850 Business Magazine- December/January 2015

Building on Their Success From making breakfast to changing oil, five local franchise founders share why expansion worked for their business

2015-16 TALLAHASSEE BUSINESS JOURNAL KEEP YOUR ‘OPEN DOOR’ POLICY HONEST IS BAY COUNTY’S AIRPORT A BOON OR A BUST? MEASURING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: IT CAN BE DONE

It’s no contest:

Grand Boulevard is the

p l a c e t o b e.

We present Exhibit A.

Left to Right: Sarah Carpenter, Robert Emmanuel, Shane Rowe

SHOP . DINE . PLAY . STAY

For over 100 years, the experienced lawyers of Emmanuel, Sheppard & Condon have provided legal services to individuals and institutions to become one of Northwest Florida’s pre-eminent law firms.

“Over the years, we have evolved into a regional firm serving clients throughout Northwest Florida. We have an increasing number of clients in the Miramar Beach / 30A / Destin area who we work with on variety of legal matters including real estate, land development law, personal injury, social security litigation, tax and estate planning.”

Robert Emmanuel, President, Shareholder and Director of Emmanuel Sheppard and Condon

Contact Dana Hahn, Vice President of Real Estate, at dana@howardgrp.com or 850-837-1886 ext.205 and see for yourself how having your business in Grand Boulevard is a grand experience in every sense.

#GrandBlvdFL

600 GRAND BOULEVARD, SUITE 203 | MIRAMAR BEACH | FLORIDA 32550 | GRANDBOULEVARD.COM A HOWARD GROUP | MERCHANTS RETAIL PARTNERS DEVELOPMENT 850 Business Magazine

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BRINGING TRUST AND TRADITION

to investing for generations

Terrell lee BeBouT Managing Director – Investments Senior PIM Portfolio Manager

Bruce r. roBerson, cFP®

Senior Vice President – Investments PIM Portfolio Manager

JosePh A. BlissiT, Jr. Senior Vice President – Investment Officer leslie Godwin Senior Client Associate Amy V. Perrin Registered Client Associate

We work hard to help build your wealth Investment Consulting | Retirement Planning | Financial Strategies Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Member SIPC

BeBout, RoBeRson & Blissit GRoup of Wells Fargo Advisors

3320 Thomasville Road, Suite 300 | Tallahassee, FL 32308 | 850-383-8153 | 866-648-3374 Toll-free Securities and Insurance Products: NOT INSURED BY FDIC OR ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY • MAY LOSE VALUE • NOT A DEPOSIT OF OR GUARANTEED BY A BANK OR ANY BANK AFFILIATE • Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Member SIPC, is a registered broker-dealer and a separate nonbank affi liate of Wells Fargo & Company. Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC 86453 0514-00842 4

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850businessmagazine.com

850 Magazine December 2015 – January 2016

IN THIS ISSUE

COUNTING JOBS Experts say there are ways to count how successful economic developers are in paving the way for new jobs in the region’s economy.

850 FEATURES 24

preading Homegrown Success Via S Franchise From Super Lube to Tropical Smoothie Café, a variety of Northwest Florida companies have made a name for themselves by translating an effective regional concept to the national marketplace. For their franchisees, the startups have been made easy and the profit margins are impressive. By Chay D. Baxley

32

Measuring Success Across the nation, economic developers are struggling with the question of how to measure their success in boosting local economies.

Can it be done? Some say that it is time to put metrics in place that will gauge successes and be meaningful to the public. By Linda Kleindienst

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850 Magazine December 2015 – January 2016

18 In Each Issue

10 13 14 83 98

From the Publisher From the Mailbag News and Numbers Sound Bytes The Last Word from the Editor

88

Special Section DEAL ESTATE

22 What’s selling and what’s hot to buy in the 850? Find out here.

Departments

Corridors

MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

BAY

16 Many companies claim to have an “open door” policy for workers to voice their opinions and suggestions. But often it’s just a smoke and mirrors effort to make employees feel happier.

88 The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport opened with great fanfare in 2010.

Is it fulfilling its promise?

HUMAN ELEMENT

FORGOTTEN COAST

18 The National Labor Relations Board is getting pickier about employee handbooks.

What is legal for employers to restrict? Be careful of your wording, or you could be violating federal regulations.

Building on Their Success From making breakfast to changing oil, five local franchise founders share why expansion worked for their business

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2015-16 TALLAHASSEE BUSINESS JOURNAL KEEP YOUR ‘OPEN DOOR’ POLICY HONEST IS BAY COUNTY’S AIRPORT A BOON OR A BUST? MEASURING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: IT CAN BE DONE

On the Cover: Ron Green, founder of Another Broken Egg, at Grand Boulevard in Miramar Beach.

Photo by Colleen Duffley Productions

DECEMBER 2015 – JANUARY 2016

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94 The old St. George Island Marina is going to be brought back to life — and locals are hoping it will be an economic boon for the island.

Special Report ALLAHASSEE BUSINESS JOURNAL Changes have been coming fast 35 Tand furious in Florida’s Capital City. What’s behind it? Find out where Tallahassee

850businessmagazine.com

and Leon County are on their journey to economic development success. Learn about the importance of angel investors, research and commercialization, Florida State University’s medical school, an international airport designation and the critical job of helping entrepreneurs succeed in a rapidly changing market place.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA BEACHES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

IN THIS ISSUE

We’ve built the largest and most extensive network of fiber optics this part of the country has ever seen, allowing businesses to connect with the world at record speeds. With infrastructure like this, the way you work will never be the same, and today won’t be the only thing you’re seizing.

We’re opening the future for businesses along the Gulf Coast. Join us at slfiber.com/tallahassee

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THIS IS

THAT place Where the kids had as much fun jumping into the waves as they did jumping into their bunk beds.

850 THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA

December 2015 – January 2016

Vol. 8, No. 2

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BRIAN E. ROWLAND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL SERVICES Steve Bornhoft EDITOR Linda Kleindienst SENIOR STAFF WRITER Jason Dehart STAFF WRITER Chay D. Baxley CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Laura Bradley, Tony Bridges, Rosanne Dunkelberger, Nicholas Farrell, Rochelle Koff, Rebecca Padgett, Brian Ray EDITORIAL INTERN Casey Feindt PRODUCTION SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan COPY EDITOR Barry Ray CREATIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lawrence Davidson PRODUCTION MANAGER/NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR Daniel Vitter SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Saige Roberts ART DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut PUBLICATION DESIGNERS Shruti Shah, Rebecca Sumerall ADVERTISING DESIGNER Jillian Fry CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Dave Barfield, Matt Burke, Lawrence Davidson, Colleen Duffley Productions, George K. Floyd, Scott Holstien, Bill Lax, Kay Meyer, Bruce Palmer, Kansas Pitts, Ray Stanyard SALES, MARKETING & EVENTS DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING McKenzie Burleigh Lohbeck DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS Daniel Parisi AD SERVICES COORDINATORS Tracy Mulligan, Lisa Sostre ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Bess Grasswick, Darla Harrison, Lori Magee, Rhonda Murray, Dan Parker, Will Patrick, Linda Powell, Paula Sconiers, Alice Watts, Brianna Webb SALES AND MARKETING ASSISTANT Christie Green EVENTS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR Leigha Inman OPERATIONS CORPORATE CLIENT LIAISON Sara Goldfarb STAFF ACCOUNTANT Robin Ballard ACCOUNTING SPECIALIST Paige Miller ADMINISTRATIVE AND HUMAN RESOURCE LIAISON Caryn Nelson RECEPTIONIST Lisa Snell

DIGITAL SERVICES DIGITAL SERVICES MANAGER Carlin Trammel DIGITAL SERVICES COORDINATORS Jennifer Ireland, Rebecca Padgett DIGITAL SERVICES PRODUCER Chelsea Moore 850 BUSINESS MAGAZINE 850businessmagazine.com, facebook.com/850bizmag, twitter.com/850bizmag, linkedin.com/company/850-business-magazine ROWLAND PUBLISHING rowlandpublishing.com SUBSCRIPTIONS A one-year (6 issues) subscription is $30. To purchase, call (850) 878-0554 or go online to 850businessmagazine.com. Single copies are $4.95 and may be purchased at Barnes & Noble in Tallahassee and at our Tallahassee office.

+1 877 705 6641 • info@HiltonSandestinBeach.com HiltonSandestinBeach.com #HiltonSandestin #ThatPlace

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850businessmagazine.com 6/15/2015 11:10:17 AM

850 Magazine is published bi-monthly by Rowland Publishing, Inc. 1932 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. 850/878-0554.

850 Magazine and Rowland Publishing, Inc. are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. Editorial contributions are welcomed and encouraged but will not be returned. 850 Magazine reserves the right to publish any letters to the editor. Copyright December 2015 850 Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Member of three Chambers of Commerce throughout the region.

file name: 2cl.hor.tag 2 color logo (horizontal application) This is not the standard format for the ESC logo and should only be used when necessary and applicable for a horizontal application.

your employment law team Color logo prints PMS 287 plus Cool Gray 8

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P R E V E N T I O N A N D L I TI GAT I O N S E RV I C E S FO R: Employment Discrimination ✦ Sexual Harassment ✦ Wage & Hour Family Medical Leave Act ✦ Employment Contracts and Non-Competition Agreements ✦ Workers’ Compensation

EMMANUEL SHEPPARD & CONDON

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A T TO R N E Y S A T L A W S I NC E 1913

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From the Publisher

Unbridled Optimism Freedom lovers’ confidence keeps tomorrows coming

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That success, too, is a function of the business climate in which we operate. Unless businesses generate earnings and invest some of that money in advertising, I’m in dire straits.

And that business climate results in large measure from the state that we call home and its policymakers.

Florida is doing well.

Our state’s private-sector job growth rate of 3.9 percent in June was the highest among the 10 most populous states in the country — including California and Texas — this, according to the state Department of Economic Opportunity.

That growth rate is much higher than the national rate of 2.5 percent.

A total of 265,200 jobs were created in Florida over the 12 months ending June 30 and the state’s unemployment rate stood at just 5.5 percent.

Now, some may want to say that “Florida” created those jobs and the state does play a role in leading businesses to land here.

But the majority of those paychecks resulted from business people and entrepreneurs taking big gulps and committing to expanding plants, growing distribution, adding a product line, devising a new revenue stream.

So, permit me to give a hearty shout-out to those two-at-a-time or five-at-a-time or 10-at-a-time job generators who truly are the backbone of the state’s and the nation’s economy.

And, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge my good fortune in living and working in Northwest Florida, a region characterized by both superior quality of life and an abundance opportunities for responsible and sustainable growth.

The 20-40 year future of Northwest Florida is so bright that I need sunglasses every time I look toward what is dawning. We are at the right place at the right time with foundational assets that will enable quality growth for many generations to come. You will only get as big as you think you can, so begin by thinking big.

Onward and upward in 2016. Keep the faith.

BRIAN ROWLAND browland@rowlandpublishing.com

PHOTO BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN

As I reflect on another year coming to a close, two realities — one very sobering and the other a cause for celebration — are at the top of my mind.

The first is the frightening, senseless and seemingly ceaseless disruption and fearmongering on the world stage.

The second, and it will be the primary focus of my remarks here, is the optimism and resilience of freedom-loving people here in the United States and elsewhere. Notwithstanding violence so abhorrent that it nearly defies comprehension, we have the confidence that light will triumph over darkness.

We bring children into this world, invest in homes, pursue college degrees, commit to relationships and build businesses, all given our unrelenting belief in tomorrow.

I relate especially closely to the leap of faith one takes when establishing a business, the calculated risks associated with expanding a business and the versatility and adaptability required to keep the doors open given today’s unprecedented rate of change.

I was amused to read a story written by a member of the Rowland Publishing team for publication in the Panama City Beach Visitor’s Guide, one of a growing number of client projects that RPI has been fortunate to take on in recent years.

The story concerned an Air Force veteran who retired from active duty after 28 years with a desire to become a self-employed businessman. He acquired a dilapidated old liquor store and converted it to a cheers bar where military veterans, especially, flock together.

The now-tavern owner earned a master’s degree in business administration while in the service, but he found that nothing really prepares you for entering the business world as an entrepreneur with 99 percent enthusiasm and 1 percent experience.

You just have to take the plunge.

I read that and thought back to the time when I purchased Tallahassee Magazine. I took some huge gulps back then but forged ahead and, thanks due to the many fine people who have worked for me through the years and work for me today, we have succeeded in growing a business from one man and his MacIntosh to an enterprise that employs 40 people.

OUR SITES ARE SET ON FLORIDA’S GROWTH. Gulf Power’s Florida First Sites program adds certified industrial sites and parks to Northwest Florida’s portfolio of competitive advantages.

McCallum Sweeney Consulting provides an objective analysis which minimizes risk, accelerates speed to market and gives companies the confidence to make Northwest Florida their prime choice for future growth.

For more information, contact Rick Byars, Community and Economic Development Manager for Gulf Power Company, at 850.444.6849 or crbyars@southernco.com.

FloridaFirstSites.com

OUR PROCESS “LISTEN, VISUALIZE, PLAN, EXECUTE, DELIVER” FORMED TO MEET THE LOCAL CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING NEEDS OF THE SOUTHEAST, OUR EXPERIENCED STAFF OF MULTIPLE ENGINEERS, DESIGNERS, TECHNICIANS AND SUPPORTING PERSONNEL PROVIDE PROMPT, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. OUR EXTENSIVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE HAVE MADE US UNIQUELY CAPABLE OF UNDERTAKING AND COMPLETING SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS FOR OUR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CLIENTS. CIVIL ENGINEERING | ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING | LAND PLANNING | RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT | COASTAL ENGINEERING | BRIDGES COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT | WATER, WASTEWATER & REUSE | TRANSPORTATION | REGULATORY PERMITTING | GRANTWRITING

3005 S. HIGHWAY 77, LYNN HAVEN, FLORIDA | PANHANDLEENGINEERING.COM | 850.763.5200 850 Business Magazine

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850businessmagazine.com Governor Rick Scott spoke at the Gulf Power Symposium on the progress of business in Florida over the past four years.

CURRENT ONLINE POLL

In the story Publicly Measuring Success, we discuss the creation of jobs through Economic Development Organizations. Taxpayers and investors often want to know exactly where their money is going and what it is funding.

Do you think there should be a uniform method for counting jobs created by EDOs? YES NO NOT SURE Visit 850businessmagazine. com/polls/ to participate in our newest poll.

GULF POWER SYMPOSIUM RECAP Big thoughts for the future of Northwest Florida were shared at the 2015 Gulf Power Economic Symposium on Oct. 11–13.

Attendees listened to speakers, networked, shared ideas and took part in workshops during this three-day event focusing on the future of Northwest Florida. Topics included ways to think bigger about businesses, marketing and development in the Northwest Florida region. Our recap blog will help you see the big picture of the Symposium. bit.ly/1LJgRvn

CALENDAR EVENTS

Want to be in on the business buzz? Want to network and make connections in your area? Visit our Events calendar to learn about meetings, greetings, speakers, workshops and luncheons in the 850 region.

Visit 850businessmagazine. com/calendar/ to see upcoming events now.

SIGN UP FOR BREAKING NEWS Want to know

the latest from 850 Business Magazine? Sign up for our e-newsletter and get updates about our website, video previews and additional offers.

850businessmagazine.com/Newsletter-Mailing-List/

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES

Flip Books: View this issue and past issues in a digital book format.

Archived Stories: Peruse our vast archive of articles.

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Twitter: @850BizMag Facebook: 850 – The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida Instagram: 850bizmag LinkedIn: 850 Business Magazine

850businessmagazine.com

Deal Estate: View the latest real estate deals and listings.

Blog: Read about local business events, happenings and gatherings through our up-to-date blog section.

PHOTO BY LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

CONNECT WITH US …

No matter what device or social medium, we want to be a resource for you. Find 850 Business Magazine in all the best spots. And be sure to join our group on LinkedIn and engage with other business professionals in the area.

FROM THE MAI LBAG From Left: Cecilia Homison Carmen Danielle Smith Simona Faroni Rebecca Pierson Amy Geiger Carol Carlan Dorothy ‘Dot’ Trotman-Ealy Robbie Ropella Lisa Walters Not Pictured: Augusta West

GOOD NEWS FOR SHOPPING LOCAL THE PRESIDENTS OF HIGHER LEARNING 2015 BAY COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL SAVING HISTORY, BOOSTING TOURISM

Pinnacle Awards

These Northwest Florida leaders have made outstanding contributions to the business world and their communities

LINDA, I WANT TO SAY what a great job you did on my article and the others (Meet the Pinnacle Award Winners, Oct/ Nov). I finally sat down at home and read the magazine from front to back. You are an incredible writer! I am humbled to be part of this great group of talented and accomplished women. Thank you.

I CONCUR with your

I JUST HAD A CHANCE

opinion offered in the Aug/Sep 2015 850 Magazine, “The Last Word.”

I would only add that most businessmen don’t wear ties on a regular basis in Florida’s 850. Wouldn’t the “perfect climate” not need a tie?

Had it not been for your article, I would have remained “tone deaf” about the logo.

to sit down and enjoy the Bay County profile you did in the latest 850 (Oct/Nov).

All I can say is WOW! The piece was excellent and really captured our synergies and energy in our economic development strategies.

Thank you for all you do to support Bay County and our region. Together, we are all making great things happen in Northwest Florida!

Sean McNeil, P.E. McNeil Carroll Engineering Inc. Panama City

Becca Hardin President, Bay Economic Development Alliance Panama City

Carol Carlan President, Sacred Heart Foundation Pensacola

Reaction to the Publisher’s Letter that ran in the October/November issue: I AM AN AVID READER of the 850 Business Magazine. I get it at my job.

I thank you for your sensitivity and your stance regarding the Confederate flag in Walton County and other locations (Publisher’s Letter, Oct/Nov).

This just adds more to my love for this well written and highly informative magazine.

God’s continued blessings to you, your magazine and all the special people connected/related one way or another with this magazine.

Have a wonderful week!

Brenda D. Sweet

A NOTE TO SAY KUDOS for taking the stand against the Walton Commission. I still marvel at how well your publications have evolved. You’ve really hit the home run.

John Mooshie Crawfordville

FEEDBACK GUIDELINES We welcome comments on our efforts and gladly will share them with our readers subject to a few guidelines. When submitting a letter for publication, please supply your full name, physical address, phone number and personal e-mail address. This information will help us verify authorship; it will not be shared with others or used for any commercial purpose. Letters, when published, will appear with the writer’s name and city of residence.

We reserve the right to edit letters and to shorten them for space.

Submit letters via e-mail to letters@rowlandpublishing.com or mail them to: Feedback Rowland Publishing 1932 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308

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Executive Mindset

Business Arena NEWS AND NUMBERS

Tourism Spurs Job Growth

Florida’s tourism records keep getting broken and that success can be felt across the state, even in the growth of non-tourism industries. Here are some eye-opening statistics from Florida TaxWatch and Visit Florida: ln 2014, Florida welcomed

NEARLY

50%

98.9 MILLION VISITORS, who spent a total of

$73 BILLION.

of the jobs that come from the state’s investment in attracting visitors are created in non-tourism industry sectors, such as health care and transportation.

The tourism industry employs

MORE THAN ONE IN 10 U.S. visitors comes to Florida from New York state.

1.2 MILLION WORKERS.

TOURISM RELATED JOBS IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA BY COUNTY (2014): Bay......................13,335 Calhoun.................... 146 Escambia.............16,768 Franklin.....................741 Gadsden...................692 Gulf...........................366 Holmes.....................230 Jackson.................1,435 Jefferson.................. 185 Leon.................... 16,295 Liberty........................ 83 Madison.................... 373 Okaloosa.............13,975 Santa Rosa........... 5,027 Taylor.......................532 Wakulla....................599 Walton.................. 6,230 Washington..............588

Chart Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2014 Annual Averages

(A 4.8 percent increase over 2014.)

1.6 MILLION

4.2 MILLION — the number of Canadian visitors to Florida in 2014. (In number of international visitors, Brazil and the United Kingdom tied for second, each sending 1.6 MILLION.)

$74 MILLION — Visit Florida’s budget to attract tourists.

85 VISITORS

will support one new job.

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Tourists generate

23%

of Florida’s sales tax revenue — the major funding source for the state budget.

850businessmagazine.com

4.2 MILLION 1.6 MILLION

Reaching a milestone of 100 MILLION VISITORS would create 121,298 JOBS — only 50.7 PERCENT of which would be in the tourism industry — with an average salary of $43,751.75. (The state had 54.1 MILLION VISITORS in the first six months of 2015 — a 5.8 PERCENT increase over the first six months of 2014.)

FLORIDA'S MONEY MEN

YOUR STAFFING SOLUTION

Thirty-five Florida billionaires are on the 34th annual Forbes 400 ranking of the richest Americans:

Rank

Name

Final Worth, B$

33

Thomas Peterffy

13.500

60

Micky Arison

7.700

84

Shahid Khan

5.600

90

Charles Johnson

5.300

94

Randal Kirk

5.000

94

Dirk Ziff

5.000

129

Phillip Frost

4.300

135

Reinhold Schmieding

4.100

138

Terrence Pegula

4.000

145

Isaac Perlmutter

3.900

149

J. Christopher Reyes

3.800

149

Jude Reyes

3.800

164

George Lindemann

3.600

164

Igor Olenicoff

3.600

164

Robert Rich

3.600

171

Jorge Perez

3.500

182

Russ Weiner

3.400

194

Edward DeBartolo

3.300

194

Jeff Greene

3.300

227

Wilbur Ross

2.900

234

Richard Schulze

2.800

246

Edward Lampert

2.700

256

H. Wayne Huizenga

2.600

256

William Wrigley

2.600

268

Bharat Desai

2.500

293

Tom Golisano

2.300

307

John Henry

2.200

307

William Koch

2.200

327

S. Daniel Abraham

2.100

342

Norman Braman

2.000

342

James France

2.000

358

Ronald Wanek

1.900

372

James Clark

1.850

375

Kenneth Feld

1.800

392

Christopher Cline

1.700

Information Technology State & Local Government Accounting | Management Banking & Finance Professional Office Legal | Medical Sales & Marketing Graphic Design

LISA GEARHEART 850.559.7051 | lisa@capitalstaffing.com

Computer Support & IT Solutions in Northwest Florida • • • •

Network design & support Security auditing Virtualization & cloud consulting Flat-fee support options

Delivering on the Promise of Technology 4014 Commons Dr. West, Suite 122, Destin crcdatatech.com | (850) 654-7262

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Executive Mindset

Management Strategies OPENING COMMUNICATIONS WITH EMPLOYEES

The Door is Always Open —

Or is It? Establishing a Comfort Level with Employees is Important to Resolve Workplace Issues BY BRIAN RAY

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U

nfortunately, it is evident in today’s business climate that the majority of managers and executives have lost a significant portion of not only their listening skills but their interpersonal relationship skills when it comes to engaging employees.

Ironically, across the corporate world these days, many companies have the walls of their respective locations decorated with various positive statements regarding how upstanding their values are, that their employees matter and that communication is encouraged.

In particular, many companies now claim to have an “open door” policy when it comes to issue resolution and/or the presentation

of ideas. However, in many cases this policy exists on a superficial level only, with the sad truth being that many of these so-called “empowering” programs are merely an exercise of smoke and mirrors to make the working environment appear better than it actually is.

No matter what industry the company happens to be a part of, everyone who has ever worked within the corporate environment can cite multiple examples in which a manager or other leader has been utterly unapproachable, for myriad reasons. These can include the manager’s inflated ego, lack of empathy or even a lack of awareness.

So, quite bluntly, if the employees don’t find their managers approachable, then it doesn’t matter how “open” a company policy claims to be, because it won’t be utilized by the people it is designed to help.

Remedying this type of situation can be difficult, as it requires addressing and correcting the very dynamic that permeates the atmosphere of the workplace involved, calling for a high level of determination and strength of character.

Now, let’s take a look at a few of the major components of this issue:

THE ONGOING DENIAL The first thing to be done is to confront the denial from leadership that the problem actually exists. Without that action, any subsequent attempt at honest communication becomes nothing more than an exercise in futility. Their denial is just another

manifestation of the collective corporate ego, in that those at the upper levels of leadership simply refuse to believe there is anything wrong with how they or their peers behave. This is due to the fact that subconsciously, many of them feel that being a manager/leader/executive automatically gives them free reign to act in whatever manner they want.

Subsequently, the mindset of those in charge ultimately becomes “Those problems don’t happen at this company!” when, in reality, they happen every day.

THE EVER-PRESENT HYPOCRISY Another major component of this issue is the hypocritical scenario that is generated day-to-day in the workplace.

Employees constantly see the barrage of “feel good” memos and corporate policies regarding open communication without fear of repercussion, yet they know from experience that this is not the case and the policy is really only an illusion.

This then brings the collective sense to the work force that leadership is completely out of touch with the reality of the situation (which of course, they are), hence the hypocrisy of the policy within the environment.

Subsequently, this further damages the confidence that the work force has in leadership.

THE COST OF SILENCE Failure to report problems and pursue corrective actions can lead to a vast array of repercussions for a company.

These can include: ■ P oor employee performance because of the constant stress of unresolved issues.

■ F earfulness on the part of the work force to even mention, let alone address, problems.

■ L oss of talented staff members when they reach their breaking point and resign because of the strain of unresolved problems, combined with a tense environment.

Every professional who has been in business for even a short length of time has witnessed at least one of these scenarios. This is certainly not an effective business environment at all.

MOVING FORWARD There is the old saying that “actions have consequences.” But this statement needs to be modernized to include the fact that lack of action also has consequences.

This means that corporate leaders need to realize that they must back up their words and policies with deeds.

Any attempt to correct a situation like this must include honest input from employees as to why they feel the manager or managers in question are unapproachable. This can start the dialogue on the path of getting to effective resolutions and a deeper understanding for everyone involved.

Finally, remember that real leaders must be prepared to deal with the truth of the situations that arise and not brush the problems aside or deny their existence — even if it is something that they don’t want to hear.

Brian Ray is a business and management consultant who has worked with several of the largest companies in the world on multiple projects and assignments. These companies include General Motors, Hewlett-Packard and Delphi. Ray has also taught multiple subjects and classes in the corporate environment and has been the creator of many reference, training and process documents/manuals.

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Executive Mindset

Human Element PROTECTING YOUR WORKERS’ RIGHTS

Handling Your

EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK Your employee handbook is your first impression on new hires. But is yours sending an unsavory, or even unlawful, message?

BY LAURA BRADLEY

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A

n employee handbook is, in many ways, a new employee’s first introduction to a company.

But what if elements of that handbook that are making a first impression on your new worker are also illegal?

In March, following an onslaught of complaints against various companies’ handbooks — and a 2014 settlement with Wendy’s International over an unfair labor practice charge brought on by unlawful employee-handbook rules — Richard F. Griffin, general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, issued a memorandum urging all employers to review their own handbooks. While unlawfully phrased rules are often well intentioned, many times they are too vague — and can be seen as prohibiting employees from exercising their rights, including discussion of wages and working conditions, that are protected by Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. “Whether they work for a unionized company or not, the National Labor Relations Act protects employees who want to join together to improve their wages and working conditions,” says Linda Bond Edwards, an attorney with Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell in Tallahassee. “When there are policies or practices that tend to chill those rights, the National Labor Relations Board can step in and require employers to change the language.”

According to Edwards, the growth of social media brought the NLRB’s attention to non-unionized workplaces as employees began posting about their workplaces on social media.

“As that information got back to the employers, (they) began to make decisions about that employee’s conduct,” she says. “And it caught the attention of the National Labor Relations Board, and they started to get a lot more involved.”

So should you call up your lawyer and give your handbook an overhaul? Here’s the three-prong test:  Could an employee reasonably construe any of the language in your handbook as prohibiting Section 7-protected activity?  Were any of your rules written in response to Section 7-protected activity?  Were any of your rules applied to restrict the exercise of rights provided under Section 7?

Handbooks commonly fail on the first prong: They contain rules that employees could reasonably interpret as working against their right to discuss and explore ways in which they would like their workplaces to improve, and what measures they could take to bring those improvements to life.

Many sections of your handbook could be problematic, including discussions of confidentiality, conflict-of-interest rules and how employees should communicate with supervisors, one another and third parties. Here, section by section, is a break-down of do’s and don’ts.

CONFIDENTIALITY Make sure none of your company’s confidentiality rules prevent employees from discussing their terms of employment with one another, as well as with third parties — such as union representatives. The right to discuss wages, hours and workplace complaints is protected. Handbooks should not specifically prohibit discussion of these topics, or include rules that imply such a prohibition.

When saying employees should not discuss “confidential,” “employee” or “personnel” information, put it in context. For example, prohibiting “unauthorized disclosure of business secrets or other confidential information” is a lawful wording since it clarifies “confidential information” and does not make reference to employees’ terms and conditions of employment.

EMPLOYEE CONDUCT TOWARD THE EMPLOYER This section should avoid language that — explicitly or implicitly — prohibits employees from criticizing or protesting their employer’s policies or treatment, privately or publicly. Instead of banning “disrespectful” behavior, employers should call for their employees to act professionally when interacting with coworkers, customers, third parties, etc. Language that encourages courtesy instead of respect achieves the same goal without implying that employees must revere rather than criticize their place of work. These rules, it should be noted, do not protect insubordination or employees who disparage the employer’s product, rather than its labor policies.

EMPLOYEE CONDUCT TOWARD FELLOW EMPLOYEES Wording in these sections should not deter employees from having lively, even heated, debates about their terms of employment, labor policies, unions, etc. The memorandum points to anti-harassment rules as a place where broad language threatens to be misinterpreted as banning “vigorous debate or intemperate comments regarding Section 7-protected subjects.”

In addition, banning disparaging remarks about company employees can be seen as unlawful, since supervisors and managers are also “company employees” whom employees

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may criticize in the context of bettering the workplace and its policies. Even a rule that prohibits sending “unwanted, offensive or inappropriate” emails can be unlawfully broad, as this could encompass Section 7-protected emails. A better, more specific approach would ban threats, intimidation and coercion — or specifically ban “harassment” of fellow employees, racial slurs, etc.

EMPLOYEE INTERACTION WITH THIRD PARTIES Make sure none of your rules — especially company media policies — prevent employees from communicating with third parties about terms of employment.

Lawful policies can prohibit employees from speaking on the company’s behalf while still allowing them to speak for themselves when approached by the media and third parties about Section 7-related matters.

USE OF COMPANY LOGOS, COPYRIGHTS, TRADEMARKS Protecting copyright holders’ material is important, but company logos can fairly be used for protest materials such as picket signs. Avoid blanket bans on use of the company logo in general and on social media, and opt instead toward encouraging fair use and compliance with copyright laws when considering use of the company logo.

RULES RESTRICTING PHOTOGRAPHY AND RECORDING In support of Section 7-protected activity, such as documenting unfair labor practices, employees have a right to make recordings of their workplaces outside of work time (e.g. on breaks). When banning recording and photography, be specific as to what recordings are prohibited, and why: for example, when they breach patient or client privacy.

RULES RESTRICTING EMPLOYEES FROM LEAVING WORK Language prohibiting employees from leaving work should not prohibit them from striking. Avoid the use of words such as “strikes,” “walkouts” and “disruptions,” which could describe employees leaving their posts for the purpose of protest.

CONFLICT-OFINTEREST RULES It’s far too vague to simply tell employees not to engage in any action that’s not in their employer’s best interest. This could be interpreted as prohibiting strikes and other actions aimed at improving the workplace and terms of employment.

Be specific about what is prohibited in context of the company — for example, outside employment with a competitor, or promising or providing competitors with “anything of value.”

To download and read the memorandum in full, visit http://goo.gl/Gqt74w

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DEAL ESTATE

THE NAUMANN GROUP REAL ESTATE INC.

Just Sold

A Showroom Is Ready for Its Next Act

By Rebecca Padgett

West Tennessee Street, frequented by students, state employees and countless others, is one of the busiest in Tallahassee. The artery is traveled by some 45,000 cars a day, making commercial property along its length highly desirable. Location, together with parcel size and price, was a big factor in the sale recently of the former Saturn dealership and service center at 2412 W. Tennessee St. Positioned at the lighted intersection of White Drive and the always bustling Tennessee, the property is just a stone’s throw away from the newly built Forum and Woodlands apartment complexes and is nestled between Florida State University and Tallahassee Community College.

The building, constructed in 1995, once included a showroom, eight service stalls, executive-style offices

and a break room. The site covers 6.15 acres, is accessed by three ingress/egress points and features great signage visibility, both from the intersection and at the main entrance.

While vacant, the building was vandalized, necessitating extensive repairs. The structure was stripped of all copper and wiring.

The buyer was seeking a property with potential for a mixed-use development, including retail spaces and multi-family dwellings.

“This property was one of the most difficult in my 20 years in real estate to sell. This sale took over two years to complete. Both the seller and I are very relieved to have completed this transaction, and I wish the new owner the best in their new venture,” said broker associate Brian Messer. n

Quick Look Address: 2412 W. Tennessee St., Tallahassee List Price: $1,899,000 Sales Price: $1,650,000 Square Feet: 16,500 Contact: Brian Messer, The Naumann Group Real Estate Inc., (850) 933-6587

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DEAL ESTATE Just Listed

An Office With a View

By Rebecca Padgett

Job satisfaction results in part from the work environment. Ensconced in an office with a waterfront view and luxury amenities, you might find yourself never wanting to leave.

Two Class A office units located on the second floor of a multi-use condo development in the heart of downtown Pensacola are available as part of an investment sale. The building is four stories total. The first two stories comprise commercial space and the additional two floors feature luxury condominiums.

The two office suites overlook Plaza de Luna, Palafox Pier, Pier Marina and the Pensacola Bay. These units are large, measuring 5,037 and 5,423 square feet in size.

If a view from the window isn’t enough, step out on to the wraparound balcony to enjoy the salt air and refreshing sea breeze. The suites include waterfront offices, a conference room, an open area of cubicles, a reception area, a copy room and a break room. Both private and

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common restrooms are available on this floor.

These offices are currently tenant occupied. Demand for space in this development is high. There has been no lapse in rent between tenants in recent years. Building expenses and financial information are available upon request.

“This is likely the most beautiful office space with the most incredible 270 degree water view in Pensacola. It’s 100 percent occupied and is a rare find with plenty of parking at the pole position on Palafox Street in the robust downtown environment,” said senior advisor Rodney Sutton of Sperry Van Ness/Southland Commercial Real Estate. n

Quick Look Address: 890 S. Palafox St., Pensacola List Price: $2,675,000 Square Feet: 10,460 Contact: Rodney Sutton, Sperry Van Ness/Southland Commercial Real Estate, (850) 429-8640

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23

HOMEGROWN FRANCHISES FAMED FRANCHISES INCLUDING SUPER-LUBE AND TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFÉ HAVE FOUND A LAUNCH PAD IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA BY CHAY D. BAXLEY

D

eveloping a business model from the ground up is a relentless task for even the most seasoned entrepreneur. For business-minded individuals willing to invest more up front, the reward of buying into a successful franchise can be substantial.

In Northwest Florida, many homegrown franchises have flourished. A quick tally of franchisers across the Panhandle proves that the region’s hospitality industry is second to none. A variety of culinary establishments selling the region’s signature brand of Southern fusion food and drink are popping up in all 50 states.

But the area’s successes don’t stop there.

Businesses in a variety of industries across Northwest Florida have made a name for themselves by translating an effective regional concept to the national marketplace. For their franchisees, that’s made for easy startups and impressive profit margins.

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HOMES&LAND INC. THE REAL ESTATE MARKET was booming in the early 1970s when Jerry Lundquist, founder of Homes&Land and Tallahassee Magazine, had his epiphany.

The idea was to offer the real estate industry the complete marketing package. Taking an entirely fresh approach to real estate advertising, Lundquist plotted to bring the latest listings

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOMES&LAND INC.

directly to potential buyers, with free magazines conveniently situated in the community’s most trafficked areas.

Ten years later, Homes&Land was quickly spreading across the country as the first national network of real estate magazines. And investors had started to notice.

“In 1984, Jerry decided to franchise,” recalled Rob Wicker, vice president of sales and marketing and a 17-year veteran of the company. “He thought correctly that it would be the fastest way to grow, to find entrepreneurs in different communities across the United States.”

Today, the brand has a hold in nearly every state and across Canada. At the height of the real estate bubble, Homes&Land produced 275 unique versions of the magazine every month.

» INDUSTRY: REAL ESTATE » ESTABLISHED: 1973 » HEADQUARTERS: TALLAHASSEE » FIRST LOCATION: TALLAHASSEE » FRANCHISES TO DATE: 220 » TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 70

It’s a number they hope to see again soon.

“The real estate recession hit the company hard,” Wicker said. “But we’re starting to grow again. We have 220 franchise locations now. In the next five years, we should exceed 275.”

Homes&Land currently publishes 27 million magazines a year. Though the brand was purchased in the summer of 2014 by New Point Media Group, the company’s headquarters still remain in Tallahassee.

According to Wicker, that’s been a sound business decision.

“We’ve recruited over the years many top employees who were Florida State graduates,” Wicker said. “There’s a work ethic in Northwest Florida that I really think the company has benefited from.”

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ANOTHER BROKEN EGG IF THERE’S ONE THING RON GREEN has come to know over the past decade or two, it’s that all diners are not created equal.

As a restaurateur and franchiser, Green, the founder of Another Broken Egg, has established himself across the country as a foodie force to be reckoned with.

His brand is based on a few simple ingredients: fresh food, local flavor, a relaxed but upscale atmosphere and unmatched service.

It’s a recipe that’s served him well thus far. By 2018, the brand is slated to have more than 100 locations.

“I think you can tell the strength of a franchise business by who buys its franchises,” Green said. “We’ve never really advertised. It’s all word of mouth. People have come to us.

What we have seen more than anything else in the last five years is that people who have bought into the system are rebuying.”

While multiple ownerships are among the brand’s latest trends, expanding into entirely new regions is another example of positive growth that has the company as well as its franchisees excited for what’s ahead.

“We think we’ll open between 22 and 25 (restaurants) a year starting in about another year and a half,” Green said. “We just recently hired a director for franchise sales. I think that’s going to stimulate us even more. Plus we have several restaurants waiting to open.

We just sold 12 locations in San Diego. We’re also seeking new franchises in the Northeast, the Midwest and even further, in California.”

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» INDUSTRY: HOSPITALITY » ESTABLISHED: 1996 » HEADQUARTERS: DESTIN » FIRST LOCATION: MEADVILLE, LOUISIANA » STORES TO DATE: 52 » TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 1,500

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PHOTO BY COLLEEN DUFFLEY PRODUCTIONS

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANOTHER BROKEN EGG

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANOTHER BROKEN EGG

SUPER-LUBE STARTING UP A QUICK-LUBE COMPANY might seem like an odd side gig for three esteemed Florida State University professors.

But in the late 1970s, the business plan for Super-Lube was revolutionary.

“The professors inside FSU got together and were doing a marketing plan,” said Tom Chambasian, the current president of SuperLube and the company’s managing partner, “and they ended up liking the quick-lube industry. They started their first store right around 1980.”

Cornering the market in Tallahassee was priority No. 1. The trio saturated Florida’s capital city with 24 locations, later adding another 50 in neighboring towns and states.

By 2006, John Lewis, the last original investor to maintain his hold on the company, sold the remaining storefronts and trademark to Chambasian and his partners.

“We own a lot of locations in Tallahassee, Florida. And that is only because the founders overbuilt the city to keep all the competition out, which was a great thing,” Chambasian said.

“We own more locations than Capital City Bank, and more than McDonalds or Taco Bell.

We’re the largest little independent retail business in Tallahassee for multi-units.”

Soon after Chambasian became CEO, he began franchising Super-Lube. Though the brand has grown the company’s footprint more than anything else, potential franchisees in new territories have been invited to invest. Eight franchise locations have been opened to date.

“Super-Lube has been established and running for 30-something years,” Chambasian said. “It has a good plan and a good name behind it, plus longevity. That definitely shows the strength of the operation.”

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» INDUSTRY: AUTOMOTIVE » ESTABLISHED: 1980 » HEADQUARTERS: TALLAHASSEE » FIRST LOCATION: ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS » STORES TO DATE: 60 » TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 400

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PO FOLKS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUPER-LUBE AND POFOLKS

PO FOLKS HAS BEEN A HOUSEHOLD NAME since the mid-1970s, when twangy countrymusic legend Bill Anderson helped to catapult the brand into stardom. At one point, the trademark had a hold on more than 100 locations.

After the originating company and then its successor declared bankruptcy, Peter Sostheim, owner of Vittles Companies Inc., purchased the rights to the franchise in 1996. Though initially established in South Carolina, the restaurants have been based in Panama City since their former owner and operator, Bill Hall, brought the brand to Florida’s Gulf Coast in 1985. Today, the company is thriving.

“It’s been a banner year,” said Linda Hoffman, marketing director at Vittles Companies Inc.

» INDUSTRY: HOSPITALITY » ESTABLISHED: 1975 » HEADQUARTERS: PANAMA CITY » FIRST LOCATION: ANDERSON, SOUTH CAROLINA » STORES TO DATE: 8 » TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 350

With menu items ranging from “Off the Hook” seafood to “Blue Ribbon Chicken Dinners,” the PoFolks brand operates firmly in the realm of comfort food. Guests are encouraged to raise their sweet tea-filled Mason jars to a simpler, more delicious way of life while they enjoy recipes that haven’t changed much since the chain’s conception.

“Bill Anderson’s involvement in itself indicates PoFolks’ country flair,” Hoffman said. “PoFolks just has such a uniqueness of throwback country. That’s what people like about it.”

Sostheim has seven locations in the 850 area code and beyond. One franchisee is currently operating in Saint Petersburg, Florida.

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TROPICAL SMOOTHIE MAYBE IT WAS THE TROPICAL temperatures or the cool beach-town vibe of Destin that first inspired Eric Jenrich and David Walker to put their blenders where their fruit was. Whatever the motive, in 1997 their love for the puréed prompted them to open the doors to Tropical Smoothie, the area’s first mom-and-pop smoothie shop.

Being tasty and healthful were the primary objectives. Back then, the smoothie-only shack was a novelty that boasted 28 variations — a concept that beach-goers couldn’t get enough of.

A year after the flagship store opened, Sam Osborne, now the company’s area developer, opened the first franchise location in Tallahassee. By 1999, the franchise added “Café” to its name along with an assortment of menu items that take diners from breakfast all the way to late-night treats.

“Opening up in Northwest Florida when we did back in the late 1990s, smoothies were an unknown,” Osborne explained. “There wasn’t any saturation at the time. By opening up here, we were really quick to penetrate all of the markets that we went into, whether it was Tallahassee or Jacksonville or Orlando.”

On the trendy West coast of the country, smoothies were already a popular refreshment. But along the nation’s more traditional Eastern Seaboard, Tropical Smoothie Café was a flavor breakthrough. Today, the company is quickly approaching 500 locations.

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» INDUSTRY: HOSPITALITY » ESTABLISHED: 1997 » HEADQUARTERS: ATLANTA » FIRST LOCATION: DESTIN » STORES TO DATE: 448 » TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 6,720

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFÉ

TOP 10 REASONS TO PURCHASE INTO A FRANCHISE 1. Investing in a tried and true business model is a safer bet than going it alone.

2. Vetted franchises provide investors with exclusive territory rights.

3. Positive brand recognition within the community is priceless for a new business.

4. Leasing and build-out decisions are largely taken care of.

5. Menus, manuals and company standards are already established.

6. Initial staff training is provided.

7. Strategic marketing plans are available and can be tailored to particular markets.

8. Routine brand freshening is expected and provided by corporate.

9. A knowledgeable support system for advice and brainstorming is on-call.

10. The possibility of growth and multiple locations is encouraged.

“It’s evolved into so much more now,” Osborne said. “It’s much more streamlined. The resources that we have are so much better.

Things that we only dreamed of ever having in the first few years, it’s just day-to-day business for us now.”

In 2012, the founders sold the majority of their shares as franchisers to Atlanta-based BIP Capital. Since the sale, Tropical Smoothie Café has been headquartered in the Big Peach.

Along with Osborne, former CEO Eric Jenrich has recently launched a new-to-market concept called Island Wing Company. n

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PUBLICLY MEASURING SUCCESS MORE NATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EXPERTS ARE CALLING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY BY LINDA KLEINDIENST

E

conomic development organizations across Northwest Florida spend millions of taxpayer and private investor dollars each year to boost their local economy, helping companies remain in business or expand, attracting new businesses to the area and priming the pump for entrepreneurs seeking to enter the market.

But there is no crystal-clear answer on what taxpayers and private companies are getting for their investments.

In 2014, a study titled “Putting High Performance Economic Development Into Practice: A Guide for Economic Development Leaders and Their Boards” was prepared by Atlas Advertising, an economic development marketing and technology firm that is a partner with the International Economic Development Council. The study posed these questions, which sum up the issue: “If you are a sprinter, and you can run a 10 second 100-meter dash, you are world class. If you are an accountant, however, what metric should you use to show that you are world class?

“The (economic development) profession suffers from the same issue that accountants have: How do we know when a staff person, an organization or a community is performing well? Is it just our gut feeling? Is it seeing progress in our communities in the form of new construction, healthy schools and low unemployment?”

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Counting Jobs When asked how many jobs they have created through their expenditure of private and public tax dollars, the numbers handed out by local economic development organizations (EDOs) vary widely depending on how the jobs are counted — and over what time period.

Earlier this year, in the April/May issue, 850 Magazine examined how a handful of EDOs in Northwest Florida are counting new jobs and spending their money

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to attract new business or help local companies expand. The method of counting varied from county to county.

Economic developers in the region contend it’s difficult, if not nearly impossible, to accurately measure each EDO’s impact.

In the June/July issue of 850, Florida’s Great Northwest CEO Larry Sassano wrote in a guest column that there is “no magic formula for measuring the success of landing a new or expanded deal in a community,” although he added that EDOs “could

look at a set of metrics that focus on their mission, their functions and the resources they have available to them.”

So how is the public — not to mention the private companies that invest heavily in these organizations — expected to gauge how a county or a region is faring in the realm of job development?

Two Tallahassee experts — Dale Weeks, a Tallahassee-based consultant, and Julie Harrington, director of Florida State University’s Center for Economic Forecasting and Analysis — believe it can be done using performance measurements. And they’ve proposed development of a more structured, systematic and systems-wide solution to measure progress in entrepreneur ecosystems.

“Economic development organizations use a traditional approach where they choose target industries and put out some incentives. But how do you measure success? You have to have a vision and a goal, such as saying four years from now we’ll have 40 new businesses,” says Weeks, who is president of the Global Leadership and Benchmarking Association and an expert on developing and implementing benchmark performance measures. “If you have the commitment and leadership to do it, you can come up with a small number of measurements and go with it.”

The data to measure success, he added, is available. The EDOs just need to get it.

“They don’t know where to get it, so now they just muddle along,” he says.

Time for Accountability A 2011 study by Matthew Fisher & Associates analyzed available literature on performance measurement designed to help guide economic developers looking to establish their own metrics. The conclusion: “Economic developers have not done a good job of producing realistic performance metrics over the years. Our profession has now reached a level of maturity where this issue needs to be addressed.”

The solution, the study added, depends in part on a plan with strategic objectives, focusing “on the handful of issues or opportunities that will have the greatest long term impact on the local economy” and identifying from the outset what indicators will be used to measure progress.

The International Economic Development Council has been working for several years on establishing the metrics that many in the industry believe is needed.

“What got me started pursuing a national metric standard was the need to increase

the public, private and nonprofit sectors to our relevance to stakeholders and the combetter manage growth, focus investment, set munities we serve,” says Tim Chase, former strategic priorities and act more quickly in president of the Greater Wichita Economic areas requiring cross-sector collaboration.

Development Coalition, who took the lead Among the areas being monitored in the on the IEDC’s effort. “Business as usual is 16 counties: venture capital investment, not an option, and the IEDC’s metric project employment, educational attainment of local gives the profession a structure on which we workers, average weekly wage, companies can build the next generation of economic surviving five years or longer, development programming.” percent of jobs that are familyOf course, the success of an THE AVERAGE sustaining, patents issued, air EDO is based on what the local ECONOMIC quality and crime rates. community wants and what it DEVELOPMENT “The new dashboard is a defines as success — a very subORGANIZATION, huge part of working together jective proposition.

2013–2014 as a region,” said Michael Lang“The use of job creation as the  Median Staff ley, CEO of the Greater MSP, measure of EDO effectiveness Size — 2 to 3 when the dashboard was unbegs exploration of understand Average Website veiled. “These shared metrics ing who is getting the jobs and Visits — 27,063 will help us gauge our region’s what kind of jobs they are —  Average Jobs strengths and weaknesses as with job quality typically meaAnnounced — we continue to coordinate our sured in terms of annual wag2,444 efforts for a prosperous future.” es,” says Dale Brill, founder of  Median Budget — $250,000 The Florida Scorecard mainThinkspot (an economic think to $999,000 tained by the Florida Chamber tank), who is former president  Number of Foundation offers much of the of the Florida Chamber FoundaCompanies same statewide information. tion and former director of the Served — 219 The public website (flchamber.

Governor’s Office of Tourism,  Average Capital com/foundation/the-floridaTrade and Economic DevelopInvestment scorecard) contains data on ment under Gov. Charlie Crist.

Announced — $280 Million metrics such as workforce and “The answer to this question is worker education that help almost always answered from Source: “Putting High compare Florida to other states. a political perspective — and Performance Economic Development Into Practice: Ben Pingree, who in August EDOs are cogs in the political A Guide for Economic became the executive vice presmachine.”

Development Leaders and Their Boards,” Atlas Advertising ident of the Economic DevelopBrill also notes that economic ment Council of Tallahassee/ development is a long-term Leon County, has embarked on proposition and EDOs are not a project to bring some of the same informaable to leverage their communities out of tion to the forefront in Leon County. the sometimes disastrous effects of a na“We have data for each of the key areas tional recession. that gauge economic vitality,” he says. Some “Business cycles and the recessions that of those areas are workforce, talent, the cost come with them are impervious to the tools of doing business in the region, land values of a local EDO,” he says. “They are nearly and prices, commercial growth, available impotent.” incentive programs, quality-of-life measurements, economic productivity data and preKeeping the Public Informed eminent educational institutions.

In June of this year, the Greater MSP (Min“With that data and as our partners colneapolis-St. Paul Regional Economic Devellate data in their areas, we’ll be able to reopment Partnership of 16 counties) took view in real time how well we’re doing in the first step toward total transparency and the community compared to others,” Pinkeeping the local community abreast of gree adds. “And it sets the foundation of what is happening in the region. how we can leverage those strengths and Local economic development leaders said attributes that are unique to Tallahassee to the Regional Indicators Dashboard, now part grow even higher economic success. Our of the Greater MSP website, was designed to goal is to create a dashboard and have an upbetter the region’s economic competitiveness date of these metrics, which will be updated and build a path toward the future. The on a quarterly basis.” dashboard is a set of shared metrics that will track the region’s overall success in terms of critical economic, environmental Jason Dehart contributed to this report. and social outcomes, enabling leaders in 850 Business Magazine

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Walton Monk and Paul Watts, CEO Electronet Broadband Communications

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TALLAHASSEE 2015–16 BUSINESS JOURNAL

AN 850 BUSINESS MAGAZINE SPECIAL REPORT

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Tallahassee legislators make crucial decisions that affect Florida businesses for years to come. Gunster attorneys and consultants know how to maximize their long-term relationships with government representatives to get results for their clients. They understand the technicalities of the process, the regulatory issues and how to shepherd key legislation. Their public and private sector backgrounds combine to deliver impactful and effective advocacy in Tallahassee. With 12 Florida offices, Gunster is statewide and state wise.

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/ 5

TABLE OF CONTENTS

45 PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BRIAN E. ROWLAND EDITORIAL

DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL SERVICES Steve Bornhoft EDITOR Linda Kleindienst SENIOR STAFF WRITER Jason Dehart STAFF WRITER Chay D. Baxley PRODUCTION SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan CREATIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lawrence Davidson PRODUCTION MANAGER/NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR Daniel Vitter ART DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut ADVERTISING DESIGNER Jillian Fry SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING McKenzie Burleigh Lohbeck DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS Daniel Parisi AD SERVICES COORDINATOR Lisa Sostre ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Bess Grasswick, Darla Harrison, Lori Magee, Rhonda Murray, Will Patrick, Dan Parker, Linda Powell, Paula Sconiers, Alice Watts, Brianna Webb SALES AND MARKETING ASSISTANT Christie Green

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6 / 2015–16 TA L L A H A S S E E B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

10 The Journey

When it comes to economic development, where has Tallahassee been and where is it going? What sparked the change?

15 Angel Investors

They don’t have wings but they do have money ready to lift the dreams of enterprising entrepreneurs.

18 Growth in Numbers

A look at how Tallahassee has grown in population, jobs and buying power.

21 Entrepreneurism

The Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/ Leon County is focused on keeping and growing local businesses.

24 Syn-Tech

This local business has a yearly revenue of $36 million and produces a fuel management system serving nearly 6,000 clients.

28 Research and the Economy Research at

Florida State University attracts more than $200 million in support from federal sources, private foundations and state agencies — and often leads to development of new companies.

33 Made in Tallahassee

Celebrating home-made success stories, one company at a time.

37 FSU Medical School

Florida State University is changing the face of medical care in North Florida, an important tool in economic development.

41 Airport

With its new “international” designation, Tallahassee’s airport is open to the world’s passengers and cargo.

45 T ourism

Tallahassee has enjoyed six consecutive years of record-breaking tourism.

Artist rendering of what the Arena District will look like.

COVER RENDERING BY © 2015 SASAKI ASSOCIATES, INC.

PHOTOS BY DAVE BARFIELD (MAGLAB) AND KANSAS PITTS (FOOTBALL)

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FUTU RE OF TALL AHASSEE

WE’VE COME A LONG WAY An explosion of economic development is quickly transforming Tallahassee and Leon County

By Linda Kleindienst and Jason Dehart

10 / 2015–16 TA L L A H A S S E E B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

PHOTOS BY DAVE BARFIELD (MAGLAB) AND MATT BURKE (HOMISON)

B

en Pingree was born in Tallahassee and remembers the way it used to be. Long before Gaines Street began its transformation, long before CollegeTown was a twinkling in some developer’s eye, long before anyone even considered a concept known as Cascades Park or Innovation Park or the Mag Lab. Today, he (Top) Ilya Litvak, a can’t conceal his research assistant excitement over at the National the transformaHigh Magnetic Field Laboratory, checks a tion of his town probe on a powerful and county.

Nuclear Magnetic “I have seen Resonance magnet.

(Bottom) MagLab, the changes in the largest and terms of economic highest powered development and magnet lab in the world, at night. quality of life. It’s happening!” says Pingree, who in August took over as executive vice president of the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County (EDC). “This job at this time is really thrilling. You really get the sense we’re in a great place, we’re on the verge of something in terms of private investment and private economic development that is different than anything I’ve seen in my lifetime.”

Indeed, Tallahassee and Leon County have come a long way.

Among the catalysts for economic growth have been the research and development

efforts of Florida State University, Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College. The Mag Lab alone has had a $250 million impact. Startup companies from Domi Station, the county’s first business incubator, have generated $3 million in revenue. The 1,000 acres surrounding Tallahassee International Airport are being evaluated for development opportunities. New economic endeavors range from small startup companies to international businesses. Plans are in the works for a new arena district.

Nearly everywhere one looks, there is development and growth. The urban core and the population are growing. The population of the Tallahassee area is 284,000, which is a 3.1 percent increase over the last four years and a more than 20 percent increase since 2000. And signs of the county’s growing economic prosperity can especially be seen spreading east and further north.

Over the past 20 years, the city’s commercial property values have increased by 118 percent to nearly $2.4 billion, and the number of commercial parcels has jumped from 2,613 to 4,067. And while Tallahassee was once known primarily as a government town, 52 percent of the area’s economy is now driven by private enterprise while government’s influence has dropped to 32 percent. The gross domestic product in the four-county region dominated by Leon County went from $13.4 billion in 2010 to $14.2 billion in 2014, with $9.3 billion of that coming from private industry.

“We’re on a long-term journey,” says Jim Murdaugh, president of Tallahassee Community College who served the past two years as chairman of the EDC. “But look at how far we’ve come. The key word is stability.

We are in the first stages of the next growth.”

Looking ahead, First Commerce Credit Union CEO Cecilia Homison, the new EDC chair for the coming two years, wants to focus on taking note of the region’s assets, finding ways to keep new FSU and FAMU graduates in town, retaining companies and helping them expand by assisting them in understanding what local help is available to them.

“The EDC will continue to elevate its game,” she told those who attended the EDC’s annual meeting. “This is a team effort.

We need to provide results.”

THE GAME CHANGER In November 2014, Leon County voters agreed to extend a penny sales tax past 2019 and set aside 12 percent of the funds for economic development projects. There is a potential for the money to result in more than 8,000 new jobs with a positive economic impact of $1.1 billion.

While the term “game changer” may have been a bit overused, Stewart Proctor, principle of Structure Commercial Real Estate and Property Management, says it’s an appropriate description of the sales tax extension vote and the community’s commitment to promoting economic development.

“It could have an extremely positive impact,” he said. “There’s no doubt it was an excellent decision the voters made to approve that. (Game changer) sums up the opportunity, for sure.”

Steve Evans was chair of the county’s 18-member sales tax committee that recommended the 12 percent of revenues raised from the tax be set aside for 20 years to foster economic development projects — a fairly new concept that is expected to result in about $90 million.

“What we’ve done is to really begin identifying the economic vitality and the opportunity we have ahead of us in a way we never had in the past,” Evans says. “The good news is (the sales tax debate) created a lot of enthusiasm in the community, focus.”

year-old company became the first startup to receive funding ($500,000) from members of the Tallahassee chapter of the Florida Angel Nexus, a statewide network of angel investors seeking to invest in high-growth ventures.

NewSci was clearly a great investment opportunity due to its seasoned management team and large market opportunity, explains Matt Johnson, a Nexus founding member.

He adds that NewSci’s successful seed round is indicative of the changing investor culture in and around Tallahassee. “This is a milestone moment for startups and angel investors in the Tallahassee community,” Johnson says. “Already we are seeing more local startups attracting local investment, which is critical to the long-term growth and vitality of the economy.”

FUTURE DIRECTION During her two-year term, Homison wants the EDC to focus on helping the area’s entrepreneurial community while fostering research and commercialization of locally produced products. When looking to recruit new companies to move to the area, she knows that many will want to locate near where research is being performed that is relevant to their products.

“We need to take inventory of our assets and maybe contract with a site selector,” she says. “We also know that new graduates are approaching the workforce differently.

“The EDC will continue to elevate its game. This is a team effort. We need to provide results.” — Cecilia Homison, New Economic Development Council Chair and First Commerce Credit Union CEO

Not only is a new economic energy in the region, there is also a new focus on bringing investment dollars into the community.

“Given we’re the third largest state, it’s not right how little money is invested here,” laments David Lawon, co-founder and CEO of NewSci, provider of Insight-as-a-Service to the education, health care and social sectors.

But that changed in August, when the two-

They’re looking for an incubator like Domi.

We need to look at what’s in place.”

She is also setting up a task force of entrepreneurs to help the EDC craft a pipeline of support for entrepreneurial efforts and wants to see the EDC of Tallahassee/ Leon County accredited by the International Economic Development Council, which only three other Florida counties

2015–16 TA L L A H A S S E E B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

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have managed to achieve — The Beacon Council (Miami-Dade County’s Economic Development Partnership), the Economic Development Board of Palm Beach County and the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission.

Evans suggests that the region get better at celebrating the victories it does have but adds that community leaders are now recognizing the need to look to the future, not focus on problems of the past.

“What they’re all now recognizing is what it needs to be, and how are we going to get there,” he says. “I’m a great believer in the field of dreams. You first create a high vitality infrastructure that focuses on identifying skills and strengths, developing an economic engine that can fund where appropriate. You start creating that kind of environment, that kind of visibility within the community and the outside world will find you.”

Pingree agrees the county needs to take stock of “how we market ourselves to the world” and, along with Homison, talks of the need to provide the community and outsiders with the technical data, to be updated quarterly and publicly displayed, that shows where the county’s job market and economy is headed.

“Part of our job is marketing about economic vitality,” he says. “We do believe we are world class in certain areas. We are an All American City. We’re on the cusp of being an all American city for business, especially in research, health care and IT. And we’re going to go market the heck out of it.

“If you say to a private investor that we’ve got a great area for development, come look at it, that’s one conversation,” he adds. “If you tell the same investor we’ve also created TIF (tax increment financing) districts and put tens of millions of dollars into public improvements and we have beautiful green space, an exceptional quality of life, a highly trained workforce and low cost of doing business, now you’re really getting somebody’s attention.”

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14 / 2015–16 TA L L A H A S S E E B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

ANGEL N EXUS

ANGELS WHO OPEN WALLETS Local investors work to keep Tallahassee’s economy growing

By Rosanne Dunkelberger

NEWSCI The first company

D

espite the heavenly sounding name, members of the newly created Florida Angel Nexus of Tallahassee use their checkbooks and connections instead of harps and halos to aid Florida and locally based startup companies in their quest for all-important seed money to fund their growth.

Conceived by a seasoned investor and a professor at the University of Central Florida, the original Florida Angel Nexus launched in January 2013. Since its inception, 17 companies — all based in Florida — have gotten seed funding totaling $3.6 million via a process NEXUS Director Blaire Martin calls “eHarmony meets ‘Shark Tank.’”

NEXUS isn’t a fund; any money given to a startup comes directly from accredited individual investors.

“We’re all about linking … We’re matchmakers,” Martin said. “We identify what the roadblocks are to getting the deal done (and are the) invisible hand that helps with the roadblock and connection.”

While NEXUS was getting its start in Orlando, Matt Johnson, Jason Stamm and other investors in Tallahassee were separately looking for a way to easily find and connect with entrepreneurs to fund their startup businesses.

“The problem historically is not that there’s a lack of capital in Tallahassee or in North Florida. The problem is that it hasn’t been visible to entrepreneurs who are seeking funding,” said Johnson. “We wanted to bring angel investing to Tallahassee but didn’t know how we were really going to do that. I thought (it would) be great to build on what NEXUS had already started and plug into their existing infrastructure.”

The Tallahassee group decided to become the Florida Angel Nexus’ first offshoot and held its first bimonthly meeting this past June. By August, members had fully funded $500,000 in seed money for NewSci, a locally based startup technology firm.

Since then, they have provided funds to two other

that’s seed money was fully funded by NEXUS Tallahassee wants to bring big data and cognitive computing to the education, health care and nonprofit sector with the help of IBM’s Watson.

Co-founder and Tallahassee resident David Lawson breaks down what his company, NewSci, will be doing once it’s up and running.

Organizations in all those sectors already have “all kinds of information,” in different — and often not easily accessible — places.

“Using Watson and cognitive computing we can all begin to make sense of it,” he said.

“We’re trying to help organizations make insight-driven decisions to be more efficient (and) more effective.”

NewSci will use the $500,000 invested in it to build a sales team and to expand its work with IBM Watson cognitive applications.

Lawson is also a partner in Domi Station, Tallahassee’s business incubator for entrepreneurs. He said Florida State University, Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College make Tallahassee a uniquely suitable home for tech startups like NewSci. “We feel Tallahassee has the talent pool and can attract the kind of talent for a knowledge company,” he said. “We definitely want to build strong relationships with the universities and colleges in town.”

— Rosanne Dunkelberger

2015–16 TA L L A H A S S E E B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

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startups, one started in Tallahassee and another from St. Petersburg using technology created at Florida State University. With angel investment activity going on in other regions of Florida — including Jacksonville, Tampa/ St. Petersburg and the Space Coast — the statewide organization expects other chapters to come aboard in the nottoo-distant future.

Here’s how the process works: A founder goes to the NEXUS website and fills out a short form. If the business concept sounds promising, the entrepreneur fills out a more extensive application to complete a full profile of the company. The NEXUS board of directors vets the applications and selects the top applicants to make presentations.

Tallahassee’s NEXUS group listens to two presentations during its meetings. “They usually run about 15 minutes followed by 15 minutes of Q&A and open discussion. We like to have one home-grown Tallahassee company and then bring in one from outside Tallahassee — but always in the state of Florida. It’s critical for keeping small business and early stage startup companies in the state,” Johnson explained. “If they need funding and they can’t secure it here, they’re going to go outside of the state. So someone from California, or Boston or Texas or Atlanta, they’re going to supply the capital, they’re going to make the investment, they’re going to reap the benefits of any returns and possibly move the company out of Florida.”

While entrepreneurs and the state benefit from the funding of angels, Johnson said investors’ motives aren’t necessarily saintly. “Just like stocks, bonds, cash and real estate, early stage investing is an asset class. You want to get in early, get in often, diversify your portfolio into many different sectors and just trust that if you’re doing enough due diligence and you’re investing in the right people, something is going to take off, something is going to become big and it’s going to return a healthy profit. There are no guarantees, but you play by those rules and it increases your odds of success.”

Such investments are inherently risky and a particular type of business tends to attract seed money.

“We’re looking for that big, big, home run, grand slam return, and that only comes from highly scalable, hypergrowth companies, usually in technology software and Webbased businesses that can grow and scale very, very rapidly so that someone in their market acquires them,” Johnson said.

The idea, he explained, is to “invest early in a hyper-growth company that — sooner rather than later — is acquired or IPO’d, providing liquidity for your investment so you’re paid back a multiple on your original investment.”

WANT TO JOIN NEXUS TALLAHASSEE? Because the angel method of raising capital usually involves selling securities, NEXUS requires all members to be investors accredited by the SEC, a process that certifies a person’s net worth and/or income.

Dues are $750 annually. Potential members are invited to attend meetings before joining. For more information, visit floridaangelnexus. com/investors or email info@floridaangelnexus.com.

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DEMOGR APH ICS

TOTAL LEON COUNTY POPULATION Population Estimates and Projections

350,000 300,000 250,000

271,111

282,736

291,096

304,600 311,200

323,800

2021 PROJECTED EMPLOYMENT 335,800

All Occupations:

Management:

159,426 (in 2013)

6,564 (in 2013)

174,041

6,905

249,424

200,000 150,000 100,000

Source: UF Bureau of Economic & Business Research

50,000 0

FLORIDA’S STATE CAPITAL: DRIVEN BY BUSINESS!

2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035

n Tallahassee MSA n Unincorporated Leon County

Source: U.S. Dept of Commerce, University of Florida, Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Dept

16% FASTEST GROWING INDUSTRIES INDUSTRY Rank

EMPLOYMENT

Title

2014

2014–2022 CHANGE

2022

Total

Percent

2

Nursing and Residential Care Facilities

2,363

2,929

566

24.0

3

Ambulatory Health Care Services

6,284

7,709

1,425

22.7

8

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

10,263

11,904

1,641

16.0

52%

32%

9

Hospitals

5,581

6,391

810

14.5

n Private Enterprise n Government n Other

13

Truck Transportation

327

368

41

12.5

Source: UF Bureau of Economic & Business Research

15

Support Activities for Transportation

178

198

20

11.2

Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Labor Market Statistics

Our area has added

INDUSTRY Rank

EMPLOYMENT

Title

2014–2022 CHANGE

2014

2022

Total

Percent

3

Ambulatory Health Care Services

6,284

7,709

1,425

22.7

6

Hospitals

5,581

6,391

810

14.5

9

Nursing and Residential Care Facilities

2,363

2,929

566

24.0

Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Labor Market Statistics

JOBS 9,000 NEW Our unemployment rate has DECREASED

36%

Our median family income has RISEN TO

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT (LEON COUNTY, 2013)

13%

ABOVE STATE AVERAGE

$

Parcel values have 25.30% 8.70%

18.90%

19.30%

6.20% 19.60%

2%

n Less than 9th grade n 9th to 12th grade, no diploma n High school graduate n Some college, no degree n Associate’s degree n Bachelor’s degree n Graduate or professional degree Source: Tallahassee/Leon County Planning Dept; UF Bureau of Economic & Business Research

18 / 2015–16 TA L L A H A S S E E B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

INCREASED

7%

TO OVER

$23B

IN TOTAL VALUE

44%

of our residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher

INFORMATION COURTESY OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL OF TALLAHASSEE/LEON COUNTY

INDUSTRIES GAINING MOST NEW JOBS

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RAISE THE TORCH for Florida State University

Florida State University fosters a unique environment of innovation and discovery, of creativity and the entrepreneurial spirit. But these characteristics are not just found in our classrooms or libraries, they live in our community and beyond.

Raise the Torch: The Campaign for Florida State will help us reach even greater heights. This $1 billion campaign will allow the University to improve the student experience, serve as an economic engine for the state through research and job creation, and improve the quality of life for society as a whole.

Join us today at raisethetorch.fsu.edu 20 / 2015–16 TA L L A H A S S E E B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

Your support of this campaign will encourage our students and faculty to dream big and help them excel both in and out of the classroom. Whether your gift supports academic programs or student scholarships, you can help us Raise the Torch for our campus and, ultimately, our community.

ENTREPREN EU RISM

KEEPING TALENT AT HOME

PHOTO COURTESY OF ENTREPRENEURIAL EXCELLENCE PROGRAM AND MARK POWELL

Working with startups and entrepreneurs is a focus of Economic Development Council By Linda Kleindienst

F

or two months they gather together to learn how to build a strong business, how to handle finances and legal affairs, how to best present their product to potential investors and then sell and market it.

In the past five years, 115 local business teams have participated in the Entrepreneurial Excellence Program run by the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County — a nine-class course designed to help the region hold on to its homegrown talent and ideas and help them have success. The program utilizes local business professionals with expertise in a wide range of needed skills and experiences in areas such as legal, marketing, sales, team building and financing.

A recent survey of EEP graduates revealed that 70 percent of the respondents said they were still actively in business, 20 percent said they had not yet started their business idea or have chosen not to start it and 10 percent said they had started their business but then decided to shut it down. Another interesting

fact: EEP companies currently have over 170 employees and anticipate having more than 500 on the payroll in three years’ time.

Recent graduates include GrassLands Brewery, which was named the Chamber Larry Lynch, who of Commerce runs the Entrepreneurial Excellence startup business of Program, works the year in 2014, with budding and HWind Scienentrepreneurs and gives them access tific Inc., a real-time to mentors and hurricane w ind startup resources in ana lysis system the community. recently acquired by Risk Management Solutions, the world leader in risk modeling.

“I am grateful to the EEP program for giving me the opportunity to learn from a community of successful business people and for providing access to a wealth of startup resources,” says Mark Powell of HWind Scientific.

Steve Evans sits on the board of directors of the Jim Moran Institute of Global Entrepreneurship at Florida State University and is a judge on the panel that listens to the final business presentations of those who participate in each EEP program, giving guidance on where

“I am grateful to the EEP program for giving me the opportunity to learn from a community of successful business people and for providing access to a wealth of startup resources.” — Mark Powell, HWind Scientific 2015–16 TA L L A H A S S E E B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

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to go next. “The results have been dramatic,” he says. “You sit back and listen to these men and women and they’re from all over. The variety of companies goes all over the board.”

The program is run by Larry Lynch, a 30-year veteran of IBM who joined Florida State University to work with the Office of Intellectual Properties and Commercialization before moving to the EDC in 2010.

“By matching teams with incredible passion and great new business ideas with existing business leaders in our community who have valuable business and life experiences and a strong desire to share those gifts, EEP has created a recipe that will shape the economic business ecosystem for a stronger, more diverse economic landscape,” says Lynch.

Aaron Milner of J+M Inc. is one of the graduates who says the EEP program gave critical guidance in development of his business.

“Particularly we were able to identify what our competitive advantage in the marketplace is, as well as the importance of measuring BREAKDOWN our marketing program for effectiveOF COMPANIES ATTENDING ness. Each night (session) was relevant EEP - CLASSES 1–9 to the problems we face as entrepre(CLASS 10 KICKED neurs, and we learned a wealth of valuOFF IN OCTOBER): able information from all the speakers » Number of and staff,” he explains. “We witnessed Businesses the benefit of the program in real time Attending EEP Class: 102 as our classmates adjusted their orig» Number of inal ideas according to the insight they Businesses obtained throughout the course.” headed by White Males: 44 (43%) Whether it is working with one » Number of of the local business executives who Businesses participates in EEP, or being a part of headed by White a business incubation center like Domi Females: 23 Station, EEP graduates continue to (23%) be a part of the Tallahassee entrepre» Number of Businesses neurial family, a long-term commitheaded by Black ment by the EDC to the ultimate Males: 17 (17%) success of the newly formed business » Number of ventures that have come through the Businesses headed by Black program. This kind of a long-term Females: 11 relationship with new startup commu(11%) nity members also allows the county to » Number of more accurately judge success rates and Businesses decide what should be done to accelheaded by Asian/ Hispanic Males: erate success.

6 (6%) “We have had teams from all walks of life and backgrounds. They include many FSU/FAMU-based research professors who are working to commercialize their efforts inside the labs of their universities. They include brand new college grads who have decided they want to make Tallahassee their home and start new businesses that will allow that to happen. And it includes members of our community who for one reason or another found that their current careers were not the ones they wanted for a lifetime.”

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Jason Dehart contributed to this report.

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SYN-TECH

ON THE CUTTING EDGE Tallahassee’s Syn-Tech Systems serves clients worldwide with its fuel management technology By Rochelle Koff

W

hen you go to the gas station, chances are you pull up to the pump, push a few buttons and wait for the fuel to flow. You likely take that whole process for granted. Unless you’re Douglas Dunlap.

The 67-year-old Tallahassee native and Florida State University alumnus heads a multimillion-dollar company called SynTech Systems that provides the software that makes the pumps work at thousands of fueling stations worldwide, mostly for government agencies, the military and some private-sector businesses.

“We don’t make the gas pump itself,” said Dunlap, president and CEO of the Tallahassee engineering and manufacturing company. “We design and build specialized computers that control the gas pump.”

And those computers are “very sophisticated,” he added.

Dunlap grabs a small green computer board loaded with gizmos.

“It takes 25,000 lines of computer code for this small piece of hardware,” he said. “In every line of computer code that’s written, there is an opportunity for error. There are 25,000 potential problems. Every line has to be right.”

Syn-Tech, with a yearly revenue of about $36 million, has been getting it right for more than three decades. The company produces a fuel management system serving nearly 6,000 clients worldwide, operating 2.6 million vehicles on a daily basis.

The firm’s clients include the City of Tallahassee, Leon County and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office; private-sector companies such as The Boeing Company, Ford Motor Company and McLane Trucking; and 29 state departments of transportation, including Florida’s.

Syn-Tech also provides fueling services to the entire U.S. Department of Defense at

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650 locations around the globe for ground fuels and aircraft fueling operations at all Air Force bases. And the firm is a contractor with the Department of Homeland Security, along the nation’s southern border.

While its reach is worldwide, Syn-Tech is not a household name in Tallahassee — except to business insiders and government officials who know the importance of having a major engineering and manufacturing firm in the region.

In February, Syn-Tech was the second company featured in the new monthly “Made in Tally” campaign created by the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County. The award was designed to highlight local companies selling products globally.

“Syn-Tech is a hidden gem on the south side of Tallahassee,” said Ben Pingree, the council’s executive vice president, who also noted the firm’s “diverse talent ranges from production assembly all the way to design and engineering.”

Added Dunlap, “We have a much greater local impact than you would expect from a 185-person company.”

Syn-Tech has a multimillion-dollar contract with TeligentEMS, a Havana, Florida, circuit board supplier, for instance.

And the firm has a sizeable payroll. The average wage at Syn-Tech is about $67,000, compared to $41,111, the annual average wage in 2014 for all industries in Leon County (including the private sector and government), according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The 2014 average annual wage for private-sector industries in Leon County was $38,175.

Of Syn-Tech’s 185 employees, 59 are engineers who work on the quiet second floor of the building, dreaming up, researching and developing new concepts and products. The company designs, manufactures, markets and

services its Fuel Master unit and hundreds of related products.

Syn-Tech has garnered local accolades from the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, which named it Technology & Innovation Business of the Year in 2014 and Manufacturing Business of the Year in 2012.

The company was also recognized as one of Florida’s Best Companies to work for in the August 2010 issue of Florida Trend magazine.

Syn-Tech’s roots stretch back to 1970, when it was the Wayne Colony Company

PHOTO BY BRUCE PALMER

Michael Boccio, an assembly technician at Syn-Tech, works on the fuel management system that serves nearly 6,000 clients around the world.

specializing in defense contracts. The firm built the ammunition loader for the Air Force’s A-10 planes.

When Dunlap and David Oglesby took over the company in 1989, about 80 percent of the firm’s business stemmed from military contracts for mechanical munitions handling equipment — ammunition loaders, bomb loaders and munitions processing, primarily for the Air Force, Dunlap said.

Now, only about 5 percent of Syn-Tech’s business involves manufacturing munitions

and loading equipment. The company doesn’t manufacture bullets or explosives.

“We don’t handle those devices (weapons).

They’re not here, and we don’t want them here,” he said.

The company now devotes 95 percent of its work to computer fueling technology. Its work for the military may be a small share of the business, but it’s a lucrative one.

The company was recently awarded a $1.015 million contract to build the Air Force 25MM ammunitions processor.

Syn-Tech built the primary system “to load the A-10 with 30 millimeter rounds,” said Dunlap, pointing to one of those large brass rounds, used as a doorstop in his office on Tallahassee’s Four Points Way. Photos of the A-10, nicknamed the Warthog or Hog, hang on the wall.

The craft’s primary built-in weapon is the 30 mm GAU-8/A AvengerGatling-type cannon, considered one of the most powerful aircraft cannons ever flown. The gun is loaded

by Syn-Tech’s linked tube carrier GFU-7/E

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30 mm ammunition loading assembly cart.

The A-10 was used in combat during the Gulf War in 1991 and later was used during battles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Syn-Tech hasn’t developed new munitions loaders in years. Building this type of equipment requires extreme vigilance.

“There are a lot of safety concerns,” Dunlap said. “It’s a long process to get that equipment qualified.”

He described one incident 20 years ago when a subcontractor built a defective brake for a bomb loader.

“It was designed to lift a 2,000-pound bomb six or seven feet in the air to be attached to the aircraft,” he said. “When the part failed, a back-up brake kept the bomb from dropping to the ground so it didn’t fall.

We had to bring in metallurgical experts to understand why it was much weaker than it should have been. The subcontractor who built that part didn’t heat treat it correctly.

“We got it fixed. I’m pretty sure he was fired.”

Syn-Tech also received a recent $10.3 million grant from U.S. Customs and Border Protection for its auto fleet, covering most of the southwest border from California to Texas.

“The Border Patrol has 20,000 vehicles

patrolling the border that have to be fueled and refueled,” Dunlap said.

Syn-Tech creates cards that allow Border Patrol officers to fill up their car at commercial and Homeland Security stations.

“It used to be that nobody made those two work together,” he said.

The company also offers software that helps agencies keep track in real time of fuel use and costs.

“We’re very rapidly becoming a sophisticated software company,” Dunlap said. “The entire field has become so complex. The Department of Defense wants real-time systems worldwide. Fueling transactions in Japan now show up in Washington instantaneously.”

Syn-Tech uses the latest technology to create several key systems. There’s the software that resides in the office; the hardware that’s inside the pump; the firmware — computer code written to go in the hardware; and the secure communications between all of the components, Dunlap said.

Syn-Tech “has done an excellent job” providing a system for refueling services, said John Pompey, director of fleet management for Leon County. The firm installed a device that automatically records mileage, type of fuel used and gallons.

“It helps us keep track,” he said. Plus, he likes the idea that the firm is locally owned.

Dunlap chose Tallahassee as a base for Syn-Tech because “I’m a native and this is where I want to be.”

His two sons and daughter work at the firm. Oglesby’s two sons also work there.

Dunlap’s background is in business, but his father and grandfather were both professional engineers.

“It’s ironic in a way that I come from a family of engineers,” he said. “And I ended up going to business school and owning a company with 59 engineers.

“My dad didn’t get to see this. I wish he could have. It’s one of those interesting twists and turns that life brings you.”

Dunlap and Oglesby have close ties with Tallahassee. They both graduated from FSU with degrees in business administration, in 1973 and 1972, respectively.

Syn-Tech donated $500,000 to the College of Business’ building, Legacy Hall, two years ago. But Syn-Tech’s support goes beyond financial contributions. Dunlap has also provided input in curriculum and insight into what’s needed in the engineering world.

“Doug is always on point in terms of what’s going on in the industry,” said Braketta

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PHOTO BY BRUCE PALMER

Ritzenthaler, assistant dean of the Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering. “He provides that global perspective.

“Unlike many of the companies who recruit students and go away, Doug has given so much of his time and effort to the university,” Ritzenthaler said.

Syn-Tech has tapped graduates from the engineering college and other Florida universities, but Dunlap said finding local experienced engineers is difficult.

“Obviously with the FAMU-FSU engineering school, that is a source of engineering and technical talent. That’s definitely an asset and on the pro side” of being based in Tallahassee, Dunlap said.

“On the other hand, what we really want and what we really need are experienced engineers. For the most part, we’re looking for people with 10 or 15 years’ experience.

They need to hit the ground running.”

Dunlap said the economic base and talent base is not yet strong enough to fill all those needs.

“We have to recruit outside, definitely a con,” he said.

In his engineering staff, fewer than 20 percent are from the Tallahassee area. Of the

Douglas Dunlap, president and CEO of Syn-Tech Systems, builds locally and sells globally.

rest of the employees, about 60 percent to 70 percent are from surrounding areas in Northwest Florida.

Ritzenthaler said while there are opportunities with government, there aren’t a lot of private industries hiring skilled engineers in the area.

“That pool of talent with more than 10 years’ experience has moved away, and

Tallahassee is trying hard to attract them back,” she said.

Demand for that talent is expected to keep growing at Syn-Tech.

“We’ve vastly increased our software capabilities, making us a much stronger company technologically,” Dunlap said. “We’re right on the cutting edge.”

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RESEARCH + DEVELOPMENT

RESEARCH SPURS LOCAL ECONOMY From studying cancer-fighting drugs to seeking alternative energy systems, FSU’s faculty attracts millions of dollars for a wide range of study

By Linda Kleindienst

B

eing tenured at a top-tier research institution, Florida State University’s faculty members are expected to do research. And they are, says Gary Ostrander, vice president for research.

In fact, nearly every day you can read somewhere in the world about research being done by the FSU faculty. Ostrander knows because he checks.

“Every day I look I can find something.

It may be a small article in a newspaper in Australia, but somewhere FSU research is mentioned every day. Our faculty are active across all the disciplines, the arts, the humanities, social and physical sciences, engineering and medicine,” he says. “They generate over $200 million a year in research

The brainchild of Professor Jayne Standley, the Pacifier Activated Lullaby (PAL®) device was created to help address one of the greatest difficulties premature babies experience — learning the proper muscle movements to be able to suck and feed.

28 / 2015–16 TA L L A H A S S E E B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

support from federal sources, private foundations, sometimes state agencies.”

To be exact, the current total is $230 million.

Most of those dollars end up getting spent on salaries, so they circulate in the local economy. Explains Ostrander: “We may have a lot of fancy equipment at the Mag Lab but we also have hundreds of people working in the Mag Lab.” The purpose of the research is to learn new things and that sometimes results in spin off companies and the commercialization of a product. In that arena, FSU is the poster child for the nation’s universities, having commercialized the cancer-fighting drug Taxol, which has so far generated $352 million for the university.

“There has never been a piece of intellectual property in the United States that has generated more revenue for a university,” Ostrander says. “Right now we’re $100 million over Gatorade. The probability that this university will experience another Taxol is probably similar to someone getting hit by lightning twice. Realistically, it’s not going to happen. We do have an Office of Commercialization that is being revamped, not to focus so much on the next Taxol, but to focus on more singles and doubles and bunts and partnerships that maybe only bring in $100,000 or $200,000 over the life of the product. And that’s okay.”

Since 1984, FSU has recorded more than 400 patents. Innovative research has

PHOTOS COURTESY FSU RESEARCH MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

FSU chemist Phong Vu monitors a large rotary evaporator as it removes solvents from an experimental Taxol analog.

Commercializing the cancer-fighting drug Taxol has generated $352 million for FSU — $100 million more than Gatorade has earned for the University of Florida.

spawned products such as a pacifier assisted lullaby device to help speed recovery of babies in hospital intensive care units and green fertilization methods for organic farming.

“We license technology related to physical sciences, biomedical, computer science, music,” adds Ostrander. “We are also about creating companies. That is not a major emphasis, but sometimes our products are conducive to spinning out a company. Some of these are in Tallahassee.”

He also wants to use the assets of FSU to encourage more companies to move to Tallahassee, trying to match them with what all the local institutions of higher learning (including Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College) can offer.

For example, one strategy would be to specifically look at companies whose technology may be specific to the Mag Lab and encourage them to co-locate at the world’s premier facility for magnetic resonance imaging research.

“I’m going to advocate for securing more partners for the university. The students benefit, the researchers benefit and, when possible, if we can get them to pitch a tent here in Tallahassee, that’s economic development,” Ostrander says. “In the community a lot of folks are resonating with the idea that the universities can be nucleating points for economic development. It makes sense to tie into the research, creativity, the new things the universities are doing.”

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Research projects at FSU tackle a wide variety of issues, from how to deal with the challenges of aging and developing new fuel sources to forecasting hurricanes and engineering more agile robots.

SOME EXAMPLES:  The Center for Advanced Power Systems researches, develops and tests smart energy systems for the nation’s power and defense needs. Researcher Sastry Pimidi not only focuses on researching superconductivity, but is collaborating with local businesses like Energy-to-Power Solutions to help develop and test new materials and products. Energy-to-Power Solutions primarily develops medical, military, space and commercial applications of low and high temperature superconducting materials and cryogenic systems.

“Partnering with local businesses is a win-win scenario for us,” Pamidi says. “On the one hand, we get access to grants that we would have never been able to compete for. On the other, we get to help the local economy by helping businesses get a foothold and grow.”  Lou Cattafesta, co-director of the Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion, is leading a team of FSU and Ohio State University researchers working with aerospace companies and government agencies to study the effect of airflow on fuel efficiency. “If you can reduce problems with airflow, you can make the planes much more efficient, improve fuel efficiency and reduce the cost of travel,” Cattafesta says.

PHOTO BY MATT BURKE (FLORIDA CENTER FOR ADVANCED AERO-PROPULSION) AND COURTESY FSU RESEARCH MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

 The Coastal and Marine Laboratory’s Dean Grubbs recently received a $293,960 RESTORE Act grant to study the long-term effects of the 2010 oil spill on deep water fish in the Gulf of Mexico. The health of fish in the Gulf is critical to Florida’s fishing and tourism industries.  Mei Zhang, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering at the High Performance Materials Institute, continues work on a lightweight, elastic, nanocarbon foam that can also conduct electricity and could have commercial potential. Among the possible applications — use as an electrode for a battery.  The Antarctic Research Facility is a national repository for geological materials collected in polar regions. Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, it houses more than 20,000 meters of deep-sea core sediment and has the largest Southern Ocean collection in the world open to researchers.  A team from the Florida Center for Reading Research, School of Communication Science & Disorders and the College of Education has received a $1 million award to seek ways to improve the quality of education in preschool classrooms by investigating key characteristics of children’s language development. The threeyear study will involve 100 preschools throughout the Southeast to investigate the crucial role of teachers in developing children’s language skills.

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M ADE I N TALL AHASSEE

MADE IN TALLAHASSEE Showcasing local manufacturers operating globally

By Nicholas Farrell

PHOTO COURTESY FULL PRESS APPAREL

I

n 2015, the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County Inc. (EDC) launched a campaign aimed at showcasing high-tech manufacturing centers located in and around Leon County.

The “Made in Tallahassee: Produced Regionally, Sold Globally” initiative features Tallahassee businesses that produce goods for sale in the Southeast and beyond.

“Our MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) is home to a rich and diverse network of visionaries, suppliers and component manufacturers and a tremendously productive workforce,” says Ben Pingree, the EDC’s executive vice president. “We are highlighting these visionary businesses to statewide, national and global audiences, as well as bringing awareness among our local community and drawing attention to those high-tech and high-wage industry sectors that are key to our community’s future success.”

A different local business is showcased each month, ranging from clothing producers to high-tech systems and software manufacturing. Businesses eligible to participate in the program must meet the following criteria: » Be located, founded or headquartered within the Tallahassee MSA (which includes Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson and Wakulla counties), or have a local economic footprint; » Have operated in the region for at least three years; » Produce products or services with a regional, national or international impact.

The “Made in Tallahassee” initiative is meant to show that Tallahassee is home to not only the state capital and one of the state’s largest public research universities but also to a booming industry of manufacturers and suppliers. From electronics and computer systems to clothing and fashion, Tallahassee businesses span the industrial gamut.

Here are some of the high-tech manufacturing centers located in the region.

FULL PRESS APPAREL “If it has mass, we can brand it” is the mantra of one of the more creative manufacturers spotlighted by the “Made in Tallahassee” initiative. Full Press Apparel, Tallahassee’s premier “visual brander” since 1997, manufactures screen-printed T-shirts, embroidery and promotional items for individuals, Florida State University, Greek organizations, student groups, businesses and more.

Until recently, Full Press — owned by Tracey and Dan Shrine — had been selling, designing and manufacturing branded items at its Gaines Street location. Now, there are two offices. The original Gaines Street location serves as the sales headquarters, and the new Garber Drive facility on the city’s northwest side is the corporate headquarters as well as the manufacturing and production center.

“We have the best of both worlds,” says Tracey Shrine. “Our (Garber Drive) production facility allows large truck deliveries and pick ups for nationwide shipping. There really aren’t any limitations any more. We’re able to

Full Press Apparel has more than 40 full-time employees working in design, sales, production and marketing.

keep a campus presence down in the college hub and work with local businesses from our Gaines Street location, and we also have an expanded production facility. We’ve grown leaps and bounds since then.”

Between the two locations, Full Press now has more than 40 full-time employees working in design, sales, production and marketing. It’s also dedicated to its community.

“One of the big things we do as a business is philanthropy,” says Tracey Shrine.

“We give 10 percent of our net sales back to nonprofit associations. An event we do every year is Dance Marathon at FSU. For every sorority and fraternity that gets their shirts printed with us, Full Press gives a percentage to the Children’s Miracle Network. We have children ourselves, so it’s important for us to celebrate children’s networks.”

While Full Press is focused on the local community, that doesn’t mean the Shrines

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don’t do business all over the United States.

Their company designs and manufactures branded products for sale to colleges, businesses, state agencies and nonprofits across the nation. Full Press is a licensed Greek vendor, meaning it is authorized to print for more than 47 different Greek organizations, allowing it to do business with fraternities and sororities at universities across the country.

Full Press Apparel was selected as a “Florida Company to Watch” by GrowFL, an organization focused on growing and promoting second-stage businesses (those that have grown past the start-up stage).

MCCI The first company to be featured by the “Made in Tallahassee” initiative, MCCi is the top reseller of Laserfiche software in the world and has been operating in Tallahassee for over a decade.

Laserfiche software is a set of programs designed to provide “enterprise content management.” It’s meant to improve efficiency, reduce waste, improve organization and create automated business practices, freeing up employees from performing tasks on paper that the software is able to do automatically.

A Tallahassee native, MCCi’s founder and

CEO, Danny Barstow, started the business as an arm of the Municipal Code Corporation in 2003. Since then, MCCi has branched off and developed its own business culture with an emphasis on sales and growth under the leadership of Barstow.

Initially, MCCi had only four employees.

Now there are around 50. From its new 11,000-square-foot corporate headquarters, MCCi provides business solutions software to more than 700 clients, including state agencies, higher education institutions, K-12 schools, professional licensing boards and private businesses. Solution-based software is provided to any business or organization looking to improve efficiency and decrease waste by changing from paper-based to computer-based systems.

The Laserfiche software provides “a way to move into a paperless environment so that they can archive their records electronically, access them electronically and be mobile-ready,” says Barstow. MCCi provides the software, the training and the technical installation that allows organizations to go digital.

The benefits of doing business in Tallahassee? “The way of life,” says Barstow.

“Economically we would be better to be located in a major hub, but we choose to be

here just because we like it here. Most of our staff travels all over the country, but when we come home, we’re reminded that we really like it here.”

MCCi was also selected to be a part of GrowFL’s “Florida Companies to Watch” campaign in 2014, highlighting the business’ efforts at growth and expansion in the hightech industry.

“The leaders here are also more pro-growth than they have been in the past,” says Barstow.

“Programs like the ‘Made in Tallahassee’ campaign and GrowFL’s ‘Florida Companies to Watch’ show that, as a city, Tallahassee is making a concentrated effort to grow its manufacturing presence and to bring more business to the local area.”

DANFOSS TURBOCOR Based out of Innovation Park in Tallahassee, Danfoss Turbocor is the industry leader in designing, manufacturing, marketing and supporting the world’s most efficient commercial refrigerant compressors. By partnering with Florida State University, Turbocor is able to utilize some of the most advanced research tools and resources to design its products.

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PHOTO BY LAWRENCE DAVIDSON (DANFOSS) AND COURTESY OF TELIGENT EMS

produces “oil-free magnetic bearing compressor technology” used in the production of commercial refrigerant compressors that utilize some high-level engineering. These “superconducting” magnetic ball bearings allow for some of the world’s most efficient air conditioning units, which are used in schools, hospitals, businesses and other large buildings that use a lot of electricity to keep cool.

Danfoss is a Danish company with subsidiaries all over the world, including Turbocor in Tallahassee.

“Danfoss company history dates back to 1933 in Nordborg, Denmark. Today, it is a privately owned company and world leader in energy-efficient and innovative solutions, employing 24,000 people in over 100 countries,” says Director of Sales Jose Alvarez.

According to Alvarez, Turbocor was started in 1993 in Australia by an international team of designers and engineers.

Turbocor then moved from Australia to Montreal for a period of time before settling in Tallahassee in 2007.

While based in Tallahassee, Danfoss Turbocor serves markets all over the world.

According to Alvarez, “Our main markets are the USA, Europe and Australia, followed

by China and India as emerging markets.”

One of the company’s biggest clients, he adds, is Daikin, “the No. 1 refrigeration and air conditioning company” in the world.

With such an international market, why did Danfoss Turbocor decide to locate itself in Tallahassee? Principally, it was because of the partnership that Turbocor was able to establish with Florida State University.

“The proximity and collaboration that Danfoss Turbocor has had with the AeroPropulsion Lab, MagLab and Material Lab has become instrumental in establishing Tallahassee as the global competence and design center for oil-free magnetic bearing technology,” says Ricardo Schneider, president and CEO of Danfoss Turbocor.

Alvarez says the Innovation Park facility and a partnership with the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab) and other research facilities at FSU have been instrumental in the success of Turbocor’s advanced coolant products.

“Tallahassee does have a unique opportunity to become a specialized technology market that no other city can claim,” says Alvarez. “This specialized market could easily be focused around magnetics, engineering and the manufacturing of energyefficient technologies.”

Alvarez says Danfoss Turbocor has high hopes for manufacturing in Leon County,

Danfoss Turbocor’s manufacturing facility is based in Tallahassee, but the company services clients worldwide.

stating that enticing magnetic technology manufacturers to the area could make Tallahassee the “Magnetic Capital,” with the MagLab, Florida State University and Danfoss Turbocor as anchors.

TELIGENT EMS Also located within the Tallahassee MSA (in Gadsden County) is Teligent EMS, a manufacturing plant that produces high-tech electronics for other companies, including Syn-Tech Systems and Danfoss Turbocor. The company provides manufacturing services — everything from designing and testing prototypes to delivering final products, including circuit boards and other electronic components — for the medical, aerospace, networking and communications industries using roboticsassisted manufacturing techniques.

Lois Kenon, lead repair solderer, works on a printed circuit board at Teligent EMS.

Teligent EMS was founded in 2002, and was home to around 80 employees. Now, the company employs more than twice that number working around-the-clock shifts at Teligent’s production facility.

According to Teligent EMS Human Resources Manager Chelsea Douglass, Teligent serves a wide range of industries located far and wide.

“Our markets include industrial, instrumentation, medical, defense, avionics, communications, transportation and computer/networking,” she says. “Nationally, we service companies such as Northrop Grumman, BAE and L3 Communications, to name a few.”

Teligent’s main production facility is located in Havana, about 20 minutes north of the state capital.

“Great schools and warm, considerate people make living in this region of the state a pleasure,” says Douglass. “In addition, the universities create a dynamic that encourages achievement and fosters entrepreneurship. And Tallahassee Community College has fully embraced local industry, specifically manufacturing, by providing much-needed industry-specific training that is helping us fill the shortage of skilled labor in the area.”

Teligent EMS has also worked extensively with the Tallahassee EDC and the Chamber of Commerce to promote business efforts in the county.

“I believe you can see the beginnings of a business renaissance in the area,” says Douglass. “It has been very exciting to see our community in support of entrepreneurship and the growth of business while providing tangible support to the manufacturing sector in particular.”

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CONSUMER CHOICE AWARD NEUROSCIENCE The Panhandle’s most advanced neurosurgery program, including stroke and aneurysm treatments without opening the skull. The region’s only Neurological Intensive Care Unit.

Winner of the National Research Corporation’s Consumer Choice Award for the 10th year in a row.

WOMEN & CHILDREN'S HEALTH The only center in the region to be a designated ACR Breast Center for Excellence and accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. The region’s only Pediatric and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

TALLAHASSEE MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE

HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

TRAUMA CENTER The only Level II Trauma Center in the region. Accredited Stroke Center and Chest Pain Center with the highest designation available for heart attack care.

A leader in the Southeast for advanced heart care, offering the region’s only Structural Heart program and Certified Atrial Fibrillation Center.

TMH FOR LIFE Promoting health beyond our walls by challenging our community to be active, eat healthier, know their numbers and find their happy through free events, screenings, programs, classes and educational opportunities.

CANCER CENTER STROKE CENTER The region’s first Certified Stroke Center and only state designated Brain & Spinal Cord Injury Center.

The most powerful cancer program in the Big Bend region and accredited since 1951 by the American College of Surgeon’s Commission on Cancer — making it the longest continuously accredited community cancer program in the state of Florida.

TMH.ORG 36 / 2015–16 TA L L A H A S S E E B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

FSU MEDICAL SCHOOL

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FSU PHOTO SERVICES/BILL LAX

FSU MEDICAL SCHOOL

WANTED: B HOMEGROWN DOCTORS FSU’s College of Medicine is reshaping North Florida’s health care — and improving economic development opportunities — by recruiting rural doctors, creating residencies and expanding opportunities By Jason Dehart

The FSU College of ack in the old days, the Medicine partnered with town doctor was an old Tallahassee Memorial sage who practiced out of HealthCare to open a new internal medicine his home and treated everything residency program in under the sun. He knew everything 2012. The program proabout everyone in town, as well as duces up to 10 graduates each year. those living on the nearby farms and homesteads. He could deliver babies, pull teeth and set broken bones. Sometimes he had an idealistic young apprentice tagging along, soaking up his wisdom, learning the trade and building relationships with the people who would come to count on him when the old man retired.

Times may change, but you always return to the classics. As health care changes and the need for doctors increases, Florida State University’s College of Medicine is hoping to provide the small towns of North Florida with modern versions of the classic town doctor.

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The first new medical school in the United States in 20 years when it was established by the Florida Legislature in 2000, FSU’s College of Medicine graduated its first class in 2005. Since then, the alumni ranks have swelled to 910. Of that number, 294 have completed their graduate medical work A 2014 report and have entered revealed that 55 practice, but 65 percent of the FSU med school percent of alums are alumni who are still in residency or practicing medifellowship programs. cine are caring for patients in Florida.

The college’s official mission statement is clearly defined. It says, “The Florida State University College of Medicine will educate and develop exemplary physicians who practice patient-centered health care, discover and advance knowledge, and are responsive to community needs, especially through service to elder, rural, minority and underserved populations.”

Medical school dean Dr. John P. Fogarty talks about that with a touch of pride. It aptly states the case that there is a real need for the college.

“It’s been described as the most focused mission statement for a medical school,” he said. “I think that was on purpose. We didn’t believe that North Florida had enough physicians, and we needed to create the ones they needed. We’ve been holding to that mission.

That’s the good news.”

Building new doctors is one thing, but it’s been an uphill battle to keep them in the third-largest state in the nation, where good the availability of health care is a key element in the state’s — and Northwest Florida’s — ability to attract new businesses and bolster economic development.

Despite a population nearing 20 million, Florida ranks 43rd in the number of available residency slots. Many fledgling doctors go out of state for post-graduate training. Some of them come back home, but Fogarty thinks more could be enticed to stay here.

Fogarty noted in the med school’s 2014 annual report that 55 percent of alumni in practice are caring for patients in Florida.

“The percentage could be much greater if there were more opportunities to retain graduating students in Florida for residency training,” he wrote.

“For the last three years, anywhere from two-thirds to 70 percent have left Florida to

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go out of state for residencies,” Fogarty said recently. “The good news is they are in spectacular programs throughout the country, many of the best hospitals in the country, which makes us feel really good about the students we produce. The better news is most of them are returning.”

The med school pins its hopes on a “community-based” approach to teaching new doctors. In the past, at least 75 percent of medical teaching for third- and fourth-year students happened in hospital-based settings.

Times have changed, though, and hospital stays are much shorter. For the med student, this means a small window of learning opportunities. Time to turn the conventional model around. In FSU’s model, 75 percent of training takes place in a mentoring doctor’s office, Fogarty said. This enables the future physicians to build long-term relationships with doctors, patients and the community they train in.

“Our philosophy is train where the patients are. They’re getting a much more real view of cases that present commonly in the offices,” he said.

But while you have a “captive” audience when it comes to med students still in college, once they graduate, it’s very possible — as previously noted — that they will seek residency programs out of state.

Dr. Tanya Evers, 37, a 2008 alum and native of Brandon, Florida, is among the

FSU med-school grads who traveled out of state for her graduate education. In her case, she did her residency in obstetrics/gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee. But a deep Florida connection called her back, and she’s currently a physician and faculty member of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s Family Medicine Residency Program.

“My husband and I are both from the Tampa area and wanted to return to Florida to be closer to family,” Evers said. “Having lived and worked in Tallahassee previously, we were comfortable here and felt it was a nice place to raise a family. I believe that having a medical school closer to ‘home’ for many people who grew up in the Panhandle of Florida will keep them here to practice. I also know that there will be some who come to Tallahassee and love it, want more of the same and therefore will settle down in the area. I also suspect that the patients being cared for by these homegrown providers will be able to connect with them on a more meaningful level.”

In fact, as part of its mission statement, FSU actively recruits med-school students from small towns and underserved communities in hopes they will want to practice medicine in these rural areas. Sometimes, though, they don’t need a lot of encouragement. Sometimes, it fits a future doctor’s personal desire. For example, Dr. Robin Albritton, 37, is a family

PHOTO COURTESY OF FSU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE/RAY STANYARD (ALBRITON) AND FSU PHOTO SERVICES/BILL LAX (INTERNAL MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM)

doctor who grew up in Marianna, went to med school at FSU, conducted his residency at TMH and fulfilled his dream of coming back to Jackson County to practice. For him, the idea of having more doctors in more rural areas hits close to home. Most residency programs are held in urban areas because you need a high volume of patients to be able to train new doctors. That’s all well and good, but the way he sees it, places like Orlando really don’t need any more primary care doctors.

“We need them more out here,” he said.

“And quite frankly, it’s not just primary care doctors. I’d rather we put a new general surgeon in rural Marianna than another family doctor in Orlando. And so really what we have to work toward as FSU continues to expand its graduate medical education is look for opportunities to develop rural residency tracks.”

As it turns out, Marianna is becoming a popular place for FSU’s med-school students to put in clinic hours, Albritton said.

“We here in Marianna actually have four third-year medical students every year from FSU that spend their entire third year of medical school here,” he said. “And … all of us that practice here teach those students.”

This small-town experience is also making some students change their mind and their career goals.

“There are three or four people currently doing their residencies in primary care who never considered primary care and had never considered the possibility of practicing in a rural area, and now their goal is to do such because of their experience here,” Albritton said. “So, really looking forward in Robin Albritton the future, that’s graduated from FSU’s College of what I think we Medicine and the need to have a Tallahassee Memofocus on. We need rial HealthCare Family Medicine to continue to Residency Program. expand graduate Today, he’s a fammedical education ily physician and FSU med school and also try to get faculty member in more rural tracks his hometown of associated with Marianna. some of these residency programs that are based in urban areas.”

FSU’s med school is stirring things up in Florida. Founded at a time when there was general resistance to creating new medical schools, it wasn’t until after the state bit the bullet that suddenly the need was realized.

“There was actually a projection at the time that there was a surplus of doctors and that

there was no reason to create a new medical school,” Albritton said. “Not long after FSU was founded they really revised that and said, ‘Oh boy, we’re in trouble, we’re going to need more doctors,’ and therefore you saw other medical schools pop up in the state of Florida.

But what you didn’t see was a lot of new residencies pop up. And that is where the boat is being missed.”

Fortunately, FSU is taking the lead in that regard by establishing new programs across the state. The college works with more than 90 health care systems and 2,500 physicians to provide clinical training in five residency programs: pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola; internal medicine at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital; family medicine at Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, and a general surgery residency

at TMH — which is currently waiting on the green light from the accreditation process. The college is also sponsoring an internal medicine residency program at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and one in dermatology at Dermatology Associates in Tallahassee, which already has a dermatology fellowship.

“That is the answer to keeping more people,” Albritton said. “I will tell you that only about 10 to 15 percent of my graduating class stayed in the state of Florida. The rest of them left. And many of those have never come back. I believe we had 59 in that class. But that’s the reality of it, if there are (not enough) residency programs in Florida, people are going to have to go outside the state to get their graduate education. Unless they have strong family ties, they’re not going to come back.”

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Tallahassee International Airport is moving on up in the world of aviation By Jason Dehart

PHOTO BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN

C

ity officials are hoping big changes at the newly minted Tallahassee International Airport will produce greater business opportunities and customer satisfaction in the years to come.

“Our new ‘international’ designation is working very well,” said Chris Curry, the airport’s aviation director. “We have been assigned a new project manager with Customs and Border Protection to assist us with the design of a new International Arrivals Facility. We’ve also seen an increase in the number of developers and vendors interested in TLH. Developers and vendors that

previously had no contact with the airport are now calling us, interested in partnering with us on future endeavors.”

Meanwhile, the city is actively campaigning to attract the attention of new carriers.

Curry said Sachs Media Group and the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce are working on a campaign called “GetBlue,” designed to encourage airline provider JetBlue to come to Tallahassee.

“To help with our case, we’re asking citizens to tell us why they would like JetBlue in Florida’s capital city,” he said.

Anyone interested in providing input can

go to GetBlueTallahassee.com to submit a plea in paragraph form or upload a short video. These stories will then be shared with JetBlue representatives. As the public makes its case, the city will continue in its talks with the carrier.

“So far, we’ve met with JetBlue and will continue to meet with them. Our goal is to obtain direct service from Tallahassee to Fort Lauderdale, which is our largest passenger market,” Curry said. “This direct service would offer access to our area’s top three destinations: South Florida, New York and Washington, D.C. One-stop connections would be provided via Fort Lauderdale.”

JetBlue’s low-cost fares would also help to reduce the overall ticket prices in the Tallahassee area, thereby creating a greater incentive for travelers to choose TLH. “It’s a win-win,” he said.

Tallahassee International Airport was also recently awarded a Small Community Air

2015–16 TA L L A H A S S E E B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

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Service Development grant in the amount of $750,000 to help establish a United Airlines service to Houston.

As the city continues recruiting new carriers, the airport itself will take on a new look by the end of 2016. A terminal modernization project recently got underway that ultimately will make flying in and out easier and more customer-friendly. The Terminal Modernization Project, which started in September, involves reconfiguring the lobby up to the Transportation Safety Administration checkpoint. A new baggage claim system, ticket counters for airlines and rental car agencies, safety screening machines, a new TSA screening room and some aesthetic upgrades, including new terrazzo flooring and LCD monitors, are all part and parcel to the upgrades.

“This is a step toward our overall goal of improving our airport,” said City Commissioner Scott Maddox, commission liaison to the airport. “We are committed to enhancing the Tallahassee air travel experience, from our terminal improvements to adding more flights and lower fares.”

Curry said that demolition has started in areas on the “airside” of the airport and in baggage claim. The demolition phase will continue until March 2016.

Once that is complete, crews will begin working on the installation phase. The entire project is expected to be complete by October 2016. The $10.5 million construction contract has been awarded to local contractor Cook Brothers Inc. Funding came from several sources, including grants from the Florida Department of Transportation, agreements with the TSA and local funding. The concession renovation project just started, with a completion date of February 2016.

One other development is happening — outside the airport. There’s a new parking vendor that will provide technology to help make parking more efficient. In addition, three electric vehicle-charging stations are expected to be added.

All these changes are going to play a big role as the airport continues to see an increase in passengers coming and going. Between 2010 and 2014, the airport experienced a 5 percent increase in passengers.

“We’ve seen 513,244 passengers go through Tallahassee International Airport since the start of 2015,” Curry said. “Last year (2014), approximately 706,574 passengers went through our turnstiles.”

Meanwhile, officials are casting their eyes on developable land adjacent to the airport. Curry said officials anticipate issuing a request for proposal soon to solicit a company with experience in marketing aviation-related property nationwide.

“Our goal is that this company would help us market the land surrounding the airport for development,” he said. “Currently, however, we’re moving forward in our discussions with interested developers, including one developer who would like to build a solar farm on 100 acres of airport property.”

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TOU RISM/ATH LETICS

BREAKING RECORDS Sports and nature boost Tallahassee to a banner year for tourism

By Rosanne Dunkelberger

PHOTO BY KANSAS PITTS

W

hen Tallahassee takes a swing at attracting tourism to the state capital, the stats start out looking pretty dismal.

Strike One: Florida has nearly 2,000 miles of coastline, but nary an inch of it can be found in landlocked Tallahassee or Leon County.

Strike Two: It takes four hours to get to the nearest theme park. Ditto for major urban areas. And mountains? Fuggedaboutit.

“We don’t have a beach, we don’t have a theme park … we face these challenges every day, and also the perception that we’re not a destination unless you’re here for the Legislature or football,” said Lee Daniel, director of the Leon County Division of Tourism Development, more commonly known as Visit Tallahassee.

Daunting limitations, when one considers Florida’s more typical charms, but there’s no striking out for the capital city. In fact, local tourism officials have taken advantage of Tallahassee’s sweet spot and hit a home run, announcing six consecutive years of tourism growth — including a third consecutive record year in 2014 — and an annual economic impact that’s closing in on a billion-dollar industry.

“No place else in Florida looks like we do,” Daniel continued. “We’ve got worldclass nature-based opportunities, we have terrific history and heritage, we’ve got visual and performing arts, our culinary scene is improving, we’ve got shopping. We’ve got lots of things people are looking for in a destination — we’ve just got to make them aware that we have it. We have a lot going for us.

Our challenge is to continue to build awareness for Tallahassee being considered as a true leisure destination.”

On Oct. 1, Visit Florida officials announced impressive numbers during a marketing event that looked back on its accomplishments for the 2014-15 fiscal year and rolled out promotional plans for 2015-16.

Tallahassee and Leon County boasted more than 2.4 million visitors from 47 states

and 36 countries, generating an economic impact of $963 million. Tourism accounts for 11,140 local jobs.

Tourism promotion is fully funded by a 5 percent bed tax on hotels, motels and other short-term lodging facilities. During the past year, collections topped $5 million for the first time ever. Hotel occupancy was up by 2.6 percent and included a record month in March, when occupancy was 73 percent (the year-round average is 65 percent).

Even though hotel room nights are how the county’s tourism department pays for itself, “heads in beds” isn’t their only concern.

“We know if there are so many heads in beds we know there are so many butts in restaurant seats, we know there are so many people shopping in stores, we know there are so many people buying gas and everything else that goes with it,” said Brian Hickey, Visit Tallahassee’s director of sports. “That moniker is just a measurement for us, it’s not the only thing we are looking at.”

Plans to maximize expenditures during a visitor’s stay include a new, location-based marketing

TALLAHASSEE’S TOP 10 ATTRACTIONS Based on the opinions of reviewers from tripadvisor.com, here’s a listing of their favorite things to do and see when visiting Tallahassee/Leon County: » Florida State University » Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science » St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge » Mission San Luis de Apalachee » Tallahassee Antique Car Museum » Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park » Florida Historic Capitol Museum » Doak Campbell Stadium » Museum of Florida History » Goodwood Museum and Gardens

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Because it is home to Florida State University, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee Community College, as well as local schools and parks, Leon County is also blessed with an abundance and variety of facilities to offer up for tournaments and team trainings.

Last year, Visit Tallahassee’s sports division supported 97 sporting events

representing about 30 different sports.

Those events generated 38,000 room nights, 71,000 visitors and an economic impact of more than $30 million, said Hickey. Many of those events were supported by 75 grants, ranging from $250 to $9,000, that totaled $115,000.

“The return on investment is incredible,”

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PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT TALLAHASSEE

technology. When guests arrive at hotels and attractions, banner ads will appear on their smart phones and other electronic devices, offering suggestions for nearby dining entertainment and attractions. They’ll also be given a business-sized card suggesting a visit to the visittallahassee.com website.

“A lot of people who come here, especially for business, don’t appreciate what we offer as a destination,” said Daniel. “We hope when they come back they’ll stay an extra day or maybe bring their families.”

While one cannot dismiss the economic impact of visitors who come for FSU football games ($48 million) and state government (​$123 million), one burgeoning tourism development initiative has brought thousands of visitors and millions of dollars to Leon County — sports tourism.

“We’re very excited about our efforts,” said Leon County Administrator Vince Long.

“We think we have just scratched the surface in terms of the potential that exists in the area of sports tourism. It is one of the fastest growing industries in the Southeast, primarily because of the weather and the conditions and how many weeks a year you can do it.”

he said. “The economic benefit that these visitors bring to our community is astronomical.”

Hickey said one of the reasons these sports tourism events work is because of cooperation between Visit Tallahassee, other county departments and community partners such as the universities, the local school system and local sports clubs.

And nowhere is that synergy more visible than with the Apalachee Regional Park Cross Country Course.

Florida State University had been hosting cross country events around the community at golf courses and local greenways, but as the program gathered momentum, a need was expressed for a dedicated cross country course. Serendipitously, Leon County was repurposing a closed landfill into a county park, and the cross country course seemed like a good fit. With input from FSU and the local Gulf Winds Track Club, the course was designed and built, hosting its first race in 2009.

“One of the things that’s really great about that project (is), generally speaking, it was pretty organic,” said county administrator Long. “It didn’t require a consultant, it didn’t have a 36-point plan and it didn’t take years to happen.”

The course very quickly became popular with the running community, and Hickey and his team went to work filling up the calendar with race events — everything from local 5K fundraisers to state and regional cross country competitions.

“It’s a beautiful design; it took advantage of what was there.

The undulation, the hills … there’s different terrain, there’s shade, there’s sun,” said Hickey. “A lot of things athletes don’t get (in other venues) they do get here. There are a lot of different aspects they enjoy.”

One of the premier gets was a three-year contract to host the Florida State High School Athletic Association’s state cross country championships through 2014. When it was put out for bid again, the FSHAA returned it to Leon County. “Just last year, the state championship, the pre-state meet and also a regional (resulted in) $3.7 million new dollars, about 9,500 visitors to the community and almost 5,000 room nights,” said Hickey. “Next year, hopefully, we’re going to be doubling those numbers.”

In fact, we can do it better than the rest.

A HARD-WORKING BRAND IDENTITY For seven years, the Visit Tallahassee logo was a little text heavy with a star icon that didn’t really give one a sense of the locale.

As part of its 2015-16 marketing plan, Leon County’s tourism marketing division rolled out a new image aimed at giving potential visitors a preview of the area’s charms.

In research, visitors often noted two compelling qualities, in addition to the fact that Tallahassee is Florida’s capital: the area’s natural beauty and that it’s a friendly, welcoming place.

The new logo attempts to capture that story in words and pictures. In it, the script “Visit Tallahassee” is juxtaposed with an image of a majestic oak tree adorned with Spanish moss. And there’s a little Easter egg hidden in the picture — the shadow thrown by the tree is actually an outline of Florida’s Historic Capitol.

“We think it’s clever. We think it sells the destination,” said Daniel. It tested well with focus groups and also passed the test for typography (“It reverses out.”) and embroider.

“We’re really excited,” he said. “We think it will work much harder than our current brand identity and our current logo in telling the world what a special place Tallahassee/Leon County is.”

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BUSINESS NEWS

CAPITAL NEW BEGINNINGS

» Frank C. Walker III has been

named vice president of Government Affairs for the Florida Chamber of Commerce. Walker most recently served as chief of staff to U.S. Representative Daniel Webster.

Other new team members have been added to help the Chamber ramp up its voter education and employer mobilization efforts. Andrew Wiggins and Andy Gonzalez have joined efforts to elect pro-jobs, probusiness candidates. Carolyn Gosselin is the new chief marketing and strategy officer.

Drew Preston assists with priority projects as well as strategic employer engagement and mobilization.

» Pamela P. Epting has been

appointed deputy commissioner of the Florida Office of Financial Regulation. She has been with the Florida Office of Financial Regulation since 1986, most recently serving as director of the Division of Securities.

» Brent Edington has been ap-

pointed as Florida State University’s new director of the Office of Commercialization, a critical role responsible for turning university research into marketable products and services.

» Tom Block and Keith Jones

PHOTOS BY ROVIDED BY PROFILED INDIVIDUALS

are now hosting The Front Row for ESPN radio. The pair can be heard on Wednesday nights from 6–7 p.m., right after the Jeff Cameron show, on 97.9 ESPN radio.

» The Florida Businesses for a

Competitive Workforce coalition hired GOP operative Patrick Slevin to lead its bipartisan, antidiscrimination effort during the 2016 Florida legislative session to provide protection based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

» Tara R. Price

has joined Holland & Knight’s litigation practice as an associate in the Tallahassee office.

She focuses her PRICE practice in the areas of administrative, commercial, fiduciary and appellate litigation.

» Benjamin E. Stearns joined

the Tallahassee office of Carlton Fields Jorden Burt as an associate practicing in the Government Law and Consulting practice group with a focus in the areas of land use and environmental law, election law, administrative law and government consulting.

» Robert Simon and John

Swope are new financial representatives for the Big Bend region of Modern Woodmen of America.

» Jennifer Newbury has joined

the team at Gulf Winds Federal Credit Union as the assistant vice president and regional sales manager in Tallahassee.

» Julie Fess, a veteran of the

state legislative and appropriations process, has joined the governmental affairs team of Wilson & Associates LLC,

SOUNDBYTES Services) have been promoted to senior managers.

John Spence and Phil Focaracci have joined the Tax Services Department.

a Tallahassee-based lobbying and association management firm specializing in the fields of energy, infrastructure, construction, regulated industries and defense.

» Tallahassee-based Kidd Group Communication Design has made changes to its team. Denise Bilbow has been promoted to director of public relations. New members are: Karina Colón, digital project manager; Nicole VanDerSnick, public relations associate.

SPENCE

» Johan Van Wyk has joined the Tallahassee office of James FOCARACCI Moore, Certified Public Accountants and Consultants, as a senior consultant in the Accounting and Controllership Services department.

COLÓN

» Scott Ross has joined Capital City Consulting, LLC as a partner in the government affairs consulting firm.

VANDERSNICK » Greg Ungru has joined LeadingAge Florida as director of communications. He previously held leadership positions at the Republican Party of Florida, the Florida Sports Foundation and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

» Hill+Knowlton Strategies has promoted Ron Bartlett to deputy general manager of Florida operations and Alia Faraj-Johnson to Florida public affairs practice leader. Bartlett, senior vice president, most recently served as head of the Florida public affairs practice, the company’s largest state-based public affairs practice, and Faraj-Johnson served as senior vice president in the company’s Tallahassee public affairs office.

» Amy W. Schrader has joined Baker Donelson’s State Public Policy Group in the Tallahassee office.

SCHRADER

LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» Tallahassee Community College is one of four community colleges nationwide selected to receive a $120,000 grant from The Achieving the Dream Retail Pathways Initiative, funded by the Walmart Foundation. The purpose is to prepare students to pursue middle-skill retail careers in the Tallahassee region within six months or less. Middleskill jobs require more than secondary school but less than a bachelor’s degree. Students may also choose to pursue the Associate of Science in Business degree program.

» Tesla Motors, the Californiabased maker of the awardwinning Model S electric sedan, has expanded its network with the opening of a Supercharger Station in Tallahassee. Located off I-10, the Tallahassee location allows Model S owners to have free seamless travel between Texas, New Orleans, Florida and the East Coast and completes the Supercharger network on the I-10 corridor.

» Wood+Partners Inc. has welcomed back Brad Tackett, ASLA, RLA, as senior project manager.

He joins the Tallahassee office with over 15 years of experience and is a registered Landscape Architect in Mississippi. » Julian Dozier has been promoted to director in the Assurance Services Department of Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A., a professional accounting, assurance and tax services firm headquartered in Tallahassee.

Brian Walgamott (Tax Services) and Brandon Mott (Assurance

LOCAL HONORS

TOM BLOCK AND KEITH JONES

DOZIER

WALGAMOTT

» Kay Stephenson, co-founder and CEO of Tallahassee-based Datamaxx, and Jonathan

MOTT

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BUSINESS NEWS

SOUNDBYTES

Waters, co-founder and CTO, were recently honored with the Governor’s Business Ambassador Award. Founded in 1991, Datamaxx now has more than 750,000 end users worldwide and is one of the largest providers of advanced communications, data access, information sharing, enterprise intelligence and access control solutions to the law enforcement, criminal justice, public safety and security industries.

» Tallahassee-based Danfoss,

the pioneer of oil-free, magnetic bearing, variable speed centrifugal compressors and a leading manufacturer of other high-efficiency components and controls for air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, is the 2015 recipient of the Alliance to Save Energy’s prestigious Innovative Star of Energy Efficiency award.

The award recognizes outstanding contributions to energy efficiency with a demonstrated, cost-effective impact.

» Lee Daniel, Leon County’s

director of Tourism Development, is now the top officer of the statewide association of tourism boards. The Florida Association of Destination Marketing Organizations named Daniel chairman of its board of directors during its recent annual meeting. He has served as director of the Leon County Division of Tourism Development, also known as Visit Tallahassee, since 2009.

» FLAG Credit Union employ-

ees Carrie Edgerson and Beth Wheeler won first place in the PSCU KnockOut Innovation Summit, a collaborative competition for credit union employees nationwide. Participants had 24 hours to create a working prototype of a solution to a real credit union business need. Employees from credit unions across the country voted on the best ideas submitted by the three finalists.

» The National Council of

Architectural Component Executives has elected Becky Wilson Magdaleno, CAE, as secretary of the 2016 CACE Executive Committee. Director of Administration for the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects, Magdaleno was also awarded the CACE Emerging Leader Award.

» Tallahassee AV Preeminent-

» Two local firms won honors at the Annual Gold Image Awards Gala sponsored by the Florida Public Relations Association. Taproot Creative’s work with the Tallahassee-based Knight Creative Communities Institute earned it the Dick Pope All Florida Grand Golden Image Award, which salutes the top public relations program in the state during a given year.

Taproot also received a Golden Image Award and a Judges Award for the campaign. On 3 Public Relations (On3PR) received an Award of Distinction in Public Relations Programs for the rebranding of the Florida Dental Association Services’ member exclusive savings program.

cently named three Tallahassee trade partners as Subcontractor of the Year award winners for their commitment to teamwork, safety and a high level of quality.

Great Southern Demolition Inc.; Ingram Enterprises Inc.; and Joyner Electric Inc. were recognized for work on renovations to Oak Ridge Elementary School in Tallahassee.

rated lawyer Reggie Garcia is the author of “How To Leave Prison Early,” which has garnered 25 “Five Gold Star” customer reviews and is a frequent Top 100 best seller on Amazon’s Criminal Law Procedure category.

» Ajax Building Corporation re-

» Gus Corbella, senior direc-

tor of Government Law & Policy practice in Greenberg Traurig’s Tallahassee office, has been named to Class XXXIV of Leadership Florida.

» Frank Rudd, Bill Oliver and

Melanie Lee have been appointed to the local advisory board of Tallahassee State Bank, a division of Synovus Bank. Rudd is president and CEO of the Florida Society of Association Executives. Oliver is president of OliverSperry Renovation, a

» Tallahassee’s Prime Merid-

ian Bank has been named one of the Best Banks to Work For

by American Banker magazine, ranking No. 12.

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DANFOSS

leading commercial contractor in Northwest Florida. Lee is general manager of Kia AutoSport.

» Tallahassee appellate lawyer Diane DeWolf with the Akerman law firm has been appointed treasurer of the First District Appellate American Inn of Court and will handle all aspects of the organization’s finances and serve as a member of its executive committee, which meets regularly at the First District Court of Appeal. » The winners of Leadership Tallahassee’s 21st Annual Distinguished Leadership Awards this year were: Lifetime Leadership Award — Althemese Barnes, John C. Riley House Museum; Leadership Pacesetter — Betsy Couch, Knight Creative Communities Institute; Servant Leadership — Debie Leonard, Thomas Howell Ferguson PA CPAs; Leader of the Year — Micah Widen, Domi Ventures LLC. » Justin Edenfield, director in the Tax Services Department at Thomas Howell Ferguson, has been selected as a EDENFIELD CPA Practice Advisor’s “40 Under 40” honoree. The program recognizes professionals who are making a difference in the accounting profession. » The Agency for Persons with Disabilities has been named 2015 Customer of the Year by RESPECT of Florida. The award was presented at the 39th Annual Conference of the Florida

Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, manager of the RESPECT program, which employs more than 1,300 individuals with disabilities who provide commodities and services to businesses throughout the state.

» The Florida Surgeon General and Secretary of Health has appointed Leon County Deputy EMS Chief Malcolm Kemp to the state Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council, which serves as an advisory body to the Florida Department of Health’s Emergency Medical Services program and helps create the statewide strategic plan for the program. » Jodi Chase, president and CEO of The Chase Firm, and Kim Rivers, financing/investing principal of Inkbridge Consulting LLC, have been appointed to The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship’s Education Fellows Program at Florida State University.

APPOINTED

BY GOV. SCOTT

» Dr. John Bailey, 56, of Tallahassee, a psychiatrist at John Bailey, D. O., LLC, to the Medicaid Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee. » Eugene Lamb Jr., 68, of Midway, who served on the Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners from 2004 to 2012 and currently serves as a member of the Governor’s Commission on Healthcare and Hospital Funding, to the Tallahassee Community College District Board of Trustees.

» Dr. Richard Nowakowski,

64, of Tallahassee, a professor and the Chair of Florida State University’s College of Medicine Department of Biomedical Sciences, to the Biomedical Research Advisory Council.

» Dame Dhyana Ziegler, 66, of

Tallahassee, the Garth C. Reeves imminent scholar chair of journalism at the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, to the Florida Commission on the Status of Women.

EMERALD COAST NEW BEGINNINGS

» Brett Wilson, a

lifelong resident of Walton County, has been promoted to the position of president for Destin-based First WILSON Florida Bank and First Florida Bancorp Inc. and has been elected to the board of directors.

» Megan Harrison, a multi-gen-

eration native of Walton County, has taken over as the new president/CEO of the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce.

» George’s at Alys Beach has

a new executive chef, Camille Withall, and two sous chefs, Jimmy Boerma and Erik Kellison. Withall has worked as a sous chef at George’s since February of 2014. Boerma and Kellison have worked in the kitchen for four years.

WITHALL

BOERMA

KELLISON

PHOTOS BY ROVIDED BY PROFILED INDIVIDUALS

» Owners of Meltdown on 30A,

Chef Jim Shirley and Kelli Castille, have officially opened The Baytowne Melt in The Village of Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort.

» Caroline Kanzigg has joined

Coastal Bank and Trust, a division of Synovus Bank, as assistant vice president and branch manager of the Navarre Branch at 8390 Navarre Parkway.

» Michele Kors has joined

Gulf Winds Federal Credit Union in Pensacola as assistant vice president of Mortgage Lending and Sales.

» Realtor Heather

Green has joined the Newman-Dailey Resort Properties Real Estate Division in GREEN Destin.

» Austin Mount took the helm

of the West Florida Regional Planning Council on Oct. 1. He previously served as executive director of the Kaysinger Basin Regional Planning Commission in Clinton, Missouri.

» Seaside Community De-

velopment Corporation, the developer of the new urbanist community of Seaside, has hired Kim Duke-Layden as director of commercial leasing and tenant relations.

» Covenant Care of Pensacola

has named Ron Fried as its new senior vice president and chief growth officer. He will focus on growth initiatives that will allow the not-for-profit to serve an increased number of patients through a continuum of integrated health care services.

LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» Grand Boulevard at Sand-

estin will be welcoming three new stores in 2016, all making their debut in Northwest Florida.

Lilly Pulitzer will be joined by women’s retailer Anthropologie and men’s and women’s retailer Vineyard Vines. All will be located in a new Town Center building currently under construction, directly across from the Boulevard 10 Cinema.

marketing, charities, events and more. The new partnership involves many moving parts, including an annual line of custom 30A YOLO Bikes, 30A YOLO Boards, paddles and other related accessories.

» Turnberry Associates has announced plans to build a 150-room select service hotel in Destin. A nationally branded property, the new hotel will be connected to Destin Commons, which was recently inducted as a high level trustee member in the Destin Chamber of Commerce. The hotel is expected to open in 2017.

LOCAL HONORS

» Two local businesses have made it on Inc. 5000’s 34th annual Fastest Growing Private Companies List. G.S. Gelato & Desserts, a manufacturer of authentic Italian gelato and sorbet in Fort Walton Beach, ranked No. 2,063. IMS ExpertServices of Pensacola, making the list for the ninth year in a row, was listed as No. 3,772.

» Emmanuel Sheppard and Condon Law Firm, based in Pensacola, has opened a new office in Grand Boulevard’s Town Center in Miramar Beach.

Created in 1913, it is one of the oldest law firms in the area, with more than 75 attorneys and staff providing legal services in over 20 areas of practice.

» Mike Ragsdale, who developed the South Walton brand of 30A, was named as the Visit South Walton 2015 Van Ness Butler Jr. Hospitality Award recipient. Ragsdale moved to South Walton in 2006 after living and working in the corporate world of Birmingham.

» As a final step in the academic college reorganization, the University of West Florida has established the College of Health, which will be led by inaugural dean Dr. Ermalynn Kiehl. » The Pensacola State College Foundation received a $250,000 gift to establish the Marjan Mazza Business and Management Endowed Scholarship at Pensacola State College.

This is the first PSC endowed scholarship that specifically supports students seeking baccalaureate degrees.

» Visit South Walton’s Visitor Center has been named a VISIT FLORIDA Certified Tourism Information Center. The center serves approximately 20,000 tourists annually. After three years of education and development, Lead Sales Coordinator Carley McMillian has been designated a Certified Meeting Professional — only the seventh person in Northwest Florida to earn the honor.

» Two local Santa Rosa Beach companies — YOLO Board and The 30A Company — have formed a new partnership that will span numerous lines of business, including retail, merchandise, rental services, tours,

» Lino Maldonado, vice president of Operations for Wyndham Vacation Rentals, is the 2016 Chairman of the Board of the

» Newly opened Venture Hive

Fort Walton Beach is an educational entrepreneurship program created through a partnership of the City of Fort Walton Beach and Venture Hive to bring together training programs for U.S. military veteran entrepreneurs (including veterans, ex-military, and military spouses, dependents and DoD civilians), connecting them to the resources and support they need to grow their businesses.

YOLO BOARD’S JEFF ARCHER AND 30A’S MIKE RAGSDALE

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SOUNDBYTES company’s commitment and ability to using inbound marketing and the HubSpot tools as means to achieve growth goals for its clients.

» Tiffany Howell and Alex

Rowe of the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa Recreation Department were recently awarded the Hilton Spirit of Blue Energy Award — the highest honor for Hilton Hotels and Resorts team members in the Hilton brand — for going above and beyond the expectations of their roles.

MALDONADO

Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, one of the state’s largest trade associations, representing more than 10,000 members in the hospitality industry.

» Gulf Power received another

accolade for the company’s dedication to environmental issues and causes when it was recently named one of the top Environmental Champions in the country. Cogent Reports™ named Gulf Power one of the top 36 utility champions from four regions nationwide, and one of the top three in the South region.

TIFFANY HOWELL AND ALEX ROWE OF THE HILTON SANDESTIN BEACH GOLF RESORT & SPA

» CareerSource Okaloosa Wal-

ton, which uses its mobile unit to reach veterans in rural areas as well as visit military installations, was honored at the 2015 Workforce Professional Development Summit with a Veterans Performance Incentive Award for the outstanding service to veterans provided by its employees.

» Three Nurses at Fort Walton

Beach Medical Center — Neil Rattray, Ulysses Finley Jr., and Amanda Liles — have been honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s National program to recognize the exceptional efforts nurses perform every day and honors nurses who “go above and beyond.”

» The Pensacola Sports As-

sociation (PSA) and Executive Director Ray Palmer were awarded the 2015 Florida Sports Leadership Award by the Florida Sports Foundation for promoting health, fitness and sportsmanship and growing sports tourism in the Pensacola area.

» Pensacola State

College sophomore Jay Tellis is the newly selected state president of TELLIS Health Occupations Students of America. With more than 13,600 members in secondary and post-secondary/ collegiate chapters, Florida HOSA is the second largest state association in the nation.

» Gulf Winds Federal Credit

Union of Pensacola has earned BauerFinancial’s 5-Star Superior rating for strength and security, an honor it has achieved for 85 consecutive quarters.

» Michael Myhre,

the Pensacolabased CEO and Network State Director for the Florida SBDC Network, has been MYHRE elected to the Board of Directors for the Association of Small Business Development

» SPROUT Content, a grow-

ing Pensacola-based inbound marketing agency, was recently honored with an Impact Award for Happiest Hubspot Clients at the annual INBOUND conference. This award recognizes the

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Centers. The SBDC is the state’s principal provider of business assistance for small businesses.

» Leslie Moland and Stephanie Pettis of the Northwest Florida Chapter of the Florida MOLAND Public Relations Association (FPRA) recently earned the professional accreditation in public relations PETTIS and received the designation of Accredited in Public Relations. Moland has served as the public relations specialist at WhiteWilson Medical Center in Fort Walton Beach for almost two years. Pettis is the director of Marketing and Public Relations for Northwest Florida State College.

APPOINTED

BY GOV. SCOTT

» Donna Ryan, 57, of Pensacola, manager of the diabetes program at Sacred Heart Hospital, to the Diabetes Advisory Council. » Stephania S. Wilson, 39, of

Pensacola, a financial advisor at Regions, to the Board of Cosmetology.

BAY NEW BEGINNINGS

» Southern Orthopedic Specialists has welcomed its newest associate, Dr. Ethan L. Kellum, a fellowship-trained Sports Medicine, Shoulder Surgery and Advanced Arthroscopy DR. KELLUM Specialist, to Panama City. In 2014, Kellum completed a fellowship in sports medicine at New England Baptist Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, where he served as assistant team physician for the NBA’s Boston Celtics and for both Harvard and Tufts’ University Athletics.

LOCAL HONORS

» Wayne Stubbs, port director of Port Panama City, has been

elected as chair of the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development Council, which is comprised of the port directors for Florida’s 15 public seaports and representatives from the Florida Department of Transportation and the Department of Economic Opportunity. The council oversees the state and local financing program of priority seaport transportation projects.

» Mexico Beach Sergeant Anthony Kelly in late September was honored by Gov. Rick Scott with the Medal of Heroism for his bravery and quick reaction in helping to save 17 people from the top floor of a burning apartment building while off duty.

LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» Oceaneering International Inc. has contracted with Shell Offshore Inc. to supply umbilicals for the deepwater Appomattox development located in the Mississippi Canyon area of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The project will be managed, engineered and manufactured at the Port Panama City facility. » Associa, an industry leader in community management, has partnered with Burg Management Company Inc. in Panama City Beach. The company, one of only 18 Accredited Management Companies in Florida, has been managing associations for more than 15 years. » Indian Motorcycle® of Panama City Beach celebrated its grand opening in mid-October at 13830 Panama City Beach Parkway. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle® is America’s first motorcycle company.

FORGOTTEN COAST LOCAL HONORS

» Historic Apalachicola Main Street has received two Secretary of State 2015 Florida Main Street Honor Awards. The organization won Outstanding Special Event for the Independence Eve Fireworks Show.

Board Member Lynn Wilson accepted an honor award for Outstanding Business of the Year

as owner of On the Waterfront Gallery. The award is in recognition of her $4.5 million worth of historic preservation projects in the Main Street district since the 1990s, including her gallery building, the Coombs Mansion, the Sponge Exchange Building, the Montgomery building and the cotton warehouse that is now home to the Center for History, Culture and Art.

» Chimene Johnson,

principal of Apalachicola Bay Charter School in Franklin County, was one of six honored for their exceptional leadership skills at the 3rd annual Florida TaxWatch Principal Leadership Awards.

APPOINTED

BY GOV. SCOTT

» Jerry Barnes, 71, of Port

St. Joe, to the Gulf County Board of County Commissioners. Barnes previously served on the county commission from 2000 to 2008 and as a commissioner for Port St. Joe.

» Pinki Jackel, 57, of

St. George Island, as the Supervisor of Elections of Franklin County. Jackel has served as a county commissioner of Franklin County since 2008 as well as chairman of the Tourist Development Council since 2012.

Rick Watson, 68, of St. George Island, to the Franklin County Board of County Commissioners.

Watson owns and operates Richard Watson, LLC and is a realtor with Century 21 Collins Realty Inc.

I-10

NEW BEGINNINGS

PHOTOS BY ROVIDED BY PROFILED INDIVIDUALS

» Robert Vice

of Ameris Bank has been named market president for the bank’s Blountstown VICE operation. Vice, who brings over 40 years of lending and banking experience to the community, also serves as the market president for Ameris Bank’s Tallahassee branch. Ameris Bank acquired its Blountstown branch from Bank of America in June.

Local Vistage Member Company

» Timothy Day is the new

town manager for Greenville.

His top priority for the town is economic development, especially in area of retail and food establishments.

» Hanson Professional Services Inc. has opened a second office in Chipley, bringing LEMIEUX the firm’s number of offices in the state to seven. Brian Lemieux, P.E., has joined Hanson in Chipley as a senior project manager and regional manager. He will provide recruitment, business development and project management services for clients in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Georgia.

Named to Prestigious Inc 5000 Coton Colors Express Laura Johnson – President

Vistage congratulates all the companies that were recognized.

A 2015 analysis revealed that companies that joined Vistage over the past five years grew at three times the rate of average U.S. companies.

Source: Dun and Bradstreet

To learn more visit vistageflorida.com or contact Kelly Scott at (904) 636-0770 kscott@vistageflorida.com

LOCAL HONORS

» John and Elizabeth Alter, owners of the Alter-Bevis Tree Farm in Jackson County, were selected as Florida’s 2015 Outstanding Tree Farmers by the Florida Forestry Association. The couple’s property features 600 acres of pine trees.

PENSACOLA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2015 | 2016 CONCERT SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

LOCAL HAPPENINGS

January 9, 2016 7:30pm

» Bay State Cable

Ties, America’s leading manufacturer of nylon cable ties, recently celebrated the opening of a new 20,000-square-foot building at its manufacturing facility in Crestview. The expansion will create 40 new jobs, brings the total square footage of the Bay State Cable Ties plant to 75,000 and will have a more than $16 million capital investment in the local community.

SAENGER THEATRE

The Music of Elton John & Billy Joel

featuring selections by Beethoven, Barber, Gershwin, Copland, and more!

December 31, 2015 7:00pm SAENGER THEATRE

» Applied Gaia Corporation of Houston, Texas, plans to build a $60 million biomass plant in Perry. The plant, to be operated

by Perry Natural Technologies, a subsidiary, is expected to open in late 2016 and provide 300 jobs for the area.

Compiled by Linda Kleindienst

with Ilana Davidson, Soprano

February 6, 2016 | 7:30pm First United Methodist Church of Pensacola

WITH Katie Ott, harp and Stephanie Riegle, flute

February 13, 2016 7:30pm SAENGER THEATRE

CALL TODAY FOR TICKETS 850.435.2533 WWW.PENSACOLASYMPHONY.COM

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BAY CORRIDOR

Panama City, Panama City Beach + Bay County

FLYING HIGH Four airlines are now serving Northwest Florida Beaches International, making it the second busiest airport in the region behind Pensacola.

Taking Flight Bay County’s airport is breaking passenger records By Tony Bridges

GETTING OFF TO A ROUGH START Replacing the old Panama City airport (PFN) with a brand new airport in environmentally sensitive West Bay was not a popular idea at first. Voters shot it down in a non-binding referendum, and the National Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups filed suit to halt the project.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA BEACHES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

N

orthwest Florida Beaches International Airport turned 5 years old this spring. And it’s been a healthy first five years.

From a controversial start, the sprawling complex in western Bay County has grown into the second busiest airport in the Florida Panhandle and more than doubled the number of passengers that flew through the old Panama City airport.

The airport, known by its FAA code ECP, had one of its busiest months ever in July, serving nearly 100,000 passengers. Now, the airport is gearing up for future expansions that include adding a new runway, building new connector roads and remodeling parts of the terminal, such as the restaurants.

“The vision that people had years ago when they developed this airport, that vision is coming to fruition, and the success is being seen across the board,” said Parker McClellan, executive director of Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.

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BREAKING RECORDS More flights are bringing in ever-growing numbers of tourists to Bay County and boosting local tax revenues.

But the new airport had strong state and local political support, and was backed by the weight of The St. Joe Company, which had plans to develop the land around the airport and was willing to donate a piece of West Bay for the site. Construction was inevitable.

It did not go smoothly, as contractor Phoenix Construction struggled with laying sod and building sufficient stormwater

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drainage in swampy West Bay, leading to delays, cost overruns and environmental fines. Phoenix owner James Finch sued the airport over withheld payments and the airport countersued. In 2012, they settled and paired up in a suit against Kellogg Brown and Root, the project managers.

Final cost for the construction: about $325 million, according to McClellan.

850businessmagazine.com

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport was completed and opened in May 2010.

It was not an opportune time. The economy was still finding its feet again — and in late April of that year, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig had exploded, spilling millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, where it began fouling beaches in Florida, Alabama

“THE VISION THAT PEOPLE HAD YEARS AGO WHEN THEY DEVELOPED THIS AIRPORT, THAT VISION IS COMING TO FRUITION, AND THE SUCCESS IS BEING SEEN ACROSS THE BOARD.” PARKER MCCLELLAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA BEACHES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA BEACHES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

and Mississippi. Panama City Beach was not affected, but people still stayed away.

Shortly after the opening, The Associated Press quoted then-St. Joe CEO Britton Greene: “Could the timing be any worse? The timing for a disaster like this is never good. This is an interruption that no one would have wanted, but this will end.”

As it turned out, he was right.

FIVE YEARS OF GROWTH The economy strengthened, the beaches recovered and fliers began, well, flocking to the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.

The old Panama City airport had served a little more than 312,000 passengers in 2009, its last year of operation. The new airport doubled that number and then some — 839,000 passengers passed through the new facility in its first year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Four airlines now serve ECP: Delta, United, Southwest and Silver Air. Of those, Delta and Southwest fly a little more than 90 percent of the passengers; the rest travel on United and Silver.

The vast majority of passengers fly to Atlanta, which is a hub for both Southwest and Delta. Nashville is a distant second, followed by Houston and Baltimore, according to the U.S. DOT’s statistics.

McClellan said Southwest added nonstop service to Dallas’ Love Field this year.

There also are seasonal routes to St. Louis between March and August. And flights now go to both airports in Houston — Hobby and George Bush Intercontinental — as well as Orlando and Tampa.

While ECP technically is an international airport, “there are no direct international flights,” McClellan said.

Federal transportation numbers put the airport’s on-time average at about 85 percent for departures and 80 percent for arrivals, similar to most other airports. The average flight delay for departure is one hour, and a little less than an hour for arrivals. McClellan said tourists

make up a significant portion of the airport’s passengers, while the airport also gets its “fair share of military and government.”

July of 2015, five years after opening, was the busiest month ever for Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. A combined total of nearly 100,000 passengers arrived and departed on flights there.

MONEY IN THE BANK Panama City Beach Mayor Gayle Oberst said the airport has had a significant impact on local tourism. She said the revenues from the city’s 1-cent sales tax have increased from 12 percent to 13 percent each of the past two years, much of it from tourists, and she credits the airport with helping bring them to Panama City Beach.

“We’re really excited that the airport’s doing as well as it is,” Oberst said. “We’ve got lots of flights going out every day and coming in. Our economy is doing well.”

The Bay County Tourist Development Council has seen similar increases in the 5 percent bed tax levied on motels and other short-term accommodations. At the end of fiscal year 2014, the tax had generated $16.7 million, nearly a 6 percent increase over the previous year. By mid-summer, this year looked on-track to post even larger gains.

Oberst said having a large, modern airport also is a selling point for retirees who move to the area.

“The idea that the airport is 15 minutes away and that they can get flights in and out makes a tremendous difference,” she said.

TOP 10 DESTINATION AIRPORTS FROM NWFL BEACHES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (U.S. ONLY) Atlanta, GA: ALT

181

210

61 57

Nashville, TN: BNA

51 57

Houston, TX: HOU 31

Baltimore, MD: BWI

50

17 15

St. Louis, MO: STL Dallas, TX: DAL

12 10

Chicago, IL: MDW

7 10

Houston, TX: IAH

7 7

Phoenix, AZ: PHX

2 0

Orlando, FL: MCO

2 2

0

50

100

150

June 2013 – May 2014

200

250

June 2014 – May 2015

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics

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GOING BEACH-Y Improvements are planned for inside the terminal, including adding some local flavor to the restaurants, and adding a new runway.

LOOKING AHEAD Last year, the airport’s board of directors approved a master plan covering expansion of the airport over the next 20 years. The projected cost is about $33.6 million.

McClelland said the plan includes, in phases, adding a 7,500-foot crosswind runway big enough to accommodate most planes that use the airport, as well as a possible connector road linking the airport and State Road 20. He said the plan also calls for terminal improvements such as remodeling the two restaurant/ bars to have a more local flavor. One will have a 30A aesthetic, while the other will become the Emerald Coast Pub. Meanwhile, the airport authority is working on the next step in developing the facility — bringing aviation repair and maintenance, shipping and other non-aviation businesses in to build on the property surrounding the airport, including the adjacent Venture Crossings industrial park.

And Sheltair, the airport’s fixed-base operator, markets the executive terminal and nearly 1,700 square feet of office space to businesses and aircraft owners.

So far, it’s been slow going as businesses have taken a wait-and-see position with the new airport.

But “we have more and more people calling every day as compared to five years ago,” McClellan said. “As the economy improves, so do the opportunities for this airport to grow.” n

TOTAL PASSENGERS AT NORTHWEST FLORIDA’S FOUR MAJOR AIRPORTS*

NORTHWEST FLORIDA BEACHES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: 816,000 DESTIN FORT WALTON BEACH AIRPORT (FORMERLY NORTHWEST FLORIDA REGIONAL AIRPORT): 724,000 TALLAHASSEE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: 661,000 *June 2014 – May 2015 Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA BEACHES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

PENSACOLA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: 1,579,000

Sundays 8PM

Beginning Jan 3

The Final Season!

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“Christmas at Downton Abbey” Luncheon

Can’t wait to see what happens in the final season? Be among the first to see the first full hour of Season 6 on the big screen. Come dressed as your favorite Downton Abbey character and enjoy light refreshments and door prize drawings. Don’t miss this last chance to gather with fellow DA faithful at WSRE!

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FORGOTTEN COAST CORRIDOR

Gulf, Franklin + Wakulla Counties

One Y Particular Harbor The old St. George Island ferryboat basin has a new lease on life By Jason Dehart

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ears have passed since recreational and commercial boaters used the little harbor near the causeway connecting St. George Island to the mainland, yet today it’s undergoing a renovation that could make it once again an important part of the local economy.

“It’s a beautiful piece of property, and we’re just getting started trying out what all we can do with it. The harbor is the main thing,” said George K. Floyd, founder of the Apalachicola Maritime Museum.

The property in question is a wooded, 26-acre waterfront parcel that runs from the causeway down to the Fourth Street canal.

Floyd bought the land in 2013 with an eye toward it becoming an adjunct facility for the maritime museum. Since then, work crews have steadily cleared away years of tangled underbrush growth. During this time, Floyd also received approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to get started on the actual harbor and channel maintenance project, which began in September. Years of accumulated sediment, most of it brought on by Hurricane Dennis in 2005, will be removed to make the channel and harbor deep enough for deep draft vessels to seek shelter in times of emergency.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGE K. FLOYD

MARINA REBIRTH What once was a bustling marina for St. George Island will get a new life and give a boost to the island’s economy.

For the most part, though, Floyd sees the harbor as another educational venue for teaching boat building and sailing, and possibly much more. One idea being bounced around calls for informational kiosks on site to introduce visitors and tourists to local seafood. Another idea he has involves using the harbor as a port of call for the Jean Mary, the paddlewheel riverboat he has been laboring three years to bring to the area. The rest of the property might see some kind of low-density development, such as an inn or a set of cottages. Nothing is set in stone yet.

“We’re looking for viable options for the rest of the property. We’d like to put together an advisory board to come up with the best economic impact,” Floyd said.

Longtime St. George Island Realtor Alice Collins is excited about the project. She was the listing agent for the property and

convinced Floyd to buy it because she knew he would have the right vision for it.

“I thought it would be natural for him and what he was doing with the Apalachicola Maritime Museum and the paddlewheel boat,” she said. “It would bring people in that way we wouldn’t do otherwise. I felt comfortable he would do the right thing with the property. I think it’s wonderful that somebody is moving ahead to opening the channel back up and turning it into something we’ll all be proud of. George has a real vision, and the idea of bringing a paddlewheeler in here is incredible.”

The St. George Island ferryboat basin was developed in the 1950s to support ferry service of vehicles and passengers to and from the island. Franklin County voted 1,120 to 34 in 1951 to build a bridge to St. George Island to advance its use as a vacation destination. In 1952, the county commission

worked with the Florida Department of Transportation to set up a ferryboat service to the island, and a year later the county bought two ferryboats that had originally been slated for service on the Hudson River in New York. As the ferry service slackened, the boat basin became a popular anchorage for commercial seafood harvesters and recreational boats, too. A 1984 aerial photograph shows some 30 boats docked there in the offseason, Floyd said. The ferry service came to an end in the early 1990s.

John C. Solomon, executive director of the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce, grew up on the island and remembers being able to use the little harbor, which could be a boon to the economy once restored.

“I think it would be beneficial to the whole area,” he said. “I remember when that place was actually where you could get boats in and out of it, and it was very useful to have boats

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CHANNEL AND HARBOR MAINTENANCE PLAN

going in and out of that port. Now you have to have a small boat, but you can still get through it.”

Franklin County Tourist Development Council member and St. George Island business owner Walter Armistead is another islander on board with Floyd’s idea.

“Anything you can do on the island is positive.

The island, and Apalachicola, go hand in hand. I think it will help all the businesses on the island, Eastpoint and Apalachicola,” he said.

Franklin County TDC Administrator Curt Blair relishes the thought of promoting the island’s maritime heritage.

“We share the general thoughts that the county needs to look back to its maritime history. St. George Island has an interesting history, and to bring some sort of maritime activity back needs to happen,” he said. “This county’s economy can grow its maritime interests. I’m excited about what (the harbor renovation) is going to do to attract people to St. George Island. We still have a vibrant seafood industry here. We need to

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tie the local economies together with the maritime heritage. What George is doing is a real step in that direction.”

Collins said she’s certain any plans for the rest of the property will make a “real statement” for the island, as long as it’s not a high-density development.

That’s something islanders wouldn’t want, she said.

“There are so many different ways it can be utilized, and it’s difficult at this point to know how it’s going to shake out. But I don’t see him doing heavy-density stuff there. I think it will be a development that people will be proud of.

There are a lot of really neat, low-impact/lowdensity things that could be done there,” she said. “I think the island is fortunate that George has it because of what he envisions for it, and he is really following through. His father wanted to do a maritime museum in this area, and that’s what George is determined to do — and much more than that, a connection with the maritime history. There’s a lot out there that can be a real economic boost for our area.”

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works for us “Several businesses, developers and investors have reached out to us as a result of our ad.

We are proud to be a partner of 850 Magazine.”

We are a full-service commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in investment sales, brokerage, leasing (office, retail, industrial, land) and development services and consulting. We work throughout Northwest Florida, and 850 helps keep us in the know about what is going on in the region.

We have been advertising in 850 because it can be found in most Northwest Florida businesses, and it introduces us to the clients that we want to serve — businesses that are relocating or expanding within Northwest Florida as well as those seeking investment properties.

Although we have only been advertising for a few months, several businesses, developers and investors have reached out to us as a result of our ad. We are proud to be a partner of 850 Magazine and feel Northwest Florida will be one of the best areas to invest in real estate over the next 20 years.

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The Last Word

These great words of advice were delivered to the more than 600 business, community and government leaders who attended the 19th annual Gulf Power Economic Symposium held in mid-October — part of a continuing effort by the utility giant to urge Northwest Florida leaders to collaborate, communicate and cross-pollinate.

Henry delivered some of the strongest words that Northwest Florida leaders needed to hear during the two-day meeting, for which 850 Magazine was proud to be a media sponsor.

“Is there a clear and compelling story for Northwest Florida?” Henry asked. “What outcome are you really committed to? Find someone, go up and ask them, ‘What is the best thing Gulf Power CEO Stan Connally happening in our region and why? What’s the dumbest thing we’re doing? What’s the smartest?’ ” Form a collective, he suggested. Find five people, sit everyone The theme of this year’s summit was “Think Big.” As Gulf down and start talking about what’s happening in the region.

Power CEO Stan Connally said, “We need to think transformational economic development. We need to be thinking big.” And I got to see some of that happening firsthand. During the two while each city and county has its own story to tell and sell, he days, there were plenty of huddles to be seen — but the one I reminded everyone, “We are Northwest Florida. We are bigger loved the best happened over lunch the first day of the summit. than one company, one city. And we need to shop that to the rest Ben Pingree, Tallahassee’s new economic development guru, sat of the world . . . Let’s work together. Northwest Florida is not just next to Carol Carlan, chair of the Greater Pensacola Chamber of a getaway, it needs to be leading the way.”

Commerce board of directors. It was the first time they had met, and they immediately talked shop. Synergy is a beautiful thing Northwest Florida has a lot going for it, and Connally urges to watch — and they plan to have more meetings. that we erase the lines that prevent us from what we can be. It’s time to decide what we as a region are committed to and pasGulf Power deserves many thanks for helping to bring this resionate about — and then sell it. Florida is growing jobs at three gion together and improve communication between the varied times the growth rate of our population. Most of that growth is counties and interests. But the symposium happens only once a happening in other regions of our state, but it doesn’t have to year, and now it’s incumbent on those who attended to make an stay that way. effort during the coming year to follow up, communicate with others involved with economic development in the region, find As Tony Carvajal, executive vice president of the Florida ways to collaborate and learn from each other.

Chamber Foundation, reminded everyone: All the advantage “does not go south” in the state.

At 850, we have worked to help open the lines of communication in Northwest Florida. And hopefully, we have been successful at educating business, government and community leaders in our region about what’s happening around the corner from their home county. We are an amazing place with so much to offer the country and the world, from tourists to homebuyers looking for a more inviting (and warmer) climate to businesses LINDA KLEINDIENST, EDITOR looking to open, expand or relocate. lkleindienst@rowlandpublishing.com

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PHOTO BY LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

“If we want to avoid mediocrity, we have to learn to collaborate.”

— Todd Henry, founder and CEO of Accidental Creative “Capitalize on unexpected meetings and pay attention to surprises. The world is connected, but it wasn’t created that way. Someone made the connections. It should be you.”

— Frans Johansson, founder and CEO of The Medici Group

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