2015
INWEEKLY
POWER LIST by Rick Outzen
I
nweekly readers love lists. The Power List is one that has attracted attention since the first time we published it in June 2007. Created on an Atlas Oyster House cocktail napkin, the first Power List was a halfhearted attempt to rank the most influential people in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. No one had ever dared rank people based on their ability to get things done. The 2007 Power List was published under the title, “Who’s the Man?” Fred Levin topped the list, followed by Judge Lacey Collier, Ted Ciano, Jim
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Reeves, Lewis Bear Jr. and included 45 other men and women. The list was published without fanfare, and we had idea how it would be received. Within hours of the paper hitting the newsstands, our phones began ringing. Some appreciated being on the list, others were upset they had been omitted. From the reactions, we knew that we had a hit. Over the past eight years, the list has grown to 100 people. We get more input from the community, asking past honorees and others to submit their top nominations. The screening process takes weeks as
people are moved and down the list as we get closer to publication. This year we broke out whom we consider the top most influential families—couples, siblings, parents and children. It gave us more spots for the Top 100 list, but it was difficult choosing only 10 families. The Power List has grown beyond the cocktail napkin and has become much harder to rank. The degrees of separation are slight and are what make this list fun to write and debate. We hope you enjoy reading the 2015 Power List edition.
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