Business Climate August/September 2013

August / September 2013

Baptist and Mayo Clinic Join Forces Q&A With Jesse Panuccio

Pensacola Hits Its Mark Vision 2015 a Success

>FROM THE PUBLISHER’S PEN

This community, the greater Pensacola area, owes much of its recent success, expansion and growth to the commitment of smart, savvy, capable individuals.

Nowhere is that more evident than in our own chamber of commerce, where business, non-profit and governmental leaders come together to brainstorm and achieve ambitious goals. For the past several years, one such goal has been Vision 2015, the addition of 3,000 high-wage jobs to our area.

When I received news that the Pensacola Chamber was hosting an event to unveil an exciting announcement, and that Gov. Rick Scott and Senate President Don Gaetz would be in attendance, I expected something special. I was thrilled to be present when they announced that Vision 2015 had met its job creation goals two years early, and that nearly 500 jobs were promised as part of the expansion of two international companies into Pensacola. As an investor in Vision 2015, I was proud of my fellow Chamber members and pride swelled in my heart at the renewed hope that Pensacola was reaching its full potential. Read more about the road to 3,000 jobs and these two new exciting companies on page 55.

Speaking of renewed hope for Pensacola, Business Climate recently spoke with Jesse Panuccio, executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. He shared with us how state economics and policy influence the panhandle and Northwest Florida, and talked with us about how to diversify our economy, serve as a pipeline between major industries, and become a player on the global economic stage.

Baptist Health Care, one of the single biggest employers in the region, recently announced an exciting partnership with May Clinic. On page 51, read about how Baptist’s membership with this organization will improve efficiencies in our local health care system, increase the quality of patient care, and better administrative tasks for all involved in making our area happy and healthy.

Finally, on page 62, Mike White with Your IT Solutions shares his usual wisdom with us on the importance of file naming.

Malcolm Ballinger Publisher

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August/September 2013

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Contents

August/September 2013

FEATURES 55. Vision 2015 a Success

DEPARTMENTS 48.

48. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Q&A With Jesse Panuccio 51. HEALTH CARE Baptist and Mayo Clinic Join Forces

51. in every issue

& 46

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60. AROUND THE REGION 61. PEOPLE ON THE MOVE 62. IT TIPS August/September 2013

August/September 2013 PUBLISHER

MALCOLM BALLINGER malcolm@ballingerpublishing.com BC EDITOR

KELLY ODEN kelly@ballingerpublishing.com ART DIRECTOR

RITA LAYMON rita@ballingerpublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER & ADVERTISING COORDINATOR

KASSIE MCLEAN kassie@ballingerpublishing.com EDITOR

EMILY LULLO emily@ballingerpublishing.com BUSINESS EDITOR

JOSH NEWBY josh@ballingerpublishing.com EDITORIAL INTERN

ELLIE GRABSKI ellie@ballingerpublishing.com SALES & MARKETING

SHARYON MILLER, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE EXT. 28 sharyon@ballingerpublishing.com RHEANA RICE, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, EXT. 31 rheana@ballingerpublishing.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS MIKE WHITE

OWNERS

MALCOLM & GLENYS BALLINGER PUBLISHER

MALCOLM BALLINGER malcolm@ballingerpublishing.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR

KELLY ODEN kelly@ballingerpublishing.com ART DIRECTOR

RITA LAYMON rita@ballingerpublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER & ADVERTISING COORDINATOR

KASSIE MCLEAN kassie@ballingerpublishing.com EDITOR

EMILY LULLO emily@ballingerpublishing.com BUSINESS EDITOR

JOSH NEWBY josh@ballingerpublishing.com SALES & MARKETING SHARYON MILLER, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE EXT. 28 sharyon@ballingerpublishing.com

RHEANA RICE, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, EXT. 31 rheana@ballingerpublishing.com SIMONE SANDS, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE EXT. 21 simone@ballingerpublishing.com WEBSITE:

WWW.BALLINGERPUBLISHING.COM

EDITORIAL OFFICES 41 NORTH JEFFERSON STREET, SUITE 402 PENSACOLA, FLORIDA 32502 850-433-1166 • FAX 850-435-9174

PUBLISHED BY BALLINGER PUBLISHING:

Member of:

NW Florida’s Business Climate Magazine and Pensacola Magazine is locally owned and operated. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents herein is prohibited without written permission from the publisher. Comments and opinions expressed in this magazine represent the personal views of the individuals to whom they are attributed and/or the person identified as the author of the article, and they are not necessarily those of the publisher. This magazine accepts no responsibility for these opinions. The publisher reserves the right to edit all manuscripts. All advertising information is the responsibility of the individual advertiser. Appearance in this magazine does not necessarily reflect endorsement of any products or services by Ballinger Publishing. © 2013

August/September 2013

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>ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Q&A With Jesse Panuccio

By Josh Newby

Florida’s economy has, by many accounts, led the nation out of the recession. With a lower unemployment rate, booming industry sectors, a revitalized tourism market, and greater emphasis on STEM education, the state has bounced back from the financial crisis with surprising speed. And while the work of increased job participation, better infrastructure, and greater incomes is far from over, there is reason to hope that a diversified economy and governmental support will help the state, and Northwest Florida, achieve those goals.

Jesse Panuccio is the executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), and is in charge of the effort to combine the goals of several different state agencies into a single state entity charged with streamlining and coordinating Florida’s various economic policies, programs, and services. Business Climate spoke with Panuccio about the state and local economy’s status, the DEO’s role in attracting new and different businesses to the area, the policies that are in place to ensure future upward job growth, and 48

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Jesse Panuccio, executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity

any threats to Florida’s continued prosperity and how to combat them.

BC: What exactly is the DEO’s role in terms of Florida economic development, attracting businesses to the state, keeping businesses in the state happy, and what local impacts of those services does Pensacola enjoy?

JP: The DEO was created in 2011, and essentially makes up three departments: strategic business development, community development, and then workforce. Those three things have a great impact on economic policy and development, but they were in disparate agencies and cultures. The idea here is to bring them into one house with one culture and one mission, which is to be friendly to economic growth and drive the governor’s policies forward. We have a local impact with things like Enterprise Florida, which helps recruit businesses to the state. Navy Federal and that whole project in Pensacola is an Enterprise Florida/DEO project. That’s just one example. Another impact for your local

August/September 2013

region in a way is lack of impact, because your local planning agencies and planners are now able to make more decisions with local control than they have been able to in the past, and I think you’ll find that political business leaders here welcome that change.

BC: Much has been said about Pensacola’s infrastructure, and how friendly it is or isn’t to a more diversified economy, one that doesn’t rely solely on military, tourism or healthcare. What is your opinion on our ability to sustain a more diverse economy, and how important is infrastructure to that?

JP: When we talk about Florida as a whole, what led our growth was an influx of people moving into the state, building houses, and then we had tourists. For years we found that we can have prosperity with those two things, housing and tourism. What we found out during the recession is that when you rely on housing and tourism, those are the first things to go during a financial

crisis, and when they go, they go bad, deep and lasting. What a lot of people around the state began to realize is that we have to have a plan. Tourism and housing are great, but we need to diversify. That really has been a statewide realization, that we need manufacturing jobs, aerospace jobs, we need business and professional services, we need information technology. In the Scott administration, we’ve been focused on those sectors, so while tourism and housing are still our strong suits, we’re developing other areas so we can better weather economic storms. I think it is the same story in Pensacola. Local leadership is realizing that those things help make a great economy, but they can’t be the only thing. When you talk to local leaders here, they want to be part of the supply pipeline for business in southern Alabama and beyond. How can we get the Northwest Florida economy so that we can get the connected companies to those larger companies to do business here? I think you are wellpoised for that. The great thing about Pensacola is that you have the sophistication of a larger city with a smaller town flavor. You can be just the right size to be big enough to attract those businesses, but small and responsive enough to rezone something quickly if need be. You have to have the political will to do it, but I think the medium size is an advantage.

As far as infrastructure goes, this governor is very focused on that, because he understands business. Ports are a great example. The governor and legislature have committed $421 million to ports in the last two years, including the port here. That’s a huge investment, and the reason for it is that we have a major Panama Canal project finishing up in the next few years and increased trade with South America. We are this giant peninsula that juts down close to those areas. If any state in the country can take advantage of that, it’s us.

BC: In this increasingly globalized world, what can Pensacola do to compete on a larger scale and deliver goods and services that those outside the region can enjoy?

JP: With a globalized economy, the thing to realize is that it’s a lot easier to become global through technology. You can have smaller companies and smaller footprints that actually are global because they utilize cloud computing and information technology. The thing to realize is that not every community in Florida is going to do everything. When

we talk about a diversified Florida economy, we don’t mean every town and every city has to be really strong in all 10 industry sectors that we measure. What we want is regional and statewide strength across the economy. So what Northwest Florida needs to have a conversation about is, where are we really strong, and what do we want to grow in, and how do we get there? And the conclusion might be to focus on two or three things, and I think that’s how you tap into the global economy, because everything is global. You have to play on your strengths.

BC: The recovery has been more sluggish than many have hoped, but Florida’s unemployment rate is below the national average. What do you attribute that to?

JP: Certainly, nationwide, you can say the recovery has been sluggish, but I think the story in Florida is remarkable.

We’ve had the second largest unemployment rate drop in the nation.

We went from 11.1 percent to 7.1 percent.

That’s a remarkable drop. If you look at 330,000 jobs created since the governor took office, that’s great. Our consumer confidence went from the mid-50s during the recession, to the low-80s now. If you look at tourism, we’re back to setting records. We’ve had 26 million visitors in quarter one of this year, which is a quarter record. So our state really is different than any other state in the nation.

What do I attribute that to? Is it an economic cycle, and Florida like everyone else, is slowly recovering? I think the answer is that there’s something more going on in the state, and that can be attributed to policy. Government doesn’t create jobs; that’s what the private sector is for. What we do is create an environment through regulation and taxation that allows businesses to thrive or falter. I think there’s an environment here that causes the private sector to prosper, because of tax and regulatory reform. We don’t want to be overreaching and overly intrusive. We hold agencies responsible to be responsive to their constituents. Permitting times have been cut in one case from 40 days to two days. When you think about what that means, that’s a whole extra month that the business can be open, paying taxes, hiring people, and supporting the economy. These are things that actually have a real effect, as you begin to spread that mindset. Another focus is workforce development, and a big part of that is investing in education, from K-12 to

university, especially STEM education.

That knowledge includes a real skill set.

BC: Much has been said about Gov. Scott’s 700,000 jobs plan, which he campaigned on. What industries/regions have seen the most gains and will that trend continue?

JP: There’s obviously pockets where we’re not where we want to be, but I think there’s a state-wide trend here.

There’s been a decline in unemployment and an increase in jobs. There’s been really strong growth from Tampa to Orlando. I want to stress that they aren’t anomalies, though. You’re seeing growth in the panhandle, in Miami, etc., at different rates, but everyone is coming out of this. Sector-wise, we’ve seen growth in eight of the 10 sectors. One sector we haven’t seen growth in is the government sector, and that means government is getting leaner and more efficient. We’ve seen a slight decline in manufacturing also, but we’re laser focused on that.

I don’t think it’s plateaued. Trendwise, it’s all very positive. Online job applications are up to almost where we were pre-recession. That really tells you something about what to expect from employers in the future. We’ve repaid our unemployment loan to the federal government, so all these trend lines suggest that we’ll continue growing. That said, we have to stay on course. We need policy stability.

BC: What do you see as the biggest threat to the Northwest Florida economy and how can we combat that?

JP: We need consistent leadership with a consistent vision. My hope is that what we’ve seen in the last two years will continue. Federal government policy needs to work on those tough budget choices, just like Florida has done. The inability of the federal government to get control of their budget and the debt is a threat to our state and local economy.

So, two things: keeping leadership consistent, and federal budget issues.

In Florida, we have so many advantages that other states wish they had. It’s a beautiful state that people want to move to. We have the right tax environment, the right regulatory environment, we’re right in the middle of this trade zone, a ton of land, and a lot of educated people. We need to take advantage of that, and have the right policies in place, and not be solely reliant on tourism.

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HEALTH CARE<

Baptist and Mayo Clinic Join Forces

By Josh Newby

Baptist Health Care recently announced its membership in the Mayo

Clinic Care Network, providing patients and doctors at the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campuses with a number of valuable, life-saving resources, including exhaustive information systems, electronic consulting connections, and access to Mayo-vetted medical information and guidelines. This partnership will likely further increase the quality of care patients receive and quicken deployment of the newest research and practices to doctors and administrators.

Photo courtesy of Baptist Health Care

Mark Faulkner and Stephen Lange August/September 2013

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“Baptist is the established, premier health care provider in the region, and by working together through the care network we can accelerate innovative patient care even more,” said Stephen Lange, southeast medical director for the Mayo Clinic Care Network. “Through this collaboration, patients in the Pensacola area will have access to top providers at Baptist, and also benefit from the leading expertise of specialists at Mayo Clinic.”

Mayo Clinic, the revered medical practice and research group based in Minnesota, is the first and largest integrated, non-profit medical group practice in the world. It was launched in 2011 and has member organizations in 10 states and three countries. More than 4,000 physicians and scientists, and 53,600 allied staff, work together to provide superior care to patients and important research to the industry. This team of experts works together in the Mayo Clinic Care Network to help more than 1 million patients, publish more than 5,000 peer-reviewed research articles, spearhead almost 9,000 active human research studies, and educate nearly 2,000 doctors. It is no surprise that this vast arrangement of constantly evolving practices and innovative medical professionals seeks out only the best to join their ranks.

“Health care is changing at a rapid pace, and that often

Stephen Lange, Mark Faulkner and James Lonquist

Photo courtesy of Baptist Health Care

Baptist is the first organization in the region to join the Mayo Clinic Care Network, and it remains the area’s only locally owned, non-profit health care system, now able to provide improved delivery of health care.

“Through this relationship, Baptist and Mayo Clinic share a desire to improve the delivery of health care throughout the region with high-quality, evidence-based medical care and treatment,” said Mark Faulkner, president and CEO of Baptist Health Care. “Working together, we can treat an increasing number of patients closer to home.”

Baptist Health Care opened in 1951 and expanded rapidly over the following decades, adding various campuses and increasing the variety of services that it offered. In the early 2000s, the hospital continued being an active and visible asset to the community, partnering with government entities and businesses to make Northwest Florida happier and healthier. In 2004, President George W. Bush awarded Baptist Hospital, Inc. with the much-coveted 2003 Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. Currently, Baptist Health Care employs more than 6,700 people and is the largest non-governmental employer in the region.

Two years ago, the leadership and administration at Baptist Health Care began work to bring Mayo’s expertise and experience to Pensacola. The process was one that involved a thorough review that examined quality, service and operational criteria. The assessment confirmed the commitment Baptist shares with Mayo Clinic in improving the delivery of health care.

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Photo by Josh Newby

presents challenges,” said Lange. “Mayo helps members overcome these challenges through greater collaboration among providers to improve care faster and more extensively.

Our core value has always been that the needs of the patients come first.”

Baptist Health Care professionals now have many more tools at their disposal to ensure life-saving practices are used as efficiently and effectively as possible, enhancing knowledge dissemination and coordination of patient care.

“Health care is notorious for slow deployment,” said Faulkner. “It can often take many years from the time research is conducted to the time that knowledge reaches the patient in the form of a procedure or medicine. Being a part of a network cuts down on that time from an administrative perspective.”

Baptist physician experts will now be able to connect with those at Mayo Clinic on questions of complex medical care using an electronic consulting technique called eConsults. They will also have round-the-clock access to medical information and guidelines through AskMayoExpert, a web-based resource created for physicians and other health care providers.

These tools, in addition to health care consulting related to clinical and business processes, will enable staff at Baptist to continue to put their patients first.

“We will have direct access to world-class expertise,” said James Lonquist, a cardiothoracic surgeon who recently opened the Baptist Vein Center in Gulf Breeze. “This partnership brings world-class knowledge to our community, and patients will benefit as a result.”

While patients who are admitted to Baptist will not necessarily see a Mayo Clinic doctor, physicians will have the

David Wildebrandt, Stephen Lange, Mark Faulkner, James Lonquist and Mayor Ashton Hayward opportunity to connect with specialists in the network and they will work together to ensure they benefit from access to the latest medical expertise close to home.

By sharing medical expertise through the Mayo Clinic, the goal is that patients will stay closer to home for their care whenever possible. In some situations, though, patients may still need to travel for specialty care.

“People can now travel here for their care,” said Faulkner.

“Care close to home is important, and patients now have a much greater set of resources at Baptist, which will allow a greater percentage to stay in Northwest Florida with their friends and family while they are treated.”

Faulkner also pointed out that this partnership is not an acquisition or merger. The Mayo network treats its members like independent health care providers, ensuring they remain community-owned and community-focused.

Many institutions that have partnered with Mayo before have seen increases in administrative efficiency and patient and family satisfaction. This collaboration between health care providers should be no different, as they work together to create a greater alignment around improved quality and patient experience. The Mayo Clinic Care Network helps ensure that, even in this time of reduced reimbursements and financial restraints, care will always be delivered with exceptional quality in the most cost-advantageous clinical setting possible.

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a Success

Written and Photographed by Josh Newby

In mid-July, the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, flanked by Governor Rick Scott and Senate President Don Gaetz, announced that it had surpassed its Vision 2015 goal of creating 3,000 high-wage jobsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;two years earlier than anticipated. The announcement also involved the expansion of two local, internationally based companies, iGATE and West Fraser, that will be hiring up to 485 employees in the area in the coming months. These efforts have been supported and sponsored by businesses ranging from small to multi-million dollar organizations for years, and partners and stakeholders could not be more pleased.

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Mayor Ashton Hayward

Sean McLaren

Announced in August 2010, the Chamber’s Vision 2015 initiative was a five-year job creation program focused on recruiting and attracting new businesses, helping local, existing businesses expand, and strengthening partnerships between the city’s military and private sector.

In any economy, but especially in the one Pensacola has experienced for the last several years, job creation is at the heart of any sort of development. It is for that reason that Vision 2015’s primary metric depended on the addition of high-wage jobs that would benefit the commerce of the region and the families of those who received the positions.

As a result, the average Vision 2015 salary is $50,000, about $20,000 more than the average Greater Pensacola salary.

In February 2013, the Chamber unveiled a strategic plan that would continue the

economy-boosting trend started by Vision 2015, even after the goal of 3,000 jobs was reached. This plan emphasized educational and military partnerships, the development of shovel-ready sites, greater local and state incentives for outside companies, and an exhaustive marketing campaign aimed at 56

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attracting investors.

In May 2013, the Chamber also announced the launch of its new economic development website, which provides resources to start-up entrepreneurs, emerging businesses and high-growth companies looking for everything from grant opportunities to help finding an office building.

More than 120 local investors played important roles in the success of the program. The Vision 2015 Benchmarking & Metrics Task Force, which was charged with validating how many jobs are committed to the region with the help of the Chamber, tallied the number of announced jobs that meet Vision 2015 criteria and determined that more than 3,000 jobs have been committed to Greater Pensacola as a direct result of the Chamber’s economic development efforts.

The growing economy and accomplishment of Vision 2015 has meant many benefits for local businesses and start-ups, but it has also increased the quality of life and revitalized Pensacola as a great place to live and work.

“As companies grow and the workforce expands, often we get preoccupied with the numbers and the statistics,” said Gov. Scott.

“Those are great, and they are important, but the real impact is the families. Pensacola is a great place to raise a family, and now it is a great place to get a job.”

Scott spoke on the high number of families who have been positively impacted not only by the creation of 3,000 jobs since 2010, but also the recent development of 485 new positions.

“These 485 jobs represent 485 families who now have a better chance at the American dream,” said Gov. Scott.

Though the area is no stranger to recent

hardships, speakers at the announcement were quick to point out Pensacola’s history as the western gate to the Sunshine State, an expression made popular by former mayor Vince Whibbs, and emphasized the city’s role in the state’s success.

Now, this success has been evidenced by iGate and West Fraser’s decisions to expand in Pensacola, adding jobs and diversifying the workforce and economy.

“The road to success in Florida goes through Pensacola,” said Gaetz. “Business expansion doesn’t happen without guts and leadership, qualities these two companies have. When people have jobs, things are better, properties are more valuable, neighborhoods are safer, and education is better. Florida is leading the nation into the recovery, adding private sector jobs like these.” iGATE, headquartered in Fremont, Calif., is the first integrated technology and operations (iTOPS) company providing fullspectrum consulting, technology and business process outsourcing, and product and engineering solutions on a “business outcomes-based” model. With more than 30 years of IT services expertise, iGATE’s multilocation global organization has a talent pool of more than 28,000 employees who work together to consistently deliver business solutions to more than 300 companies, including Fortune 1000 clients serving a huge variety of functions. The company owns CHCS Services, a long-standing local information technology company that will be expanding its corporate headquarters in the downtown area and hiring up to 385 full-time employees.

“Our center in Pensacola is one of our three delivery hubs in the US, and we are pleased with the talent available in the region,” said Srinivas Kandula, EVP and global head of human resources for iGATE. “We are happy that our efforts have contributed to the Chamber’s vision as we look to invest further in the region and continue to create jobs across our locations in the US.” Originally started in 1955 in Canada, West Fraser is an integrated wood products company producing lumber, wood chips, LVL, MDF, plywood, pulp and newsprint. Shortly after its conception, the company expanded and eventually grew to become the largest lumber producer in North America. The company operates more than 35 mills across Western Canada and the southern United States.

West Fraser will initially employ about 80 people for their newly reopened McDavid

Mill. In 2008, the McDavid Mill closed down, causing about 75 people to lose their jobs.

But the past year has brought the company impressive profits, and West Fraser has decided to reopen the mill, whose primary product is southern yellow pine. The company plans to eventually hire 100 workers, and is looking to Workforce EscaRosa for help with filling the positions, some of which are full-time and some of which are salaried.

“We are pleased to be able to restart our McDavid sawmill,” said West Fraser Vice-

Comissioner Gene Valentino

Bob Jacobson

President of US Lumber Operations Sean McLaren. “We are looking forward to training staff who will be working with us and investing capital to improve the mill’s operations. The jobs we support help build communities—and families. We see August/September 2013

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continuing growth and will continually invest to grow with the economy and our customers.”

“

The leadership of Governor Scott and the persistence and dedication of the business community have created a stable and predictable business environment.

”

Mayor Ashton Hayward and Governor Rick Scott

The Chamber’s Economic Development Department led both projects through the competitive site-selection process and helped them navigate the local and state incentive approval process.

Other organizations instrumental in facilitating these expansions include Enterprise Florida, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Escambia County and the City of Pensacola. Gulf Power Company also lent support to CHCS Services through its re-occupancy grant, an effort that supports revitalization of vacant facilities that have been closed for more than a year.

“Most new jobs came from existing companies, and it is always gratifying when we can help out one of our own,” said John Hutchinson, director of public affairs and 58

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economic development for Gulf Power.

With these latest job additions and the success of the Vision 2015 program, the Chamber’s next great initiative has already begun with the 2013-18 Greater Pensacola Area Economic Development Strategy. The strategic plan, which was approved by the chamber for implementation March 4, seeks to help improve upon Escambia County’s lessthan-average wages and compensate for recent cuts to discretionary defense spending that have impacted the area.

The plan recommends the establishment of a two-county regional inventory of certified shovel-ready business park sites and creating a $15 to $25 million Greater Pensacola Targeted Employment Education endowment to provide annual needs-based loans/scholarships to 200 or more area candidates, which would help guarantee an enriched and educated future. Other initiatives of the plan involve maximizing the effect of RESTORE Act dollars, promoting local job growth by retaining and attracting key armed services commands and establishing business retention and expansion programs, and strategically marketing the improved region.

When the Economic Development Strategic Plan was unveiled, then-Chairman Sandy Sansing emphasized the importance of residents to consider this a call to action for them to get involved in the future of their community, to have a say in what happens to the place that they are leaving to their children.

With these latest successes in tow and the Chamber marching on towards another ambitious goal, residents and businesses in the region are feeling the effects of greater consumer confidence and better-paying, more available jobs.

“Today marks a momentous occasion, not only for our state, but also for the residents of Escambia County and Northwest Florida,” said Gaetz on the day the Vision 2015 success was announced. “The leadership of Gov. Scott and the persistence and dedication of the business community have created a stable and predictable business environment, and as a result, more and more great companies are planting their roots and investing their futures in our Northwest Florida communities.”

>AROUND

THE

REGION

Deveney Communication honored for advertising creative work Deveney Communication has been recognized with seven Hermes Creative Award distinctions from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. The award winners were selected out of 5,600 entries submitted to the competition from agencies across the globe.

Deveney Communication was honored with three platinum awards, the highest honor, and four gold awards recognizing the firm’s advertising creative work developed and implemented for Windsor Court Hotel and the Center for Healthcare Advancement.

Hilton Sandestin Beach donates $4,352 to Emerald Coast Wounded Warriors Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Destin, Fla. donated $4,352 to local Emerald Coast Wounded Warriors on July 23, 2013 as a result from efforts to raise funds during the Big Dig world record attempt Independence Day weekend. Unfortunately, the Big Dig was canceled due to inclement weather, but Hilton Sandestin Beach still matched all donations and profits from the Big Dig Daquiri and T-shirt sales over the weekend. The Big Dig to break the world record for most people buried in the sand simultaneously is being rescheduled for spring 2014.

business news bits you should know

SERVPRO of West Pensacola opens doors to West Pensacola area SERVPRO, a premier cleanup and restoration company, has a new franchise in the local area. SERVPRO of West Pensacola will respond to the community’s property damage emergencies, ranging from multimillion dollar disasters to those suffered by individual businesses and homeowners.

SERVPRO clients include insurance companies seeking superior and timely restoration services, as well as commercial and residential property owners who require routine cleaning services. Based upon 39 years of experience, the SERVPRO System’s time-tested techniques and proprietary cleaning products have helped make SERVPRO franchises leaders in their industry.

Cox surpasses $10 million in charitable giving in southeast region Cox Communications recently announced the results of an independent economic impact study conducted for its Southeast Region operations. Among the findings, Cox creates and supports approximately 17,000 jobs with earnings of nearly $740 million in Louisiana, Florida and Georgia. The company also contributed more than $10 million in cash to charitable causes in the three states between 2009 and 2012, in addition to the millions of dollars per year Cox provides in in-kind services such as public service announcements, free airtime and employee volunteer programs. The economic impact report was conducted by Dr. James A Richardson, alumni professor of economics at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Richardson’s report concludes that Cox has a far-reaching impact on the communities it serves.

Greater Pensacola Chamber selects interim president and CEO The Greater Pensacola Chamber Board of Directors recently announced its selection of former Pensacola Mayor Jerry Maygarden to serve as the Chamber’s interim president and chief executive officer. Maygarden, who was unanimously voted on by the Board, will oversee all operational aspects of the Chamber and its tourism arm, Visit Pensacola. A former city councilman, Maygarden also served as a state legislator and majority leader in the Florida House of Representatives. He was the president and chief executive officer for the Baptist Health Care Foundation and has served as a senior administrator and chief development officer for the Baptist Medical System.

Pensacola State College makes list of Top 100 Degree Producers in nation Community College Week magazine has named Pensacola State College to its list of Top 100 Associate Degree Producers in the nation, for the fifth straight year. The

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ranking compares about 1,400 colleges, most of which are two-year colleges.

Pensacola State is listed under four-year institutions because it also offers baccalaureate degrees. Community College Week ranks Pensacola State at No. 36 among all colleges for degrees awarded in arts and sciences, general studies and humanities, also known as AA degrees.

Among four-year colleges, PSC ranks No. 14 in awarding AA degrees. For associate degrees awarded in all disciplines, PSC ranks No. 81 overall and No. 26 among fouryear colleges.

TownePlace Suites Pensacola honored with national awards The TownePlace Suites by Marriott Pensacola was recently honored with two national awards at the Marriott International General Managers’ Conference, held in Orlando, Fla. General Manager Becky DeCesare was the recipient of the TownePlace Suites Hello! award, and the hotel was presented with the Community Service Hotel of the Year. The winners were selected from over 200 TownePlace Suites hotels throughout the US and Canada.

Perdido Beach Resort wins “Best of the South” award Perdido Beach Resort has once again been honored by readers of Meetings Focus South magazine for maintaining overall excellence in the meetings industry. A recipient of the prestigious 2013 “Best of the South” award designating them an outstanding meeting property, Perdido Beach Resort was one of only two properties chosen within the state of Alabama. Readers of Meetings Focus South, as many as 25,000 corporate, association and independent meeting planners, based their votes on the properties that delivered the highest level of service and quality: specifically, quality of meeting space, guest rooms, guest services and amenities, food and beverage service, high-tech services and equipment, recreational facilities and activities, the efficiency and helpfulness of staff, and overall value and experience.

WSRE wins Telly award for Baseball in Pensacola documentary WSRE, PBS for the Gulf Coast, has won a National Telly Award. WSRE received a Bronze Telly award for the historical documentary “Baseball in Pensacola.” This honor marks the ninth National Telly Award WSRE has won for original programming since 2008. “Baseball in Pensacola” chronicles the rich history of America’s favorite sport as it unfolded in America’s first city – Pensacola. The film takes viewers back in time to meet teams from the 1800s all the way to the present day capturing the passion for the sport with local legends and baseball greats.

Pensacola Bay Center gains a new partner Coastal Bank and Trust, a division of Synovus Bank, is the most recent company to partner with Pensacola Bay Center, managed

by SMG. As of July 2013, the bank is the exclusive partner of the venue in the financial category.

PSC among most affordable in nation Pensacola State College is once again listed as a best value in public education, according to the US Department of Education’s annual ranking in June. Pensacola State College ranks in the top one percent in the College Affordability and Transparency’s annual report. In the survey of more than 4,000 colleges, Pensacola State College ranked 18th in lowest public tuition ($2,540) and 39th in lowest net cost ($5,336).

Local Pensacola resident appointed Rotary District Governor Ted Kirchharr of Pensacola, a member of Pensacola Suburban West Rotary Club for 17 years, has assumed the volunteer post of Rotary 6940 District Governor for 2013-14. As governor, Kirchharr coordinates the community and international service projects of the 51 clubs with over 2,500 members in Northwest Florida stretching from Pensacola to Lake City and south to Williston. He assumed office July 1, 2013 and will serve through June 30, 2014.

UWF HOSA Team places at national competition Four students on the University of West Florida Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) team placed in the top 10 of their respective categories at the 2013 HOSA National Leadership Conference held June 26-29 in Nashville, Tenn. The five-person team was able to compete in the national competition as a result of a Student Government Association travel grant and team fundraising. The students competed in various competitions related to problems in health that require extemporaneous presentations, essays or problem solving. Those who ranked in the top 3 include: Keanna Nimpchaimanatham, second place in Human Growth and Development, and Camille Wood, third place in Biotechnology. Two other students captured awards and placed within the top 10 of their events: Buu-Tran Duong and Dhivyaa Manickam.

ECUA presents Protector of the Environment (POE) award to Publix Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) recently presented the “Protector of the Environment” (POE) award to Publix Super Markets located in the Pensacola area. Founded in 1930, Publix Super Markets is the largest and fastest-growing employee-owned supermarket chain in the United States. Publix excels in community involvement, volunteerism and a commitment to diversity, which have all contributed to their success as an excellent place to work and shop. The POE award is a one of-akind initiative, which rewards local businesses and food service establishments (FSEs) that promote a positive, safe working and clean environment through the ECUA’s Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) and Backflow Programs.

UWF Foundation announces new Board of Directors The University of West Florida Foundation announces its 2013-14 Board of Directors, with terms that began on July 1. The new directors who began their terms are: Gail Dorsey, accounting coordinator for the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Inc.; Kim MacQueen, co-founder of Innisfree Hotels; Sherell Wood, vice president of the UWF Student Government Association. The 2013-14 officers are: C. Ray Jones, president; John Hutchinson, vice president; Richard Peterson, secretary and Wayne Williams, treasurer. Returning members of the board include: Laverne Baker, Judy Bense, Dave Cleveland, Doug Dobson, Rick Fountain, Alan Gieseman, Tim Haag, Brian Haugen, David Hightower, Dennis Larry, Dan McMillan, John Platt, Steve Riggs, Debbie Ritchie, Richard Sanfilippo, Gordon Sprague, Luke van Blaricom, Melinda Webb-Schwartz, Randy Williams and Brian Wyer. Retiring directors are: Keldrick Averhart, Patricia Denkler and Jim Donatelli.

PEOPLE

ON THE

MOVE<

Baptist Medical Group welcomes Senior Operations Manager Tony Taylor Baptist Medical Group, the employed physician network of Baptist Health Care in Pensacola, Fla., is pleased to welcome Tony Taylor, MBA, as senior operations manager.

In this role, Taylor will be responsible for the operational management of Baptist Medical Group’s primary care physicians, midlevel providers, and growing practices throughout the Gulf Coast region. Taylor brings 18 years of health care management experience and physician practice management expertise to the medical group. He joins Baptist most recently from HealthStat, where he cultivated a specialized medical practice from the ground up.

Blue Marlin Realty Group continues growth with new hire, Wendy Hayden Blue Marlin Realty Group of Destin announces the new hire of yet another realtor, Wendy Hayden, to its continually growing team. Hayden moved to the area 2 ½ years ago from Atlanta, Ga. Hayden has previously worked in sales, property management and leasing with a strong background of managing 200 long-term rentals from Destin to Navarre. Whether looking to buy a home or looking to sell or lease, Hayden is skilled and experienced to assist her client’s every need.

Brett Aldridge named corporate director of business development and strategic partnerships for BHC Baptist Health Care (BHC) has named Brett Aldridge to serve as corporate director of business development and strategic partnerships. Aldridge joined BHC in 2010 as director of development for the Andrews Institute. While continuing to work with the Andrews Institute, Aldridge’s role is expanding to support BHC’s overall strategic planning and business development department. In this new role at the area’s only locally owned not-for-profit health care system, he is responsible for evaluating potential affiliations and partnerships, identifying external corporate best practices and cultivating potential funding sources from grant agencies, vendors and corporate partners regionally and nationally.

To be included in Around the Region or People on the Move, email your news releases and business announcements to josh@ballingerpublishing.com.

August/September 2013

nwflbusinessclimate.com

61

>IT TIPS

5

Tips For What

NOT To Do When Creating A File Naming Structure

By Mike White

1. Do not develop a file name dependency File names are not actually part of the file, but rather part of the file system and are therefore not dependable as being persistent over time and across systems. The Unique ID (UID) assigned to the object should be the constant identifier used to track and maintain the provenance of the file. The UID may end up being the same as the file name, but whatever the case, be sure to embed the UID inside the file in an appropriate and documented place.

2. Do not over-think Whether the filename is a randomly generated value or not, be systematic. Think, “Is this logical? Can I spell out the rules easily enough to do batch renaming?” In trying to create the perfectly contained and expressed filename or UID structure, there is a strong temptation to over-think them to the point that they become non-systematic or too idiosyncratic to be logically parsed. If a naming structure is not systematic enough to have a piece of software perform a series of logical renaming steps, there will be lots of manual hours spent retyping names if a mass renaming of files is required at some point in the future.

3. Do not use filenames as database records Filenames are not the place to cram in a bunch of descriptive and structural information. That’s what databases are for! All we require from a filename and ID is that they act as a link to the database record for that unique object. Trying to cram excessive descriptive information into a filename creates unwieldy names and is

often futile because of how often conditions or conventions change and new scenarios come up over time. Having filenames that are tied too closely to specific scenarios creates inflexible structures that require non-systematic revision when situations change, which can put you in the predicament described in tip #2.

4. Do not make it machine-unreadable There is often an urge to make a file naming structure decodable by humans, but it also needs to be decodable by computers. Avoid characters that are not URL compatible, that require escape characters, or are reserved by operating systems. Limit options to numbers, letters, periods, and underscores.

5. Do not assume you will be the first person naming the file When establishing file-naming conventions for a collection, most people are considering it in terms of newly derived files reformatted from other sources. In reality, there will be more and more born digital content deposited with archives that already have filenames. In some cases, these can be renamed to fit the archive’s naming structure with no loss of information, but at other times, such as with P2 files, the inherited naming structure refers to complex file and directory structures that must be maintained in order to preserve the whole content. Naming structures should be flexible enough to recreate any necessary naming conventions.