Northwest Florida Business Climate March/April 2013

March/April 2013

Pensacola’s Best Honored at PACE Awards

Pensacola Chamber Looks Beyond Vision 2015 Also

Looks Like We Made It! • Network Audits

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In business, it’s important to have mentors or established business leaders to look to for guidance and inspiration. A few of our local leaders in business were recently honored at the Pensacola Area Commitment to Excellence (PACE) Award ceremony. The deserving honorees have shown exemplary skill and dedication both in business as well as the community, and each honoree’s commitment and hard work should be an example for all in our community to follow. They are truly Pensacola’s best.

Read more about the awards and winners on page 50.

In looking to the future economic stability of our region, the Greater Pensacola Chamber has been working on its job creating initiative Vision 2015, which is well ahead of schedule in reaching toward its goals. Despite the current success level, the chamber is looking even further ahead for ways to bolster the local economy and spur even more growth. Turn to page 54 for more on what the chamber is doing to strengthen existing partnerships and secure the future of this great region beyond Vision 2015.

Additionally, we’re recognizing Women’s History Month this March with an article on the reasons why women are especially poised for success in today’s dynamic business world. We’ve also got our regular IT tips column from Mike White on the importance of regular network audits, which keep everything in your network functioning properly and up to speed.

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>workplace

Looks Like We Made It! 10 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Be a Woman in Business

March is Women’s History Month, which serves as a great opportunity to celebrate the women who paved the way for so many who came after them. It’s also noteworthy, says Vickie Milazzo, because recent years have given way to such a fruitful time for women in business. She explains why women are taking center stage in the 21st century business world.

March is Women’s History Month, and this year the month marks 100 years since significant “strides” were taken by women suffragists who marched on Washington. It’s certainly a great time for today’s women to look back at how far they’ve come. (For example, consider that back when women suffragists were fighting for the right to vote,) even many women, let alone men, didn’t think they should play a significant role in politics or business. Today, of course, the gap between men and women continues to close.

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Just a few years ago it was believed that an “act like a man” mentality was needed for any woman to be taken seriously in business. Today, playing down femininity is no longer necessary. In fact, says Vickie Milazzo, the almost constant changes to the way we communicate, interact, innovate, and do business are setting up an opportunityfilled future for women “There’s never been a better time to be a woman in business,” says Milazzo, author of the New York Times bestseller Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman. “It’s undeniable that the more masculine command-and-control way of doing business is on its way out. Increasingly, businesses—and society in general—are coming to value more feminine qualities like participation, engagement, collaboration, relationship-building, and an appreciation for the greater good: qualities that come naturally to most women.”

“Of course,” clarifies Milazzo, “that doesn’t mean women are suddenly getting a free ride to the top of the corporate ladder.”

“As the women who fought for the right to vote have shown us, no wickedly successful woman ever got anywhere waiting for her big chance to be given to her or for women to suddenly become as valued as men in the workplace or anywhere else for that matter,” says Milazzo.

“And that’s not going to change anytime soon. However, it’s also true that a growing appreciation for collaboration, participation, and relationship-building have created a perfect storm for entrepreneurial and enterprising women.

These qualities are at the very heart of what women do best.”

“We should not be afraid to express them. Women have every advantage right now. It’s time for more women to harness their strengths. We’ve never been better positioned to make our mark.”

Read on for a few feminine features that make women primed to succeed in business, and how you can take advantage of them: Women aren’t afraid to take action. Whether it’s calling the plumber about a newly-sprung faucet leak while dressing your kids and packing your own briefcase…or changing your meticulously-planned sales pitch strategy on the fly because of a client’s last-minute request…women aren’t afraid to do what needs to be done.

“Successful women know how and when to take action,” says Milazzo. “They know that success is not about what you do when the road ahead is golden and every dip and turn smoothes your way. It’s about how you respond when you hit the biggest, nastiest roadblock of all time. By taking action every day, you develop the habits and discipline to make your vision a reality. When you focus not just on the idea but on making it happen, you stay in motion, not merely dreaming your passions but living them.”

Women aren’t afraid to ask for help. Since they were little girls, most women have automatically reached out to friends when they needed help, advice, company, or a

listening ear. That impulse isn’t surprising; after all, women are usually more communal and collaborative than men. And because women have often had to fight for everything they’ve achieved in the business world, helping each other has become a common practice.

“I pioneered the industry of legal nurse consulting, so there was no one to teach me how to do what I set out to do,” says Milazzo. “Yet I didn’t feel alone. I gathered the biggest CEOs and successful business owners in the country—at least those who’d written a book—and devoured everything I could find about launching a business. I became a successful student of business strategy for life.”

“Some of the best advice I received when I started my business was ‘Vickie, you will encounter many challenges you will not know how to handle. But there’s always someone out there who has already successfully handled that very challenge.’ Intelligent women know what they don’t know and when to seek answers. Smart women appreciate that what works today won’t necessarily work tomorrow, and aggressive learning is a competitive advantage to achieving any desired goal.”

Women are highly engaged. Women are the tycoons of commitment. Regardless of their profession, all women are CEOs; i.e., Chief Everything Officers. They manage careers, households, children, meals, shopping, event planning, and more—simultaneously—while doing everything in their power to make sure that not one single ball drops. The “edge” that this type of engagement gives them is a huge asset when channeled professionally.

During good times it gives women extra fire, and during bad times it keeps them going when they’d rather throw in the towel.

“Train yourself to engage (and overcome) your fears, to engage your goals strategically, to engage the not-so-funbut-necessary details, and to carefully evaluate the goals you do (and choose not to) engage,” says Milazzo. “This will give you the ongoing momentum you need to fulfill your ultimate vision for your life. Also, remember that a close companion of effective engagement is endurance, and that women have the true-grit type that can push them through everything from childbirth to years of night school on top of full work weeks. Don’t give up—but be sure to take a rest when your mind, body, and spirit tell you one is needed.”

Women are enterprising. As Milazzo has already pointed out, most women do a lot. They run a successful combination of a job, education, family, friendships, hobbies, etc. By anyone’s definition, that’s a complex enterprise! And the ability to keep multiple systems running and multiple people happy is an obvious asset to have in the workplace.

“Because women do think differently and indeed process the world differently from men, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they can take a supposed ‘lost cause’ and save it, or make an already-fantastic process or procedure even better,” Milazzo points out. “Being creative and entrepreneurial is in our DNA—just ask any March/April 2013

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woman who has managed to successfully navigate the complex world of office politics to get the promotion she deserves. Or, like me, who has started a successful business with little more than a good idea and determination!”

Women are great relationship-builders. Most women want to give their all to every relationship they have, be it with a coworker, significant other, child, family member, friend, client, etc.—and when they can’t, they often feel guilty. Our complex society of family, friends, career, and spiritual and social obligations constantly pulls us in different directions. This bombardment does lead some women to over-commit, but when tempered to a manageable scale, a natural willingness to build relationships set women up for great success today.

“When you’re in pursuit of a great opportunity, one source you can count on for harvesting more energy is positive relationships,” says Milazzo. “We all know at least one person who lifts our spirits and makes us feel more alive. It might be your mother, your spouse, a good friend, your children, or, if you’re truly fortunate, all of them. Surround yourself with positive relationships, especially with those who support your passions, and you will be eternally rechargeable.”

“

We’re not thrown by 10 things hitting us at once— that won’t wreck our day.

We’re wired for agility. Hand a woman an iPhone and you turn her into a captain of high-tech industry.

”

Women are natural multi-taskers. Chat up any group of women with a variety of talents, emotions, and intelligence and you’ll find most of them are juggling a dozen different projects, a handful of important relationships, and at least one pressing dilemma. Women excel at multi-tasking—a true leg up in a world that is constantly asking us to do more, more, more.

“Flexible and adaptable, women handle unexpected change gracefully,” says Milazzo. “We’re not thrown by 10 things hitting us at once—that won’t wreck our day. We’re wired for agility. Hand a woman an iPhone and you turn her into a captain of high-tech industry. She’ll set appointments, answer email, snap and send photos to friends and family, update Facebook, arrange a party, make dinner reservations, and text her husband to pick up the dry cleaning. We’ve learned to bend technology to fit our needs and increase our agility for handling more complex situations at increasingly higher and faster levels.”

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Women know how to collaborate. The rising use of Wikis and other collaborative software indicates the rapid acceptance of a growing need to share knowledge, ideas, and energies. Office technology has advanced to provide a platform for sharing, reviewing, editing, and completely rethinking documents or graphics. As our workforce has gone global, software has permeated the vacuum created when we are unable to meet simultaneously. And all of these things play to women’s communal natures.

“It’s only when we come together and engage in conversation that we raise new questions and think of possibilities at a collective level we would not have considered on our own,” notes Milazzo. “Collaboration is not just connecting with people. It’s also an attitude of helpfulness. Wickedly successful women know that playing nice is a sign of strength. Inside every woman is a natural collaborator. That’s a wicked advantage we have as women, an intellectual edge we can leverage for using our genius at the highest possible level.”

Women know the importance of mutual support.

According to a landmark UCLA study on managing stress, the bonds women form with each other also benefit their health and longevity. The hormone oxytocin, enhanced by estrogen and released as part of their stress response, encourages them to gather with other women. The bond that forms helps to fill emotional gaps and lowers the risk of early death. Men experiencing stress go into a fight-orflight response. Women’s broader response system may explain why they consistently outlive men.

“When women come together and share their passions, visions, experiences, fears, and promises, an amazing bond occurs,” says Milazzo. “From that bond emerge sparks of brilliance and insight that none of these women alone, or in any other combination, could have inspired.

Female Fusion is a truly powerful force.”

Women understand the power of giving. In business— and life in general—the best long-term strategy isn’t to get ahead and stay ahead of everyone else. Instead, it’s to partner with others—to give everyone a piece of the pie and build up the people around you—so that everyone has an incentive to win. When you give other people a bit of advice, a word of encouragement, a few minutes of your time, or even a sought-after opportunity, you’ll usually see valuable returns.

“Giving does not always mean pulling out your wallet,” Milazzo confirms. “Time is a valuable gift. Mentoring is a valuable gift. Spiritual or emotional support is a valuable gift. If you want more money, encouragement, or love, give it today and you will receive it tomorrow, but not necessarily from the people you give it to. It comes through other manifestations. By giving back, I have received more abundance in every aspect of my life than I ever dreamed possible.”

Women know how to trust their intuition. Women’s intuition is actually a scientific fact. Women have a larger splenium of the corpus callosum which accounts for greater interconnectivity between the left and right

hemispheres of their cognitive brains.

Some scientists believe this broader connection enables women to access both sides faster and easier than men.

Women are not more “rightbrained,” as is the myth; their brain functions are actually more holistic and generalized. Women fluently engage the limbic brain, where higher emotions are stored, and the instinctive brain, which is responsible for self-preservation. This holistic combination of emotion, instinct, and cognition equates to women’s intuition.

“Does it make sense to have such an extraordinary tool and not use it?” asks Milazzo. “Not in my book. By trusting my intuition, I created a new industry where a void formerly existed. My intuition told me lawyers needed nurses, even if they didn’t know it yet themselves. If anyone ever tells you one person can’t accomplish anything big, or you shouldn’t go against the odds, don’t believe it. Intuition worked for me.

And it will work for you. It all starts with your intuitive vision.”

“I’m not saying that women are ‘better’ than men, or that men don’t have as much to offer,” Milazzo concludes. “That’s certainly not the case. What I’m saying is that as the business world comes to value collaboration, participation and relationships more and more, women are going to be able to put their natural skills to work for them. And many women are already doing just that by taking advantage of greater opportunities to insert themselves into the big picture. What better time to celebrate this progress than Women’s History Month!”

About the Author: Vickie Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD, is author of the New York Times bestseller Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman. From a shotgun house in New Orleans to owner of a $16million business, New York Times best-selling author Milazzo shares the innovative success strategies that earned her a place on the Inc. list of Top 10 Entrepreneurs and Inc. Top 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies in America.

Vickie is the owner of Vickie Milazzo Institute, an education company she founded in 1982. Featured in the New York Times as the pioneer of a new profession, she built a professional association of more than 4,000 members.

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Pensacolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Honored at PACE Awards

By Josh Newby

The 2013 PACE Awards featured more than 400 local professionals and government officials, all gathered to honor and respect the greatest among their ranks with accolades and a posthumous tribute to Donna Fassett.

The event was sold out as six notable community leaders received recognition for their philanthropy, business savvy, ethics and service to the Pensacola area.

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The 53rd annual Pensacola Area Commitment to Excellence (PACE) Awards continues a long tradition maintained by the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce. The awards have honored 188 outstanding individuals.

The Emerging Leader of the Year award was created to honor an individual who has recently shown significant potential for leadership in business or community endeavors and who is expected to continue having a positive impact in the area. The award went to Brian Hooper, attorney at Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon.

Hooper has recently received a number of local accolades for his outstanding business integrity and vast knowledge of law and legal-writing skills.

Hooper also keeps himself busy in the community and understands the importance of giving back. He is an active volunteer with the chamber and the City of Pensacola, and has also contributed many volunteer hours as the chair of the Urban Redevelopment Advisory Council (URAC). Additionally, he routinely serves and provides support for the Boys & Girls Club, Pensacola Young Professionals, Five Flags Rotary, and many other local organizations.

“I feel very honored that others would recognize my service in the community,” said Hooper. “Being recognized as an Emerging Leader certainly wasn’t my intention. My goal was to simply help grow our local economy and make a difference for Pensacolians. It’s just the right thing to do. It’s a great feeling to know there are so many others in the community who share my desire to support our wonderful city.”

The Professional Leader of the Year award is designed for a person who has made a difference and contributed to the success of their profession by distinguished service to their trade. According to the award requirements, the individual must also be held in high regard for their stature, integrity and inspiration to others. Brent Lane of

Brent Lane The Professional Leader of the Year

Brian Hooper

The Emerging Leader of the Year Cat Country 98.7 received the award. His widespread popularity in the area is attributed not only to his national award-winning Cat Pak Morning Show, but also to his professionalism and positive attitude.

Since arriving in the Pensacola area six years ago, he has been recognized as a talented and innovative professional, also known for his insistence on representing Cat Country’s trademark yellow wherever he goes. His wife humorously remarked that she is unsure what her husband would look like without yellow.

Lane has helped his company grow from a startup to an area leader in listenership. He also runs Cat Country’s Christmas Wishes, an award-winning campaign that helps those less fortunate during the holiday season.

“Living and working in this community has been a special blessing for our family,” said Lane. “I was told early on in my radio career that to be successful, ‘serve your community at all times,’ and I have tried very hard to do that. This award means more to me than any other because it comes from my community. I feel like it means I’m doing something to better the community and contribute to the overall success of Pensacola and our area at large. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to provide for my family doing a job that I love, in a community that I’m proud of.”

The Community Leader of the Year award goes to a professional who has distinguished his or her selfthrough outstanding contributions in the form of a special project on behalf of the area. This person must also exemplify the true spirit of service. No one exemplified those ideals more in 2012 than Bentina Terry, vice president of external affairs and corporate services for Gulf Power.

Outside of Gulf Power, Terry busies herself with participation in many important entities in the community, including the chamber, where she co-chaired the initial fundraising effort for Vision 2015 and helped secure more March/April 2013

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Bentina Terry The Community Leader of the Year than $8.5 million in pledges. She also helped ensure that minority contractors were given the opportunity to be a part of the Community Maritime Park project. Terry has also recently launched Innovation Coast, which helps showcase the area’s vibrant technology community, and serves on the boards of many local businesses and cultural organizations.

“Pensacola is my home,” said Terry. “I want this community to be its best and to provide a strong, vibrant economic and social life for all its members—all parts of this community. Whether you were born here or moved here, whether you love the arts or sports, whether you are African American or Caucasian, whether you are part of the downtown crowd or live in Century, you pick your demographic. I want everyone in our community to feel like they have a place at the table and that Pensacola’s progress is their progress. So while it’s cool to want that, I know that is truly not enough. I am involved because I believe that I cannot sit back and talk about enhancing this community; I have to be a part of making it happen.”

The Business Leader of the Year award goes to an individual as recognition for outstanding success in business or industry through the development of a new process, product or service. The award also recognizes those who have made meaningful contributions to the local business community. This year, the award went to Mark Faulkner, who is only the fourth CEO in Baptist Health Care history. Since being employed at Baptist in 1993, Faulkner has enjoyed a meteoric rise within the company, credited to his thorough and creative knowledge of the health care industry and of the Pensacola community.

Under Faulkner’s leadership, the $650 million, 6,500employee company has received a national reputation in the Top 100 hospitals in the country. Faulkner also serves nearly a dozen local professional memberships and boards. He attributed his success to his faith, family, and the professional relationships he has cultivated over the

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years.

“I look at this award from a couple different perspectives,” said Faulkner. “First, I am a product of this community; I grew up here. As I looked across the crowd and reflected that night, I realized that so many people have directly influenced me, and this award is really a reflection of the rich and wonderful relationships with people who have contributed to my growth. Secondly, I represent our organization, and if I am the face of our organization’s accomplishments, then I receive this award on that behalf.”

The Pioneer Award was established in 1978 and honors individuals who make significant contributions, provide leadership with lasting impact and demonstrate a lifetime of commitment to progress for the area. Lewis Bear, Jr. is just such an individual, and serves as president and CEO of the Lewis Bear Company, a wholesale distributor since 1876.

Bear has worked tirelessly much of his career to improve the economic stability of Pensacola and create jobs. He is also a vital part of many organizations in the city. He has served the chamber, the Pensacola Museum of Art, the University of West Florida, Baptist Health Care Foundation, American Heart Association, and numerous other non-profits and community businesses.

“Over the past 50 years, I have been given many opportunities to work with very talented people,” said Bear. “Early in my life, I recognized my weaknesses, and have spent years surrounding myself with those who bring strength where those weaknesses exist. That teamwork has proven very beneficial for the organizations for which we have worked, as well as the community where we live.

It was a humbling experience to be recognized, and an honor to accept the award for all those with whom I have been able to share the teamwork.”

The evening wrapped up with a moving and respectful homage to Donna Fassett, who served as director of ARC Gateway, a non-profit provider of life-enhancing programs

Mark Faulkner

The Business Leader of the Year

County, ARC Executive of the Year and the Sertoma Service to Mankind Award.

“She was so engrained in the community, open to every idea, and no one had a bad thing to say about her,” said Brewer. “You don’t find that a lot in people, and her longterm involvement with ARC and the Pensacola community embodied her spirit of Pensacola.”

Lewis Bear The Pioneer Award for individuals with disabilities. Fassett passed away on December 27, 2012, after a long-fought battle with cancer, but not before being notified that she had won this year’s Spirit of Pensacola Award. She served the city of Pensacola for 33 years, helping any and all disadvantaged people that she could. The audience stood in applause three times during her tribute video, which featured members of her family, colleagues and people she had helped. Fassett received many awards and recognitions for her work from a city that owed her so much more. She not only defended her cause against cancer, but also against state budget cuts.

Fassett’s husband Charlie accepted the award on her behalf, fighting back tears. A somber silence fell across the room before those present erupted into grateful applause one last time.

“This award is a recognition of all the efforts that Donna put into the ARC and other organizations in the community,” said Charles Brewer, interim executive director of ARC. “Before Donna passed, she left a wish list of things she wanted accomplished within the organization, and we are working hard to make those things come to pass.”

Fassett’s services to the Pensacola community include involvement with the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, Kiwanis Club, Five Flags Rotary, the Arts Council of Northwest Florida, and ARC Florida Council of Executives and Fiesta Forces. Some of her honors include the Lifetime Achievement Award from ARC Florida, the Rayell Irish Award by United Way of Escambia

Charlie Merritt

Accepting on Donna Fassett’s behalf The Spirit of Pensacola Award

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Pensacola Chamber Looks Beyond Vision 2015

By Josh Newby

Vision 2015, the Greater Pensacola Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fiveyear plan for job creation in the area, has been a resounding success, and it is moving ahead of schedule, with more than half of the goalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3,000 jobs already created. The program has expanded local businesses and strengthened partnerships between the military and private sector.

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But the Greater Pensacola Chamber, area business people and government officials want to ensure that job growth continues after the 2015 deadline and that Pensacola continues to grow as a city and as a viable and attractive choice for business. It was clear to the chamber that a comprehensive strategic plan for economic growth and marketing was vital to the continued success of Vision 2015 and the region as a whole.

As a result, the chamber distributed a request for proposals in February 2012 to various consulting firms. In June 2012, the Strategic Plan Steering team selected Chabin Concepts, a California-based strategic solutions company, as its consulting firm of choice. They began work in July, travelling to West Florida to meet with stakeholders over several months and finally presented their findings and recommendations in the form of a strategic plan to Vision 2015 investors in February 2013.

The strategic plan, which was approved by the chamber for implementation March 4, seeks to help improve upon a number of somewhat troublesome facts.

For example, wages in Escambia County are at 79 percent of the average US salary, and Santa Rosa’s are at 68 percent. The ever-tightening federal budget could decrease the total economic impact of $5.1 billion that the 22,000 active duty and military/federal employees have in the area. In order to help compensate these possible setbacks and even to help build upon the current status, the new strategic plan is a comprehensive outline of specific tactics to ensure Vision 2015 continues to serve as a catalyst that stimulates existing business growth, improves the available workforce and spearheads community improvements more effectively.

“This strategic plan goes beyond the creation of 3,000 jobs, which we are well on our way to accomplishing,” said Jim Hizer, chamber president and CEO. “This is about positioning our future for success and prosperity.”

According to the report, military and tourism anchor the Pensacola economy, which is great for keeping the business climate as is, but the chamber and the new strategic plan are all about thinking bigger than that.

If Pensacola is to stand out as an economic driver and developer, the region must diversify, according to the plan’s executive summary. The Greater Pensacola Area must promote growth of administrative offices, tech companies, higher education, medical care, aircraft maintenance and repair, cyber security and an active retiree population.

The report acknowledged that Pensacola is quite successful at cultivating a good quality of life, providing ways and means of transportation for its citizens and outof-towners, and at keeping business costs relatively low.

Areas for improvement, however, include real estate, utilities and infrastructure, and a young workforce that wants to stay in Pensacola. In fact, it is projected that in the next 20 years, there will be a sharply declining number of 20 to 34 year olds, which means fewer new homeowners, fewer newly skilled members of the workforce, and fewer members that represent the heart of the new middle class. Furthermore, it is estimated that March/April 2013

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nearly 25 percent of the region’s children live in poverty, which raises questions about the possible future of an educated population.

In order to reverse these numbers and help Pensacola realize its full potential, Escambia and Santa Rosa county will be encouraged to work together even more to foster long-term economic growth.

“When counties and cities work together, they’re more likely to be successful,” said Tom Ticknor, the main consultant on the Strategic Plan development.

In this way, it is projected that Pensacola will resist the temptation to be average, and will stand out from its current Panhandle and Gulf Coast competitors.

Furthermore, the plan suggests a series of goals in order to beat the competition: investing in the best possible commerce parks, a nationally recognized business/education partnership, cutting-edge efforts to facilitate existing business growth, and superior economic development marketing, both internal and external.

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The strategic plan outlines two potential game changers and three key initiatives, all of which are designed to work in tandem to help achieve the above goals.

First, the plan recommends the establishment of a twocounty regional inventory of 500 to 600 acres of certified shovel-ready business park sites. It is estimated that this will take four or more years to fully realize, even by beginning immediately. Suggested funding for this would come from the possible $156 million between Escambia and Santa Rosa counties from the RESTORE (Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies) Act and the Escambia County Option Sales Tax Funds.

Secondly, 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 would help guarantee an enriched and educated future. The candidates would go on to pursue degrees or certificates in areas of key local workforce need at local technical schools, Pensacola State College or the University of West Florida. This would potentially be funded by RESTORE Act dollars, as well as state, foundation and private funds.

“To accomplish our aspirations for this area, we must first acknowledge the realities of our present circumstances, build on our realistic opportunities, and step by step, eventually accomplish our goals,” said Gary Huston, chairman of the Vision 2015 Cabinet.

The first of three key initiatives involves Pensacola playing catch-up to its strongest competitors in the region.

The report stated that many foundational elements of economic development are absent or underfunded. In order to correct this, the plan suggests maximizing the return on investment from the RESTORE Act dollars, communicating the needs of Escambia and Santa Rosa for economic development resource funding, and developing local leadership to serve as connectors among various public and private economic development players.

Also mentioned in this section are the revitalization of Pensacola and using the Urban Redevelopment Advisory Committee recommendations as a boost to the basic sector economy, strengthening the region’s technology and cyber security cluster, streamlining the permitting process for job-generating projects, upgrading the chamber to a more aggressive and developed facility, and finally, mentoring at-risk youth.

The second of the three key initiatives is to promote local job growth by retaining and attracting key armed services commands, accelerating entrepreneurship by reestablishing the local venture capital forum and working over the long-term to establish a greater Pensacola area seed and venture capital investment fund, and narrowing the workforce gap by implementing solutions to meet employer workforce needs in the present and future.

Additionally, this initiative suggests establishing a comprehensive business retention and expansion program to gather strategic intelligence and identify immediate business needs, supporting higher education expansion at

UWF and PSC that directly support employers in the area, improving the chamber’s small business support system, and focusing on minority business development. A big part of this step is the Gulf Coast Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), located downtown and designed to help small, early businesses that have what the industry calls “high-growth potential.” The CIE provides entrepreneurs with reduced-cost office space and professional guidance, all within an environment conducive to spawning rapid growth. The center is affectionately referred to as “the incubator.”

“Two key components of the plan are accelerating entrepreneurship and supporting small business expansion, and the incubator has already proven its success in doing just that,” said Hizer.

Finally, the very last initiative and step of this comprehensive plan is to strategically market the improved region. The first priority of this step is to greatly enhance marketing readiness by preparing collateral materials for immediate targets, followed by a strengthened two-county cooperation between Escambia and Santa Rosa that integrates both counties’ economic development marketing efforts.

Also important to this initiative is targeting to local entrepreneurs and employers (including minority-owned businesses), improving stakeholder communications by publicizing accomplishments to volunteers and the community at-large, promoting the region and encouraging the construction of targeted developments

that cater to the active retiree, and expanding proactive external marketing, but only once more sites are shovelready. Marketing is a priority once the readiness of the area has been accomplished.

“We are really excited about both the job-growth potential and the growth of great jobs for West Florida, both equally important to long-term regional prosperity,” said Bob Larkin, chairman of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee. “This Strategic Plan has been about 15 months in the making, and we have been working with both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, along with their cities and towns, to ensure regional buy-in and collaboration.”

Chamber leadership and maintaining/enhancing public/private partnerships are considered foundational to this plan’s success.

“Consider this a ‘call to action’ for people to get involved in the future of our community and to have a say in what happens to the place that we are leaving to our children and our grandchildren,” said Sandy Sansing, chairman of the chamber Board of Directors.

“Thousands of man hours went into the plan,” said Lewis Bear, Jr., president and CEO of Lewis Bear Company, who has worked tirelessly for decades to improve the economic climate of the area. “Everyone who had an interest in having input was given that opportunity through the many focus groups and public forums. It isn’t perfect, but nothing is. Let’s all get behind that plan, and our community will be better for it.”

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>it tips

Your IT Tips: Network Audits

By Mike White A Network Audit is an intensive diagnostic and planning service designed to check the critical components of your computer network for security, reliability and performance. To make sure your network is running at peak performance and protected from data loss, downtime, viruses and security breaches, this audit should be performed at least once a quarter if you are not having your network regularly monitored and maintained.

By evaluating your network once a quarter and reviewing your future business goals and objectives, we can ensure that one of your most valuable business tools, your network and the information it holds, is performing at peak efficiency and safety. One of our trained engineers will perform this audit, and then alert you to any potential problems they discover. We will then advise you on your options for remedying the situation.

The following components will be audited: File servers Backup system Network infrastructure and configuration Workstations, laptops and smart devices Foreseeable company growth and expansion Within each of these components, a plethora of issues will be investigated and any potential problems will be resolved.

Here are the five most important reasons to perform network auditing: Vulnerabilities: Using network auditing to assess the security of your systems and identify vulnerabilities is one of the most useful forms of preventative security available to you. These weaknesses can include unapproved services, or weak or blank passwords, and can be used to assess both workstations and servers.

Identifying these issues is that first critical step towards remediating them.

Patch Management: Network auditing can play a key role in your patch management efforts as well. You and your IT expert at Your IT Solutions can use network auditing reports not only to identify systems that need to be patched, but also to confirm that patches are successful.

Hardware Inventory: Network auditing can help maintain an up-to-date inventory of all the hardware on your network so you know exactly what you have and can therefore enable you to easily make hardware related decisions, such as which systems are getting old and need to be updated to keep up with the everincreasing workload.

Software Inventory: Hardware isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the only thing that is important to your workstation. Knowing what is running on your workstations and servers is just as important as knowing what hardware is running. How many Macs still need to be upgraded? Who is still running CS4 or hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t updated their PDF reader since 2009? Network auditing can give you a clear and complete view into what software is installed on your workstations and servers so you know just what you have and what needs upgrading.

Compliance: One of the most useful things network auditing can assist you with is your compliance activities. You can quickly and easily ensure that all systems are compliant with your internal policies, and can also be sure that you have licenses for all the software in use on your network. Too often companies find out too late that an open share enabled everyone in the company to install software that was only licensed for one or two users, and have to scramble to expand.

Network auditing may sound like an arduous task, but with the right tools and the right approach, provided by Your IT Solutions, it can be an easy to perform and critical aspect of your network management.

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>aroundtheregion

business news bits you should know

Innisfree Hotel founders Julian and Kim MacQueen give to UWF hospitality program Julian and Kim MacQueen have pledged a $250,000 gift to the University of West Florida hospitality program. As part of the MacQueens’ gift, the UWF hospitality program will be renamed The MacQueen Hospitality, Recreation and Resort Management Program, making it the first named academic program in university history. The partnership will provide the opportunity for current UWF students to work with one of the Southeast region’s leading hospitality industry companies, Innisfree Hotels, and will support the program in producing highly qualified graduates.

Sacred Heart Hospital to offer non-invasive surgery for brain cancer Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola is adding a new high-tech tool for non-invasive brain surgery, the Gamma Knife Perfexion. It uses finely focused beams of radiation to target abnormalities in the brain without open surgery. The advanced technology is used to treat malignant and benign tumors, vascular malformations and some functional disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia. There are now more than 275 institutions worldwide offering non-invasive brain surgery with a Gamma Knife. However, Sacred Heart Hospital will become the first hospital along the Gulf Coast to provide this service. The alternative to treatment with the Gamma Knife is traditional brain surgery, which involves certain risks and complications. Patients benefit from Gamma Knife’s non-invasive nature and documented clinical results. The patient often leaves the hospital the same day and returns to daily life.

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Pamela Bowen Schwartz gives $25,000 scholarship endowment to UWF University of West Florida alumna Pamela Bowen Schwartz recently bestowed a scholarship endowment award of $25,000 to the university.

This award celebrates Teachers Connecting Schools to Community on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Florida Alpha Delta Kappa. With this award, Schwartz also pays tribute to the teachers, mentors and scholarships which have enabled her to live the American Dream.

New company eyes land in East Milton A new distribution company is considering moving to the Santa Rosa Industrial Park in East Milton and bringing hundreds of new jobs to the area. Santa Rosa County Commissioners have decided to move forward with plans to sell a 35acre tract at the intersection of East Milton Road and Judicial Boulevard inside the industrial park. The name of the company has not been released. It is being referred to as Project Gold Rush by the Santa Rosa County Economic Development Department.

BBB Torch Award deadline approaches The Better Business Bureau continually works to promote ethical and trustworthy business practices.

The Torch Award program is your BBB’s annual awards honoring those in the community that exemplify ethics and integrity. Time is running out to participate: Friday, March 29 is the application deadline for all three awards, including the award for marketplace ethics, the customer service excellence award, and the student ethics scholarships.

Waterfront Mission increases beds for homeless Waterfront Rescue Mission relocated and expanded in April 2012 after more than 60 years in downtown Pensacola. Now, the newly built Men’s Rescue Shelter has added even more beds for overnight guests.

With the recent addition of bunk beds, the shelter is now able to accommodate 74 men in the overnight dorm, which is up from 37 beds. With a consistent overflow of transient guests, the bunk beds were installed to provide more sheltering services. The facility also has an additional 89 beds for various programs that are offered. Those programs include transitional beds for veterans awaiting VA housing, clients in the Learn to Read Program, those who are working but need time to save money and beds for clients of the Mission’s recovery program.

Call for nominations: Combined Rotary of Pensacola Ethics in Business Award The University of West Florida College of Business, in partnership with the Combined Rotary Clubs of Pensacola, is accepting nominations for the Combined Rotary of Pensacola Ethics in Business Award.

Criteria for the award is based on adherence to the high ethical standards of honesty, integrity and consistency in dealing with employees, contractors and customers, while positively enhancing the economic wellbeing of the firm’s stakeholders and providing jobs, opportunities and profits.

Additional criteria is based on participation in activities that are beneficial to the community beyond the provision of economic benefits and service as a leader or innovator in the firm’s business sector. This award will be given in spring 2013 to

peopleonthemove< one individual from the small business sector (less than 100 employees) and one individual from the large business sector (greater than 100 employees) to recognize those who exemplify the concept of “service above self” and who work to build a positive sense of worth within both the business community and the broader community as a whole.

Gulf Breeze Hospital named one of the nation’s 100 top hospitals by Truven Health Analytics Gulf Breeze Hospital was recently named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics, formerly the healthcare business of Thomson Reuters. Truven Health Analytics is a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare. The Truven Health 100 Top Hospitals study evaluates performance in 10 areas: mortality; medical complications; patient safety; average patients stay; expenses; profitability; patient satisfaction; adherence to clinical standards of care; post-discharge mortality; and readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure, and pneumonia. The study is celebrating its 20th year, and has been conducted annually since 1993.

Pensacola Bridal Loft named to The Knot “Best of Weddings” The Bridal Loft is pleased to announce it has been selected as a 2013 winner in The Knot “Best of Weddings,” a special section featured on TheKnot.com/BOW. TheKnot.com is the number-one bridal and wedding destination on the web.

The annual list includes the best wedding venues and the top wedding professionals across the country as selected by those who know best: the brides. The Bridal Loft has been dressing Pensacola-area brides, bridesmaids and flower girls beautifully since 2005.

Hampton Inn Hotel brand announces top award winners Two hotels managed by Gulf Breeze based Highpointe Hotel Corporation have been recognized as top award winners in the Hampton Inn hotel brand for 2012. Hampton Inn Pensacola Airport/Cordova Mall has been named a Lighthouse Award Winner, recognizing the top five percent of the 1,900 Hampton Inn properties across its worldwide system. This award is based on overall excellence in the areas of accommodations, guest service scores and quality assurance inspections. Hampton Inn New Orleans/St. Charles Avenue, also managed by Highpointe Hotel Corporation, has been named a Circle of Excellence Winner, recognizing the top ten percent of all Hampton properties.

Covenant Hospice president and CEO announces retirement Dale O. Knee, PhD, President and CEO of Covenant Hospice and the Covenant Hospice Foundation, has announced his plans to retire from Covenant Hospice and its affiliates in December 2013. Knee has served as the President and CEO of Covenant for 20 years, having joined in 1993. He has more than 45 years experience in healthcare leadership, 22 of which have been in the area of post-acute and end-of-life care. He is co-founder, with noted healthcare consultant and author Quint Studer, of the Studer Covenant Alliance that provides coaching and consulting services nationwide in post-acute organizations.

Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa appoints new wedding and special events manager Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, the largest fullservice beachfront resort on Northwest Florida’s Gulf Coast, announces the appointment of Kristi Purvis as wedding and special events manager. In her new role, Purvis will be responsible for seeking out and servicing weddings and special events for the resort, responding to incoming inquiries, presenting Hilton Sandestin Beach as the premier wedding destination in the area and working with all facets of the event support team from the banquet operations to the front desk. Purvis has worked in hospitality and event planning for the last six years, most recently as the CEO and owner of Kiss the Bride Wedding & Event Planning in Destin, FL, specializing in beach weddings and other special events.

She has also served as director of special events for her alma mater, the Florida State University Seminole Boosters, sales and marketing manager for Palace Entertainment and sales representative for Wyndham Vacation Ownership in Destin, Fla.

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>businessscene

...at the 2013 PACE Awards

Britt & Nell Landrum

Caroline & Ray Palmer

Dan Henson & Cam Johnson

Employees of McMahon Hadder

Lisa & Dave Cleveland

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