850 Business Magazine Summer 2019

FOCUS ON OKALOOSA AND WALTON COUNTIES

WAKULLA HAS PLANS TO PRODUCE A BETTER, SAFER OYSTER MEXICAN AUTO PARTS MAKER SETS UP SHOP IN BAY COUNTY

TALENT TOUT

In Santa Rosa County, career instruction starts early — and that pleases Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree

BECK PARTNERS CEO STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF STRATEGIC TEAMBUILDING

INSPIRATION ISN’T ANYTHING NEW.

Our Air Force (and Northwest Florida) have been doing it for years.

Our STEM Outreach programs inspire students from kindergarten through college. From the FIRST® LEGO Leagues we manage to our National Engineers Week® events, the Doolittle Institute strives to educate students at every level about the opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to build a stronger, more robust future workforce for the DoD and the region.

That’s inspiration.

Connect with the Doolittle Institute to learn how your company can benefit from 100+ years of innovation at the Air Force Research Lab and other Federal Laboratories.

1140 John Sims Pkwy E, Ste 1 • Niceville, FL 32578 // (850) 842-4393 • doolittleinstitute.org // A Member of the Defensewerx Family

NO ROADBLOCKS IN ‘SITE’ OPPORTUNITY PARK

WAKULLA COUNTY CAN BECOME HOME FOR YOUR BUSINESS, NOW. READY TO BREAK GROUND FOR INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS? THE NECESSITIES ARE IN PLACE HERE. OPPORTUNITY PARK IS LOCATED IN AN OPPORTUNITY ZONE. ALL INFRASTRUCTURE IS IN PLACE — WATER, SEWER, POWER, FIBER, ROADS.

wakullaedc.com/sites

JOHN SHUFF, PRESIDENT WAKULLA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL 850.567.3989 | JWSHUFF3@YAHOO.COM

St. Marks Innovation Park

RICHARD EXLINE, VICE PRESIDENT NG WADE INVESTMENT COMPANY 904.588.6773 | REXLINE@NGWADE.COM

FOR LEASE

COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES St. Marks Municipal Dock

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

Address: 627 Port Leon Drive, St. Marks, FL 32355 ST. MARKS INNOVATION PARK Availability: For Lease | Size: 56 acres | Type: Office Building

Office Building

ST. MARKS MUNICIPAL DOCK Availability: For Lease | Size: 3 acres | Type: Land

FIND YOUR PLACE IN WAKULLA CONTACT INFO City of St. Marks | Zoe Mansfield | (850) 925-6224 cityofst.marks@comcast.net | cityofstmarks.com | PO Box 296, St. Marks, FL 32355 850 Business Magazine

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Panama Panama City, PanamaCity, City, meet meet Capital City. meetCapital CapitalCity.

City.

Allan Bense, Bense Enterprises Allan Bense, Bense Enterprises Allan Bense, Bense Enterprises Capital City Bank Group Capital City Bank Group Capital City Bank Group Board ofof Directors Board Directors Board of Directors

Ryan Davis, Capital City Bank Ryan Davis, Capital City Bank Ryan Davis, Capital City Bank President for Bay County President forfor Bay County President Bay County

Capital City Bank proudly brings totoPanama City nearly 125 years ofofspecialized lending that supports Capital City Bank proudly brings Panama City nearly 125 years specialized lending that supports Capital City Bank proudly brings to Panama City nearly 125 years of specialized lending that supports growing businesses.

Ask how our loans forforeverything from office equipment totocommercial space can help growing businesses.

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Ask how our loans for everything from office equipment tocommercial commercial space can help your business meet itsitspotential. www.ccbg.com/business. your business meet potential. www.ccbg.com/business. your business meet its potential. www.ccbg.com/business.

Ryan Davis, President l 850.814.1634 Ryan Davis, President l 850.814.1634 Ryan Davis, President l 850.814.1634 Loan Production Office l Panama City Beach Loan Production Office l Panama City Beach Loan Production Office l Panama City Beach Allsubject loans subject toand credit and property approval if applicable.

Ask your banker for details.

All All loans to credit property approval if applicable.

AskAsk your banker forfor details. loans subject to credit and property approval if applicable. your banker details.

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850 Magazine Summer 2019

IN THIS ISSUE In the #MeToo era, concerns related to sexual harassment and abuse have become top-ofmind issues for attorneys, HR professionals and employers.

850 FEATURES 36

Gov. Ron DeSantis Florida’s new chief executive officer is pleased to have the opportunity to spend more time in the Sunshine State than he did as a U.S. congressman, but the littlest members of the DeSantis family have required some sensitivity training regarding treasured objects found in the Governor’s Mansion. Going forward, DeSantis is sure to heed advice that his predecessor as governor left behind: “There’s going to be a lot of things that you just can’t control; just focus on the things that you can do to be the best governor that you can.” By Pete Reinwald

Illustration by REBECCA TAYLOR

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Employment Law Trends When it appeared

that the Department of Labor during the Obama administration was about to affect policy changes that would have made many more workers eligible for overtime compensation, wage-and-hour concerns were uppermost in the minds of employers. Many revisited employee handbooks and invested in time clocks. When those proposed changes were not enacted and high-profile sexual harassment cases came to the fore, igniting a new women’s movement, the focus shifted. By Steve Bornhoft

On the Cover: Santa Rosa County Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree has been pleased with the county’s success in attracting tenants to its industrial parks. Photo by Stephan Vance

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850 Magazine Summer 2019

IN THIS ISSUE

76 14 Special Reports

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SANTA ROSA COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL A

successful application for Triumph Gulf Coast funding related to long-simmering plans for an aircraft repair facility adjoining the Navy’s Whiting Field figures to be a game-changer for Santa Rosa County. Aerospace is fast becoming a key component in local economies in the 850 region, and Santa Rosa is keeping pace with the likes of Escambia and Bay counties in that space.

Entrepreneurship, too, is a key to sustained growth, says Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree. He is encouraged by the proliferation of career academies in Santa Rosa public schools.

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OKALOOSA/WALTON COUNTIES BUSINESS JOURNAL By securing

an option on a portion of the 10,000-acre parcel known as Shoal River Ranch, Okaloosa County commissioners removed one of the impediments to development at what economic developer Nathan Sparks likes to call a “gigasite.” The extension of utility lines to the site will further enhance its attractiveness. Meanwhile, the county continues to focus on workforce development while paying close attention to military retirees.

In neighboring Walton County, tourism officials are working to attract new visitors while maintaining the quality of the “South Walton experience.”

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10 From the Publisher 79 Sound Bytes 82 The Last Word from the Editor

Departments THE 850 LIFE 14 Justin Beck, CEO at Beck Partners in Pensacola, finds ways to compete with some of the largest commercial real estate and insurance firms in the country by attracting team members who are both savvy and understanding of people.

BOTTOM LINE 18 Consultant and entrepreneur Quint Studer recognizes that all businesses disappoint customers from time to time. The best companies, he says, find ways to turn such episodes into successes by accepting responsibility and offering generous solutions.

Special Section DEAL ESTATE 51 What’s trending, what’s selling and what’s hot to buy in the 850?

Find out here.

Corridors BAY 72 Air Temp, an auto parts manufacturer headquartered in Mexico, has long had a relationship with the Port of Panama City (Florida). Now, prodded by Bay County economic development officials, the company has committed to establishing its first U.S. plant in buildings formerly occupied by a printing company.

CAPITAL 74 Fingerprints and retinal scans serve to identify unique individuals, but neither provides a bloodhound with a trail to follow. So it was that Paul Coley was led to find a way to catalog human scents in the long term.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

FORGOTTEN COAST

20 Being a good follower, advises consultant John Russell, a veteran of hotel management, starts with knowing your limits. That is, it is important to understand what you will and will not tolerate in a boss.

76 The Wakulla Environmental Institute is seeking $13.5 million in Triumph Gulf Coast funding to build an oyster hatchery and a processing facility to meet the demands of a burgeoning oyster aquaculture industry and to bring to market a safer product.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BECK PARTNERS (14) AND PHOTO RENDERING COURTESY OF WAKULLA ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE (76)

In This Issue

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There is no cost to participate.

For more information about the program, or the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, visit jmi.fsu.edu.

CONTACT

Mike Campbell (850) 644-4414 mscampbell@JimMoranInstitute.fsu.edu jmi.fsu.edu 850 Business Magazine

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A Clear Difference in Memory Care

Summer 2019

850 THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA

Vol. 11, No. 4

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BRIAN E. ROWLAND

Now Open and Welcoming New Residents!

Schedule a tour and ask about our rate lock!

Limited space is available – Call today!

850-999-0979 | YourLifeTallahassee.com

1060 Clarity Pointe Drive | Tallahassee, Florida 32308 Assisted Living Facility License #13113

EDITORIAL EDITOR Steve Bornhoft MANAGING EDITOR Jeff Price STAFF WRITER Hannah Burke CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Laz Aleman, Martha J. LaGuardia-Kotite, Thomas J. Monigan, Rebecca Padgett, Wynn Parks, Pete Reinwald, Liesel Schmidt, Quint Studer CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY Daniel Vitter CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut ART DIRECTOR Saige Roberts SENIOR PUBLICATION DESIGNER Shruti Shah PUBLICATION DESIGNERS Sarah Burger, Lindsey Masterson GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sierra Thomas CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS Brian Stromlund CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Lawrence Davidson, Scott Holstein, Jack Gardner Photography, Jennifer G Photography, Love is Wild Photography, Kurt Lischka, Chris McCall, Todd Douglas Photography, Saige Roberts, Stephan Vance, Alex Workman SALES, MARKETING & EVENTS VICE PRESIDENT/CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT McKenzie Burleigh SALES MANAGER, EASTERN DIVISION Lori Magee Yeaton SALES MANAGER, WESTERN DIVISION Rhonda Lynn Murray DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, EASTERN DIVISION Daniel Parisi DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WESTERN DIVISION Dan Parker AD SERVICES COORDINATORS Tracy Mulligan, Lisa Sostre ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES David Doll, Julie Dorr, Darla Harrison, Linda Powell MARKETING MANAGER Kate Pierson SALES AND MARKETING WRITER Rebecca Padgett SALES AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Mackenzie Little SALES AND EVENTS ASSISTANT Abby Crane SENIOR INTEGRATED MARKETING COORDINATOR Javis Ogden OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR Melissa Spear CUSTOM PUBLISHING MANAGER Sara Goldfarb CLIENT SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE/PRODUCTION SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT Amber Dennard RECEPTIONISTS Kaitlyn Henderson, Natalie Kazmin

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

850 Magazine is published quarterly by Rowland Publishing, Inc. 1932 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308.

850/878-0554. 850 Magazine and Rowland Publishing, Inc. are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. Editorial contributions are welcomed and encouraged but will not be returned. 850 Magazine reserves the right to publish any letters to the editor. Copyright June 2019 850 Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Member of three Chambers of Commerce throughout the region.

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From the Publisher

Fostering Employment Organic growth tends to be permanent growth

The monolithic online retailer Amazon and big-box stores including Walmart have capitalized in stupendous fashion on the appetite of people for convenient, one-stop shopping and discount pricing. developers, local leaders, school districts and post-secondary schools all recognize the importance of organic job growth.

Florida State University in Tallahassee is home to the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship, the nation’s first standalone entrepreneurship school at a public university.

Tallahassee Community College is in the process of adding certificate and associate degree programs in entrepreneurship.

FSU in Panama City now offers a commercial entrepreneurship program that provides students with opportunities to innovatively apply classroom lessons beginning with the first semester of coursework to their own business start-up projects.

The importance of growing your own jobs was a big part of the motivation that led to the addition of the Advanced Technology Center at Gulf Coast State College.

At the University of West Florida, the Center for Entrepreneurship is dedicated to seeding economic growth by encouraging and supporting educational initiatives related to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking. Meanwhile, the UWF College of Business is developing degree and certificate programs in entrepreneurship. The college recently launched an MBA program with an emphasis on entrepreneurship.

(By the way, we plan to provide 850 readers with a report in our winter edition on MBA programs at colleges and universities throughout the region.)

Entrepreneurial workspaces and business incubators are sprinkled throughout Northwest Florida. Santa Rosa County schools offer dozens of career academies in areas ranging from advanced manufacturing to culinary arts to information technology and entrepreneurship. The Agritechnology Academy in Jay stands out for Charlin Knight, the director of workforce education for Santa Rosa schools.

Students in that program won a regional soil testing competition and, at this writing, were looking forward to traveling to Oklahoma City for competition at the national level.

All of this activity bodes well for the future of local economies. A large employer attracted to an area by tax or other incentives may depart when the incentives run out. But an individual who grows up in Northwest Florida and then starts a business in his hometown is likely to stay for a very long time.

Best,

BRIAN ROWLAND browland@rowlandpublishing.com

P.S. Here’s an update on Rowland Publishing’s commitment to the Entrepreneurial Operating System that I wrote about last time. Our RPI leadership team has now conducted 20 weekly “L-10” meetings and is feeling the “traction” that results from this new way of communicating and processing company challenges. The results have exceeded my expectations in the form of better teamwork, mutual trust and respect and, ultimately, improvement to our bottom line. Departments within RPI have begun holding their own L-10 meetings and, to my very pleasant surprise, all participants have embraced the concept and the process. There is a new sense of excitement throughout the team as people feel the empowerment that comes with being involved in decision-making. We are elevating and delegating to create a stronger company. I’ll have another update for you in 90 days.

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PHOTO BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN

Like most everybody else, I have patronized these giants, but I try to do so only when I cannot find in a timely fashion what I need from a local small business. I personally enjoy trading with people who greet customers from the perspective of someone who is personally invested in the place where he or she works.

These folks and their businesses are the backbone of Rowland Publishing. They are the people whom our titles are designed to serve, people who become valued RPI customers when they choose to invest proceeds of their labors in advertisements in 850, Emerald Coast, Tallahassee and Northwest Florida Weddings magazines or on the magazines’ websites.

So, yes, when I have a buying decision to make, I always think local first.

Economic developers and civic leaders throughout the 850 region are often focused on landing the next big whale, that employer with the capacity to bring or create hundreds or thousands of jobs for our area.

But it is also important that local leaders be mindful of the businesses already in place in their communities and of the desire on the part of people in their midst to start a business. Organic growth is as important as imported growth. Communities that grow their own businesses bring about the kind of entities that support Little League teams, churches and nonprofit organizations in ways that many of the big corporations that extract dollars from local economies do not.

Thankfully, there is plenty of evidence around to suggest that economic

Whether in victory or defeat, the Seminoles exhilarate Florida State’s fans, students, faculty, alumni and supporters around the globe. And when the final seconds tick off the clock, what unites us all is our unconditional love for our school, our teams, our student-athletes and our coaches.

MAKE AN IMPACT. Get Involved with Florida State University Athletics and Seminole Boosters.

P.O. Box 1353

| Tallahassee, FL 32302 | (850) 644-1830 | SeminoleBoosters.com 850 Business Magazine

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P RO M OT I O N

850businessmagazine.com 6TH ANNUAL PINNACLE AWARDS LUNCHEON AUGUST 21 Join us at FSU Panama City as we honor the 2019 Pinnacle Award recipients and hear from keynote speaker Karen Moore, founder and CEO of Moore Inc. and past Pinnacle Award recipient. Visit 850BusinessMagazine.com/ pinnacle-awards

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LET’S NETWORK! Find 850 Business Magazine on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You’ll also find Rowland Publishing on LinkedIn, where you can join the 850 Business Group for conversations with fellow readers.

» Deal Estate

Browse residential and commercial real estate opportunities, recently sold properties and dreamy second homes, sponsored

by Beck Properties.

» The Latest News

Stay up to date with local stories and reports about local business events, happenings and gatherings all across Northwest Florida.

» Legal Insights

@850BIZMAG

Tag us on Instagram stories at your favorite local businesses for a chance to be featured.

Supporting local establishments is crucial to the development and growth of our communities.

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Stay aware of new industry issues and legal updates with these online exclusives.

@850bizmag 850 - The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida @850BizMag

» Flip Books

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

PHOTOS BY LAWRENCE DAVIDSON (PINNACLE AWARDS) AND INGRID_HENDRIKSEN / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS (M&J) AND COURTESY OF KABLER

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER 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.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR 6TH ANNUAL PINNACLE AWARD LUNCHEON JOIN US AS WE HONOR THE 2019

PINNACLE AWARD RECIPIENTS and hear from keynote speaker Karen Moore, founder and CEO of Moore, Inc. and past Pinnacle Award Recipient.

2019 Recipients Mona A. Amodeo, PhD

Amy Hoyt

Cindi Bonner

Kimberly Krupa

Stacey Brady

Tiffanie Nelson

Daryl Rose Davis

Sandy Sims

Marsha Doll

Michelle Ubben

Kristine Knab (Posthumously)

AUGUST 21, 2019 | 11:30 AM CT Florida State University Panama City in the St. Joe Foundation Ballroom of the Holley Academic Center

TO PURCHASE TICKETS OR FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT

850BusinessMagazine.com/Pinnacle-Awards

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Executive Mindset

The (850) Life THE VALUE OF AGILITY

MANAGING OPPORTUNITY The CEO of Beck Partners in Pensacola succeeds in the Information Age by providing customers with insights that can’t readily be found by typing keywords into a search bar. BY STEVE BORNHOFT

Q&A WITH JUSTIN BECK 

850: Describe the culture at Beck Partners.

JB: We have a good time and work hard, and there’s plenty of

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lunches, gatherings and activities like that, but we define ourselves by our core values: Fearless, Agile, Smart and Transparent or FAST, for short.

Fearless because our clients deserve to hear the best advice, not just what is easy to say. Beck Partners

is a small regional firm, but we compete against the largest real estate and insurance firms in the country by being extremely agile.

We need people who understand finance and legal matters and complex deals, but they must also understand people. That requires

significant smarts.

Finally, our clients deserve transparency and frankness about their assets. One aspect of our culture that’s really been impressive to me is how our people make it their own: They do things together and for each other, they celebrate

personal milestones and it’s not something manufactured.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BECK PARTNERS

850: What are the core competencies of your business? That is, what do you do especially well?

JB: Beck Partners provides service to owners and occupiers of real estate through the entire life cycle of the asset. This means we connect our clients to the best opportunities through sales and leasing. We protect them by assisting them with their insurance needs and we add value by managing the property. We really know our markets. Real estate remains a really inefficient market, and we pride ourselves on adding value for our customers with information that can’t be found online. Maybe it’s the unique traffic pattern at an intersection, or when certain leases are expiring — these are the bits of information that can make a huge difference in a decision an investor or company makes.

850: What attributes or values do you most look for in an employee?

JB: In addition to seeking people who exemplify our core values, we look for people with great self-awareness about their strengths and weaknesses. I look for people who see opportunities. It’s the difference between

deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning.

In school, students are tested on their ability to find the single best answer — that’s deductive — but in business there may be 12 different ways to get something done, and that’s inductive. I want the person who can see all 12 ways; those people are special.

850: Speak to commercial real estate trends. With growing numbers of people working remotely and given the ascendancy of online retailing, is the demand for commercial real estate declining?

JB: I love real estate because it’s one of the most entrepreneurial industries in the world. Our industry is changing, yes, but it’s always been changing, and commercial real estate will always play a huge role in making people’s life easier, more enjoyable or more successful. The retailers who are going to survive are going to provide a special experience for the shopper, and they are going to have great customer service.

Office environments are going to be more like hotels; they’ll have great amenities. People will always want to get out of their house and apartment, but now and in the future, their options are limitless, so you better wow them.

Driverless cars will have a huge impact on commercial real estate,

and for the better, I believe. Imagine no more massive parking lots; that land will become much more valuable when you can put something there instead of just asphalt.

850: To what extent do you find yourself dealing with businesses from outside the region who have an interest in moving to Northwest Florida or establishing locations here?

JB: The data is clear.

The majority of any community’s growth comes from expansion of local businesses. That said, the secret is out: Northwest Florida is an unbelievable space in which to live and do business. We are seeing new businesses look to move to the area every day and, more importantly, I talk with brilliant young people who see opportunity here when just a few years they had to go to Atlanta, Miami or elsewhere for opportunity.

850: What aspects of property management does Beck Partners devote the most time and energy to?

JB: Good property management requires really good accounting.

We have a great accounting team that works with our property managers, and that takes a lot of time when you have several hundred tenants. Beyond the day-to-day, we focus

on the overall property health such as the building components, and major assets. More importantly, a great deal of time is spent working to maximize tenant satisfaction and generating returns for investors.

850: Talk about the decision by then-Beck Properties to get into the insurance business via merger with McGraw Insurance. Was that part of a deliberate strategy or did that move result organically when an opportunity presented itself?

JB: We were both looking for opportunities to expand our offerings to better our relationships with clients, but the reason the partnership has worked so well is that we started by asking “Why” and we talked about how we could work together from a personality perspective.

We have very complementary skill sets, so it works great.

850: What advice do you have for your insurance clients, particularly in view of the devastation caused

by Hurricane Michael?

JB: Know your coverage, deductibles and limits.

We are finding that many clients have not looked at the cost of reconstruction in a long time, and they may be underinsured.

Most policies also have percentage wind deductibles of from 1 to

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850 LIFE

10 percent on the total value of insurance and the insured needs to plan for a large out-of-pocket expense. The other main issue we are seeing is ordinance and law coverage is becoming a big deal after Michael. Many of these older buildings are having to be upgraded to current building code standards, and without ordinance and law coverage to cover the additional cost to comply with codes, the insured may find they have to pay out of pocket for these additional costs. We learned from Ivan, just like Michael, how important flood insurance is for everyone. What people don’t understand is that everyone in Florida is in a flood hazard zone. They may be in a high- or low-hazard flood zone, but we are all in a flood zone. Being in a low hazard zone and not being required by your mortgage holder to have flood insurance does not mean that you are not at risk of a flood loss.

850: Your insurance customer retention rate hovers around 95%. What are the keys to that success?

JB: Communicating and advising our customers is one of our reasons we have a high retention ratio. Our team advises our insureds on what the insurance coverage options really are. We hear time and time again that they have never had an agent actually explain the coverages that are being offered and what they mean. We are not here to just sell policies. We want our insureds to know what their coverage is and how it works.

Insurance is complicated, and our team helps explain the coverages and options in an understandable way.

850: What are the three best things about living in Northwest Florida?

JB: First, our environment is so precious. The waterways, beaches, forests and wildlife

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are so unique and add so much to the quality of life here. If you look at what’s happened in South Florida, you can see what can happen if the environment is not taken care of. I hope we can be proactive about preserving our natural environment in Northwest Florida. Next, our history is unbelievable, not just for tourists but for residents. I get to walk around downtown Pensacola with my kids and see firsthand hundreds of years of history. Our communities are getting really good at telling that story. UWF Historic Trust and Visit Pensacola are doing great work. Finally, the spirit of “betterment” is the only term I can think of to describe the attitude I see around Northwest Florida today. When I came back to town 14 years ago, everyone seemed happy with the status quo. Today everyone wants to get better, improve something, be more inclusive and try out new ideas. It’s really exciting.

The Best Is Our Standard State College

Nationally Recognized Welding Program

A History of Excellence Located in the coastal heart of the Florida panhandle, Northwest Florida State College has earned a reputation for educational excellence and community involvement.

Faculty Named one of the Top 150 community colleges in the Nation by the Aspen Institute every cycle since 2010.

Scottie Smith, Distinguished Faculty Member of the Year AACC 2018 Teacher of the Year Welder Magazine

Advanced to Silver Status in the Florida College System Performance Funding model.

Highest number of students (2,537) receiving post 9/11 GI Bill benefits in the Florida College System - four times the system average of 664 students.

Students Lindsey Irvine, First Female to Win Associated Builder and Contractor Craft Championship Pipe Welding contest

Named the first Military Order of the Purple Heart College in Florida.

Designated a Military Friendly® School by Viqtory Media for 2019-2020.

Collegiate High School at NWF received the Blue Ribbon School distinction in 2006 and 2013. In 2017, CHS ranked first in the state in four-year graduation rates.

Nursing Program ranked in Florida’s top 10 among all Florida colleges and universities according to pecerntage of pass rates by RegisteredNursing.org.

Facility #1 Welding Education Facility in the Nation American Welding Society

100 COLLEGE BOULEVARD EAST | NICEVILLE, FL 32578 | (850) 678 - 5111 | WWW.NWFSC.EDU Northwest Florida State College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. www.sacscoc.org or 404.679.4500.

Northwest Florida State College is committed to equal access/equal opportunity in its programs, activities, and employment. For additional information, visit www.nwfsc.edu.

Materiales de la Universidad son disponibles en Española llamando a la Oficina de Admisiones de Northwest Florida State College al 850-678-5111.

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Executive Mindset

Bottom Line ADDRESSING COMPLAINTS

SERVICE RECOVERY Dissatisfied customers provide opportunities to shine

BY QUINT STUDER

E

very organization, no matter how great, will have a dissatisfied customer at one time or another.

They may be upset with the service they receive. They may not like the quality of product they purchased. However, it seems the organizations that have the best reputations for service almost always have the best systems in place when a customer’s expectations are not met.

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ILLUSTRATION BY KMLMTZ66 / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS AND PHOTO COURTESY OF THE STUDER GROUP

Executive Mindset

They turn such episodes into opportunities to demonstrate why they are the best.

I read some research on service recovery highlighting a hotel chain with a great reputation. If a person stayed at one of their hotels and did not have a complaint, the chances of that person staying in that hotel chain again was just above 90 percent. That’s a real good result for the chain.

If a customer had a complaint that was not resolved while staying at this chain, the chance of booking another room was less than 70 percent.

But get this: If the person had a complaint and it was addressed promptly, the chances of staying in the hotel chain again?

The mid-90s percentile. That’s a higher score than the people who stayed and didn’t have a complaint.

I am not recommending you create an issue just so you can fix it. But it does show the power of a quick, helpful response.

The challenges of service recovery are considerable. Often, it is too late for the customer. They are gone before the complaint can be fixed. In some cases, the owner, supervisor or staff member doesn’t feel there is a valid reason in the complaint. Also, there’s paralysis with organizations too afraid to react because they feel if they admit a mistake it will lead to litigation.

Most have heard the saying a complaint is a gift. Eventually, yes. However, it sure may not feel like it at first.

Here are some suggestions for service recovery: Have a service recovery tool kit in place.

n

This tool kit consists of ways your staff can address a complaint. It can include coupons and other ways to say, “I’m sorry.”

Provide staff with training on how to respond to a complaint, and be sure to include role playing. This training

n

should include key phrases such as: “I am sorry we have not, did not or are not meeting your expectations.” Or, “I want to resolve this, what can I do to make this right?” In my experience, the customer will surprise you. They may even be helpful, not ask for anything and say, “I just don’t want anyone else experiencing this.”

Provide your staff with the power to fix an issue on the spot.

n

When I worked in Chicago years ago, we let every single employee know they could access an account for up to $250 to fix an issue, right then and there. On the spot. The usual concerns were raised.

“Will employees take advantage

of this?” The employee would need to document the amount spent, why it was given and the name of the recipient. At the end of the year, around $5,000 was given. This was an organization generating more than $100 million a year in income. Our customer satisfaction climbed to a spot among the very best in the country.

Be clear that there are some people who, no matter what, will not be pleased. We lose

n

credibility with our workforce if we send the message that every customer can be satisfied. Even the best of the best have some customers that will not allow themselves to be pleased.

Recognize a staff member in front of his or her co-workers on the way they performed service recovery. This helps

n

co-workers learn and see that complaints do happen.

The key is responsive service recovery. Retained customers create new customers. That means more success for all.

Quint Studer is the founder of the Studer Community Institute and a successful business leader, speaker and author.

He is also the entrepreneur in residence at the University of West Florida and author of Building a Vibrant Community.

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Executive Mindset

Personal Development AUTHORITY ISSUES

FOLLOWING THE (UNFIT) LEADER Begin by embracing your role as a team player

BY HANNAH BURKE

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J

ohn Russell is a natural leader.

His resumé reveals as much, boasting managerial positions with Ritz-Carlton and Hyatt hotels, co-ownership of Russell Vacation Rentals and Russell and Russell Consulting and his presiding role with the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation.

But it’s also evident in the confident, candid way in which he speaks to even a stranger who sent him a vague request for information for a magazine story.

Russell discloses that for every fiction novel he reads, one work of nonfiction finds its way into the mix to sharpen his skills and expand his knowledge base. My hourlong conversation with him shed more light on corporate dynamics than any courses or textbooks had ever afforded me.

But, he conceded, “I’m not a good follower. I don’t like authority or being told what to do. If I work for somebody that I don’t respect professionally, it’s hard for me to comply. But I’ve also had great, inspiring bosses who were mentors I’d strive to impress. They hire the right people for their team and create a natural order.”

In an ideal workplace, Russell said, anyone can be a proper follower. It’s the less than ideal situations — such as inept overseers who foster toxic work environments — in which you must rise to the occasion.

That is, the dedication to your work and self-advancement outweighs the urgency to quit.

KNOW THYSELF Throughout Russell’s career, coping hasn’t always been an option. “You absolutely have to self-evaluate and ask, ‘Is this something I can tolerate?’ ” he said. “Being a good follower starts with knowing your limits. Determine that line, and establish how close you are to crossing it.”

After a former employer came under new management, radical changes to daily protocol pushed Russell across his own line. His reason for quitting was this: He would be a thief if he accepted pay for work he didn’t believe in, and a liar for enforcing values he didn’t agree with.

But there are also times Russell counted himself among those who simply “put their head down and colored.” These are the employees who are so dedicated to advancing within the company that disturbing policies and horrible bosses are merely background noises capable of being tuned out.

But Russell advises people in those marginal situations to continue to assess and improve their performance. Just because you’ve found a way to deal with your situation and produce adequate work doesn’t mean it’s going to boost you another rung up the corporate ladder.

“Once you get to a certain point in your career, training is over. If you want to continue to succeed and support your organization, you need to invest in yourself,” Russell said.

Identify your weaknesses as an employee, whether they are listening skills or interpersonal relations, and actively work to improve them. Reach for that self-help book, utilize your HR officers and take some notes from model coworkers.

ILLUSTRATION BY JA_INTER / DIGITALVISION VECTORS

KNOW THY NEIGHBOR Coworkers, Russell said, may be the most valuable coping mechanism in a tainted work environment. “One of the biggest things that unites people is a common enemy.”

The enemy may be that horrid new manager who just screamed at Karen for forgetting to restock the printer’s paper tray.

“You look out for each other — you know you’re going to get through it because you all love your jobs and don’t want to leave,” Russell said. “That morale brings you closer and makes you work harder as a team.”

Of course, an excellent follower is one who embodies his role as team player. It’s important to realize your co-workers are suffering, too, and likely feel undervalued.

Let them know they’re doing a good job. Actively listen to

their needs, and make yourself a reliable source of assistance.

Being the light in an otherwise gloomy workspace can be as easy as asking, “How can I help?”

Grabbing after-work drinks and exchanging frustrations is a great way to blow off steam, so long as that, in the end, your group decides how to proceed. “When you get everything off your chest and resolve, despite everything, to do the best work you can do, you’re elevating everybody,” Russell said.

“If you end up feeling worse than you did during your work day, you’re escalating; you’re pouring gasoline on that fire.”

In a dumpster fire of a workplace, employees may be inclined to mutiny.

“Teams are groups of people with a common goal who hold themselves mutually accountable,” Russell said. “If you’ve decided to cope, not quit, then don’t be the resistance.

Don’t become a terrorist, because you’ll end up hurting your teammates.”

KNOW THY ENEMY According to Dr. Stephen Covey, whose book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is Russell’s leadership bible, trust is made up of two things: character and competency.

Do you consider your leader to be unreliable because of his behavior, or is he simply unable to handle his employees? If leadership style is to blame, it may be possible to modify your own behavior, anticipate reactions and avoid unnecessary run-ins.

It’s not always the unethical bullies who stunt your growth as a follower, but the passive pushovers or time-wasters.

“One of the hardest people to follow are the idea fairies,” Russell said. “These are the entrepreneurial-type bosses who throw around 100 ideas a day. They could be the nicest people, but they drive you crazy with their ideas.”

If your boss is prone to offering solutions in search of a problem, ask him how his latest proposition will benefit your organization. By tactfully asking probing questions, you may bring about some clarity.

If you truly believe your boss is unaware of his own incompetency, use your best judgment in finding a way to address deficiencies. It may not be wise to undermine an aggressive leader in the middle of a meeting, but for the boss who means well, feedback is crucial.

Find a time to confront him alone, and respectfully raise your concern. Again, asking insightful questions may help illuminate their perspective. Finding common ground may not be as difficult as you think.

“Once you figure out what it is about your boss that makes you unhappy, then you can take control of the situation,” Russell said. “The only solution may be to self-eliminate, but if you want to stay, you tolerate it because you know that one day, it’s going to get you where you want to be.”

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P R O M OT I O N

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

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

AUGUST 1 | GRAYTON BEACH

ARTOPIA

A fundraising event that benefits Big Bend Cares, Artopia brings together local and regional artists as they donate their art, including paintings, sculptures, photography, arts and crafts, gift certificates and more. The event will feature a silent auction with a wide range of starting bid prices and a live auction at the end of the evening.

AUGUST 21 | PANAMA CITY

CONTRACTORS CONNECT

Make connections with other contractors, subcontractors and specialists in the Emerald Coast construction industry. Tickets ($10) include a draft beer and light appetizers. All registered guests will be entered to win in multiple giveaway drawings at the event.

AUGUST 29 | MIRAMAR BEACH

PINNACLE AWARDS The Pinnacle Awards spotlight leading women in business who hold themselves to high standards and contribute to the betterment of the community.​ Ten outstanding women from an 18-county region of Northwest Florida are selected from nominations and honored at the annual Pinnacle Awards, presented by 850 — The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida.​

6TH ANNUAL STAKE AND BURGER DINNER WITH DERRICK BROOKS Join the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast for the 6th Annual Stake & Burger Dinner from 6–9 p.m. at the Hilton Sandestin Beach. The Keynote speaker will be NFL Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks.

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

Life is better by our pool

AQUA POOL MEMBERSHIPS Just in time for summer! Make your plans to lounge poolside at AQUA. Visit our website to find out more about our memberships and sign up today!

Month-to-month, 3-month, and 6-month memberships are available.

wwww.AquaPoolside850.com 316 West Tennessee Street, Tallahassee FL 32301

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PHOTOS BY LAWRENCE DAVIDSON (PINNACLE) AND COURTESY OF INDIVIDUAL EVENTS

JUNE 22 | TALLAHASSEE

Santa Rosa County

AN 850 BUSINESS MAGAZINE SPECIAL REPORT

2019 BUSINESS JOURNAL

EDUCATION / EMPLOYMENT / ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

County of Choice Santa Rosa capitalizes on its quality of life

“commuting patterns” in what might be called a “needs improvement” category. Among Santa Rosa County residents, 18,470 both live and work in the county, while the county’s population totaled 170,063 in 2016, according to sources including the U.S. Economic Census Bureau. The number of Santa development director Shannon Rosa residents who commute to jobs Ogletree cites outside the county stood at 38,199. outstanding Garner also listed the paucity of startschools and up businesses as a negative indicator and affordable encouraged Santa Rosa County and its housing as Santa Rosa County economic development organization positives.

(EDO) to “enhance the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

So it was that Ogletree was out seeking a home for an incubator. “It’s important to be willing to try something different,” he said.

Doing things differently can result in differentiation from other communities seeking employers, a dynamic as important to economic developers as it is to businesses trying to distinguish themselves from their competitors.

It was a point strongly made by Garner analysts who called upon the county and its EDO to “be more outward facing to market and differentiate Santa Rosa so as to attract target business sectors.”

Optimal targets, Garner found, were:

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that is expected to increase by nearly 2 percent per year through 2025. The county grew by 27,514 residents between 2006 and 2016.

“We have available and affordable housing,” Ogletree began to tick off the county’s desirable attributes. “We are growing but not at a rate that is inflating home construction costs.

We are a top-10 school district in Florida. We have a low crime rate. Here, people still get to know their neighbors.”

Ogletree once lived next door in Escambia County but moved his family to Santa Rosa County after his children were born, a decision based on quality-of-life factors.

Positive indicators cited by Garner included educational attainment, household income, a relatively modest cost of living and the capacity to attract labor.

But there were three negative factors, which were sure to attract Ogletree’s attention.

Garner placed “labor force participation” and

 Aviation and support services  Distribution and logistics  Health services/research

and medical technology

 Business services

 Agriculture and marine research

The targets were selected based on the “unique competitive advantages of the region.”

For example, aviation and support services emerged as a target given advantages including:  Major military aviation installations in the area  Strong regional profile of existing aviation firms  Proximity to large aircraft assembly operations  High number of military veterans with

aviation and technical skills

 High concentrations of employment in

several aviation fields

 Relevant training available at the

George Stone Center

PHOTO BY STEPHAN VANCE

S

hannon Ogletree, the director of Santa Rosa Economic Development, is fresh from a bit of a shopping expedition. He has been hunting space for a small business incubator.

In April of last year, the agency that Ogletree heads took delivery of a five-year strategic plan for economic development in Santa Rosa County. The document, prepared by Garner Economics LLC of Atlanta, assessed the county in terms of 22 economic indicators.

Of the total, 14 were deemed positive and attractive, five were seen as neutral and just three were judged to be negative.

A good result, but perhaps not surprising for a place that has emerged, Ogletree said, as a “county of choice.”

That is, people who, owing to telecommuting and other ways of the modern world might choose to live anywhere, are landing in Santa Rosa County. The result is population growth 24

by STEVE BORNHOFT

workforce manufacturing red tape experience zoning connection location implementatio iason permitting aviation skill population aviation incentives development expediting water si selection access trained personnel gas acreage ownership logistics workforce red tape locatio ndustry transportation electricity results certification labor water distribution manufacturin zoning connection location experience logistics implementation telecom liason tax developme permitting skill incentives population transportation development expediting access site selectio access trained certification gas acreage owner water site selection access training pers`onnel resu ndustry owner logistics location distribution red tape acreage electricity aviation transportatio results implementation workforce manufacturing zoning connection certification indust ocation distribution electricity certification results workforce manufacturing experience zonin connection site selection red tape industry skill transportation electricity results developme access tax personnel water acreage owner logistics population location distribution skill indust

Let Us Work for You

Santa Rosa County is preparing your future workforce, today

Santa Rosa County’s comprehensive Career Academy program is only one example of our commitment to expanding a capable workforce. Over 65 Career Academies equip high school students with the skills required for in-demand industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, or energy. At over 74,000 strong, our workforce is ready for you now — and ready to grow with you.

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GRADUATION RATE

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Contact Shannon Ogletree today.

(850) 623-0174 • shannon@santarosa.fl.gov or visit SantaRosaEDO.com 850 Business Magazine

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SANTA ROSA COUNTY SEES RAPID GROWTH

Santa Rosa County’s population could reach 180,000 by 2020, according to the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research, an increase of more than 62,000 residents in 20 years. While Florida is one of the fastest growing states in the country, Santa Rosa’s population gains are outpacing the statewide figure.

1.9%

ANNUAL POPULATION GROWTH PROJECTED THROUGH 2025

Ogletree is on board with all of that. He views aviation as the No. 1 employment sector for Northwest Florida, having taken note of the arrivals of GKN Engineering in Bay County and ST Engineering at the Pensacola International Airport.

“The strategic plan offered us a clear direction, and we’ve been checking boxes,” he said. “We’re focused on the incubator idea. The County Commission has approved the construction of a spec building at our I-10 Industrial Park. We visited with a cybersecurity company to look at its current operations and to understand what they might establish here. Currently, they have 1,000 employees, and it is possible that their existing business could be replicated here.”

And, yes, there is the aviation piece.

Last year, the Triumph Gulf Coast board executed a contract with Santa Rosa County relative to its award of $8.52 million for infrastructure, roads and utilities at a planned aircraft repair facility at Naval Air Station Whiting Field. That development, Ogletree said, figures to be a game changer capable of giving Santa Rosa County a leg up in the increasingly crowded Northwest Florida aerospace space.

“We recognize that there is a pent-up demand for services related to aviation in our area, and we are home to a lot of military retirees,” Ogletree said. “We need to ask ourselves how we can best keep those individuals here.

“How do we take their skills and market them to outside companies? If you are in Topeka, Kansas, and having a hard time finding employees or if you are in Connecticut and you don’t want to have to pay $30 an hour to union employees, consider us. We don’t 26

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have the high cost of living or the taxes that Connecticut, for example, has. A GKN supplier left Connecticut to come to Bay County.”

Too, Ogletree, an accomplished marketer, is embracing marketing suggestions made by Garner. (In 2018, Ogletree was named to a list of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers by Consultant Connect.)

Garner advocated a strategy whereby Ogletree et al would “share Santa Rosa County’s business opportunity story with targeted internal and external audiences.”

To do so, Garner advocates steps including:  Crafting Santa Rosa County’s story

 Launching a digital ambassadors campaign  Advancing the Santa Rosa

EDO’s online presence  Rethinking approaches to digital media  Influencing influencers  Testing a new approach to collateral materials  Leveraging trade shows  Developing marketing partners  Creating creative, dimensional direct mail to best-bet companies “I’m not a huge fan of social media, but we will get more information pushed out via Facebook and other platforms,” Ogletree said. “And, we are redeveloping our marketing materials.”

Assuredly, Ogletree can change gears. As a college student, he started out in computer programming, switched his major to physics and wound up with a business degree.

“I had enough credits for two degrees when I graduated,” Ogletree recalled.

1,500

NEW HOMES WILL NEED TO BE BUILT ANNUALLY TO MEET ANTICIPATED POPULATION GROWTH

47

CAREER ACADEMIES AND TRAINING PROGRAMS

4TH

HIGHEST MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME

38,199 RESIDENTS COMMUTE TO JOBS OUTSIDE SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Sources: Garner Economics LLC, Santa Rosa Economic Development

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SANTA ROSA EDO/DUNCAN MCCALL ADVERTISING (MILITARY BASE)

The presence of a military installation like Naval Air Station Whiting Field helps Santa Rosa County compete for aviation businesses.

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INDUSTRIAL PARKS

Industrial Park Place Santa Rosa County taking steps to lure tenants

N

orthwest Florida counties tend to be “land rich and building poor,” said Shannon Ogletree, the director of Santa Rosa Economic Development.

Santa Rosa is trying to escape that generalization by at least 50,000 square feet, maybe 100,000.

The Santa Rosa County Commission has committed to the construction of a spec building at its 90-acre I-10 Industrial Park.

Infrastructure is in place at the site, which a distributor from the Southeast is having a close look at. Ogletree, at this writing, said he and the county are narrowing down possible incentives that will be offered to the prospect.

If the hoped-for deal is made, the distributor would bring 400 jobs to the county in the first phase of its build-out.

“They would require lots of truckers,” Ogletree said. “Over half of their employees would be truckers.”

The spec building, at 50,000 square feet, could be divided into two spaces. Or it could be expanded to more than 100,000 square feet.

“Having an available manufacturing Major tenants at the Santa Rosa Industrial Park include Navy Federal Credit Union and Goldring Gulf Distributing.

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by STEVE BORNHOFT

building, with eight dock doors, a 6-inch slab and a 32-foot eave height will attract prospects, Ogletree is convinced.

“It’s just like sales,” Ogletree emphasized.

“Whatever will continue to get us the most looks gives us the best chance. Buildings are in short supply, especially on I-10.”

The county owns four industrial parks in total in various stages of development.

WHITING AVIATION PARK

In 2017, the Triumph Gulf Coast Board gave preliminary approval to the county’s request for $8.52 million with which to pay for infrastructure, roads and utility extensions that will serve an aircraft repair facility at the park. The approval was formalized by contract last year.

“We’ve selected Moffitt-Nichols as the design firm to put the utilities in,” Ogletree said. “The design work should be complete by midsummer with construction starting shortly after that. Soon, it will be

possible for companies who want in at Whiting to begin construction of their own facilities, even as work on park improvements continues.”

Ogletree said “various companies” have been attracted to the park’s relationship to Naval Air Station Whiting Field and the availability of limited use agreements allowing for touches at the Navy’s 6,000-foot runway. Most of the interested companies are in the business of maintaining, repairing and overhauling aircraft, but a couple have talked about manufacturing operations, according to Ogletree.

The realization of the aviation park has been a long time coming. The concept is at least 16 years old, dating to a conversation between thenCounty Commissioner W.D. “Don” Salter and Commodore Terrance “Rufus” G. Jones, who was the training wing commander at Whiting Field. The two men talked about how development adjoining Whiting Field, given an adequate buffer separating commercial operations and those of the Navy, would benefit the county’s economic interests.

“Receiving the funding to put the infrastructure in is what we needed,” Ogletree said. “If it weren’t for Triumph and Chairman Gaetz, who worked closely with us, none of this would have happened, the park never would have been realized. We went from scuffling to real progress.”

PHOTOS BY STEPHAN VANCE (AERIAL) AND COURTESY OF SANTA ROSA COUNTY EDO/ DUNCAN MCCALL ADVERTISING (SIGN, GOLDRING DISTRIBUTING AND CAPE HORN); RENDERING COURTESY OF WHITING AVIATION PARK (TOP RIGHT)

SANTA ROSA INDUSTRIAL PARK EAST

The proximity of the future Whiting Aviation Park to Naval Air Station Whiting Field has attracted the attention of businesses shopping for sites; below, a Goldring Distributing employee operates a forklift.

The park is home to a Cape Horn boats manufacturing facility, and the county has agreed to lease 15 acres to Pensacola State College for a truck driver training school at the site.

“Nationwide, the need for truck drivers has skyrocketed,” Ogletree said. “Think about how we are ordering goods every day and how they are delivered. Up to that last mile when it is delivered to your house, delivery drivers are in demand more and more to get goods to the distribution centers. The school will help provide companies with the employees they need to accomplish their goals.”

SANTA ROSA INDUSTRIAL PARK

Navy Federal Credit Union and Goldring Gulf Distributing have presences at the park, which is “basically built out with very few acres left,” Ogletree said.

The park is home to a Cape Horn boats manufacturing facility, and the county has agreed to lease 15 acres to Pensacola State College for a truck driver training school at the site.

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CAREER ACADEMIES

Proliferation of Pathways Academics give way to academies

by THOMAS J. MONIGAN

T

oday’s generation on the rise faces multiple challenges when it comes to an increasingly complex job market.

For the past four-plus years, a unique partnership has provided answers to these challenges in the form of Santa Rosa Career Pathways.

“It’s a joint program between the Santa Rosa County School District and the Santa Rosa Economic Development Office,” said Charlin Knight, “and we utilize the data that’s provided to us by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.”

Knight is the director of workforce education for the county’s public schools. Her partner in the project is Tina Stewart, the business development manager for the county’s economic development office.

The program is connected with eight middle schools, six high schools and one technical college.

With recent additions at Gulf Breeze, Jay and Milton, there are 16 middle school academies, 48 high school academies and 20 technical college post-secondary programs. Some middle school students attend the academies at Central School and Jay High School.

During the 2017-2018 school year, students earned 2,127 industry certifications in these programs, according to Knight.

“It’s really serving two purposes,” Knight said. “It makes sure our students and parents have the information they need to make choices about their students’ career pathway, and it also provides folks who are looking at this area as a possible talent pipeline to be able to look and see what we’re training our students to do.”

Having the same group of people involved since initiation in 2015 has been important.

“Continuity is important for a project to grow and get better,” Knight said. Duncan McCall Advertising from Pensacola handles the website duties.

“It’s a dynamic site,” Knight said. “We provide the data, the who, what, when and where, and they make it look as good as it does.”

Bryan McCall, one of the owners of the advertising firm, said, “The idea is to showcase what opportunities there are in various categories, and what the jobs are, and what you might expect to get paid in first, next and later scenarios.”

How does that work?

“If you look at the site, you can find what you can do now if you don’t have any training, and what jobs are available with very little training.

Pace High School students including Kylie Broad, photo at top, work on a certification exam in a biotech class.

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Students in a construction academy at Navarre High School can earn up to four nationally recognized certifications from the National Center for Construction Education and Research.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY CAREER ACADEMIES MIDDLE SCHOOLS AVALON MIDDLE SCHOOL Microsoft I.T. Academy CENTRAL SCHOOL (Grade 6–8) Agribusiness Academy Microsoft I.T. Academy GULF BREEZE MIDDLE SCHOOL Hospitality & Tourism Academy Microsoft I.T. Academy HOBBS MIDDLE SCHOOL Microsoft I.T. Academy HOLLEY NAVARRE MIDDLE SCHOOL Microsoft I.T. Academy

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SANTA ROSA EDO/DUNCAN MCCALL ADVERTISING

KING MIDDLE SCHOOL Advanced Manufacturing Academy Culinary Arts Academy Microsoft I.T. Academy SIMS MIDDLE SCHOOL Microsoft I.T. Academy WOODLAWN BEACH MIDDLE SCHOOL Digital Literacy Academy Microsoft I.T. Academy

HIGH SCHOOLS CENTRAL SCHOOL (Grades 9–12) Agribusiness Academy Digital Design Academy

Microsoft I.T. Academy Sodexo Culinary Academy GULF BREEZE HIGH SCHOOL Health & Medical Professions Academy Hospitality & Tourism Academy Multimedia Design & Technology Academy JAY HIGH SCHOOL Agritechnology Academy Building Construction Academy Commercial Arts Academy Culinary Arts Academy Digital Design Academy Health Science Academy Microsoft I.T. Academy MILTON HIGH SCHOOL Accounting and Finance Academy Advanced Manufacturing Academy Agritechnology Academy Aviation Academy Culinary Arts Academy Digital Multimedia Academy Entrepreneurship Academy Gaming & Simulation Academy Hospitality & Tourism Academy Television Production Academy Web Development Academy NAVARRE HIGH SCHOOL Biotech Academy Construction Academy

Digital Multimedia Academy Engineering Academy Web Development Academy PACE HIGH SCHOOL Biotech Academy Communication & Graphic Arts Academy Culinary Arts Academy Entrepreneurship Academy LOCKLIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE (Serving grades 11 and 12, as well as adult students) Air Conditioning, Refrigeration & Heating Technology Apprenticeship - Air Conditioning, Refrigeration & Heating Technology Applied Cybersecurity Automotive Service Technology 1 Automotive Service Technology 2 Certified Nursing Assistant Computer Systems & Information Technology Commercial Foods and Culinary Arts Electrician Electricity Legal Administrative Specialist Massage Therapy Medical Administrative Specialist Nursing Assistant Pharmacy Technician Practical Nursing (LPN) Welding Technology Welding Technology Advanced Welding Technology Fundamentals

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CAREER ACADEMIES

During the 2017-2018 school year, students earned 2,127 industry certifications in these programs.

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Next would be two to four years of education beyond high school, and later would be with a degree or work experience.

Then it matches that up with what training might be available with each level.”

Stewart is focused on how the academies can enhance economic development efforts.

“We saw a need to increase our workforce, because that is the No. 1 thing a site selector is looking for,” Stewart said. “People might think it would be quality of life or location, but actually, it’s workforce.”

Stewart and Knight have been working together for years.

“We wanted to partner with her to be able to get the word out to students who may not be looking to go to the college level or who might want to learn a skill or trade before they get out of high school,” Stewart said, “just to let them know what their future could hold if they were to follow this pathway.”

Enrollment in academies has increased steadily, and feedback from students and parents has been valuable, Stewart said.

What would she tell those who are unfamiliar with the program?

“I would tell them if they have children who are coming up through the Santa Rosa School District who would like to learn a trade or a certification in things like biotech, or a manufacturing certificate, this would be a way to enter the future workforce,” Stewart said.

Everyone involved is committed to making continuing progress.

“We still are looking at ways to get students even more involved so they can go on and earn their certifications through the adult high school program or though the local technical college,” Stewart said. “We are always working on improving what we have to offer.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SANTA ROSA EDO/DUNCAN MCCALL ADVERTISING

Chris Herrin gains experience at an electrical control systems lab station at Milton High School. Below, Advanced Manufacturing Technology students Thomas Klinger and Ally Baca route hexapod robots through a simulated air duct.

A DV E RT I S E M E N T

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here are exciting moves being made by Beck Partners this spring. While the company has a foothold in Pensacola, Tallahassee and Mobile, their recent partnership with Stacy Taylor gives them newfound leverage into the Atlanta market. Taylor joined Beck Partners in 2012 and instantly became a promising leader along with Justin Beck, CEO and President, Kristine Rushing, COO and Risk Consultant, and Reid Rushing, President of their Insurance division.

Working seven years in the company, Taylor’s progress and expertise made him the perfect candidate for partnership. As a new Partner and President of Beck Partners CRE, LLC, Taylor looks forward to working toward the expansion of Beck Partners, saying in a recent interview, “I’m excited about the opportunity to utilize my experience, knowledge and relationships to grow our company in the Atlanta market and throughout Florida and Alabama. Our entire leadership team shares the same vision, which is to give Beck Partners a significant presence in the Southeast. We’re unique in that we offer commercial real estate services, property management and insurance, which gives us leverage as we continue our growth.”

Taylor started his career in 1998 with Grubb & Ellis Company in Atlanta and specialized in office tenant representation while also representing the office development company, Workstage. In 2004, he formed Taylor Real Estate Services, where he continued to work as an office broker. During this time, he was instrumental in the development, marketing, leasing and sales of four office projects in the northern suburbs of Atlanta that total over 700,000 square feet. In 2012, he and his wife relocated to her hometown of Pensacola where he began working with Beck Partners.

“It’s a great team atmosphere, which is rare in commercial real estate,” explained Taylor. “Everybody works in a collaborative effort to grow as individuals and professionals. Justin Beck is a visionary, doing things the right way, and Kristine Rushing does an incredible job integrating and managing all three divisions. I found out very quickly, this was the right place for me.”

Thus far, during his time at Beck, Taylor quickly escalated to Vice President of Brokerage and then to a Partner and President of Beck Partners CRE, LLC. “I’ve always been someone who likes to teach other people,” Taylor said about his partnership. “I’m assuming the role of managing broker role at the company, which allows me to teach and do the things that excite me. With my knowledge of the business and the experience I have, I can add tremendous value to our younger real estate brokers, making them more dynamic.” The idea of a “dynamic, collaborative team” is the epitome of what Taylor sees when he looks into the future of Beck.

“We provide a tremendous amount of local expertise and knowledge not only to our clients, but also the national brokerage companies who don’t have a presence in our market,” Taylor said. The company’s recent partnership with Taylor and its incredible Tallahassee and Mobile assets are proof of Beck Partners’ charismatic and persistent drive to lay its footprints across the entire southeastern part of the country. The company’s professional team culture helps the Beck name thrive among its local communities, not to mention the plethora of services Beck Partners offer to their clients — real estate brokerage, property management and insurance — makes the company a well-rounded group of expert advisors. The company outshines many competitors with this simple fact: They do more, and they do it better.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON BECK PARTNERS, VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT TEAMBECK.COM OR CALL (850) 477-7044 850 Business Magazine

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LOCKLIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE

School to Work Locklin graduates have lock on finding jobs

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n his last day as a student, Leroylan “Ralo” Birge held two job offers in his hand. At 34, he had completed courses in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) at Locklin Technical College in Milton.

Going to school Monday through Friday for two years, he completed HVAC Tech I and the advanced HVAC Tech II programs. He learned this trade, became skilled and certified and earned his pick of employment offers.

“I haven’t chosen yet,” he said. “One pays $20 an hour, the other $24.”

Either way, he was looking forward to going to work. “It was tough, but it was worth it,” Birge said. He started his family while attending school.

Birge recalled fondly a cold day when the heat at his home went out.

“Five minutes later it was back on,” he said. “If I had had to call someone, we would have waited hours.”

As one of Florida’s 49 school district-operated technical colleges, Locklin prepares high school and adult students like Birge for current and emerging high-demand careers.

The college’s partnerships with business “We serve and industry enable all kinds of students to start their students. careers with high skills If they and high wages in rewarding occupational can find fields: aviation, HVAC, something nursing, phar mac y that they technician, cyberseculike to do and want to rity, computer systems, manufacturing, welding do, they’ll experience a automotive service little success with us and and technology. that’s sometimes enough The college’s career pathways include to get them back on the affordable options for right pathway.” a career-in-a-year in — Maria LaDouceur, Locklin’s principal fields like massage therapy, and also offers advanced, two-year curricula in automotive service technology, welding and HVAC. For a 900-hour program such as computer systems and information technology, tuition and fees for a program leading to certification are $2,662.

“It’s a good deal,” said Maria LaDouceur, Locklin’s principal since 2012.

Before leading the college, LaDouceur was a culinary chef and registered dietitian. She drew upon her career experience to develop her programs of instruction. She said Locklin instructors impart not only theory, but also provide hands-on technical experience.

The college serves both adult and high school students with an average total enrollment of 400 students per year. Adults may utilize financial aid benefits such as veteran’s assistance or Pell Grants.

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by MARTHA J. LAGUARDIA-KOTITE

A student completes a wiring task at Locklin Technical College, where instructors discuss theories and principles and lead handson training exercises.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOCKLIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE AND SANTA ROSA COUNTY EDO (ELECTRICAL, LEFT)

The college’s partnerships with business and industry enable students to start their careers with high skills and high wages in rewarding occupational fields: aviation, HVAC, nursing, pharmacy technician, cybersecurity, computer systems, manufacturing, welding and automotive service technology.

“We have need of 83,000 technicians in the United States in the next “We’re only going to teach things that a student can go out and get a four years,” said Hamel. “The industry has grown, and air conditioning and job in,” said LaDouceur, referring to the career training programs offered. human comfort have changed so much. Now, no one builds much more When asked about at-risk students, LaDouceur explained, “We serve all than a dog house without it being comfort cooled.” kinds of students. If they can find something that they like to do and He explained that the demand for HVAC technicians has been fueled want to do, they’ll experience a little success with us and that’s sometimes by residential growth and increasing energy costs that lead people to swap enough to get them back on the right pathway.” out older equipment for newer systems, improving efficiency and savings.

Locklin’s pathway for a student to achieve certification departs from a The combination of Locklin’s experienced instructors, facilities and program at a university or college. “We offer post-secondary career certifiaffiliations with businesses and industry means students are readily hired cates, not associate or bachelor’s degrees. They’re not going to come and sit by a variety of employers ranging from auto dealerships to hospitals. in English class here,” said LaDouceur. “They are totally immersed in the For LaDouceur, her years as a registered dietician paired with her nursing or automotive, welding or cybersecurity programs. You’re going to years of teaching as a culinary chef proved valuable when it came time come in really quickly and get the training and skills needed, along with to mixing the ingredients an administrator needs to help students sucthe certifications and go straight to work in a year or less,” LaDouceur said. ceed in their chosen career.

What also sets Locklin apart are highly qualified instruc“If you can’t make a cream puff, you don’t need to be a chef,” tors pulled from business and industry and state-of-art said LaDouceur. “It’s a lot of technique. A lot of science, the facilities that simulate real-life work experiences. The proLocklin temperature of the water, the proportion of ingredients. We gram areas are outfitted with the same equipment students students are rely heavily on our faculty, our business and industry partners are exposed to when they go to work welding, cooking or immersed in to give us guidance on what needs to be done.” fixing cars. Internships are offered, giving potential employcertification programs that LaDouceur added, “I feel like we’re our own little utopia ers a chance to see and experience the student’s talents before are designed to here. I tell people I have one of the best jobs because I can making a job offer. lead to employcome to work, I can get my car and computer fixed, have a Joe Hamel, one of Locklin’s HVAC instructors, said his ment in jobs gourmet meal, then get my blood pressure checked — and students typically graduate with more than one job offer. that pay well.

I’ll probably need to after eating one of those cream puffs.”

Across the country, the need for HVAC skills is in demand.

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first family

A Visit with the

First Family Governor, first lady discuss their children and transition into the ‘People’s House’

story by PETE REINWALD // photography by ALEX WORKMAN hair by SOMKIT THOMPSON, HAUTE HEADZ SALON makeup by LISA DAVIS, IMAGE BY LISA

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first family

n the sunroom of Florida’s First House, 2-year-old Madison DeSantis liked what she saw on a bookshelf and went to grab it.

About 15 feet away, from Florida’s First Sofa, her mom sounded a Sunshine State alarm.

“There goes Florida’s irreplaceable history,” Casey DeSantis said, prompting laughter in the room.

Florida’s new first lady joined her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a recent Governor’s Mansion chat with 850 Magazine.

The governor and first lady discussed their first impressions of the Capital City, their transition into the Governor’s Mansion, their new life with security detail, their typical day as Florida’s First Family and their efforts to protect their new home — the so-called People’s House — from the innocent but exhausting adventures of toddlers Madison and Mason.

“We’re just going to make sure that they don’t destroy any of Florida’s irreplaceable history, because there are so many wonderful, neat artifacts around,” Casey DeSantis said minutes before her daughter had set out to explore the sunroom, known as the Florida Room. “You go into the dining room, you see stuff from the USS Florida. You see the late 19th-century wallpaper, and I don’t think that orange crayon would look good on that.”

The DeSantis family moved into the Governor’s Mansion in January after a November election that saw DeSantis edge former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum to become, at age 40, Florida’s youngest governor in more than a century.

His victory also marked the first time in 50 years that toddlers would occupy the Governor’s Mansion. Madison DeSantis turned 2 in November, and her brother Mason turned 1 in March.

“We tried to baby-proof this place, but there are so many nooks and crannies, and they find all the nooks and crannies,” said the governor, who then referred to himself and the first lady: “So we run around. She runs around all the time and really does a phenomenal job because she’s out on the road, too.”

In an interview that lasted about 20 minutes, Ron and Casey DeSantis portrayed themselves as a somewhat ordinary couple — him a former Navy lawyer and U.S. congressman, her a former Jacksonville TV news anchor 38

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and host — who would begin to raise two children in an extraordinary place.

The communications teams of the governor and first lady requested and received questions and topics in advance of the interview. Yet the First Couple — pleasant and conversational, with flashes of fun from the first lady — didn’t hesitate to answer questions that veered from those themes, including about how they met, how their lives have changed and how they plan to raise their kids.

“They’re being raised now in an environment that’s very atypical,” the governor said. “You have this house, you have staff, you have a mansion chef and all this stuff, and that’s not how I, or Casey, grew up, and so I think we’re going to be cognizant to make sure that the kids are grounded and that they don’t have any type of sense of entitlement.”

Madison and Mason DeSantis get their hands on what they can in their dad’s office at their home, the Governor’s Mansion.

At right, Madison continues the hunt.

“We’re just going to make sure that they don’t destroy any of Florida’s irreplaceable history,” said their mom, first lady Casey DeSantis.

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Life in the Governor’s Mansion hardly yields a typical day, especially given all the travel for the First Couple, often to multiple Florida cities in the same day. The governor said they always aim to return by dinnertime so that they can be with their children.

“We’re grateful and appreciative for everything that we have,” the first lady added. “I think they need to have a good sense of that.”

The family moved into the Governor’s Mansion from what the governor described as a modest home south of Jacksonville.

They also said they sold both of their cars after it became obvious that they no longer would need them.

A security team has been with them since the night of the election, guarding the family even during the transition period while they still lived in Ponte Vedra Beach.

“There’d be all these SUVs, and we had like a three-bedroom, 1,800-square-foot house,” the governor said. “I mean, you have all of these SUVs flanked out there. It was a little interesting and definitely out of kilter for the neighborhood. I think that’s taken some time just to get used to.”

Life in the Governor’s Mansion hardly yields a typical day, especially given all the travel for the First Couple, often to multiple Florida cities in the same day. The governor said they always

aim to return by dinnertime so that they can be with their children.

Gov. DeSantis said he didn’t have that ability as a member of Congress, which kept him in Washington, D.C., for much of the time. He became a U.S. representative for Florida’s 6th Congressional District, which covers an area of northeastern Florida, in 2013 and stepped down in late 2018 to concentrate on his run for governor.

“Once we had kids, it was like, ‘I’m leaving the kids for half the year up there, sleeping in my office, then coming back,’ ” Gov. DeSantis said. “So as governor, I can do three or four stops around the state and still end up back at home at night here. So this has been much more family friendly. I’ve seen my kids way more since I’ve been governor.”

They explore Tallahassee when they can — with security, of course — and they established a favorite spot from the start: Lafayette Park. The first lady mentioned a visit in which the kids played on the swings. After an hour there, she said, Madison didn’t want to leave.

“It was a little tough getting her back into the car,” the first lady said.

As a matter of fact, she said: “Madison had a little bit of a fit.”

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first family

Gov. Ron DeSantis enjoys a moment with his son, Mason, who turned 1 in March. (Right) The first mom and Mason watch as the first dad flips through a book with Madison on the patio of the Governor’s Mansion.

Madison keeps one hand on a Florida symbol.

That tells you something about the First Family’s kids. They’re kids. Now that their daughter has begun to understand “please” and “thank you,” the First Couple will emphasize those words and “build from there,” the first lady said.

After the interview and after Madison’s encounter with “Florida’s irreplaceable history,” the First Family gathered for photos on the patio, where Madison spotted an orange and began to peel it.

“That is a true native Floridian right there,” the first lady said of her daughter.

Mason — “Baby” to his sister — also found the orange appealing.

“Madison, Baby’s taking your orange,” the governor said in the soft tone of a father talking to his 2-year-old daughter.

“No, Baby,” Madison said prompting smiles from staff members, photographers and others.

The scene served as a reminder that a young dad hadn’t occupied the governor’s office since 1970 when Claude Kirk was the father of young Claudia and Erik. That means it has been decades since the Governor’s Mansion has seen this much cooing.

The first lady looked at Mason, who was about 11 months old when the interview took place, as he sat on his father’s lap.

“You know what’s neat?” the first lady said. “He’s not walking yet, so his first steps will be in the Governor’s Mansion.”

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“We’re grateful and appreciative for everything that we have.

I think (the children) need to have a good sense of that.”

— first lady Casey DeSantis

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first family Scott. “I think it’s a house that the people of Florida can be proud of, and I think her touch was a big reason why,” Gov. DeSantis said.

Q&A

Here are other topics that the governor and first lady discussed during 850 Magazine’s February visit to the Governor’s Mansion.

The responses are edited for length and clarity.

The first lady on the First Family’s new security detail: A: “A neat story when we were in Jacksonville: It was my daughter’s second birthday, so they had the FDLE out there, and it happened to fall on Thanksgiving. We had some leftover cake, so Madison, along with Ron and myself, decided to bring some out, and I think we had about five or six agents who were graciously spending their Thanksgiving with us. And we greatly appreciated it, and they all sang Happy Birthday to her, on the front lawn, on Thanksgiving, which was very special.”

The first lady on the adventures of the First Couple’s eldest toddler: A: “Madison is testing everything. She was going through (the Governor’s Mansion) and she was pulling through drawers the other day, and she happened to open one drawer and inside the drawer was … you remember VHS tapes? We all know VHS tapes. But she found the little labels that were on there, and she was playing with those stickers, and I’m thinking, that was back, what, the 1980s or early ’90s? It was neat that she uncovered that, that nobody even probably knew was it there and was probably sitting dormant for 30 years.” The governor added that his daughter’s playful discovery was from circa “the Bob Martinez administration.”

The first lady on decorating plans for the Governor’s Mansion: A: “Oh, decorate. Our goal right now is to make sure we don’t destroy all the wonderful things that the former First Families have done right. This beautiful room (the sunroom known as the Florida Room) was created by the Grahams. Each first family puts their mark on the mansion in some way, shape or form. Jeb Bush and his wife put together the library and did a great job.

So we’re just trying to make sure that everything that every family has done to make this place beautiful, that we preserve that, and we’re getting there.”

The first lady and governor mentioned Ann Scott, wife of former Gov. Rick 44

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The first lady on Governor’s Mansion initiatives: A: “First and foremost, Ron and I have a sense that we want to serve the people of Florida. We understand that this is not our house. This is the People’s House, and we want to be very open and welcoming to as many people as we can that they get the experience, whether it’s school groups or inviting people in to be able to experience it, just as we’ve had the good fortune to be able to do. As far as initiatives, I’m still listening. When I approach this role, I approach it really with a lot of humility and grace, to say that I don’t know everything in the beginning. And I really want to listen to see what people say would be in the best interest of the first lady to be able to help serve the people of Florida. I always find myself and my heart going back to children in some capacity, (in addition to) initiatives with the environment. I’m passionate about our water quality.”

The governor on charitable initiatives: A: “I’m going to try to find something to help kids probably in the local area, maybe with some scholarships. I figure that unless you’re Rick Scott and become governor of Florida, you’ve got to raise a lot of money. I’m pretty good at that now, so we might as well put that to good use and do that, and another charitable thing we’re going to do is borrowed from when I was in Washington: We would always do a congressional golf Ryder Cup to raise money for The First Tee program. That’s headquartered in Florida, and there’s a lot of good programs, so we’re going to do a Governor’s Cup. Instead of it being Republicans vs. Democrats like we did in the Congress, I think we’re going to do executive branch vs. the legislative branch, so I’ve talked to (state Senate) President (Bill) Galvano and (House Speaker Jose) Oliva, and they’re on board to do it.”

The governor on a note he found from predecessor Rick Scott: A: “When I showed up the first day and sat behind the desk, the only thing that was in there was a note, just basically wishing me well and giving me advice. He was reflecting on eight years, and I think basically was like, look, there are a lot of things that can happen. There’s going to be a lot of things that you just can’t control; just focus on the things that you can do to be the best governor that you can. I think that’s good advice.”

The governor on how he met the first lady: A: “I was in the Navy. I was stationed in Naval Station Mayport in Northeast Florida. She was working as a TV reporter, and we both just happened to go to hit golf balls one day. Just randomly, we were hitting next to each other on the driving range, and someone had left a half-hit bucket of balls. So we’re looking, wondering who’s going to take the extra bucket of balls. We decided to split them. We started talking and went out after that, and we started dating. We didn’t get introduced or anything. We just happened to be at the driving range at the same time.”

The first lady on having been a national-champion equestrian rider (And on a playful question about whether she could keep horses at the Governor’s Mansion): A: “No. I hung up those stirrups a long time ago. It was fun to do while growing up, but now I’m of the mind that when much is given, much is expected, so I go back to that role of service and doing what I can to support the people of this state. There’s some time here, and I want to maximize that. So no horses in the backyard for now.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis says he spends more time with his kids as governor than he did as a U.S. congressman who lived in Washington. “So this has been much more family friendly,” he said of his new job.

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NOW TRENDING IN THE WORLD OF EMPLOYMENT LAW, HARASSMENT CASES PREDOMINATE STORY BY STEVE BORNHOFT // ILLUSTRATIONS BY REBECCA TAYLOR

I

n 2016, the Obama-era Department of Labor (DOL) proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act that, if enacted, would have made large numbers of employees newly eligible for overtime compensation.

Federal law, as of 2004, established that certain executive, administrative and professional employees are eligible for overtime compensation provided that they don’t make $23,600 or more annually. Twelve years later, the DOL recommended that the exemption amount be increased to $47,476.

The proposal precipitated angst among many employers and celebration among employees who anticipated a pay raise. Both reactions proved premature.

A number of states and pro-business organizations filed lawsuits challenging the proposal and asserting that it represented an overreach by the DOL. Ultimately, they prevailed and the proposed increase in the exemption amount went away.

Still, reports Thomas Hoffer, a former partner at the Destin law firm of Matthews & Jones LLP who now lives in Alaska, the abandoned proposal had effects still being felt.

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“He met every standard on his job description and still they tried to say 12-hour shifts were part of the job description, and they weren’t — and it was right there in black and white.”

— Attorney Richard Johnson

“The proposal,” Hoffer said, “focused the attention of both employers and employees on wage-and-hour issues, and we have seen a resurgence of claims in that area. Employers made changes in anticipation of enactment of the proposal and that further contributed to bringing wage-and-hour concerns to the forefront.”

Employers and employees found themselves dusting off handbooks and revisiting policies. And, changes like the one that the DOL proposed may properly lead an employer to seek clarification from an employment lawyer regarding how a policy change might affect him.

That contact is especially critical when businesses are being established, Hoffer said. A review of employee manuals, procedures, non-compete language and other documents can be an essential step in laying the groundwork for a smooth business launch and operational success.

“The idea, of course, is that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Hoffer stressed.

Businesses are well-advised, too, to contact an employment lawyer whenever they are contacted by a regulatory agency or learn that an employee has contacted an agency such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or an advocacy organization like the Southern Center for Human Rights.

“Many times, an employer will wait before contacting an attorney and try to navigate the process himself or herself,” Hoffer said. “They find themselves dealing with a cause determination or a lawsuit and they have already committed themselves to positions.”

Hoffer anticipates that due to the #MeToo movement and the torrent of sexual harassment cases making headlines, changes with implications for employers may be forthcoming to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That federal law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin and religion.

Tallahassee employment lawyer Richard Johnson handles few cases related to wage-and-hour issues and speculated that they may be more prevalent in large cities or in rural areas where non-English speakers may be taken advantage of.

He has taken on clients who have been misclassified as salaried employees when they are really hourly and entitled to overtime

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compensation or deemed independent contractors when they are really employees.

But Johnson deals primarily with discrimination cases, sexual harassment matters, and cases involving whistleblowers and people with disabilities.

“I don’t see much in the way of failure-to-hire cases — and those cases are very hard to win,” Johnson said. “If I were to put together a composite case based on what I typically see, it would be a male supervisor putting his hand on a female employee and making sexual propositions to her and she is resisting and she goes to HR and then the company begins to make life hard for her and they create a paper trail and they wind up firing her.”

Increasingly prevalent, Johnson said, is something he calls the Trumpian example.

“That is when you sue them, they start to slander you. They say, ‘Well, she stole something or she shared our trade secrets with competitors.’ They invent some basis for a countersuit and turn a defense into an offense. That’s the new thing.”

Regarding cases involving disabled persons, Johnson said he sees a lot of “intakes” that result in a “small number of cases that I can actually do anything with.”

He did, however, win a jury verdict, upheld on appeal, for a plaintiff who was a police officer at FAMU. Johnson explained that the school went to 12-hour shifts, which the officer was unable physically to work.

“But he met every standard on his job description and still they tried to say 12-hour shifts were part of the job description, and they weren’t — and it was right there in black and white.”

Johnson said that corporate banks have figured in multiple cases tied to disabilities and cited two which resulted in out-of-court settlements.

“But the haughty administrator who can’t keep his pants zipped, can’t keep his hands to himself and can’t keep his mouth shut, that’s what I see the most of,” Johnson said.

He said he had a rush of such cases in the 1990s. That caseload then tapered off before it exploded again, post-Weinstein.

Attorney Tim Sloan of Panama City represents employers in employment law matters and, like Johnson, finds himself dealing much more frequently with discrimination and harassment cases than wage-and-hour disputes.

“The majority of my cases have to do with alleged sexual harassment or sexual discrimination and usually arise from claims of retaliation,” Sloan said. “I have seen some wrongful termination cases, again stemming primarily from alleged sexual discrimination or retaliation, and a few racial discrimination cases.”

Employers, Sloan said, may be reluctant to go to trial because plaintiffs who win a recovery in any amount are entitled to the full amount of attorney’s fees incurred.

“The fees can be a bigger hammer than the underlying claim,” Sloan said.

“If you have an attorney charging $500 or $600 an hour and he runs up 1,000 hours, that gets to be a lot of money.”

Sloan said employment contracts in which employees agree not to sue the employer and to instead be content with arbitration are not prevalent in Bay County. More common is contract language whereby employees agree to non-compete or non-disclosure requirements.

Plaintiffs in employment law cases may file in federal or state court.

“If you file in federal court, you are

theoretically going to get to trial faster, but it is more expensive to litigate in federal court because there are a lot more things that you have to do automatically,” Sloan said.

And, there are tactical considerations for the plaintiff’s attorney to consider.

“The federal court may be more strict on the technicalities of the law,” Sloan noted, “and it may be more apt to grant a summary judgment than a state court.”

Employees may wish to contact an attorney whenever they believe they may have been unlawfully slighted or aggrieved.

“In some cases, there may have been an actionable offense,” Hoffer said. “But there is a lot of misinformation out there and people may not understand that. In an employer-friendly state like Florida, the causes of action are relatively limited.”

Hoffer is prepared to counsel employers on preventive actions they can take to diminish the likelihood of employment-related claims being filed against them and to mitigate the exposure where mistakes have been made.

“But you can’t take proactive steps after the fact,” Hoffer stressed.

“You can’t go and draw up these things after someone has complained and expect it to do any good.”

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DEAL ESTATE Just Listed

Industrial and Light Distribution Property Now Available WITH A LIMITED SUPPLY of quality industrial spaces available for sale in the Pensacola market, this opportunity is a rare find for an

owner or occupant seeking to build wealth through ownership. This property consists of three buildings and four loading docks totaling over 26,000 square feet of light industrial space. The property itself sits on approximately 1.4 acres and has nearly 300 feet of frontage along M.L.K. Drive. It has abundant parking and a fenced yard.

List Price: $1,312,220 Address: 3493–3495 N. Alcaniz St., Pensacola Square Footage: 26,780 Space Details: Three buildings included on property Year Built: 1968 Features: Outstanding access to the interstate; zoned C-3; great owner/user opportunity to build wealth through ownership

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BECK PARTNERS

Appeal: The site has easy ingress and egress with tremendous access to the interstate. There are also two smaller parcels that are ideal for a lay-down yard or parking. Tours available by appointment only. Please contact the listing agent to schedule a date and time.

Contact Information: Stacy Taylor: staylor@teambeck.com (850) 477-7044 Thomas McVoy: tmcvoy@teambeck.com (850) 477-7044

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DEAL ESTATE Just Listed

Invest Your Business at the Comcast Building A TREMENDOUS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY awaits at the

Comcast Building. The building is 100 percent occupied, and Comcast, which occupies the majority of the building, recently signed a five-year lease renewal.

The current net operating income is $438,243, and all leases are triple-net with full operating expense pass-through to the tenants. In addition, the building took little damage from Hurricane Michael, and those repairs were quickly taken care of by the landlord. Please call for the offering memorandum, which includes detailed lease information, financials and building data.

Listed Price: $5,950,000 Address: 4001 W. 23rd St., Panama City Square Footage: 27,300 Year Built: 2009

Contact Information: Chris McCall, Senior Director, Counts Real Estate Group – Commercial Division, (850) 814-9889 Chris1@CountsRealEstate.com

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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MCCALL

Features: 100 percent occupied; credit tenants; central Panama City location on 23rd Street, close to Florida State University’s Panama City Campus, Gulf Coast State College and the new 23rd Street flyover to the Hathaway Bridge; minimal damage from Hurricane Michael

2019 Okaloosa and Walton County Business Journal

AN 850 BUSINESS MAGAZINE SPECIAL REPORT

VISITATION / INDUSTRIALIZATION / INNOVATION

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OKALOOSA COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

GIGASITE!

Okaloosa County takes steps to make Shoal River Ranch shovel-ready

BY STEVE BORNHOFT

I

n the United States east of the Mississippi River lie 70 megasites, large parcels of land capable of hosting a cluster of businesses, typically industrial in nature.

In Okaloosa County, the Shoal River Ranch site easily qualifies as one. So easily that the county’s economic development agency has coined a term and placed it in a category by itself.

“We call it a gigasite,” said Nathan Sparks, the executive director of the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County, citing its 10,000-acre size.

And Shoal River — seven miles from the Mossy Head interchange and seven miles from downtown Crestview — isn’t just large. Adjoining Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 90 and with a connection to the CSX Railroad, it is strategically located to the point where it was attracting interest even in its raw form.

“I have been doing economic development for 21 years, and I have not laid eyes on another site with the potential that Shoal River has,” Sparks said. “It was competitive even as raw land, and it was validating to come close with some opportunities before any improvements were made.”

Those near-successes made it clear to Sparks and the county what needed to happen to push projects over the finish line.

“We had to resolve some weaknesses, which fortunately are not proving insurmountable,” Sparks said.

One, the site is owned by a third party, the Holland M. Ware Charitable Foundation of Boise, Idaho.

“That was seen by some prospects as a risk factor,” Sparks said. “The Holland Ware Foundation has been a great partner and I can’t say enough positive things about the relationship, but site consultants recommended that the county get control of at least a portion of the property. We wanted to move past reliance on a third party, even as good as they may be.”

Okaloosa County commissioners took that step. In December 2017, they entered into an option agreement on 1,700 acres judged to be the prime piece of the overall tract.

“The land under option is the most likely to attract significant development, at least initially,” Sparks said.

The next hurdle for the county was extending utility lines to the site.

“Water is four miles away, and sewer is three miles away. That was a significant issue when promoting the site to industry,” Sparks conceded.

To resolve that weakness, the county made an application for $1.5 million in Triumph Gulf Coast funding to cover a big chunk of the estimated $4.5 million cost for line extensions.

A contract between Okaloosa County and the Triumph Gulf Coast board was finalized in August of last year. A focus for the remainder of this year will be getting design work complete and bids awarded. Construction of the lines will take place in 2020.

“Then,” Sparks enthused, “we will have a true shovel-ready parcel to promote.”

While sites are a major factor in economic development, labor — more often referred to by Sparks and his peers as “talent”— may be an even greater consideration.

At this writing, Okaloosa County, at 2.7 percent, has the second lowest unemployment rate among Florida’s 67 counties. That’s a healthy indicator, but Sparks noted that “it can be a problem for employers who are looking to add headcount and to recruit the biggest and brightest.”

To combat that problem, Okaloosa County deploys what Sparks calls its “not-so-secret weapon” — men and women exiting the military.

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Nathan Sparks is optimistic that obstacles to development at Shoal River Ranch have been removed.

“I HAVE BEEN DOING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR 21 YEARS, AND I HAVE NOT LAID EYES ON ANOTHER SITE WITH THE POTENTIAL THAT SHOAL RIVER HAS. IT WAS COMPETITIVE EVEN AS RAW LAND, AND IT WAS VALIDATING TO COME CLOSE WITH SOME OPPORTUNITIES BEFORE ANY IMPROVEMENTS WERE MADE.” — NATHAN SPARKS, executive director of the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER G PHOTOGRAPHY (SPARKS) AND STAFF SGT. PETER THOMPSON

“In terms of business growth and attraction opportunities, the military demographic is something that resonates with everyone we speak with,” Sparks said.

Some 1,200 people separate from Eglin and Hurlburt Field Air Force bases and their related missions each year and become available to enter Okaloosa County’s workforce.

“Not all will stay,” Sparks said. “They may have family obligations or educational pursuits that will take them beyond our area. But many do stay.”

Three years ago, about 35 percent of the 1,200 separatees elected to remain in Okaloosa County. In subsequent years, that number has grown to exceed 50 percent. Too, the county becomes home to military personnel who separate from the service in Nevada or California and, fondly recalling time they spent at Eglin or Hurlburt Field earlier in their careers, elect to come back.

“We’re not just talking about military retirees who have done their 20 years,” Sparks said.

“Some separations may occur after two years or six or 10. We benefit by seeing experience levels from junior to senior.

“So, when we are on the prospecting trail working with businesses who are coming into the area, we can assure them that while we have a competitive environment due to low unemployment, that doesn’t mean that they will be unable to fill positions.”

It’s a major selling point made all the bigger by characteristics of the separatees: mission focused, drug free and, said Sparks, “99 percent have security clearances. That is worth its weight in gold to businesses operating in the Department of Defense world, in particular.”

Talent, Sparks said, can be “a bigger consideration than location or incentives or the two of them combined.

“People tend to assume that economic development is all about providing incentives, and that businesses choose a location based on who is going to give them the most benefits.

It’s still a bidding war, but the currency is now more human capital than monetary. Money is still part of the puzzle and it can certainly be a factor, but incentives don’t make a bad location good and talent, given the state of the world, is driving the majority of location decisions.”

Okaloosa County, then, is doing a good job of checking the talent and locations boxes, and it is addressing infrastructure, too, not just at Shoal River.

In November of last year, county voters, by a 24-point margin, approved a 10-year, half-cent sales tax that became effective Jan. 1. Unlike neighboring counties, Okaloosa County previously had been without a local-option tax.

The half-penny tax is estimated to generate about $19 million annually for public safety, transportation and storm-water system improvements. Almost $12.7 million of the total will go to the county. The rest will be divided among Okaloosa’s nine municipalities, based on population.

“Nobody likes to pay more for what they are buying, and generating support for the tax required educating the electorate,” Sparks said.

“But the good thing here is that much of the revenue generated will result from purchases of hamburgers, boat tours and hotel rooms by visitors. We think it’s a good way to approach additional funding and thankfully a large percentage of voters agreed.”

The levy, Sparks said, will be a good thing for economic development.

“Infrastructure is critical. If you don’t have efficient road or utilities systems, you’re not in the game. You may even struggle to accommodate your existing industry. We weren’t at that point, but because our community has grown at a good clip, we could see that if we didn’t do something, we would find ourselves in a real predicament.”

Sparks commended county commissioners for having the foresight to get a sales-tax measure in front of voters.

“As we see fruits of the effort in the form of projects that benefit our communities, we’re going to be seen in greater regard by businesses who are making expansion decisions,” Sparks said. “Utility networks will be improved and expanded, and we will see new corridors for development. And, we’re doing it in a smart way.”

The Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County maintains several standing committees. One serves to promote a collegial environment among the county’s technologybased employers. Another provides support for

the defense installations present in the county.

A third relates to a Tri-County Partnership initiative that links Okaloosa County with Walton and Santa Rosa counties in exploring possible partnerships with the military.

For example, the partnership brought about the combining of Eglin’s and Okaloosa County’s waste pickup contracts on Okaloosa Island, thus saving the Air Force money. Too, Okaloosa County is using waste concrete used for target practice on the Eglin range to build artificial reefs.

Sparks is a co-chairman along with an Eglin representative on a real property subcommittee.

“At Eglin, there are non-accessed, underutilized parcels not contiguous to the balance of the range,” Sparks explained. “They are owned by the federal government but could be made subject to long-term leases and developed, bringing income to the base and economic value to the community.”

The Hilton Garden Inn and the Holiday Inn on Okaloosa Island were built on leased property. Late last year, ground was broken at the 50-acre Freedom Park, a future mixed-use development.

“But it took three years to get the Freedom Park deal done with the government,” Sparks said. “The length of the extended use lease process can be a deterrent to a developer who is ready to proceed. We’re looking for ways to streamline the process to make it more business oriented.”

Generally, Sparks said, prospect activity at the EDC is good.

“Any economic developer will tell you that things could always be better,” Sparks noted.

“Economic development is a percentage game.

The more opportunities we have, the greater the odds of success. But we are pleased to have a robust and increasingly diversified pipeline with more than 20 active projects.”

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U.S. 98

CONGESTION RELIEF Project is adding lanes to U.S. 98 in Walton and Okaloosa counties

W

hen Fudpucker’s co-owner Tim Edwards makes his daily commute to work and sails by temporary entrances, countless traffic barrels and frazzled drivers battling construction on U.S. 98, he can’t help but miss 1989.

“That was the year Fudpucker’s Destin location opened, right when the Emerald Coast Parkway had been completed,” said Edwards. “Back then, Fudpucker’s, Abbott Realty and The Track were the only buildings in our area of Destin; things are a little different now.”

Indeed, Fudpucker’s is just one of hundreds of Destin businesses dealing with U.S. 98’s latest facelift, a $75 million project that will expand the four-lane highway into six from Airport Road in Okaloosa County to Tang O-Mar Drive in Walton County, and add sidewalks, stormwater detention ponds and drainage infrastructure.

Construction in Okaloosa County, which began in the summer of 2017, has reached its “halfway point,” said Tanya Branton, a public information specialist with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The Okaloosa County portion of the project is expected to wrap up early in 2021.

In an email, Branton delineated the roadmap for the work ahead:

BY HANNAH BURKE

PHASE I (Airport Road to west end of Henderson Beach State Park) — Traffic has been shifted to the center section to construct the new eastbound travel lanes on the south side of U.S. 98. Construction of the new eastbound lanes will be close to completion by the end of 2019, including the realignment of CR 2378 (Scenic Highway 98 at U.S. 98). Traffic will be shifted to the south side (new eastbound lanes), and median construction will begin.

PHASE II (West end of Henderson Beach State Park to Matthew Boulevard) — Traffic will remain in the center section to construct the new eastbound lanes. New eastbound lanes are anticipated to be completed in 2019, and traffic will shift to the south side to complete median construction.

PHASE III (Kel-Wen Circle to Walton County Line) — In February 2019, westbound traffic was shifted to the south side of the roadway, and construction of the new westbound lanes began. Construction of the new westbound lanes is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2019.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Rendering depicts U.S. 98 as it will appear following completion of a widening project in Okaloosa and Walton counties.

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Preparing Florida’s workforce for factories of the future.

At the University of West Florida, engineering, business and technology collide, forming new and uncharted frontiers in 3D additive manufacturing.

We’re connecting scholars and industry leaders to game-changing solutions that push the boundaries of innovation and collaboration. Together, we’re reengineering the future of industry.

What impact will you make?

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U.S. 98

“ROAD IMPROVEMENTS ARE CERTAINLY ALWAYS WELCOME, BECAUSE THEY IMPROVE ACCESS AND THE FLOW OF GOODS AND PEOPLE, ALL OF WHICH RELATES TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ON A BASIC LEVEL.”

The biggest obstacles, said Branton, will be “summer traffic and inclement weather conditions.”

“Most work this summer will be behind a low-profile barrier wall and two lanes of traffic will be maintained in each direction,” she said. “Construction activities should have minimal impacts to the traveling public.”

But what bearing might they have on the flow of traffic to businesses at the peak of Destin’s tourism season? Edwards said that was the first question on everyone’s mind as soon as the project was green-lighted.

“The harsh reality is that major road construction projects aren’t without casualties,” Edwards said. “Places of business that are already marginal to start with might not make it. You’ve got to make yourself visible from the road to keep your numbers up.”

According to Heather Ruiz, senior director of marketing and leasing at Destin Commons, construction is prompting even Destin’s hugest shopping hub to alter the ways in which it attracts visitors.

“We’re trying to be more strategic in where we place billboards to ensure that people who may experience any summer traffic bottlenecks know that we’re here,” Ruiz said.

People looking to get out from behind the wheel will be glad to know that Destin Commons will be partnering with 654 Limo and several major resort shuttle systems to establish the center as a drop-off point.

“We’ve been pretty lucky in that construction is flanking us on either side,” Ruiz said. “We’ve got multiple entrances from 98 and 293, so that makes this process a lot easier.”

For many smaller plazas and standalone structures with only one entrance, access continues to be stymied by development. Branton says portable, changeable message signs and permanent mounted signs are being installed to safely direct traffic to paths that offer ingress, while additional signs will list which businesses are accessible by each.

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The FDOT is dedicated to keeping businesses apprised of progress, changes and any shifts in traffic patterns. Quarterly e-newsletters and weekly traffic advisories are sent to the project’s stakeholders, and project staff will reach out to any businesses they feel will be directly impacted by future development.

For Edwards, whose restaurant on Emerald Coast Parkway is in the epicenter of Destin, that communication has been critical.

“I will say that Jeff Randall with Metrics Engineering has been busting his chops for us,” said Edwards. “He’s made an otherwise unpleasant experience a positive one by being extremely communicative and supportive throughout. There’s never been a time where we’ve been left wondering what’s happening, and I think that speaks well about Randall and the project’s managers.”

As of this writing, Edwards reports that Fudpucker’s has seen an increase in revenue despite construction, perhaps due to Destin’s increased popularity as a spring break destination.

It had him looking forward to the summer season and beyond.

For Nathan Sparks, the executive director of the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County, enhancements to 98 have been “an exercise in patience, but frankly, overdue.”

“Road improvements are certainly always welcome, because they improve access and the flow of goods and people, all of which relates to economic development on a basic level,” said Sparks. “U.S. 98 is obviously a major thoroughfare for our entire region. It’s used not just by tourists. It’s used by businesses and residents.

“We’re currently going through a lengthy process that I liken to surgery.

Surgery is never fun, but the reason you undergo it is to make yourself better. Right now, we’re in surgery and it’s not enjoyable, but we’re going to be a better community for it.”

ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

—NATHAN SPARKS, executive director of the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County

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PROMOTION

SUMMER EVENTS F​ rom festivals and tours to sports and the arts, ​the event and entertainment choices are endless.

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

06 JUL

01

AUG

21

AUG

29 AUG

TALLAHASSEE

Tallahassee Soccer Club vs. Hattiesburg Come out and give your support for the Battle Lions at their last home game of the year as they take the field during Fourth of July weekend. Bleachers will be provided, but attendees are welcome to bring folding chairs or blankets so that they can sit even closer to the action. Middle and elementary aged children get in free, you will still need to reserve a ticket. Members also get in free. For more info, visit TLHSoccerClub.com

SANTA ROSA BEACH

Contractors Connect Make connections with other contractors, subcontractors and specialists in the Emerald Coast construction industry. Ticket ($10) includes first draft beer and light appetizers. All registered guests will be entered to win in multiple giveaway drawings at event.

PANAMA CITY

Pinnacle Awards The Pinnacle Awards spotlight leading women in business who hold themselves to high standards and contribute to the betterment of the community.​Ten outstanding women from an 18-county region of Northwest Florida are selected from nominations and honored at the annual Pinnacle Awards, presented by 850: The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida.​

DESTIN

6th Annual Stake and Burger Dinner with Derrick Brooks Join the Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast for the 6th Annual Stake & Burger Dinner to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast from 6–9 p.m. at the Hilton Sandestin Beach. Keynote speaker will be NFL Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks.

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

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TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

CONNECTED. INVESTED. INVOLVED.

FOR ALL YOUR COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE NEEDS

EXPERIENCE COUNTS The Commercial Division of Counts Real Estate Group, Inc. has quickly become the leading commercial real estate services provider in Northwest Florida. We provide professional representation services for buyers, sellers, owners, investors, landlords and tenant in all aspects of commercial real estate property.

COUNTS REAL ESTATE GROUP, INC. COMMERCIAL DIVISION 30-A EMERALD COAST 5231 E. County Hwy 30-A, #100 21901 PCB Pkwy Santa Rosa Beach, FL Panama City Beach, FL (850) 231-1483 (850) 249-1414 CountsOn30A.com CountsEmeraldCoast.com

THOMAS DRIVE 2104 Thomas Drive Panama City Beach, FL (850) 249-3615 CountsRealEstate.com

PANAMA CITY 3009 Hwy 77, Suite H Panama City, FL (850) 248-3615 CountsPanamaCity.com

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Business Lending is a Process - Not an Event

Justin Wimberly and Johnny Jones of American Commerce Bank in Tallahassee offer both experience and expertise to commercial and real estate lending.

American Commerce Bank goes out of its way to help you prosper in Tallahassee.

Local banks succeed as their communities succeed. American Commerce Bank (ACB) makes it a priority to champion commercial lending in a manner that suits the needs of its business banking customers.

One city. One bank.

“We pride ourselves in structuring loans that match the parameters of an investment,” says Johnny Jones, Tallahassee Market President.

“For example, ACB offers amortizing structures that span the life of a loan.

Most banks make “balloon loans” which mature at inconvenient times and trigger a full re-underwriting of the deal. By offering rate re-sets rather than balloon structures, ACB provides confidence to the borrower that a project won’t be threatened with a mid-term refinance. It’s an important distinction that separates us from our peers.”

Customized Commercial Lending is Our Strength Commercial and real estate lending requires both experience and expertise. Industryspecific experience is key to understanding the financial requirements of a project, and expertise is required to structure a loan that matches the cash flow and investment needs of a borrower. Term loans, revolvers, lines of credit, draws, interim and perm financing all have their places in commercial finance—just not all in the same place!

“We pride ourselves in structuring loans that match the parameters of an investment” Johnny Jones, Tallahassee Market President, ACB

Customized lending is what we do best.

We are a Community of One American Commerce Bank is redefining “community” banking. We are a local bank (Tallahassee, Atlanta & Bremen, GA) that provides a helpful combination of experienced lenders and sophisticated on-line banking services to meet the needs of both businesses and consumers. Our bankers are second to none in offering advisory financial services.

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People banking with people For more information about American Commerce Bank, stop by the Tallahassee office at 536 North Monroe Street, or visit www.AmericanCommerceBank.com.

America is made up of many communities.

Together we are a Community of One We’re in the business of helping our community to prosper.

Think all banks are the same? Stop by our Tallahassee office and visit Johnny Jones (if you don’t know him already).

Johnny will show you how we deliver big bank services at a community bank level. It’s people banking with people. Together we are A Community Of One.

People banking with people 536 North Monroe Street • Tallahassee, FL 32301 • 850.681.7761 www.americancommercebank.com 850 Business Magazine

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BEAST CODE

SHIP ON A TABLET Innovators are revolutionizing military training

BY MARTHA J. LAGUARDIA-KOTITE

Christian Wirth

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PHOTOS BY TODD DOUGLAS PHOTOGRAPHY

M

atthew Zimmerman firmly believes he can provide a software engineering solution that will changes the future of training for the Department of Defense while boosting mastery of the skill and saving the military millions of dollars.

He began this journey in 2014. The 29-year-old is the founder and chief executive officer of Beast Code, a small software engineering company. Zimmermann and his team of 70 employees successfully demonstrated and applied their game-based, interactive software application aboard the Navy’s new guided missile destroyer, the USS Zumwalt (DDG1000). The solution provided a fully interactive suite of digital tools, blending the ship’s technical manuals, structure, systems, logics, procedures and courseware into a tablet-based training and maintenance support application.

“We have a whole ship on a tablet,” said Zimmerman of the mobile application called an Integrated Training and Maintenance Support System (ITMSS). He said the Zumwalt received more than 400 hours of Power Point training, which was converted and provided on a tablet.

The 3D solution included the ship’s engineering rates, damage control, combat information center and some of the ship’s bridge training. User friendly, visual indicators show the cause and effect of opening or closing a valve, a fault indication or system failure warning on the ship’s operating system.

“They used our simulation for their light-off assessment,” said Zimmerman of the ship’s engine start inspection. “This is normally done with the ship’s hardware. They can do it all from a tablet.”

Five years ago, Zimmermann graduated with computer science and software engineering degrees from the University of West Florida. He took a leap of faith. Leaving an internship to start his own company, he encouraged Christian Wirth, a fellow intern at Applied Research Associates in Niceville, and five other colleagues to join him. They worked out a strategic business plan, which included a Navy client they had cultivated as interns. This introduction to the Navy sparked their business idea.

“We didn’t know we could do this for the Navy fleet,” said Wirth, 25, the director of engineering for Beast Code. “Once we built this analysis tool and shared it with the ship’s crew, they just fell in love. They got hooked, and we rode the ground swell.

ITMSS illustrates how one fault indication warning or valve relates to the rest of the ship, and how to not break a multi-billion-dollar vessel.”

Wirth said the crew showed the tool to the ship’s captain. The captain liked it and asked how he could obtain it. Beast Code used crowd sourcing at the sailor level to figure out what were the right tools, what was needed and what fit with the younger generation’s learning style to refine the training solution. With buy-in from both the crew and shore-based program managers, Zimmerman said, “We forged relationships on both sides. The managers had the relationship with the program office in D.C., and that’s how we got into meetings to talk with captains who are in program management.”

The Navy realized greater training efficiency using the application and cost savings of over 85 percent compared to existing training systems, according to Gerry

ZIMMERMANN AND HIS TEAM OF 70 EMPLOYEES SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATED AND APPLIED THEIR GAME-BASED, INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE APPLICATION ABOARD THE NAVY’S NEW GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYER, THE USS ZUMWALT (DDG1000).

Roncolato, a retired Navy captain and senior advisor for Beast Code. “This is a generation that learns by interactive games,” said Roncolato. “We provide a training product far removed from the traditional death by PowerPoint.”

Beast Code was awarded Navy contracts, sub-contracts and partnerships with giants like L3 and Lockheed Martin Corporation. What started around a conference table five years ago grew into a company that’s on track to realize $10 million in revenues for 2019.

Beast Code’s name was derived from football player Marshawn Lynch’s “Beast Mode,” a term for doing hardcore, focused activity. According to urbandictionary.com, it also means a “superhuman state of being, in which animal instinct takes over mind and body.” The lifestyle at Beast Code requires such instinct, focus and agility. To deliver new products on a fast deadline, usually, a couple of weeks, adds pressure.

Pressure, they thrive on.

Styled after Silicon Valley titans, management fosters collaboration and innovative ideas. In The Pit, a large area of low-walled rows of cubes, lighting was dimmed in half the space for those who prefer to work in the dark.

For those who thrive in light, they had a bright side. There are no seat assignments. Free food, snacks and beer are on hand in the galley. Coders ranged in age from 25 to 27 years old, aside from a couple interns. A few workplace rules have developed among the self-proclaimed “nerds” who work around-the-clock. No Stinky Nerds came about after the gym was installed. “Software never sleeps and neither do we,” said Zimmermann.

While the office environment was collegial and many company social events in town infuse their lives with fun, they have experienced business challenges.

“We’re going to take on the entire fleet,” said Zimmermann. His mission

Matthew Zimmerman

to bring their application to multiple platforms across the Navy and distribute it to different customers like the Air Force, Marine Corps and Army means having the technology to automate the application’s updates.

“We started with input from the shipyard. Taking the 3D rendering, tagging all that data and automating it,” explained Wirth. The Beast Code model became more cost effective and a departure from the traditional, by hand, method used by competitors.

“The Navy spends hundreds of millions on training,” said Zimmermann.

“We’re talking about tens of millions to integrate the entire fleet and provide a cost effective method for maintaining those capabilities.”

To support this scaling, Zimmerman said he will grow the company roster by 40 people. Potential candidates are messaged on LinkedIn, live in the area or have decided they want to work here. A Beast Code interview takes about an hour, but it’s intense. The applicant has to pass a coding test and be innovative and passionate. They take only the best.

Located in Fort Walton Beach, Beast Code was recognized at the Grow Florida Companies to Watch Awards as one of the top 50 small businesses to keep an eye on.

Beast Code, a small software company, thinks big; its training programs will save the U.S. military millions.

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WALTON COUNTY TOURISM

GROWTH CURVE South Walton’s visitation numbers keep rising

S

outh Walton County is not a “Book Four Nights, Get Fifth Night Free” kind of destination, and the characteristics of their visitors reflect that reality.

The average annual household income among them is $223,600. Fully 75% of visitors stay in a condo or rental home. Only about half travel with children.

“To a huge extent, our biggest responsibility is to continue to deliver on our brand promise of a quality experience with high value,” said David Demarest, the communication director for Visit South Walton, a bed-tax-funded tourism promotion organization. “We are not about deals.”

That proposition works. Analysis performed for Visit South Walton by Downs & St. Germain Research for 2018 found that visitors spent an average of 6.3 days per stay in the market, and 39 percent have made 10 or more visits to the destination.

BY STEVE BORNHOFT

And, said Demarest, Visit South Walton has begun to ask itself the question, “How much is too much?” with regard to at least the summer season.

Visitation in 2018 grew by 4.1 percent over the previous year.

“That’s a good number,” Demarest said, “especially because we have seen growth in accommodations inventory. But South Walton will get to a place, especially given that we are 40 percent preserved land, where our numbers will plateau. We recognize that, and we’re good with that.”

Accordingly, Visit South Walton has begun to shift more of its budget to acquiring beachfront property, developing new beach accesses and generally refurbishing and beautifying the area.

“A lot of people don’t know that the Timpoochee Bike Trail (which runs along 30A) is one of our projects,” Demarest said.

Still, Visit South Walton is working to boost visitation from November through February and in late spring and late summer.

Event and targeted marketing will help fill those gaps, Demarest said, “and we think that business travel is going to be an important sector for us to continue to expand.

“Conferences are a great opportunity.

Meeting planners choose destinations in much the same way that vacationers do. They just don’t talk about it that way. They are going to a conference to continue their education, they will say, but they would like to do it in a pleasant place. They would like to enjoy local cuisine and, in many cases, they would like to stay beyond their conference and tack on a vacation.”

The Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa and the newly opened Hyatt Place Sandestin at Grand Boulevard all provide meeting

“TO A HUGE EXTENT, OUR BIGGEST RESPONSIBILITY IS TO CONTINUE TO DELIVER ON OUR BRAND PROMISE OF A QUALITY EXPERIENCE WITH HIGH VALUE. WE ARE NOT ABOUT DEALS.” — DAVID DEMAREST, communication director for Visit South Walton

Homes at the WaterSound development occupy a thin stretch of land that separates emerald water from blue.

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PHOTOS BY LOVE IS WILD PHOTOGRAPHY (VARNEY), KURT LISCHKA (DIGITAL GRAFFITI) AND COURTESY OF HILTON SANDESTIN BEACH GOLF RESTORT & SPA (MEETING ROOMS) AND VISIT SOUTH WALTON (AERIAL)

facilities. Business people also gather at The Pearl in Rosemary Beach and at Watercolor.

“In many cases, we are best suited for executive retreats that involve a relatively limited number of participants,” Demarest said. “Small groups may opt to rent a five-bedroom beach house and hold their meetings there. That’s a cool way to do it. We have private chefs that can cater events like that.”

For the business traveler and the vacationer alike, South Walton offers advantages and experiences that Demarest suggested are, shall we say, rather continental.

“Think about the toll roads and the traffic in L.A. or Orlando or other major cities, whereas here you can ride your bike from Seaside to Grayton Beach,” he said. “Traveling from one community to another in South Walton is a lot like visiting towns in Europe. You are going to experience something different in each community. It’s a low barrier to a high-quality experience.”

To people Demarest may meet on press trips and at travel expos, he often describes the Emerald Coast as “closer geographically and culturally to Nashville than Miami.”

Such explanation is often necessary. “There are still plenty of people in America for whom our part of Florida is still a blank spot on the map,” Demarest said.

South Walton’s “culture,” perhaps surprisingly, is a “destination attribute” that visitors assign low importance and low ratings, according to the Downs & St. Germain research. The attribute rated most highly is “white sand and blue water,” while “comfortable place to unwind” is the attribute seen as most important.

Regarding “culture,” Demarest said, “people may be comparing us to museums in Manhattan or even Santa Fe. I always say I don’t want to compete with Napa on wine. Forty percent of South Walton is preserved land, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to compete with Yosemite. We don’t have the Museum of Modern Art, but we’ve got the beach and we’ve got lots of great local artists and opportunities to buy art and view art and live an artistic lifestyle.”

While the arts may not be visitors’ chief reason for coming to the beach, “we think it is a huge value added and a point of differentiation for us when people get here,” Demarest said.

For that reason, Visit South Walton is a big supporter of the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County and its efforts to produce events including Art Month South Walton in May and the Seaside Songwriters Festival in February.

“It’s cold during Songwriters,” Demarest said, “but people come here specifically for that event and they fill rooms and, in many cases, they buy homes afterwards.”

Too, Visit South Walton is supporting the Walton County Commission as it takes steps

outlined in what may be the most notorious House bill in the county’s history — HB 631 — to formally establish the county’s Gulf beaches as public.

“Everyone but the beachfront homeowners say that, of course, the beaches belong to everybody,” Demarest said.

ANOTHER PENNY

The state, Demarest added, is determining whether Walton County qualifies to collect a “high impact” penny of bed tax reserved as an option for counties with low populations relative to the number of visitors they entertain. If Walton County is deemed eligible, a super-majority vote of the County Commission would be required to tack the additional penny onto the existing 4 percent bed tax.

“Our neighboring counties are at 5 percent,” Demarest pointed out. “We have one of the smaller bed tax rates among all the coastal counties in Florida. It makes sense to me to bring us in line with neighboring counties.”

Proceeds from the additional penny, if it is approved, would be devoted to infrastructure improvements.

Generally, Demarest said, “Our goal is that local businesses be able to count on a consistent revenue stream throughout the A busy events calendar and facilities for busy meetings make year. We all want to be able to Walton County an ideal setting for business-and-pleasure trips. live here and, if you have chilFrom top: Jenna Varney displays paintings at ArtsQuest; dren, you want them to be able projection artists light up Alys Beach; meeting rooms at the to live here and have good jobs Hilton Sandestin Beach. and that’s only going to come from having a solid economic base.

“That base shouldn’t just be tourism, but when you are looking to build your economy, you don’t kill the goose that is laying the golden egg. You harvest those eggs. Tourism does a lot to attract new businesses to the area. If you look at the people who move here and start a business, the first time they came here was on vacation.”

Indeed, Walton County tourism generated nearly $4.7 billion in spending in 2018, provided county government with 67% of its revenue and accounted for a whopping 77% of retail spending.

“It’s hard to ignore the value of tourism,” Demarest said.

Growth in visitation has resulted, in part, from the addition of more direct flights linking area airports with cities including St. Louis, Houston and Dallas.

“Texas is a huge emerging market,” Demarest said. “Atlanta is our No. 1 city for visitors, but Texas is our No. 1 state.

“If you talk to someone in Texas, everything is better and bigger there. They have the best barbecue, the best looking people. But beaches are the one thing that Texans are not super proud of.

They concede that we’ve got the best beaches.

“They don’t even put up a fight.”

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OKALOOSA/WALTON COUNTY STATS

OKALOOSA COUNTY RESIDENTS

Rate Their Quality of Life Highly A STUDY performed by the Haas Center at the University of West Florida for the Okaloosa County Health Department found that 32% of residents are “highly satisfied” with the county’s quality of life and another 55% are “satisfied.”

1% FLORIDIANS WHO LIVE IN OKALOOSA COUNTY

$213 18%

AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT DAILY DURING STAYS BY VISITORS

PEOPLE WHO WORK IN LEISURE/HOSPITALITY SECTOR OF ECONOMY

Sources: UWF Haas Center; Office of Economic and Demographic Research (Florida Legislature)

2.7% UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AS OF DECEMBER 2018

20% EMPLOYED PEOPLE WHO HOLD JOBS IN GOVERNMENT

SOUTH WALTON COUNTY IN 2018, the total economic impact of tourism in South

Walton County totaled $4,699,566,300, including $3.175 million in direct spending. The total also included $798,390,100 in induced spending (increased business spending resulting from tourism dollars) and $725,293,600 in indirect spending (increased household spending resulting from tourism dollars).

4,171,900

NUMBER OF VISITORS TO SOUTH WALTON IN CALENDAR YEAR 2018

$884

AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT DAILY DURING STAYS

BY VISITORS

9.1 AVERAGE RATING VISITORS GIVE SOUTH WALTON ON SCALE OF 10

53 MEDIAN AGE OF VISITOR

41% VISITORS WHO USE SEARCH ENGINES IN PLANNING TRIP Source: Downs and St. Germain Research

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TOP PHOTO COURTESY OF OKALOOSA COUNTY EDC; BOTTOM PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT SOUTH WALTON

Tourism’s Impact Totals Billions of Dollars in

D E S T I N C H A R I T Y W I N E A U C T I O N F O U N D AT I O N

PRESENTS

T OCTOBER 24-26

2019

WATERCOLOR, FL

TICKETS ON SALE JULY 1 www.HarvestWineandFood.com

BAY CORRIDOR

Panama City, Panama City Beach + Bay County

Air J Temp Sets Up Shop Auto parts maker adds Panama City to the family

By Steve Bornhoft

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orge Habib Jr. surveys the stormravaged and otherwise dilapidated buildings that litter the grounds of a bygone printing company and he is not bothered by what he sees, so clearly can he envision what will be: green spaces, gardens, spotlights, new and bigger warehouses.

A manufacturing facility in a building that once housed German printing presses will become home to plastic injection machinery operated by a combination of robots and humans. The plant that once produced real estate books and magazines will generate cooling components built for Volkswagen automobile engines from German aluminum.

In May of last year, the Bay County Economic Development Alliance announced plans by Air Temp de Mexico to establish a subsidiary, Air Temp of America, in Panama

City. The move came as the culmination of eight years of conversation and negotiation between the company and the EDA, a dialog that began as the product of Air Temp’s relationship with Port Panama City.

The business, founded in 1982 in the Yucatán Peninsula by Habib’s Massachusettsborn father, today employs 850 people in Mérida and 350 in Puebla. Upon commencing production in Panama City in May, Habib said, the company would employ 10 people at its first U.S. operation. Employees will be added as contracts are won and, potentially, as operations are moved from Mexico.

“We will start with the Volkswagen contract, building parts that we will ship to their assembly plant in Chattanooga,” Habib said.

“Then, we will begin to offer U.S.-based production as an alternative to other customers. If

“A CAR IS LIKE A HUMAN BODY. IT HAS THE EQUIVALENT OF VEINS, A HEART, LUNGS, A FACE AND SKIN.” JORGE HABIB JR.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF AIR TEMP DE MÉXICO, S.A. DE C.V.

HOME OFFICE Air Temp’s manufacturing plant in Merida in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico employs 850 people. A similar plant on a smaller scale is being developed in Panama City at the site, formerly, of a printing operation.

they say they would prefer to have their parts manufactured in the U.S., we will bring a production line to Florida from Mexico.”

Most of Air Temp’s customers are automakers in Europe and the United States, but it is also making spare parts for Ford trucks. A relationship with GM dissolved years ago, owing to its preference for dealing with global companies. Indeed, when Air Temp, aware that GM was having problems with condensers, engineered a better part and presented the automaker with a prototype, GM sent it to China for manufacture there.

Ford, Habib said, could benefit if parts were

produced in Panama City, explaining that orders would be turned around more quickly and less expensively.

As a college student who studied accounting, Jorge Habib Sr. wrote a thesis on how to develop an auto air conditioning company in the Yucatán. His wife, who owns a business that services and repairs air conditioning systems and sells after-market parts, helped him type it.

The thesis became a reality.

Air Temp was launched as a designer and manufacturer of air conditioners and heat exchangers for the automotive industry. Renault Mexico was an early customer.

Volkswagen came on board in 1987. Air Temp’s product line has come to include condensers, evaporators, heaters, radiators, refrigerant gas and fans, and fan motors.

The work is exacting; tolerances are miniscule.

“A car is like a human body,” said Habib, who serves as Air Temp’s branding, sales and public relations executive and reports to his dad, the CEO. “It has the equivalent of veins, a heart, lungs, a face and skin. So, our facilities should look more like a hospital than a factory.”

BMW, he said, insists that its parts-makers’ floors be white. No part leaves an Air Temp plant until it is tested.

Habib, who keeps appointments, schedules and travel plans in a leather-bound calendar book, never stays in one place for long. But, to the extent that he has developed a relationship with Panama City, he is pleased. He praises Hardin and the EDA for its service after the sale — “It’s not like they close the deal and wish you good luck,” he

said — and he was encouraged by Florida State University Panama City’s addition of a mechanical engineering major. He likes what he has heard about STEM programs in public schools.

“If you are going to attract big industrial employers, you have to have an appropriately skilled labor force,” Habib said. “That process must start with children. Exposure to other cultures is important. You’re not going anywhere if you stay in a bubble.”

Air Temp employees include some who have been with the company since the beginning. The company prizes loyalty, Habib said, and, in exchange, treats people right. Facilities in Mexico have cafeterias that serve breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Company doctors, nutritionists and psychologists are on site.

“We are like a large family,” Habib said.

“Management stays close to the employees.

And, from everyone, we appreciate honesty.

An employee who tells you the truth is more valuable than one who just tells you what you want to hear.”

At the center of it all is the nuclear Habib family.

Habib has sisters and a brother-in-law who are involved in the company, playing roles as an accounts manager, a lawyer and a risk and investments manager.

“My father always said that he would start a business by hiring family members,” recalled Habib, who started accompanying his father on business trips as a child of 8. “He could scream at us without feeling guilty.”

Habib’s commitment to Air Temp is solid.

“The only way anyone is going to take me out of our business is feet first,” he said.

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CAPITAL CORRIDOR

Gadsden, Jefferson, & Leon Counties

Lost or W Wanted Who clues the dogs in?

By Wynn Parks

Editor’s Note: When we first checked in with Paul Coley five years ago, he was just getting started in the tracking business, then in Sneads.

In the years since, he has compiled a long list of remarkable success stories, including work on the Elizabeth Smart abduction case, overcome a hurricane and gained an international reputation. Today, he operates from a location on Industrial Drive in Tallahassee.

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hen the FBI started cataloging fingerprints in 1924, it was a major forensic protocol that grew into a powerful system for the identification of individuals — a protocol that, globally, became a baseline standard.

Retinal scanning, for all its “Mission Impossible” cache, is basically in the same category as fingerprinting. Both involve physical features exclusive to an individual.

Bodily scent, like fingerprints and retinal patterns, also represents an attribute particular to the individual. But scent has added dimensions. Unlike fingerprints and retinal scans, scent requires no human investigators to do the heavy legwork.

Paul Coley is a Chattahootchee man with a bunch of bloodhounds and some labradors, too. In 2012, after three years as an FBI forensic canine specialist, he went corporate, teaming up with his wife Donna and a friend, Joe Blanton, to form the Florida company, Scent Evidence K9.

In addition to Coley’s experience with

the FBI, Donna’s education in psychology and the marketeering mojo of Blanton, the company’s assets included 16 dogs, two trainers and a 1,000-acre ranch northeast of Memphis, where the dogs would train.

In a romantic take, a Scent Evidence mission can’t help but tap into the archetypal scenario of flop-eared hounds excitedly milling around. Enter the kennel master, clueing them in with a shirt or other personal possession of the sought after. Then, off they plunge, under the full moon, a riot of excited tails and hysterical baying!

Practically speaking, Coley and companions have advanced an ancient rite exponentially by developing a procedure for collecting and storing people’s scents long term. In the process, Coley consulted with Florida State University students in disciplines ranging from engineering to biochemistry. The result was the SEK9 kit, consisting of a 5-by-9-inch gauze pad and a hermetically sealing container, both surgically sterile, plus sealing tape, a label and instructions.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SCENT EVIDENCE K9

HOT ON THE TRAIL Paul Coley, the founder of Scent Evidence K9, jogs to keep pace with a hound named Nancy Drew

With the gauze, a person’s scent is gathered when he swabs an armpit a few times. Apparently, things like deodorant or garlic are irrelevant to the dog’s olfactory focus. Once sealed, the scentembued pad can be stored for up to 10 years. So far, the oldest kit used under field conditions had been stored five years.

Since its organization, Scent Evidence has supplied its kits to hospitals including Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare; law enforcement departments and individuals from the South to the Midwest; and onward beyond the Big Muddy.

Coley’s dogs have been true guardian angels for lost, and, most notably, autistic children. They served with distinction in Utah’s infamous Elizabeth Smart abduction case. Outside Chicago once, it was a Coley dog that SCENTS, found an injured car wreck victim, drunk UNLIKE and wandering in snowy, sub-zero weather.

FINGERPRINTS In another case, the SEK9 scent-kit OR RETINAL proved its value in a missing person SCANS, incident. An unfortunate, but clear-sighted REQUIRE NO man in Citrus County filed a scent sample TWO-LEGGED after receiving an Alzheimer prognosis.

INVESTIGATORS TO DO THE Some time later, his condition deteriorated, LEGWORK. and the swatch was used to find him wandering along an interstate highway.

Coley has the soft, rounded accent of his West Tennessee origins, maybe broadened somewhat a la the Florida Panhandle. In a recent and never mind that they’d laid down a interview, he described the loss of four kennels in split trail; it didn’t faze the dog. his yard to Hurricane Michael.

“It went straight for the twin whose “Had to bring the dogs in the house for the sample we’d used.” duration,” he recounts, then laughs at the next Dogs have even successfully tracked question, saying, “No, they stayed in the garage, individuals in vehicles. not on the living room couch!”

“Starting in the mid-1970s, most cars Coley is totally sold on his dogs’ super-power were built with a type of outside vent noses. The question was whether canine scent where, apparently, the scent from the car evidence would be legally acceptable in court. gets swept out and will settle to the side “Yes, it is!” he declares, citing U.S. vs. Wade, a of the road,” Coley explains.

2009 Alaska case.

“They’ve even trained dogs to detect Did you know that a dog’s nose is 40 times more invasive species, like zebra mussels, you acute than a man’s? know? It’s gotten to the point where “We did a demonstration once for the Army,” we’re scheduled to do seminars this Coley says. “We had two Special Forces guys — summer in Germany and Switzerland.” twins. They took off into the woods and left us Fingerprints, retinal scans and Scent with a scent sample for only one of them. Once Evidence-K-9? Lucky Coley; lucky dogs! into the woods, they went in different directions,

MAKING SCENTS OF IT Paul Coley, standing, looks on as a handler readies Trey for an exercise in Jackson, Tennessee. Kits, below, are used to preserve scents in the long term.

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FORGOTTEN COAST CORRIDOR

Gulf, Franklin + Wakulla Counties

A Panacea for Panacea?

Oyster hatchery projected to revitalize community

By Laz Aleman

T

ransformational is a word that often crops up when proponents speak of the ocean shellfish f a c i l i t y t h a t t h e Wa k u l l a Environmental Institute (WEI) proposes building on its 158-acre campus in Wakulla County.

Supporters say the facility — consisting of a nursery/hatchery, processing component and training space — will revitalize Panacea, and by extension Wakulla County and the region, through job creation and ancillary economic benefits.

The WEI, an offshoot of Tallahassee Community College (TCC), is seeking

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$13.5 million from Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., to construct a $21.5 million state-of-the-art facility, with TCC to contribute the balance.

Triumph, a state-organized nonprofit corporation, oversees and administers the distribution of the settlement money from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill to the eight adversely impacted Panhandle counties.

Projections call for the facility to create 529 direct jobs and another 15,000-plus indirect jobs, augmenting the area’s GDP by $480 million over seven years.

“For every dollar Triumph invests in this project, the facility will generate over $36

of return into the regional economy,” states the grant application.

Bob Ballard, WEI executive director, explains the projections are based on numbers garnered from the institute’s oyster aquaculture program during the last five years. He notes that the program has already led to the creation of 100-plus businesses with 150 employees in sustainable seafood farming.

“We extrapolated from that,” Ballard says.

The facility proposes annually graduating 28 oyster farmers/entrepreneurs, who will each launch a business and hire three to five employees, spurring economic growth.

The facility’s other objectives are twofold.

First, the nursery/hatchery will produce seed, filling an existing gap and leading to increased oyster production. Second, the processing will employ two technologies to ensure a safer consumer product, which is expected to double oysters’ per-unit price.

“Our goal is to produce 500 million seed annually,” Ballard says of the first goal.

Florida oyster farmers currently get their seed from Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.

LEFT: Conceptual drawing depicts an oyster hatchery and processing facility planned for Panacea.

RENDERING COURTESY OF WAKULLA ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE

RIGHT: Bob Ballard, executive director of the Wakulla Environmental Institute, believes oyster production can strengthen Wakulla County’s economy.

“We come hat in hand and are the last to get seed,” Ballard says. “We’re probably getting half the seed we need annually.

Other hatcheries are trying to ramp up, but they can’t keep up with Florida’s growing demand.”

The second crucial element is ensuring the safe consumption of raw oysters.

Despite government and industry efforts and best management practices, food poisoning from pathogens in raw oysters always poses a risk.

The processing will kill the bacterium via flash freezing and microwave pasteurization.

“Freezing gives the oysters a two-year shelf life,” Ballard says. “The advantage to freezing is we can buy large volumes of oysters, freeze them, and sell them over a period of years. Freezing allows us to scoop up all the mature oysters in the area and preserve them, so that we can protect the price by preventing a market glut.”

Microwave pasteurization, a newer technology, is so precise and sensitive it kills the bacterium without harming the oysters.

“The oysters remain alive,” Ballard says.

“It’s just that you must eat them within five to seven days.”

Fresh, safer oysters, goes the argument, will sell for a dollar each, double the current 50 cents, enhancing the economic benefits.

The Wakulla County Commission lists the facility among its top priorities for Triumph funding.

“Oyster aquaculture is one of the hottest, most emergent industries that we have,” says Wakulla County Commissioner Ralph Thomas. “In few instances do we have opportunities to be part of a pioneering industry. We have that with oyster aquaculture.”

He appreciates the industry’s transformational potential.

Photo by SAIGE ROBERTS

MICROWAVE PASTEURIZATION KILLS BACTERIA WITHOUT HARMING OYSTERS. THE RESULT IS A SAFER OYSTER EXPECTED TO SELL FOR TWICE THE GOING RATE, ENHANCING ECONOMIC BENEFITS TO THE REGION. “We have a lot of attributes in Wakulla County, but what we don’t have are highway, rail or port systems,” Thomas says. “So that many of the things that attract businesses, we geographically don’t have. But we have that big beautiful bay, good water quality and excellent conditions for growing oysters. To me, it’s the perfect mix and the perfect time to support and encourage this.”

The Wakulla County Chamber of Commerce likewise endorses the project.

“We thought a way of life had gone away, and the coastal fishing industry was never going to be revitalized,” says Chamber President Dr. Rachel Pienta. “But the new technology offered by oyster farming and aquaculture can provide a way for people

to have that coastal fishing, agriculturaloriented life that Wakulla was built on. If the project realizes a portion of what it’s hoping to do, it could be transformational for Wakulla County.”

Ballard points to Cedar Key as an example of what could happen.

“Twenty years ago, Cedar Key was starting to grow clams,” Ballard notes. “Today, Cedar Key is a beautiful, thriving town with lots of fisheries and clam farmers. It transformed the town in a wonderful way. Panacea used to be like that. Then the net ban and other things happened, and Panacea has fallen on hard times. This facility, we believe, will be the catalyst for Panacea to come back strongly.”

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SPONSORED REPORT

TRACTION STRONG Get a Grip on Your Business

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an a book change your life? Ryan Giles says it can. In fact, his business and his life were changed forever when he found a book that described the six key components to build a better business. In short, his life gained traction.

Traction is also the title of the book by Gino Wickman that explains the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS®), which is rooted in the knowledge that the amount of success a company has depends on the degree to which these six key components™ are strengthened — vision, people, data, issues, process and traction.

After ten years running his fifth business, Giles was tired of the same old problems with his people, processes, and profit. He wanted to run the business instead of the business running him.

He sought a certified EOS® implementer to help him get his business running on EOS®. In a short amount of time, he solved his people issues, culture and process problems, and became very profitable. He eventually sold the company to become a certified EOS® implementer.

“I realized that while I had been successful in the business world, my passion was being a mentor to other business leaders,” said Giles.

Giles has facilitated and coached companies ranging from three employees to 1,200 and spanning Canada to Florida. His primary focus region is from Tallahassee to New Orleans because he is the only certified implementer in these areas.

While anyone can read the book and glean insight, the best means to guarantee satisfaction is a certified implementer, each of whom undergoes intensive training, maintains a steady client list and posts a client satisfaction rating of no less than 8.75 out of 10. Giles is confident enough in his client success rates that he offers a money-back guarantee if a business is not pleased with the results.

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This initial 90-minute workshop is free and acts as a way to learn how EOS® can help you get what you want from your business.

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BUSINESS NEWS

CAPITAL LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» Six Pillars

Financial Advisors has partnered with Terri Jackson, CFP, a certified financial JACKSON planner practitioner in Tallahassee. Jackson has been helping clients pursue their financial goals for more than 23 years.

Six Pillars Financial Advisors offers access to qualified, certified and professional financial advisors who deliver market-leading solutions that enable clients to achieve their financial objectives.

» Nelson Mullins

Riley & Scarborough LLP announced today that Anne Corcoran has joined the firm CORCORAN in Tallahassee.

Corcoran will focus her practice on project development and finance, with an emphasis on industrial development projects.

Corcoran has spent almost 20 years in private practice and has also worked as an assistant state attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit.

» Melanie Leitman has joined

Stearns Weaver Miller’s Tallahassee office as an attorney in the Labor & Employment and Administrative Law & Regulatory Compliance groups. Her practice focuses on employment defense litigation and human resources compliance, consultation and

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY PROFILED INDIVIDUALS

SAWICKI

NOONAN

BIELBY

training. Melanie has experience in both public and private entities, in administrative litigation and regulatory compliance, and in all aspects of civil law, including tort defense, general business and contract disputes, state and federal appellate advocacy, and securing tax exempt status from the IRS for 501(c) entities.

LOCAL HONORS

» Coton Colors founding artist

and CEO Laura Johnson was recently named a Seminole 100 Award recipient by the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship. The prestigious annual award highlights the 100 fastestgrowing Florida State University alumni-owned businesses. Over the past 20 years, Coton Colors has grown from a small operation in Johnson’s garage to an international brand in 3,000 stores nationwide as well as in the company’s family-owned flagship stores located in Tallahassee, Tampa, and Atlanta.

» The Mitchells, a full-service

advertising agency, won 25 American Advertising Federation awards (“ADDY Awards”) in the federation’s 2019 competition in Tallahassee. The agency also was named Agency of the Year and Midsized Agency of the Year, and took home the Best of Show and Best TV Broadcast awards.

» John Buck, franchi-

SOUNDBYTES

to serve on the FASTSIGNS National Advertising Council for FASTSIGNS International, Inc., a leading visual communications franchisor of over 700 locations in nine countries worldwide.

» Domi Station announced

Yuh-Mei Hutt as its new board chair. Hutt has served on Domi’s board since 2016 and has played a major role guiding the growth of the nonprofit. She is also the president of Golden Lighting, a decorative residential lighting manufacturer that sells to lighting retailers across North America.

» LSN Partners an-

nounced that Cissy Proctor will lead the company’s expansion efforts and new Tallahassee office, serving as managing partner. PROCTOR Proctor, recently the executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, has more than 15 years of experience in legal and government affairs.

NEW & NOTABLE

» The Grove at Canopy is Tal-

lahassee’s newest senor living community, offering independent living, assisted living, and memory care lifestyles. The Grove at Canopy along the Miccosukee Greenway is now leasing.

» The Salvation Army’s nation-

see at a FASTSIGNS center in Tallahassee, has been elected

BUCK

wide Pathway of Hope Initiative, which provides enhanced social services to families with children desiring to break the cycle of

BODIFORD

AKBAR

BADER

TILTON

BIGHAM

intergenerational poverty, is now available to families in need in the Tallahassee area.

» Justo Cruz, founder and

owner of the Tally Mac Shack, has added to his fleet of successful food trucks by launching a brick-and-mortar restaurant located inside Happy Motoring at 1215 S. Adams St. Truck locations and menus featuring creative twists on macaroni and cheese favorites are updated weekly.

EMERALD COAST LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» Hannah Martin has joined

Coastal Luxury Real Estate in Seacrest as a broker associate.

A longtime Seagrove resident, Martin has worked in the real estate industry since age 19.

Coastal Luxury’s boutique brand and visibility in the market captured her attention, and Martin decided the firm was a natural next step in her career. There, she will seek to encourage fellow agents and help foster a positive, creative work environment. Martin is the founder of the charitable La Lumière Foundation and, in 2018, was awarded the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors Humanitarian Award. Coastal Luxury is a real estate firm focused on luxury and Gulf-front properties in Rosemary, Alys Beach, WaterColor, Seacrest, Seaside, Grayton, and the 30A Gulf Coast corridor as well as the Destin and Sandestin/Miramar Beach areas.

COLEMAN FOUNTAIN

HASELDEN

MURRAY

THE TALLAHASSEE BAR ASSOCIATION announced its 20192020 officers and board of directors members. Officers include: President John Sawicki, founder/owner, Forensic Data Corp; President-Elect Greg Noonan, partner, Corry Law Firm; Treasurer Lo Bielby, shareholder, Greenberg Traurig; Treasurer-Elect Joe Bodiford, owner, Bodiford Law; Secretary Erin Tilton, RUMPH MADIGAN RICHARDS FORSTHOEFEL MILES SELLERS VANSICKLE associate, Hopping Green & Sams. Directors are Mutaqee Akbar, managing partner, Akbar Law firm; Nick Bader, partner, Bass Sox Mercer; Sid Bigham, attorney, Oertel, Fernandez, Bryant & Atkinson, P.A.; Jami Coleman, partner, Williams & Coleman, P.A.; Lisa Fountain, shareholder, Sniffen & Spellman, P.A.; Will Haselden, William M. Haselden, PA; G.C. Murray, Jr., deputy general counsel, Florida Justice Association; Jerry Rumph, partner, Sweeting & Rumph, P.A. Special Directors are: Terry Madigan (Senior Director), owner, Madigan Law Firm, P.L. and Craig Richards (YLS Director), associate, Andrews Crabtree Knox & Longfellow. Ex-officio board members include Legal Aid Foundation representative Kevin Forsthoefel, shareholder, Ausley McMullens; Immediate Past President Eric Milles, owner, Milles Law Firm; Florida Bar Board of Governors representatives Larry Sellers, partner, Holland & Knight, and Melissa VanSickle, partner, Nelson Mullins Broad and Cassel.

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BUSINESS NEWS

SOUNDBYTES » Revint Solutions, a healthcare revenue integrity company, recently opened in Lynn Haven.

The company is expected to bring 150 jobs to the area.

LOCAL HONORS

LOCAL HONORS

Grill, has been reappointed to the board of directors at Florida is For Veterans Inc.

and Wines has been awarded the 2019 American Beverage Licensees Retailer of the Year Award for the State of Florida. The award was presented to Beach Liquors co-owner Mike Kelley by the American Beverage Licencees (ABL) association during the organization’s 2019 Honors Gala at its annual meeting in Las Vegas.

» Tom Rice, owner of Magnolia

HYATT PLACE SANDESTIN

» The recently opened Hyatt Place Sandestin at Grand Boulevard hosted a “Gallery Night” grand opening celebration and fundraiser benefitting Gulf County schools impacted by Hurricane Michael. A total of $15,000 was raised during the event to benefit the fine arts programs at Port St. Joe High

School and Wewahitchka High School. Hyatt Place Sandestin at Grand Boulevard, a Howard Group development operated by local hotel management company Howard Hospitality, committed to matching up to $5,000 in donations from the event.

» Renasant Bank announced that Eric Navarre and Scott Mitchell have joined Renasant to open a new location in Destin.

Navarre is Emerald Coast market president, while Mitchell will act

NEW & NOTABLE

as vice president and commercial relationship officer. Navarre and Mitchell will be responsible for developing and expanding business and personal banking relationships in the Destin market.

» National Association for

Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP) of NWFL celebrated top performers at the NAIOP Annual Awards Banquet. The “Member of the Year” award went to Jay Frasier. Doris Mink was named “Distinguished Member.” Scholarships were presented to University of West Florida students Ekin Gencturk and Adam Hydle.

Other awards presented were: Redevelopment of the Year, IRIS Corporate Headquarters; Office Development of the Year, Urban Core; Office Development of the Year, Honorable Mention, Gulf Breeze Center; New Development of the Year, Southtowne.

» Kelley’s Beach Liquors

FORGOTTEN COAST LOCAL HAPPENINGS

tourism marketing organization, has awarded the Franklin County Tourist Development Council $174,000, part of about $1.09 million it has given to seven Northwest Florida TDCS to assist in recovery from Hurricane Michael.

» Pediatrician Elizabeth F.

Partnering with people in business.

At FCCI, we’ve been working with businesses for 60 years, now in 19 states and D.C. Our financial strength, expertise, and claims handling helps businesses thrive and face the future with confidence.

800-226-3224 www.fcci-group.com

PROPERTY I CASUALTY I SURETY I RISK MANAGEMENT I SECTOR EXPERTISE

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Curry, MD, has joined Sacred Heart Medical Group’s regional network of physicians. Curry is board-certified with experience in providing a full spectrum of inpatient and outpatient pediatric care.

BAY LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» Sacred Heart Health System

has named Heath Evans president of Bay Medical Sacred Heart. Evans had served as the Panama City hospital’s chief operating officer for the past year.

KELLEY ’S BEACH LIQUORS AND WINES

I-10 LOCAL HONORS

» U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio named Jackson County’s Southern Craft Creamery the Senate Small Business of the Week. Known for its handcrafted buttermilk ice cream, Southern Craft Creamery was founded in 2012 by Dale and Cindy Eades. They are located in Marianna. » The Jackson County

Chamber of Commerce held its 91st Annual Chamber Banquet and presented Darwin Gilmore with the prestigious Jackson County Excellence in Leadership Award. Georgeann Adkison received the Arthur L. Kimbrough Board Member of the Year Award.

— COMPILED BY REBECCA PADGETT

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY PROFILED INDIVIDUALS

More than a policy.

A promise.

» Visit Florida, the state’s official

50413-0319 WSRE 850 Summer 2019 Chasing the Moon.indd 1

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The Last Word

PRIZE LOYALTY AND SEEK TO ACHIEVE Some values travel well

The printer approached me in the outer office as I was inspecting a museum piece, an old timey letter press that one fed by hand, a sheet at a time. Times had changed. Presently, I would be escorted on a plant tour and introduced, in particular, to a massive German programmable heat-set press. I can’t remember all of the features the press was said by the printer to have. Automatic plate loaders, I suppose. And ink levelers and a pH value indicator, surely.

It wasn’t long after my visit that the business started to struggle. To the extent that it relied on printing real estate magazines, it was a collateral victim of the collapse of the real estate bubble. At one point, the printer’s employees all agreed to a pay cut so that no one would have to be laid off. And then, the business was gone.

Today, the one-time printing plant is being converted to an auto parts manufacturing facility. It has been acquired by Airtemp, a Mexican concern headquartered in Mérida. For starters, it will be making in Panama City, its first U.S. location, cooling system parts for shipment to a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee.

Becca Hardin, president of the Bay County Economic Development Alliance, did me the favor of telling Airtemp’s Jorge Habib Jr., who has an elaborate job title that boils down to marketer, to expect a call from me. We spoke and agreed to meet first thing on a Monday morning at the plant.

The property is horribly disheveled,

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the product of years of idleness and a bad actor named Michael. Airtemp acquired the site after years of negotiation and not long before the storm hit. But Habib seemed unfazed. Insurance will cover the losses, he said, and in any event, Airtemp had a wholesale overhaul planned.

Habib, who would not look out of place on a GQ magazine cover, buzzes with energy. He is nattily, but not extravagantly, attired, save for a watch that looks like it might weigh a pound and a half. While in his 20s, he travels the world, striking deals with automakers in Europe and Asia. His handwritten calendar looks like it might belong to that of a U.N. ambassador. He reports to his father, who founded the company.

He greets contract workers in Spanish, offering them greetings and brief instructions, then seamlessly returns to our conversation in English. We move to a space where the big press used to be.

There, we encounter equipment, mostly under wraps, that Habib identifies as an injection-molding machine.

The brief tour complete, we repair to a temporary office in a trailer. At length, Habib shares plans and timetables and lighting/landscaping schemes. A listener is convinced that all of what he describes will happen. His mother and his father have each successfully started automotive-sector businesses and combine to employ thousands. For now, Panama City

is to Merida as a bathroom remodel is to Mar-a-Lago.

We touch on politics and Habib comments briefly on Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

“Politics are best ignored,” Habib says.

“Best just to keep working.” We move on.

He comments that he was impressed by my punctuality and preparation. Generally, he said, people in Panama City need to do better in those regards. I ask him about the values of his company.

Habib champions loyalty above all else.

Too, there is an expectation that employees will take good care of themselves and arrive on the job prepared to do their best work. Habib, when in Mérida, works out twice a day and rides his polo ponies in the morning. Business dealings should be characterized by honesty. He seethes when he recalls how GM ripped off drawings Airtemp had prepared for a condenser. All of these values are understood.

There is no need to place them in a frame and post them above the time clock.

In an environment that is fair, rewards result from striving to achieve.

There is an Old World quality about Habib, which is not to say he is not current. Like his father, he can be firm.

After describing Mérida and the French influences on its architecture and his love for history, Habib tells me, “You will come to Mérida and see our city.”

“Maybe one day.”

“No ‘maybe.’ You will come.”

It may be that I should not doubt Mr. Habib’s word.

Do your best,

STEVE BORNHOFT, EDITOR, 850 MAGAZINE sbornhoft@rowlandpublishing.com

PHOTO BY SAIGE ROBERTS

The last time I had visited the property, it was home to a printing operation. The printer was a key customer of the bank for which I worked at the time, and I was there as its communication director to gather information for a newsletter item.

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