850 Business Magazine • Spring 2024

TRIUMPH BOARD SUPPORTS

MASSIVE FSU PITCH BED TAX DISTRICTS ENHANCE REGION’S APPEAL

PENSACOLA TACKLES HOUSING, INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES AND WELCOMES NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY CHIEF

PROMOTING SPORTS OF ALL SORTS

Florida Sports Foundation head touts state as warm, welcoming place to play

↑ Flush With Cash

Owing to the spike in visitation that followed COVID-19 shutdowns, bed tax collections set records in Walton County and Panama City Beach in 2022 and maintained that high level in 2023. As a result, Visit Panama City Beach has banked revenues and saved them for use in developing an indoor sports complex that will also serve as an emergency operations center and shelter when major weather events affect the area. In Walton County, growth in revenues has enabled its destination marketing organization, Walton County Tourism, to engage in nontraditional activities including paying for a beach safety (lifeguards) program. Just 27% of bed tax dollars collected in South Walton County are used for marketing/advertising purposes.

STORY BY STEVE BORNHOFT

Rural Tourism In Panama City Beach, tourism officials are finding that travelers from Orlando frequently make stops at the “World’s Most Beautiful Beaches” on their way to New Orleans. In Gulf and Holmes counties, officials know that folks whose primary destination is PCB also spend time in Port St. Joe and Bonifay and environs, where they enjoy experiences that may be a little more laid-back and less congested than those that take place along the Gulf of Mexico. Sunburned and sandy, beach visitors may retreat for a refreshing respite at Vortex Spring Adventures. Or they may snorkel for their supper at St. Joe Bay during scallop season. Bed-tax supported promotional organizations are spreading the word about what small-town Northwest Florida has to offer.

STORY BY MIKE FENDER

ON THE COVER: Angela Suggs, the president and CEO of the Florida Sports Foundation, headquartered in Tallahassee, finds inspiration in the lifelong athlete who deadlifts 100 pounds in competition at the Florida Senior Olympics. The achievement is nothing to sneeze at when the lifter is an 85-year-old female. In her role as one of the chief sports tourism and events promoters in the state, Suggs is attuned to both amateur athletes and professionals at the pinnacle of their careers. All are good for the state’s economy, she knows.

PHOTO BY MIKE FENDER

CONTENTS

Pursuits

17 SPORTS Florida Sports Foundation president and CEO Angela Suggs travels the state gaining an appreciation for the sporting venues and events that Florida’s communities have to offer. She recently stopped by Panama City Beach, a destination that has grown in appreciation for the value of sports-related tourism by developing parks capable of hosting regional softball and baseball tournaments. At the same time, she helps the state attract events that capture the attention of the world.

22 CONSERVATION

Audubon Florida executive director Julie Wraithmell holds college degrees in biology and geography. She put both to use when, as a state employee, she blazed the Florida Birding Trail, a singular ecotourism asset. Wraithmell, a birder herself, recognizes that in the minds of most, the Audubon Society and its local chapters are synonymous with creatures that are feathered and fly. But she encourages attention to broader priorities — wildlife, water, habitat and climate.

26 COLLABORATION

Meeting in DeFuniak Springs last November, the Triumph Gulf Coast board of directors endorsed, subject to agreement on terms, a record-setting grant award of $98.4 million to Florida State University for its planned InSPIRE (Institute for Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Research and Education) project. Proponents believe that InSPIRE will prove to be a transformational development in the life of Northwest Florida.

Periscope

47 LEADERSHIP When D.C. Reeves was elected mayor of Pensacola, he took a systematic approach to the opportunity that lay before him by creating a list of priorities that demanded the attention of city government. Workforce housing occupied a spot near the top of the list along with park improvements and infrastructure

22

needs. In particular, Reeves focused on the need for expansion of Pensacola’s airport, believing that it must support the growth that the city is capable of attracting.

52 INNOVATION

Researchers at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition in Pensacola look forward to the completion of a new building at its downtown campus. The added facility will provide needed room for equipment, experiments and the privacy of subjects who participate in experiments and

47

human capacity testing. IHMC is a not-for-profit research institute of the Florida University System. Its partners include the U.S. military and private corporations.

58 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

For decades, Brian Hilson worked to promote economic development interests in Alabama. He witnessed and took part in the Huntsville success story. Today, he’s very glad to be in Pensacola as the CEO at the FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance. After meeting with

government and business leaders, he is satisfied that economic development is a high priority in Escambia County, and “you can’t say that about all communities.”

62 SCIENCE Dave Robau is the co-founder of National Energy USA, a startup that in concert with its technology partners, has active waste-tofuel projects all over the world. Robau is confident that, for his enterprise, the time is right. He just might be the garbage man that the world needs right now. “We are at a crossroads where people are starting to pay attention to what we are doing with our garbage and also paying attention to how we are generating energy,” he says.

Promotional

56 GREAT PLACE TO MEET The newly reopened Grille 625 at Lost Key Golf Club in Pensacola welcomes the business lunch crowd with a palate-pleasing menu, attentive service and scenic surroundings. The eatery, which has a long history, has been updated to a sophisticated style and adjoins other new conference facilities.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sierra Thomas

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Dave Barfield, Andy Bellina, Boo Media, Mike Fender, Jean Hall, Mike Haytack, William Howell, Wendy Meehan, Phocus and Co., Holley Short, Sandy Townsend

SALES, MARKETING & EVENTS

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SALES MANAGER, EASTERN DIVISION Lori Magee Yeaton

DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, EASTERN DIVISION Daniel Parisi

DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WESTERN DIVISION Dan Parker

ADVERTISING SERVICES MANAGER Tracy Mulligan

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Julie Dorr

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Michelle Daugherty, Darla Harrison

MARKETING MANAGER Javis Ogden

SALES AND MARKETING WRITER Rebecca Padgett Frett

MARKETING FULFILLMENT COORDINATOR Katie Grenfell

SALES AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Renee Johnson

OPERATIONS

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Your cancer fight is our fight.

Jarrod Robertson, MD

Colorectal Surgeon

Fellowship: Orlando Health Colon and Rectal Institute

Cilla Poppell, MD

Radiation Oncologist

Residency: University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Shlermine Everidge, MD

Breast Surgical Oncologist

Fellowship: MD Anderson Cancer Center

Hari Ravipati, MD

Hematologist-Oncologist

Fellowship: Louisiana State University School of Medicine

The region’s toughest cancer-fighting team is now even stronger with the addition of four new specialists to the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center. As a leader in cancer care, our highly trained physicians work together to create a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan for each patient, and they won’t stop until they hear the bell ring. To learn more about cancer treatment at TMH and see how we’re prepared for the fight, visit TMH.ORG/Cancer.

Trickles of Water, Mountains of Garbage

Global resource questions demand innovation, answers

On a Sunday morning, I noticed after breakfast that the water pressure at my house was lower than normal. Had my water lines sprung a leak somewhere? I suited up and commenced looking for the source of the problem.

Hours of detective work turned up no clues, and I then went outside my fence to check to see if my water meter was spinning. Aha! Nothing. I saw my neighbor Wally do the same and by the process of deduction, we concluded it was a city issue, and I headed out on a walk.

By the time I got home, the flow of water had totally stopped, not even a trickle. I called the Water Department and learned that an auto accident had taken out a fire hydrant and damaged a water main. There was nothing I could do but wait. I was fortunate to have a few bottles of water and several sodas on hand, and I would take steps to avoid having to flush the toilet.

Most of us have no real appreciation for what it takes to maintain a clean, safe, reliable source of drinking water. We trust without thinking about them that aquifers never will be drained. We don’t often consider that throughout much of the world, a lack of water is accounting for burgeoning numbers of refugees who have been forced to leave their homelands in search of the most fundamental means to survive.

I received my Waste Management bill yesterday and wrote a $15 check for another service that I take for granted — the disposal of household garbage and yard trash. All I do is roll the big black can to the street every Wednesday afternoon, and magically, when I get home on Thursday, the garbage is gone. Where it goes, I’m not really sure. I’m just glad it’s gone.

Solid waste disposal is a challenge that has come home to roost in cities across the country. Landfills are becoming exhausted, and the international demand for recyclables has dried up. Cities from New York to Key West are having to truck garbage at considerable cost to sites hundreds of miles away.

Garbage disposal has been a particular problem at remote military installations that have resorted to burn pits that exposed personnel to toxic fumes — an approach that has resulted in massive class-action lawsuits.

It’s hard to get your head around the massive amounts of garbage that an affluent consumer society like

the United States produces. In today’s edition of 850 Business Magazine, you will read about the various ways in which tourism-promotion organizations are using bed tax dollars. They include removing trash from our region’s beaches.

In Walton County alone, beach maintenance crews removed 1,083 tons of garbage from Gulf-front and bayfront locations in 2022, the equivalent of 108,396 bags of trash. Those crews carried away 26,538 items of beach gear including chairs, umbrellas and towels.

You don’t have to ponder the global garbage problem for very long before you realize that our current disposal methods are not sustainable. Over time, we would be overcome by our own refuse.

But help is on the way, and it’s coming from our own backyard. Pensacola-based scientist and entrepreneur Dave Robau, the founder of a company called National Energy USA, is pioneering waste-to-energy systems capable of substantially reducing the volume of waste reaching landfills while providing sources of off-thegrid energy.

Robau is among many talented minds who call our region home and are seeing to it that Northwest Florida is becoming a center of innovation in addition to one of recreation.

With gratitude,

Brian Rowland browland@rowlandpublishing.com

850businessmagazine.com

NEW YEAR, NEW SERVICE!

In January, the City of Tallahassee welcomed JetBlue as the newest air service provider at Tallahassee International Airport (TLH). JetBlue will provide daily, nonstop service between TLH and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), facilitating business travel to the state capital.

850BusinessMagazine.com/new-year-new-air-service

TOC CELEBRATES MILESTONE

Dr. Chesley Durgin, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in knee and hip replacements, has achieved a significant milestone by completing 1,000 successful cases with the MAKO Surgical Robotic System at the Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic (TOC).

850BusinessMagazine.com/ toc-celebrates-milestone

ENTRECON 2023 BROUGHT NORTHWEST FLORIDA LEADERS AND BUSINESSES TOGETHER

Business and community leaders gathered to share, learn and connect at EntreCon 2023, presented by the Studer Community Institute on Nov. 1–2 in downtown Pensacola. The conference invited attendees to participate in speaker presentations, panels, Q&A sessions and networking opportunities.

Centered on a “What’s Next” theme, EntreCon challenged participants to embrace change and provided them with tools for adapting to an ever-changing business climate.

Read more about EntreCon by visiting 850BusinessMagazine.com/ entrecon-2023-brought-northwest-florida-leaders-and-businesses-together.

GIVEAWAY

ULTIMATE HILTON SANDESTIN BEACH RESORT GETAWAY

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Enter for your chance to win at 850BusinessMagazine.com/ ultimate-hilton-sandestin beach-resort-getaway

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TRI-EAGLE SALES’ DONATION SUPPORTS FIRE DEPARTMENTS

Anheuser-Busch and beverage wholesaler Tri-Eagle Sales are providing more than 2,300 cans of emergency drinking water to local fire departments as they continue to protect our communities and prepare for future wildfire relief efforts. The emergency drinking water was sourced from Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in Cartersville, Georgia, which periodically pauses beer production and cans clean and safe drinking water to be delivered to communities in times of need. Tri-Eagle Sales has a long history of giving back to the community, actively providing charitable contributions and volunteering for local causes as a familyowned beverage distributor.

CAPITAL LOCAL HONORS

Sachs Media has earned a spot on PRNews’ prestigious Agency Elite Top 100 list for 2024. This is the third time the firm has earned this accolade, which celebrates the most innovative and impactful firms in the world of communications, marketing and digital content creation. For more than 25 years, Sachs Media has been a go-to strategic communications partner for organizations with high-stakes challenges. The firm focuses on elevating bold organizations, leaders and agendas; supercharging clients’ public policy advocacy efforts; and driving audiences to action with campaigns that educate, inform and persuade.

Leon County Emergency Medical Services (LCEMS) celebrated 20 years of providing exceptional, lifesaving care and treatment to the residents and visitors of Leon County as well as serving the community through training and public education programs. Since its launch on December 31, 2003, LCEMS has responded to more than 775,000 calls for service and transported more than 500,000 patients. A leader in response and survival, LCEMS has continued to exceed local, state and national benchmarks by

providing clinically superior, cost-effective emergency medical services and transport.

NEW & NOTABLE

Monica Ross has been named vice president and chief human resources officer of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH). In that role, she is responsible for developing and executing a human resource strategy to support TMH’s organizational goals and strategic vision. Ross will lead the human resources department and all its functions including talent acquisition, total rewards management, training and continuing education, succession planning, colleague health, child care center and employee relations. Ross joined TMH in 2022 as the executive director of colleague relations and human resource administration. She is a human resources strategist and experienced attorney with over 13 years of legal experience, most recently as the chief legal counsel at the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

Capital City Bank announced that Rebeca Sayers has joined its team of trust administrators. Sayers

CAPITAL // HAPPENINGS

brings more than 10 years of experience as a practicing attorney with an extensive background in trust, estates and family law. Sayers will be teaming up with Capital City Trust Company, Capital City Investments and Capital City Strategic Wealth to provide expertise in investment strategies, retirement planning, estate and tax planning and risk management. Sayers is a licensed member of the Florida Bar.

The Office of Economic Vitality (OEV) announced that Dineta O’Hara has joined the team as business development manager. In this new role, O’Hara will manage activities to support economic and business development opportunities

in Tallahassee-Leon County. Previously, she served as the community engagement coordinator for Gwinnett County Government. There, she led community engagement initiatives for the county’s 2045 Unified Plan and spearheaded project management efforts in workforce development for the Division of Economic Development and Neighborhood Revitalization. O’Hara also served as economic development coordinator at the City of Clarkston, where she directed a varied portfolio of economic development projects emphasizing job creation, business expansion and community development in Georgia.

Florida-based lobbying giant The Southern Group and one of the country’s leading economic development firms, VisionFirst Advisors, have entered a partnership that pairs state and local lobbying efforts with economic development site selection, incentive work and community planning. Both client bases now benefit from a turnkey solution for expanding business throughout the country, especially the Southeast, where the lobbying firm has a substantial footprint.

EMERALD COAST

LOCAL HONORS

Newman-Dailey Resort Properties founder and CEO, Jeanne Dailey, has

been appointed by the Florida Department of Commerce to the Board of Directors of VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation. Florida’s official source for travel planning for visitors across the globe, VISIT FLORIDA is a not-for-profit corporation created as a public/private partnership by the Florida Legislature in 1996. Dailey brings more than three decades of experience working in the vacation rental and tourism industry. After founding

Newman-Dailey Resort Properties in 1985, she became a visionary leader and advocate for vacation rentals and the tourism industry in the Destin area. She has been honored with the Pioneer Award for leadership in the vacation rental industry by VRMIntel as well as the prestigious Van Ness Butler Jr. Award for tourism leadership by the Walton County Tourism Department. In addition to her new role with VISIT FLORIDA, she currently lends her time and talents to the vacation rental industry by serving as a steering committee member for the Florida Professional Vacation Rental Coalition and as an active member of the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA).

INVESTMENT BROKER NAMED TO FORBES LIST

Stifel

Financial Corp has announced that the Huggins WindersGroup of its Stifel, Nicolaus & Company incorporated broker-dealer subsidiary has been named to Forbes’ 2024 Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams list. Based in Stifel’s Tallahassee office, the Huggins Winders Group consists of financial advisors Stephen Huggins, Linda Winders, C. Blair Huggins and J.D. Huggins They are supported by Lynnette McMullen, client service associate; and Deborah Davis, operations coordinator. The team has more than 65 years of investment industry experience and is dedicated to helping its clients navigate markets and make informed decisions with their financial resources and wealth over multiple generations.

Newman-Dailey Resort Properties

Real Estate Division has announced that Shannyn Stevenson was its top listing and sales agent for the third quarter of 2023. With a dedicated real estate career spanning three decades, Stevenson’s commitment to excellence and her remarkable prowess in real estate have once again earned her this prestigious dual recognition. Stevenson consistently ranks in the top 10% of all active agents in the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors.

The Florida Department of Education has released baseline school grades for 2023, and the Okaloosa County School District has earned an A rating in the first year of a new statewide assessment. Okaloosa is one of three districts in Florida to have earned an A each year since 2014.

Ten Okaloosa County schools increased their grade from C to B or B to A. Laurel Hill, Edge Elementary and Florosa Elementary each earned an A this year after having a B in 2022–2023.

Superintendent Marcus Chambers expects even better results at the conclusion of the current school year.

NEW & NOTABLE

International Paper announced that Hunter Morris has been named manager of International Paper’s Pensacola Containerboard Mill in Cantonment. In his new position, Morris will assume overall responsibility for safety, people engagement, commercial and operational excellence and community stewardship at the Pensacola mill. Most recently, Morris was the operations manager for the company’s Savannah, Georgia, mill. Morris joined International Paper in 2007 at the company’s Riegelwood, North Carolina, mill. He has worked in several manufacturing and technical leadership roles of increasing responsibility throughout his career with the company.

Florida Blue has announced the promotion of Hong Potomski to the newly created role of market leader for the Pensacola region. Deepening its local commitment and meeting the diverse needs of

THEATER COMPANY FOUNDERS RECOGNIZED BY CONFERENCE

Emerald Coast Theatre

Company (ECTC)

has announced that founders Nathanael and Anna Fisher have been awarded The Florida Theatre Conference 2023 Distinguished Career Award in the professional category. In 1986, the Florida Theatre Conference began recognizing individuals in the state of Florida who have made contributions in the areas of community theater, professional theater, university/college theater, theater for youth and high school theater.

the communities Florida Blue serves is critical to the success and mission of the organization. In this new role, Potomski will have responsibility for nine counties to include Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Holmes, Washington, Jackson and Calhoun. She will

leverage her extensive background in health care strategy and operations to lead the development and execution of local strategies, develop and nurture key partnerships, and drive results to improve overall health and wellbeing in the Panhandle. Potomski is passionate

about improving health literacy and access to great quality care for members, patients and the community. She was recently recognized as one of seven Rising Executives in Florida Trend and was awarded the 2023 Alumni Community Spirit Award by the University of West Florida.

Revving

Florida’s

Sports Engine Foundation builds relationships, attracts events

story by HANNAH BURKE

photography

→ Angela Suggs, the president and CEO of the Florida Sports Foundation, appears ready for action at the Publix Sports Park in Panama City Beach.

When over 2,000 athletes gathered in Pasco County last December for the Florida Senior Games, a 10-day, Olympics-style event involving everything from pickleball and horseshoes to basketball and powerlifting, Angela Suggs was approached by an 85-year-old woman.

Suggs had just finished watching the woman deadlift 100 pounds.

“I am alive right now because I spent all year training for this,” the senior athlete said.

As president and CEO of the Florida Sports Foundation (FSF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation responsible for the marketing and development of professional, amateur and leisure sporting opportunities within the state, Suggs was heartened.

“Super Bowls are great,” she said. “World Cups are fantastic. But witnessing thousands of people flood in from across the country to participate in and support events like these is what makes it for me.”

Suggs, a Tallahassee native, clearly has her head in the game. She is a “Florida A&M Rattler, through and through.” For almost 10 years, she served as a marketer and associate athletic director at the school, which won softball, tennis, baseball, cross country, and track and field championships during her tenure.

She started her career in the sports industry at Joe Robbie Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium), where she engaged in club-level sales for the Florida Marlins, Miami Dolphins and the venue’s various entertainment offerings. But it’s with FSF that Suggs has found her stride.

PHOTOS BY MIKE FENDER (ANGELA AND PCB TEAM) AND COURTESY OF FLORIDA SPORTS FOUNDATION

↖ Visit Panama City Beach director of sports tourism Chris O’Brien, second from left, met with Florida Sports Foundation team members, from left, LaToya Smithwick, Angela Suggs, Jon Brown and Letitia Brown. All are dedicated to using sports to grow visitor numbers and the state’s economy.

When I joined the foundation in 2017, we were talking about Florida’s $57.4 billion yearly economic impact through sports. Today, our most recent study shows over a $70 billion annual impact. It’s really an exciting time.”

— ANGELA SUGGS, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE FLORIDA SPORTS FOUNDATION

“When I joined the foundation in 2017, we were talking about Florida’s $57.4 billion yearly economic impact through sports,” Suggs said. “Today, our most recent study shows over a $70 billion annual impact. It’s really an exciting time.”

That study, conducted by Tourism Economics for fiscal years 2019–20 and 2020–21, revealed that the Florida sports economy produced a $145.6 billion impact in total sales. Over 978,200 jobs relating to sports were created, and sports tourism attracted over 28.1 million nonresident visitors to the Sunshine State, representing 14% of annual visitation.

While it is home to 10 professional sports franchises and countless college athletics programs, it is Florida’s amateur and recreational sports activities, including golf, fishing and wildlife viewing, that account for an estimated $113.6 billion of the industry’s total economic impact.

Amateur sports are a major component of FSF’s mission to create a thriving sports and sports tourism industry. That sector includes the Florida Senior Games and the Sunshine State Games, another Olympics-type competition for athletes of all ages that has hosted over 200,000 contestants since its inception in 1980.

← NEVER TOO OLD Participants in the Florida Senior Games compete in events including bicycling, weightlifting and the javelin throw. While the Florida Sports Foundation helps attract major professional events such as the Super Bowl to the state, it is equally attuned to amateur athletics.

FSF also serves as the promotional arm for the 15 Major League Baseball teams that make up the Florida Spring Training Grapefruit League, which attracted more than 1.4 million spectators in 2023.

In addition to promoting spring training events and games, Suggs said FSF is responsible for kicking off springtime baseball with the Governor’s Dinner, a tradition dating back to the 1940s. It entails numerous sponsorship opportunities and gives fans a chance to mingle with team executives and marquee players.

Suggs said she’s proud of FSF’s role in providing grants funded by the sale of specialty license plates to local communities working to attract new sporting events and tournaments to Florida.

“If you’ve seen vehicles with professional sports plates — the

Dolphins, Jaguars, Rays or the Bucs — they make up the millions of dollars we pour back into the community for grants,” Suggs said. “These grants aid in attracting events from amateur softball tournaments all the way up to Super Bowls and All-Star Games.”

Suggs noted that Florida has hosted more Super Bowls than any other state in the country. Recently, it was announced that Miami will host the 2026 World Cup and that the College Football Playoff National Championship game will be returning to Florida for a third time.

That success stems from more than gorgeous weather and beaches.

“It is our amazing partners throughout the state,” Suggs said. “We have 36 sports commissions throughout Florida, who are the boots on the ground in our communities, and not just our metro areas. People know

what we have going on in greater Orlando and Miami, but do they know that, in St. Lucie County, we’re bringing in world baseball competitions that help people qualify for the Olympics? That the World Cross Country Championship is coming right here to Tallahassee?”

Those successes, Suggs said, result from the efforts made by the commissions and sports tourism industry executives to build key relationships.

“I think of Ray Palmer over in Pensacola, who has been the face of sports in that community for close to 35 years,” Suggs said. “In Pensacola, they have hosted the SEC’s women’s

↑ HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL Baseball fans from throughout Florida and around the country flock each March to Grapefruit League spring training sites like JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, the springtime home of the Boston Red Sox. PHOTOS

soccer championships for the past 10 years. That means their connections are huge. And, it says something about the relationship we have with the NFL for them to choose Florida more than any other state for Super Bowls. It’s a testament to those relationships, as well as the experiences being created because we know the experience will have a huge impact on whether you want to come back.”

Suggs said it is her goal to grow the FSF by attracting more international events to Florida. She plans to engage the leaders of emerging sports such as Teqball, Slamball and E-sports.

“We own the responsibility to produce and promote opportunities for our residents and visitors to play in Florida,” Suggs said. “It’s our mission, and it’s what we do every day.

“For us, sports are purple. They unite red and blue and transcend all political lines and religious doctrines. Nothing else can bring us together like sports do.” ▪

Don’t stop building your business.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking

→ The Governor’s Baseball Dinner, which was held this year at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, is a 40-year-old tradition that is coordinated by the Florida Sports Foundation and serves as the official kickoff of the Major League Baseball season. Far right: A figure skater impresses judges at the 2023 Sunshine State Games.

↙ Florida Audubon Society director Julie Wraithmell spends a lot of time looking up, scanning forest canopies for birds. Birds, she says, provide a lens through which Florida Audubon focuses on its water, wildlife, habitat and climate priorities.

Chick-a-boom

Audubon links habitat to economic health

story by STEVE BORNHOFT

In Florida, the growing scarcity of undisturbed beaches means that least terns, which lay their eggs on the sand, have fewer naturally occurring places to nest.

In response, the birds have gotten creative, finding that flat, gravel rooftops can serve as a workable alternative. But it’s a perilous one. Chicks sometimes fall off buildings or may get washed down gutters.

Enter concerned members of community Audubon Society chapters, who have worked to give the birds a leg up. First, noted Julie Wraithmell, the Tallahassee-based director of Audubon Florida, members determined that fallen chicks would survive and eventually fledge when returned to rooftops.

Next came the chick-a-boom.

Gaining access to attics was often a problem, so an enterprising retired

orthopedic surgeon came up with a device for returning chicks to nests without entering buildings. What has come to be known as a chick-a-boom consists of a telescoping pool-tool handle; an electrical box; and a cardboard flap.

A rescuer drops a chick into the box, closes the flap, extends the pole and delivers the bird to the roof.

Chapter members have also screened downspouts and retrofitted rooftops with low fencing to contain flightless chicks.

Wraithmell concedes that the chicka-boom is not something that a staff biologist working for Audubon Florida would have been likely to come up with. Rather, it is the kind of initiative that community chapter members

←↑ Given the growing shortage of undisturbed beaches in Florida, least terns have taken to using flat, gravel roofs as nesting sites. An Audubon Society chapter member has designed a device, dubbed a chick-a-boom, which is used to return chicks that fall to the ground to building tops.

often produce, given their familiarity with local issues and the diversity within their ranks.

“This was a guy who had made his living doing arthroscopic surgery,” Wraithmell said of the chick-a-boom inventor. “He was wired that way. The chapters have people who were doctors and air-conditioning techs and teachers and lawyers and everything in between. Those skills make us stronger.”

Each of the 44 Audubon chapters in the state is a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Four of them are located in Northwest Florida: the Francis M. Weston Audubon Society in Pensacola; the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society in Niceville; the Bay County Audubon Society in Panama City; and the Apalachee Audubon Society in Tallahassee.

“At Audubon Florida, we aren’t the boss of them, and they aren’t the boss of us,” Wraithmell said. “But we recognize that if we work together, we’ll go further.”

Audubon Florida is a state office of the National Audubon Society and the largest such office in the country.

It employs just shy of 100 staffers: researchers, resource managers, educators and policy wonks.

The state office’s priorities, said Wraithmell, are water, wildlife, habitat and climate.

“Every year, our staff work with the chapters by region,” she explained. “They meet quarterly and develop regional conservation agendas. Additionally, we develop action agendas for each of our priority policy areas. All of those documents are ratified at our Audubon Assembly, which is our state conference held every October.

“It is kind of a messy structure and process, but it is an important one that gives people a voice, whether they are in the Keys or in Pensacola.”

Wraithmell joined Audubon in 2005 and has successfully led statewide conservation and wildlife policy initiatives, built Audubon Florida’s coastal conservation program, coordinated Audubon’s response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and helped secure millions in funding for protecting Florida’s land and water resources.

In 2015, she was recognized with the National Audubon Society’s highest staff honor, the Charles H. Callison Award.

Wraithmell holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Duke University and a master’s degree in geography from Florida State. Prior to joining Audubon in 2005, she worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and, as a biological scientist, created the Great Florida Birding Trail, a statewide economic development/ecotourism amenity.

Talk to Wraithmell and she impresses you as a walking Florida gazetteer, as someone who would never get lost. Her experience blazing the birding trail may account for that. To this day, she loves Delorme topographic maps and will “nerd out” on a big atlas.

“ I traveled to hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of birding spots around the state, and this was prior to GIS,” Wraithmell said. “I have crawled over most of the back 40s in Florida.”

Rely on Google Maps, and you miss out on stuff.

PHOTOS BY DAVE BARFIELD (WRAITHMELL), WENDY MEEHAN (CHICK-A-BOOM) AND JEAN HALL (LEAST TERNS)

There was the time that Wraithmell needed to get from western Flagler County north to western St. John’s County.

“I didn’t want to drive back east to take 95 north and then go all the way back west. I looked on the DeLorme, and there was this little dotted line indicating an unpaved road,” Wraithmell said.

She took it.

“For starters, it was a healthy dirt road flanked by beautiful sand hills, but then the hills started creeping in on either side and I ended up in deep sugar sand,” Wraithmell recalled. “Then there were gigantic holes in the middle of the road. I realized there was a brick road underneath the sand, and I’m in this little rental car about the size of a skateboard, and I’m terrified that I’m going to rip the undercarriage out.

“I could not figure out what had happened. Were they bombing? Finally, when I got to the end of the road, there was a piece of cardboard tacked to a pine tree. Scribbled on it in Sharpie was STOP MINING THE BRICK OUT OF THE ROAD, A-HOLES. Google Maps never would have taken me there.”

AN AVIAN LENS

People hear “Audubon,” and invariably think about birds. Wraithmell thinks of them as the lens through which Audubon Florida works on its water, wildlife, habitat and climate priorities.

“We do very much care about birds,” she said. “They can help put a face on issues that are really technical and a yawn fest. Talk about Everglades restoration in terms of hydrology and water structures and acre feet of water, and most people’s eyes glaze over. But if you say that we lose roseate spoonbills if not enough fresh water gets to Florida Bay, suddenly people get it. We focus on ecosystems, and birds are an emblem of them.”

Wraithmell noted that Audubon, which turns 123 years old this year, was born in Florida out of the fight against the plume

trade when hunters slaughtered wading birds nearly to extinction.

“That was a very grassroots effort, and much of it was led by women before they even had the right to vote,” Wraithmell said. “We’ve always been a ground-based organization, and that enables us to see where issues are emerging and where there are patterns. One chapter says, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve seen this strange thing happening.’ Another one somewhere else reports seeing the same thing. Suddenly, we’re in a position to start connecting the dots.

“Local chapters serve as incubators and test sites where we can try solutions, and if they work, we scale them up.”

ECONOMIC BEDROCK

Wraithmell stresses that in Florida, quality of life and prosperity are intimately tied to the environment.

“In Florida, our environment is our economy,” she said. “That doesn’t just

CHAPTERS IN NW FLORIDA

→ Francis M. Weston

Audubon Society

President: Jim Brady

Membership information: fmwaudubon.org

→ Choctawhatchee

Audubon Society

President: Dave Clausen

Membership information: choctawhatcheeaudubon.org

→ Bay County Audubon Society

Presidents: Teri Floore, Brian Dusseault

Membership information: baycountyaudubon.org

→ Apalachee Audubon Society

President: Kathleen Carr

Membership information: apalachee.org

↑ Daisy Girl Scouts in Northwest Florida have devoted proceeds from cookie sales to a campaign aimed at protecting four shore-nesting species found at area beaches: black skimmers, least terns, snowy plovers and American oystercatchers. Florida Audubon Society director Julie Wraithmell holds an oystercatcher sign like those created by Troop #101 for posting on St. George Island. The oystercatcher is easily recognized, given its striking black and white plumage and red-orange bill.

mean tourism. It means property values, too. In 2017, people were reneging on sales options on multimillion dollar homes in Southwest Florida due to the harmful algal blooms the area was experiencing. People had properties as major assets, and they couldn’t sell them.”

Audubon, Wraithmell said, has always believed that science and public involvement should drive good, common-sense public policy.

“We don’t follow ideology. We follow science, and that’s really important because it makes us able to work with people at all points along the political spectrum,” she said. “The lucky thing about Florida is that conservation has been important to both parties for a long time. Governors Graham and Chiles did great things, and so did governors Martinez and Bush. That’s because Florida depends on our environment; that truth helps people cut through the noise and focus on what matters.”

Wraithmell applauds Florida’s decadeslong record of habitat protection.

“We’ve had land-buying programs since the 1980s, and they have been transparent and accountable as well as being rigorous and strategic,” she said.

In addition, the state and local jurisdictions have made effective use of easements.

“Instead of buying an entire property and having it publicly owned, you may pay a landowner to cede development rights while continuing to live on it and maybe farm it subject to limits and conditions,” Wraithmell said. “We don’t have to own and manage everything. There are ways that we can use easements to help buffer the most ecologically sensitive lands.

“Easements are another tool we can use in thinking strategically about how we want Florida to look. Northwest Florida fortunately has not had the same pressure historically that the peninsula has. But it’s coming — now.”

↑ Flamingos scattered by Hurricane Idalia came to rest at Treasure Island, off St. Petersburg, where the bird is rarely seen. → Audubon volunteers placed 1,200 native plants as part of a habitat restoration project at the Richard T. Paul Alafia Bank Bird Sanctuary Critical Wildlife Area near Tampa. Volunteers also removed debris and garbage from the area and pulled weeds that would otherwise compete with the installed vegetation.

Wraithmell drew a distinction between environmental restoration and regulation.

“When we restore ecosystems, we need to also address the causes of environmental degradation,” she said. “If a pipe ruptures beneath your kitchen sink, you absolutely want to start mopping, because you’ve got to get the water off your floor. That’s restoration. But you also want to turn the valve off at the wall. That is regulatory.

“Our stormwater rules in Florida date to the 1980s when there were only 10 million people in the state. Now we have 21 million. The rules need to be updated in ways that recognize that we have more people, less space and better science. We have learned a few things about water and wetlands in the last 40 years. Our regulatory structure should reflect that.”

Where the environment is concerned, second chances can be hard to come by, but maybe, just maybe, flamingos will give us one. Maybe flamingos displaced by hurricanes will

set up shop in new places and the birds, for the first time since the early 20th century, will breed in Florida again.

“There has been a flamingo at St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge that was blown there by Hurricane Michael. We are seeing an increasing number of flamingos in the Everglades. There is a flock of 30 or 40 that strayed from the Yucatan or Cuba. Part of me is hoping that the birds that got swept up in Hurricane Idalia and are checking out our shores will say, ‘Let’s make a go of it. They didn’t do right by us the first time, but let’s give them a second bite at the apple.’” ▪

PHOTOS BY DAVE BARFIELD (WRAITHMELL), HOLLEY SHORT (FLAMINGOS) AND SANDY TOWNSEND (NATIVE PLANTS)

Manufacturing Opportunities

FSU-led project has potential to transform regional economy

story by STEVE BORNHOFT

About the time that the Bay County Economic Development Alliance, working with the St. Joe Company, succeeded in bringing GKN Aerospace to Panama City Beach, Dr. John Holdnak, then president of Gulf Coast State College and Glen McDonald, its current president, floated an idea.

Holdnak and McDonald believed that an advanced manufacturing research and development center might serve as a complement to businesses like GKN. In addition, they believed it could be a differencemaking jobs generator and a meaningful factor in the region’s

economic development and, thus, a strong candidate for a grant from Triumph Gulf Coast. They viewed Florida State University, given its status as a Tier 1 research university, as the ideal candidate to apply for such funding.

Back then in 2017, the timing wasn’t right for FSU, recalled Bay County EDA president Becca Hardin. But circumstances would change, and Dr. Richard McCullough — a chemist, entrepreneur and a man with a passion for R&D — would succeed John Thrasher as FSU’s president.

Six years later, the Bay County EDA was working to win over electric air taxi manufacturer Joby Aviation, which was

seeking a site for a 2,000-job plant, when the Holdnak/McDonald idea resurfaced. This time, it gained traction, Hardin said, and resources for preparing a funding proposal were dedicated to it.

McCullough was among 15 representatives of FSU who traveled from Tallahassee to DeFuniak Springs last November for a meeting of the Triumph Gulf Coast board. Agenda items included an application from FSU for $100 million for a “collaborative center for manufacturing and aerospace technology.” The project has come to be known as InSPIRE, the Institute for Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Research and Education.

Hardin has worked with Triumph and its board chair David Bear on varied proposals but told him regarding InSPIRE, “You’ve seen some impressive projects but nothing like this. This one is truly transformational.”

The board responded by voting to support InSPIRE’s pre-application with $98.4 million in funding, the largest award in its 10-year history. FSU has pledged $65 million to the initiative, whose total cost is estimated at $300 million. FSU’s proposal listed state, federal and private contracts and grants; state and federal budget allocations; private donations; and student tuition and fees as additional anticipated funding sources.

O n Feb. 5, the Triumph board met at FSU Panama City ( FSU PC) and unanimously approved the term sheet, sometimes referred to as clawback criteria, for InSPIRE. At this writing, a location for the project has not been finalized, but sites at the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport are the leading possibilities, Hardin said.

As a Triumph board member, Leslie Weiss, a civil engineer who heads up a firm located in Crawfordville, assessed FSU’s application based on factors including its forecast economic impact.

“For every Triumph dollar spent, we expect to get $10 back out of it, which is a great amount,” said Weiss, who is

a member of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Advisory Board.

Dr. Farrukh Alvi, the associate provost for innovation, research and entrepreneurship in STEM at FSU, was the team lead in developing the proposal. Dr. Stacey Patterson, FSU’s vice president for research, was the principal investigator. Their work involved ensuring that a long list of collaborators and partners were informed and on board.

“This is a community initiative,” Alvi said. “FSU led but not FSU only.”

Projected partners include FSU colleges and research centers; K-12 public school districts; state colleges and technical colleges; military bases; businesses ranging from Danfoss Turbocor to Space X; and economic development agencies.

Patterson said InSPIRE will employ a pull strategy, seeking to attract partners for whom the institute’s unified, multidisciplinary team of experts can solve problems. Barriers that may separate engineering and physics departments, for example, in academic environments will not exist here.

“The work carried out at InSPIRE will change as industry needs evolve,” Patterson said. “We are going to have to be nimble. We’re going to have to act like a business.”

In conversation, Alvi tries to avoid the word ecosystem, finding that it is overworked, but he occasionally relents.

“Exactly what we are trying to build is an ecosystem and a culture, so that it becomes second nature for people to associate the area with not just beaches but also applied R&D,” Alvi said.

He sees parallels between Huntsville, Alabama, when its evolution toward

← The Triumph Gulf Coast Inc. board, chaired by David Bear, conducted its February meeting at the Holley Academic Center on the campus of Florida State University Panama City. Opposite page: Meeting attendees included Becca Hardin, president of the Bay County Economic Development Alliance, and FSU PC Dean Randy Hanna.

photography by MIKE FENDER

I n SPIRE OUTCOMES

→ Per its funding application to Triumph Gulf Coast, here are InSPIRE’s anticipated outcomes:

Many manufacturers lack access to robust, solutionsoriented research capabilities for addressing challenges at the leading edge of aviation, aerospace and additive manufacturing. … InSPIRE will help address these shortfalls on multiple fronts — technology development and transitions; manufacturing/ production; and skilled workforce development.

FSU will collaborate with local, regional, state and national economic development partners to stand up the most advanced facilities for R&D and training and education at scales that are highly attractive to industry and military defense bases and labs. InSPIRE will be one of its kind in Florida and a nationally recognized leader in its focus areas … and will attract industry to the region at all levels of the supply chain.

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

becoming “Rocket City” was young, and what will be the early stages of InSPIRE.

“We are confident that the investment made by FSU and Triumph and other funding entities in InSPIRE will be dwarfed by the investment in the region that it will attract,” Alvi said.

As they undertook the proposal-writing process, Alvi, Patterson and others had the “luxury and challenge” of starting with a clean sheet of paper.

“We began by thinking about the needs of the region,” Alvi said. “We recognized that it is too reliant on tourism. We looked at businesses that are already present in the region and assets including military bases.

“At FSU, we’ve been working closely with Eglin Air Force Base for more than a decade,” Alvi said. “We do research for them and provide training. We’ve done programs at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Bay County. We spoke with military bases as we refined our proposal and obtained letters of support from them. Those conversations informed our plan and our decisions about what areas to emphasize first.”

Alvi, who has been with FSU and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering for a combined 30 years, recalls when FSU PC, in 2009, was recommended for closure by an FSU budget crisis committee. The campus survived, in part, by agreeing to enrollment growth requirements.

In addition, FSU PC worked to become more relevant by strengthening ties with

area employers. At the time, Alvi was an associate dean at the College of Engineering in charge of graduate programs there. He was instrumental in bringing about a master’s program in systems engineering at FSU PC, a development that helped meet needs at the Naval Surface Warfare Center.

“We took available expertise and bridged gaps,” Alvi said. “That’s what we want to do with InSPIRE — fill in missing pieces by building on a foundation.”

Alvi stressed that, appropriately, InSPIRE will be additive, not duplicative and will allow FSU to play to its strengths.

“We’re building upon things that we have done and do well,” he said. “FSU is in a grant position to execute project aims because of its expertise in education in STEM fields. Nationally, we are well known in aerospace additive manufacturing for energy and national defense applications. This is going to be the initial thrust, but we hope down the road that there will be other areas that will come in.”

Alvi mentioned health care as one possibility, noting that additive manufacturing will play a big role in the production of wearable, health-monitoring devices.

He anticipates that InSPIRE will attract companies that will have employment opportunities for military personnel who are transitioning out of active duty; people with four-year degrees and associate degrees; and graduates of certificate programs.

“We want to build a talent pipeline from an early age,” Alvi said. “We want students in middle and high school to start envisioning the kinds of careers they can have. Workforce development is integral to our proposal — talent nurturing and retention.”

“InSPIRE is a game-changing project for the entire Northwest Florida region,” Hardin said. “It is going to put our area on the international map like never before. It is focused a lot in the aviation sector, but its additive manufacturing component has application to the automation of manufacturing in all sectors.”

Meanwhile, FSU is not prepared to rest solely on its Triumph triumph. With other schools, it is writing a National Science Foundation funding proposal called NSF Engines.

“We are talking about economic engines,” Alvi said. “The focus is on additive manufacturing for defense and energy. There is tremendous synergy between InSPIRE and the NSF proposal. It’s not a given that it will succeed, but if it does, it is possible to receive up to $160 million over the life of the project.

“That’s an example of the kind of thing that InSPIRE will allow us to leverage. We’ll be able to think bigger and be competitive because funders and industry will see that we are seriously invested already.”

Patterson is excited about what can be InSPIRE’s regional impacts.

“The opportunity for us to recruit industry partners will provide new opportunities for students to not only go to school in North Florida, but to stay in North Florida and build their families. When regions can do that, it raises the bar for everyone and everything improves.” ▪

photography by MIKE FENDER

← Dr. Farrukh Alvi, the associate provost for innovation, research and entrepreneurship in STEM at FSU, left, chats with Dr. Stacey Patterson, FSU’s vice president for research, and FSU PC Dean Randy Hanna. Alvi and Patterson co-led the development of a funding application for FSU’s proposed Project InSPIRE.

↑ Patterson and Triumph board chair David Bear sign off a term sheet for the InSPIRE grant.

STORY

In the months after the COVID-19 pandemic began to recede and Florida relaxed protocols that included a ban on short-term rentals, visitation soared and with it, bed tax collections.

In 2022, both Walton County and Panama City Beach collected record amounts of what is formally known as the tourist development tax (TDT), and in 2023, collections fell off only very slightly, suggesting that they may have plateaued at a very high level.

Collections in southern Walton County, where the bed tax is 5% and the county’s tourism is concentrated, totaled $62.69 million in fiscal year 2022 and $60.01 million a year later. In Panama City Beach, collections in FY 2022 and FY 2023 stood at $37.74 million and $37.36 million. (In both locations, the fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. A TDT of 3% is collected in Walton County north of Choctawhatchee Bay; it was introduced at a rate of 2% in March 2021 and raised to 3% effective with the start of FY 2024.)

While bed tax-funded organizations such as Walton County Tourism and Visit Panama City Beach are thought of as marketers primarily, growth in collections has permitted them to engage in other noncustomary activities.

“We’re doing a lot of great things with our revenues,” said Matt Algarin, who became Walton County Tourism’s director in July 2022 after joining the organization as a content writing specialist in May 2017. “We’re doing things with our money that other counties in the region don’t do.” He noted as an example the county’s beach safety (lifeguards) program.

↘ Maintenance crews paid for with tourist development tax revenue ensure that Walton County’s Gulf shore is always well-groomed. Lower photo: Paddle sports have become synonymous with ecotourism at locations including the Choctawhatchee River Trail.

We have a maintenance department of more than 70 employees that falls under the tourism budget. They handle everything from trash removal along the beach to maintaining our 19-mile multiuse path to maintenance and construction of beach boardwalks and accesses.

It’s incredibly important when you are a high-end destination that the aesthetic is consistent with the experience that people are looking for and paying for.”

— MATT ALGARIN, WALTON COUNTY TOURISM’S DIRECTOR

“When you bring millions of people to the beach each year, there is an obligation to try to keep them safe,” Algarin said, “no matter if they are visiting a public beach or a private one.”

Visit Walton County also pays for maintenance activities that typically would be handled by a public works department funded by property tax dollars.

“We have a maintenance department of more than 70 employees that falls under the tourism budget,” Algarin said. “They handle everything from trash removal along the beach to maintaining our 19-mile multiuse path to maintenance and construction of beach boardwalks and accesses. It’s incredibly important when you are a high-end destination that the aesthetic is consistent with the experience that people are looking for and paying for.”

Walton County Tourism maintains entryways to the beach areas of South Walton and has spent more than $40 million to acquire property for beach accesses and parking areas.

“We spend only about 27% of our budget on marketing activities,” Algarin said, making Walton County Tourism something of an anomaly among TDTfunded destination marketing organizations (DMOs). “People might expect that

↗ Tourist development taxes collected in South Walton County are used to pay for a beach safety program that includes a surf rescue team. Lower photo: Hannah Smith of South Walton High School is piloting a beach basket program aimed at keeping sands litter free.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WALTON COUNTY TOURISM DEPARTMENT

MARKETING AND MORE

percentage to be higher, but it is still a lot of money when you look at the total amount of money we collect. If you are spending 27% of $60 million, that’s a pretty good chunk of change.”

With the establishment of the 3% taxing district, Walton County’s DMO altered its identity.

“We have transitioned ourselves away from calling ourselves Visit South Walton,” Algarin said. “We are Walton County Tourism. South Walton is a brand, and we are calling the county north of the bay Authentic Walton. The two brands correspond to our two taxing districts.”

At Visit Panama City Beach (VPCB), the bulk of TDT dollars are devoted to marketing, but the

recent wealth of collections has enabled the organization to bank and carry forward dollars that it plans to devote to the construction of a 130,000-square-foot multipurpose building at the Publix Sports Park on Chip Seal Parkway.

“While our revenues have grown dramatically, we have not increased spending proportionately,” said VPCB president and CEO Dan Rowe. “We are still very prudent in how we spend our dollars.”

Known variously as the Sabre Center, the Western Region Resiliency Center and the Indoor Events Center — “Pick the one you like,” Rowe said — the new building will cost an estimated

↖↑ The advent of the Publix Sports Park on Chip Seal Parkway in Panama City Beach has enhanced the destination’s attractiveness as a host of regional baseball and softball tournaments. Above and opposite page: Rendering depicts an indoor sports facility and emergency operations center, plans for which are nearing completion. Visit Panama City Beach has been carrying forward surplus revenues for use in building construction.

While our revenues have grown dramatically, we have not increased spending proportionately. We are still very prudent in how we spend our dollars.”

— DAN ROWE, VISIT PANAMA CITY BEACH PRESIDENT AND CEO

$60 million. Visit Panama City Beach will cover a portion of that cost. The project also will be supported with a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a contribution from Bay County. VPCB is also seeking a grant from Triumph Gulf Coast.

The diversity in funding sources and the occurrence of multiple names for the center reflect the collection of purposes it will serve.

The center will be constructed to withstand 200 mph winds, Rowe said, and “will have high-speed internet connections no matter

what happens with the cellular networks.” It will be employed as an emergency operations center and shelter during big blows, or what Rowe calls “gray sky days.” And, it will house a business resource center in the aftermath of destructive storms.

“Post Hurricane Michael in 2018, businesses had no place to go,” Rowe said. “It took a while for SBA and other agencies to get their act together. Eventually, they erected a tent in the parking lot next to the library on Middle Beach Road. Now, as soon as the wind stops blowing, we’ll be

able to respond to the needs of our business community and get them what they need to stand back up.”

The center will be equipped to accommodate classified briefings for up to 200 people among entrepreneurs, innovators and military officials. It will be a place where businesses can collaborate and advance ideas.

“We expect that the genesis of many projects will occur there,” Rowe said. “Zoom is one thing, but getting out of your office and participating in face-to-face meetings tends to inspire a lot.”

PHOTO AND RENDERING COURTESY OF VISIT PANAMA CITY BEACH

Rowe envisions that the center will host dinners and graduation ceremonies along with athletic competitions ranging from wrestling to cheerleading.

“We have seen what sports (baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse) have done for the destination,” said VPCB vice president of marketing Jayna Leach. “Indoor sports is really going to be a great addition.”

In January, Leach attended the International Media Marketplace event held at the Javits Center in New York City.

So, too, did Nicole Barfield, the communications director at Walton County Tourism. For representatives of DMOs, the IMM can involve the equivalent of speed dating among journalists, bloggers, influencers and tourism industry counterparts.

Both VPCB and Walton County Tourism view New York and the Northeast as emerging markets.

“Northeast markets started popping up on the radar as COVID restrictions were lifted by Gov. (Ron) DeSantis,

↑↙ Ramps and railings make it possible for people with limited mobility to enjoy the dock on Lake Powell at Camp Helen State Park. Lower photo: At Visit Panama City Beach, vice president of marketing Jayna Leach has made accessibility a priority with a “Fun for All” initiative. In concert with Bay County, VPCB has installed Mobi-Mats and provided specially designed walkers and chairs at the M.B. Miller County Pier.

Northeast markets started popping up on the radar as COVID restrictions were lifted by Gov. (Ron) DeSantis, and people there were looking for new destinations in Florida. But for that region, we are still something of a hidden gem.”

— JAYNA LEACH, VISIT PANAMA CITY BEACH VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING

and people there were looking for new destinations in Florida,” Leach said. “But for that region, we are still something of a hidden gem.”

Both DMOs are courting St. Louis and Chicago. Walton County Visitation is focused on Charlotte as a source of business meeting visitation. Rowe said that the southern tier of Midwestern states, including Indiana and Kentucky, is becoming more of a factor for Panama City Beach. Surprisingly, Rowe said, so, too, is Orlando.

“It’s because our world-class beaches are second to none,” he said. “And travelers may come to Orlando and want to see New Orleans, and they discover us along the way.”

Panama City Beach, Rowe likes to say, “is an all-American beach town where everyone is welcome.” Leach has made accessibility a priority with a “Fun for All” initiative. In concert with Bay County, VPCB has provided Mobi-Mats and specially designed walkers and chairs at the M.B. Miller County Pier so that “people who never thought they would be able to put their toes in the sand are able to do that,” Leach said.

For Walton County Tourism, the target audience is relatively narrow.

“Our mission has always been to attract the affluent traveler,” Algarin said. “If we can bring in fewer people who will spend more money, that’s going to be the winning formula for us. Our marketing agency knows who our target is. We want people who are willing to spend 20 grand a week.”

Fewer people means less wear and tear on roads and public amenities and less congestion.

“We are always trying to find that balance — how do we support our tourismrelated businesses without making it

difficult for people to get around?” Algarin said. “Our residents want to enjoy the same things that our visitors do.”

As good as business has been in the past couple of years, there is no opportunity to relax, Algarin said.

“To maintain those levels, we have to replace the 15% to 20% of the visitors who do not return in consecutive years. We can never rest on our laurels. Coca-Cola has been around for a long time, but it still spends billions of dollars a year to make sure you remember who they are.” ▪

↑ The Grayton Beach tram in Walton County is intended in part to help relieve traffic congestion. The county has adopted a multifaceted mobility plan that calls for transportation improvements through 2040 with the goal of safely moving people, whether they drive cars, walk, bicycle, ride transit systems or use a new mobility technology.

↗ New amenities in Gulf County intended for use by both residents and visitors include a bayfront boardwalk along with trails and pickleball courts.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GULF COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

NOT FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD

Small counties tempt tourists with no-frills experiences

STORY BY MIKE FENDER

For little fish, the vast gulf of Florida tourism can be intimidating.

While the dollars seem to come easily to big fish like Panama City Beach and Destin, smaller communities are having to work hard to get their fair share.

It’s no secret that tourism equates to big money in Florida. Most counties levy a tourist development tax of up to 6% on short-term rentals. This “bed tax” brings in more than a billion dollars to counties that devote the revenue to promotional efforts and other uses permitted by state law.

I n Gulf County, a 5% bed tax brought in just over $4.7 million this past year, a record according to Silvia Williams, executive director of the Gulf County Tourist Development Council. The county divides the proceeds with 60% going to marketing and administration, 20% to parks and 20% to beach projects.

“I’m a little biased, but Gulf County is a super special place,” said Williams, who is a Gulf County native. She finds that the county attracts loyal visitors who care deeply about the environment and are looking for a no-frills experience. You won’t find big attractions or miniature golf courses here.

S he noted that Gulf County is the busiest nesting place for the loggerhead

↑ The Cape San Blas lighthouse was relocated to Port St. Joe to save it from the ravages of coastal erosion. ↙ Beaches in Gulf County see more loggerhead sea turtle nesting activity than any other location in Northwest Florida. The county’s summer tourism marketing campaign encourages environmentally responsible visitation.

↖→ Gulf County is a magnet for people who love inshore fishing, shelling, snorkeling, paddleboarding, kayaking and scalloping. Horses are allowed on the beaches.

sea turtle in Northwest Florida and added that the county’s summer marketing campaign centers on responsible visitation.

“We try to educate our visitors on ways to protect the sea turtles and respect the shores,” she said.

“ We are steadfast in promoting our destination as a more natural Florida,” she added.

Will i ams says their upcoming

spring campaign, “Finding Florida’s Quiet Shore,” is designed to appeal to families looking for an old-school vacation. She said the goal is to provide a vacation experience that leaves people feeling rested — not like they need another vacation.

To do that, Gulf County has been investing in its parks. New pickleball courts, trails and a boardwalk are just part of the improvements. Most

We are steadfast in promoting our destination as a more natural Florida.” — SILVIA WILLIAMS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GULF COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GULF COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

RURAL TOURISM

people come for things like fishing, shelling, snorkeling, kayaking and paddleboarding. And, horseback riding is allowed on the beach. Point South Marina recently reopened; Williams said the Gulf County TDC has planned events for that venue.

If they venture inland, visitors can experience the Dead Lakes with its prehistoric feel and sample the legendary tupelo honey.

“We are unique; you can have the best of both worlds here,” Williams said.

The local, down-home feel in Gulf County is important to drawing visitors, many of whom have been coming for years.

“We have a lot of families who come with parents who came here when they were kids with their families,” Williams said. “They tell us they love the locals and the mom-and-pop feel of local businesses.”

Williams doesn’t view neighboring counties as competitors. She feels the nature-centered experiences that Gulf County offers are responsible for their growth.

“We are super excited for the future,” Williams said. “We are just trying to do what we do and offer what our area is known for.”

←↓ Vortex Spring Adventures in Holmes County attracts divers and anyone looking for a refreshing place to cool off on a broiling summer day; the year-round water temperature is 68 degrees. The attraction is equipped with water slides and affords the adventurous visitor an opportunity to make night dives with writhing balls of eels.

In Bonifay, Lesley Hatfield, president of the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce, said it is easy to be a little envious of her beachy neighbors to the south. “But in our position,” she said, “we are thrilled for their success because we are not that far away from them, and a rising tide lifts all ships.”

Hatfield hopes tourists passing through their quaint

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOLMES COUNTY TDC

RURAL TOURISM

Holmes County small towns like Westville or Ponce De Leon catch a glimpse of things that are fun and interesting.

“Hopefully our small-town culture will get people to come back and visit us,” she said.

T he bed tax for Holmes County is 3% and brings in between $8,000 and $11,000 a month. Part of that money has been spent on campaigns developed by Kerigan Marketing Associates, Inc., out of Mexico Beach.

Launched after the pandemic receded, the marketing effort featured a remodeled website and advertising to showcase the unique features of the county. The county’s

“Wild, Welcoming Unexplored Florida” campaign developed by Kerigan won a Silver 2023 Flagler Award from Visit Florida in the Rural County Marketing category.

“We have never won anything,” Hatfield said. “So we were over the moon for that statewide recognition for what we are doing in our first year.”

The biggest tourism draw in the county has been Vortex Spring Adventures in Ponce De Leon. The crystal-clear 68-degree water attracts visitors interested in diving, snorkeling, swimming, rope swings and almost anything that floats. Hatfield said the venue has added a music festival and its own rodeo.

↑ A mural in Bonifay displays a stance line that captures the spirit of tourism marketing efforts in Holmes County.

↗ The area recalls a time when most goods arrived by train. The Bad Cat Classic catfish and bream tournament, sponsored by UF/IFAS Extension Holmes County, requires that participating teams include a member under 16 years old. Bonifay is home to the top-rated Northwest Florida Championship Rodeo, which originated with a Kiwanis Club-sponsored event in 1946.

Adrenaline junkies can choose between an additional pair of natural springs in the area, one in Holmes County and one just across the county line in Walton County, that are perfect for cave diving.

The abundance of wilderness areas has spawned several off-road adventure areas for four-wheelers, including hundreds of acres of trails and mud at Vortex Spring Adventures. Mudd’n185, in Westville, is another popular off-road venue.

Another big draw to the county is the Northwest Florida Championship Rodeo held every October. Bonifay has hosted the rodeo since the Kiwanis Club first started it in 1946.

Hatfield said the marketing campaign kicked off in February 2022 and has already exceeded expectations. She hopes they can keep spreading the word that counties like Holmes have a lot to offer visitors.

“We have so many wonderful natural resources,” Hatfield said. “The world has become very noisy and chaotic, but families can come here and get off the beaten path and have a unique experience with nature, food and small-town culture.

“It quiets some of that chaos.” ▪

We have so many wonderful natural resources. The world has become very noisy and chaotic, but families can come here and get off the beaten path and have a unique experience with nature, food and small-town culture.”

— LESLEY HATFIELD, PRESIDENT OF THE HOLMES COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

DETAILED LOOKS AT NORTHWEST FLORIDA COMMUNITIES

Achieving Momentum

← D.C. Reeves has taken a systematic approach as mayor of Pensacola, creating a list of priorities that have become an ambitious punch list for the city.

Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves is not a fan of winging it. Whether funding routine city maintenance, improving downtown parking or touting the city to potential employers, he prefers a carefully crafted plan.

“I’m not a cross-my-fingers-and-hopesomeone-else-is-doing-it kind of guy,” he said. “Let’s control our own destiny.”

That mindset is what fueled Reeves’ industrious, fast-paced first year in office — a year that saw the creation of a new economic development office, a new playground at Sanders Beach Park, the expansion of Palafox Market farmers market to Plaza Ferdinand, repairs to the Roger Scott Tennis Center, the acquisition of a new SWAT vehicle for the Pensacola Police

Department and Reeves’ appointment to the CareerSource Florida board of directors by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

He opened a new police substation at Pensacola State College, added 6,377 linear feet of sidewalks to city streets and placed a front-desk attendant in the downtown City Hall lobby to improve customer service.

One of Reeves’ decisions that has literally paid off for Pensacola was the creation of a central city grants office that went on to win more than $72 million in grant funding in 2023. Among the awards are $25 million for the Hollice T. Williams Stormwater Park; $5.5 million to demolish and rebuild the Fricker Center; $5 million toward the acquisition of the old Baptist Hospital property; and

COURTESY OF CITY OF PENSACOLA (PLAYGROUND AND FARMERS MARKET)

I’m not a crossmy-fingers-andhope-someoneelse-is-doing-it kind of guy Let’s control our own destiny.”

— PENSACOLA MAYOR D.C. REEVES

↑→ The creation of a Sanders Beach Playground and the expansion of the Palafox Market farmers market to Plaza Ferdinand were among accomplishments made by the City of Pensacola during the first year of D.C. Reeves’ service as mayor. Immediate priorities for Reeves ranged from economic development to infrastructure.

PHOTOS

↖ Mayor D.C. Reeves has made seeking $70 million for the expansion of the Pensacola International Airport terminal building a priority. The airport saw a record-breaking 2.65 million passengers in 2023. The contemplated project calls for the addition of five gates to the airport’s existing 12, as well as provisions for added security.

photography by MIKE FENDER

as well as security capacity and space for concessions.

$5 million for redevelopment along the Cervantes-Pace Boulevard Corridor.

The office also secured $15 million in grants to build a dock, boat ramp and a Center for Maritime Excellence at the Port of Pensacola, where the American Magic sailing team could establish its headquarters in late 2024 and add 170 high-paying jobs to the local economy.

“Those guys have been great. They have been a godsend, certainly, to the city, but also to our departments, which now get to focus on running departments and not having to check every grant website,” Reeves said. “They have certainly made me look smarter than I am, so I’m very appreciative of that.”

When he looks back on his administration’s first year, Reeves, who grew up in Pensacola and graduated from Pensacola Catholic High School, is proud of what his team has accomplished.

“We have started the ball rolling on so many impactful, generational projects in the city,” he added. “It has really set us up for the next three years to now just go out and execute.”

At the top of that list is obtaining $70 million for the expansion of the Pensacola International Airport terminal, which welcomed a record-breaking 2.65 million passengers in 2023. Most of the airport’s footprint is currently over capacity, and the project would add five gates to the airport’s existing 12,

Reeves, who envisions the state, city and the federal government each covering a third of the cost, said the project is his No. 1 legislative priority in 2024.

“From a growth standpoint, from a business and economic development standpoint and a tourism standpoint, it is our greatest need,” he said, “just because it opens doors to so many other things.”

Reeves sees the airport expansion as vital to attracting a new generation of permanent residents to the city.

“This is the most remote, mobile workforce that the world has ever seen,” he added. “And what does that

We have started the ball rolling on so many impactful, generational projects in the city. It has really set us up for the next three years to now just go out and execute.”

— PENSACOLA MAYOR D.C. REEVES

→ Mayor D.C. Reeves sees airport expansion as vital to attracting a new generation of permanent residents to the city. Members of a mobile workforce who have gotten comfortable with working remotely are shopping for desirable places to live, and an airport can be a factor in their decisions.

mean? Well, you might be able to live in Pensacola if there are more direct flights for wherever you’re from or wherever you work.”

Another priority for Reeves in 2024 is housing, and he’s addressing it on multiple fronts.

“If we want to solve the housing issue, we have to solve it at every level of housing,” Reeves said. “All the data suggests, if we want to start to plateau rising housing costs, we have to have inventory at every level.”

He plans to propose an operator for the old Pensacola Motor Lodge, which the city purchased in 2023 for $1 million and plans to convert to 28 affordable housing units. His administration is exploring the potential for market-rate housing developments at Maritime Park and still working on long-term plans to incorporate affordable housing into a

redevelopment of the former Baptist Hospital property.

“I would say we do have a commitment to trying to turn something that is blight into something transformative,” he said. “That is the city’s role, but it’s going to take all of us — Baptist, the Legislature, the city and county to be able to see this through.”

To some, these large-scale, longterm projects might seem too

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↙ The City of Pensacola acquired the Pensacola Motor Lodge property for $1 million in 2023 and plans to convert it to 28 affordable housing units. To further deal with a housing shortage, Mayor D.C. Reeves and city administrators are exploring the potential for market-rate housing developments at Maritime Park and are working on long-term plans to make workforce housing part of the redevelopment of the former Baptist Hospital property.

ambitious for a city the size of Pensacola, but Reeves sees them as necessary to keep the city moving in the right direction.

“We’re in the Panhandle of Florida. We’ve got to punch above our weight class,” he said. “We’re not Orlando or Tampa or Miami. We can’t, you know, just sit back and feel sorry for ourselves. We have to be urgent about the things that we want to have happen.” ▪

↗ The Pensacola campus of the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition is being expanded with the addition of a $40 million IHMC research complex. The institute will support and accelerate healthspan, resilience and performance research including work on the long-term effects of traumatic brain injuries.

A Big Leap for IHMC

New facility will aid in human performance studies

story by MARTHA LAGUARDIA-KOTITE

Many people consider jumping out of a perfectly good airplane for the sheer thrill of the experience. Far fewer actually do so, for various reasons, fear of heights being chief among them.

For the 14,000 men and women who graduate from the U.S. Army Airborne School every year, standing in line to jump out of an aircraft becomes a mindset and a skill. In three weeks, the basic parachuting lessons taught at the Fort Benning, Georgia, school enable students to overcome fears, complete jumps from aircraft flying at altitudes over 1,200 feet and stand proudly in line for graduation and bragging rights.

While intensive training builds muscle memory that helps make proper, safe landings a regular occurrence, awkward jumps resulting in trauma to the body do occur. In fact, a significant number of students and paratroopers operating in the field suffer mild brain trauma like concussions and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

“A substantial number of students, approximately 25%, suffer from mild traumatic brain injury,” said Dr. Ken Ford, founder and CEO of the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) in Pensacola.

The U.S. Army, aware of IHMC’s expertise in pioneering technologies and leading studies aimed at leveraging and extending human capabilities, asked IHMC to study students at the school experiencing mTBI and hopefully find an approach to reducing long-term effects.

The study is an example of the kind of project that will be accomplished more effectively in a new $40 million IHMC research complex that is due to open this spring. It will be the fourth building on IHMC’s Pensacola campus, and it will support and accelerate healthspan, resilience and performance research. The new building

PHOTOS BY ANDY BELLINA

will house state-of-the-art labs and equipment expected to benefit and attract researchers.

IHMC, a not-for-profit research institute of the Florida University System, receives funding from a wide range of government and private sources. Research partners include NASA; the U.S. Navy, Army and Air Force; Raytheon; IBM; Boeing; and Microsoft.

The paratrooper research was conducted at Fort Benning and the main IHMC campus in Pensacola. It was one of many human performance projects in which IHMC’s faculty and staff collaborated with industry, academic and government research partners to develop science and technology to extend human performance and resilience.

Ford took on the challenge with principal investigator Dr. Morley Stone, who is IHMC’s chief strategic partnership officer, and a

large research team. Funded by the Department of Defense, their blind study’s focus was to understand how a ketone ester supplement might reduce the long-term effects of mild mTBI.

“We hope the intervention of a supplement like ketone ester will reduce the level of damage experienced after a blow to the head,” Ford said.

Ketones are chemicals naturally produced in the liver. A ketone ester benefits the human body in many ways including curbing carbohydrate cravings, increasing endurance, improving muscle recovery and enhancing cognitive function. Ford observed that studies have shown that elevated ketone levels induce an increase in a protein called brainderived neurotropic factor (BDNF), which supports existing neurons and helps grow new ones.

Dr. Gwen Bryan, a research scientist and lead for IHMC’s powered

exoskeleton research team, said the new research complex will be advantageous for many reasons.

“It fits right in between robotics and human performance,” Bryan said. “The robotic side is the hardware and the software that we use to develop suits

PHOTOS BY WILLIAM HOWELL / IHMC

↑ IHMC Research scientists use portable computational devices to collect data during training exercises. → IHMC research scientists Dr. Brady DeCouto and Dr. Toshiya Miyatsu configure wearable sensors that enable real-time data collection during training exercises. ↘ IHMC Research Coordinator Ashley Farose catalogs and organizes samples acquired during a Strategies to Augment Ketosis project.

that are trying to help humans. And, we need to know how they are affecting us.” She explained that her work includes physiological assessments to ensure that exoskeletons are functioning as intended.

To date, Bryan’s research area was a hodgepodge of biomechanics equipment set up in a robotics room — not a good human subject experimental area.

The space was distracting for participants who were measured and tested, taped up with sensors

and asked to move and bend while wearing an exoskeleton. There was no privacy. To determine that the suit was performing as intended, Bryan used motion capture cameras, measured muscle activity and applied metabolic sensors to participants.

“The new building will be awesome,” she said. “I can bring my devices together in one dedicated area. This will be helpful and offer privacy to our participants while we validate the exoskeleton.”

Positive thoughts bring positive results. On the Pensacola campus, plenty of positive thoughts spin and churn as scientists and leaders including Ford and Bryan push beyond norms, prod and measure, scan, test and analyze.

The new building will foster new rounds of creative solutions that will enable people to enjoy life and function with higher performance.

The fuselage door is open, and IHMC is taking the jump. ▪

The new building will be awesome. I can bring my devices together in one dedicated area. This will be helpful and offer privacy to our participants while we validate the exoskeleton.”

— DR. GWEN BRYAN, RESEARCH SCIENTIST AND LEAD FOR IHMC’S POWERED EXOSKELETON RESEARCH TEAM

↑ IHMC research scientist Dr. Gwen Bryan leads the exoskeleton team in testing the Quix Mobility Assistive Device. Vishnu Aishwaryan presses against the foot, as Owen Winship monitors the control software. Bryan, currently cramped for space, looks forward to a new research complex as a place where she will be able to have all her devices together in one dedicated area.

Lost Key Golf Club Renovates and Reimagines Grille 625

When planning a business lunch, you want a venue that hits all the marks — a palatepleasing menu, hospitable staff and a scenic atmosphere. Thanks to the grand reopening of Grille 625 at Lost Key Golf Club in Pensacola, your next company outing will exceed expectations.

The remodel, which was completed in February of 2024, included renovations to Grille 625, the lobby and the addition of the new Arnold Palmer dining room and conference rooms.

Grille 625, which has had many iterations throughout the years, has been updated to a more modern, sophisticated style.

White tablecloths make a fine dining statement in the comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. To help reduce noise, artistically designed acoustic panels don the restaurant’s walls, making meetings all the more enjoyable. Window views overlook the 18th hole and the pristine event lawn. On those ideal, temperate Northwest Florida days, dining on the porch is always a lovely option.

Where aesthetics have received a facelift, new menus equally enhance the experience. Grille 625 is now open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Burgers and sandwiches are still available in addition to new options including seafood, steak and pasta dishes. The lunch menu has daily specials, and there’s always room for homemade desserts.

The conference room contains a printer, fax machine, conference calling capabilities and screens for projecting.

“With our new improvements and additions, we hope to host many more corporate events from business meetings to team building to company luncheons,” said Amy Adams, general manager and marketing coordinator of Lost Key Golf Club.

Adams envisions a space where business associates can enjoy a quiet lunch with delicious food. Where companies play a teambuilding round of golf then head indoors to the conference room to host quarterly planning sessions.

In the evenings, charity benefits or banquets can be held. There are plans in place to host their own events such as Croquet on the Key and other engaging community endeavors. While the golf club and Grille 625 are located within a gated community, guests can simply indicate to the attendant where they are headed.

“From the servers to the pro shop staff, guests will experience great care and Southern hospitality,” said Adams.

Intriguing, Exciting Potential

Pensacola impresses economic development chief

story by STEVE BORNHOFT

Contemplating a move to Pensacola, Brian Hilson sought to discover how important economic development is to the city’s elected leadership, business community and the city’s residents, generally.

Does it really want to grow? Does it want to understand what its potential for growth might be? Is it prepared to do whatever may be required to responsibly realize that potential?

Hilson satisfied himself that the answer to each of those questions is “Yes.”

“What I learned — and this has been reinforced since I arrived here last August — is that economic development truly is a high priority in Pensacola and Escambia County,” Hilson said. “Virtually anyone you ask to be involved in some capacity is willing to do so. You can’t say that about every community.”

Hilson described the support of Mayor D.C. Reeves, Pensacola City Council members and Escambia County commissioners as “absolutely fantastic.”

“Everyone has high expectations, as they should, and if they didn’t, I wouldn’t be here,” Hilson said. “To do our best, we have to shoot high, and that’s what we’re

doing at the FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance.”

FloridaWest brings together public and private agencies, businesses, organizations and leaders in efforts to sustain and grow economic prosperity in its service area. Hilson is the alliance’s CEO, having succeeded Scott Luth, who is now the vice president for economic development and capital programs at Space Florida.

Hilson moved to Pensacola from Alabama, where he had been involved in economic development work since 1980 in roles including president/CEO at the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/ Madison County; president/CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance; and executive director of the Japan-America Society of Alabama.

He helped land whales such as Toyota and three Mercedes facilities ($2.3 billion

in investment, 2,700 jobs); the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology ($120 million in investment, 1,000 jobs); Raytheon ($75 million in investment, 300 jobs); and Amazon ($180 million in investment, 1,500 jobs).

In 2017, he was named one of the top 50 economic developers in the country by Consultant Connect.

“Most communities and states expect economic development to be a recruitment process targeting large businesses capable of transformational projects,” Hilson said. “They are important, of course. They command the headlines, they’re what people love to talk about and I’ve been fortunate to work on some of those.

“But equally important, if not more so, is taking care of existing companies, making sure that from an economic development perspective, we understand what they need and want. When they have opportunities to expand, we want that activity to occur locally.”

Established companies can serve economic development organizations as allies and sources of testimonials.

“Making them the top priority is just the right thing to do,” Hilson emphasized.

In addition to recruiting new employers and facilitating growth among established businesses, Hilson said the third leg of economic development is encouraging entrepreneurship, especially in Pensacola, in the technology sector at the CO:LAB incubator and elsewhere.

“There is no magic in economic development,” Hilson said. “You prepare well, you work hard, you compete and you just keep doing it over and over.”

Improving upon past performance is a worthy goal, Hilson said, but it can be helpful to avoid getting too hung up on your batting average. Never can an economic development organization control all of the factors involved in a relocation or expansion decision.

“I told my team on my first day that we were going to hit the ground running and do the right things and work hard,” Hilson said. “There are some organizations that are pretty good at perpetuating themselves and taking up space, and then there are others that actually move the ball. We’re gonna move the ball.

“My responsibilities lie in marketing, community relations with the board, steering the ship to make sure our activities are consistent with our strategies — it’s a lot of things.”

Hilson sees Pensacola’s potential as “intriguing and exciting” and similar to that of technology-rich Huntsville.

“One of the key strengths in Pensacola is the attractiveness of the community to technologists as a place to live and work,” Hilson said. “That, in turn, makes Pensacola attractive to tech-based companies. We have plenty of evidence of that among start-up companies, and we have companies that are looking to move here, both domestic and international.”

Companies with the flexibility and freedom to choose where they are going

to set up shop make site decisions driven, for the most part, by where they can attract and retain top talent, Hilson has found.

“They size up a community’s attractiveness based on availability of talent, training and education, cost of the workforce, spousal employment opportunities — all of those things count,” Hilson said.

“Pensacola is a place that many people had only previously visited, and now they are discovering that it’s also a great place to live, work and do business.”

And, said Hilson, it is part of a great region.

“The smart approach for really good economic development organizations is for them to work together,” Hilson said. “At Florida’s Great Northwest, (president/ CEO) Jennifer (Conoley) has quickly become a friend. I have never been one to get caught up in who gets the credit.

“We also have to be good neighbors. What happens in Escambia County is important to counties that surround us and vice versa. Our workforce is very fluid. It’s regional. The quality of schools and the nature of the workforce

↖↑ Brian Hilson departed Alabama to become CEO of the FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance. He views encouraging entrepreneurship as a big part of his job. In Pensacola, businesses often get their start at the alliance’s CO:LAB incubator and business accelerator, above.

photography by MIKE HAYTACK

in Santa Rosa County are important to employers in Escambia County.”

How’s business?

“We are good in some areas, light in others — a little light in some of the manufacturing projects that I would like to see us working, but we’re actually very strong with some of the tech companies,” Hilson said. “I have some near-term expectations with tech companies and some manufacturing projects that we’re working on. And longer-term expectations for those and other types of opportunities.”

For Hilson, economic development is essential and foundational.

“The key ingredient for advancing a community’s quality of life is economic prosperity, and that means having jobs that align well with what the local workforce is capable of and seeing, too, that the workforce evolves to meet the needs of businesses in the future.

“A good job that pays well and is a career opportunity is a lifeline to individuals and their families. It’s generational. What I’ve always liked about economic development is the responsibility to make a place better so that everyone benefits.” ▪

ESCAMBIA COUNTY COMMUNITY PROFILE

324,878

LABOR FORCE

TOP JOBS BY OCCUPATION

OFFICE/ADMIN SUPPORT

13.7% SALES 11.6% MANAGEMENT 9.35%

FOOD PREP/ SERVING 7.15%

EDUCATION/ LIBRARY 5.57%

LABOR FORCE

TOP INDUSTRIES BY JOBS HEALTH CARE

20,376 RETAIL

19,064

HOSPITALITY/ FOOD

13,385

EDUCATION

12,639

↑ Brian Hilson compares notes with Danita Andrews, the chief business development officer at the FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance. Hilson considers that he was fortunate to inherit a talented and well-connected staff at the alliance.

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Wheels on a Suitcase

Pensacola startup is converting garbage to energy

story by STEVE BORNHOFT

The U.S. military had a garbage problem. A coalition led by the United States was prosecuting the Gulf War, largely from forward operating bases in remote locations where there was no sane way to take out the trash.

Under the circumstances, U.S. forces dug big holes in the sand for use as burn pits.

“All the garbage that was generated by these FOBs (forward operating bases) went into the pits, and we poured jet fuel on it — what could possibly go wrong? — and we lighted the garbage on fire,” said Dave Robau, who was then a civilian Air Force employee located at Hurlburt Field. “Everything was getting burned — batteries, foam plastic, you name it.”

Personnel were exposed to noxious fumes. And, the plumes of black smoke that rose from the burn pits let the enemy know precisely where the infidels were located.

“The joint chiefs of staff came to my unit in the Air Force Special Operations Command and said, ‘We’ve got to fix this; we can’t have these burn pits anymore,’” Robau said.

Robau, as it happens, was engaged as the lead scientist on a project working to develop a plasma gasification waste-to-energy system capable of providing a safer, less detectable, way of disposing garbage while also serving as an off-the-grid source of electricity.

The “garbologist,” as the undersecretary of the Air Force would call him, got to work, building the plane, as is said, while flying it.

“The whole gasification plant fits inside of a Starbucks, but we had to place pieces, parts and equipment in shipping containers that could be loaded into a C-5 and flown to wherever they needed to go,” Robau said.

“Getting electricity into a combat zone is hellaciously expensive,” he pointed out. “Marines were providing a lot of support transporting fuel, and that put their lives at risk. Now, we had a solution to handle the garbage problem and also create energy for the AOR (area of responsibility).”

The Pentagon was thrilled.

Today, Robau is the co-founder, chief scientist and CEO at National Energy USA, a startup currently operating from space at the CO:LAB business incubator in Pensacola. In concert with technology partners, the business has active waste-to-fuels projects all over the world.

Robau is confident that, for his enterprise, the time is right. He just might be the garbage man that the world needs right now.

“We are at a crossroads where people are starting to pay attention to what we are doing with our garbage and also paying attention to how we are generating energy,” Robau said.

That concern was accelerated five years ago when China adopted its National Sword policy that halted its import of plastics and other materials.

“China had been the world’s dumpster, basically,” Robau said. “Everything was going to China. You put a plastic bottle in a recycling bin in Pensacola, and off to China it went. And the Chinese were just burning it for energy.”

With the arrival of an environmental renaissance like the one that occurred in the U.S. in the 1970s, China resolved not to be the world’s dumping ground anymore.

“Businesses were sending what was supposed to be recyclable material to China and instead it was often medical and other types of hazardous waste,” Robau said. “The Chinese government went to the World Trade Organization and said,

↑ Dave Robau, the co-founder, chief scientist and CEO at National Energy USA, uses a gasification system to reduce garbage (minus recyclables) into a nontoxic engineered fuel. His work has the potential to dramatically reduce the amount of solid waste reaching landfills.

‘We’re not taking any more waste.’ Literally overnight, you could see recycling facilities all over the world shut down.”

In the midst of an interview, Robau retrieved from a briefcase a pellet that looked like something an owl might upchuck, and explained National Energy USA’s waste-to-energy processes.

“This was garbage,” Robau said of the pellet, “predominantly food waste, and it might contain yard clippings, office paper, anything that is cellulosic. Now, it is an engineering fuel,” — one that can be used for domestic, peacetime purposes.

According to Robau, about 50% of what’s in a typical household garbage can be converted into an engineered fuel. The other 50%, in the main, can be returned as recyclables to “the circular economy that regenerates the supply chain.”

Robau likes to draw a parallel between his business and whoever it was who put wheels on a suitcase.

“He didn’t invent the suitcase, and he didn’t invent the wheel,” he said. “He just saw that they were two things that could go together. We bring disparate technologies together. We have front-end recycling components to isolate the biomass, and then we take the biomass and we sterilize it because there are all sorts of nasty things in your garbage stream — salmonella, blood-borne pathogens. We cook the garbage in a pressure cooker for about 22 minutes and at the end of that process, you

have a combustible fuel that can be burned to generate energy

“Garbage disposal and energy. We put the wheels on the suitcase.”

National Energy USA is fast discovering that its technology and processes have applications for privatesector businesses, municipalities and the world’s most famous theme park.

It is working with Disney World, which is striving to reduce to zero the amount of waste it delivers to landfills by 2030. It is working with the City of Key West, which has no space for landfills and frequently loses power when storms come out of the Caribbean and enter the Gulf of Mexico.

“Key West trucks its garbage to West Palm Beach,” Robau said. “It may cost them $100 a ton to do so. At National Energy, we might agree to take the garbage from where it is being generated for $90 a ton. We will process it and convert it to energy. To obtain financing, we can take our contract with Key West to our lending partner as evidence of reliable future revenues and borrow the money we need to build our plant.”

An early private-sector National Energy USA customer was Lehigh Cement in Vancouver. Cement-making produces a large carbon footprint and is not easily decarbonized. The heat required to make portland cement and component materials, including cement clinker, is so intense, Robau said, that Lehigh’s coal-fired plants generate nine tons of carbon emissions for every 10 tons of cement that is produced.

This was garbage, predominantly food waste, and it might contain yard clippings, office paper, anything that is cellulosic. Now, it is an engineering fuel.”

Lehigh was curious to try co-firing its operations with a mixture of coal and engineered fuel.

“They got a permit for a research and development project, and we sent them 800 tons of fuel from a demonstration plant in Tennessee,” Robau said. “For two weeks, they did a stack test. By using a blend of 60% coal and 40% of our fuel, greenhouse gas emissions drop by 22%. They were doing high fives.”

And Robau may have been inclined to jump for joy. In his mind, handling garbage and helping to decarbonize big polluting industries were adding up to a huge market opportunity.

Last October, National Energy USA won the $50,000 top prize in a pitch competition sponsored by ITEN WIRED, Florida Power & Light Co., Space Florida and TechFarms Capital.

“I am coming to you from the future,” Robau said in addressing the judges, channeling a certain DeLorean-piloting character from a familiar movie.

Afterward, one of the judges approached Robau.

“I want to have my picture made with you,” she said. “You are going to change the world.” ▪

— DAVE ROBAU , CO-FOUNDER, CHIEF SCIENTIST AND CEO AT NATIONAL ENERGY USA

photography by MIKE FENDER

A Trillion Here, a Trillion There

Expanding bureaucracy exacts a high price

I had just read a column written by the distinguished David Brooks, a member of the seemingly shrinking tribe of moderate conservatives, when it dawned on me that it was garbage day.

I wheeled my can to the street and noticed upon returning to the house that someone had left a letter on my stoop.

Brooks’ column, titled “Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts,” addressed the growing bureaucratization of American life. Growth always brings associated costs, but in this case, the total is staggering, Brooks finds.

He cites an article from the Harvard Business Review, written by two management consultants, Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini, who have calculated that expanding bureaucracy costs the U.S. economy more than $3 trillion annually.

Over a third of health care costs in the U.S. goes to administration, notes Brooks. The same trend has overtaken institutions of higher learning where admin employees are being added at rates that far exceed those for faculty hirings.

“It’s not only that growing bureaucracies cost a lot of money,” Brooks writes. “They also enervate American society. They redistribute power from workers to rule makers and in so doing, sap initiative, discretion, creativity and drive.”

We’ve all been up against people who are governed by rules rather than reason. Upon completing the requirements for a master’s degree in corporate and public communication at a leading university, I looked forward to receiving my diploma. Trouble was, half of my credits had been recorded by

a registrar at the school's main campus and the other half by her counterpart at the branch campus I attended. I made no progress toward assembling a complete transcript until I got my campus dean involved.

My problem had revolved around people who had enough power to make my life difficult but were without the discretion needed to clear up a simple snafu.

Problems develop, too, when rules or laws are promulgated without regard for enforcement. I recall a meeting of the Panama City Beach City Council held at a time when thong bathing suits were popular among women. City officials drafted an ordinance in exacting detail, prescribing the minimum number of square inches of fabric that the backside of a bikini bottom must have.

After the measure passed, I asked the city’s police chief about enforcement. Would he be issuing rulers and calculators to his patrol personnel?

The letter on my stoop had been misdelivered and then placed at my front door by the unintended recipient. It was from the management company that enforces homeowner’s association rules where I live, including Article V, Section 5.1, pertaining to Maintenance of Lots.

I had been cited regarding a tree planted by my subdivision’s developer in a grass strip that fronts my house. An oak tree, mind you, that as it grows will produce roots capable of buckling

concrete and asphalt and demand removal. I, meanwhile, was required to trim the tree because some of its branches were seen to “hang over the road or sidewalk” — by a matter of a few inches.

What would a town like Rosemary Beach or a city like Tallahassee be like if such a rule were in place in those communities? Will my street oak come to resemble a giant arborvitae in years to come?

Pity the dedicated employee whose job it is to ride around looking for unruly trees — or yard gnomes. (Yup, we have a rule against them, too. Giant plastic tortoise, good; gnome, no good.) Surely, that man or woman on the Petty Patrol would be far happier doing something that brings joy to people or makes their lives better.

Go carefully,

STEVE BORNHOFT, EDITOR, 850 MAGAZINE