2014-15 Tallahassee Business Journal by Rowland Publishing, Inc.

An 850 Business Magazine Special Report

Tallahassee 2014-15 | Bu si n e s s Jou r n a l

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

33 Budding entrepreneurs have a place where they can find help to start a business — from legal and accounting advice to a mentor willing to listen.

27 President/Publisher Brian E. Rowland EDITORIAL Editor Linda Kleindienst Senior Staff Writer Jason Dehart

13 S tudent Startups

Turning collegiate brainpower and passion into success at The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship.

Staff Writer Chay D. Baxley Production Specialist Melinda Lanigan CREATIVE Creative Director Lawrence Davidson Production Manager/Network Administrator Daniel Vitter

16 I nnovation Park

This special incubator is designed to turn cuttingedge university research into real world businesses and jobs.

Art Director Jennifer Ekrut Advertising Designers Jillian Fry, Amanda Hartsfield Staff Photographer Matt Burke SALES & marketing Director of Marketing and Sales McKenzie Burleigh Director of New Business Daniel Parisi Ad Services Coordinator Lisa Sostre Account Executives Rhonda Murray, Darla Harrison, Tanya Heath, Lori Magee, Tracy Mulligan, Linda Powell, Paula Sconiers, Chuck Simpson, Alice Watts, Drew Gregg Westling Marketing and Sales Assistant Christie Green

22 Th e MagLab

Jeffrey Whalen is cooking up some of the finest crystals in the world, trying to make money with science.

27 P opulation Trends

The fastest growing age group in Tallahassee is 65-plus and, economically, that can be good news.

29 C hoose Tallahassee There’s a major drive to attract retiring baby boomers to Tallahassee.

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33 R eal Estate

Local experts say that the county’s real estate market is experiencing a resurgence after the downturn of the Great Recession.

34 T ourism

College sports and the Florida Legislature bring lots of tourists to town, but the county’s tourism promoters say there is plenty more to do and see in the area.

41 Th e Airport

Getting an international designation will likely bring in more air carriers, open more air routes and bring international freight business to Tallahassee.

45 C ollegeTown/Gaines Street Creating a hipper

scene near the universities for students and young professionals is part of a plan to retain young talent after they graduate.

48 Downtown Tallahassee A revitalization and transformation of downtown Tallahassee is shifting the focus away from lobbyist offices to places like Cascades Park, where there’s plenty for the family to do, new nightspots and eateries.

On the Cover: This miniature city (approximately 4" wide x 5" tall) was printed on a MakerBot Replicator 2X printer by one of the members of Domi Station, Tallahassee’s new business incubator focused on early stage startups. Photo by Matt Burke.

Photos by Scott Holstein (29) and courtesy of NAI Talcor (33); Cover photos by Matt Burke (Curry and Frame) and Carolyn Allen (signs)

8 F inding Help

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Domi Ventures

F i n di ng H el p

Incubating New Business Domi Station is where entrepreneurial minds meet

arbara Wescott had been in the business of renting vacation homes in faraway Maine but wanted to start a business of her own. Needing legal and accounting advice — and even basic tips on how to start — she wasn’t sure where to begin. Ryan Kopinsky wanted to create a cool idea but needed a little help. William McCluskey planned to return to Boston to kick off his startup company but then realized he’d be competing against so many others there might not be an appetite for his idea. Today, the three are amiable companions, helping to cross-pollinate ideas while developing their own entrepreneurial aspirations at Domi Station, a converted warehouse on Railroad Avenue that is Tallahassee’s new business incubator focused on early-stage startups. The public-private incubator and co-working space, run by Domi Ventures and funded by Leon County, Florida State

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University and private venture capital, has only been open since April, yet it is already a home to or resource for about 35 startups, according to Lucas Lindsey, community manager. Projects range from hurricane software to streamlined shopping with Google Glass, nanotechnology and 3D printing. “Domi Station is much more than a cool work space,” said County Administrator Vince Long. “It’s the front door for area residents, university students and like-minded entrepreneurs to access the collective resources that exist within our community.” Domi (Latin for home) Ventures was born the night Micah Widen and Jake Kiker were sitting in a pub at The Manor at Midtown. They were introduced by a mutual friend, Jay Revell, executive director of the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority. Widen, whose wife was getting her doctorate at FSU, wanted to start another company. Kiker knew the county needed an incubator.

By Linda Kleindienst They talked until 3 a.m. and incorporated two weeks later. As Widen and Kiker were co-founding Domi Ventures along with partners John Vecchio and David Lawson, they were holding meet-ups with interested people to test the market. The county, meanwhile, was simultaneously developing its own idea for an incubator. But while the county had a place and some of the money, Domi Ventures had the know-how. Miraculously, the two joined forces. The result: Domi Station (located in a warehouse built in 1858 that had been used by the supervisor of elections) quickly became a reality. “At first we wanted to make sure we had enough critical mass. But we even had two kids from Florida International University come up to our first meeting,” said Widen, CEO of Domi Ventures. Added Kiker, “We just got larger and larger. At first, I think it was just curiosity. It was like, ‘Are you folks for real?’ ”

Watch a video tour of Domi Station at 850BusinessMagazine.com

Matt Burke

Open less than a year, Domi Station is already home to a host of budding new businesses incorporating a wide variety of technologies. Opposite: More than 250 people attended Domi Stationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grand opening on May 22, 2014, which was cohosted by Leon County and Florida State University. Shown here is the co-working space.

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Help for Existing or Relocating Business Need business help and don’t know where to look? There’s a new resource in town: AERO, the Alliance of Entrepreneur Resource Organizations.

Matt Burke

The coalition of public agencies and community nonprofit organizations has formed a website designed to answer most any question a business might have. BigBendBiz.com, funded by The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at the FSU College of Business, has compiled a list of resources for anyone who wants to start a business, existing businesses that need help and businesses interested in relocating to the area.

Those interested ranged in age. Wescott is 51, Kopinsky is 24. Some were students, some worked in local software companies. Some were already working on startups, some just had an idea. After being accepted into Domi Station, they were connected to accounting, legal and market research services and, perhaps most importantly, mentors. Local businesses offered pro bono

Topics include incubators; education and training; financial resources; mentoring; networking; and operations.

services, setting up regular business hours to meet with the budding entrepreneurs. Mentors from throughout the business and university community have given freely of their advice to those hoping to make it big in business. Domi Station is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There’s almost always someone working. “It’s a very collaborative atmosphere,” Widen

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explained. “We’re encouraging people to take ownership and to help grow the community.” Barbara Wescott is hoping to do just that. She has developed a program to establish a universal reward point program that small businesses could opt into to reward loyal shoppers. “I’m confident I have a great idea, but it’s just trying to put all the pieces together,” she said. “I didn’t know where to go, what to do. I needed help with patent advice, accounting and to talk to a mentor.” So far, she’s gotten that. Her business, called Point Catcher, will soon have a small launch in Tallahassee to see how it works and to smooth out any kinks. Ryan Kopinsky, the founder of FSU’s TechNOLEgy student organization, is a Ph.D. candidate in robotics at FSU and co-founder of Shop X. A major advocate of Google Glass, he wanted to create a cool app. He got an idea from Widen’s wife but needed help developing it. He met that person, John Perkins, at a Domi event, and they worked on a shopping list app. The app (accepted by Google and dubbed App No. 52) allows a user to make a shopping list directly on Glass by voice command, with items sorted by category. It knows, for instance, that “2 percent” means milk. “It’s my first app, and it came out of a brainstorm session (hosted by Domi Ventures),” Kopinsky said. “It took us four months from the idea to the launch.” William McCluskey was headed to Boston to work on his startup, Proper Channel, when the folks at Domi Ventures convinced him to take another look at Tallahassee. He did and decided to stay after realizing there are so many startups in Boston that “people aren’t hungry for your idea.” Proper Channel, he explains, is about taking the pain out of bureaucracy by being a “visual wiki” that helps explain to people things like how to get a travel visa to China or apply to college or navigate the local driver license bureau. In his blog he explains, “Our secret is telling people exactly what they need and putting it in front of them in a simple to use format.” McCluskey said that one of his goals is to supercharge Florida, “and they’re doing everything right here. It’s more of a true community. You get real involvement, connection.” To be an “ideal candidate” for Ryan Kopinsky, founder of FSU’s the incubator, a TechNOLEgy student organization, is working on a Google Glass app. company would have two or more founders, be committed full time, have technical and business talent, be based in or plan to relocate in Tallahassee, have domain expertise and have performed competitive due diligence. If selected, the companies have four months of free co-working space, introductions to investors and a wide range of resources. “There need to be more places like this,” Kiker said. “The rising tide is what we’re looking for. People can launch companies here cheaper than in Miami or Orlando. I want Tallahassee to be a viable and attractive option.”

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Student Start - Up s

Seminole Student Startups Tallahassee’s unique compilation of collegiate brainpower and passion makes it a safe haven for student startups By Chay D. Baxley

Tristin Kroening

he business-minded students of The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at Florida State University have been called a great many things. Idealistic? Sure. Driven? Most of them. Intelligent? Of course. Inexperienced? Naturally. And passionate? Unequivocally, yes. This shared characteristic is no happy accident, though. According to Jim Dever, senior lecturer and Entrepreneur in Residence at The Jim Moran Institute, passion was the deciding factor for admission into the college’s competitive entrepreneurship major. For Dever and the other faculty members who sifted through more than 100 applications to fill their 40 sophomore seats in the early days of fall 2014, passion was weighed more heavily than anything else — including past work experience. “Without passion,” emphasized Dever, “you can’t be an entrepreneur. It’s just as simple as that. You have to have passion, and these kids understand that.” Dever knows a little bit about passion himself. After selling nearly a dozen companies by the time he was 41 years old, he decided to go Each year the College back to school at the of Business at Florida age of 50 to earn his State University hosts the Sophomore bachelor’s degree. Experience, an By the time he had expo featuring new turned 60, Dever companies. Ben Spangler (left), is an had been awarded owner of lifestyle his PhD. Now, at 65, brand company Hunt he commutes from and Venture with his brother Jeremy and Panama City to friend Jared Jackson. Tallahassee at least two days a week to make sure his entrepreneurs-in-the-making are well attended to. “I love it,” he confided. “To be able to work those young people and to watch their enthusiasm and to see their passion. This group that we selected this year is just a phenomenal bunch of kids. They’re just jumping out of their skin.”

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during any given semester) are instructed not only on theories and the principals of business, but also on the logistics of an ever-changing career path. Over the three years they spend in the major, these pupils are taught how to obtain a patent, how to incorporate their company and what trends to look for to ensure success.

From professional apartment cleaners to companies focused on funky sock distribution for a good cause, the student startups cultivated throughout FSU’s brick corridors are full of promise. Students enrolled in the entrepreneurship major (no more than 120

Thomas Goebel

Wavelet

Jim Dever, Entrepreneur in Residence at The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, (right) and Nick O’Donnell, student and budding businessman.

For senior Nick O’Donnell, the information he’s obtained in the classroom has been priceless. In fact, it’s helped him launch his own innovative startup — an artistic, scientific and even technologically savvy approach to gift giving, a company he calls “Wavelet.” Wavelet (think wavelength combined with bracelet), O’Donnell shared, will transform voice recordings obtained via a yet-to-belaunched website into a permanent and lasting memory on … jewelry. “The sound waves that result from their voice,” explained a visibly excited O’Donnell, “I can take that and make it into a custom piece of jewelry that they can take and give to the person. It’s like giving your unique voice to the person and saying something really special to them.

“If seven billion people said, ‘Happy birthday’ or ‘I love you,’ in theory it would look different all seven billion times. What that does is makes everyone’s voice almost like a fingerprint. It makes everyone’s voice unique.” O’Donnell hopes to have his company operational before his graduation day in May 2015. But he isn’t the only ’Nole with big ideas. In recent years, The Jim Moran Institute has attempted to diversify student startups on campus — offering more assistance and guidance to all majors unilaterally. Initiatives like the InNOLEvation™ Challenge, which encourages all students to come up with a fully functional company, are opened to all currently enrolled FSU students. It’s a step towards diversity that the current class of instructors is exceptionally proud of. “I think it broadens the scope when you get students from different backgrounds and different perspective,” applauded Tim Kinney, associate lecturer and director of Student Engagement for The Jim Moran Institute. “And it broadens the startups on campus. “There’s a lot of little (compartments) of entrepreneurial activity around campus.

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Frame hit commercial success with an ad for American Express. Shown are founders (left to right) Bryan Zhang, Adam Braun and Patrick Gines.

We’re trying to bring all of those together so we can make the whole bigger than the sum of the parts.”

Frame This Arguably one of the most interesting and successful student startups to pass through Florida State’s doors in recent years, Frame — a production company with big city talent, not to mention clients — had almost nothing to do with the university’s College of Business. The founders of Tallahassee-based Frame, Adam Braun, Patrick Gines and Bryan Zhang, are three pals who met at FSU’s prestigious College of Motion Pictures. Fresh out of school in 2012 with a teaming portfolio, these three doe-eyed entrepreneurs made the sale of a lifetime — a commercial for American Express. It was a gig that kick-started their career. With such an impressive accolade on their resume, they could have easily landed a Hollywood job. But they wanted something different. “I think everyone wants to do what they love,” theorized Braun, Frame’s managing director. “But it’s not even just doing what you love. If you can do what you love, that’s great. But if you can do what you love with people you love, that’s even better. And if you can do what you love, with people you love, in a place that you love, then that’s an awesome opportunity. I think that’s what Tallahassee was for all of us. “There’s people that we care about here, that we’ve had friendships with. And now we get to make movies with them, and for them, in a city that has grown on all of us.” These guys, along with their groundbreaking creative company, are in Education Attainment Tallahassee to stay. in Leon County “We started some(persons age 25-plus) thing up for the purpose of constantly creating content that we can be ▪H igh School graduate proud of,” explained or higher: 92.0% Gines, creative director ▪B achelor’s degree or of Frame. “That can get higher: 46.8 % better and better as we do Source: U.S. Census Bureau more and more work.”

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Innovation Park

Innovation Park is an impressive ode to all things science and innovation, hosting a wide variety of research programs that are being commercialized. 16 / 2014â&#x20AC;&#x201C;15 Ta l l a h a s s e e B U S I N ESS J O U R N AL

Sparking Innovation How cutting-edge research turns into jobs

ust one turn off the virtual esplanade to Florida State University’s Doak Campbell Stadium is a similarly impressive ode to all things science and innovation. In fact, as much stained-glass homage as Doak pays to football, Tallahassee’s Innovation Park quietly provides to the pursuit of research and sustainable invention. The 208 acres adorned with oaks and Spanish moss are a testament to the city’s quest for enduring and science-based development activities. Set aside by special charter in 1978, Innovation Park seeks to be an incubator for cutting-edge university research and the private-sector translation of those advances to real-world application. The Leon County Research and Development Authority (LCRDA) is the legal entity and state special district that oversees the development. Ronald J. Miller Jr., executive director of the Leon County R&D Authority/Innovation Park, says the strength of the concept is the fact that the universities involved — Florida State University, Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College — combined with the City of Tallahassee, Leon County and the community at large are all represented on the LCRDA’s board of directors. Currently there are 17 buildings in the park, of which LCRDA owns five. The majority of the tenants are university-affiliated. There are also federal and state agencies, such as the U.S. National Park Service and the Florida Department of Transportation. In all, there are about 40 acres of undeveloped land within the center’s bounds, which allows for substantial growth over the next century.

photos by Matt Burke

Building a New Navy and Beyond One of the most renowned tenants at Innovation Park is the FSU Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS). This center was organized to research all types of power systems technologies. With an emphasis on electric utility, defense and transportation technologies, CAPS is uniquely suited for

By Tisha Crews Keller

its projects for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Energy. The center’s research team includes scientists, faculty, engineers and students that are focused on developing sustainable power systems and energy storage capacity. From superconductivity to high-power magnets, the center’s potential influence ranges from an all-electric navy to magnet-assisted high-speed rail technology. At the core of the CAPS model, though, is a “dual-use” focus. Staff tries to take the broadest approach to developing new technology so that it may catch in its net the common solutions to closely-related problems across military, industry and utility sectors.

Paper-Thin, But Carbon-Strong You probably know the FSU High Performance Materials Institute (HPMI) as a main developer of “Bucky Paper” carbon nanotube network technology. You’d be right, but the vast applications of this typewriter-era “carbon paper” cousin are truly astounding. Bucky Paper is a thin black film that harbors amazing properties such as high-strength (used by the U.S. Air Force as aircraft coating and components); energy storage (exploited by Innovation Park neighbor Bing Energy); and electromagnetic shielding (for use in cell phones and satellites, for instance). There Bucky Paper, are over 25 different produced at the FSU types of the product, High Performance but they all rely on the Materials Institute, is already being unique “tube-like” used by the quality of carbon U.S. Air Force. bonds created in 1985 by Nobel Prizewinning scientists Harold Kroto, Robert Curl and Richard Smalley. HPMI has taken Bucky Paper to the next level in terms of practical use. Recently, the production capabilities at HPMI have improved the potential output of the product to sheets six-inches wide by five feet per minute. The institute owns a patent on its

unique production process, which is really only constricted by the amount of square footage available for the lab. This high-volume production allows the institute to provide research and application design for the National Science Foundation, the U.S. military and others. In fact, associated with this technology alone, HPMI has $1.4 million in National Science Foundation (NSF) grants and a State of Florida Center of Excellence and Commercialization Grant valued at $250,000. In addition to the carbon nanotube technology, HPMI provides its expertise to grants and projects for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ($4.4 million), working on prosthetic sockets to make them more lightweight and easy to move. Prototypes of these joints will deliver soon to the VA, which is an exciting development for both HPMI and the prosthesis community. Structural health monitoring is another area in which HPMI is heavily invested. Grants from the U.S. Air Force and the NSF direct

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the institute to develop sensors that are imbedded in a material (such as concrete or composite) to alert when microscopic stress fractures are developing. Technology such as this could one day save bridges from collapse or airplanes from catastrophic loss. In all, HPMI houses over $10 million in research and development equipment alone. The center holds 18 active research grants — six of which are NSF, which is very high for one institution. The 17 professors and 90 students that make up HPMI are continually on the cusp of something extraordinary.

In the Spirit of the Organic Act A little-known but still incredibly relevant partner of Innovation Park is the Southeast Archeological Center, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. The Southeast Center is the one specialized archeological research facility in the Southeast territory of the National Park Service. This low-key powerhouse of research and learning provides technical and curator assistance to the 66 national parks and the public in the nine-state area, from the Caribbean to Louisiana to Kentucky and North Carolina. Thanks to the Organic Act of 1906, all cultural resources in the U.S. must be preserved unimpaired and such preservation must include considerations of longterm issues, including auditory and visual

impacts of development on a historic site. This means that when a business or park wants to add a new building, the Southeast Archeological Center must evaluate the impacts of the improvement on existing parks and even those yet unexplored. Only 4 percent of set-aside federal lands have been surveyed. Climate change will greatly impact the National Park Service and our cultural heritage. The archeologists in Innovation Park work tirelessly to identify the risks, challenges and unique properties of each site and make the difficult recommendations about what to preserve and what can be left to the elements. Director David Morgan, Ph.D., RPA, says his staff of 50 that includes archeologists, museum specialists and a curator makes these decisions on a daily basis. The center moved to Tallahassee in 1966 for the valuable partnership afforded by FSU’s Anthropology Program. The university has since abandoned (and then partially reopened) its program, but the Center remains and has expanded its partnership to other universities in the southeast. It moved to Innovation Park in 1995 and pumps $2 million to $4 million into the local economy each year. The Archeological Center serves as repository for more than 9.5 million archeological resources and artifacts and 250,000 archival documents ranging from the assassination site of Martin Luther King Jr. to the Battle of Gettysburg.

Matt Burke

Development impact on historic sites located anywhere in the Southeast is investigated by the Southeast Archeological Center, which is located in Innovation Park.

Projected Employment Growth By Industry in Leon County (2013 to 2021) Total All Industries: 9.2% ▪ Construction: 25.2% ▪ Education and Health Services: 17.0% ▪P rofessional and Business

Services: 15.4%

▪ Leisure and Hospitality: 11.4% ▪O ther Services (except

government): 10.9%

▪ Financial Activities: 10.7% ▪ Retail Trade: 9.4% ▪ Transportation and Warehousing: 8.1% ▪ Wholesale Trade: 6.6% ▪S elf-Employed and Unpaid Family

Workers: 5.6%

▪ Local Government: 5.2% ▪A griculture, Forestry, Fishing

and Hunting: 3.6%

▪ State Government: 3.4% ▪ Manufacturing: 3.3% ▪ Federal Government: -1.4% ▪ Information: -2.6% Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

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Morgan and his professionals regularly broker partnerships with private and public entities for the preservation of historical evidence and cultural resources. Many private businesses employ their own archeologist to ensure compliance with the Organic Act and the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act, as well as to preserve any archeological evidence that may impede future development at a site. The National Park Service is at the forefront of the preservationist movement and has a strong external stewardship program, providing technical assistance to these professionals at state agencies, non-profits and the business sector.

“Companies that are incubated in a location tend to stay and create jobs there. It’s truly an exciting time at LCRDA and Innovation Park.” — Ronald J. Miller Jr., executive director of the Leon County R&D Authority/Innovation Park

An Eye Toward the Future Like most economic development programs, the LCRDA would love to attract new businesses to the Park, but it is a discerning landlord. The LCRDA would like to attract more private-sector organizations interested in collaborating with the university researchers and focused on research and development activities.

Miller explains that there are several new potential projects for the Park. “The LCRDA is working on a new initiative,” he said. “If successful, it will create opportunities to attract many high-tech startup companies to the Park.” Indeed, Innovation Park has an innovative plan of its own underway. The Tallahassee

business community is excited and motivated to build an entrepreneurial base that will support new businesses and job creation. Currently, the LCRDA is working on a feasibility study for building a wet lab business incubator in the Park. “The incubator will help startup businesses that require specialized equipment, facilities, mentoring, access to capital and support services,” Miller explains. “These businesses would commercialize new technologies that are coming out of our universities.” In addition, options for expansion at the site include an extended-stay facility for visiting researchers, meeting space, a restaurant or café, trails and improved signage onsite. Long-term, this is a great goal for the LCRDA and its stakeholders — beyond just Innovation Park. “Companies that are incubated in a location tend to stay and create jobs there,” Miller says. “It’s truly an exciting time at LCRDA and Innovation Park.”

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Innovation Park is home to: Bing Energy Inc.

Florida Distance Learning Consortium

BUC Technologies, LLC (Better Universe and Citizens Technologies)

Florida State University Applied Superconductivity Center

Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS)

Florida State University Center on Better Health and Life for Underserved Populations (BHL Center)

Center for Advancement of Learning and Assessment (CALA) Center for Biomedical and Toxicological Research and Hazardous Waste Management (CBTR)

Florida State University Office of Intellectual Property Development & Commercialization (OIPDC) Florida State University Research Foundation Inc. Florida Virtual Campus

Florida State University Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Florida State University Foundation Inc.

Center for Ocean, Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS)

Florida State University High-Performance Materials Institute

Danfoss Turbocor Compressors Inc.

Florida State University Human Subjects Committee

Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture FAMU Center for Plasma Science and Technology Florida Center for Interactive Media (FCIM) Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) Floriday Cybersecurity Institute (FCI) Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Structural Research Laboratory

Florida State University Information Technology Services (ITS) Florida State University Institute for Energy Systems, Economics, and Sustainability (IESES) Florida State University Institute for International Cooperative Environmental Research (IICER)

Infrastructure Marketing Group, LLC Learning Systems Institute (LSI) Leon County Research & Development Authority nanoStrata Inc. National High Magnetic Field Laboratory National Park Service Southeast Archeological Center Northwest Regional Data Center Office of Intellectual Property Development and Commercialization (OIPDC) The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at FAMU Team Simulations

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The MagLab Chemist Jeff Whalen holds a vial of EuO, europium oxide, one of the crystals he makes and markets at Specialized Crystal Processing Inc.

The Crystal Connection With help from the MagLab and the Tallahassee business community, a new high-tech business begins to bloom By Kathleen Laufenberg

effrey Whalen is a master chef, but you won’t find him cooking in an upscale Florida restaurant. Whalen, a chemist at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, is the Julia Child of synthetic, high-tech crystals — i.e., solid materials (such as quartz, salt and other minerals) with atoms arranged in special patterns. The 32-year-old is so good at it that, two years ago, he launched Specialized Crystal Processing with MagLab physicist Theo Siegrist. Since its inception, their company has morphed from a desk in Whalen’s home to 2,500 square feet of donated warehouse space in a Tallahassee industrial park. Although in its infancy, it has one employee, engineering student Francisco Trujillo, and a clear goal to be the leading American supplier of crystal products. “We do things here to try to make money with science,” Whalen said recently, as he gave a tour of the business facility. Half of his warehouse space is still unfurnished, a reflection of how challenging it is to get a start-up off the ground. Yet without the help that he’s received, it would still be just a dream. “I could never have started my own business, and taken on this kind of risk, without the help of the MagLab and the local business community,” said Whalen, whose wife is expecting their second child. “But because of all that help, it’s finally coming together.”

Tallahassee businessman Kim Williams — a successful, savvy and community-oriented entrepreneur — said he donated the warehouse space to Whalen because he believes in him. He first met the young scientist when Whalen competed for seed money for the crystal business before the Leon County Research and Development Authority. Whalen won two such seed grants and was awarded $15,000 each time. “Start-ups are tough, and Jeff is grossly underfunded for what he’s trying to do,” said Williams, who owns Marpan, a solid waste and recycling company. “But he’s a really smart young man, and I think his company will bear fruit in the future.” 22 / 2014–15 Ta l l a h a s s e e B U S I N ESS J O U R N AL

National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

It Takes a Village

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Greg Boebinger, the MagLab’s director, agreed. “Jeff is that rare breed of scientist who understands enough of the science to know what materials are interesting, and understands enough about the materials to grow the actual crystals, and understands enough about the technology and marketplace to know when he really has a good product,” Boebinger said. “We’re 100 percent committed to giving scientists like Jeff what they need to pursue their vision, and we have the institution, the expertise and the educational mission to do it.” In addition to $30,000 in seed grants from the Leon County R & D Authority, the company crystal also received a $15,000 grant from the Florida State University Foundation. Much of that money, Siegrist said, was used to pay overhead and buy production equipment, such as the special ovens needed to cook the crystals at the volcanic temperatures of 1,000 degrees Celsius (that’s 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit!). “His business proposal is exactly what we want to see: research that’s developed here in

“We’re 100 percent committed to giving scientists like Jeff what they need to pursue their vision, and we have the institution, the expertise and the educational mission to do it.” — Greg Boebinger, MagLab’s director Leon County being commercialized here,” says Kristin Dozier, a Leon County commissioner and chair of the R & D Authority’s Board of Governors. “We feel like that is so important, keeping companies where the research actually happens.” There’s another aspect to the crystal company many find appealing: If successful, it would become the first American supplier

of some important crystals. One of Whalen’s creations — doped triglycine sulfate, or “Dee-Lat” — will compete with a crystal made only overseas. If Whalen can break into that locked-down market, his small crystal company would compete in the global market.

Growing the Crystal Company In addition to the high-tech “Dee-Lat,” Whalen also grows a crystal with a more friendly user name: europium oxide, or EuO. This second crystal is used primarily by university researchers interested in spintronics. Spintronics uses the quantum properties of an electron’s spin to store memory. “Spintronics is sort of a buzz word right now, but the ongoing research with this material is very real,” Whalen said. “It’s supposed to be the thing that will one day make our computers faster, smaller, better — and then maybe our computers will be able to cook us breakfast or something fancy like that.” A batch of 100 shiny EO crystals — a typical order size — would fill a tablespoon. Part of Whalen’s business plan, however, is

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National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

to offer them a reliable, repeatable, properly characterized, quality-controlled crystal at a competitive price.” Whalen and Siegrist are also looking into producing several other specialized crystals with clearly defined markets. For that, Whalen is building relationships with investors in order to take their company to the next phase.

It’s an Exciting and Scary Time

Francisco Trujillo, a FAMU-FSU College of Engineering student and the general manager at Specialized Crystal Processing Inc., works with crystals using a glove box at the MagLab.

to make the crystals bigger, which should increase the demand for them. But no matter the size, he said, there’s a market and a real need for them. Researchers typically must seek out a colleague to get their EuO — which is difficult to make.

“The only option is to have a friend who knows how to make them,” he said. “But when you’re a physicist, if you’re doing experiments on crystals that have had no quality control, that brings into question the validity of the experimental results. We want

“Managing the stress and anxiety that results from taking risk is very difficult,” Whalen said. “You have to have determination, and you have to have faith that you know what you’re doing — but it’s harrowing!” Fortunately, the MagLab remains a big supporter. “Even when the company was just a vision, the MagLab has always been our idea-generation and incubation site,” Whalen said. “My employment there is probably the most key critical enabling factor in me getting this company moving forward. Without it, I don’t think I could have taken the risk.”

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population Tren ds

Baby Boomers Booming Tallahassee/Leon County seeing an increasing number of 65-plus residents By Jason Dehart

Scott Holstein

he population of Tallahassee/Leon County might be slowing down a bit, but the population of older residents is increasing, according to analysts. Since 2010, the population aged 65-plus has increased by 15 percent while the population ranging in age from birth to 65 has remained virtually the same, said Ed Young, census liaison for the Tallahassee/Leon County Planning Department. Specifically, the 65 and over population grew by about 4,000, but the under-65 population lost an estimated 1,000 people. It’s hard to say exactly why this is happening. Residents could either be “aging in place,” or migrating to the county thanks to recent initiatives promoting Tallahassee as a place for baby boomers to retire. “Anecdotally, I think there has been an increase in retirees. The exact total effect needs to be determined, but I think the effort to bring retirees here is positive,” Young said. The number of Leon County residents who are 65 and older is expected to more than double by 2040. This is slightly above the projection for the state of Florida as a whole for the 65-plus crowd. Young said that, historically, the change in overall population was consistent between 1970 and 2000. But starting in 2000 it slowed down a little bit, and the projection of slowing is continuing through 2040. “These are just projections, but they have proven to be reliable over the years in gauging our population,” he said. The population of Leon County grew 1.9 percent per year between 2000 and 2010, in

Leon County has the smallest percentage of residents over the age of 65 in Florida, but that’s the area’s fastest growing age group.

contrast to the 2.2 percent per year rise experienced in the 1990s. Analysts predict the county will grow only 0.9 percent per year through 2020. Leon County’s population increase of 1.9 percent per year added 36,035 residents between the 2000 and 2010 Census, with 85 percent of the growth occurring within the city. By contrast, this growth rate was 55 percent between 1990 and 2000. Meanwhile, the enrollment in Leon County’s three largest institutions of higher learning grew by more than 12,000 in the 1990s and more than 11,000 in the 2000s. These numbers have also slowed slightly since 2010. Speaking of youth, Leon County has the second highest percentage ▪2 013 estimate: of population between the ages of 18 and 24 in 281,292 the state at 21.8 percent, behind Alachua County, ▪U nder 18 years: and the smallest percentage aged 65 and older at 17.2 % 10.7 percent in the state of Florida. ▪1 8 to 64: 74.7% “Overall, it’s not a sky is falling scenario but it ▪6 5 and over: 8.1% is slowing down. Is it a concern? I don’t think so,” ▪2 020 projected: Young said. “It’s slowing down but there are areas 296,800 of the country that aren’t growing. I don’t think Source: U.S. Census Bureau; we’re atypical for the state. Florida isn’t growing, City of Tallahassee it’s slowing down (too).”

Population — Leon County

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C hoose Tallahassee

While their old neighbors are still shoveling snow and braving icy winds in New Hampshire, Bill and Cathy Campbell are enjoying (free) amenities of sunny Florida.

Choose Tallahassee Courts Retiring Northerners Studies show Baby Boomers bring entrepreneurial spirit, economic gold By David Bruns

athy Campbell was at the pharmacy when her cell phone rang with the area code 850. Breathless with excitement, she ran to her car to answer. So she was staring at a 14-foot snowbank when she learned she’d be moving to Tallahassee. “It was very exciting,” she said later. “I really didn’t want to be looking at that snowbank anymore.” It’s official: The winners of Choose Tallahassee’s “Home Free” contest, Bill and Cathy Campbell, formerly of New Boston, New Hampshire, have traded their snow shovel for sunshine. The Campbells moved into their Betton Hills home in August, 11 months after

Choose Tallahassee launched its first-in-thenation contest. The Campbells weren’t new to the South. They’d lived for 18 years in Atlanta, where husband Bill worked for The Weather Channel. But they’d been living in New Hampshire long enough that they were ready to trade in that snow shovel. “I have nothing against New Hampshire — it’s just cold,” Cathy says. “Sometimes we live our lives, and we’re just breathing. I want to be ‘breathless’ with activities.” Did she ever get her wish. Not only did the family move to Tallahassee in August, they also hosted their younger daughter’s wedding here on her first weekend. Was it exhausting?

“I don’t think I got out of bed for two days after everyone left,” Cathy says with a laugh. Her daughter chose Maclay Gardens on the strength of a glowing recommendation from Cathy and Bill, plus the fact that family members were in Tallahassee anyway to help with the move. In classic Tallahassee style, their daughter was married beneath a giant moss-draped live oak. Fran Buhler, associate pastor at First Baptist Church, volunteered to conduct the wedding and Choose Tallahassee volunteers helped with other aspects of the happy occasion. Helping newcomers get settled here is a role that Choose Tallahassee’s Red Carpet Task Force specializes in. Among Boomer 2014–15 Ta l l a h a s s e e B U S I N ESS J O U R N AL

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relocation initiatives nationally, only Choose Tallahassee offers volunteer hosts to connect newcomers to community resources, information and those insider tips that smooth anyone’s move to a new town. “If you need someone to call to ask a question, that’s very important — especially if you haven’t moved in years,” Cathy says. The last few months have been a whirlwind of activity, as the Campbells have settled in. As winners, the Campbells received $2,000 a month toward their housing expenses, plus dozens of other prizes: a one-year family membership to a local golf club, tickets to both Florida State and FAMU college football and basketball games, meals at Tallahassee restaurants, season tickets to the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and membership to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. “It gets us up and moving, which is great. I love to be active, and so does Bill. There are so many things in Tallahassee, it’s just amazing,” Cathy says. Even the August heat felt welcoming. “When you have a 14-foot pile of snow in front of you, you kind of appreciate the hot weather.” Recruiting relocating Boomers is catching on in states and communities across the nation, and for obvious reasons: Gray is the

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new gold. A new AARP study shows that the 50-plus population sustains $429 billion in direct, indirect and induced impact on the Florida economy. Relocating Boomers also can bring entrepreneurial spirit. The same AARP study shows that about 15 percent of Floridians ages 50-64 are small-business entrepreneurs, compared to 11 percent of the 25-49 age group.

“The idea is simple: Tallahassee is a very welcoming and hospitable place. The contest is a way to sum all of that up in a few words — a free year of retirement.”

— Ken Boutwell, co-chair of the Choose Tallahassee initiative While Florida has no organized statewide effort to recruit relocating Boomers, other states are cashing in, including Tennessee

and North Carolina. On the other end of the issue, New York business and state leaders are so worried about their older residents moving south that they’ve started a concerted effort to keep them in the Empire State. The Campbells may be the only Boomers in America to have won so big. Organizers say they know of no other Boomer-relocation contest anywhere in the nation on a similar scale. “The idea is simple: Tallahassee is a very welcoming and hospitable place. The contest is a way to sum all of that up in a few words — a free year of retirement,” said Ken Boutwell, co-chair of the Choose Tallahassee initiative. If the idea was simple, implementation took work. Led by Rick Minor, former chief of staff for Tallahassee Mayor John Marks, volunteers put in hundreds of hours to create and conduct the “Home Free” contest. They wrote and obtained legal review of contest rules, organized judging panels, set up socialmedia campaigns to publicize the contest, sought out media coverage, took in more than 200 entries and managed a three-stage selection process. And for the contest winners, “it’s a dream come true,” says Cathy. For more information, go to choosetallahassee.com.

^ƚĞĂƌŶƐ tĞĂǀĞƌ DŝůůĞƌ ŝƐ Ă ĨƵůů ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ůĂǁ Įƌŵ ǁŝƚŚ ŽǀĞƌ ϭϭϬ ĂƩŽƌŶĞǇƐ ĂŶĚ ŽĸĐĞƐ ŝŶ DŝĂŵŝ͕ &Žƌƚ >ĂƵĚĞƌĚĂůĞ͕ dĂŵƉĂ ĂŶĚ dĂůůĂŚĂƐƐĞĞ͘ &ƌŽŵ ƐŵĂůů ƐƚĂƌƚͲƵƉ ǀĞŶƚƵƌĞƐ ƚŽ ƐŽŵĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ůĂƌŐĞƐƚ ŵƵůƟŶĂƟŽŶĂů ĐŽƌƉŽƌĂƟŽŶƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ͕ ǁĞ ĂƌĞ ƉƌŽƵĚ ƚŽ ƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ ŵĂŶǇ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐĞƐ ƚŚĂƚ ŚĂǀĞ ĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƚĞĚ ƚŽ &ůŽƌŝĚĂ͛Ɛ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ͘

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Real E state

Real Estate Resurgence By Chay D. Baxley

hen Tallahassee’s real estate agents and commercial brokers are hustling, the rest of the city can rest assured, big things are on the horizon. According to Ed Murray, founder of NAI TALCOR, it’s only a matter of time before flux in the real estate world reaches the rest of the city’s professional sectors. “My advisors and brokers over here are already lining up work for next year,” explained Murray in late 2014. “Phones are ringing. We’re incredibly busy. We’re usually at the front end. When we’re busy, there are usually good things that will come behind us. We’ll lead the way, then there’ll be engineers, then architects, then builders and developers. And then, doors open.” And when that happens, job creation, as well as overall economic growth for the region, is never too far behind. For 2015, Tallahassee’s commercial market is set up for another year characterized by expansion and new infrastructure. The continued development of Tallahassee’s CollegeTown district is certain, with new boutique businesses and loft-inspired student living complexes, as well as luxury alumni condominiums, maintaining their momentum.

Fascination with and investments in the city’s up-and-coming Midtown area are also expected to continue. The recent addition of hospitality, service providers and rental space will make the pending completion of new residential options within Midtown — such as two separate communities developed by The Naumann Group, Windsor Trace and the Brownstones at Midtown — all the more exciting for current and future residents. Tallahassee Mall, located on North Monroe St., is undergoing an entire renovation highlighting fresh retail and rental opportunities that are set to be unveiled later this spring. Referred to by local real estate gurus as Tallahassee’s next great frontier for commercial space, experts are advising would-be investors to stay tuned-in to this budding area. Overall, a healthy dose of cautious enthusiasm is the tone of Tallahassee’s real estate market. Even office space — generally the last thing in a recovering market to sell — is beginning to move. “It’s gotten much, much better in the last couple of years,” emphasized Murray, on Tallahassee’s current real estate climate. “Right now it’s very good.”

The Onyx is under constructon now on the 400 block of West College Avenue. It will be a six-story complex, with ground floor retail space. It is a large urban project with incredible potental to bring a lot of upscale retail to the campus/ downtown area.

Comparing Income and Housing Costs Leon County’s Median Family Income Estimate — 2014 ▪T allahassee: $64,800 ▪ F lorida: $56,100

Leon County July 2014 Median Home Price: $182,000 Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

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Tourism

Sports and Politics Are Tallahassee’s Big Draw for Tourists But more are coming to savor the region’s natural wonders By Gray Rohrer

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director of Visit Tallahassee, said the area wasn’t hit as hard as other parts of the state more heavily reliant on tourism since Tallahassee typically draws in visitors within driving distance rather than air travelers. “I think during the recession people stayed close to home and we’re a drive market, so we did okay,” Daniel said. “We weren’t as damaged by the economic downturn as some destinations.” As the economy has rebounded — aided in no small part by head coach Jimbo Fisher rebuilding FSU back into a top-quality program, leading it to a national championship last year — ticket sales have boomed.

Kansas Pitts

allahassee isn’t known for being a top draw for tourists, but Florida’s capital city attracts throngs of visitors each year mainly due to the two things it is known for: Florida State football and that other preeminent combat sport, politics. Every fall, members of the Seminole faithful travel to Tallahassee to attend services at the temple of Doak. They stay in hotels, bulk up on tailgating equipment, get decked out in garnet and gold and dine out; activities which pad Big Bend-area revenues. To take advantage, Visit Tallahassee, the tourism development arm of Leon County, targets fans in sports-related and other media outlets, focusing on the less-appealing games on the schedule. Matchups against the Citadel, Wake Forest and Virginia are harder tickets to sell than games against higher-ranked Sports, especially opponents Notre Dame and home football Clemson or the rivalry game games, are a big money generator against Florida. for Tallahassee “When the schedule is businesses, helping released it is typically a big rush to fill local hotels and restaurants. of bookings. Usually the big games fill up very quickly,” said Bo Schmitz, general manager of the Four Points by Sheraton hotel, adding that rooms for the weekend home games against Notre Dame, Clemson and Florida were booked full since June. Like the rest of tourism-heavy Florida, Leon County’s revenues took a hit when entertainment dollars spent by consumers became scarce at the onset of the Great Recession in 2008. But Lee Daniel, executive

FSUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stellar 2013 season helped pack Doak Campbell stadium for each home game, with many fans coming from out of town.

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According to the FSU Athletics department, an average of just over 30,000 season tickets were sold during the 2000s. In the 2014 season, 49,000 season tickets were sold. Business owners have noticed the surge, as the hospitality, retail and other industries have benefited as well. “(FSU home games) are one of the main demand generators in town,” said Schmitz, a member of the Leon County Tourism Development Council. In spring, 160 Retail sales also skyrocketed. The FSU legislators, their team store sold $500,000 in merchandise the aides, lobbyists and day after FSU defeated Auburn in the national political onlookers crowd the halls championship — their best ever sales day. of the Capitol for And the impact of the team’s success is felt the two-month far beyond one season’s fans. The number of legislative session. admissions tours of the FSU campus sought by prospective students climbed dramatically. After football season ends, Tallahassee welcomes a new class of visitors each spring. In addition to Seminoles, this class includes Gators and Hurricanes; even Knights and Bulls. The swarm of 160 legislators from across the state — as well as their aides, hordes of lobbyists and special interest representatives — swells the city’s population during the 60-day legislative session that begins in early March and ends in May. The hub of activity around the Capitol bleeds out into downtown restaurants, hotels and businesses. “That period (during session) tends to be a completely different environment here in Tallahassee,” Schmitz said. “Downtown just has a buzz

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to it. It completely changes the landscape of the downtown. You just have a lot more bodies.” The highly seasonal nature can wear on local business owners. Downtown businesses must make the most out of the session and hunker down for the lean months of the year. Campus-area businesses must survive the hibernation of students during the summer. But Schmitz says that’s changed in recent years as more developments sprout up around the city and the economy rebounds. “It’s a much less seasonal destination than it was three years ago,” he said. There’re also more attractions in the Big Bend area besides football and an oddly-shaped Capitol building. Daniel’s group promotes the area as a destination for nature hounds and outdoors enthusiasts looking to enjoy Wakulla Springs, Apalachicola National Forest and the Big Bend’s seemingly endless nature trails. Targeted ads in traditional media outlets as well as social media sites like Twitter and search engine-oriented campaigns are driving more direct sale packages, he added. “Tourism (in Tallahassee) is a lot more than what a lot of people think it is, which is just football and the legislative session,” Daniel said. Visit Tallahassee is also looking to promote more of the city’s night life, restaurants and culture, and will — Lee Daniel, executive have a big push this spring director of Visit to highlight two new special Tallahassee events as part of the festival season: Word of South, a music and literary festival, and the Southern Shakespeare Festival, which is making a return after a hiatus of a few years. The area also has other big draws, like Springtime Tallahassee, the Maclay Gardens State Park and historical museums like the Old Capitol building detailing the capital’s rich (and often sordid) political heritage. The slow upswing of the economic recovery is finally taking hold, Daniel said, with more people willing and able to spend entertainment dollars in town. According to Visit Tallahassee, the area hosted more than 2.7 million visitors last year who spent about $900 million. “We’re in a real uptick right now,” Daniel said. “Tourism is a big economic driver for us.”

“Tourism (in Tallahassee) is a lot more than what a lot of people think it is, which is just football and the legislative session.”

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The Ai rport

A Whole New Plane of Service

International status would spur major changes By Jason Dehart

allahassee Regional Airport could become an international airport in the near future. If that comes to pass, Tallahassee could reach a whole new level of service, becoming a designated international port of entry and opening the door to many positive changes. According to Chris Curry, the airport’s director, changes could begin this winter. “The advantage of it is that we can now go

out to attract commercial airlines that would fly to leisure destinations initially,” he said. “We could also process corporate business jet aircraft and private pilots that are coming from international destinations directly into Tallahassee without having to stop at other ports of entry for clearance. The other side is it allows the airport to go out and attract companies that may be interested in bringing in international freight.”

By gaining international status, Tallahassee’s airport could attract more and different types of commercial service and seek out international freight companies to locate here.

Officials would also look at establishing a foreign trade zone on different parcels of the airport, which would allow a company located at Tallahassee to bring in parts from an international location without being charged duties and taxes until those parts are fully assembled into a product. “So we think the integration of those two projects can help us with the development of more than a thousand acres of property located at the airport,” Curry said. “And as a side note, Capital Circle will be expanding from two lanes to six lanes in front of the airport. That would provide a seamless connection to Interstate 10, especially for trucks or freight.” Meanwhile, other upgrades are already in the works, including the modernization of the 2014–15 Ta l l a h a s s e e B U S I N ESS J O U R N AL

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terminal’s interior, its facilities and Chris Curry, the airport’s new amenities. The project includes new director, has great flooring (up to the TSA checkpoint), new expectations for the kiosks, new food and beverage concesfuture growth of the airport and the land sions and upgraded airline ticket counthat surrounds it. ters, just to name a few. One of the most important changes will be a built-in community identity that immediately lets travelers know they have arrived in Florida’s capital. But most importantly, officials are working feverishly to reduce fares and provide direct flights to popular destinations such as New York, Washington D.C. and Fort Lauderdale. Curry said he and Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox are talking to carriers such as JetBlue, Frontier, Spirit, Allegiant and current carriers such as Delta, American and Silver Airways. “So, when you look at this day and time in Tallahassee, you have the Gaines Street initiative, you have FAMU Way and you have Cascades Park. So the feeling is the city is really taking a progressive approach to developing the infrastructure for the future,” Curry said. “And the airport is a critical piece of that. The other part is with the land we have available, and the academic institutions we have within the city, it’s certainly exciting to try and bring industry to Tallahassee and create employment opportunities with such an educated workforce that’s readily available.” Curry, the former executive director of the Collier County Airport Authority, came to the Capital City in January and is looking forward to taking the local airport beyond its “regional” status in a direction that offers a greater reach. “You relish being in an environment that’s progressive and contributing to an airport that you feel has potential,” he said.

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Matt Burke

Collegetown/Gai nes Street

Building the ‘Cool Factor’ New projects appeal to young professionals and sense of community

n the middle of the Great Recession, Tallahassee targeted two areas for growth that had lay dormant for years. Now, the CollegeTown and Cascades Park areas are beginning to sprout. CollegeTown is a bustling strip of mixed-use commercial/residential development featuring bars, restaurants and apartments located between Madison Avenue and Gaines Street near the FSU campus. A stone’s throw away from Doak Campbell Stadium, the idea for CollegeTown began in 2008 when the FSU Boosters, which owned the land, began looking for ways to improve it. Dotted with abandoned warehouses and used mainly as parking lots during FSU home games, the patch of land sat moribund and decrepit. Will Butler, president of Real Estate Insync, the development firm that would oversee the first phase of CollegeTown, called

the area “dilapidated.” His client, the FSU Boosters, began looking for ways to improve the land. “’There’s got to be a higher and better use for this property,’” Butler recalled Boosters CEO Andy Miller saying. Now, the area has the beginnings of a connected, walkable strip of condominiums, shops and bars that provides the simulacrum of an urban lifestyle while retaining the charm of a Madison Social (above) has traditional college become the campus. anchor of a Students flock to rejuvenated area known as CollegeTown, and CollegeTown, a game day crowds “cool” section of are drawn in as town with bars, eateries and well. The Madison clothing stores. Social bar and restaurant has been the lynchpin of the area’s early success, packing in throngs of people even during

Matt Burke

By Gray Rohrer

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Matt Burke

Tallahassee’s down time in the summer months. USA soccer games during the World Cup were standing room-only affairs. Though other businesses have not fared as well (one sushi restaurant has already folded up), CollegeTown is still a hub of activity — and it’s only in its first phase of development. The stage at the Butler said the first newly opened phase was designed to Cascades Park has become attract the co-eds, but a hot spot for later phases adding entertainment possible hotels, grocery near downtown. stores and condo complexes will target the young professional demographic. In other words, giving graduates a reason to stay after receiving their sheepskin. “I think Tallahassee is increasing its cool factor,” said Kyle Touchstone, executive vice president of the Tallahassee-Leon County Economic Development Council. “I think most young professionals want to be somewhere that’s cool, that’s walkable.” But Touchstone also noted providing jobs for new graduates is essential to prevent the annual exodus of brains to Miami, Orlando, Tampa or other points beyond.

CollegeTown has also spurred development in nearby areas. New apartment and parking garage structures are being built in and around the campus area. Hiring and spending have been boosted; part of the desired spillover effect. “I really believe this is Tallahassee’s future. It’s beginning just as a student experience, but

it truly is Tallahassee growing,” said Butler. For the downtown crowd, the city had a different idea for a walkable diversion. Cascades Park is located on 24-acre patch between Lafayette Street and Suwannee Street, where Smokey Hollow, the famous neighborhood that was home to many preeminent African-Americans, once stood.

whir of traffic and the bustle of the Capitol and state agency buildings. Aided by a 1 percent sales tax increase approved by voters in 2000, the Cascades Park area is part of Tallahassee’s Blueprint 2000 plan to spur development and growth around the city. Coming on the heels of the redevelopment of the adjacent Franklin Road area, Tedder has high hopes for more improvements in the vicinity. “I think you’re going to see an incredible transformation of that area,” Tedder said. He added that homes in the area are selling faster and property values are rising, despite occasional complaints from some residents about the noise during concerts. The amphitheater, once just another feature of the park, could be a “revenuegenerator for our community,” according to Tedder. But local officials know the burgeoning success of the CollegeTown and Cascades Park areas could be fragile and must be maintained in order to be sustained — especially if additional development is to spurt in neighboring areas — to prevent the eventual neglect and decay that once left the lands to lie fallow for so long.

Meanwhile, new developments along Gaines Street with an eye toward connecting CollegeTown to downtown are in the works. “We can’t stop investing in ourselves. We can’t forget about our existing business base,” said Touchstone. To do that, Tallahassee has to keep and build upon its “cool factor.”

Scott Holstein

The fate of the land for the park was a source of contention for decades after the city bought the land around Smokey Hollow in the 1960s but left it bare. When it wasn’t barren, the land was used as a “garbage dump,” according to Wayne Tedder, director of the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department who oversaw the development of Cascades. He now says the park, which seeks to honor the character, look and feel of the old neighborhood, has provided a sense of catharsis for those who remember the legacy of Smokey Hollow. “To be quite honest with you, it’s sort of a healing,” Tedder said. “We tried to capture that feeling and bring back the neighborhood for them.” The park consists of a playground, running and biking trails, a large pond centered on a spouting fountain (that also functions as a drainage area during rainy seasons) and a 3,500-seat amphitheater. There’s also an area for kids with 73 mini water spouts erupting out of the ground, dubbed the “Imagination Fountain,” that puts on a light show on weekend nights. It’s all interlaid with brick and provides a realm of relative peace and quiet that seems miles away from the nearby

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Downtown Tallahassee

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Downtown Transformation Focus is on something for everyone

By Kathleen Haughney

Photos By Matt Burke (Tucker Dukes) and Lawrence Davidson (Level 8)

ver the past few years, Tallahassee development professionals have been working diligently trying to transform the sleepy downtown ruled by government and political offices into a destination for both work and play. And, they might finally be starting to see the payoff. “I think downtown Tallahassee has come a long way in the last 10 years,” said lobbyist Jon Costello, who recently opened up the burger joint Tucker Dukes with his partner and longtime friend Brian Cartenuto. “Now, there’s a bit of buzz.” The core section of downtown from Tennessee to Gaines Street and Franklin Avenue to Bronough Street is still dominated by lobbying, law and public relations firms. But area officials are seeing signs of growth around the edges that are making them hopeful. Across the country, city planners and development directors have seen the millennial generation shun the suburbs and move back to downtown areas. And Tallahassee has been no different, said Jay Revell, executive director of the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement District. “Across the country, millennials are wanting to live closer to bars, restaurants, parks, and we’re seeing that locally,” Revell said. “We’re trying to create a scenario where there’s something for everyone downtown.” But with many areas of downtown locked down by government and political businesses and a few bars and restaurants that cater to the capitol crowd, Revell and other city development officials began looking at the edges of downtown for bigger developments. City officials focused on developing the area around Gaines Street, now known as CollegeTown, which has attracted a slew of new restaurants and stores like Urban Outfitters and a bar called Madison Social. They also built up an area called Cascades Park off of

Tucker Duke’s (opposite page and above) serves up some of the best burgers in town while Level 8 (above right) at Hotel Duval is one of the hottest nightspots in the downtown area.

East Lafayette and East Gaines streets with trails, picnic spots and an outdoor stage for concerts. And many believe that those developments will only buttress downtown. Rick McAllister, president and chief executive officer of the Florida Retail Federation, a private interest organization advocating for the business community, said he was “bullish” about the area surrounding the capitol. Though he’d still like to see more of a mix of businesses — more retail options — to complement the business offices, he believes the condos built in Klemen Plaza in the early 2000s and the developments in CollegeTown and Cascades Park will push more people downtown, he said. And that will encourage more investment and a desire for retail that didn’t previously exist. Just prior to the commercial real estate market plummeting, the Retail Federation purchased $4 million worth of property on Duval that it hoped to turn into a multiuse facility. They held off on the plans while the economy steadily improved.

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Matt Burke

The federation spent another $4.5 million this September to purchase the building it has occupied on South Adams Street, and McAllister has been fielding inquiries about the original investment. “So, we have almost $9 million invested,” McAllister said. “That should tell you what we think about downtown.” That’s not to say there hasn’t been development in the traditional downtown area in the past few years. Since 2009, two new hotels have opened in the downtown area — Aloft and Hotel Duval. Hotel Duval includes a popular rooftop bar called Level 8 and a Shula’s 347 Grill. Another hotel, the Doubletree on Adams Street, is undergoing a substantial renovation. A downtown food truck court was established on Wednesdays at 725 S. Bronough Street. Plus, a new clothing boutique for women opened within the long-standing Nic’s Toggery

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on Monroe Street and a Walgreen’s opened up at the corner of Monroe and Tennessee streets. Costello and Cartenuto’s Tucker Duke’s opened at the tail end of August. Tucker Duke’s has seen long lines since it opened. The location “just drew people in,” Costello said. “Downtown is primarily dominated by government,” he said. “But the people I work with up at the Capitol need to eat somewhere.” But attracting businesses is only one part of the Downtown Improvement District’s plans, Revell said, adding the city also needs to invest in smaller projects that can go a long way in enhancing the quality of life in the area. For example, bike racks were installed downtown as a way to help the many cyclists, particularly ones who work in delivery for area restaurants. Previously, they had to find an open post or area that could accommodate a bike lock.

Jay Revell of Tallahassee’s Downtown Improvement District and Allen Thompson, director of the Downtown Experience, enjoy a moment on a downtown swing.

And earlier this year, the Knight Creative Communities Institute and the Downtown Improvement District partnered to launch the Porch Swing Project. KCCI had built swings at Lake Ella as part of a project to improve that area, but Revell loved the idea and wanted to have them downtown and throughout the city. Currently, there is one on Adams Street in front of the Greenburg Traurig offices, but Revell hopes more will be installed throughout the city. “We want to have these cool porch swings everywhere,” Revell said. If you would like to study the Downtown Improvement District’s strategic plan, you can find it at tallahasseedowntown.com/our-workmake-downtown-work-better.

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