850 Business Magazine • Winter 2023 by Rowland Publishing, Inc.

SURGEON DEVELOPS METHODS FOR SPEEDING RECOVERIES PINNACLE AWARD WINNERS ENRICH THE REGION INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL SECTION: NW FLORIDA INNOVATORS PIONEER NEW TECHNOLOGIES

NORTH

FROM MIAMI

Viral circumstances lead entrepreneurial couple to make NW Florida their base of operations

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WINTER 2023

FEATURE

Pursuits

REEF BUILDERS At the Florida State University Coastal Marine Laboratory in St. Teresa, researchers whose work is being funded by a Triumph Gulf Coast grant are working to understand the causes that led to the collapse of the oyster fishery in Apalachicola. Ultimately, their efforts are aimed at not just building oyster numbers back to harvestable levels, but at restoring the estuarine environment in which the lowly oyster, given its capacity for filtering water, is an indispensable keystone species.

FILM Unfiltered: The Truth About Oysters is a documentary that examines the condition and importance of oyster fisheries in Northwest Florida and around the world. The film is at turns maddening and saddening and is illuminating throughout. Producer Chucha Barber hopes that even as it refrains from specific calls to action, it will result in pressure on government agencies and elected officials to do more to protect marine habitats and marine life. While former oyster habitat in New York may be impossible to restore given all the pollutants present in waters there, Chesapeake Bay has substantially been brought back. Apalachicola Bay is an example of a bay that might go either way.

Periscope

75 ↑ Pinnacle Award Recipients

Consistently since 2014, the Pinnacle Awards program presented by Rowland Publishing and 850 Business Magazine has identified remarkable difference makers whose skill, leadership and experience has made them professional success stories and significant community influences. Women selected to receive Pinnacle Awards blaze trails while recognizing that they stand on the shoulders of women who preceded them in roles of consequence that for too long, women need not have applied. Over the years, we have had honorees old enough to recall when the occupations available to women were largely limited to secretarial pools, hospitals and classrooms. Consider this year’s honorees, and you will be led to wonder how our nation ever got along without women taking their places in the full range of professional spheres and theaters. STORY BY PAIGE AIGRET, STEVE BORNHOFT, HANNAH BURKE, MIKE FENDER AND EMMA WITMER

ENTREPRENEURS

Tina Vidal-Duart is the CEO at CDR/Health, a health care services contractor whose strengths include meeting community needs during following natural disasters. CDR/ Health emerged as a go-to player during the pandemic in several states. Vidal-Duart served as the CEO of Florida’s COVID-19 Infectious Disease Field Hospital System. After the hospitals were demobilized, she was instrumental in helping

In Every Issue

10 From the Publisher 14 N ews in Brief 114 T he Last Word from the Editor

ON THE COVER: Entrepreneurs and business owners Tina Vidal-Duart and Carlos Duart strive to lead by example. “There is nothing that we call on others to do that we would not do ourselves,” Vidal-Duart said. “We are willing to work side by side with our team. We feel like a family.” Added Carlos Duart, “We are engaged in a team effort, everyone has a role to play and we don’t pass the buck. If something needs to be done, we’re gonna get it done.” The couple was photographed at the offices of CDR Health, located off Mahan Road in Tallahassee. PHOTO BY ALICIA OSBORNE

6 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

CONTENTS CDR/Health’s COVID-19 test site logistics team deploy a call center; develop software that facilitated the patient experience from registration through result delivery; and launch a proprietary vaccination data management system. Carlos Duart is the president/CEO at CDR/Maguire Engineering, a heavy infrastructure firm whose work is confined to large state and federal projects such as interstate highway construction and reconstruction. He also advises the management team at CDR/ Emergency Management, a disaster-response company. The Duarts moved from Miami to Tallahassee given the many hours they spend interacting with state agencies.

HOSPICE CARE

Rooms at the First Commerce Center for Compassionate Care, a hospice wing at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, were designed as places where patients, family members and caregivers can comfortably gather. They have the feel of a room in a home. Wiring is hidden. The patient bed has a headboard. The couch folds out into a guest bed. The rooms are conducive to meeting spiritual, psychological and family needs.

PHOTOS BY THE WORKMANS (34), DAVE BARFIELD (19) AND COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO (86)

WASHINGTON COUNTY PORTRAITS IN PROGRESS Growth is

AIRPORT GATEWAY PROJECT The

Airport Gateway Project is a multimillion-dollar, multimodal transportation network that, when complete in 2030, will connect the Tallahassee International Airport, downtown Tallahassee, the area’s colleges and universities, and Innovation Park, the city’s research and development district. It will include some seven miles of improved roadway and over

making inroads in Washington County where paving projects are making it possible to park plows; progress is being made toward extending the availability of broadband internet service to all residences; and signs of new life are popping up at Sunny Hills. The passage of a liquor referendum has made Chipley more attractive to restaurant chains, and sunburned beach tourists are discovering things to do a short drive north of the Gulf of Mexico.

FSU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

Established in 2000, the FSU College of Medicine was created by the Florida Legislature to take an unconventional approach with an unwavering commitment: The new medical school was to use communitybased clinical training to educate its students, create a technology-rich environment and address primary care health needs of Florida’s citizens, especially the elderly, rural, minorities and underserved.

13 miles of new sidewalks, trails and bicycle lanes.

NEW LIFE FOR RAIL?

Unlike North Florida, the member states of the Southern Rail Commission (Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana) have made a concerted effort to restore their portion of the New Orleans-Jacksonville line. A new stretch from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, is set to reopen soon thanks to years of negotiation with rail line owners and others. Leon County Commissioner Rick Minor believes SRC membership could be the first step toward the restoration of passenger rail across North Florida. Joining the SRC requires the State of Florida to take the first step. “I think that the ultimate return of Amtrak to Tallahassee and points west really lies with the Florida Department of

Transportation and the State of Florida and what their vision is for passenger rail transportation in the state,” said SRC president Knox Ross.

Special Sections

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

The entrepreneurial landscape in Northwest Florida continues to strengthen as evidenced by the stories in this special section. Included are profiles of a renowned surgeon who is developing new processes that will speed recoveries from spinal and joint-replacement operations and an inventor/ entrepreneur who is piloting a minesweeping drone with plans for its deployment in Ukraine. We also check in with experts regarding fusion technology and the potential for clean energy.

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Sample all the flavors at the South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival. Over 500 fine wines and spirits will be on hand along with delectable bites from the area’s top chefs.

After 24 years as vice president and general manager of the Seaside Community Development Corporation, Pam Avera reflects on her career and looks forward to retirement.

George Atchison, owner of Phoenix Coatings, a structural restoration company. Atchison details what makes his company unique, how he got into the business and more.

850 Business Magazine | WINTER2023 | 7

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UNITED WAY EMERALD COAST HOSTS THIRD ANNUAL 40 UNDER 40 AWARDS

ULTIMATE HILTON SANDESTIN BEACH RESORT GETAWAY

Our work lives can be very rewarding but also challenging, and it’s important to achieve a healthy work-life balance. There’s no better way to unplug, relax and unwind than by experiencing an amazing Ultimate Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort Getaway. Enter to win the escape you’ve been longing for! Enter for your chance to win at 850BusinessMagazine.com/ ultimate-hilton-getaway.

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT Northwest Florida continues to position itself as the Southeast United States cyber coast and an expanding hub for high-tech enterprises. 850 Business Magazine’s Innovation and Technology section tracks the region’s progress and offers information on networking conferences, entrepreneurial activity and service providers who strengthen IT infrastructure. Visit 850businessMagazine.com/ innovation for more.

850 BYTES & BEYOND Read the latest 850 Business Magazine “Bytes” — essential information about business openings, professional promotions, awards, honors and more — at your convenience online.

CONNECT

JOIN US MARCH 4 FOR THE 10TH ANNUAL PINNACLE AWARDS Thank you for your nominations. Now, it’s time to save the date and plan to gather with keynote speaker Virginia Glass, on Monday, March 4, at the WaterColor LakeHouse in Santa Rosa Beach as we honor 12 outstanding women from across Northwest Florida. Learn more at 850BusinessMagazine.com/ pinnacle-awards.

8 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

To learn more about this year's event and honorees, visit 850BusinessMagazine.com/ uwec-hosts-third-annual40-under-40-awards.

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PHOTOS BY MIKE FENDER (INNOVATION & TECH), LAWRENCE DAVIDSON / RPI FILE PHOTO (PINNACLE AWARDS) AND COURTESY OF BEN WHITEHURST (40 UNDER 40) AND HILTON SANDESTIN BEACH GOLF RESORT & SPA (GIVEAWAY)

GIVEAWAY

The 40 Under 40 Awards shines a spotlight on the accomplishments of young professionals who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation and dedication to Okaloosa and Walton counties. These individuals have not only achieved significant career milestones, but have also made a lasting impact on their communities through their philanthropic efforts and community involvement.

Winter 2023

850 THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA

No one crushes crunch time like you Vol. 16, No. 2

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BRIAN E. ROWLAND ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER MCKENZIE BURLEIGH EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE EDITOR Steve Bornhoft CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Paige Aigret, Hannah Burke, David Ekrut, Ph.D., Mia Esperanza, Mike Fender, Michael Goetz, Carol Kent, Rochelle Koff, Al Krulick, Emma Witmer

CREATIVE

VICE PRESIDENT / PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY Daniel Vitter CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Saige Roberts ART DIRECTORS Sarah Burger, Shruti Shah SENIOR PUBLICATION DESIGNERS Scott Schiller GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sierra Thomas CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Aerial Tallahassee, Alvin McBean, Dave Barfield, Boo Media, Colin Hackley Photo, Mike Fender, Michael Harrison, Scott Holstein, Level Up Digital Media, Alicia Osborne, The Workmans

SALES, MARKETING & EVENTS

You have what it takes to multitask like a boss. And we have the right IT solutions to help you manage it all. From high-speed Internet to managed cloud options, we have IT solutions for every aspect of your business. Because we know what IT takes.

SALES MANAGER, WESTERN DIVISION Rhonda Lynn Murray SALES MANAGER, EASTERN DIVISION Lori Magee Yeaton DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, EASTERN DIVISION Daniel Parisi

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DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WESTERN DIVISION Dan Parker ADVERTISING SERVICES MANAGER Tracy Mulligan SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Julie Dorr ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Michelle Daugherty, Darla Harrison MARKETING MANAGER Javis Ogden SALES AND MARKETING WRITER Rebecca Padgett Frett SALES AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Renee Johnson

OPERATIONS CUSTOM PUBLISHING MANAGER Sara Goldfarb CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE/ AD SERVICE COORDINATOR Sarah Coven PRODUCTION EDITOR Paige Aigret PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan STAFF BOOKKEEPER Amber Ridgeway

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850 Magazine is published quarterly by Rowland Publishing, Inc. 118 N. Monroe St., Ste. 401, Tallahassee, FL 32301. 850/878-0554. 850 Magazine and Rowland Publishing, Inc. are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. Editorial contributions are welcomed and encouraged but will not be returned. 850 Magazine reserves the right to publish any letters to the editor. Copyright December 2023 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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850 Business Magazine | WINTER2023 | 9

WINTER 2023

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A Region Realizing Its Promise Northwest Florida has a unique collection of assets To fully appreciate where Northwest Florida is today and its potential for the future, a look back is the best place to start.

10 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

There are three major landowners in North Florida: the federal government, the State of Florida and St. Joe. The first two will never sell their land. In the mid-1990s, however, St. Joe strategically pivoted to become a development company and sold off rural inland properties. In 2013, it sold 383,834 acres in Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty and Wakulla counties to AgReserves, a private company owned by the Mormon church. As a developer, The St. Joe Company is changing the face of Northwest Florida. It was a key player in bringing about the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in Bay County and an emerging medical campus that will include Panama City Beach’s first hospital. The company’s state-approved Bay and Walton counties sector plan envisions the creation of a new population center. In introducing its plan, St. Joe told local officials that in 40–50 years, it will have brought about a city to rival any in Florida. Today, that bold forecast is coming out of the ground in the form of Latitude Margaritaville Watersound and related developments. St. Joe, of course, does not operate in a vacuum. It conducts business in a region that is rich in assets that include … ■ E ight military bases and the

private military contractors that support them. ■ The Florida Capitol. ■ F lorida State University, the University of West Florida, FSU Panama City, Florida A&M University, Northwest Florida State

College, Tallahassee Community College and other institutions of higher learning. ■ T hree deep-water ports in Pensacola, Panama City and Port St. Joe. ■ T wo heavy rail lines emanating from Port Panama City and Port St. Joe. ■ The best beaches anywhere. ■ T he world’s most powerful magnet at Tallahassee’s Innovation Park, a center of pioneering research. ■ A U.S. Customs facilities project in progress in Tallahassee. ■ A new Amazon distribution center in Tallahassee and a FedEx Ground facility in Bay County. ■ A nd, an inviting lifestyle built on relationships, trust, faith and hard work. The future of our region is bright. Stay positive,

Brian Rowland

browland@rowlandpublishing.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN ROWLAND

As a precursor to much of the development ongoing in the region today, the duPont family and later The St. Joe Company acquired huge tracts of forest land from Jacksonville west to Pensacola. Edward Ball was made responsible for managing those investments. While Florida’s Atlantic Coast was being developed, the coastal region of Northwest Florida remained pristine except for the town of Port St. Joe. The St. Joe Company built a paper mill there and shipped materials north by rail. Ball developed SouthWood, a hunting plantation just outside of Tallahassee that he would call home for part of the year. He was known as a “curmudgeon” and ruled with an iron fist. He figures in a story told by St. Joe people today about a lost opportunity that could have changed the trajectory of Northwest Florida’s growth forever. During the early 1960s, a California developer sought a meeting with Ball. After numerous calls, an appointment was made, and he traveled cross country intending to make a presentation at St. Joe’s corporate offices in Jacksonville. The developer arrived for his 9 a.m. meeting on time but was left to sit all day without getting a chance to propose buying 5,000 acres north of Panama City adjacent to the planned interstate to be called I-10. At closing time, Ball had his secretary deliver a note to the visitor letting him know that he had no interest in meeting with a carnival guy. The visitor was Walt Disney, who moved his project south near Orlando.

Paradise has arrived ON THE EMERALD COAST

Latitude Town Square – Amenities Now Open!

Live the life you’ve dreamed at Latitude Margaritaville Watersound! Sunshine and cool breezes. Palm trees and margaritas. Welcome to Latitude Margaritaville, a 55-and-better community inspired by the legendary music and lifestyle of Jimmy Buffett, built on food, fun, music and escapism. Escape to the place where fun and relaxation meet. Escape to island-inspired living as you grow older, but not up. Escape to Latitude Margaritaville Watersound, located on Hwy 79, less than 8 miles from the beach. New homes from the $300s

• Paradise Pool with Beach Entry and Tiki Huts • Latitude Town Square with Live Music Bandshell • Latitude Bar & Chill Restaurant with Panoramic Views of the Intracoastal Waterway • Overlook Bar • Fins Up! Fitness Center with Indoor Pool • Tennis, Pickleball and Bocce Ball Courts • Town Square Game Lawn • Barkaritaville Dog Park • Walking Trails and Multi-Use Sport Court

Sales center and 13 models open Daily Latitude Margaritaville Watersound (866) 223-6780

9201 Highway 79, Panama City Beach, FL 32413 Mon. - Sat. 9:00am - 5:00pm | Sun. 11:00am - 5:00pm

Visit online for more information LatitudeMargaritaville.com

Obtain the Property Report required by Federal law and read it before signing anything. No Federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property. WARNING: THE CALIFORNIA BUREAU OF REAL ESTATE HAS NOT INSPECTED, EXAMINED, OR QUALIFIED THE OFFERINGS. Latitude Margaritaville Kentucky Registration Number R-201. For NY Residents: THE COMPLETE OFFERING TERMS FOR THE SALE OF LOTS ARE IN THE CPS-12 APPLICATION AVAILABLE FROM SPONSOR, LMWS, LLC. FILE NO. CP20-0062. Pennsylvania Registration Number OL001182. Latitude Margaritaville Watersound is registered with the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salesmen, 1000 Washington Street, Suite 710, Boston, MA 02118 and with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 1700 G Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20552. This material shall not constitute a valid offer in any state where prior registration is required and has not been completed. The facilities and amenities described are proposed but not yet constructed. Photographs are for illustrative purposes only and are merely representative of current development plans. Development plans, amenities, facilities, dimensions, specifications, prices and features depicted by artists renderings or otherwise described herein are approximate and subject to change without notice. ©Minto Communities, LLC 2023. All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced, copied, altered, distributed, stored, or transferred in any form or by any means without express written permission. Latitude Margaritaville and the Latitude Margaritaville logo are trademarks of Margaritaville Enterprises, LLC and are used under license. Minto and the Minto logo are trademarks of Minto Communities, LLC and/or its affiliates. St. Joe and the St. Joe logo are trademarks of The St. Joe Company and are used under license. CGC 1519880/CGC 120919. 2023

850 Business Magazine | WINTER2023 | 11

PHOENIX COATINGS, INC.

State Certified General Contractor in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi Locally Owned and Operated 900 Industrial Court, Pensacola 850.857.4740 | PhoenixPensacola.com 12 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

Respected. Responsive. Local. Since 1988 Structural restoration contractor specializing in exterior restoration of condominiums, municipal buildings, commercial properties and government facilities.

850 Business Magazine | WINTER2023 | 13

NEWS IN BRIEF

SOUNDBYTES

CAPITAL LOCAL HONORS

Tallahassee Community College

CAPITAL // LOCAL HONORS

COLDWELL BANKER HONORS TALLAHASSEE AGENT WITH AWARD Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC recently announced

winners of its 2023 Leadership Awards, recognizing Coldwell Banker affiliated real estate professionals who embody the fundamental values of the brand. Christie Perkins, sales associate with the Tallahassee office of Coldwell Banker Hartung, received the Coldwell Banker Heroes award. She is pictured with NBA great Shaquille O’Neal, who was the keynote speaker at the annual Gen Blue Experience, a gathering of Coldwell Banker agents from around the world. Perkins was recognized for her efforts in assisting a family impacted by the war in Ukraine. She provided the family with a year of free housing, allowing them to breathe, grieve, heal and enjoy a sense of safety. Perkins rallied the Tallahassee community and local real estate professionals to achieve this goal.

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District Board of Trustees chairman Eugene Lamb, Jr. has been awarded the 2023 Southern Region Trustee Leadership Award by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT). Lamb has served on the board since 2007 when he was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist. Upon receiving a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Dillard University in 1971, Lamb began his professional career as a teacher at Cobb Middle School. After retiring from teaching in 2004, he served as a member of the Gadsden County Commission and the City of Midway City Council. He also coached basketball at Godby High School from 1974 to 1987. He is a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association board of directors and was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the Florida Commission on Healthcare and Hospital Funding. Gov. Ron DeSantis named him to his education transition committee in 2018.

Leon County Emergency Medical Services (LCEMS) was

named EMS Provider of the Year by the Florida Department of Health for its continuous dedication to delivering unparalleled emergency medical care and serving the community through training and public education programs. Each year, the statewide award recognizes an organization that assumes a leadership role in the Florida EMS community, demonstrates outstanding initiative in the areas of public education and training, and epitomizes excellence in the areas of quality assurance and medical control protocol development and implementation. In addition to the EMS Provider of the Year Award, Leon County Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Michael Aries was named EMT of the Year. Aries, who has served with LCEMS for 20 years, was recognized for providing exceptional lifesaving care to the community and for going above and beyond the call of duty to help his fellow first responders.

NEW & NOTABLE

Matt Guse was recently announced as the new president of 2-1-1 Big Bend. Guse will lead employees and volunteers as they assist the residents of the Big Bend region with support, resources and referrals around the clock. Guse began his career

compiled by REBECCA PADGETT FRETT

in nonprofit work as the CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend Region, where he worked for eight years. In 2021, he moved to Dallas and worked in medical research at the Dallas VA Hospital before making his way back to Tallahassee in August 2023.

Capital Health Plan

announced that longtime president and CEO John Hogan is retiring from his position and will be succeeded by Sabin Bass, who has served as Capital Health Plan’s executive vice president and chief financial officer. Bass has been with Capital Health Plan since 2003, initially serving as senior vice

president/CFO, and since 2018, in his current role of executive vice president/ CFO. He has broad senior management experience with managed care organizations and HMOs, including Healthsource, CIGNA and Amerigroup Corporation, successfully supporting and managing the rapid growth of those companies.

Wilson’s extensive experience and deep understanding of the complex issues surrounding homelessness make her an ideal leader to guide The Kearney Center toward fulfillment of its mission, while Dougherty’s expertise in grant management will contribute significantly to the organization’s continued growth and impact.

The Kearney Center

South-Florida based developer Urban

has announced the appointment of Sonya Wilson as its new executive director and Danielle Dougherty as the new manager of grant awards. The Kearney Center is known for its innovative approach to addressing homelessness. It offers more than just temporary shelter and meals by providing pathways to independence and empowerment.

especially as a hub for Florida State University sports fans, parents, alumni and legislators. The expansion project is scheduled to break ground in spring 2024, with an estimated completion date set for 14 months later.

EMERALD COAST NEW & NOTABLE

LOCAL HONORS

Street Development (USD) announced a

significant expansion to Hotel Indigo, a fixture in the heart of the vibrant CollegeTown district. The expansion will add 84 new hotel rooms to its existing 143-room capacity. Since its grand opening in 2020, Hotel Indigo has become a landmark destination for both business and leisure travelers,

advanced postgraduate certifications from Cornell University in Marketing AI and Stanford University’s School of Engineering Digital Transformations programs. While Cherrytop offers traditional marketing and public relations services, it especially excels in helping teams navigate and harness the intricacies of the digital transformation landscape.

A new boutique marketing and PR agency, Cherrytop, led by Michelle Hayes Uhlfelder, is emerging as a strategic partner for businesses. Cherrytop draws on Uhlfelder’s extensive experience with global and regional brands, combined with her

Three Northwest Florida tourist development councils swept the board in the rural county marketing category in the 2023 Flagler Awards competition conducted by Visit Florida. The awards, named for tourism pioneer Henry Flagler, honor individuals and organizations that help position Florida as a leading tourism destination.

CAPITAL // NEW & NOTABLE

AGENCY PARTNERS PHOTOS COURTESY OF INDIVIDUALS

CADE Advertising has welcomed

Daryl Green, at left of photo, as president and partner. Green, a highly experienced marketing professional, formerly led Compass Marketing & Consulting as agency director and chief creative director. In 2020, he started Capital Media Company, a media procurement agency serving clients across the Southeast. CADE was founded by John Cade, Laura Franson and Rick Shapley, then was acquired in 2017 by Rob Marshke, at right of photo.

850 Business Magazine | WINTER2023 | 15

NEWS IN BRIEF

The Gulf County TDC won a Henry award for a campaign titled “Ordinary Magic.” The Franklin County TDC earned a bronze award for a “Villages Re-engagement” campaign. The Holmes County TDC earned silver for its “Wild, Welcoming Unexplored Florida” radio spot, which was produced by Kerigan Marketing of Mexico Beach on a tight schedule. “We are especially proud of this award since we were hired by Holmes County in February and completed research and copywriting/ production in time for the Flagler Awards entry deadline in May,” said agency principal Jack Kerigan.

I-10 NEW & NOTABLE

Air Methods, a leading air medical service provider, announced that Calhoun-Liberty

SOUNDBYTES Hospital’s Emergency Medical Services will be using Air Methods’ online EMS Review program to provide additional training for their emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics. Ascend’s offerings of innovative online education programs assist emergency medical responders to advance their training, help improve emergent patient outcomes and meet their continuing education needs. Working in conjunction with the local board of county commissioners, Calhoun Liberty Hospital provides emergency medical services to the citizens and visitors of Calhoun County. The EMS department, which responds to about 4,000 calls for service annually, also provides interfacility transport services for patients that require specialty services not available at CalhounLiberty Hospital.

compiled by REBECCA PADGETT FRETT

Andrew “Andy” Peach

EMERALD COAST // NEW & NOTABLE

TOWN CENTER MANAGER

Grand Boulevard at Sandestin has announced the hiring of Andrew “Andy” Peach as the new general manager of the popular Town Center. Peach will assume oversight of all operations at the 52-acre property. He is a senior retail real estate professional experienced in managing and leasing upscale shopping centers, including mixed-use assets. He was senior general manager for the Shops at Merrick Park in Coral Gables, a luxury asset anchored by Nieman Marcus with high-end retail, dining/entertainment, fitness, office and residential components. Peach arrives after the successful 16-year tenure of Bill Bubel as Grand Boulevard’s original general manager. Bubel is moving into the full-time role of vice president of operations for Howard Group, the developer and co-owner of Grand Boulevard.

EMERALD COAST // NEW & NOTABLE

ORCHESTRA ADDS STAFF

↑ Daniel Milana, director of development and

Miranda Rojas, education and outreach assistant

16 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

Daniel Milana has been named to the role of director of development. He will be responsible for maintaining and developing the organization’s corporate and private donors in addition to managing all aspects of regional and national grant and foundation research, writing, management and implementation. He will serve the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation in the same role. Milana comes to Sinfonia Gulf Coast from the Atlanta Film Society where he was the business development manager. Miranda Rojas joins the Sinfonia Gulf Coast team as an education and outreach assistant. Rojas is familiar with Sinfonia’s education programs having been a member of the Carriola Quartet, Sinfonia’s string quartet in residence. In her new role, she will provide support to music director Margaret Gordon for the Sinfonia Youth Orchestra and After-School Orchestra programs. She also will offer music lessons through her private studio.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF INDIVIDUALS

Sinfonia Gulf Coast has added two new professional staff members.

NAS WHITING FIELD AND

SANTA ROSA COUNTY Working Together for a Strong Country and Community Santa Rosa County is home to the busiest Naval Air potential impact of incompatible development Station in the world — NAS Whiting Field. Every has required a strong partnership with the county. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard helicopter This partnership has become a model for other pilot receives their initial rotary winged training at communities to emulate. The county and Whiting Whiting, and more than have worked together on 60% of all primary flight land conservation and With nearly one million flight operations training is performed here. protection, infrastructure, a year, the airspace surrounding Whiting Santa Rosa is also a education, and joint use Field is busier than Atlanta’s Hartsfieldfast-growing county with agreements, and continue Jackson International Airport. a rapidly diversifying to plan for the future. economy — vastly Santa Rosa County different from the rural landscape in 1942 when is proud to be home to this critical component of Whiting was commissioned. our nation’s military readiness and is committed to Safeguarding Whiting Field’s mission from the supporting Whiting’s mission for years to come.

SantaRosaEDO.com | 850.623.0174 850 Business Magazine | WINTER2023 | 17

Dream beyond the reasonable. 70 Degree and Certificate Programs 12 Career Education Programs

Aviation, Computer Programming, Culinary, Construction, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Health Sciences, Hospitality and Tourism, Information Technology, Public Safety, Transportation, and Welding

$326.2 Million

added community employment income, representing 7,335 jobs.

2 Campuses Niceville | Fort Walton Beach

5 Centers

The Aviation Center of Excellence | Crestview DeFuniak Springs | Hurlburt Field | South Walton County

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850.502.2895 | nwfsc.edu

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Northwest Florida State College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate and baccalaureate degrees. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Northwest Florida State College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

ESTUARIES

FSU MARINE LAB

PURSUITS I N S P I R AT I O N + P E R S P I R AT I O N + M A N I F E S TAT I O N

Missing Reefs FSU study gets to the bottom of oyster collapse story by STEVE BORNHOFT

F I L M / U N F I LT E R E D : T H E T R U T H A B O U T O Y S T E R S photography by DAVE BARFIELD

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ESTUARIES

FSU MARINE LAB

↗ The FSU Marine Lab, located in St. Teresa, is working on a grant-funded project aimed at restoring populations of a keystone species, the oyster. Apalachicola Bay’s oyster fishery is said to have collapsed in 2012. Its precipitous decline, according to Dr. Sandra Brooke, resulted from multiple causes that added up to a “perfect storm.”

n undertaking a $9.5 million research project, it’s essential that participants in the study first understand its intent, goals, scope and purpose. Dr. Sandra Brooke is the principal investigator for the Florida State University Coastal & Marine Lab’s Apalachicola Bay System Initiative (ABSI), which seeks, per its mission statement, to understand the causes of the decline of the bay’s ecosystem and the deterioration of oyster reefs.

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Its work product, ultimately, will be a management and restoration plan for the oyster reefs and the health of the bay. Many surely hope that the project will lead to the commercial revitalization of a fishery that once accounted for 90% of the oysters harvested in Florida and 10% of the nationwide total. The activity provided livelihoods for hundreds of oyster catchers and seafood house workers. Brooke frames things differently.

“We need to focus on bringing back the ecosystem and stop thinking about oysters in terms of harvest,” she said. “We need to think of oysters as ecosystem engineers and a keystone species. They are a critical part of a healthy estuarine ecosystem.” Brooke grew up southwest of London, England, and holds a doctorate earned at the University of Southampton’s National Oceanography Centre. For some 20

photography by DAVE BARFIELD

↑ Salinity levels are a key factor in the lives of oysters, notes Dr. Sandra Brooke of the FSU Marine Lab in St. Teresa. “At higher salinities, things go differently in the system,” she said. “The oysters get physiologically stressed, and marine predators move in … . Disease stress goes up and things are generally worse for oysters and other animals.”

years, she studied deepwater benthic animals especially corals. Oysters dragged her out of the depths and into the shallows. The bulk of the funding for ABSI — $7,998,678 — is being provided by Triumph Gulf Coast, the statutorily created organization responsible for disbursing damages paid by BP to the state owing to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. FSU is providing matching funds that make up the remainder.

FSU’s agreement with Triumph Gulf Coast required that it make “substantial progress toward an ABSI management and restoration plan within 48 months of initial funding.” The agreement was executed on March 15, 2019. Apalachicola Bay’s oyster fishery is said to have collapsed in 2012. Its precipitous decline, Brooke said, had started five years earlier and resulted from a combination of causes that added up to a “perfect storm.” “It’s difficult to hindcast, to look back in time, but people have tried to do that and have come to the conclusion that there is no single thing that caused this problem, which is usually the case in biological systems,” Brooke said. “They don’t usually collapse for one reason.” Droughts contributed to the decline. So did upstream demands for freshwater withdrawn from the Flint, Chattahoochee, Apalachicola river system. Overfishing took a toll, and so did poor resource management decisions and habitat loss. The combined effects of droughts and withdrawals resulted in increased salinity in the bay. “Oysters are estuarine animals that do best in a sort of sweet spot in salinity levels,” Brooke said.

Salinity levels are expressed as the weight of dissolved salts (in grams) in a kilogram of water. Oysters do best when salinity ranges between 15 and 25 g/kg. Brackish water has a salinity of 1 to 2 g/kg. In seawater, the salinity level exceeds 35 g/kg. “At higher salinities, things go differently in the system,” Brooke explained. “The oysters get physiologically stressed, and marine predators move in, especially the gastropod snails like oyster drills. So, we get high predation, stress-induced mortality, disease stress goes up and things are generally worse for oysters and other animals.” Early in its work, the ABSI team conducted surveys to determine the extent of any oyster reefs remaining in the bay. Their finding: There are pretty much no reefs left. “There used to be hundreds of acres of oyster reefs, but now those complex reef structures have gone away due to harvesting, bioerosion and other causes,” Brooke said. “What we have left is shell hash, but it’s not terribly stable.” That is, bay currents move the material around. And, its nature is such that it doesn’t provide oysters with

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ESTUARIES

FSU MARINE LAB

↑↓ Above and below: The algae production area inside the Shellfish Research and Restoration Hatchery at FSU’s Coastal Marine Lab. →↘ Opposite: Doctoral candidate Adam Alfasso retrieves hatchery oysters for use in reef restoration work in Apalachicola Bay; bags of oysters aboard the FSUCML Skeeter, a boat donated by Yamaha.

hiding places within which they can grow and escape predation. “Oysters are funny little creatures in that they make their own habitat,” Brooke said. “They are unlike other fisheries species where if you deplete the stock, you can take away the source of the stress — usually fishing — and if it hasn’t been damaged beyond repair, it will rebound because you haven’t taken away its habitat. That’s not the case with oysters.” Left alone and given suitable salinity levels, oysters might over time begin to regenerate reefs. Maybe.

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But, right now, there are too few adult oysters in the bay to bring the system back again. ABSI is here to help. It is unable to exact influence on droughts or influence Atlanta’s demand for water, but it can make up for lost habitat. Working with various types and amounts of substrate or cultch — hard material to which free-swimming oyster spat can attach and mature — ABSI is making discoveries likely to influence future restoration efforts. “We are trying alternatives on a small scale and seeing what works,” Brooke said. “That can inform a larger effort. First, we tested oyster shells, which everybody likes. It’s the gold standard where spat recruitment is concerned, but it’s not readily available. And, if you put shell on a bed of hard-pack substrate, it gets blown out.” ABSI tried limerock of a diameter used in road building. It provided stability, but not enough hidey-holes. ABSI has moved on to experiment with larger chunks of limerock and concrete.

In May, it built 16 sites measuring 50-by26 feet in the Cat Point area of the bay by deploying, with the help of 20 oystermen and women, 416 cubic yards of limerock, 416 cubic yards of concrete and 96 cubic yards of shell. Four sites of each of four types were constructed: ■ 2-inch to 6-inch limerock deployed to a height of 15 inches. ■ 2-inch to 6-inch limerock deployed 12 inches high with three inches of shell on top. ■ 4-inch to 6-inch limerock deployed to a height of 15 inches. ■ 4-inch to 6-inch limerock deployed 12 inches high with three inches of shell on top. The jury is out. The sites will need to soak for months before ABSI can determine which are the most effective. “We know that there are a lot of different animals that live in oyster bars, but we don’t know what the role of each of them is in the functioning of a healthy reef,” Brooke said. “The best we can do, I think, is to recreate what Mother Nature

photography by DAVE BARFIELD

did and make things with lots of holes that creatures can live in. We don’t have to understand precisely what each animal does; we just need to provide homes for them to move into.” In response to the oyster fishery’s collapse, the State of Florida imposed a five-year moratorium, effective Jan. 1, 2021, on the harvesting of wild oysters in Apalachicola Bay. Are oyster populations responding? “Absolutely,” Brooke said. She explained that reefs that are home to 400 pounds of market-size oysters per acre are deemed capable of supporting a sustainable fishery. Prior to the closure, none of the 10 limerock sites scattered across the bay had reached that level. Two years after the moratorium was put in place, four sites had. The four sites, however, total just 56 acres. “When you think of that in the context of the hundreds of acres that we used to have, you could fish those out pretty quickly,” Brooke said.

ABSI carries out its work in close coordination with a community advisory board whose members include elected officials, seafood workers, representatives of trade associations and nongovernment organizations and members of the scientific community. “They are working with us to come up with a management/restoration plan

that has stakeholder buy-in,” Brooke said. “If your plan doesn’t have some level of consensus, there aren’t enough cops out there to enforce unpopular regulations. We want to come up with a number of options for the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to consider. We are not going to get everyone to agree on anything including the time of day, but there are things that we think can work and that the community can live with.” Oyster aquaculture, Brooke said, helps meet consumer demand for the homely bivalves — Brooke suggested that rallying support for oysters would be easier if they looked more like pandas — “but it’s unfortunate that we need it. Anytime you resort to farming, it’s an indication that wild harvest is in trouble.” Farmed oysters filter water just like wild ones do, but “aquaculture is not a replacement for the wild harvest,” Brooke said. “It doesn’t create habitat for other animals. It doesn’t result in shoreline erosion protection. My fear is that if there are enough farmed oysters to meet market demands, we will forget about bothering about the wild stocks. That would be a shame.” Oyster aquaculture is not a panacea. Nor a Panacea. ▪

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FILM

UNFILTERED: THE TRUTH ABOUT OYSTERS

→ Dr. Peter Frederick, a University of Florida professor emeritus, examines a naturally occurring oyster. “We don’t have to pay them to grow and function,” he says. “We just need to create the right conditions for them.”

Troubled Waters Powerful film documents collapse of oyster fishery story by STEVE BORNHOFT

n 1959, Truman Capote happened upon a brief article in The New York Times that reported the murders of four members of a Kansas family at their farmhouse outside the tiny town of Holcomb. Capote immediately sensed that there was a larger story to be told, one of a sort that he had been looking for.

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Six years later, In Cold Blood, one of the foremost examples of the nonfiction novel, was published. It is quaint to think about an author paging through a printed newspaper and landing on an item that would occasion a hugely consequential work. Sixty years later, however, much the same thing may have happened. Chucha Barber, a documentary filmmaker, was turning the pages of the Tallahassee Democrat when an article about the Florida State University Marine Lab caught her eye. Triumph Gulf Coast, the nonprofit responsible for making grant awards from damages paid by BP owing to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, had approved the lab’s

application for $8 million to fund a study, the Apalachicola Bay System Initiative. The aim of the study would be to develop and implement strategies for restoring a sustainable oyster fishery in the bay.

↑ Veteran filmmaker Chucha Barber

started to think about oyster fisheries as a possible subject for a documentary after seeing a newspaper article about an oyster research grant that was awarded to Florida State University.

PHOTOS BY DAVE BARFIELD (BARBER) AND COURTESY OF LEVEL UP DIGITAL MEDIA AND AMAZON.COM (BOOK)

↑ Dr. Peter Frederick, above and opposite, checked oyster densities during a low

winter tide at Lone Cabbage Reef near Cedar Key. He notes that salinity levels are a big factor in the lives of oysters. Low levels lead oysters to clam up and stop feeding. High levels leave them vulnerable to predators and parasites.

Barber thought there might be a larger story there. She called Josh McLawhorn of Level Up Digital Media with whom she had done projects in the past. The pair checked in with Gary Ostrander, then the vice president for research at FSU, who turned them on to a 2007 book by Mark Kurlansky, The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell. They then visited the marine lab, where a shark study was nearing completion and where the oyster research would be conducted. Barber and McLawhorn would soon gain an appreciation for the global extent of the oyster collapse problem. Worldwide, some 90 percent of the planet’s oyster reefs have been lost, Barber said. “At every turn, we learned something more about oysters, and the subject became more and more intriguing,” Barber said.

As plans for a documentary about oysters came into focus, producer Barber and director McLawhorn envisioned traveling to Chesapeake Bay as an example of successful restoration and also New York, which historically had been a leading oyster producer. “If we have a regret about the project, it is that COVID clipped our wings,” Barber said. “People weren’t excited about a film crew flying in from Florida — especially Florida — and conducting interviews. And, equally, we weren’t thrilled about getting on a plane.” As a result, Unfiltered: The Truth About Oysters is concerned primarily with Apalachicola Bay — and that’s not necessarily a bad result. The narrow focus made for a project that was manageable in scope and is more highly personal than it might otherwise have been.

Mark Kurlansky’s The Big Oyster History on the Half Shell traces the rise of New York City and the parallel ascendancy of the lowly oyster, beginning with the discovery of middens by 17th-century Dutch settlers.

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FILM

UNFILTERED: THE TRUTH ABOUT OYSTERS

The film’s title, itself, is layered with meaning. Oysters are filter feeders, which serve to remove impurities from water, making it cleaner and clearer. Waters without oysters may be said to be unfiltered. Documentarians, meanwhile, endeavor to present unfiltered truths. To do so, the Unfiltered team, which includes McLawhorn’s wife, Gaby Rodeiro, who served as an editor, and Kurlansky, a consultant to the film, permits sources to tell their own stories and offer assessments of problems and solutions. They include government officials, members of the scientific community and displaced oyster harvesters. Apalachicola Bay, per state mandate, is currently closed to the harvest of wild oysters. The film is at turns maddening and saddening and is illuminating throughout. Barber hopes that even as it refrains from specific calls to action, it results in pressure on government agencies and elected officials to do more to protect marine habitats and marine life. While former oyster habitat in New York may be impossible to restore given all the PCBs and heavy metals present in waters there, and Chesapeake Bay has substantially been brought back. Apalachicola Bay, McLawhorn said, is an example of a bay that might go either way.

“Oyster reef restoration has been made necessary by human activity,” McLawhorn said. “We have to own the negative and change those actions. If we are doing a little restoration and a lot of destruction, it’s still a negative.” The Apalachicola Bay wild oyster harvest moratorium will be revisited in 2025. Nobody can say for sure what will happen then. “The state may conclude that we need to keep the bay closed longer,” Barber said. “Harvests may be limited to prescribed areas. But you can’t let wild harvesting levels come back to what they once were. The days are gone when you crossed the Eastpoint bridge and you saw so many oyster boats that it looked like you could walk across the water.” Is tonging, the means by which wild oysters are collected from bay bottoms, a thing of the past in Apalachicola Bay? “I hate to say yes, but I think so,” Barber said. “For a lot of reasons. You can’t wait out a five-year closure doing nothing. People move away. And Apalachicola is changing. It’s the Florida Gulf Coast. Property values are rising and the cost of living along with them. At some point, the economics won’t work for the shucker or the oysterman.” Barber said the experience of making the film was emotional.

← Veteran documentary filmmaker Chucha Barber, at right, joined with Josh McLawhorn and Gaby Rodeiro of Level Up Digital Media in Tallahassee in the making of Unfiltered: The Truth About Oysters, an examination of the causes of the collapse of the oyster fishery in Apalachicola Bay. Worldwide, 80 percent of oyster beds have been lost to environmental degradation and other factors.

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“We met an older man who talks about how he can’t do what his pappy and grandpappy did,” she said. “He can barely talk because his lip is quivering and his eyes are tearing up. It was a powerful thing. How are you going to give a way of life back to the people? When you are at the bottom of the pipeline, you are at a serious disadvantage.” Barber is from South Florida, worked for the Miami Herald for a time and lived aboard a wooden boat. She did the never-ending work of teak maintenance and showered in a swimsuit beneath a hose. She never knew if the kerosene was going to run out before her coffee was ready. She enjoyed success as a fundraiser for the Miami Science Museum. When Japanese exhibitors brought mechanical dinosaurs to town, she was inspired to make her first film about the giant lizards that once roamed the earth. Told that she belongs in a Carl Hiaasen novel, she replied, “Yes, I do.” McLawhorn and Rodeiro both majored in biochemistry at the University of Florida, where they met. Each at one point had plans

← Up and down

PHOTOS BY DAVE BARFIELD (MCLAWHORN, RODEIRO AND BARBER) AND COURTESY OF LEVEL UP DIGITAL MEDIA

the Forgotten Coast of Franklin County, oysterman Shannon Hartsfield has friends and detractors. “A lot of people think I’m a traitor because I work with all the agencies, but it keeps me involved with the bay,” he says. “I can’t give up. I’m not gonna give up until I’m 6 feet under.”

to become a medical doctor. She was born in Cuba and grew up in Canada and Florida. After college, he bicycled across the country as an advocate for Bike & Build, a nonprofit whose cause is affordable housing. When he came off the road, he reclaimed an old job at a pet food and supplies store in Gainesville. He embarked on his current path upon landing a job with a Tallahassee video production company. There, he met Barber. All agree that there has been no single cause of the collapse of the Apalachicola Bay oyster reefs. Before launching the Unfiltered project, Barber believed that the collapse resulted from the diminished flow of freshwater from the Apalachicola-ChattahoocheeFlint rivers system to the bay. She would find out later that oysters can tolerate increased salinity levels. The problem is that amped up salinity also invites predators such as the oyster drill. Septic system runoff and the channelization of rivers have played roles. And, in 2010, when the state believed the bay was going to be fouled by oil and dispersant from

the Deepwater Horizon blowout, it allowed an unlimited oyster harvest. “One of the themes in the documentary is that if you leave things alone, nature will take care of itself,” McLawhorn said. “To me that implies that there is a certain inertia in nature. Things are the way they are and developed the way they did because the rivers want to flow to the sea. We humans have expended significant effort and capital to fight against natural processes, but nature seems to come out on top time after time.” “It’s not all gloom and doom,” Barber added. “I believe that Florida could become a global leader for restoration and become the model for how to do it. It’s just going to take political will.” ▪ Apalachicola River

Oysters on concrete

OYSTERS ON THE BIG SCREEN → Unfiltered: The Truth

About Oysters was screened at the Sarasota Film Festival in March and was scheduled to be included in the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival in November. An application for acceptance has been made to the Redfish Film Festival, which will take place in Panama City in spring 2024. In addition, the film was shown at the Tallahassee Film Festival, held in September at venues in the city’s Gaines Street and Railroad Square district. In addition, the film will be shown at the Tallahassee Film Festival, slated for Sept. 2–3 at venues in the city’s Gaines Street and Railroad Square district. “I am honored to spotlight this captivating film on an important topic that unfortunately lies just below the surface for most people, but has overarching environmental and economic impacts,” said Chris Faupel, the creative director for the Tallahassee Film Festival. “Chucha Barber and her team have created a masterful and expertly sourced documentary about the work being done and the work still ahead to restore and protect precious Florida habitat.”

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South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival

Sipping and sampling the best of Northwest Florida and beyond

ore than 500 of the finest wines and spirits, and local cuisine will be tasted and enjoyed at the South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival. Attendees can sip and satiate at the 12th annual event during the weekend of April 25-28. The festival spans across Grand Boulevard’s Town Center, merging

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winemakers, chefs, distillers and brewers for four days of events that include wine tastings, educational seminars, culinary stations, entertainment, a charity component and more. The festival begins on Thursday with a Winemakers & Shakers event. Friday includes a VIP wine tasting followed by the Craft Beer & Spirits Jam. The Grand Tasting main events will occur

Saturday from 3–6 p.m. and Sunday from 1–4 p.m. This year’s event will include more activations than ever before, allowing guests to interact with ambassadors from wineries, distilleries, breweries and eateries in convivial and engaging settings. At the Grand Tasting, guests can sample from hundreds of varieties of wines from throughout the world, many of which stem from rare and impressive collections. This year, the festival will have a focus on the increasingly popular Willamette Valley, Oregon, wines. The region is home to over 500 wineries with a unique focus on some of the world’s best Pinot Noirs. More than a dozen Willamette Valley wineries and industry renowned

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winemakers will be pouring the best of Oregon wines for guests to experience in the featured Grand Tasting tent. Additionally, Jackson Family Wines, a notable crowd favorite from the 2023 lineup, will be returning with an even larger presence at the Culinary Village and will be paired with care and finesse with a menu from the Wine World Restaurants. “The wines poured are not your everyday wines, nor are the spirits,” said Stacey Brady, executive director of South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival. “We hope you experience something new, something you haven’t tasted before or always wanted to try. We hope you find your next repeat, go-to bottle for every day or a special occasion.” The 2024 event will include four total seminars throughout the Saturday and Sunday Grand Tasting. The tasting seminars are presented by seasoned winemakers, chefs and distillers who impart their expert knowledge and samplings of unique flavor profiles. “The seminars are immensely popular because they are an exciting, yet informative way to learn something new and taste something you’ve never experienced before,” Brady said. Throughout the Grand Tasting days, guests can visit the Savor South Walton Culinary Village, which presents a pairing menu of delights from the Wine World restaurants. Additionally, Nosh Pavilions are located throughout the festival grounds, offering samplings from renowned restaurants throughout South Walton and Destin. Musical performances will be provided by the Casey Kearney band and the Nashville Songwriters Showcase brought in by the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association. Brady recommends attendees peruse the tasting program, released

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two weeks before the event to the SoWalWine.com website, to plan for tastings, activations and seminars they want to attend. All events during the weekend raise funds for the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, benefiting children’s charities located throughout Northwest Florida. “Coming off of the 2023 event, we received such amazing feedback from attendees and industry professionals that we feel like we’ve hit our stride in terms of executing an amazing, world-class event,” Brady said. “We look forward to continuing that momentum while exceeding expectations in 2024.”

TO PURCHASE TICKETS AND LEARN THE LATEST, VISIT SOWALWINE.COM. 585 GRAND BLVD, MIRAMAR BEACH (850) 837-3099 EXT. 203 850 Business Magazine | WINTER 2023 | 29

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Reflections Upon Retirement Seaside Community key player Pam Avera shares experiences from storied Seaside tenure

t’s autumn, and a line of smiling faces await the purchase of their signature Seaside apparel to commemorate their time in the iconic coastal town. Pam Avera, vice president and general manager of Seaside Community Development Corporation, smiles too, recalling a time when such a line wasn’t imaginable, especially outside of the summer season. For 24 years, Avera has not only witnessed Seaside grow and change but also been integral in it doing so. With her retirement arriving at the close of 2023, Avera’s been reflecting on why she believed in Seaside from the start and how she knows the community will continue to flourish.

In 1999, Avera was working as the human resources director for a hotel company in Fort Walton Beach when she received a call that would alter the course of her life. The caller was Erica Pierce vice president of Seaside Associated Stores, who was given Avera’s information from a colleague who suggested her as a resource for an HR audit. Avera’s contract work quickly turned into a full-time position. At the time, Seaside Community Development Corp., owned by Seaside visionary and founder, Robert Davis, had over 200 employees and needed new policies and procedures. Over the next seven years, Avera would improve staffing, institute workers-compensation policies and establish a drugfree workplace. Impressed by her work to improve the company, and in turn the Seaside brand, in 2006, Robert Davis asked Avera to become the general manager. Avera recalls being hesitant at first, but Davis assured her she had the drive and relational skills to succeed in the role. Davis told Avera it would only take a year to learn all she needed to know. Today, Avera revealed with a laugh that it’s taken her 24 years, and she’s still always learning. “It turns out Robert was right, this role was always right for me because it comes down to relationships — taking care of people and creating an environment that they want to work in,” said Avera. “That energy of our employees attracts people to want to visit here.” While no day on the job has been the same, Avera works with Seaside Community Development Corp. largely as its landlord, securing tenants and ensuring tenant happiness. Tenants and merchants that align with Seaside’s vision and meticulously maintained public spaces compose the simple, beautiful life residents and visitors know to expect. Avera noted that it’s hard to ever be in a bad mood on the job when your locale is that of a vacation. “Since 1999, I’ve witnessed Seaside evolve and mature as we continue to consider elements in an elevated way and incorporate new ideas based on valuable visitor feedback,” she said. “We are never stagnant here, largely because Robert Davis lives in the future and is always thinking and dreaming up ways to improve.” There are many monumental moments and policies placed that Avera is proud of, but the mark she’s most grateful to have made is mentoring and helping people excel in their own careers. Throughout the years, she’s found joy in helping staff and merchants solve problems and achieve their potential. Her final act of mentoring has been imparting the knowledge she’s gained about the inner workings, policies and history of Seaside. She holds no doubts that Seaside will continue to build upon the tenets with which it was founded. “I’m thankful to have worked with Robert, Daryl, Micah Davis, who has taken Robert’s place as president and the entire staff at Seaside,” said Avera. “They’ve given me freedom, trusted and appreciated my judgment in running their business for them. Seaside is a place that’s brought countless people joy, and it makes me proud to have been a part of that.”

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In 1999, Avera was working as the human resources director for a hotel company in Fort Walton Beach when she received a call that would alter the course of her life. The caller was Erica Pierce vice president of Seaside Associated Stores, who was given Avera’s information from a colleague who suggested her as a resource for an HR audit. Avera’s contract work quickly turned into a full-time position. At the time, Seaside Community Development Corp., owned by Seaside visionary and founder, Robert Davis, had over 200 employees and needed new policies and procedures. Over the next seven years, Avera would improve staffing, institute workers-compensation policies and establish a drugfree workplace. Impressed by her work to improve the company, and in turn the Seaside brand, in 2006, Robert Davis asked Avera to become the general manager. Avera recalls being hesitant at first, but Davis assured her she had the drive and relational skills to succeed in the role. Davis told Avera it would only take a year to learn all she needed to know. Today, Avera revealed with a laugh that it’s taken her 24 years, and she’s still always learning. “It turns out Robert was right, this role was always right for me because it comes down to relationships — taking care of people and creating an environment that they want to work in,” said Avera. “That energy of our employees attracts people to want to visit here.” While no day on the job has been the same, Avera works with Seaside Community Development Corp. largely as its landlord, securing tenants and ensuring tenant happiness. Tenants and merchants that align with Seaside’s vision and meticulously maintained public spaces compose the simple, beautiful life residents and visitors know to expect. Avera noted that it’s hard to ever be in a bad mood on the job when your locale is that of a vacation. “Since 1999, I’ve witnessed Seaside evolve and mature as we continue to consider elements in an elevated way and incorporate new ideas based on valuable visitor feedback,” she said. “We are never stagnant here, largely because Robert Davis lives in the future and is always thinking and dreaming up ways to improve.” There are many monumental moments and policies placed that Avera is proud of, but the mark she’s most grateful to have made is mentoring and helping people excel in their own careers. Throughout the years, she’s found joy in helping staff and merchants solve problems and achieve their potential. Her final act of mentoring has been imparting the knowledge she’s gained about the inner workings, policies and history of What impact dono you hope toSeaside make will within yourto build Seaside. She holds doubts that continue community? hopewhich my legacy be that I was fair. upon the tenetsI with it waswill founded. Whether I am working an employee, a community “I’m thankful to havewith worked with Robert, Daryl, Micah member or ahas client, they shouldplace be treated with fairness Davis, who taken Robert’s as president and the entire and staffrespect. at Seaside,” said Avera. “They’ve given me freedom, trusted and appreciated my judgment in running their business for them. Seaside is a place that’s brought countless people joy, and it makes me proud to have been a part of that.”

Phoenix Coatings George Atchison

What services do you provide? We are a structural restoration company that offers two modes of operation — non-catastrophe restorations and post-catastrophe restorations. For non-catastrophe, we limit our scope to the exterior, which includes anything structural, from the roof to the foundation. For post-catastrophe, we often hire subcontractors to cover the entire building, from interior to exterior work. What sets your company apart? The people, without a doubt. Many of the employees in management, administration and fieldwork have been with the company since its beginning in 1988. That kind of longevity often makes other companies envious because I can ensure the quality of each job will be reliable and held to the same high standard. How did you get into this business? I am a thirdgeneration construction worker, and after spending some time in the Marine Corps, I returned back to my roots. My wife Louise and I have remained the owners for over three decades.

Reflections Upon Retirement

What is your company’s mission? To be the area’s leading contractor for concrete rehabilitation, waterproofing and building reconstruction services. To maintain our leadership edge by providing excellence in products and services and by anticipating the future needs of our clients. To be fiscally responsible in the management of our company.

Seaside Community key player Pam Avera shares experiences from How do you define success? Gettingstoried up every daySeaside and going to tenure work, whether I feel bad

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2023

PINNACLE AWARDS Aimee Sachs, small in stature, but brimming with confidence, driven by desire and too near the realization of her dreams to be denied, took her place in a male bastion — a press box overlooking men making millions playing a boy’s game. Sachs (photo, this page) represents as well as anyone could the spirit of the Pinnacle Awards, which were instituted in 2014 to congratulate, thank and bring to wider attention accomplished women who have succeeded professionally and made important contributions to communities. The honorees, unfailingly, provide powerful examples of compassion, nurturance and leadership to their families, to the men and women in their circles and even to people they will never meet. For them, there is only one kind of barrier — the permeable kind. — Steve Bornhoft

photography by THE WORKMANS

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PINNACLE AWARDS

AIMEE NICOLE SACHS

A HARD-CHARGING JOURNALIST WHO THRIVED ON INDEPENDENCE

Tallahassee, 1984–2023

In the spring of 2008, Ron Sachs and his daughter Aimee attended the Governor’s Baseball Dinner at Tropicana Field in Tampa. Charlie Crist was governor, and Aimee, a graduate like her father of the University of Florida School of Journalism, had embarked on a career in sportswriting. The banquet attracted baseball managers, front office types and stars, both active and legendary. Aimee collected a bunch of autographs and met comedian/actor Bill Murray, who had an interest in a minor league team, the St. Paul Saints, at the time. As they went to depart the stadium, Ron asked Aimee to hold up for a minute while he used the restroom. But when he exited, Aimee wasn’t ready to go. She was a Miami Marlins fan at the time and had spotted a team executive and moved to get a word with him. She was upset that the Marlins had dealt pitcher Dontrelle Willis and slugger Miguel Cabrera, the last two members of Miami’s 2003 World Series team, to the Detroit Tigers for a six-pack of prospects. “She went up to him fearlessly — very politely but pushy,” Ron recalled. “She said, ‘My name is Aimee Sachs, I’m a Marlins fan and I want to ask you why you traded Willis and Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers. They were our best players, and they were helping to build a fanbase.’ The executive was kind of stunned, but he was impressed by her question, and he spoke to her for two or three minutes.” It was Aimee’s toughness and confidence that made her a great journalist, her father said. “She was a great interviewer, a great reporter and a great writer.” Life required toughness of Aimee from the start. She was born prematurely and spent long weeks in an intensive care unit, slowly gaining weight and strength until she was able to go home. Hospitalized, her parents knew, she cried at times without being held. “We hated that, but I think it helped make her fierce and independent,” Ron said. That independence would manifest itself in various ways. Upon scraping her knee as a 10-year-old — her father had thrown her a wild pitch and she dove for it, falling to the ground — Aimee refused assistance from Dad. She would take care of it herself. As a contract writer for MLB.com covering the Atlanta Braves, which had become her favorite

team, Aimee, who stood all of 4 feet, 10 inches tall and weighed 100 pounds, confidently took her place in the otherwise all-male bastion that was the press box. After suffering a mild stroke on May 20 of 2023, she was resolved to regain the ability to walk without assistance as quickly as possible. “She looked forward to visits from the physical therapist,” said Aimee’s big sister Samantha. “She would constantly ask when he was going to come and help her to get out of bed. She was able to take some steps, assisted by the therapist, and she was constantly trying to move her legs in the bed, trying to exercise. She was frustrated, but she was very determined to gain control of her body again.” And, in her final hours, Aimee declined to go forward as an irreversibly paralyzed woman. Eight days after her first stroke, Aimee suffered a second, almost totally debilitating one. It left her with locked-in syndrome, a disorder that produces complete paralysis of all voluntary muscles except for the ones that control movement of the eyes. On May 30, Ron, a master communicator and the founder and chairman of Sachs Media in Tallahassee, had the most difficult conversation he had ever had in his life. Responding to questions from her father by blinking, Aimee chose to die and donate organs to others so that they might live. A day later, she passed from this life at age 38. Along with journalism and baseball, Aimee loved music. Bedridden following her first stroke, she lip-synched Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror, pointing to herself at a point where the King of Pop sings, “If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change.” Spontaneously, Samantha thought to film Aimee’s performance. At this writing, that video is being made part of a public-service announcement that will promote support for a “Donate Life” car tag. Proceeds from the sale of those tags will benefit efforts that encourage organ donation. The LifeQuest organization has notified the Sachs family that organs harvested from Aimee were received by three people in lifesaving operations. Too, Aimee lives on in the form of the Aimee Sachs Memorial Scholarship for Sports Journalism at the University of Florida. As of early September, that scholarship fund stood at $111,000, on the strength of gifts from more than 300 individuals. “Even when she was little, she taught me how to be a better dad,” Ron said, choking back tears. “As a parent, you make mistakes. And your kids help correct you when you’re off course.” Ron noted plans for a special trip to the ballpark. “Samantha and I, Aimee’s younger sister Julie, Julie’s husband Pope and two of Aimee’s friends, one from Atlanta and one from here, are going to go to a Braves game. We’re going to put a little bit of Aimee’s ashes at the foot of the Hank Aaron statue at Truist Park. We just miss her. I feel that when she left us, she took a piece of our hearts with her.” — By Steve Bornhoft

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DEEDEE DAVIS

CEO AND MANAGING BROKER, NAI PENSACOLA COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Pensacola

Margaret Thatcher, the first female British prime minister and a personal hero of DeeDee Davis, once famously said, “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” Davis, the oldest of five siblings, said she saw this firsthand through the actions of her mother. She was a working woman and a homemaker who cooked, kept a beautiful home and looked like a million bucks doing it. Women are expected to do it all, Davis said, and those in leadership positions are expected to do it all well. So, it is a point of pride that Davis is CEO and managing broker for NAI Pensacola, the only certified, woman-owned commercial real estate organization in Northwest Florida. Davis, who has worked at NAI for 20 years and has accumulated an impressive client base, purchased the business five years ago and has taken on the roles of sales and leasing, administration, hiring, training and mentorship. “I am very proud of the culture we have created at NAI,” Davis said. “In an industry dominated by men, I hope I can be an example for other women in business.” Davis is no stranger to leading by example. A longtime educator, she was Florida’s Teacher of the Year in 1990, an honor that is bestowed by fellow teachers, school administrators, parents and the business community at large. Second to being a mother — and now a grandmother to two children — it is Davis’ proudest achievement. Upon completing an undergraduate degree in political science at Auburn University, Davis went on to obtain a master’s in education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her 26 years of teaching American history, constitutional law, American

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government and economics carried her to classrooms in Nevada, Alabama and Gulf Breeze. In 1998, Davis’ contributions to education helped her win a seat in the Florida House of Representatives. Locally, she has served numerous boards, including at the University of West Florida and the Downtown Improvement Board, and was the past chairman of the Council on Aging, which provides services for the elderly and disabled. The latter, she said, “deals with some very unsexy issues. I’ve been involved with them for 25 years now and it’s not pretty, but it is something

that affects us all and is meaningful to me.” Davis finds moments of peace in her garden, where she spends hours tending herbs and pruning hydrangeas. She’s a bit like her mother that way, she said, and is proud to have absorbed her green thumb as well as her tenacity. With a plate as full as hers, Davis said she has formerly entertained questions from people asking how she does it and how she makes it look so easy. “Well, it’s not easy,” Davis said. “And, you just do it.” — By Hannah Burke

PINNACLE AWARDS

CHELSEA WORKMAN

FOUNDER AND STORYTELLER, THE WORKMANS

Tallahassee

The Workmans are a family, a photography business and a husband-wife creative team. “I’m the quiet Workman,” said Chelsea Workman. “I sometimes call myself the invisible Workman. Alex has a big personality, and everyone knows Alex. I just kind of blend in and make sure things keep running and keep moving.” She and Alex cofounded The Workmans photography business in 2017. The couple specializes in commercial and editorial photography, working from their home studio or at on-site locations and finding time to homeschool their three children. Workman ensures their business remains a well-oiled machine. “Better busy than bored,” she said with a laugh. Add to her already full plate a heaping side of compassion for community. “We try really hard to do a community project once a year,” Workman said. “Something that can bring humanity back to things.” With any project, Workman said, the goal is to make beautiful art. In a community project, that goal becomes tied to humanizing an issue. The Workmans use photography to share stories, to serve as advocates and to stand as allies. The community projects are often initiated by someone affected by an issue. The Never Forgotten Coast initiative happened that way. In 2018, Hurricane Michael leveled Mexico Beach, and Workman’s father was among residents who sustained losses. After seeing the storm’s destruction firsthand, Workman helped initiate a micro-grant program for distributing financial assistance to businesses awaiting insurance payouts or federal funds. The Never Forgotten Coast campaign raised money from the sale of T-shirts printed with a logo that

located Mexico Beach on an outline of Florida. They also shared the experience of locals through a series of aerial shots and portraits accompanied by their stories. A total of $60,000 was distributed to local businesses. Partnering with the Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking, Workman co-created the End IT TLH campaign. And in an effort to share the stories of African refugees, The Workmans created the Refugees of TLH project. A family-oriented approach has brought seven years of business

success and confidence to the introverted Workman. Still, she sometimes struggles with self-doubt. “I have to remind myself that I know what I’m doing, and I am capable,” she said. “There are definitely days when I don’t believe that.” She recommends regular affirmations and encourages women to own their femininity. “Embrace being a woman, and be confident in your abilities.” — By Paige Aigret

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CISSY PROCTOR

MANAGING PARTNER, LSN PARTNERS

Tallahassee

Cissy Proctor was 10 years into her law career when she realized she was ready for a change. Proctor had been practicing law for Bryant Miller Olive, a Tallahassee practice, when politics piqued her interest. “At the firm, a lot of my co-workers had been in state services, or had worked for government offices or for cities or counties, and they always sounded excited when they talked about it,” said Proctor, who grew up in Tallahassee. “I was like, ‘I want that!’ I figured my background in law was a good base for politics, and I went for it.” Indeed, Proctor ended up serving at the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) under former Florida Governor Rick Scott, where she spent six years working her way up the ladder as deputy legislative affairs director, director of strategic business development, chief of staff and, eventually, executive director. There, Proctor focused her efforts on helping companies grow and prosper in the state as well as supporting strategic initiatives for entities such as Visit Florida, Space Florida and Enterprise Florida. When Scott’s second term ended in 2019, Proctor didn’t stay idle long. She soon opened the Tallahassee branch of the consulting firm LSN Partners and has spent the past five years facilitating government relations for companies in Republican states across the nation. Proctor said LSN Partners’ clients encompass organizations across all industries that conduct business with city, county and state agencies, including disaster recovery and emergency management services. “With my experience in working for and running an agency, I can help our clients understand how they work, how they think and what they will or will not do,” Proctor said. “Whatever state they’re looking to get into, we work

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side by side with them to make those introductions, help them understand how these processes work and advise them how to best grow.” When she’s not at work, Proctor can be found traveling the country with her husband, Stewart Proctor, in pursuit of live music and new scenery. She is particularly excited about an upcoming trip to see Stevie Nicks in Greenville, South Carolina, and retreat to the mountains for some quality time. Proctor is a proponent of public service and volunteerism. Outside of

her job, she is a board member for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and a trustee at the state embassy of Florida, the Florida House on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C. “At the DEO, I liked working on behalf of Floridians and businesses to grow the state,” she said. “Now, that’s sort of flipped on its head, and I get to help from the private sector side. Helping businesses flourish, whether they’re looking to expand into a new area or they’re just starting out, is a fun part of what I do.” — By Hannah Burke

PINNACLE AWARDS

TURNBULL AWARD WINNER

HEATHER RUIZ

MARKETING DIRECTOR, BIT-WIZARDS

PHOTO BY MICHAEL HARRISON (RUIZ)

Niceville

If you manage to catch Heather Ruiz at rest, you’ll likely find her happily perusing magazine ads — studying consumer behavior is one of her favorite pastimes. In her early career, Ruiz landed a job at the Northwest Florida Daily News. It was there she first envisioned her future in marketing while reporting to the director of marketing Michelle McLeod. “I always remember, the few years that I worked for her, thinking to myself, ‘One day, I’ll be able to be like this.’” Later, working in marketing for Destin Commons, Ruiz grew professionally while passionately focusing on the community. Through the efforts of Ruiz and her team, Destin Commons received national honors from the International Council of Shopping Centers in 2017 for their community outreach efforts and in 2019 for Hurricane Michael relief efforts. In 2018, Ruiz brought to life the Destin Commons Mac & Cheese Festival to raise money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast. In five years, the festival has generated $250,000 for the organization. Today, Ruiz’s 15-year Emerald Coast marketing career has led her to Bit-Wizards, where she oversees marketing for the national company and its international partner company TalkingParents. Most importantly for Ruiz, she gets to be involved in the company’s philanthropic arm, Be the Magic Foundation, which works with nonprofits to provide monetary and skill-based donations. “I’ve always made sure, as part of my job as marketing director, I’m able to continue to give back,” Ruiz said. On the board of the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber and previously on the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation’s board, Ruiz became the youngest female chairman for each. She was also the youngest female member of the Okaloosa County Tourism Development Council before terming out in 2022.

“I’m so thankful that I’ve been able to join those groups of people that are really making such a huge difference in our day to day,” Ruiz said. Ruiz has had a hand in additions to school buildings and new sidewalks. Tangible improvements such as these are paid for with funds from Okaloosa County’s half-cent sales tax capital improvement program. Ruiz campaigned for the tax, leading up to a 2020 referendum. Ruiz’s efforts landed her a Teddy Award from the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber.

While Ruiz has brought to boardrooms a younger, female perspective, those experiences have afforded her the opportunity to learn from leaders she respects, and she intends to pay their generosity forward. “I’m very passionate about encouraging young professionals to really step up, to speak their mind and not be afraid to throw their hat in the ring to have a seat at the table,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to try something new; think outside the box and always continue learning.” — By Paige Aigret

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JENNIFER STEELE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CULTURAL ARTS ALLIANCE OF WALTON COUNTY

Santa Rosa Beach

Jennifer Steele’s home is so overstuffed with art that she feels compelled, it seems, to provide other places for it to land and to be seen and enjoyed. As the executive director since 2008 of the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA), she is in the perfect position to do so, given the nature of her job, sure, and the support she is grateful to have from the area she serves. She is energized by her belief that the arts are essential, not frivolous or exclusive, and act as economic drivers that benefit entire communities. She makes developing partnerships with businesses, public agencies and other nonprofits a central part of her job. After all, what’s an alliance without allies? At its latest strategic planning session, the CAA resolved to be positioned and ready to identify and respond positively to opportunities and partnerships with other organizations, both public and private. Steele noted established partnerships with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast to expand arts education, Point Washington Medical Clinic to bring art to the underserved, Walton Correctional Institution to provide healing arts to the incarcerated, and the Walton County Tourism Department to expand an Art in Public Spaces program. “All help advance the CAA’s mission to foster the inclusive and collaborative advancement of the arts while filling other needs in our community,” Steele said. She is quick to shout out fellow nonprofit leaders, most of whom are women. “I like to think we are mutual mentors, and I greatly value the moral and in-kind support we provide to one another,” Steele said. Respectfully, she has advice for civic leaders who want to increase the presence and impact of the arts in their communities.

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“Be open to collaboration and willing to trust arts leaders to bring something innovative to the table,” she said. “Fortunately, there is a great deal of data showing the impact of the arts on a community’s economy and quality of life, and there are stories to back up the data. The CAA recently joined 400 other organizations in a nationwide economic impact study through Americans for the Arts, and we are confident the results will encourage civic investment in the arts.” For Steele, educators were her most impactful mentors. She credits her arts and humanities professors and university theater directors with helping her find professional direction and achieve a career in the arts community, which she regards as “authentic and empathetic.”

“Dr. Randy Wheeler is at the top of my list of mentors, and I am sure he is for many other theater graduates of Valdosta State,” Steele said. “I have his mantra, ‘Organization is the key to creativity,’ on repeat in my head. He exemplified a balance of pragmatism, intelligence, compassion, humor and of course, drama.” For Steele, sources of satisfaction are various. “Great days at work are when grant proposals get approved, or we confirm big headliners for the 30A Songwriters Festival, or witness the installation of sculptures in the Underwater Museum of Art, or when I see my team inspired by our mission and excited to be at work serving our community. “Also, a day off is great.” — By Steve Bornhoft

PINNACLE AWARDS

KELLY REESER

MANAGING DIRECTOR, TECHFARMS CAPITAL

Panama City Beach

Throughout her house, 17 jigsaw puzzles in various states of completion made up what Kelly Reeser and her family called Reeser Puzzlepalooza 2023. “I can get lost in a puzzle for hours,” Reeser said, “and I have come to the realization that putting pieces together as part of a bigger picture is what I do every day. I love creatively solving problems by bringing different pieces and parts to the table.” In her role at TechFarms Capital (TFC), Reeser is fundamentally a dealmaker, a role she first aspired to when she worked with Scott Luth as the director of entrepreneurial development at the Greater Pensacola Chamber and then the FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance. Subsequently, she became the director at a business incubator, CO:LAB Pensacola. Entrepreneurial development is a small club, and inevitably, the paths of Reeser and Steve Millaway crossed. They talked about successes as well as obstacles in the way of greater achievement. Each recognized that a dearth of capital in Northwest Florida was a problem, one that they resolved to help solve. Reeser is pleased that in the five years since she joined TechFarms Capital, the capital and resources available to business founders in the region have “grown tremendously.” Reeser, Millaway and CPA Mort O’Sullivan are the general partners who head up TFC. She values both men for respecting her perspective and “leading me to believe in myself in a way that I had not before.” She credits Kathy Anthony, a coach and meeting facilitator with the CEO network Vistage Florida, for demonstrating the impactfulness of taking a genuine interest in others. And she is grateful to Luth for schooling her in the art of the deal. “Of course, your parents are your first mentors, and I remember so well the sound my mother’s high heels made on our tile kitchen floor when I was a girl,” Reeser said. “It was

inspirational somehow. It made me want to stand a little taller.” Reeser graduated from Tate High School in Pensacola, earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies at Southern Methodist University while minoring in chemistry and studied in Buenos Aires at the Universidad Nacional de San Martin on her way to a master’s degree in development management and policy awarded by Georgetown University. Today, her outlook on entrepreneurship is mature, the product of dealings with scores of founders.

“Entrepreneurship isn’t to be taken lightly nor should it be feared,” Reeser said. “So many people get stuck in coming up with the next big idea, but it’s really about identifying a problem you’re uniquely qualified to solve and being audacious enough to take action.” Reeser has goals that she has not gotten around to meeting. She would like to practice medicine, learn to play the violin and become an aviator. Audacious? Certainly. Achievable? Maybe. It’s just a matter of putting the pieces together. — By Steve Bornhoft

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LESLIE POWELLBOUDREAUX

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH FLORIDA

Tallahassee

When her family moved from Maryland to North Carolina, Leslie Powell-Boudreaux’s parents sat her down and explained that she would be attending a desegregated school. They wanted to prepare her for what that might mean. “I remember wondering, ‘Why is that different?’” she said. “‘Why is it meaningful that suddenly there’re black kids in my school? I don’t understand.’ I don’t think I ever got a good explanation because I don’t think anybody had one.” Much of Powell-Boudreaux’s life and career have centered around questions of equity and justice. As the executive director of Legal Services of North Florida, PowellBoudreaux leads an organization that provides consultation and representation to low-income and vulnerable people in civil court cases. She has served as board president for United Partners for Human Services and vice president and president of the Florida Civil Legal Aid Association. She was appointed to the Florida Courts Technology Commission and the Judicial Management Committee’s Access to Justice Workgroup by the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court and to the Voluntary Bar Liaison Committee of the Florida Bar. “I can’t think of anything more important than that we as individuals feel like we have a safe and fair place to go and have our matters heard,” Powell-Boudreaux said. “Whether it’s being accused of a crime, being sued by someone or actually filing a lawsuit against someone, making sure that we feel like those processes are fair and equitable is absolutely critical to the functioning of our society.” Powell-Boudreaux has worked in various roles, advocating for victims

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of the AIDS/HIV epidemic, children in foster care, victims of domestic violence, people affected by natural disasters, disabled persons and many others. During her tenure as executive director at Legal Services, Powell-Boudreaux has worked to build relationships with partner organizations, particularly those involved in disaster relief, and has worked to mitigate the impact of technology in the courts on people who wish to represent themselves.

Both of these issues, PowellBoudreaux explains, impact people’s ability to access the justice system in a meaningful way. One of Powell-Boudreaux’s proudest career moments came when Legal Services of North Florida was named Partner Agency of the Year by the United Way of Escambia County in 2015 and 2017. Powell-Boudreaux received the Community Service Award from the Escambia Santa Rosa Bar Association in 2015. — By Emma Witmer

PINNACLE AWARDS

LORI KAIN

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, GLOBAL CONNECTIONS TO EMPLOYMENT

Pensacola

Returning from a business trip to Washington, D.C., Lori Kain’s heart was full. She had just watched one of her company’s self-advocates take the stage on Capitol Hill and present for government officials and key policymakers her story of navigating a life and career with a disability. “This individual, who is typically introverted and timid, had been rehearsing what she was going to say from a paper,” Kain said. “By the time we got to the Hill, she said she didn’t need her paper anymore. She doubted herself, and then she found herself, and I knew that she could.” Kain, the director of community and government relations at Global Connections to Employment (GCE), an organization devoted to empowering and facilitating workplace opportunities for those with disabilities, finds purpose in her belief that everyone has talent. “People with disabilities have wonderful skills and abilities just like everyone else,” Kain said. “They need to be respected, have the opportunity to reach their full potential and feel like part of the community where they live and work. It’s why my team and I advocate for change on the Hill and share with them the impact of policy decisions.” Kain is well-versed in the world of politics. Originally from the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, she attended SUNY Plattsburgh, where she obtained a degree in political science, and began working with assemblymen from Albany and Brooklyn. Her extensive career has carried her to positions in media, marketing, vocational services and government relations with Time Warner Cable, New York-based financial institutions and area nonprofits, but it wasn’t until she did some “soul searching” that she found her home at GCE. “I’d never been to Pensacola, but I knew the moment I came down to meet the team, that I was at home,”

Kain said. “I had previously been a vocational director working with people with disabilities, and I developed an understanding of all the intricacies involved in finding them work, but my real passion was in government affairs. I’ve been here for seven years now and haven’t looked back.” Outside of work, Kain has found friendship and community among fellow equestrians, both through volunteer and rescue programs and shows that benefit local causes. Since the age of 8, she has competed in hunter/jumper courses, but Kain said since turning 50, she sticks now to dressage.

“I figured I shouldn’t crash and burn anymore,” she laughed. “But, we have a wonderful horse community here, and wherever help is needed, we go.” Kain is proud to be an advocate for the voiceless and for those who need a nudge toward discovering theirs. “Our mission at GCE, and mine, is helping people throughout life’s journey,” she said. “Helping people be seen — really seen beyond what others think defines them — and helping them realize the importance of their story is endlessly gratifying. I’m grateful to have a part in it.” — By Hannah Burke

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RHEA GOFF

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER, THE ST. JOE COMPANY

Panama City Beach

Rhea Goff believes in “growing where you are planted.” As senior vice president and chief administrative officer for The St. Joe Company, Goff has found everything she wants and needs in Northwest Florida. Now celebrating her 20th year with the company, Goff started as a human resources assistant, which is just one of 10 positions she has held with St. Joe. She grew up in DeFuniak Springs and went to college at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Goff originally thought of becoming a nurse, but at college she found a passion for child psychology and spent four years working at a campus clinic that did behavioral testing for kids. “It’s interesting,” she said. “I didn’t know that I wanted to go into human resources, but I actually started doing HR stuff at the psychology clinic doing things like administrative support, and scheduling the testing for students.” In 2003, she found herself at The St. Joe Company soon after college, working an entry-level HR position at the WaterColor Inn & Resort. “I probably did every position on the HR team over the years,” she laughed. Growing in HR allowed Goff the opportunity to advance to where she now oversees marketing, information technology and human resources. In addition, she oversees aspects of corporate administration, policies and compliance matters. Goff said St. Joe president and CEO Jorge Gonzalez’s mentorship over the past 20 years has been vital to her success. “He has more integrity than anybody I know,” she said. “I also feel like my mom has certainly been an incredible role model for me on how you can be a mom and do that to the best of your ability, but also have a career.” Her mother worked as a guidance counselor and teacher in the Walton County School District.

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“She and my father raised us to work hard and do the right thing,” she added. Goff currently serves on five community organization boards including those of The St. Joe Community Foundation, Florida’s Great Northwest and the Seaside Neighborhood School & Seacoast Collegiate High School Foundation. Goff met her husband in high school, and the two have survived even though he went to the University of Florida. They dated throughout college and attended each other’s games. Now with three kids, ages 6, 10 and 11, the couple calls Santa Rosa Beach home. They share the house with a cavapoo named Rosie, a mix between

a poodle and a cavalier King Charles spaniel. Rosie joined the family last Christmas. Goff drives a plus-sized SUV large enough to fit everyone in for trips to travel ball games. “I always joke with people that I am either with my kids or I’m at work,” she said. Goff, who describes herself as a woman of faith, said she feels fortunate to be where she is in life. “The Lord put me in a spot where I was meant to be. I can’t imagine anything pulling me away from this region, honestly,” she said. “It’s just so special. It’s where I want to be and where I want to raise my family.” — By Mike Fender

PINNACLE AWARDS

SHARON ROBINSON

CLINICAL COORDINATOR, TALLAHASSEE MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE

Tallahassee

“Some first ladies have an office and a whole staff,” Sharon Robinson laughed. “I wear green scrubs!” Robinson cannot help but joke about the honorific. As the wife of FAMU president Larry Robinson, she may be the first lady, but Robinson puts on no airs. As the clinical coordinator of acute care rehabilitation at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Robinson acts as a physical therapist, team manager and comedian. Her sense of humor and infectious laugh distract patients from the discomfort that can accompany treatment. “Being a physical therapist, I see people at their worst,” she said. “They’re in pain and they’re vulnerable, and while they’re in pain, I have to convince them that it’s a good idea to get up and move anyway.” Medicine, education and family are at the heart of everything Robinson does. At age 3, Robinson went to live on her grandfather’s farm near Memphis while her mother worked at a hospital in the city. Though simple, it was an idyllic childhood filled with farm animals and fresh-caught fish for Sunday breakfast. Robinson later moved to Memphis with her mother. There, her African American teachers pushed their students to not limit themselves “They felt that we had the capacity to excel,” she said, “and they wanted us to prove it.” Robinson graduated among the top 10 students in her class and went on to Washington University where she played basketball and discovered her love of physical therapy. “I had the opportunity to volunteer with some outstanding physical therapists,” Robinson said. “One was doing research to expand the

850 Business Magazine | WINTER 2023 | 45

46 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

SUE SEMRAU

HEAD WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH, RETIRED, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Tallahassee

In 1997, Sue Semrau got a call from Florida State University. FSU was about as far from home as the Seattle native could get, and the women’s basketball team hadn’t enjoyed a winning season in a decade. “Quite honestly, it was a step of faith,” Semrau said. “I could fear what it looked like and what the world said, or I could fear God and take the next step. Fortunately, I said yes, and the rest is craziness. Craziness, but good.” In the 24 years that followed, Semrau led the team to 16 NCAA tournament appearances and three Elite Eight appearances as the head women’s basketball coach. She was named all-ACC Coach of the Year four times and earned the honor of National Coach of the Year in 2015. Shortly after her retirement in 2022, Semrau claimed her place in the FSU Hall of Fame as the program’s winningest coach in history with 470 victories. The secret behind Semrau’s success can, at least in part, be attributed to her “people-first” approach. When she arrived at FSU, she did not simply rewrite the playbook or tack on extra hours of practice. She got to know the young women she coached. “I was the third coach in three years, so I had to establish trust with the players that were there.” She visited the homes of players, both active and prospective. She met their

families and learned where they came from. For Semrau, this was crucial to understanding her team’s needs both on and off the court. FSU head football coach Bobby Bowden reinforced for Semrau the value of close relationships with players. During their careers, both Bowden and Semrau mourned the death of a player they had coached. “The advice that he gave me, the notes that he wrote me,” she said, “it helped me understand that people are so much more important.” Her players were not the only people Semrau invested in. She needed to build a strong coaching staff to back her up. “Football coaches had an offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator, a recruiting coordinator,” Semrau said. “I thought, why don’t we do this in basketball where I can grow my coaches by giving them responsibility in different areas?” Being a Division 1 head coach, Semrau said, is like being a CEO. She made sure her coaching staff had experience that would set them up for success. Now, Semrau’s former assistant coach, Brooke Wykcoff, has taken the reins. Semrau could not be prouder. Though her coaching years have ended, Semrau has no intention of leaving Tallahassee. She is finding new ways to invest in the community by partnering with Equal Shot to create a three-on-three girls basketball league. She is also focused on the issue of homelessness and looking for ways to help. “I’m more present with people,” Semrau said. “I’m more present with the things that I am working on. Oftentimes, I think we work on things that we dislike. It’s our job then to turn around and take care of it.” — By Emma Witmer

PHOTO BY DAVE BARFIELD

knowledge of rehabilitation for stroke patients. It just clicked.” In a single weekend, Robinson graduated from Washington University, married and enjoyed a brief honeymoon trip to Memphis’ Peabody Hotel. Her career began in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Robinson advanced from physical therapist to director of rehab in Oak Ridge, spearheading the development of a new outpatient physical therapy department. The couple took in Larry’s niece and nephew and soon had three daughters of their own. With a growing family, Larry’s passion for higher education led him to FAMU. The Robinsons moved to Tallahassee in 1997. At FAMU, he began as an adjunct professor position, eventually became interim president, and in 2017, Larry became the permanent president of FAMU. Suddenly, Robinson found herself in board meetings, hosting events like the Grape Harvest Festival and acting as a face for the university. “It’s amazing, but it’s also surreal,” she said. “I keep seeing that picture of myself as a child at my grandparents’ house. I come from such humble beginnings. “When I was a little girl, I remember seeing these kids from the local HBCU,” she added. “They were always well-groomed, well-dressed, articulate. They set the standard for me. I had this idea, even in high school, that I could not live up to that standard.” Now, Robinson is setting her own standards — and she is bringing her family, patients and all at FAMU along with her. “I hope I’m conducting myself in a way that shows young people that I recognize them for the value that they have and for the value that they will be to the world once they accomplish their goals in gaining this transformative education,” Robinson said. — By Emma Witmer

PINNACLE AWARDS

SUSAN SKELTON

ADMINISTRATOR, TRIUMPH GULF COAST

Tallahassee

Three times, Susan Skelton had a hand in the reapportionment of Senate districts in Florida. The first time was in 1980 when she was a legislative research assistant for the Senate Committee on Reapportionment, which was chaired by the powerful Sen. Dempsey Barron of Panama City. She recalls working with state representatives Carrie Meek and Arnett Girardeau to, at Barron’s behest, bring about single-member voting districts that would guarantee Black representation. “This was before there were computers,” Skelton said. “We drew maps by hand and colored in districts with Magic Markers. You had to open the windows to let the fumes out.” Forty-three years later, Skelton remains a public servant as the administrator of Triumph Gulf Coast, the organization created by the Legislature to disburse damages paid by BP due to the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. Skelton has always been around consequential people. As a high schooler, she worked in the office of

850 Business Magazine | WINTER 2023 | 47

MARK YOUR CALENDAR 10TH ANNUAL PINNACLE AWARDS LUNCHEON

JOIN US AS WE HONOR THE 2023

PINNACLE AWARD RECIPIENTS and hear from keynote speaker and past Pinnacle Award recipient,

Virginia Glass THE 2023 PINNACLE AWARDS FINALISTS: DeeDee Davis

Kelly Reeser

Rhea Goff

Sharon Robinson

Lori Kain

Sue Semrau

Leslie Powell-Boudreau

Susan Skelton

Cissy Proctor

Jennifer Steele Chelsea Workman

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CALENDAR

PINNACLE AWARDS

PRESENTED BY

WARDS LUNCHEON

Dexter Douglass, who would become one of the lead lawyers for Vice President Al Gore during the tumultuous presidential election recount of 2000. After graduating from Florida State in 1979 with a degree in political science, she went to work in Washington for U.S. Sen. Richard Stone. When Stone was “unelected,” as Skelton put it, she returned to Florida and worked on a Barron re-election campaign and became his legislative assistant for the final five years of his legislative career. People including Douglass were disappointed that Skelton never went to law school. Frankly, and hear from shekeynote didn’t feel speaker the need. and past “Why on earthrecipient, would I go to law school when I Pinnacle Award had a job in Dempsey Barron’s office?” she said. “I received a full education from him on the legal and legislative process.” She worked for Pat Thomas and Gwen Margolis when they were Senate presidents. Three times, she declined when House Speaker Alan Bense THE 2023 PINNACLE AWARDS FINALISTS: asked her to serve as the executive director of the DeeDee Davis Kelly ReeserReform Commission. Florida Taxation and Budget Finally, the “big boss,” President John Rhea Goff SharonSenate Robinson McKay, told her to do the job, and she did. Lori Kain Sue Semrau Skelton retired in 2012 with no plans to return to Leslie Powell-Boudreau Susan Skelton work, that is until Bense came calling in October 2015 and again putJennifer the arm on her. She agreed to Cissy Proctor Steele take the Triumph job with little hesitation. Chelsea Workman Eight years later, she enjoys what she is doing and finds it gratifying to make grant awards. TURNBULL AWARD POSTHUMOUS AWARD “It might be for a fuel tank at the airport in Heather Ruiz Aimee Nicole Sachs Apalachicola to make sure that the community can respond to emergencies,” Skelton said. “Or career-oriented programs that lead to good jobs right here in our area or the law enforcement training track we built in Walton County so that road deputies can feel safe under all conditions.” The woman who once opened the window to let marker fumes out now reviews proposals for artificial intelligence instruction in public schools. She is helping to lead the region into a future marked by a greatly diversified economy. “I was blessed to have a lot of teachers in leadership positions,” she said. “Not many people get that opportunity.” Margolis, the first female Senate president in the state’s history, was especially helpful to Skelton as someone who demonstrated the value of being tough and not backing down. “When Margolis was elected Senate president, there had been a war between her and Sen. W.D. Childers, who was really gunning for the presidency,” Skelton said. After the dust settled, Sen. Girardeau, who owned property in Haiti and had witnessed political violence there, was in the Senate president’s office looking out the window. “I asked him if he was OK,” Skelton recalled. “He said, ‘Yes, I am just relishing the fact that there aren’t tanks outside and the military is not here trying to ZINE’S 2023 take over the building. We are having a calm transfer of power.’ “I have thought about that many, many, many ANDING WOMEN times in the past few years.” — By Steve Bornhoft

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INNOVATION& TECHNOLOGY

Backed by Study Pioneering research stands to revolutionize back and joint-replacement surgeries

850 Business Magazine | WINTER 2023 | 51

MEDICINE

SPECTRUM SPINE

The Practice of Invention

Surgeon pioneers products that improve outcomes story by STEVE BORNHOFT

r. Jim Robinson is a leading brain surgeon and a pioneering medical entrepreneur. He divides his time between Atlanta, where he performs surgery eight days a month, and his home in Inlet Beach. His work as a subspecialist involves highly delicate brain tumor surgeries and procedures to relieve the symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia, the socalled “suicide disease,” which produces shocks to the face, often at short intervals. “People will say that it is like being hit in the head repeatedly by lightning,” Robinson said. He describes surgical cases, not in the manner of boasting, but by way of

52 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

illustrating the transformations that cutting-edge medicine can accomplish. Dorothy Anning, a girl from Ghana, was 13 when Robinson met her. She presented with a horribly disfiguring tumor that had grotesquely distorted her face and reached deep into her brain. The tumor was benign, but it had become life-threatening and had to be removed. Radiate such a tumor, Robinson said, and there would be a 50% chance that it would become a sarcoma-type cancer. Robinson operated on Dorothy, whom he had brought to the United States, for a total of 23 hours spread over two days. Subsequently, she underwent two rounds of reconstruction surgery. Today, she is

photography by MIKE FENDER

a physician’s assistant and has earned a master’s degree in public health. Never is Robinson satisfied that surgeries cannot be made safer, more reliable, less painful and less disruptive. He is working to bring to market products and processes designed to bring about improved outcomes in patients undergoing neck, spine and joint-replacement surgeries and receiving dental implants. His first forthcoming product launches will relate to spinal fusion operations. Robinson was just coming out of residency when Medtronic, a maker of medical devices, introduced the first minimally invasive endoscopic system for performing simple spine operations; it was initially approved for use in lowerback microdiscectomies. Robinson viewed the system as a modest gain — it reduced the size of the incision required for microdiscectomies — but one that might lead to more and more consequential advances. He accomplished surgical firsts, performing surgeries in the thoracic spine and cervical spine areas and did the first instrumented fusions with the new system. He made the first direct lateral approaches to the spine. His career as a medical innovator was underway. Robinson developed an alternative to pedicle screws, which amount to a lot of hardware and are used in laminectomies, operations performed to remove a part of a vertebra and relieve pressure on the spinal cord. His device is a clamp with teeth that is driven into the spinous process — the protruding fin-like part of a vertebra — and secured with a single set screw; it presents no risk of nerve damage or spinal fluid leaks. Robinson sold that product to Medtronic. It is now marketed as the Spire spinous process plate. He later sold Medtronic a second patent for the VeNTURE anterior cervical plate, which is used in neck surgeries, and sold additional patents to smaller companies.

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MEDICINE

SPECTRUM SPINE

He has calculated that sales of the products he sold to Medtronic and other companies have exceeded $500 million. Inventing products and selling patents was “cool, but it really wasn’t fun,” Robinson said. “I wanted more control over my products, and I wanted to stay in the game to capture more value for myself and because I enjoy it.” So it is that Robinson has started his own business incubator, Spectrum Spine, Inc. He has invested $5.5 million of his own money in the enterprise and has attracted investors with one capital raise, and a second one is in the works. To date, Spectrum Spine has secured FDA approval for seven projects and has secured more than 70 patents. Robinson has arrived at several designs for interbody cages, which are implanted to fill space in the spine once occupied by discs that have since degenerated. At this point, they are undergoing testing in preparation for submission to the FDA for approval.

↑ Dr. Jim Robinson, a surgeon who

lives at WaterSound Origins and practices in Atlanta, has developed devices used to fill space vacated by degenerating spinal discs. He has also patented a process for scoring titanium that promotes healing following joint-replacement surgeries.

In development are cages that are relatively small upon installation and then expand. “They are much less traumatic to bone surfaces,” Robinson said. “When you are whacking a full-size implant in place with a mallet, you tend to fracture the thin vertebral bone called the apophyseal ring. You get it in, and it looks really pretty, and then the patient comes back a month later in pain because the implant has settled in through the bone.” Expandable implants help resist such cave-ins and are a big part of Robinson’s patent portfolio. He is also at work on a process, called BioBraille surface technology, which is aimed at bringing about greater success rates and speedier recoveries in titanium implant surgeries ranging from teeth to knees. At a space leased from an equipment distributor an hour outside of Atlanta, the Spectrum Spine team is using femtosecond lasers — a femtosecond is a quadrillionth of a second — to texture titanium in degrees

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photography by MIKE FENDER

Robinson and company also have taken their show on the road, measured in nanometers. Doing so creates a biologically active presenting research on BioBraille technology at a meeting of the surface that promotes bone growth and bonding with implants. International Society for the Advancement of “Orthopedic operations have a significant Spinal Surgery in San Francisco in June 2023 failure rate because of bone failing to heal,” and at the North American Spine Society’s anRobinson said. In the spine, he explained, “we nual meeting in Los Angeles in October 2023. are trying to bridge a gap between vertebrae, Spectrum Spine has completed a study in usually where a disc was. It’s a narrow gap that sheep, which demonstrated the capacity for is under compression, which is favorable.” growing bone in the opening in interbody Previous efforts to etch titanium relied cages versus relying upon a bone graft. upon the use of acids. The laser, Robison said, “We can just pattern the implant and is superior because its use results in a far more grow bone all the way through it,” Robinson intricate patterning of the titanium. Orthopedic said, adding that all bone graft products “The laser is very cool,” he said. “Its energy operations have a have potential problems. evaporates the metal without creating enough significant failure rate “People don’t particularly like the idea of heat to melt it. If it were hot enough to melt it, you because of bone failing getting cadaver bone,” he said. “There is lewouldn’t get the complexity that we are seeing.” to heal. We are trying to bridge a gap between gitimate concern about transmission of viIn a Nov. 1 update to Spectrum Spine vertebrae, usually ruses. Bone graft products for spinal fusions, investors, Robinson reported that “we have where a disc was. It’s alone, is a $5 billion annual market in the strengthened our intellectual property position a narrow gap that is under compression, United States. If we can prove this out and the on our BioBraille surface technology with the which is favorable.” FDA permits us to put our implant in with no issuance of U.S. Patent 11,771,528 on Oct. 3, — DR. JIM ROBINSON, bone graft, nobody has that. The value cre2023, to bolster the 14 patents already issued on FOUNDER OF ation is absurd.” ▪ the technology.” SPECTRUM SPINE

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850 Business Magazine | WINTER 2023 | 55

ALTRUISM

ARROTECH

Thinking Outside the Cart

Drone technology is making Ukrainian fields safe again story by STEVE BORNHOFT

n Ukraine, they are known as grid monkeys. Agents of demining, they walk behind push carts equipped with metal detectors in efforts to pinpoint the underground locations of unexploded ordnance. Farmers’ fields in Ukraine are littered with the stuff. “The Russians are unloading all kinds of artillery shells that had been in storage for 50 years,” said Steve Millaway, the founder of ArroTech, a Panama City Beach-based pioneer in the altruistic application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems, that is, drones. “They’re just shooting everything and hoping for the best.” Estimates suggest that between 10% and 20% of those shells fail to detonate. About 30% of Ukraine, more than 67,000 square miles — Florida is 67,758 square miles in size — has been exposed to conflict and will require time-consuming, expensive and dangerous bomb clearance operations, according to a report by GLOBSEC, a think tank based in Slovakia. Using conventional means, clearing an area that size would take more than a hundred years, Millaway said. Meanwhile, grid monkeys are killed at the rate of one per 5,000 pieces of ordnance discovered. For Millaway, there had to be a better way. Five years ago, well before the war between Russia and Ukraine began, he started work on designing, building and equipping a metal-detecting drone that could far more safely and rapidly map hot spots by geotagging buried explosives. As of this summer, the GEON E61, the world’s first fully autonomous drone optimized for military, humanitarian and commercial demining organizations, was exiting the prototyping stage and manufacturing was beginning. Continuing are

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efforts to enhance the drone and its capabilities by, for example, furnishing it with collisionavoidance software. That avoidance feature, however, like auto-body undercoating in Florida, is not essential in Ukraine, where ArroTech’s intended focus is fields of grain. According to the European Commission, Ukraine accounts for 10% of the world’s wheat market, 15% of the corn market and 13% of the barley market — or it did, prior to the disruptions created by the war. Those disruptions account, in part, for rising food prices in the United States, along with the need by grocery chains to pay higher wages to attract and retain employees and other factors. In Ukraine, Millaway stressed, the stakes are gravely high.

“The Russians have focused their attacks on industrial areas,” he said, “and if, on top of that, they lose their food supply, then they lose their economy, and they lose the war.” Working in an unmapped field, a farmer might easily lose his life. But equipped with the right software on his phone or other device, the farmer, proceeding through a field where unexploded ordnance has been geotagged, receives alerts and can steer around the danger zones. Millaway, who is also the founder of the business incubator TechFarms, likes to envision a scenario in which 16 Ukrainian operators combine to command a flight of 100 GEON E61s and safely map 100,000 acres in a year. “It’s not going to happen next week, but we see that we can get there,” Millaway said. “Right now,

photography by MIKE FENDER

←↑ Steve Millaway (white shirt) is the founder of ArroTech, a Panama City Beach-based pioneer in the altruistic development and deployment of drones. In photos, he and prototyping and manufacturing manager Kurt Morris inspect a drone intended for use in locating mines in farmers’ fields in Ukraine. The large, white rectangular object in photo on opposite page is the minesweeper that attaches to the drone.

our software is run from a tablet or a phone and an operator presses a button and away the drone goes, fully autonomous. The software basically operates just one drone, but it would take just a small extension of it to operate five or 10 at once.” For as long as the war carries on, however, and shelling continues, mapping may be complicated by moving targets. An acre mapped today and visited by shelling tomorrow would need to be mapped again. So it is that the U.S. government will not fund demining operations until hostilities cease. Just getting into Ukraine is another obstacle. The Ministry of

Defense keeps promulgating rules and regulations governing entry to the country and has arrived at a list of certifications — six at last count — of certifications that drones must have. Undeterred, Millaway is working on a workaround. “Our latest plan is to set up a staging area just over the border in Poland,” he said. “Property is cheap there. We can get a small building, maybe 1,000 square feet, and use that as a staging platform and start assembling drones and repairing them and then bringing Ukraine personnel over for training. They can then either buy or lease drones and go back home, and we get in the country that way.” Millaway has two employees who are helping ArroTech make inroads. Anastasiia Khudiaieva is from Ukraine and is a member of the TechFarms team. Frank Eastham of ArroTech lived for three years in Ukraine and married a woman from there.

Always, there is the matter of money. Each drone costs $70,000, including $18,000 for the militarygrade metal-detecting component, which was developed for the U.S. government. The hardware cost is in addition to operational expenses. Millaway was going to be willing to self-fund ArroTech for only so long. Enter altruTek, a nonprofit founded by TechFarms mentor Dr. Stephen Dunnivant, who was instrumental in bringing about the Advanced Technology Center at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City and subsequently served as a dean at Tallahassee Community College. “altruTek has a board that assesses technologies and looks for ones that present economies of scale and disruptive technological innovations that have humanitarian applications,” Dunnivant explained. “We put fundraising campaigns behind chosen technologies to empower them when they are in the midst of an entrepreneurial cycle.” The nonprofit’s first such initiative is the $10 million Ukraine Rapid Unexploded Ordnance/Digital Geophysical Mapping Campaign. “If we can help drive traffic to altruTek, that’s gonna give us the donors we need to expand manufacturing capacity, which expands the acreage we can cover,” Dunnivant said. Indeed, the values of donations are expressed on the nonprofit’s website (altrutek.org) in terms of surface area covered. A $10 donation, for example, will pay for 200 square feet of bomb detection. “The purpose of the campaign is to fund a business model that can make Ukraine safer now,” Dunnivant said. “While hostilities are going on, Ukrainian citizens can be using technology funded by donations. It’s no different than what people are doing on the military side. They sponsor little DGI drones, and U.S. companies send them to Ukraine. Personnel there strap a grenade to them and fly them into a Russian bunker. “We’re giving donors a humanitarian option.” Millaway has found that Ukraine is highly interested in helping its farmers. It knows how critical that support is. “So, it’s amazing to us that no one has been applying drone technology to the unexploded ordnance problem,” he said. “They’re just not thinking outside the cart.” ▪

→

ARROTECH RECOGNIZED WITH AWARD ArroTech Corporation was named an XCELLENCE Award winner by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI) at the association’s conference in Boulder, Colorado, in May. The company won a first-place award from a pool of applicants as one of five finalists in the Humanitarian category. AUVSI’s XCELLENCE Awards honor innovators with a demonstrated commitment to advancing autonomy, leading and promoting the safe adoption of uncrewed systems and developing programs that use these technologies to save lives and improve the human condition.

850 Business Magazine | WINTER 2023 | 57

MUSICIANSHIP

CHAOS AUDIO

↗ Chaos Audio’s Stratus pedal claimed first place at FSU’s InNOLEvation Competition, solidifying the business’s position as a pioneer in the music industry. Stratus is a dynamic effects solution that allows players to quickly switch among more than 30 pedal options.

58 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

Revolutionizing Sound Chaos Audio’s Stratus pedal takes the guitar world by storm story by MIA ESPERANZA

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHAOS AUDIO

haos Audio has emerged as a beacon of creativity and cuttingedge technology in the music industry. What started as a vision to push the boundaries of traditional effects pedals has now become a reality, with the Stratus pedal capturing the attention of guitarists worldwide. “It’s been an incredible journey for us at Chaos Audio, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the response to our Stratus pedal,” said Landon McCoy, CEO and founder of the Panama City Beach-based business. “From the overwhelming support we received on Kickstarter to the recognition at FSU’s InNOLEvation Competition, it’s clear that musicians are hungry for innovative and gamechanging gear. We’re proud to be at the forefront of this revolution.” The journey began with a bang as Chaos Audio launched its Kickstarter campaign in June 2021. Within just 30 days, the campaign raised an astounding $140,000, accompanied by over 540 preorders. It’s been an incredible The resounding success of the crowdfunding journey for us campaign was a testament to the revolutionary at Chaos Audio, and we nature of the programmable Stratus pedal. couldn’t be more thrilled with the response to Adding to their list of accolades, Chaos Audio’s our Stratus pedal. From Stratus pedal claimed first place at FSU’s the overwhelming InNOLEvation Competition, solidifying their support we received on Kickstarter to position as pioneers in the industry. the recognition at For over a year and a half, the team at Chaos FSU’s InNOLEvation Audio meticulously refined and perfected the Competition, it’s clear that musicians are design and manufacturing of the Stratus pedal. hungry for innovative This commitment to craftsmanship culminated and game-changing in the production of over 1,000 pedals, starting in gear. We’re proud to be at the forefront of this September 2022. By November of the same year, revolution.” the first U.S. Kickstarter orders were delivered, — LANDON MCCOY, CEO followed by the remaining international AND FOUNDER Kickstarter orders in January 2023. OF CHAOS AUDIO

850 Business Magazine | WINTER 2023 | 59

CHAOS AUDIO

With the Stratus now readily available on their website, guitarists everywhere can acquire this game-changing piece of musical equipment.

↑ Chaos Audio is a guitar tech company

committed to helping guitarists have a great time playing. “When products are designed to enable creativity, engineered to work well and are an insane amount of fun, magic happens,” the business assures visitors to its website.

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The Stratus product enables handsfree effect switching and features a wide range of effects options — distortion, modulation, reverb, delay, fuzz and more. Musicians can save and load presets and enjoy access to new effects through Stratus’ online effects library. Building on their success, Chaos Audio forged a strategic distribution deal with a prominent U.S. distributor. Through this partnership, the Stratus pedal found its way into the hands of musicians across the country. Chaos Audio’s global expansion is also well underway. They are nearing completion of distribution agreements with partners in Europe and Japan. Chaos Audio has been proud to help put Panama City Beach on the map as a growing hub of innovation and creativity. Impressively, the Stratus pedal has garnered exceptional reviews and minimal returns.

“With over 700 pedals shipped, the company received only six returns,” according to McCoy, a testament to the quality and reliability of their product. Looking to the future, Chaos Audio has exciting plans in store. The recent announcement of the Partner Effect Program opens up its Tone Shop platform to thirdparty brands, fostering collaboration and innovation. This program allows other manufacturers to create effects that seamlessly integrate with the Stratus pedal, expanding the possibilities for guitarists seeking to create new sounds. In addition, Chaos Audio is set to unveil new hardware products and software updates. Their upcoming investment round, with a goal of $1 million, will provide the fuel needed to drive further growth and cement Chaos Audio’s position as a trailblazer in the guitar world. ▪

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHAOS AUDIO

MUSICIANSHIP

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SELF-CARE

ACTIGRAPH

Transforming Clinical Research

ActiGraph is paving the way to breakthroughs in health care story by MICHAEL GOETZ

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ActiGraph is both a hardware and software developer in connection with items including its wearables. The ActiGraph LEAP product resembles a contemporary watch, but is in fact used to detect changes in the movements of people who are afflicted with Parkinson’s disease, a neurological disorder. The LEAP, which was scheduled to enter production in October, collects raw data through various sensors like a PPG (for recording heart rate) or a skin contact temperature sensor. The LEAP also includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope that allows for measuring “not just movement and steps, but also gait and balance.” Data collected by the ActiGraph LEAP and similar wearables is sent to the CentrePoint platform. The platform enables data collection, monitoring and processing, all for the purpose of supporting research. ActiGraph wearables collect raw data, enabling future-proofing for the platform and the implementation of new algorithms as they are discovered by the scientific community. “ActiGraph’s mission is pioneering the digital transformation of clinical research,” Wyatt said. “That’s our mission. To do that is not a business endeavor. It is a scientific endeavor.” Wyatt stressed the importance of transparency in his company’s data collection work, noting ActiGraph’s

↓→ The ActiGraph LEAP is a wearable data collection device that may be used to monitor the movements of people with Parkinson’s disease; measure gait and balance; and record heart rates and body temperatures.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ACTIGRAPH

uring the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the news was flush with reports covering the important clinical trials for vaccines and treatments, bringing hopeful news of a way out on the horizon. To date, over 9,000 clinical trials related to the pandemic have been conducted, each contributing to the global health science community’s understanding of how to best combat the disease. The process for getting health care treatments and pharmaceuticals to market is a lengthy and, appropriately, stringent process. Even with the FDA’s recent Fast Track designation aimed at accelerating approval timelines when there is an urgent medical need, only two drugs were approved for use in treating COVID-19 in 2022. On average, clinical drug trials have a success rate of around 10%. CEO Jeremy Wyatt, a longtime Northwest Florida resident, heads ActiGraph, a Pensacola company seeking to improve the approval process, both in terms of speed and in ensuring that the science behind testing is more robust. Wyatt holds an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and an MBA in business administration. He has been with ActiGraph since its founding in 2004, working in hardware development before being promoted to CEO in 2020. He is passionate about “building technologies that can solve problems,” a vision that aligns with ActiGraph’s mission to use technology as a bridge between clinical research and better patient outcomes.

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ACTIGRAPH

customers are half “pharmaceutical research” and half “academic customers.” Both need accurate and detailed data; the former for FDA approval of new drug treatments, the latter for facilitating better research to facilitate medical research and public policy. Wyatt, citing Geoffrey Moore’s work, Crossing the Chasm, noted the existence of different market categories ranging from early adopters to laggards. Typically, this distribution would be akin to a bell curve. In the pharmaceutical and medical research world, however, “there’s a lot of risk aversion” contributing to delays in getting approvals and completing research. To date, ActiGraph has been used in more than 22,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications and in over 250 clinical drug trials. Among the institutions that ↑ Data collected by the ActiGraph LEAP and similar wearables is sent to the CentrePoint Platform, have used ActiGraph for scientific studwhich enables data collection, monitoring and processing, all for the purpose of supporting ies are Harvard, Stanford and University research. The data collected enables future-proofing for the platform and implementation of new College London. Organizations that algorithms upon their discovery by the scientific community. have worked with ActiGraph include quality and regulatory team checks for The technology has not only been used to the Centers for Disease Control, the operation in “accordance with ISO 13485 study humans but to study animals as well. National Institute of Health and the M.D. standards.” Said to be the largest division, ActiGraph wearables, as Wyatt Anderson Cancer Center. the operations team ensures that “a clinirecounted, “were used to study the In an NIH study, an ActiGraph device cal trial is delivered on schedule, ensuring behavior and mating patterns of the was used to track the “physical activity that our logistics work right.” white rhinos at Disney.” He mentioned and sleep in 13,000 Americans.” This More than anything, Wyatt is proud of that the San Diego Zoo has used their information gained influenced follow-up how his company treats its employees. products for similar purposes. research and policy decisions by the FDA. “Our goal is to make you a better Wyatt is proud of the Overseas, the wearhuman when you’re here,” he said. work his 107-employee ables were used in the Another point of pride for Wyatt is company has done; the Raine Study in Australia, ActiGraph’s presence in Pensacola. “Not workforce is divided which measured correone dollar (in revenue) comes from into several groups. lations between certain Pensacola, and that’s a very good thing The product team demographics and the for Pensacola.” builds the CentrePoint relative percentages of He went on to say that, though the city platform so that it scales physical activity versus is not necessarily regarded as a technology and interfaces with every sedentary time. Closer ActiGraph’s or innovation hub, he is “proud we can do ActiGraph wearable. A to home, ActiGraph was mission is this in Pensacola and that we represent the data management team used in the University of pioneering the digital transformation city on a global stage.” helps “customers get South Florida’s TEDDY of clinical research. Wyatt is grateful for the local Industry their data on time.” The study, which examined That’s our mission. Resilience and Diversification Fund group science team works on the movement and To do that is not a business endeavor. at the University of West Florida. It has making the data collectsleep of children with It is a scientific endeavor.” supported his company in getting funding ed by ActiGraph devices a risk of developing — JEREMY WYATT, to build its facilities in Pensacola. ▪ robust and digestible. A Type 1 diabetes. CEO OF ACTIGRAPH

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF ACTIGRAPH

SELF-CARE

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ENERGY

FUSION RESEARCH

Megajoule by Megajoule Fusion research is generating excitement

ritish physicist Francis William Aston discovered that the net mass of four hydrogen (4H) atoms is heavier than the mass of a molecule composed of four helium atoms (4He), a stable isotope of helium. The laws of conservation of mass and energy state that neither matter nor energy can be created or destroyed, implying that the fusion of four helium atoms into a single hydrogen atom must net energy; the loss of mass from 4H→4He is energy conversion. In fact, this energy can be quantified by Einstein’s famous formula, E=mc2. The process by which atoms are heated and compressed with enough intensity to merge nuclei of atoms to form a new element is called fusion. This discovery gave scientists their first clues as to the

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nature of the stars. The sun, a yellow dwarf, is a gigantic nuclear reactor, containing a hydrogen core, where atoms slam together to form helium. The energy generated by the formation sustains all life on Earth. The first case of humans recreating fusion in a lab was conducted in 1933 by Mark Oliphant, Earnest Rutherford and their teams. In over 90 years of research, scientists have made great strides toward creating stars on Earth, but one problem has persisted in fusion. The energy required to fuse atoms nets far less energy than can be produced in a controlled system. This problem persisted until Dec. 5, 2022, when researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)

in California slammed 192 laser beams into a tiny fuel pellet containing deuterium and tritium. Using inertial confinement fusion, scientists delivered 2.05 megajoules of ultraviolet energy to produce 3.15 megajoules of energy. Proof of concept now exists. This groundbreaking news ignited laserfusion enthusiasts around the world. Harnessing the power of nuclear fusion might be the key to providing clean, renewable energy for the foreseeable future, but not every scientist has been taken by the hype. After a lifetime of studying breakthroughs in the field, Dr. David Larbalestier, the chief materials scientist at FSU’s MagLab, remains cautiously optimistic. He has over three decades

PHOTOS BY ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS: DRAGON CLAWS (NUCLEAR FUSION CONCEPT, RIGHT) AND IPOPBA (ATOMIC PARTICLE, NUCLEAR ENERGY, THIS PAGE) AND COURTESY OF NATIONAL HIGH MAGNETIC FIELD LABORATORY (LARBALESTIER)

story by DAVID EKRUT, PH.D.

↑ Atomic nuclei of hydrogen are combined to generate in a reactor power like that produced

by the sun. In employing inertial confinement fusion, scientists have delivered 2.05 megajoules of ultraviolet energy to produce 3.15 megajoules of energy. This groundbreaking success ignited laser-fusion enthusiasts who believe that harnessing the power of nuclear fusion might be the key to providing clean, renewable energy for the foreseeable future. Some scientists, however, doubt whether fusion can effectively be employed on that scale.

of experience in superconducting magnet applications for fusion. “Limitless energy with relatively low radioactive overhead has been the promise of, the avant-garde of, fusion for 50 years,” Larbalestier explained. “The argument has been that fusion is always 50 years away from being demonstrated.” This may seem to throw cold water on the LLNL achievement, but when taken into perspective, even the most optimistic observer might understand Larbalestier’s trepidations. A net production of 1.1 million joules of energy sounds like a lot, but if converted to electrical energy, assuming no loss, this would create 0.3056 kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to power a single 60-watt light bulb for about 5 hours. There are other logistical problems with using laser fusion as a commercially viable energy source. The amount of energy required to power

the 192 lasers is 200 megajoules, on the order of 100 times more energy than actually hits the fuel cell. Laser maintenance and upkeep are expensive but are almost trivial compared to the materials required to produce the energy. Tritium, a primary component of the fuel capsules, is one of the rarest materials in science, costing $30,000 per gram, which might seem a bit steep for a few hours of dim lighting in a single room. As it stands, inertial confinement fusion is likely untenable as an option for powering every household in the world within the next 50 years. “The most promising way of doing fusion in a controlled fashion is in a Tokamak,” Larbalestier said. Dr. Laura Green agreed. Greene is the MagLab chief scientist, a National Academy scientist and a member of President Biden’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology (PCAST). Larbalestier and Greene are in the camp of fusion experts who believe a selfsustaining reaction — like a star — is the most promising way to generate renewable energy. A Tokamak guides charged particles along a torus-shaped path, using helical and toroidal magnetic fields — or in lay terms, it is a machine that

Limitless energy with relatively low radioactive overhead has been the promise of, the avant-garde of, fusion for 50 years. The argument has been that fusion is always 50 years away from being demonstrated.” — DR. DAVID LARBALESTIER, THE CHIEF MATERIALS SCIENTIST AT FSU’S MAGLAB

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FUSION RESEARCH

↑ ITER (the multinational Tokamak project in Europe ) is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject aimed at creating energy through a fusion process similar to that of the sun. This photo provides a view of a 30-meter-deep pit, which will house the world’s largest Tokamak. Eighteen supports for the toroidal field magnets are protected in pink plastic. Just inside the circle formed by the supports is a poloidal field magnet. A Tokamak is a machine that keeps charged particles trapped in a donut shape using magnets.

This might be changing now that experikeeps charged particles trapped in a donut mentation with inertial confinement has shape using magnets. Atoms within the achieved critical mass in Tokamak fuse, creating the minds of investors. heat that is absorbed in Greene added that for the the walls of the torus first time in decades, the using generators and field has “a runway to test steam to convert this out ideas.” heat into electricity. “The next five to 10 Greene elaborated, years will be critical,” “One of the difficulties Larbalestier agreed. in the Tokamak is they Despite the hurdles to use magnetic confineOne of the the commercialization of ment of the plasma. It’s difficulties in the Tokamak clean energy, inertial cona big geometry materiis they use magnetic finement fusion has ignitals problem.” confinement of the ed enthusiasm in the field The next biggest chalplasma. It’s a big geometry materials problem.” of fusion, and funding is lenge with Tokamaks, — DR. LAURA GREEN, now open to innovation. according to Larbalestier, MAGLAB CHIEF Both Greene and is that “they are big, SCIENTIST, A NATIONAL ACADEMY SCIENTIST AND Larbalestier are wary that they are expensive, and A MEMBER OF PRESIDENT inertial confinement will they’ve never had the BIDEN’S COUNCIL OF become the next LK-99, critical mass of public ADVISORS ON SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (PCAST) or room-temperature support behind them.”

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superconductor of the month. Big promises do not always yield big rewards. Sometimes, they can kill funding in a field altogether, especially when expectation vastly surpasses capability. Inventing science on a timetable can come at a cost. It seems unrealistic to ask scientists to create a solution to a problem and say, “Have that thing that doesn’t exist yet by next Tuesday for my investor’s meeting,” even if capitalism demands it. Science is typically advanced in infinitesimal steps, made by a world of contributors spanning generations. Throwing money at any lab is not likely to generate Einstein-like leaps in our understanding of the world’s most challenging problems; however, it can’t hurt. At worst, it will keep the lights on for the scientists and investigators who require funding for their research. At best, we turn the lights on for the entire human race and maybe save the planet in the process. ▪

PHOTO COURTESY OF ITER ORGANIZATION / EJF RICHE AND COURTESY OF NATIONAL HIGH MAGNETIC FIELD LABORATORY (GREEN)

ENERGY

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LEON COUNTY

AN 850 BUSINESS MAGAZINE SPECIAL REPORT

PERISCOPE DETAILED LOOKS AT NORTHWEST FLORIDA COMMUNITIES

↘ Carlos Duart and

Tina Vidal-Duart are pictured at the offices of CDR Health, where Tina is the CEO. The entrepreneurial couple moved from Miami to Tallahassee after their work in response to the COVID-19 epidemic reduced their time with their children to Sundays only.

Roads to Success

Contractors show public agencies the way story by STEVE BORNHOFT

H O S P I C E C A R E | F S U C O L L E G E O F M E D I C I N E | A I R P O R T G AT E W AY P R OJ E C T | N E W L I F E F O R R A I L? photography by ALICIA OSBORNE

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LEON COUNTY

ENTREPRENEURS

ssume that a heat dome has parked itself over Tallahassee and surrounding areas. High temperatures have exceeded 100 degrees for a week. The demand for power has become so great that outages are becoming a problem. Hospitals are overflowing with cases of heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Hallways are being staged as makeshift emergency rooms. People without shelter are dying on the streets. How would you address that crisis? The scenario was run by Tina Vidal-Duart and Carlos Duart, Miami-born entrepreneurs who moved to Tallahassee as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, they oversee the CDR Companies. Notably, Vidal-Duart is the CEO at CDR/ Health, a health care services contractor whose strengths include meeting community needs during crises or following natural disasters. CDR/Health emerged as a go-to player during the pandemic in several states. Vidal-Duart served as the CEO of Florida’s COVID-19 Infectious Disease Field Hospital System. After the hospitals were demobilized, she was instrumental in helping CDR/Health’s COVID-19 test site logistics team deploy a call center; develop software that facilitated the patient experience from registration through result delivery; and launch a proprietary vaccination data management system. Carlos Duart is the president/CEO at CDR/ Maguire Engineering, a heavy infrastructure firm whose work is confined to large state and federal projects such as interstate highway construction and reconstruction. He also

advises the management team at CDR/ Emergency Management, a disaster-response company that has helped communities recover from hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and fires. Like CDR/Health, it was involved with several states in combating COVID-19. If a community were overtaken by locusts, CDR/EM likely could develop an action plan. But what of the Tallahassee heatdome scenario? Vidal-Duart and Duart fielded the question immediately and with specifics. “I would take all those empty Kroger buildings in SouthWood and bring in the one thousand hospital beds that we have in warehouses in various parts of the state and open an alternative care site to relieve the pressure on hospitals,” Vidal-Duart said. “We would probably deploy a couple of hundred staff just like we did after Hurricane Ian,” she continued. “We would bring in supplies for treating heat stroke and heat exhaustion — ice, blankets and IV bags to hydrate people. We would devote one of the buildings to a shelter for homeless people or people without power. During Hurricane Ian, we built a shelter in an old Publix in Fort Myers where the AC units had been stolen from the roof. We brought in generators and very large portable AC units.” “On the emergency management side, it’s basically the same idea,” Duart said. “We would set up cooling centers in tents or buildings. We would need chairs, beds, generators, food, staff, possibly IVs. It’s all about supply chains and logistics and the ability to move people and supplies quicker than anybody else.”

At hospitals owned by service districts, profit is sometimes looked at as a bad thing. What people fail to realize is that profit enables facilities to stay open, it allows for reinvestment and makes raises and bonuses possible. It takes time to change that mentality — to the benefit of the employees and the community.” —TINA VIDAL-DUART 76 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

photography by ALICIA OSBORNE

↙ Tina Vidal-Duart and her husband Carlos Duart stand outside the offices of CDR/Health, where she is the CEO. Early in her career, Vidal-Duart specialized in turning around financially distressed rural hospitals in multiple states, becoming something of an efficiency expert.

Both Duart and Vidal-Duart earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida International University. In February, they contributed $1.2 million to the school to establish endowed scholarships in the FIU Honors College. Vidal-Duart’s advanced degree (2004) is in international business; Duart’s is in taxation (1999). He is also a CPA. The couple began dating after they were introduced to one another by mutual friends at an FIU football game. They quickly discovered they had something in common: Both were going through divorces. Early in her career, Vidal-Duart specialized in acquiring and turning around financially distressed rural hospitals for a business she helped create at age 22. All of the hospitals, located in Kentucky, Louisiana and Georgia, were in bankruptcy or had announced plans to close when Vidal-Duart got involved. Most were owned by a hospital service district and governed by calcified bureaucracies. “In small communities, you have people who have been working at the same place for a really long time,” VidalDuart said. “Unfortunately, that is not always the best way to run a hospital. Some hospitals hadn’t updated their chargemasters (a schedule of services and fees) for years. They weren’t setting expectations for patient lengths of stay and admissions from the ER department. They may have failed to negotiate supply contracts. Or, the reputation of a hospital in the community may have been poor.” Vidal-Duart, then, worked to make the hospitals more efficient and profitable, at times adding services and bringing in additional doctors.

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ENTREPRENEURS

“At hospitals owned by service districts, profit is sometimes looked at as a bad thing,” she said. “What people fail to realize is that profit enables facilities to stay open, it allows for reinvestment and makes raises and bonuses possible. It takes time to change that mentality — to the benefit of the employees and the community.” As a CPA, Duart worked for PriceWaterhouse for three years and later became the controller at an engineering firm owned by his then father-in-law. “I have always had a business mindset,” he said. “I started reading the Wall Street Journal when I was 11. Numbers are my thing. If you can competently and efficiently run a business and motivate its employees, you can do amazing things, and it’s not all about money.” Duart is the son of Cuban immigrants. Vidal-Duart’s father emigrated to the United States from Cuba at age 3. Her mother was born in California to a Mexican-American father and an American mother. They grew up in modest households and learned the value of hard work while very young. As a girl, Vidal-Duart contributed to the household income by mowing lawns and cleaning houses. At age 4, Duart began picking Surinam cherries with members of his family. Three gallons were good for five bucks. At age 15, he was introduced to engineering. Standing at intersections with clipboard in hand, he counted cars. (Having misheard Duart when he told her about that experience, Vidal-Duart believed for years that he got his start counting cards.) At the engineering firm, Duart the controller aspired to a bigger role in the business. The owner scoffed at the idea.

↑ On Sept. 7, CDR Emergency Management was tasked by the Florida Division of Emergency

Management with standing up a 100-person base camp at a sports complex in Mayo, Florida. The camp served as a headquarters for volunteers and mutual aid crews working in response to Hurricane Idalia. CDR Emergency Management got to work on Sept. 8 and the base camp became operational two days later. ↓ CDR Health CEO Tina Vidal-Duart met with Red Cross volunteers who worked with Fort Myers residents displaced by Hurricane Ian.

“He told me that I was an accountant and that I would never be able to manage things,” Duart recalled. “He said I wasn’t even capable of managing the office. But I became president and CEO of the company. When people tell me I can’t do something, it lights me up.” In 2009, Duart purchased the Maguire Group, a 70-year-old, Rhode Island-based engineering firm with 200 employees. “That was a big move for me as there was no safety net; the deal was funded by me,” Duart said. “And not everything was smooth sailing. In 2012, we went through a Chapter 11 restructuring due to significant liabilities that were undisclosed when I bought the business. But we survived, paid all our vendors 100 cents on the dollar, and even won two national awards related to the restructuring.”

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF CDR HEALTH

LEON COUNTY

PROVIDING THE BEST CANCER CARE IN THE PANHANDLE Shlermine Everidge, MD, has joined Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare following a specialized breast cancer training fellowship at the prestigious MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Dr. Everidge brings a high level of expertise to the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center, where patients receive advanced care, right here at home. Learn more about how Dr. Everidge is enhancing breast cancer care at TMH.ORG/MeetDrEveridge.

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LEON COUNTY

ENTREPRENEURS

Meanwhile, Duart had hired his future wife as a consultant who would rework the business’s approach to project management. When COVID-19 took hold in Florida, the state reached out to CDR, given Duart’s and Vidal-Duart’s experience in emergency management. “Once we understood what the needs were, I started calling all my contacts, and Carlos started calling people he knew in health care and we were able to secure additional lab capacity and medical supplies that the state was having a hard time getting,” VidalDuart said. CDR’s COVID work expanded as the pandemic worsened. Vidal-Duart, as a former hospital CEO, helped educate state Department of Health employees on how to establish and run field hospitals. Finally, the state asked her if she could open them. “We did, and then we opened hundreds of mass testing sites for the state,” Vidal-Duart said. “That led to vaccinations. We were the first to provide monoclonal antibodies on a mass scale, and we’re still the largest provider in the country.” For Duart and Vidal-Duart, COVID-19 would become personal. Duart contracted the virus during Father’s Day weekend in 2020 and was admitted to Baptist Hospital in Miami. The antiviral medication remdesivir was administered, but it didn’t help. Duart said he had been scheduled to receive a ventilator when he started to improve in response to convalescent plasma. “Carlos almost died, and I sat there thinking, ‘I am going to be a single mom,’” Vidal-Duart said. So it was that she was greatly moved by a woman who had been tested for COVID and desperately needed her test results. Her husband had COVID, and doctors have given him 24 hours to live. She would not be permitted to see him unless she presented a negative test result.

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photography by ALICIA OSBORNE

↑ Together, Carlos Duart and Tina Vidal-Duart work to create a highly collegial atmosphere

at their Tallahassee-based companies. “There is nothing that we call on others to do that we would not do ourselves,” Tina said. “We feel like a family.”

“Carlos was sick at the time, and I remember thinking that this could be me in a couple of days,” Vidal-Duart said. “I called the lab and said I needed to have the woman’s results within eight hours. They told me they had thousands of tests to go through to find them, and I told them I didn’t care. They did it, and she was able to see her husband before he died.” Duart and Vidal-Duart said they worked 20-hour days in Tallahassee during the pandemic and managed to see their two small children in Miami for only a couple of hours on Sundays. Eventually, they decided to make Tallahassee their new home. They developed a building off Mahan Road that houses offices along with a medical spa, a primary care clinic and a testing lab, all part of their family of companies. “We lead by example,” VidalDuart said of her and her husband’s

management style. “There is nothing that we call on others to do that we would not do ourselves, even if that means responding to patient emails and giving them test results at 3 in the morning. “We are willing to work side by side with our team. We feel like a family. There is a camaraderie and bonds that have been built that only come about when you come through a disaster or an emergency.” Duart said of the company culture at CDR/Maguire Engineering that “we are engaged in a team effort, everyone has a role to play and we don’t pass the buck. If something needs to be done, we’re gonna get it done.” That approach can differ from that of government. Asked if he could markedly streamline a state or federal agency if given 90 days to do so, Duart had another ready answer. “A hundred percent.” ▪

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LEON COUNTY

HOSPICE CARE

Bending the Health Care Curve New hospice unit reflects spirit of cooperation story by STEVE BORNHOFT

82 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

↑ Patient rooms at Big Bend Hospice’s First Commerce Center

for Compassionate Care at TMH have been designed to provide a home-like environment versus a strictly clinical one. The ability to transfer patients to hospice within the hospital will eliminate the need for stress-inducing ambulance rides.

PHOTO AND RENDERINGS COURTESY OF BIG BEND HOSPICE

hile a first-year medical student at the University of Florida, Deborah Morris visited her grandfather in a room he shared with another patient in a nursing home. He was in his 80s, a retired military man. Tough, he had beaten esophageal cancer, but his heart, finally, was dying. He had ping-ponged between a hospital and the nursing home for some time, and now he was in a bed at the end of a hall, as far removed from the nurse’s station as it could be. When his daughter arrived, he was gasping for breath and pleading for help. “As a medical student, I said to myself, ‘We have got to do better than this,’” Morris recalled. “It was so far from OK. Really, it was that experience that drove me to pursue a career in hospice and palliative medicine.” Morris moved to Tallahassee from Virginia about three years ago and worked for a time in palliative care at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH). In February, she became the medical director at Big Bend Hospice (BBH). In relocating, Morris said, she and her husband Tod, a TMH oncologist, sought a community that is “committed to caring for everyone.” In Tallahassee, they are convinced they found such a place. Morris points to community support for an in-hospital hospice unit at TMH as evidence for that belief. As of this writing, the First Commerce Center for Compassionate Care (FCCCC) at TMH, which will be operated by BBH, was expected to receive its first patients in midNovember. The approximately $6 million project will provide eight acute care beds reserved for patients nearing the end of life. Typically, those patients will be transferred from TMH to BBH and will have become so vulnerable and fragile as to be unlikely to survive even a two-mile ambulance ride from the hospital to BBH’s 12-bed Hospice House. For terminally ill patients too sick to be transported, the only option had been to remain in a sterile, noisy hospital room.

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HOSPICE CARE

“They need an environment that is appropriate for end-of-life care,” Morris stressed. “TMH is a great hospital with great doctors and nurses, but the hospital space, itself, is not a hospice space. A favorite nurse of mine when I was in hospice training said, ‘We labor coming into the world, and we labor going out.’” First Commerce Center for Compassionate Care rooms — the credit union was awarded naming rights given its $1 million contribution to the project — were designed as places where patients, family members and caregivers can comfortably gather. They have the feel of a room in a home. Wiring is hidden. The patient bed has a headboard. The couch folds out into a guest bed. The rooms are conducive to efforts to meet spiritual, psychological and family needs. One of the rooms can readily be converted for use in pediatric cases. In October 2019, Lee Hinkle and Rheb Harbison, then the board chairs at TMH and BBH, respectively, met to discuss how the two organizations might benefit by a closer relationship. Their meeting led to one between TMH CEO and president Mark O’Bryant and BBH

CEO and administrator Bill Wertman. The two chiefs have been doing lunch ever since. “Our first meetings were the genesis of the inpatient hospice unit at TMH,” Wertman said. “The discussion continued for the better part of two years concerning what it might look like. It’s a win-win. We benefit by having our acute care nurses in the hospital, and the arrangement helps TMH reduce the mortality rate within the hospital. Hospitals can be scrutinized very heavily for that.” Like Morris, Wertman was profoundly affected by the passing of a relative, his mother, who died two years ago at age 89. For the last 15 years of her life, Wertman served as her caregiver. “Let’s face it, there is a very specific reason that people need our services,” Wertman said. “It’s not until then that they find out what the true benefit of hospice is. You are grieving, and you are dealing with the sadness of what’s coming and still trying to be strong for your family and, in my case, for my mom.” Wertman said that even given his years of service as a hospice CEO — he joined BBH in 2015, initially as human resources director — “I learned

↑ FOUNDERS WALL

A display will recognize people whose contributions made the hospice center at TMH possible. First Commerce Credit Union made a $1 million donation to the project.

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a great deal about hospice when I was vulnerable and I needed their help.” BBH, which operates with a certificate of need issued by the state, serves 6,500-square-mile Area 2B comprising Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor and Wakulla counties. It employs 279 people and is the third-largest health care provider in its service area behind TMH and HCA Florida Capital Hospital. On Aug. 10, its patient census stood at 435, including its palliative care program. To staff up the new unit, BBH was engaged in August in what Morris called a “huge recruiting push” aimed at hiring nurses, providers and care aides. The search, she said, was focused particularly on prospective employees who enjoy acute care. “We’ve had a lot of interest from nurses who have worked in hospital settings in critical care,” Morris said. “Many have been hearing reports

about this unit for years, and they are very excited.” Their interest level has been mirrored by community support for the project. “First Commerce was amazing for us,” Wertman said. “Here you have a credit union that you wouldn’t think of as supporting a health care effort in a hospital, but one of their directors who was familiar with what we’re doing went to bat for us and their board overwhelmingly approved the donation.” As of August, a capital campaign that was launched in late 2022 had sailed past the $4 million mark. “That shows the level of compassion in the community for hospice, and it also speaks volumes to Dena’s abilities and her connections; she has made this happen.”

About BBH Foundation president Dena Strickland, Wertman said, “Many people love her and respect her, and when she asks, they give.” Meanwhile, Wertman is encouraged that the TMH-BHH collaboration suggests possibilities for “a continuum of care that is not so fragmented and disjointed, but more aligned and more accessible.” At those Wertman-O’Bryant lunches, important chatter takes place between bites. “I think in the near future, we will see a new kind of health care delivery in our area that will be pretty much unparalleled elsewhere in the country. There aren’t a lot of projects like it, and this one has a lot of momentum right now.” ▪

→ WANT TO HELP? Big Bend Hospice continues to receive donations to its First Commerce Center for Compassionate Care project. Contact Foundation president Dena Strickland at (850) 878-5310 for further information.

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LEON COUNTY

FSU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

Community-based Health Care FSU College of Medicine pioneers a new model story by ROCHELLE KOFF

hen Dr. Alma Littles was in second grade, her teacher told the bright, young girl she would make a good doctor someday. “I didn’t know what that meant,” said Littles, the youngest of 12 children growing up in Quincy. “I don’t think I had ever seen a doctor.” That young girl did indeed grow up to be a family physician, treating residents of her hometown, an area where doctors were scarce. Littles’ career as a physician, educator and health leader blossomed, and in February 2023, she was named the interim dean of the Florida State University College of Medicine, a school Littles helped create, with a mission that reflects her own life story.

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“We were developing physicians who would practice personal and patient-centered care, focusing on populations of need, the underserved, geriatric patients,” Littles said. “I called it my personal, professional mission.” The FSU College of Medicine was created in 2000 by the Florida Legislature to take an unconventional approach with an unwavering commitment: The new medical school was to use community-based clinical training to educate its students, create a technology-rich environment and address primary care health needs of Florida’s citizens, especially the elderly, rural, minorities and underserved. The model: Medical students would spend their first two years at the central FSU campus

↖ Dr. Sandeep Rahangdale, dean of the Tallahassee Regional Campus, works with medical student Erika Turko and a patient. The FSU College of Medicine’s model is unique in that students spend their first two years of clinical education at the central campus in Tallahassee, then go to one of six regional campuses around the state for rotations in one-on-one training in various specialties. ↑ Dr. Joedrecka Brown Speights, chair of the College of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health, talks with a patient at one of the college’s clinics while a student observes.

photography by COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

in Tallahassee. In their third and fourth years, instead of studying in an academic medical center, students would complete their clinical rotations at one of FSU’s regional settings in Daytona Beach, Fort Pierce, Orlando,

Pensacola, Sarasota or Tallahassee (separate from the main campus). The college also has rural training sites in Marianna and Immokalee. The clinical training program extends into hospitals, skilled nursing facilities,

managed-care organizations, private clinics and other outpatient settings, according to the medical school’s website. Students work one-on-one with local health care providers. Ideally, they will return to these places, or others like them, to practice. “It wasn’t the traditional medical education model,” said Littles, previously the medical college’s senior associate dean for medical education and academic affairs for nearly 20 years. Has this untraditional method worked? For starters, consider the numbers from the FSU College of Medicine’s 2022 Annual Report. “Through 2021, more than half of the college’s M.D. alumni matched in one of these primary-care specialties: internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics or obstetrics-gynecology.” “Most alumni now practicing in Florida are in primary care, and a good percentage of those are in rural or other underserved settings, where recruiting new physicians can be a challenge.” Figures from the Association of American Medical Colleges, which examines how the FSU College of Medicine compares to all other U.S. medical schools (155 accredited schools), show FSU is in the 95th percentile for practicing in underserved areas, 85th for training in family medicine, 83rd for practicing in state and 86th percentile for practicing in primary care. At the outset, the college faced plenty of hurdles. The medical

Most alumni now practicing in Florida are in primary care, and a good percentage of those are in rural or other underserved settings, where recruiting new physicians can be a challenge.” — DR. ALMA LITTLES, INTERIM DEAN OF THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

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FSU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

photography by COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

→ First- and second-year medical students from the Florida State University College of Medicine use teddy bears to teach children the basics of a health exam at the FSU Childcare and Early Learning Program in December 2021. Teaching children not to fear a trip to the doctor should begin at an early age.↘ Graduate students in the College of Medicine’s doctoral program in biomedical sciences, joined by medical students, use models of the human brain as teaching tools at the Tallahassee Science Festival at Kleman Plaza in October.

establishment said there were enough doctors. Local advocates knew that wasn’t the case. The FSU College of Medicine was the first new medical school in the U.S. for roughly 20 years. Medical groups later changed their outlook. In its 2022 study, the American Medical Association reported that the U.S. faces a projected shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians within 12 years — many of those (between 17,800 and 48,000) are primary care physicians. “FSU was a pioneer,” said Dr. Dean Watson, vice president and chief integration officer for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. “Once FSU went through the process, numerous medical schools followed.” Watson was present for those early discussions about the college. “There were six or eight of us sitting in trailers creating this, and now you’ve got hundreds of very bright people involved,” Watson said. “The college has elevated health care across the board. “FSU has also brought in great faculty members that are focused on providing high-quality care for the underserved,” Watson said. “It’s a win-win. “We view each other as true partners,” he said. This partnership received a boost from the Florida legislature in 2022. FSU and TMH have joined forces to build the FSU Health Tallahassee Center, which will offer advanced medical training and research opportunities.

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The building, funded by a $125 million appropriation from lawmakers, will be located on the TMH campus, providing educational, medical and research laboratory space, drawing on talent from TMH clinicians and faculty from the FSU College of Medicine and College of Nursing. It’s the latest step for the FSU medical school, which has launched

outpatient care and facilities in struggling communities. FSU PrimaryHealth is based in southwest Tallahassee, a place where students work with physicians on a hands-on basis in a real-world setting. “They’re located about a block away,” said Shannon Davis, principal of Sabal Palm Elementary School, which is a Title One school. “This is

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one of the most poverty-stricken areas in the state. They’re in a prime area to serve families who are in great need of physical care.” Sabal is Tallahassee’s only community partnership school, where four core providers offer services under a 25-year contract. “FSU is our health care provider partner,” Davis said. One case involved a sickly boy raised by a grandmother struggling to get him medical services. Sabal Palm connected the child with FSU PrimaryHealth. “He’s now there on a regular basis, and he’s happier and healthier,” Davis said. “All of a sudden, he has resources open to him that were not available to him in the past. Now, we’re seeing a different child. “There are many other stories like that,” she said. The college partners with more than 170 health care organizations statewide. “You can look at the work that has been done for children and maternal health in Gadsden County through the College of Medicine,” said Dr. Temple Robinson, chief executive officer of the Bond Community Center. “Look at the establishment of the FSU PrimaryHealth Center in Leon County. The College of Medicine’s footprint is all over the state of Florida. “Our relationship with the College of Medicine is seamless because we have a common mission, and that is to provide health care to underserved populations, elderly, rural and minority populations,” she said. “That goes hand in glove with the College of Medicine’s mission.” It’s a different model that “produces excellent students,” said Dr. Rudolf Hehn, who recently retired as the Thomasville/Archbold Hospital site coordinator for the FSU College of Medicine’s Tallahassee Campus. “The college has done an outstanding job of fulfilling its mission. “The primary emphasis is to work with physicians in an actual

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community instead of working out of a hospital that might have 1,000 beds and treat diseases that are very complicated, unusual or unique,” said Hehn, a member of FSU’s Alumni Hall of Fame. To fulfill its mission, picking the right, empathetic students is essential, Littles said. The FSU College of Medicine receives more than 7,000 applications a year for 120 slots in each class. Sixty students are selected each year for the Physicians Assistant program. “They obviously have to have the academic credentials,” Littles said. “We have to look beyond that.” The college looks for students who have demonstrated an interest in “focusing on the unique needs of patients from all walks of life,” she said. Many students are also from varied backgrounds. FSU College of Medicine is in the 97th percentile for graduates who are black or African-American, 90th percentile for faculty who are women and 91st percentile for graduates who are Hispanic, Latino or Spanish, according to the AMA figures in the university’s annual report. Dr. Christie Alexander was among the 30 students in the College of Medicine’s first graduating class in 2005. She was also the first alumni to become a full-time faculty member.

photography by COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

Alexander called herself an unofficial poster child for the school. “I come from a nontraditional background,” she said. “I was 28, older than most students coming into medical school, with life experience under my belt. I’m a woman, and I come from a Puerto Rican family.” Alexander, who later became president of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians, said students “were very much mission-driven” in a college envisioned as a game changer. Alexander is still immersed in primary care, but she has recently left FSU. On a road trip, she discovered that the tiny town of Marfa, Texas, needed a physician. She’s decided to stay. “Everybody, in a sense, is underserved here,” she said. The college fosters such devotion, said Dr. Alexandra Mannix, a 2014 graduate of the College of Medicine. “It provides a foundation and passion for education and leadership and advocacy,” said Mannix, the assistant program director of the UF Health-Jacksonville Emergency Medicine Residency Program. Most of all, the college is seen as a source for those who might otherwise be forgotten. “When we need to do something, we’re going to knock on their door and say, ‘Please help,’” said Davis, of Sabal Palm. “And they always do.” ▪

↑ At FSU PrimaryHealth, based in southwest Tallahassee, students work with physicians on a hands-on basis in a real-world setting.

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AIRPORT GATEWAY PROJECT

Gateway to a Bright Future

Roadwork expected to stimulate investment on Tallahassee’s south side story by AL KRULICK

he Airport Gateway Project is a multimillion, multimodal transportation network that, when complete in 2030, will connect the Tallahassee International Airport, downtown Tallahassee, the area’s colleges and universities, and Innovation Park, the city’s research and development district. It will include some seven miles of improved roadway and over 13 miles of new sidewalks, trails and bicycle lanes. It will also enhance both traffic and pedestrian safety while featuring improved aesthetics for residents, businesses and visitors. “The Tallahassee International Airport is in the southern part of Tallahassee and Leon County, and it doesn’t have the best access today to our universities and downtown,” said city manager Reese Goad. “That’s been a need for many, many years. Now, we have the opportunity to connect all of these resources.” The Airport Gateway Project is being managed by the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency, a special body that was created in 2000 to implement projects that are funded by a one-cent sales tax. The levy has been subjected to a referendum vote more

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than once and, most recently, was reauthorized through 2040. “Blueprint is under the vision and direction of the Intergovernmental Agency Board, which comprises all the city commissioners and mayor, and all the county commissioners,” explained Blueprint director, Autumn Calder. “They approve the projects and give direction on their implementation. My job is to implement the Blueprint infrastructure projects.” Calder works with a staff of 27 people and also hires consultants to help with planning concepts, project design and the permitting process leading up to the hiring of construction contractors. Twelve percent of revenue generated by the penny tax goes to economic development projects and programs overseen by the Office of Economic Vitality. Calder cited a close relationship between large-scale infrastructure projects and the work of OEV. “We recognize that when we make these infrastructure improvements in the community, the private sector responds,” she said. “Cascade Park, built in 2014, was a $35 million project; immediately following its

opening there was private sector development of over $350 million. So we were able to see a tenfold impact from an infrastructure project that otherwise might not have occurred. It used to be a fenced-off brownfield, and now it’s one of the biggest attractions and destinations in the community.” “We know that private investment follows public investment,” Goad echoed Calder. “There’s already a lot of speculative interest in terms of people wanting to invest in and around the airport but also along the corridors.

photography by AERIAL TALLAHASSEE

↙ The Airport Gateway, a signature Blueprint project funded by a sales tax dedicated to infrastructure improvements, has been planned to provide a beautiful, safety-enhanced, multimodal route between Tallahassee International Airport and Downtown Tallahassee. Pictured is the intersection of Stuckey Avenue and FAMU Way.

Those discussions are happening; people are inquiring, trying to ready themselves for that potential.” Goad projects that private investment in the airport area and along improved transportation corridors will run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. He stressed that community input has been a focus since the project’s beginning and will continue throughout. Blueprint supplies updates on project phases and impacts to community leaders

and advocates, local neighborhood associations, churches, organizations, area elementary schools, neighboring businesses and residents. Calder noted that Blueprint has a citizen’s advisory committee that is kept apprised and updated. “We have project meetings where we discuss modifications, and we’ll continue to have community discussions as the project moves forward,” she said. That being said, both administrators also recognize that over the next several

years there will be some difficult challenges in the lives of some residents and to the operation of some businesses along the reconfigured routes. “When you have road projects that go through developed areas, you always have to be concerned about the disruption to the areas, themselves,” Goad said. “There will be property acquisition, relocation of businesses, some relocation of homes; those are always difficult. But I feel confident that we have the right processes and policies in place.”

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Goad and Calder are certain that benefits to the affected areas will be more than compensatory. “Public investment brings positive change — quality of life improvements such as better stormwater management, remediation of environmental hazards, improvements to pedestrian and bicycle safety, better transit service accessibility,” Calder said. “That in turn brings the type of improvements that people want to see in their neighborhoods. For example, Airport Gateway includes construction of a new park in the Providence neighborhood, and property values increase when they’re adjacent to improvements like parks and greenways.” Goad sees the Airport Gateway Project as unlocking the potential of Tallahassee’s south side, which historically has been modestly invested in by both the public and the private sectors. The project will complement the city’s plans for the Frenchtown/Southside Community

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SEGMENT G Springhill Road from Capital Circle SW to Orange Avenue UNIVERSITY GREENWAY TRAIL (not pictured) The University Greenway Trail is a 1.2-mile long shared use path with a 10’ wide prepared surface.

pegs it at about $118 million for Redevelopment Area (CRA), 1,858 planning, design, permitting and acres of residential, office, commerconstruction. Most funding is coming cial/retail, industrial and green/open from the penny sales tax. The Florida space close to downtown and adjacent Department of Transportation is also to both Florida State University and contributing funding, and additional Florida A&M University. assistance is coming in the form of “Often, when you’re building roads, land grants and amenities from FSU. the only real measure is the transPhase one construction will begin portation network,” Goad relates. “I next year with 1.2 miles of new roadthink that may be secondary in this way linking Orange Avenue to Stuckey case. I think it’s the economic lift this Avenue through FSU’s southwest will provide in terms of investment campus area near Innovation Park. and jobs that is primary. This is really In addition, 1.73 miles of Springhill going to connect that CRA district Road will be enhanced to the airport, and the in order to establish a potential this brings primary gateway from is very exciting. The DESIGN the airport to downtown airport, the universities, Q2 2022 – Q4 2026 Tallahassee. downtown — they all RIGHT-OF-WAY “It began 10 years of a sudden come into ACQUISITION ago,” Goad said, “but clear focus and are made Q2 2024 – Q2 2028 it’s coming into focus more cohesive.” now and getting close Since inception, the CONSTRUCTION to moving forward with price tag for the Airport Q2 2024 – Q4 2030 construction. We’re very Gateway Project has encouraged by that.” ▪ grown. Today, Calder

MAP BY SCOTT SCHILLER

LEON COUNTY

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NEW LIFE FOR RAIL?

Revivifying Rail Tallahassee officials believe the time to restore passenger service is now story by EMMA WITMER

s its whistle blew in big cities to tiny towns, curious Gulf Coast residents rushed to railroad tracks to glimpse the shiny blue and silver Amtrak locomotive. Some 300 passengers boarded the 2016 Gulf Coast Inspection train from New Orleans to Jacksonville — the first time passengers had traveled the route in more than 10 years. The passenger

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rail line, Sunset Limited, had been active between 1993 until 2005, when Hurricane Katrina brought it to a halt. “The turnout in Tallahassee was remarkable,” said Knox Ross, president of the Southern Rail Commission (SRC). “We had thousands of people here. You had the Florida State cheerleaders and FAMU cheerleaders. You had people everywhere.”

This trip marked the first real victory in the mission to restore passenger rail to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. For North Florida, too, this was the first passenger train seen since 2005. It would also be the last. Grassroots efforts to “get back Amtrak” crop up across North Florida every few years, but none have gained significant traction at the state level. That may soon change. “Pensacola is really leading the way in this corridor idea,” Ross said. “I think Mayor D.C. Reeves has taken a really proactive role in looking at this as a goal of theirs.” Reeves attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C., in January 2023, just as the Biden administration’s Bipartisan

LEON COUNTY

Now is the time. Three years ago would have been too early, and three years from now will be too late. The dollars are there. We’re going to continue to push this as far as we can take it.” — PENSACOLA MAYOR D.C. REEVES

↖ A large crowd of Tallahassee residents gathered at the city’s train depot in February 2016 to greet an Amtrak train when it paused on its way from New Orleans to Jacksonville. Regular passenger service along that route has not been available since 2005.

Infrastructure Law went into effect. The bill, which has already allocated more than $280 billion for projects throughout the country, was a major topic of conversation. “The National Rail Association leadership as well as the CEO of Amtrak were doing a session about the $66 billion — that’s billion with a B — that is going to be invested in passenger rail service,” Ross said. “That is not only to update infrastructure but also to potentially identify new corridors where passenger rail service could either be implemented or restored.” A large portion of these funds are being allocated to Northeastern states that already have a robust passenger rail network. Improving these existing rail lines is crucial, but the absence of service in North Florida has officials, including Reeves and Leon County Commissioner Rick Minor, wondering what it will take to put the area on the railroad map. In the months following his trip to the Capitol, Reeves started making calls and forming relationships with members of the SRC, officials at Amtrak and local leaders in every town with a train depot from Pensacola to Tallahassee. Tallahassee Mayor John Daley is extending that effort east to Jacksonville. “Now is the time,” Reeves said. “Three years ago would have been too early, and three years from now will be too late. The dollars are there. We’re going to continue to push this as far as we can take it.” This growing coalition has applied for a $500,000 Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) Grant through the Federal Railroad Administration to investigate the viability of restoring passenger rail to North Florida. Unlike North Florida, the member states of the SRC (Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana) have made a concerted effort to restore their portion of the New Orleans-Jacksonville line

over the past two decades. A new line from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, is set to reopen soon thanks to years of negotiation with rail line owners and others. Minor believes SRC membership could be the first step toward the restoration of passenger rail across North Florida. Joining the SRC requires the State of Florida to take the first step. “We’ve been working on this since Katrina and in an organized way for probably 14 years,” Ross said. “What that has really taken is having a champion in a leadership position.” He noted that in Mississippi, former U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker have taken the lead. “I think that the ultimate return of Amtrak to Tallahassee and points west really lies with the Florida Department of Transportation and the State of Florida and what their vision is for passenger rail transportation in the state,” Ross said. Minor, who has been a long-time advocate, cited the benefits of rail including reduced interstate traffic, additional hurricane evacuation routes, and safer and more affordable transportation for seniors and other vulnerable groups. He also believes it would provide a major boon for the regional tourism economy. Economic profitability has been an issue. In its final three years of service, Amtrak’s Sunset Limited ridership from its Tallahassee depot declined from 3,778 passengers in fiscal 2003, to 2,488 passengers in fiscal 2005. Minor believes Sunset Limited would have performed better had it been more reliable and convenient. Only one passenger train traveled the route, and boarding times were often very early in the morning or late at night. “If you take a look at what Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are doing right now, they’re working with Amtrak and they’re

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NEW LIFE FOR RAIL?

We need to piggyback off their (Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama) efforts, increase reliability and make sure that the departure and arrival times are something that people want.” committed to making that service reliable twice daily now going from New Orleans to Mobile,” Minor said. “We need to piggyback off their efforts, increase reliability and make sure that the departure and arrival times are something that people want.” The reliability issue has been a product in part of strained relationships with the companies that own the rail lines. Because passenger and freight trains often use the same tracks, concerns about the timeliness of deliveries often take priority over the desire for passenger service. Still, the profitability question persists. Developing infrastructure to support safe, highspeed, reliable rail transportation requires a significant investment from the state even with the potential infusion of federal dollars. “I hear that argument sometimes,” Minor said. “People will say, ‘It wasn’t profitable before Hurricane Katrina, and you want to spend X million dollars now. How do you know it’s gonna be profitable this time?’ To which I would say, when it comes to transportation infrastructure, almost nothing is actually directly profitable.” “There’s the presumption that roads and asphalt, because they’re the standard, aren’t a major subsidy,” Reeves said. “Of course they are. Airports are subsidized significantly at the federal level for infrastructure. Passenger rail absolutely is like every transportation infrastructure that we have. It’s just a matter of deciding what’s valuable to us.” “I’m optimistic to a fault,” Minor said. “I do believe passenger rail service will come back to North Florida. It’s just a matter of when.” ▪

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PHOTO COURTESY OF LEON COUNTY / RPI FILE PHOTO

— LEON COUNTY COMMISSIONER RICK MINOR

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Washington County

Parking Graders County carefully approaches future of growth

STORY BY STEVE BOR N HOF T // PHOTO GR APHY BY M I K E FENDER

eff Massey lives on a farm outside Chipley that his father purchased in 1959, and on most days, he will see maybe six cars on the way to his job as Washington County administrator. “A friend of the family works the farm and we’ve got 70 acres in peanuts this year, but the rest of it, I like to hunt,” Massey said. It takes Massey about “four-and-a-half minutes” to walk from his house to his blind, and he doesn’t walk very fast. He entitles himself to one deer a year, and if it’s a buck, “it’s gonna be a big buck.” “Plus, Johnny always gives me plenty of peanuts to boil,” Massey said. “That’s a heckuva lifestyle. It’s a blessing to me.” Massey’s job has a lot to do with growth management. Particularly as a 100 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

parent whose three children scattered to find work when their school days were over, Massey appreciates the point of view of people who say the county needs more jobs capable of supporting a household. But as someone who is more than a little bit country, he understands, too, people who fear that development may change the county’s character. “I have lived here full time for the past 25 years and I have seen a lot of changes, but all that is coming over the next few years will make those changes seem like nothing,” Massey said. “The pace of change is going to greatly accelerate.” Massey points to Sunny Hills, a community begun in the late 1960s and whose developer, the Deltona Corp., which had envisioned a city of 60,000

people, abandoned the place when it failed to take off. Now, after decades of dormancy, the Hills are alive with the sound of building. Sunny Hills is not just an enclave of activity, however. Throughout its 616 landlocked square miles, Washington County is preparing for what’s next. Massey has, in particular, made highspeed broadband internet service a project that he calls his baby. “The pandemic really exposed how badly we need internet,” Massey said. “There was no telemedicine from the

PREVIOUS PAGE: PHOTOS BY MIKE FENDER (TOP, BOTTOM LEFT), COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO / VISIT FLORIDA (BOTTOM MIDDLE) AND FLORIDA PANHANDLE TECHNICAL COLLEGE PHOTOGRAPHY PROGRAM (BOTTOM RIGHT)

PORTRAIT IN PROGRESS

“The way we’re doing things is not going to work in the future. We have all these graders because we have all these dirt roads (600 miles, prior to Michael), but if we’re eliminating dirt roads, we can eliminate some of them. We have to think about what our maintenance strategy is going to be.” — Jeff Massey, Washington County Administrator

hospital, no distance learning for the kids. But even before COVID hit, we were working on making internet available countywide.” The county successfully applied for a $1.5 million rural infrastructure grant from the state and supplied a 50% local match. “We hired a contractor (WildStar Networks) and I can say that this fall, we will have the county built out to our original design,” Massey said. Remaining will be the work of filling in any service gaps that may be discovered at that point. “We have customers paying for internet right now, and every bit of feedback I’ve received has been not good but great,” Massey said. “I had a guy tell me last week, ‘Jeff, I got my four grandkids at my house, and they were all livestreaming on different things — during a storm.’ That’s what I want to hear.” The Washington County project has included the installation of 190-foot monolithic poles placed on 20-by-20-foot concrete pads and topped with the latest broadband technology manufactured by Tarana Wireless. “WildStar specializes in rural installations,” Massey explained. “The first county in the country that utilized them was Walton County. Before we hooked up with these guys, I watched what was going on in Walton, and we put out a bid and ended up with them. Broadband is very exciting. We all know that we can’t live without it these days, and it will bring us out of the caveman days a little bit.” Massey maintains as a goal “parking graders” and in that regard is making progress. With federal funds authorized by FEMA following Hurricane Michael, the county has paved almost 70 miles of roads at this writing and will be able

to pave twice that amount with the allotted money. “You’ve got to cross every T, but we haven’t had a penny clawed back by FEMA,” Massey said with apparent pride. “We are doing things correctly. We secured a line of credit, and then we secured a second line currently in use. That’s just a testimony to good management of public funds.” Meanwhile, the county is completing state-funded projects: South Boulevard, Brickyard Road, Sunday Road, Davidson Road and Crystal Lake Road. “We are being very aggressive in trying to get our infrastructure hardened to accommodate the future growth that is on the way,” Massey said. That is, he is trying to move projects along as quickly as government agencies and protocols will allow. “I come from the private sector,” he said. “I worked for 30 years in the solid

waste business. The last 15, I managed a regional landfill for Waste Management, and I was used to doing things the private sector way. When I got into government, I found out that you better be patient. It doesn’t move at the speed of business.” Going forward, county budgets will need to reflect new priorities, new ways of doing things, new road surfaces. “The way we’re doing things is not going to work in the future,” Massey said. “We have all these graders because we have all these dirt roads (600 miles, prior to Michael), but if we’re eliminating dirt roads, we can eliminate some of them. We have to think about what our maintenance strategy is going to be. If we have a severe storm and it washes out a road in a place, we need to be able to go in there and saw-cut it and patch that ourselves. I could contract that out, but if it’s an emergency situation, I can’t wait on a contractor for two weeks. We’re evaluating everything, and I think it’s going to save us money in the long run on our public works department.” The county anticipates that many of the jobs in its future will be located at its newly certified industrial park. “People like our industrial park,” Massey said. “We have acreage and

Sunday Road, outside of Chipley, was paved recently as part of a state-funded project. Other state-funded paving work will include South Boulevard, Brickyard Road, Davidson Road and Crystal Lake Road.

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“We maintain the fountain at the entrance to Sunny Hills and take pride in it. We mow, pick up trash — these are things we needed to do way before Deltona decided to come back. The people were sitting down there in no man’s land with no help. We started making these improvements, and people thanked us.” — Jeff Massey, Washington County Administrator can accommodate continued growth there, but here’s the kicker: We have the Florida Gulf & Atlantic railway running right there. We are working with them right now to provide spurs into the park. All of the companies that I have talked to say that it is cheaper for them to move products and materials by rail rather than by truck. “Plus, we have an interstate highway running east and west, and there are two four-lane highways (77 and 79) running north and south in the county. And we are attractive to businesses because they can afford to set up shop here.” Additionally, the county this year purchased 14 acres at the junction of Interstate 10 and Highway 77. “I signed an option on the property 3 ½ years ago, and we got it for a very good price,” Massey said. “It’s worth a lot more than we paid for it, and it’s another opportunity for us. One or more businesses can locate there. We just want to make sure they are the right businesses.” Massey said the county is open to light manufacturing, technology and logistics businesses. He said the county has prospects in the pipeline. 102 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

“We haven’t even tapped into the south side of the interstate,” Massey said, “and we have an off-ramp off I-10. We have a very talented economic development committee in this county, very smart people, and we want to make sure that we don’t bite off too much to chew. We want to make sure that we can bring any project we start to fruition.” The county consciously worked to make Sunny Hills attractive to renewed development and has spruced up its front door. It worked with Florida Power & Light to replace street lamps on Sunny Hills Boulevard with LED replacements, and the difference, Massey said, “has been like night and day.” “We maintain the fountain at the entrance to Sunny Hills and take pride in it. We mow, pick up trash — these are things we needed to do way before Deltona decided to come back. The people were sitting down there in no man’s land with no help. We started making these improvements, and people thanked us.” New businesses are coming to the county seat of Chipley, due in part to the passage in January 2022 of a referendum allowing the sale of alcohol by the drink.

“Chipley is headed toward a little revitalization,” Massey said. “We’ve got a couple of really good businesses coming in soon. They’re fixin’ to start construction. We’ve got a Beef O’Brady’s coming and we’ve got a Grease Pro coming, but it’s not your average Grease Pro. It’s a bigger facility with a car wash and a tire store. “That’s something we have lacked in this community.” Massey raves about employees and commissioners who have enabled the county to make achievements that had never been accomplished before. “That’s a reflection of great leadership,” he said. “What do they say in the proper world? We’ve gotta be ‘results-oriented.’”

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850 Business Magazine | WINTER 2023 | 103

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Evolving and Surviving WestPoint textile mill is still humming

STORY A N D PHOTO GR APHY BY MI K E FENDER

nside a large, gray building on the south side of Chipley, a mix of stateof-the-art machinery and women behind sewing machines spin out textiles one after another. The machinery moves bed comforters along a metal overhead track system bringing the work to the operators while the sewing machines whir, stitching up pillows and edges of comforters. It’s just a day in the life of one of the few remaining textile operations in the country, and Terry Ellis couldn’t be more proud. Ellis is a vice president at WestPoint Hospitality, a division of WestPoint Home that has been in operation in Chipley for 40 years. Ellis joined the company in 1984 and has spent most of his career at the Chipley plant. He beams when talking

about the facility, the people and the products produced there. “I am so thankful for the employees who have stuck with us through all the changes,” he said. Ellis has had a front-row seat to changes in the textile industry throughout his life. His father, Ole Ellis, headed the Chipley Chamber of Commerce when a WestPoint representative scouted the area for a new plant in 1981. Ellis, who was 16 at the time, remembers his father going to visit WestPoint bearing a gift of Stone’s sausage from a local Chipley meat market. The public relations campaign was successful, and the Chipley WestPoint plant opened in 1983. The plant would grow until its heyday in 2005 when it employed over 900 people and operated three shifts, 24 hours a day.

Above: Senior manager Kris Graham, left, and vice president Terry Ellis look over stacks of materials used in production at WestPoint Home in Chipley. Right: Michelle Clayton works on a production line at the Chipley plant sewing edges on comforters. 104 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

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By 2000, WestPoint had 42 production facilities in the United States, mostly in the Southeast. The company is the product of the merger of three companies: WestPoint Manufacturing Company (founded 1866), Pepperell Manufacturing Company (founded 1851) and J.P. Stevens & Co. (founded 1813). By 2009, pressures in the global textile industry forced the company to announce the closing of the Chipley plant. Jobs were being moved to Mexico. Ellis finds it ironic that he was the one making the announcement that the plant was closing while his dad was the one who got to announce the plant was coming to Chipley in the first place. “But our employees continued to do their part, working hard,” he said. “Ultimately we were able to turn that around, and I was able to stand back up in front of everybody and announce that we weren’t going to close. It was a great day.” Richard Williams remembers the first meeting in front of the WestPoint employees. As executive director of CareerSource Chipola, Williams was on hand to help employees get training following the anticipated layoff. He said 106 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

the first announcement was a real blow to the entire region. Williams was also on hand when Ellis announced to the employees that the plant was staying open. “It was like being at a funeral and all of a sudden the body got up and walked away,” Ellis remembered. “There was just so much joy in the room.” Now, 13 years later, the plant employs 165 people. It is one of the largest employers in Washington County. The facility has a handful of workers who have worked there from the start and several second-generation employees. The plant operates in a space just under half a million square feet in size. Out of the 42 WestPoint production plants that were in operation at the turn of the century, Chipley is the only one left in the country. A second manufacturing plant now operates out of Bahrain. The challenges in a global economy have been devastating to the country’s textile industry. Ellis notes that many foreign countries have invested money and technology in their textile industry. “While wages have come up in some other countries, they still have a wage

gap with salaries in the United States,” he said. “We are extremely proud to still be here in operation and continuing to provide jobs for our people.” WestPoint describes its employees as “highly skilled and versatile.” Its website calls the Chipley plant “one of the “I am so most efficient cutand-sew operations thankful for in the United States.” the employees It also has compreswho have sion and monogramming capabilities. stuck with us “We are manufacthrough all turing products that the changes.” are intended for the top of the bed,” Ellis — Terry Ellis, said. “In most cases, Vice President, you are looking at WestPoint filled products, comHospitality forters, bedspreads, bed pillows and mattress pads. The items produced in Chipley supply retail markets across the country with one of their largest customers being Ralph Lauren. The hospitality division is a growing portion of the business, and Ellis says the

Left: Terrie Taylor and Denise Slay work at stations in the Chipley production facility producing comforters. Right at top: Maggie Jones, left, and JoAnn Fisher stuff and sew up pillows. Right at bottom: Sabrina Gillette operates a sewing machine.

company is supplying much of the hotel, motel and resort world with products. In 2022, the plant started using 100% recycled polyester fiberfill to stuff into pillows and comforters. Bales of raw polyester from recycled water bottles come into the plant, and automated machines turn it into the ultra-soft filling used in their products. In addition to buying from retailers, the general public can buy WestPoint products, including those made in Chipley, directly from the WestPoint website. They also operate a mill store in Chipley. The company stays connected to the community by holding backpack and school supply drives each year and hosting barbecue dinners at senior facilities among other activities. It tries to do something

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for the community each month, according to senior manager Kris Graham. Graham notes the company has also invested a lot of time and energy into safety and at this writing is currently riding a record 300-day streak without a lost time incident. “It’s a milestone for us,” he said. Walking through the plant, Ellis calls out employee after employee by their first name. The production line looks more like Santa’s Workshop than a factory. “It’s a pretty amazing story when you think about it,” Ellis said. Throughout his career, he has watched all the other major textile companies like Springs, Hillcrest and Cannon disappear. “They have all gone,” he said. “For WestPoint to still be here and be part of the process is something special.”

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Career Education Certificate programs, investment in tech benefit students

BY CAROL K ENT

he Washington County School District is working to evolve and stay ahead of changes brought on by trends such as AI and other emerging technologies. The district supports a robust number of career education initiatives and emphasizes the importance of helping children become comfortable with technology at an early age. Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are offered at middle and high school levels to enable students to begin exploring career paths at an early age. Certifications can be earned in information technology, culinary arts, agriculture, engineering and criminal justice. Students can also enroll in CTE programs at Florida Panhandle Technical College (FPTC) and Chipola College. Currently, high school students are dual enrolled in programs including Pharmacy Tech, Welding, Carpentry, Automobile Services, Drafting, Multimedia Digital/ Print Design, Nurse Aide and Orderly, Basic Health Care Worker, Diesel Engine Mechanics and more. 108 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

FPTC Director Bryan Lee said CTE programs help students discover interests and expand their skill sets. “Students may decide to earn a certification to support or enhance an existing skill or career,” Lee noted. “CTE also exposes them to a large number of options and new opportunities.” He said CTE programs increase a student’s employability and benefit the community’s future workforce and overall economic health. About 70 percent of Washington County’s 2023 graduating seniors completed their high school careers with one or more industry certifications. “While the more advanced curriculum and programs are offered at the middle and high school levels, we actually start with mapping career paths in elementary school,” said Susan Saunders, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction. “This is done through ageappropriate programs that get students thinking on the most basic level, starting with the simple question: ‘What do I want to be when I grow up?’”

School Superintendent Joe Taylor says building a foundation in digital literacy at the elementary school level is also a key component to the success of a student’s experience in career education. “We are one-to-one on computers,” he said. “Every student has one. This is 2023; kindergartens are going to learn to use a touchscreen. Some may ask, ‘Why do you need a computer for a first grader?’ The answer is because they’re going to use them. They have to be ready.” “If students are familiar and comfortable with basic technologies at an early age, they will be less timid about advanced technologies as they come along,” agreed Saunders. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), more than 17% of Washington County households are without broadband internet, and more than 29% are living below the poverty level. Taylor says the district’s investment in technology “isn’t an equalizer,” but it does help close academic achievement gaps and ensure that all students have access to technological resources that will help them develop much-needed skills. “Education is the sum of all your experiences, and you, for a variety of reasons, won’t have the same experiences as someone who came from a different community, a different area — or a different anything,” he said. “If a student has access to the internet and technology, they have access to be exposed to all kinds of skills and value-added work experiences.” Computers were part of an investment the district made after Washington County voters approved a half-cent sales tax in 2018 to fund school district capital projects and address educational technology needs. The 10-year surtax went into effect during the middle of the

PHOTOS BY FLORIDA PANHANDLE TECHNICAL COLLEGE PHOTOGRAPHY PROGRAM

Career and Technical Education programs at Florida Panhandle Technical College include one leading to employment as a pharmacy technician and another preparing students for work in the field of computer-assisted drafting. At left, a pharmacy tech student dispenses medication. Opposite: A drafting student using AUTOCAD works on an Alien Software computer.

district’s fiscal year in January 2019 and has since generated more than $6 million for technology and capital projects. Taylor says those funds, which also expanded the district’s broadband connectivity, paid off during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were fortunate in that we could provide resources to our students that other districts couldn’t,” Taylor said. “By the 2019–20 school year, we had a one-to-one ratio for students to computers and expanded our broadband infrastructure to handle increased devices

and data usage. This was instrumental in continuing educational services through these technological upgrades to students when schools closed in March 2020. Teachers were able to provide a video lesson, stay in contact with students and parents, receive online assignments and other technology support as a result of upgrades the district had made to technology equipment and infrastructure.” Taylor adds that the K-12 approach to digital literacy and career mapping gives students a much-needed edge once they are ready to enter the workforce. “It’s to prepare them,” Taylor said. “Students can go to an employer with these certifications and say, ‘I have this,’ and it gives them a head start. At the end of the day, we need a workforce. Growth is coming to Washington County. It’s our job to help these students be ready — and the opportunity is there for them if they have the skills.”

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Waterfalls, Wolves and Waterways Nature is at the heart of Washington County tourism BY CAROL K ENT

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Above: Falling Waters State Park is home to Florida's tallest waterfall plus a collection of sinkholes. Left: Distant dog relatives who reside at Seacrest Wolf Preserve in Chipley include gray wolves. Seacrest is one of the few places in the world where visitors can interact with pure-bred wolves versus being separated from them by fences or enclosures.

PHOTO BY COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO / VISIT FLORIDA (FALLING WATERS STATE PARK) AND SCOTT HOLSTEIN / RPI FILE PHOTO (SEACREST WOLF PRESERVE)

ashington County is among rural destinations tapping into its natural beauty to attract visitors and generate revenue. According to the latest data available from VisitFlorida, total visitor spending in Washington County was about $21.6 million in 2021, with about $7 million spent at local lodging and $6.3 million spent in local restaurants. That data reflects growth from 2020 visitor data, which showed spending of $18.5 million, a depressed amount due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, tourism generated about $2 million in state and local tax revenue and supported more than 300 local jobs with wages alone totaling more than $5.7 million. Heather Lopez, director of the county’s Tourism Development Council (TDC), said nearly all those numbers are a product of ecotourism. “With more than 382,000 acres of rolling hills covered with stately pines and mixed hardwood forests and 16,000 acres of pristine water, Washington County is home to some of the best outdoor recreation in the state and offers a rich local heritage through history and events,” Lopez said. Washington County’s ecotourism is largely tied to the crystalline beauty of its natural springs, where water temperatures hover at 70 degrees year-round. Situated mainly along Holmes Creek and Econfina Creek, the springs offer a variety of activities including swimming, snorkeling and kayaking to photography and camping. Popular among cave divers is the cave system at Cypress Springs, which reaches depths of at least 65 feet. Holmes Creek itself is a 34-mile scenic paddling trail, part of the 64-mile Choctawhatchee Paddling Trail. Tourists also seek out Florida’s tallest waterfall, located at Falling Waters State Park in Chipley. The

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At left: Visitors hike a trail at Pine Log State Forest near Ebro and a boy smiles through the experience of handling a juvenile gator at the Orange Hill Gator Farm. Opposite page: Far from the crowds that pack Gulf beaches, a sandy beach at Falling Waters State Park in Chipley appeals to people eager to take to fresh water or just relax.

73-foot waterfall flows into a cylindrical limestone sinkhole known as Falling Waters Sink and is the centerpiece of the park’s other features, such as its butterfly garden, lake and areas for camping, hiking and birdwatching. Ebro’s Pine Log State Forest is another popular destination, especially for campers. Although the outdoor enthusiasts are drawn to its natural beauty and recreation, Washington County also features a few nontraditional attractions. Notably, Seacrest Wolf Preserve offers a rare opportunity to experience wolves up close and personal. The preserve offers popular educational

walking tours, which take visitors through large natural habitats that are home to gray, Arctic and British Columbian wolves. Seacrest is one of the few places in the world where visitors can interact with pure-bred wolves rather than just view them through a fence or glass enclosure. Also characterized by efforts at species preservation, the Orange Hill Gator Farm works to dispel myths about alligators. Licensed through the Florida Wildlife and Fish Conservation Commission, the farm is home to more than 600 gators, including hatchlings. Visitors can arrange for a tour that features one-on-one contact with the baby alligators.

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The TDC has also coupled its popular nature-based tourism attractions with heritage tourism, notably the Washington County Heritage GeoTrail, a geocaching trail based on 32 historic locations throughout the county, some of which predate the county, itself. Players look for caches in four quadrants of the county, learning more about local history along the way. While nature is at the heart of Washington County’s tourism industry, Ebro Greyhound Park and Poker Room remains a popular draw for visitors. Florida voters overwhelmingly supported a 2018 measure to ban greyhound racing in the state, but the park still offers simulcast wagering, as well as its popular poker room. In addition to being the county’s only gaming facility, the pari-mutuel park is also one of its largest employers. The Poker Room is open from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m., Sunday to Thursday, and is open 24 hours each Friday and Saturday. The county is also home to one of the nation’s largest free festivals. Held the last full weekend in June, the Panhandle Watermelon Festival is a Northwest Florida tradition and features live entertainment on Friday night by country recording artists. In recent years, Friday night’s performance has featured Darryl Worley, John Anderson, Restless Heart and Mark Wills. The 2023 festival attracted more than 10,000 people. “We offer rich heritage, breathtaking beauty and Southern charm,” Lopez said. “Washington County is a place steeped in history and natural resources. We are the perfect place to get away from it all and experience life naturally.”

PHOTO BY COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO / VISIT FLORIDA (FALLING WATERS STATE PARK) AND COURTESY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY

For more information on tourism in Washington County, go to: visitwcfla.com.

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LAST WORD

FROM THE EDITOR

A Challenge Met FAMU students impress visiting editor

By way of preparing me to meet with her students and perhaps in the interest of managing expectations, Dr. Patricia MacEnulty offered me a quick assessment of their abilities.

114 | WINTER 2023 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

Magazine and informed them how members of the editorial team at Rowland Publishing arrive at the stories that get published. Pat, at my request, divided the class into three groups, and I challenged them each to come up with a proposed story list conforming to the template I had described. The students were to suggest stories not by adopting a foreign perspective, but to instead propose stories reflective of their own interests, experiences and frames of reference. It was not an easy exercise, and the students had but 30 minutes or so in which to complete it. When spokespeople for the three groups read their lineups to the class, I was impressed and Professor Pat was astonished. The students had done a marvelous job filling out their lineups with stories related to food, fashion, the arts, restaurants, home decor and more. They painted pictures of magazines I would surely read. In all of this, I was reminded that the best way to professionally advance an employee, thereby increasing his value to a business, is to challenge him, give him an opportunity to succeed and let him know that you expect that he will succeed. One success tends to lead to another while boosting confidence. The strategy doesn’t always work. Some folks marvelously succeed. Some discover limits that they cannot exceed. Others find a way to fail forward by learning from the experience and preparing themselves to do better next time. You always know whether to give them a second chance.

Thank you, Professor Pat, for the invitation. I enjoyed both the class session and huddling with several of your students after class when we talked about NBA basketball, sneakers and books worth reading. I touted Fun is Good by minor league baseball team owner Mike Veeck, who posits that people who enjoy themselves and the work they do will surely improve — I’ll buy that. They suggested the works of Robert Greene, an author who writes about power, success strategies and seduction. Students, I left FAMU knowing that you have stories to tell and the capacity to tell them well. Send me a pitch letter one time, and I’ll put you to work. Write on,

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

PHOTO BY BOO MEDIA / ROWLAND FILE PHOTO

“Some of them write pretty well,” she said. “And, really, their grammar isn’t bad. But they are struggling right now to write pitch letters to editors.” Pat, who holds a doctorate in creative writing from Florida State University, is a novelist whose favorite genre is historical fiction. She has also written a novel, From May to December, based on her experience working with inmates at the Jefferson Correctional Institution in Monticello. I recommend it as a sensitive portrayal of people who make mistakes and endure the pain of separation from life and loves for long years. She had invited me to address her magazine writing class at Florida A&M University. I gladly accepted. She greeted me on arrival and took steps to create a parking place for me, a gesture I greatly appreciated. Looking about, I found that the FAMU campus is a hub of individuality and self-expression. Students wear all manner of dress, from near formal wear to barely there. I spoke to Pat’s 19 students about my experience as a journalist and editor. I talked about the alarming drying up of community newspapers and the fluidity of the magazine business in which many titles rise and fall with trends. How long can we expect that Pickleball and AR-15 RECOIL magazines will be in circulation? But I also assured the students that I believe people always will value writing that is of value, and then I moved on to an activity I had in mind. I introduced the students to the departments that make up Tallahassee

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