Georgia boards. And this is the kind of cooperation that the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act calls for.”

That spirit of cooperation extends to education providers, including Tallahassee Community College, Florida State University, Florida A&M University and the Gadsden Technical Institute, recently accredited by the Council on Occupational Education. That accreditation made the institute, located in Quincy, eligible to take on students who qualify for Pell grants.

Relationships with prospects are enhanced when counties and other jurisdictions can demonstrate that they reliably operate based on established policies.

“Businesses who are looking to move to your community or expand within your community require a level of certainty,” Kirkland said. “They have to know what the process is and how to get through the process and the amount of time that it is going to take.

There is nothing that says that the answer is always going to be yes, but there needs to be a consistent way of arriving at the answer, on the local level and the state level.”

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Permitting fees are not as high in Gadsden County as they are in neighboring Leon County, and hoops may be jumped through more quickly. But dealings may be complicated by the fact that Gadsden is home to six municipalities and a host of utilities providers, private and public.

When Hoover Treated Wood Products set up shop in unincorporated Gadsden County, it found that water and natural gas were provided by the Town of Havana.

Hoover, Kirkland noted, is eligible for a Qualified Targeted Industry tax refund, provided that it generates a required number of jobs in the next three to five years. Of the total refund, 80 percent will come from the state and 20 percent from local jurisdictions.

“Local entities don’t have to provide the match to use the state’s money, but if you don’t provide the match, the company only benefits by 80 percent of what the program could potentially offer,” Kirkland said. “It was important to us to put our own skin in the game. The refund is small compared to the income that will come through the company.”

Generally, Kirkland is satisfied that Gadsden County has a good story to tell, one that includes four interstate interchanges and two railroads — the CSX mainline and a short line operated by Genesee & — Beth Kirkland, Wyoming. executive “We have relationships with director of the the industrial developers at the two railroads, and that is huge Gadsden County in lead generation,” Kirkland Development said. “We’re not just about Council having our own website, doing social media and being in a magazine. It’s about relationships. We are marketing ourselves on the railroads’ websites. There is a lot of cross-promotion going on.”

And a lot of targeting.

With a marketing grant, the council is preparing along with Brand Acceleration, a company that specializes in economic development, a series of emailings targeting four industry sectors of interest: manufacturing, distribution, food/fiber and tourism/retail.

“Brand has the audiences we want,” Kirkland said. “Their emails get opened.

“This is good stuff.”

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PHOTO COURTESY OF CSX GEORGIA INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

“We’re not just about having our own website, doing social media and being in a magazine.

It’s about relationships.”

Gadsden County connects you to the world.

• North Florida’s Interstate 10 corridor runs the entire length of the county. It brings between 14,000 and 17,000 vehicles traveling east and west through the region each day.

• Nearby Interstates connect the county to regional and national markets. Interstates 65, 75, and 85 are a short drive away - offering easy access to the regional workforce and market.

• Port, Rail, and Air connections are easily accessible from Gadsden County, including Tallahassee International Airport, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Genessee & Wyoming short line rail services, JAXPORT, and Port Panama City.

DISTANCE AND TIME BY TRUCK: Atlanta, GA Birmingham, AL Jacksonville, FL

262 mi | 421 km | 4 hrs 253 mi | 407 km | 4 hrs 163 mi | 262 km | 2.25 hrs

Mobile, AL Montgomery, AL

200 mi | 322 km | 2.75 hrs 199 mi | 320 km | 3.5 hrs

Tallahassee, FL 8 mi | 13 km | 0.25 hrs Tampa, FL 261 mi | 420 km | 4 hrs

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GADSDEN COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

GOOD MEDICINE Cannabis generates jobs, transforms lives

by MICHAEL MOLINE

T

he parking lot is full outside Trulieve’s corporate office/production facility in Quincy. Surely a welcome sight in Gadsden County, where the poverty rate is nearly 26 percent and the median income is south of $39,000.

These vehicles belong to blue-collar workers who grow, package and ship the medical cannabis produced here, as well as highly skilled technicians holding advanced degrees. These are good jobs, and — given

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the demand for medical cannabis — they’re jobs with a future.

“We’re growing, obviously, very, very quickly,” said Kim Rivers, an attorney and entrepreneur who serves as the CEO of Trulieve, which employs about 300 people in Gadsden County.

“We received our license in November 2015 and opened this facility in March 2016.

We have been growing rapidly ever since,” she said.

Trulieve might be the largest employer in the county, with a “spectacular” growth rate, said David Gardner, executive director of the Gadsden County Chamber of Commerce.

“They pay good wages with benefits,” he said, and the principals are committed to the community. “They hit the whole spectrum, from entry level to the executive level. From the chamber’s perspective and the community’s perspective, we appreciate them being here.”

The county’s traditional tobacco barns are long gone — either collapsed or pulled down after that industry dried up. Trulieve represents the next chapter in Gadsden

County agriculture — in which the crop matures indoors, in a sprawling, climatecontrolled facility.

“To get the highest quality product in Florida’s climate,” Rivers said in a recent interview, “we wanted to control the environmental factors.”

Workers wear scrubs or lab coats, plus paper hair and shoe coverings. A warren of rooms contains plants in various stages of

Trulieve employee Cory Williams, top photo, inspects plants at a medical marijuana cultivation facility located in Quincy.

Finished products, above, include batch oil vapes, a delivery device.

PHOTOS BY SAIGE ROBERTS

development, from seeds to mature plants loaded with fat buds that drip with aromatic resin.

“It’s not Cheech and Chong out in the woods,” production manager Kyle Landrum said. “It’s very scientific. For production agriculture, it’s a pretty clean environment.”

Trulieve employs more than 800 people in 15 dispensaries around the state, plus the headquarters grow house and two similar facilities elsewhere in Quincy. A fourth grow house is planned.

The mothership occupies a former tomato packing plant, Rivers said, “which is cool, because the building sat vacant for a long time. To be able to come in and give it new purpose has been wonderful.”

The building pointedly lacks signs, sitting behind a tall chain-link fence. Nothing betrays what happens here until a visitor enters and gets hit by a pungent, cannabinoid funk — one that lingers on one’s clothing after leaving the building.

Trulieve is a closely held private corporation whose investors include the owners of three North Florida conventional nurseries, including Thad Beshears, whose brother Halsey is a legislator.

Florida adopted a vertical production model for medical cannabis — companies produce, transport and vend their wares without middlemen. Distribution through dispensaries and home delivery requires a fleet of more than 40 unmarked vehicles. State regulations call for two staff members per vehicle.

“We’re running the equivalent of a FedEx,” Rivers said. “We have next-day delivery to our patients across the state.”

Trulieve concentrates on plants with high levels of non-euphoric cannabidol, or CBD — as opposed to THC, the kind that gets you high. The former has been found to prevent seizures.

Products carry names held over from the drug culture, like Remedy, Skittles, Panama Red. An additional strain, Charlotte’s Web, often prescribed for ailing children, is also known as “The Hippie’s Disappointment,” Rivers said. “Because you can’t get high.”

One of the company’s most popular products is Truclear, a concentrated cannabis oil for dosing orally — pop a drop on a cracker or in your stir fry — or via vaping.

Its color and consistency resemble honey.

The company provides rigorous training to its employees, using a video program plus frequently updated standard operating procedure manuals. Given the rapid growth, there’s ample room for career advancement.

“It’s one of the big challenges,” Rivers said.

“When you’re going from start-up to scale rapidly, how do you have consistent quality control — not only in your processes but also with your people?”

Security, obviously, is a priority. The company staggers delivery times and tracks its fleet in real time. Rivers discourages news photographers from taking pictures of the outside of the facility.

“At every store, there are security personnel. At the same time, we don’t want patients to feel as if they’re in a security-threat environment,” she said. Doors are key-coded, and cameras keep a look-out.

To say the environment is calm and comfortable at Trulieve’s dispensary on Tallahassee’s Capital Circle Southeast would be an understatement. With its blond wood, glass counters and quartz trim, you might mistake it for an Apple Store.

Every employee undergoes a criminal background check. Pilferage is not a problem.

“Obviously, we have a zero-tolerance policy for that type of activity,” Rivers said.

“They also know the likelihood of getting caught is high.”

Trulieve is always on the prowl for workers to sustain its rapid growth. It held a job fair in Tallahassee recently and works with local career resource offices.

“One of our stated goals was to try to hire as much as possible from this area,” she said.

That commitment played heavily in the state’s decision to award a cannabis cultivation license to Trulieve.

“We knew that we could grow in Quincy — meaning expand,” she said.

Landrum holds a degree in agricultural economics from UF and a master’s in education and leadership. He previously worked for the Sonny’s barbecue restaurant chain. “I finally am able to use my agricultural degree. It only took 12 years,” he said.

“We get a lot of horticulture and agronomy students from FAMU,” Landrum continued, many in their first post-college jobs. “They want to get into the industry, and they’re willing to come in at the entry level. We’re

Trulieve founder and CEO Kim Rivers, at right of photo, attends to customers at the business’s dispensary in Tallahassee. Rivers has worked to ensure that Trulieve’s stores are both properly secured and customer friendly.

growing so fast, the opportunities come around fairly quickly. They get promoted and move up.”

Cory Williams, a soil science grad from FAMU and former massage therapist, joined the company in November.

“What wakes me up is that I’m directly helping people each day,” Williams said.

James Polston, who holds a degree in biomedical sciences and worked in the cannabis industry in Western states, oversees the extraction of cannabinoid compounds from the organic matter.

“We have a fairly comprehensive, full-scale analytical set up here,” he said.

“Our employee base is incredibly excited to be in the industry,” Rivers said. “We make medicine that gives people quality of life. To be in as exciting an industry as this, and to have the growth we’re experiencing from a professional and financial standpoint, but also to be a small part of life-changing experiences for people — it’s just incredible.”

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GADSDEN COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

NAILING DOWN JOBS Gadsden gains second wood manufacturer

by LAZARO ALEMAN

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including the Qualified Target Industry (QTI) Tax Refund Program from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. A performance-based incentive program, the QTI assures Hoover a five-year annual tax refund of $8,000 per job created, provided the jobs pay more than 115 percent of Gadsden’s average annual wage.

“At 25 jobs committed over a three-year period, this creates an award of $200,000, of which $160,000 is funded by the state, $30,000 by Gadsden County, and $10,000

by Havana,” Kirkland said.

Hoover’s promise of job creation, in fact, was one of the project’s key selling points.

Tim Borris, Hoover’s vice president of

operations, told Gadsden officials that his company would hire 15 individuals initially and grow that number to 25 eventually. He said the jobs would pay $40,000 on average, and that Hoover was committed to hiring locally. He also promised that the Gadsden facility would produce only fire-retardant products, not preservatives.

As to why Hoover chose Gadsden over its other option, which was to expand the Georgia facility, Borris said the company wanted to be closer to the market, citing Florida as a big consumer of fire retardant products. Moreover, he said, North Florida’s abundance of forest products and lumber mills, plus Coastal Forest’s proximity, made

Hoover Treated Wood Products opted to build a manufacturing facility in Gadsden County versus expanding its Georgia operation due in part to the abundance of forest products and lumber mills in Florida.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GADSDEN COUNTY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

G

adsden County officials earlier this year approved and issued the development order for a wood manufacturing facility just outside Havana.

“This project is good for the economic development mission of Gadsden County,” said Commission Vice Chair Anthony V. Viegbesie, expressing the board consensus.

The approved facility is owned by Hoover Treated Wood Products, Inc., a Georgiabased subsidiary of the Graham Holdings Company (formerly the Washington Post), a diversified conglomerate whose products include educational services, television broadcasting, online print and manufacturing. Hoover produces what is described as pressure-impregnated, kilndried lumber and plywood products for fire retardant and preservative applications. The Gadsden facility, Hoover’s 10th, is located near U.S. 27 on a 65-acre site zoned heavy industrial. Next door is Coastal Forest Resources Company, a lumber producer/ supplier with close ties to Hoover. Coastal, in fact, sold Hoover the 65-acre property and served as the initial point of contact between it and Gadsden County economic development representatives.

Beth Kirkland, executive director of the Gadsden County Development Council (GCDC), explained that much vetting and back-and-forth preceded the project’s introduction to Gadsden officials, setting the stage for approval.

The GCDC, in fact, began working with Hoover in mid-2017. It guided the company through the application process and ensured that Hoover knew about the various federal, state and local incentives available,

Loyalty. Bravery. Passion.

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the Gadsden site that much more attractive. Not to mention the availability of rail and Havana’s ability to extend water and natural gas to the plant via a $323,000 grant it received.

The project wasn’t without opposition. Neighboring property owners in the largely rural area and Tall Timbers (TT), which owns about 500 acres of conservation easements nearby, had concerns.

These included the potential for increased traffic, excessive noise, devaluation of properties and chemical contamination. Hoover satisfactorily addressed most of the concerns, especially those of Tall Timbers relative to stormwater runoff.

“I think we ended up with a win-win situation,” said TT planning coordinator Neil Fleckenstein. “Everybody worked in good faith. We were able to protect the environment and the water quality, and they were able to get a facility approved in a rural county that needs the jobs.”

Not all opponents were satisfied, however.

Tallahassee Attorney Randie Denker represented a group of such property owners.

“I can’t represent that my clients were ‘happy,’ ” Denker emailed. “I can only represent — Beth Kirkland, that they made a pragmatic executive decision to settle. My clients director of the agreed not to litigate unless Gadsden County Hoover violates the terms of the settlement agreement.

Development However, they will continue Council to monitor (the project).”

Kirkland, for her part, sees only positives from the project beyond the $3.3 million capital investment that Hoover is making.

“Taking into account the direct, indirect and induced job creation resulting from this project, Hoover will create 37 jobs in Gadsden County with new-to-Gadsden annual revenues of $5.3 million,” she said, adding that during the plant’s construction phase, another 19 temporary jobs will be created and $2.1 million injected into the local economy.

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PHOTO BY SAIGE ROBERTS

“Taking into account the direct, indirect and induced job creation resulting from this project, Hoover will create 37 jobs in Gadsden County with newto-Gadsden annual revenues of $5.3 million.”

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GADSDEN COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Technician Herbert Campbell, left, and service manager Michael Todd discuss a work order at the Four Star Freightliner facility in Midway in Gadsden County.

The facility opened in March.

BETTER THAN A BILLBOARD The new Four Star Freightliner location in Midway is hard to miss

Y

ou know the real estate adage. Location, location, location.

Four Star Freightliner has six stores: Montgomery and Dothan, Alabama; Tifton, Valdosta, and Albany, Georgia; and now, Midway, Florida.

Its dealership had built up plenty of local business over 14 years at Capital Circle Northwest. However, the Tallahassee store was unable to capture the national truck traffic passing through North Florida on I-10.

For Jerry A. Kocan, Four Star Freightliner’s dealer principal, it was time to move. Two

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years ago, Kocan hired a broker, Johanna Money, to help him find a site with clear highway visibility. They looked to move elsewhere in Tallahassee but with relatively few interstate exits, their search was limited.

Money reached out to Beth Kirkland of Gadsden County Development Council, who helped Four Star Freightliner find a home nearby, off Exit 192 in Midway.

The Gadsden location is close enough to continue to serve local Tallahassee customers, but situated near I-10 and U.S. 90, it will bring in new business, as well. Midway’s

Four Star Freightliner services Freightliner and Western Star commercial vehicles as well as any truck with an automatic transmission.

“We’re adjacent to two truck stops, so we’re convenient for the customer passing through,” Kocan said. “Freightliner has 40% of the Class 8 market share. Four out of every 10 trucks going into those stops are Freightliners. It’s been helpful.”

After almost 18 months of building — hammering out an agreement to buy the land, making agreements about roads and utilities, and constructing the site — Four

PHOTO BY SAIGE ROBERTS

by ERIN HOOVER

Star Freightliner opened in Midway in March of this year.

Kocan had anticipated making a $2.5 million capital investment in the new site, but construction far exceeded that estimate. “This is my first store that I built new, and when you build things for the first time, you learn,” he continued, adding that so far, the move to Midway has been worth it.

“I can’t buy enough billboards to accomplish what I have by opening next to the interstate,” he said.

Four Star Freightliner’s Midway location was made possible by cooperation between the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Gadsden County and the Gadsden County Development Council.

INVESTING IN PEOPLE The Tallahassee staff of 21 employees moved to the new location, and the company plans to make several new hires to accommodate increased operations. The site is bigger, too — 30,000 square feet where Tallahassee

had been 20,000. In this way, Four Star Freightliner in Midway is positioning itself for growth.

The new dealership also includes a classroom that will function as a diesel college for Gadsden County, staffed by a certified trainer and with classes beginning this fall. Kocan said he has been working with Dr. Sylvia Jackson of Gadsden Technical Institute to develop a training program.

“In this industry, someone can get up and running pretty quickly and earn money.

Technicians are highly compensated,” Kocan said, noting that the average diesel technician with five or more years’ experience can make $80,000 a year or more.

This kind of investment in people is central to Kocan’s business model. The Midway move was only possible, he said, because of the strong team he has in place in Florida.

“I wouldn’t make investments like this if I didn’t feel good about my team. We keep growing because we have a good product and we have outstanding people,” he continued.

Following his Florida strategy, Kocan moved the Valdosta location closer to the interstate this past summer. A new Four Star Freightliner dealership is planned for Valley, Alabama, in 2019.

Kocan said he’s never forgotten the lessons he learned as an employee at a Volvo GM Heavy Truck store in Atlanta, where he worked as a sales manager. “I was an employee for most of my career,” he said.

After buying shares in the Atlanta dealership, Kocan went into business for himself by purchasing two Daimler stores in Alabama, bringing them together under the Four Star Freightliner brand in 2000.

“My front-line people talk to more customers in a month than I do in a year. If employees have a good feeling about who they work for, they’ll show that to the customer,” he said.

Of course, you need to get those customers in the door first. For the truck driver who needs service, Four Star Freightliner in Midway is a welcome sight.

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GADSDEN COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

PORTENDING THE FUTURE Four counties are collaborating to attract industry

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ulf, Franklin, Liberty and Gadsden counties are continuing work on a zoning project with high hopes of attracting industry to their rural corridor. The area links interstate and state highways, a railroad line, an airport and a seaport in a freight logistics zone (FLZ).

Victor Leotta of Leotta Location and Design, LLC, said his business was brought in to “identify the highest and best undeveloped sites in communities that have all the best qualities to support a quality job-creating project.” The firm used its Strategic Site Inventory (SSI) process to assess the FLZ. A report published by his company in 2017 assessed the corridor’s site selection and economic development possibilities.

Leotta found that the transportation types either located in or near the FLZ “afford the four-county region unique economic development advantages to attract major manufacturing and assembly projects that require multimodal shipping options.”

The site search found 19 new potential commercial and industrial sites for Gulf, Liberty and Franklin counties. Gulf County had seven sites identified, Liberty had six and Franklin also had six. Previously, under a grant from Duke Energy, Leotta’s process had identified 20 sites in Gadsden County, one of which is the focus for the FLZ project.

According to the report, primary transportation access included an array of rail-served and non-rail served sites with state highway access, airport access and seaport access.

Phase two was to do preliminary engineering and environmental due diligence, a “desktop exercise,” Leotta said. Phase three was to assess landowner engagement and to move properties to market. Phase four, should a site warrant that level of engagement, is to engage in formal engineering and environmental due diligence. Phase five is to work on community branding and marketing for the chosen sites.

Leotta said his firm spent about three months combing through the four counties in 2014.

“A headline for us is our option on 600 high and dry acres in Gretna.” — Antonio Jefferson, chairman, Gadsden County Development Council

The assessment used five phases. Phase one was site discovery — articulating geographic features which would either benefit or hinder development; identifying sensitive environmental properties; the available labor force; and utilities planned or in place.

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“We were interested in finding the real estate assets that are a fit with that particular community’s industry targets,” Leotta said.

“The SSI program was to identify properties that would be relevant to freight and logistics operations along the principal transportation networks. If you think of it as nodes along

these transportation network lines, the goal is to bring in projects that create jobs. The identification of the potential strategic real estate is done on the front end to inform the developments later on.”

The idea was to provide a set of strategic sites throughout the FLZ that would either serve to host an anchor project or play a supporting role for a project in another location, Leotta explained. A critical component of an FLZ is the inclusion of one or more proposed Intermodal Logistic Centers (ILC). The plan calls for two such centers — one at I-10 and one at the Port of Port St. Joe — on either end of the Apalachicola Northern Railroad.

A 600-acre site located in Gretna just south of I-10 and adjacent to the railroad is one of the two proposed ILCs. City manager Antonio Jefferson is working to extend Gretna water and wastewater services to the site, which already has power provided by Talquin Electric Cooperative.

“The site is unique because it is on I-10 and is high, dry and relatively flat,” Jefferson said. “The owner has optioned the property to the Gadsden County Development Council for a competitive price for light industrial uses.”

Jefferson, who serves as board chairman for the Development Council, is a student of economic development as well as a leader.

He has completed courses offered by the International Economic Development Council and is leading one of three Florida Rural Areas of Opportunity.

On the southern end of the zone, Warren Yeager has been the economic development director for Gulf County for nearly a year and served as a county commissioner for roughly 15 years.

“One of the reasons we want to be involved

PHOTOS BY ANDREW WARDLOW PHOTOGRAPHY (YEAGER) AND COURTESY OF GADSDEN COUNTY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (JEFFERSON)

by CD DAVIDSON-HIERS

(in the development of the FLZ) is because of our port,” Yeager said.

His interests lie in the economic redevelopment of Port St. Joe, which used to engage in profitable shipping practices in the ’80s, but they tapered off when the paper mill went out of business.

“It got to the point that we just didn’t have product to ship out,” Yeager explained.

He is interested in seeing the port develop into a functional site, connected to the railway.

Gulf County economic development director Warren Yeager believes intercounty cooperation and rail service are critical to the economic redevelopment of Port St. Joe.

CHICKEN OR EGG DEBATE “There are many companies that have shown interest in our port,” Yeager said. “One of the key questions is, ‘Do you have rail into the port?’ ” The answer: Yes, but the rail line leading to the port is in need of repair. The St. Joe Company owns the rail and has agreed to provide a financial match once a company agrees to invest in the area.

There is also an appropriation for dredging the channel, which Yeager explained is a long-term project.

Eastern Shipbuilding has a lease on 20 acres on the mill site on about 1,000 feet of bulkhead, Yeager added, and an application for Triumph funds (a settlement fund from the BP Horizon oil spill) to build a 420 x 120 foot floating dry dock has been filed. The dock would go a long way toward fulfilling a contract with the Coast Guard to build cutters.

“There’s a lot going on right now. We should see some activity in the next few months for spending $6 million for improvements,” Yeager said.

“I think what it’s going to do is bring a greater focus to the rail and the port right on up to Gadsden County,” Yeager added.

“It will bring awareness that this rail is here and it has the opportunity to be connected to the port. We believe there’s many different opportunities for different industries to use that rail.”

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GADSDEN COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

PARK PLACES Gadsden County is home to industrial sites in the making

by STEVE BORNHOFT

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eventeen years ago, Anderson Columbia Co., one of the largest highway construction firms in the Southeast, determined that it might be a good idea to develop the 191 acres it owns in Gadsden County near the confluence of U.S. 90 and Interstate 10 as an industrial park.

A conceptual subdivision plan and preliminary plat were approved in 2001 and 2002.

But a consequential thing happened on the way to project realization: The bottom of the economy dropped out.

“We really weren’t seeing much in the way of activity,” said Brian Schreiber, Anderson Columbia’s chief financial officer, from his office in Lakeland. Accordingly, the company suspended efforts to arrive at final project approval.

But in 2016, “we started to receive a few inquiries about our Gadsden County parcels,” Schreiber said, “and figured that it was time to go ahead and pick the project back up.”

Doing so meant starting back at the beginning.

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The approvals gained in 2001 and 2002 had expired because the plat approval process had not been completed. So it was that Anderson Columbia was back in front of the Gadsden County Commission in November 2016.

In June, Anderson Columbia gained plat approval from the county’s planning commission, and County Commission approval was obtained in July.

Already, Anderson Columbia has a presence at the future park in the form of an aggregate materials yard operated by subsidiary Junction City Mining. Schreiber said Anderson Columbia employs about 30 people in Gadsden County.

Roadways and stormwater improvements were constructed at the park site in 2008 based on the approvals that were in place at that time.

“We have been marketing the park, but not aggressively,” Schreiber said. That effort is likely to be stepped up given plat approval, and Schreiber anticipates that the Gadsden County Development Council will become involved in spreading the word about the park.

PHOTOS BY SAIGE ROBERTS

Given plat approval of its planned industrial park, Anderson Columbia Co. hopes that the aggregate yard operated by a subsidiary at the site will soon have some company. Here, Shawn Snyder boards a front-end loader.

“It’s possible that we will have helped the council by developing another wellpositioned site that they can talk to prospects about,” Schreiber said.

The park property lies within a Development of Regional Impact that was adopted in 1987 and allows for heavy industrial and industrial uses.

Schreiber said that Anderson Columbia has fielded inquiries from precast concrete and storage businesses. The park comprises 33 lots, but it is hard to say how many businesses may eventually be tenants there because some may occupy multiple lots.

Anderson Columbia will be the park’s sole owner; no public dollars are being used in its development.

Tallahassee developer DeVoe Moore owns 60 acres across Brickyard Road from the Anderson Columbia property that are wellsuited for an industrial park. At this writing, however, Moore is undecided about whether to sell the property, located near Four Star Freightliner’s new Gadsden County

operation, participate in a joint venture or develop the property himself.

Gadsden County is approaching something of a gracious plenty of business parks.

The Development Council on its website lists five parks “including lots zoned for both heavy and light industry, commercial and office uses and warehousing. Together, these parks have the infrastructure in place to support manufacturing, logistics and distribution operations, food production and many other businesses and industries.”

Of the five parks, two are located just off I-10 in north-central Gadsden County — Gretna Industrial Park and Quincy Joe Adams Commerce Park. One, the Gadsden Commercial Exchange, is located just west of U.S. 27 in Havana. Two are accessible from the Interstate 10 and Midway interchange — Gadsden 10/90 and Hammock Creek.

In addition, Gadsden County is a leading participant in Florida’s Strategic Sites Inventory program, having identified 20 future large-acreage industrial sites ranging

Junction City Mining deals in road-building materials at the site of a planned industrial park.

in size from 200 to 1,500 acres. These sites have passed stringent suitability modeling and are proximate to Florida’s Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) assets including an interstate highway, four-lane highways, rail and ports. As a Competitive Florida Community, Gadsden County is actively positioning priority sites for development.

The Development Council touts low land costs and access to transportation arteries as key advantages to locating businesses in Gadsden County.

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The Last Word

CAN YOU TWEET STRATEGICALLY? The captains or co-captains or tri-captains for combatant football teams report to midfield for the coin toss that will determine who will kick off. A member of the visiting team’s delegation calls “heads or tails” following an explanation by the referee as to which side of the coin is which.

The referee, then, looks toward the toss-winning captain(s), who has two options: Kick or Receive. Coach, it seems, might direct his captain in advance to, if he wins the toss, “Take the ball,” or “Defend the south end zone.” But, as often as not, the student-athlete/captain who is confronted with a decision instead will look toward the sideline for guidance. Of such confidence are winning teams made.

Not long ago, I found myself in the conference room at the offices of Port Panama City. The port’s executive director, Wayne Stubbs, was catching me up on developments at the port including a significant award of Triumph Gulf Coast funds and the construction of a massive forest-products warehouse.

We were politely interrupted by an assistant who slipped Stubbs a note informing him that his wife wanted him to call her. Stubbs explained that there was a problem with a run-on spigot at the house and a plumber had been summoned. He felt certain that his wife wanted to ask him how or whether to proceed now that the plumber had assessed the problem.

“Excuse me just a minute,” Stubbs said, while punching in his wife’s number. When she didn’t pick up, Stubbs appeared mildly irritated and we resumed our conversation for a couple of minutes before his phone rang.

“You’re saying that all we need to do is buy a part and we can install it ourselves?” Stubbs asked his wife, slightly incredulous.

Then, ending the call, he turned to me and said, “Well, that was something. The plumber has left. She made a decision on her own.”

Stubbs and I then spoke for a while about how ill-prepared many employees are today to make decisions without consulting a supervisor. For him, this tendency represents a trend that would make for a fascinating study by a school of business.

“It’s this thing,” Stubbs said, pointing to his phone. “Employees don’t make decisions because they can call or text the boss.”

Not long ago, I had a conversation with a construction manager who recalled with apparent fondness the days in which he would make early morning rounds, checking in with his site supervisors, and then, generally not speak to them again until the following morning. As trusted key personnel, the supervisors

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were afforded the discretion to keep projects moving. These days, they make incessant phone calls. They may be lazy and afraid.

Too, we know that people increasingly rely on gatekeepers, sometimes called opinion leaders, to tell them what to think. They identify talking heads with whom they have a philosophical connection and adopt as their own the commentators’ takes on immigration policy or tariffs or gun control. This, of course, is a recipe for stubborn factionalism and diminished amounts of independent thinking and research.

As a professor through recent years at the Tallahassee satellite campus of Flagler College, I led second-semester seniors in the Strategic Communication program through a “capstone” class designed to give them an opportunity to demonstrate and employ what they had learned in preceding semesters — things like the Cutler, Center and Broom management model and power/interest matrices.

For example, I called upon students to write public relations plans for enterprises that had encountered circumstances forcing them to radically change their business models.

I found among students a continuum of abilities where critical thinking, problem solving and strategic analysis are concerned. But where today’s students almost universally excel is in arriving at short bursts of cleverness, the kind of work product that can be confined to a tweet.

Once, I asked students to come up with a print/online, publicservice advertising campaign aimed at discouraging contemporary forms of distracted driving.

One especially quick student almost immediately came up with a brilliant stance line that simultaneously identified a dangerous behavior and its possible consequences: DON’T TEXT AND DrIvE Just where such ability takes us I am not sure.

I’d have to think on it.

Best,

STEVE BORNHOFT, DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL SERVICES sbornhoft@rowlandpublishing.com

PHOTO BY SAIGE ROBERTS

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