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850 Magazine June â&#x20AC;&#x201C; July 2015

IN THIS ISSUE

BACK TO HIS ROOTS Allen Bense poses on the family farm, which he bought back and is turning into a working enterprise.

850 FEATURES

PHOTO BY HOLLY GARDNER

The Secret of a Long-Lived Business Businesses that have kept their doors open for 50 years or more include a newspaper, beverage distributor, pharmacy, feed store and bank. We asked them to tell us the secret of their success, and the answer was near unanimous. By Chay D. Baxley, Shelby Bouck, Leanne Castro, K. Maxwell Greenwood and Ellen Pribil

Meet Allan Bense A former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and current chair of the Florida State University Board of Trustees, Allan Bense is one of the most influential and well-loved politicians and businessmen in Northwest Florida and the state. By Linda Kleindienst

Real Estate Rebound People are buying and, in many cases, plunking down cash for homes, second homes and rental properties. Surpluses of commercial properties are beginning to dwindle. And local real estate agents are once again smiling. By Audrey Post, Wendy O. Dixon and Zandra Wolfgram

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850 Magazine June – July 2015

70 18

Departments

Corridors

GUEST COLUMN

CAPITAL

17 Larry Sassano, president of Florida’s Great Northwest, weighs in on the question of how county economic development organizations could be held accountable for creating jobs.

In This Issue 12 From the Publisher 66 Sound Bytes 82 The Last Word from the Editor

Special Section DEAL ESTATE

52 What’s trending, what’s selling and what’s hot to buy in the 850? Find out here.

WI-FILES 18 As business and government face increased threats to their cyber security, thousands of trained workers will be needed to fend off the attacks. The University of West Florida’s Innovation Institute has launched the Center for Cybersecurity to help train them.

HUMAN ELEMENT 20 Looking for a new job? Hoping to snag a new employee? The job interview is important for the job seeker and the prospective employer. Here are some tips on what to look for.

MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES 24 More and more companies are embracing open office layouts with the goal of improving communication and increasing collaboration while keeping down overhead. But how do you handle the new problem: Time Bandits? On the Cover: Linda Figg takes time out from her busy travel schedule to pose for 850 in her Tallahassee office. Photo by Adam Cohen

The Bridge Builder Linda Figg’s Iconic Visions are Familiar Sights Around the Country

Secrets from longtime businesses Allan Bense on success ‘the right way’ UWF’s innovative cybersecurity Battle Lab

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70 Linda Figg’s connection with bridges began as a child who loved creating things, like sewing her own clothes and climbing trees, where she would sit for hours a day, “dreaming of building things high in the air.”

EMERALD COAST

74 See how three couples with creative ways of making a living or developing hobbies have set up a system to work together as builders, chefs and photographers.

FORGOTTEN COAST

78 Once upon a time, the powerful splashing blades of elegant wooden steamboats churned the waters of the Apalachicola and Chattahoochee rivers. Today, thanks to the hard work and dedication of a small army of craftsmen, historians, machinists and other enthusiasts, the maritime heritage of this laid-back tourism destination is coming back strong.

Special Report OKALOOSA AND WALTON COUNTIES Okaloosa and Walton counties 54 are at the center of the defense and tourism industries in Northwest Florida. 850 takes a closer look at how they are building on their successes.

PHOTO BY MATT BURKE (18) AND NIKITSIN.SMUGMUG.COM (70)

IN THIS ISSUE

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June – July 2015

850 THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA

Vol. 7, No. 5

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BRIAN E. ROWLAND

Delivering on the Promise of Technology

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL SERVICES Steve Bornhoft EDITOR Linda Kleindienst SENIOR STAFF WRITER Jason Dehart STAFF WRITER Chay D. Baxley CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tony Bridges, Edward G. Brown, Danielle Buenrostro, Wendy O. Dixon, Rochelle Koff, Rebecca Padgett, Audrey Post, Rebekah Sanderlin, Ashley Kahn Salley, Larry Sassano, Peter K. Studner, Zandra Wolfgram EDITORIAL INTERNS Shelby Bouck, Leanne Castro, K. Maxwell Greenwood, Ellen Pribil PRODUCTION SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan COPY EDITOR Barry Ray CREATIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lawrence Davidson PRODUCTION MANAGER/NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR Daniel Vitter SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Saige Roberts ART DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut PUBLICATION DESIGNERS Shruti Shah, Rebecca Sumerall ADVERTISING DESIGNERS Jillian Fry, Amanda Hartsfield CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS David Adlerstein, Black and Hue Photography, Adam Cohen, Mari Darr~Welch, Lawrence Davidson, George Floyd, Holly Gardner, Meredith Hill, Scott Holstein, Samuel King Jr./U.S. Air Force photo, Kay Meyer, Alicia Osborne

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MARKETING, SALES & EVENTS DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING McKenzie Burleigh DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS Daniel Parisi AD SERVICES COORDINATOR Tracy Mulligan, Lisa Sostre ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Bess Grasswick, Darla Harrison, Tanya Heath, Lori Magee, Rhonda Murray, Linda Powell, Paula Sconiers, Alice Watts SALES AND MARKETING ASSISTANT Christie Green EVENTS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR Leigha Inman OPERATIONS CORPORATE CLIENT LIASON Sara Goldfarb STAFF ACCOUNTANT Josh Faulds ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT Tabby Hamilton ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Caryn Nelson RECEPTIONIST Lisa Snell

DIGITAL SERVICES DIGITAL SERVICES MANAGER Carlin Trammel DIGITAL SERVICES COORDINATORS Jennifer Ireland, Rebecca Padgett DIGITAL SERVICES PRODUCER Chelsea Moore 850 BUSINESS MAGAZINE 850businessmagazine.com, facebook.com/850bizmag, twitter.com/850bizmag, linkedin.com/company/850-business-magazine ROWLAND PUBLISHING rowlandpublishing.com SUBSCRIPTIONS A one-year (6 issues) subscription is $30. To purchase, call (850) 878-0554 or go online to 850businessmagazine.com. Single copies are $4.95 and may be purchased at Barnes & Noble in Tallahassee, Destin and Pensacola and Books-A-Million in Tallahassee, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Pensacola, Panama City and at our Tallahassee office.

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850 Magazine is published bi-monthly by Rowland Publishing, Inc. 1932 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. 850/878-0554. 850 Magazine and Rowland Publishing, Inc. are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. Editorial contributions are welcomed and encouraged but will not be returned. 850 Magazine reserves the right to publish any letters to the editor. Copyright June 2015 850 Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Member of three Chambers of Commerce throughout the region.

NO-CLOSING-COST BUSINESS MORTGAGE Give your number cruncher something to smile about. AS LOW AS

SUCCESS!

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From the Publisher

A Changing of Our Editorial Integrity Guard

BRIAN ROWLAND browland@rowlandpublishing.com

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PHOTO BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN

A little over six years ago, after 12 months of research, we decided it was time to bring a credible business magazine to the 16 counties of Northwest Florida. The driving force was the fact that a state business magazine barely gave editorial recognition to our region of Florida as a “player” on the field of economic activity. This created a vacuum in the market that we chose to fill by covering the issues important to business in our region and shining the spotlight on those individuals who are developing and guiding this section of Florida to become an economic powerhouse in the state’s economy. Here we have thousands of acres of developable land, four major airports, three seaports (two already operational and one undergoing renovations), three major state universities, state colleges and community colleges, a robust tourism industry, leaders with vision, a growing aerospace/aviation/defense industry cluster and some of the finest beaches on the planet. For this company, it was also a fork in the road in our growth and development. The time had come to bring in a powerhouse of editorial integrity, ethics and experience to guide the direction of our consumer magazines and to become the editor of the new baby, 850 — The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida. We turned to Linda Kleindienst, a journalistic icon in the Florida newspaper world, who joined our team as the director of editorial services and editor of 850. Immediately I knew we were in for a good ride as Linda could read the lines — as well as between them — and we began to develop stories that quickly caught the attention and respect of our regional and state leaders, along with the owners of more than 10,000 small business owners hungry to gain information and guidance for their developing companies. Linda and 850 have won numerous state awards, including several from the Florida Magazine Association for Best Magazine and Best Written Magazine. And 850 was named the best trade magazine in the state several years running in the Sunshine State Awards sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists Florida Pro Chapter. These are not gratuitous awards. They are earned because of excellent story planning and writing, helped in no small part by the impeccable presentation provided by our design team and photographers. Now Linda begins a new chapter in her professional career. She has stepped down as director of editorial and will focus her talents exclusively on 850, continuing as the editor. I know this was a difficult decision, and I also know it is the best time in her life to shift into another gear and get out of the pressure cooker of managing the editorial content in 10 of our official magazine titles. Now she will be doing more of what she loves and does best — focus on credible business journalism. The magazine will benefit, and you as a reader will see more stories and some of the investigative work she wants to do. At the same time I want to welcome our new director of editorial services, Steve Bornhoft, who has moved from Panama City to Tallahassee to join our team. He is the former editor of The News Herald in Panama City, where he managed daily operations of the newsroom. And he has spent the last 13-plus years in a marketing management role for two regional banking institutions. He has also been a frequent contributor to the pages of 850. We welcome Steve and look forward to seeing his influence appear in our titles. In closing, Linda Kleindienst has had a profound influence at RPI. We have become a better publishing firm because of her, and I know I have learned much and become a better publisher. Thank you, Linda.

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850businessmagazine.com ONLINE POLL RESULTS

850 shared in the February/ March issue that Florida is losing TV and film projects because the film industry tax incentive program has dried up. The state Legislature is being asked to put money back into the fund. We asked our readers visiting 850businessmagazine.com is this the right move for Florida? YES

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES Check our online calendar listings for events occurring in your area or add your own. For a recap of meetings, speakers and grand openings, go to the 850 Business Blog on our site where you will find a recap of the Day of Dialogue speaker series, which is coming this fall to Bay and Okaloosa counties and is sponsored by Gulf Power.

SIGN UP FOR BREAKING NEWS Want to know the latest from 850 Business Magazine? Sign up for our e-newsletter and get updates about our website, video previews and additional offers. 850businessmagazine.com/ Newsletter-Mailing-List/

CONNECT WITH US … No matter what device or social medium, we want to be a resource to you. Find 850 Business Magazine in all the best spots. And be sure to join our group on LinkedIn and engage with other business professionals in the area.

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90%

NO 5% | NOT SURE 5%

CURENT ONLINE POLL

In the cover story of the April/ May issue, we revealed how local economic development organizations count their success and spend public money differs from one county to the next. Should there be a uniform method established to verify the number of jobs being created and to let the public know how its money is being used for job development? Visit 850businessmagazine. com/polls/ and take our newest poll now.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES

Flip Books: View this issue and past issues in a digital book format.

Archived Stories: Peruse our vast archive of articles. Deal Estate: View the latest real estate happenings and listings. Restaurant Guide: Browse our listings of select Northwest Florida restaurants.

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LONG LIVE LOCAL PERSONALIZATION When it comes to buying the perfect gift or a special piece of jewelry, a personal touch makes all the difference. That’s why Chuck and Cindy Smith’s two businesses in Marianna have been so successful. That personal touch is also why they trust First Commerce for their business accounts. Because at First Commerce, we believe in friendly service tailored to individual needs. So we work hard to support hometown businesses with local loan decisions, convenient account access, and a smile.

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“First Commerce looks at our financial needs as a personal matter, getting to know us and our businesses.” CHUCK AND CINDY SMITH, OWNERS SMITH & SMITH JEWELERS BESPOKEN GIFTS & ANTIQUES

Executive Mindset

Business Speak M ARKETING THE 850

Economic Developers Do Not Create Jobs BY LARRY SASSANO

jobs is based on what the community, the investors and the EDO’s own board desires as a measurement of success. In a perfect world, economic development success could be measured as follows: ■ Effectiveness — Is the EDO making things Deals Require a Team Effort happen? Is it achieving project goals? Is it conGrowing a local economy is a complex undertributing in a way that adds value to the project? taking. It takes public officials, private sector If the organization sees improvement in a projinvestors and practitioners (economic develect as a result of its participation, then this could Larry Sassano is president opment professionals) working together to be a measurement of success. of Florida’s Great Northwest, the 16-county regional generate a successful deal that will create jobs ■ Job Creation, Capital Investment, economic development and capital investments beneficial to not only Changes in Tax Base and Personal Income — organization for Northwest the company making the commitment but Perhaps these four measurements are the most Florida. He is the former the community that in all probability is also common variables used by EDOs today to meaPresident of the Economic Development Council making a commitment and investment. sure performance. But perhaps EDOs need to serving Okaloosa County. Since there is not one magic formula for meaadopt new metrics that better align with their suring the success of landing a new or expanded current work. deal in a community, let’s consider four objective measurements: EDO’s could look at a set of metrics that focus on their mission, (1) counting the jobs; (2) counting the capital investment; (3) caltheir functions and the resources they have available to them. culating the jobs per capita; and (4) measuring the investment In my research, there is no one magic measurement formula per capita. for success. EDOs either use the traditional four outlined above Now, let’s look at other factors that contribute to the success of — job creation, capital investment, changes in tax base and a deal: (1) the creativity of the economic development strategy; personal income — or adopt their own measurements based (2) the focus and depth of the project activity; (3) the economic on their strategies to support growth and development in their development organization’s (EDO) ability to generate the deal; respective communities. (4) the ability to properly document the contributions of the EDO to establishing the results of the deal. The Case for Northwest Florida These are factors that could be considered when evaluating a I believe what is of utmost importance in the 16-county region project, the deal and the contributions made by the EDO. of Northwest Florida is for Florida’s Great Northwest to continue to market and brand our region so the world we target for investGrowing the Northwest Florida Economy ments and job creation understands what we have to offer them Calculating how many jobs have been created and filled in a in return for their investments. single year by an EDO is not an easy task. There is no standard Florida’s Great Northwest measures itself on its ability to help method to report how many direct and indirect jobs come into a the local EDOs find success in the trade missions, conferences, community with a new business. site consultant visits and other marketing activities we coordiThe average community may work 20 to 30 projects at any nate throughout the year. Our goal is to present this region as given time. This includes the expansion of existing compaa globally competitive region so businesses will want to invest nies and the relocation or expansion of a new company to the and create jobs that help expand the economies and create a community. greater impact for all citizens. We measure success at the end It is difficult to find one formula that is universal in tracking of the year, by the percentage growth we see taking place from new jobs, and most EDOs will concede that it is a “gray” area, with these investments and the jobs that result from the partnering each community using its own method for tallying its success. among the local, regional and state organizations dedicated to Perhaps one of the reasons for this discrepancy in tracking supporting growth-oriented companies.

PHOTO BY MATT BURKE

ompanies create jobs and often, at least in Northwest Florida, with the help and assistance of an economic development organization at the local, regional and/or state level.

850 Business Magazine

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Executive Mindset

Wi-files TRAINING CYBER DETECTIVES

Cybersecurity 101 How new degree programs will help florida become a technology hub

ou’re sitting at a restaurant waiting for your lunch to arrive. To pass the time, you idly scroll through The Wall Street Journal, peruse your Facebook News Feed, check your email and then — without hesitation — log in to your bank account. Sound familiar? Unwittingly, on any given day, you could make yourself vulnerable to any number of vicious cyberattacks — hacks of personal information from your finances to your health records. Threats to online information have been around as long as the Internet, yet the issue has gained major buzz only over the past several years. To capitalize on the trend and generate a steady stream of students to populate a growing sector, universities throughout Florida have begun offering degree programs in the field. Aiming to position our state as a hub for the industry, the University of West Florida launched its Center for Cybersecurity in the fall of 2014 and will send graduates into the work force as soon as next year. A DEGREE IS DEVELOPED UWF Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Martha Saunders championed the center’s creation. Its functions are trifold — education, research and outreach. The degrees themselves are granted by the Department of Computer Science — which now offers undergraduate and graduate programs in both the technical and managerial components of

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BY ASHLEY KAHN SALLEY

cybersecurity, as well as certifications in the field. According to Saunders, the university conducts routine market research to identify programs in demand. Popular subjects are then tested to gauge interest among current or prospective students, at which time resources to launch a new program are assessed. “Cybersecurity is one of the hottest programs around,” Saunders says. “I have been told that about 2 million jobs in that field will be available over the next 18 months — jobs at all levels and in all industries.” The university works closely with area economic development partners to address the needs of prospective businesses, helping to foster a business-ready environment for companies wishing to locate to Northwest Florida. “The industry certifications, baccalaureate and master’s degrees UWF offers

BATTLE LAB Students learn to prevent cyberattacks through realistic simulations.

in the field will help to meet the growing needs in our region,” Saunders notes. “It is appropriate to house such a center at UWF where we have strong, complementary academic programs and faculty. We are on the front end of a major trend.” FROM BUZZWORD TO BROCHURE Professor and Chair of Computer Science Sikha Bagui knows her department has an obligation to stay ahead of technology trends. “Developing the center helped the university establish an interdisciplinary and multifaceted approach to our programs,” she says. Perhaps not surprisingly, teaching a subject as complex as cybersecurity requires tools outside the usual parameters. Every computer on the university campus is connected to the UWF network. (This is the same for hospitals and most major corporations.) But to teach students how to defend against cyberattacks, instructors have to create realistic scenarios in a place where such attacks can be simulated. That place is called the Battle Lab. Used for teaching as well as research, lab computers are off the grid, so what students do with them is isolated. One group attacks, and the other defends. The Battle Lab is unique to UWF, Bagui says, because schools rarely allow computers off their networks. “There are issues that can arise,” she admits. “We had to convince the university that we needed this freedom, because this is how our students learn.” One thing you may not find in the

Bagui says. “I think we are in the forefront because we recognize the need. It might take us a few years to find out exactly where we fit, but we are certainly not behind. I would consider us one of the major players.” As such, the University of West Florida is a member of the Florida Consortium for Cybersecurity in Tampa, where state universities collaborate to form the ideal cybersecurity curriculum. UWF is currently working to align its teaching, research and outreach components to achieve a Center of Academic Excellence designation. “It’s an exciting thing, designing a curriculum that didn’t previously exist,” Bagui says. “We’re really trying to base it on national standards, so when students come out of our programs they will be employable in major corporations.”

CUTTING EDGE Sikha Bagui, chair of Computer Science, says the key is to engage students early and excite them about cybersecurity.

Battle Lab is a surplus of women, an issue the center is working hard to combat. To inspire and attract young girls and boys, UWF hosts a bimonthly CoderDoJo group for children ages 7 to 17, where volunteers teach the foundations of coding and development of apps, websites and games. NETWORKING AT WORK UWF offers a highly technical B.S.C.S. in Cybersecurity, working with networks and computers to stop attacks. But Bagui is quick to point out the new M.S.A., conducted entirely online, is structured to give graduates a managerial perspective on the industry — and an awareness she believes most companies lack. “Cyber issues have always been there … it’s just now being highlighted more as a challenge or a problem,” Bagui says. As we become more and more

Photos by MATT BURKE

electronic — particularly with mobile devices — there are easier and more prolific ways of breaching security. So we sit and connect to the world using Wi-Fi without realizing the vulnerability of our private information. Awareness is critical, because people are not going to stop using the technology. “You have something in your hand that you can access to get your work done,” she continues. “Are you going to sit there and not do it?” Beyond offering degrees, the center functions as a base for cutting-edge research and community outreach — seeking grants, awarding scholarships and judging local high school competitions. “We want to get students interested, engage them early, make them aware of cybersecurity and excite them,”

THE NEED IS NOW On March 16, retired Navy Capt. Susan K. Cerovsky assumed the role of director of the Center for Cybersecurity. She believes the programs will be an all-around win for the university, the state of Florida, the nation and all of the businesses incorporated here and beyond, from financial and health sectors to the energy sector — and, absolutely, for the public. “Whether it’s the customer information held by retailers or personal details held by area banks and hospitals, we increasingly rely on cybersecurity innovation and a skilled cyber workforce to protect our people and our economy,” Cerovsky said. “Defending the United States from cyberattacks requires highly trained specialists who can design secure computing systems, write secure computer code and create tools to protect, detect and recover from malicious acts. The need is now, and the stakes are high.” To learn more about the programs offered by the University of West Florida, visit uwf.edu/cybersecurity.

850 Business Magazine

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Executive Mindset

Human Element UNDERSTANDING THE JOB INTERVIEW

TRICKY

Interview Questions

The interview can be the most important part of a job search — for the job seeker and the employer BY PETER K. STUDNER

hile it’s important to craft a strong, accurate résumé, most jobs are secured or lost in the interview stage. I never saw a résumé — and only a résumé — get a job. That’s why you should put more effort into preparing for interviews than you do into any other part of your job search campaign. While there are no perfect answers, some thought and discussion about potentially tricky interview subjects can help avoid disaster. Q. What salary are you looking for? Whenever possible, I suggest that candidates not provide a specific answer to this question until the negotiations phase, after a position has already been offered. To defer the discussion, try returning the focus back to the interviewer: “It’s hard to discuss salary without knowing more about the job or responsibilities.” Or, if you are discussing a specific job: “What is your range?” Then relate your experience to the salary range without being precise: “I think my experience would put me near the high end of your range, don’t you?” Q. What were you making at your last job? If at all possible, do not volunteer information about your past salary. A diplomatic way to put the salary question aside is to reply, “I was well compensated in my previous company but really do not wish to prejudice myself here by being too high or low. Can we delay this until after we’ve looked at all the aspects of your current need? What is your range for this job?”

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Q. Have you ever been fired? If the answer is yes, have a good explanation worked out and tested with friends. For instance: “We had a change in general managers, and although I had been doing a great job as you can see from my accomplishments, I was let go for one of his former associates.” Or: “The company decided to close down its California operation and offered me a job in Chicago. We would like to stay in this area, so that’s why I’m looking around.” Q. Can you work under pressure? Indicate that you can and ask the interviewer how much pressure is involved in the position. Learn what the interviewer means by pressure. The definition can vary significantly from person to person and company to company. If you are a pro at pressure jobs, describe a few accomplishments. Q. What did you think of your last supervisor? Whatever your true feelings might be, stay positive. This is not the time or place to list

your boss’ shortcomings or frustrating behaviors. I suggest responses like: “She was the kind of person I could learn from.” Or: “We were able to communicate well and things got done quickly.” Q. What is your greatest strength? Before interviewing, reflect on your personal strengths and make a list of them (e.g., “natural number sense,” “able to multitask,” “good with people,” “able to teach others,” etc.). Then tie each of them to a professional accomplishment. When asked this question in an interview, answer with the strength you feel best fits the position being discussed, and be sure to offer the anecdote that goes with it. Conclude your response by asking the interviewer if this is the kind of quality that would help his or her company. Q. What is your greatest weakness? As with your strengths, prepare a list of weaknesses beforehand. This time, tie each weakness back to what could also be considered a strength. Maybe you have actually come up with a way to mitigate your weakness: “I’m a stickler for details, but I do not want to be a micromanager. So at my last job, I asked each staff member to devise their own checklist of weekly tasks. It gave them some autonomy and satisfied my desire for quality control.”

Q. You’ve moved around a lot. How long would you stay with us? Make sure that your answer doesn’t make you seem indecisive, fickle or uncommitted. A good answer might be, “I’m seeking a long-term opportunity where I can learn and grow. Does this come with the position we are discussing?” Q. What motivates you? Try to tie your motivation to the work being done at this specific company. In addition, you could mention things like the opportunity to learn and grow, to work with smart people who are passionate about their jobs, to innovate and to contribute to the success of an organization. Q. What do you not like to do? This is a loaded question. A positive reply might be, “I’m the kind of person who does whatever is necessary to get the job done. When I do run into something disagreeable, I try to do it first and get it behind me. I have no particular dislikes.”

Q. How would your boss, coworkers and subordinates describe you? Be ready to give some examples of the kind of team player you are. If you are not into office politics and have harbored good relationships at work, mention it. And remember that the interviewer may ask your references the same question. I strongly suggest meeting with your references before the interview stage in order to talk through your career goals and how the reference can best support them. Q. What is the toughest part of being a manager? A good reply is: “To surround myself with people who are better than I am in their individual specialties.” Q. Why do you want to work for our company? Your reply could be based on its reputation for products, management, international scope, technology or as a nice place to work and grow. The most important

thing is to avoid generic answers. Know the products, policies and potential for you. Q. Why should we hire you? If you know the job requirements and can match them with some accomplishments, briefly share those anecdotes. Then say, “If there are opportunities to do that and more here, then this is a great fit.” Q. What has been your biggest failure? Discuss this question with friends, mentors and possibly your references before the interview. If at all possible, think of something you were later able to correct. Then the story isn’t just about a failure but also about a learning experience. Q. What kind of day-to-day schedule did you have in your last job? Stress action, performance and results rather than administrative work.

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HUMAN ELEMENT Q. How do you feel about the progress you made in your last position? Rather than discuss your feelings, per se, stress your accomplishments. For instance: “When I started with the Blake Company, I was given responsibility for operations in Mexico and Costa Rica. After I turned them around, they made me general manager for Mexico and Central America. How are your international operations performing?” An answer like this communicates great information about your value as an employee while still conveying positive feelings about your progress. Q. Did you have any frustrations in

your past job? Frustrations are a normal part of any job, and interviewers know this — so don’t claim you didn’t have any. Relate some of the bottlenecks you experienced, but more important, indicate what you did to overcome them. Q. Do you like to compete? Competition is great as long as it does not sacrifice the

rest of the team. If you are competitive, I suggest relating that quality to the total company effort and not to your personal ambitions. Q. How long do you think it would be before you could make a contribution to our company? Don’t be in a hurry when providing an answer to this question. There normally is a period of transition before a new hire learns the ropes. You might say, “If the transition goes according to plan, I would guess relatively soon. What would you expect?” Q. What was the last book you read? You do read. Saying that you don’t in this setting is a misstep. But be careful not to fib. Your interviewer may have read the same book! Q. Don’t you feel that you’re overqualified for the position? Ouch! If you have a lot of experience and the company is thinking of hiring a younger person, you may get this kind of query. A good answer

is: “I imagine my experience would make me more valuable sooner!” Q. Do you mind working for someone of the opposite sex or someone younger than you? It’s the job that counts. Stick to the job specifications and don’t get sidetracked on implications. Q. How do you take criticism? Most people have problems taking criticism. If the criticism is part of a formal evaluation program where you can learn and improve, that is fine. “I would welcome the opportunity to learn how to do my job better. Do you have a formal program for employee evaluation?”

You may not be asked these specific questions in your interview, but knowing how you want to answer them will ensure that you’re prepared to discuss a wide variety of topics that might come up. You don’t want to have to formulate a complicated answer in the midst of an already nerve-wracking situation!

Peter K. Studner is a career counselor and author of “Super Job Search IV,” in which he guides readers through the complicated process of conducting a targeted and ultimately successful job search campaign. And it isn’t “just” a book — it’s a systematic approach to finding a job that includes online resources and an app.

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NUMEROUS MEMBER BENEFITS Your annual Seminole Booster membership comes with numerous benefits. In addition to helping provide the necessary resources for our student-athletes to have the best experience possible at FSU, you will receive our exclusive membership package that includes the car tag, window cling, schedule magnet and commemorative poster. Members also enjoy exclusive Booster Life Events and priority on away game and post-season football tickets based on your membership level. Donate today at SeminoleBoosters.com or by calling 850.644.3484 850 Business Magazine

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Executive Mindset

Management Strategies OPEN OFFICE PITFALLS TO AVOID

OPEN M OFFICE the

How to gain collaboration without losing concentration BY EDWARD G. BROWN

JUNE – JULY 2015

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ore and more companies are embracing open office layouts with the goal to improve communication, increase collaboration and cut back on overhead by packing more workers into less space. In fact, about 70 percent of U.S. offices have no or low partitions (via International Facility Management Association). All well and good. Communication, collaboration and cost savings are worthy pursuits. Scratching out a competitive edge in today’s economy is harder than ever. Teamwork is essential. But every change has side effects. Workers in open floor plans are more exposed to interruptions, i.e. Time Bandits (those people who unwittingly steal time by interrupting).

They struggle to focus on their own work when activity is unfolding within their hearing and line of sight. There is the good, bad and the ugly of an open office environment, empowered by management, which has become a challenge in productivity for meeting deadlines. However, it doesn’t make any sense at this point to debate an open office, but rather to focus on how to make it work more effectively than it is now. Since the intent of open floor plans is to promote collaboration, it would be ironic if the price of collaboration were a drop in productivity with workers less able to concentrate. Make no mistake: Interruptions and distractions are not innocuous! Research shows office workers at all levels report losing three to five hours of productive time every day due to unwanted, unneeded and unproductive interruptions. According to Basex Research, U.S. companies waste $588 billion annually because of interruptions. Our polls reveal 93 percent of workers say “Yes” when asked if they are “often interrupted” at work and they say 68 percent of those interruptions come from inside the company. Face-to-face interruptions account for one-third more interruptions than email or phone calls (via Journal of Organizational Studies). When we asked employees how their inability to defend their own time affected them, they said: ■ It reduces my productivity: 66% ■ It reduces my efficiency: 77% ■ I make more mistakes: 41% ■ It creates more stress: 80% ■ It diminishes my job satisfaction: 60% So the question for companies transitioning to open floor layouts would be, “How to gain collaboration, without losing concentration?” The fix isn’t a physical one. It’s a matter of changing behavior. Employees may fear telling the people who steal their time that the interruption is inconvenient. They may think interruptions are not detrimental to their work. They may feel they should be flexible enough to tolerate other people changing their priorities for them. KNOW THE COST Therefore, before they will take the challenge and be willing to change, they need to realize just how much havoc interruptions cause them personally. They need to calculate, at the end of a normal day, how many interruptions they had and how much time those interruptions “stole” from their day.

When they do, they are almost always astonished (and horrified) by how much time interruptions steal from them. So that’s a critical starting point: Know the cost. COMMUNICATE The next step is to stare down the fear of deterring a Time Bandit. That means learning the communications arts and skills necessary for explaining how the worker’s ability to work without interruption also benefits the Time Bandit. That means finding the right words and tone, practicing the delivery, anticipating how the Time Bandit might object and preparing responses to any objections. TIME LOCK That is how workers sell their Time Bandits on the notion of Time Locking. Time Locking means carving out a specified period of time where the worker can work uninterrupted on a high-priority, specific, time-managed task that requires undivided attention, interrupted only by true emergencies. FOCUS Most people struggle with concentration anyway, even without interruptions; an open floor plan exacerbates any “self-interruption” habits. Fortunately, there are simple steps workers can take to change those behaviors. Many workers go through training so that they can focus (called Focal Locking) regardless of the environment by employing these new, learned behaviors. Of course, it’s not a one-and-done training event. No behavioral change is. It needs to be managed, practiced, refreshed and reinforced in order to have it embed into the tapestry of their daily lives. Time Locking should become a coordinated plan of reciprocal events, with workers covering for the Time Locker so that they can get their turn. Managers need to oversee the effectiveness of Time Locks and make sure they are used for appropriate purposes. When workers in an open office environment find themselves reclaiming hours of time every day once they master these techniques, managers need to make sure that reclaimed time is resourced appropriately, and only then will they see improved communication and increased collaboration within your company.

Edward G. Brown is the author of “The Time Bandit Solution: Recovering Stolen Time You Never Knew You Had” and co-founder of Cohen Brown Management Group, which provides change management consulting and training for the financial services industry.

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POWER BUSINESSES THAT HAVE TURNED THE BIG 5-0, AND THEN SOME

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he 850 region is sprinkled with businesses that have survived the test of time. Across Northwest Florida, entrepreneurs have built their companies on principles that were as meaningful a century ago as they are today. From newspaper editors to beverage distributors â&#x20AC;&#x201D; integrity, customer service and quality products have been the prevailing foundation for countless success stories. Many themes were widespread among these accomplished businesses. None perhaps more pronounced than the importance of finding the perfect balance of holding steadfast to the values of yesteryear while adapting to the modern conveniences and technologies of today. As many shared with us, being able to accept change is always key. With an assortment of service providers and establishments boasting histories far lengthier than 50 years, 850 has compiled a list highlighting some that in 2015 are celebrating 60th, 75th and even 140th birthdays.

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EMBRACING CHANGE IS KEY TO GROWTH

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LEWIS BEAR COMPANY

THE LEWIS BEAR COMPANY

PENSACOLA

ADAPTING TO THE TIMES has been the unofficial motto of the Lewis Bear Company for well over a century. Since 1876, when business-savvy Lewis Bear opened the doors to his combination grocery/chandlery in Pensacola, members of the Bear clan have shown that they have what it takes to weather the changing tides in their hometown. As the oldest privately held corporation in Florida, the company is now on its fifth generation of ownership. Over the last 139 years, the family has continued to transform its business model to ensure a successful transition into each new age. “We’ve just continued to change with the times,” explained David Bear, the company’s current vice president. “We started out as a small grocery company and just diversified. We carried different products through our grocery division, and then we got into other types of industries as a whole. We were involved in real estate at some point. We sold appliances. We sold firearms and ammunition.”

BY CHAY D. BAXLEY

SINCE 1876

“When they saw that they had to diversify, they knew that they wanted to build it for the next generation. I think that’s always been the philosophy — let’s don’t build it and sell it, let’s build it and grow it for the next generation.” –DAVID BEAR, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE LEWIS BEAR COMPANY

Today, the family business employs more than 200 people across the region. Getting back to its foodie roots, the Lewis Bear Company operates primarily as a beer, wine and liquor distribution entity. The sole distributor of Anheuser-Busch products for 9.5 counties in the 850 (all the way from Perdido Key to Apalachicola), the Lewis Bear Company is now falling under the umbrella of the food artisan movement, stocking many beloved local craft beers as well as a selection of 300 different brands of other adult beverages. According to Bear, discerning customers’ wants and needs have always been a component to the company’s success. “I think we were fortunate enough to have family members throughout those generations who were hungry enough to keep the business going,” reminisced Bear. “When they saw that they had to diversify, they knew that they wanted to build it for the next generation. I think that’s always been the philosophy — let’s don’t build it and sell it, let’s build it and grow it for the next generation. “Those that kept working, generation after generation, were always trying to look out for the next generation. We knew that next year there were going to be more mouths to feed. So we have to keep doing something different.”

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BUSINESSES THAT HAVE TURNED THE BIG 5-0, AND THEN SOME

EMPHASIS ON SERVICE HELPS RETAILER COMPETE WITH CORPORATE GIANTS BY ELLEN PRIBIL GRAMLING’S INC.

TALLAHASSEE

SINCE 1915

IN EARLY 1915, O.I. Gramling Sr. opened a feed store a block from the state Capitol in the old Union Bank building on South Adams Street in downtown Tallahassee. Successful, comfortable and cozy, the only thing that has changed for Gramling’s in the past 100 years is “You’ve got to have the store’s location — it moved just a little farther something you’re away from the Capitol in 1925 to have better access to the railroad. And that kind of change is just how interested in. I don’t the family likes it. recommend someIn 1980, when Stan Gramling, the store’s current one getting into a owner and operator, was busy pursuing a music business they might career, his uncle, O.I. Gramling Jr., and father, Cay be just educated for Gramling, were composing something all their own but don’t like. You — an exit strategy from the business. have to really love But Stan Gramling had a different idea. For him, it it and be passionate was never much of a choice. Gramling’s was always to give it the right destined to be a family business. It doesn’t hurt that amount of time.” he loves what he’s doing, either. – STAN GRAMLING, “You’ve got to have something you’re interested GRAMLING’S in,” he said. “I don’t recommend someone getting into CURRENT OWNER a business they might be just educated for but don’t AND OPERATOR

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like. You have to really love it and be passionate to give it the right amount of time.” Gramling’s secret to longevity is no secret at all. Having just celebrated its centennial, the garden center/feed store embraces the time-tested principles of exemplary service, quality products and an honest approach to business. According to Stan Gramling, in this region, that’s always a recipe for success. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that said success has always come easily through the years. For Gramling’s and many other small retail outlets across Northwest Florida, the biggest obstacle has been holding on to business in the face of rapid growth from “big box” chains. After the debut of stores such as Lowe’s and Home Depot in the mid-1980s, places like Gramling’s were compelled to up their game. The forces behind this business say they’ve gained the competitive edge. With a motto of “Take a trip to the past, where old-fashioned service is still a daily routine,” it’s hard not to feel a bit of nostalgia when you walk in the door at Gramling’s. But that’s not all it has going for it. As of 2015, Gramling’s is equipped with an immaculately designed website, as well as an entire array of social media outlets — including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. So perhaps things other than location have changed.

EXPERIENCE PLUS RELENTLESSNESS EQUALS SUCCESS BY LEANNE CASTRO

PHOTOS BY MATT BURKE (NICK’S RESTAURANT) AND BLACK AND HUE PHOTOGRAPHY (GRAMLINGS, INC.) AND COURTESY OF FREEMAN ELECTRIC

FREEMAN ELECTRIC COMPANY | PANAMA CITY SINCE 1936

WHEN FREEMAN ELECTRIC COMPANY does business it doesn’t go halfway. Owned by brothers Mike and John Thomas Duncan, the company manufactures and installs lighted signs everywhere from Miami to Tennessee. The individual processes of manufacturing and installing signs are each involved enough to merit the establishment of an entire business dedicated to just one process. Freeman Electric, however, does both. “You name it, we do it. From design to installation, we do it all. We’ve been here since 1936, and we’ve survived because we refuse to give up. And times are getting better,” said owner/operator Mike Duncan. This ability to function as a one-stop shop for businesses looking for a sign to display is due in part to the company’s facility: a 40,000-square-foot manufacturing plant. However, successfully running a business for nearly 80 years cannot be credited to facilities alone. The Duncan brothers learned from that most valuable of teachers: experience. Mike Duncan has been working at Freeman for 40 years now, starting at age 14 when he would go into the plant and help out his dad, co-founder J.T. Duncan Jr. Ever since, the Panama City business has been a family affair. Mike and John followed in their dad’s footsteps (he bought the company from H.O. Freeman Jr.) by buying the company following his death, and now Mike’s son Chris works in the plant. This pattern of growing up working at the company and eventually buying it from your father is clearly working for them, as they are currently responsible for the signage of corporations as big as Sonny’s BBQ and Texaco gas stations. There is another pattern that is crucial to their success — relentlessness. “The key to success is to cowboy up every day and go to work. Never give up,” said Mike Duncan. Of course, hard work alone cannot sustain a business. The Duncans know this, hence they have consciously established positive relationships with everyone involved in making them a success. “I’ve got a lot of people that I depend on. Our employees are treated very, very well. In fact, there’s been many times on Christmas Eve where all my guys come to my house. They’re more family than they are employees. When they have problems, they know who to come to,” Mike Duncan said.

A FAMILY AFFAIR FROM THE START

BY SHELBY BOUCK

NICK’S RESTAURANT | TALLAHASSEE | SINCE 1955

JIMMY MITCHELL’S FAMILY has a long history in the restaurant business. “My parents came over from Greece in 1947 — Nick and Irene Michel,” Mitchell said. “I was conceived in Athens and born three months after they got here. My Uncle Nick at the M&M had a restaurant over on Jefferson Street, and my dad worked for him, and my Uncle George owned a restaurant that’s now Angelo’s.” (Angelo, incidentally, is Mitchell’s first cousin.) After a few years, serendipity struck. “My dad met Judge John Rudd and actually he helped him put up the money to buy it. Judge Rudd liked my dad, and within a month or two at the new restaurant Daddy made enough money to buy him out.” “We still have That was in 1955. Nick’s Restaurant on Tallahassome of the see’s South Monroe Street quickly became a housesame dishes hold project. that we had “Of course, all the kids, all five of us, we all back then … worked there … I remember washing dishes at the and we always sink. I had to turn over a Coke crate to reach the make sure that sink. In 1967, I started working full time for him, we sell what and in 1978 I bought him out.” we like, what A mix of traditional dishes and daily-changing we think’s lunch specials has been a big part of the success of the best, not Nick’s Restaurant — and Mitchell. what’s the “We still have some of the same dishes that we cheapest. We had back then,” Mitchell elaborated. “When people don’t try to cut got more health-conscious, we tried to add more corners, and healthy meals. We always had the vegetables, which we don’t try to people need to be eating anyway, but they don’t. I get too fancy.” still make my mother’s spaghetti recipe. And we – JIMMY always make sure that we sell what we like, what we MITCHELL, think’s the best, not what’s the cheapest. We don’t OWNER OF NICK’S try to cut corners, and we don’t try to get too fancy.” RESTAURANT

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BUSINESSES THAT HAVE TURNED THE BIG 5-0, AND THEN SOME

A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS BY CHAY D. BAXLEY APALACHICOLA SEAFOOD GRILL & STEAKHOUSE APALACHICOLA | SINCE 1903

BEVERLY HEWITT AND HER BUSINESS PARTNER, Jerry Hall, are the owners of Apalachicola Seafood Grill & Steakhouse — an establishment that opened its doors in 1903. The restaurant, still in its original location, holds the very first business license Franklin County ever issued. According to Hewitt — the sassy Bostonian who purchased the restaurant from her brother in 1992 in a failed attempt to “retire” in sunny Florida — one of The Grill’s crowning achievements is having a knack for delivering exactly what its clientele is after. A great address, she’ll tell you, never hurt either. “Look where we are,” Hewitt said. “We’re on the Gulf of Mexico. What do you think people come here for? Liver and onions? No. They come here for seafood.” Longevity in the hospitality industry can be a tricky thing to master. When a single restaurant has been in business for more than 100 years, you’d better believe they have something figured out. Over the past two decades, the restaurant has transitioned from being a local hangout to an eatery now largely catering to tourists and seasonal residents. For The Grill, Hewitt shared, change is always on the menu. “Back in 1992,” recalled Hewitt, “there weren’t all that many tourists here. Now we do between 85,000 and 100,000 a year through these doors. Before, we would have been lucky if we were doing 30 lunches. Now, a slow lunch is 200.” From clever marketing ploys to a dedication to habitual updates, staying fresh and relevant is the key to these epicures’ success. “It was always called The Grill,” said Hewitt. “We put Apalachicola in front of it so it would be first in the phone book.” Though smart and amusing, it’s not the only tactic Hewitt and partner Hall have deployed over the years. In December 2014, the restaurant shut down completely for three weeks while it underwent more than $45,000 in renovations. According to Hewitt, it was money well spent.

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A SOLID FOUNDATION OF CUSTOMER SERVICE HELPS STAND THE TEST OF TIME BY SHELBY BOUCK PENSACOLA HARDWARE | PENSACOLA | SINCE 1851

FIFTY YEARS IS AN IMPRESSIVE LIFE SPAN for any business. A century is extraordinary, but not unheard of. For a business to live, much less thrive, beyond that makes it the stuff of legend. Pensacola Hardware is an establishment of just such mythic proportions. Founded in 1851, it has been serving the Pensacola area for 164 eventful years, weathering the Civil War within a decade and a half of its grand opening. It has had six owners from five different families, and it has moved five times, finally coming to rest in its current location on East Gregory Street in 1949 after World War II. “Throughout our history, we have endured wars, depressions, recessions, floods, hurricanes and the BP Horizon oil spill. Our endurance has been tested beyond most imaginations,” says James Coe Jr., the store’s current owner and operator. While much has changed in the past century and a half, Coe believes that customer desires essentially remain constant. “There is no doubt that people do business with people they know and trust. If you want to run a successful business of any kind, offer something people need or want, but above all else, back it up with service, integrity and value. That “Honest and builds trust and success.” fair dealings Coe attributes Pensacola Hardware’s long-running with customers, success to its community relationships. “Honest employees and fair dealings with customers, employees and and vendors vendors set the stage for a profitable relationship. set the stage We view our relationship with all concerned as a for a profitable ‘partnership in profit’… We talk to our customers, we relationship. listen to what they are saying and help identify their We view our needs so that we can provide a solution for the best relationship with value. That has been a constant for our success since all concerned as the beginning and has not changed. a ‘partnership in “Our success is a direct result of how we do busiprofit’…” ness. Our employees are honest, caring people that – JAMES COE JR., have a vested interest in the success of our customOWNER OF PENSACOLA ers and our company. Without great employees, we HARDWARE would not exist.”

HELPING TO KEEP THEIR COMMUNITY HEALTHY BY CHAY D. BAXLEY

PHOTOS BY MATT BURKE (ECONOMY DRUG) AND COURTESY OF PENSACOLA HARDWARE

ECONOMY DRUG | TALLAHASSEE | SINCE 1950

FOR SOME BUSINESS OWNERS in Northwest Florida, contributing to the community is a nice idea. At Economy Drug in Tallahassee’s Frenchtown, it’s fundamental to the very existence of the business. A family owned and operated pharmacy, Economy Drug was founded in the 1940s and later purchased by Clarence Beverly and Howard A. Roberts in ’51. Family members say the two pharmacists made a great duo, at least until Howard laid eyes on his future wife, Geraldine. “I went to school here at FAMU — I finished pharmacy in ’54,” Geraldine said with a smile. “I’m a pharmacist, I still have my license.” Geraldine had been working as a faculty member at Florida A&M University when Howard passed away in 1990. Becoming the sole owner of Economy Drug, Geraldine decided to promote her daughter Alexis Roberts McMillan, who had been working alongside her father as a pharmacist, to store manager. While things haven’t always been easy for this

“The health of this community is something we can look out for, something we can be proud of. We want to help people know their own bodies and know how they can take care of themselves. We’re proponents of having someone know his or her medication.” – ALEXIS ROBERTS MCMILLAN, STORE MANAGER OF ECONOMY DRUG

small mom-and-pop operation, both women have always been certain of their professional path. “I never thought that I was going to do anything else,” said Geraldine. “I think in terms of what you’re intended to do, and I figured that this was what I was intended to do.” Her daughter Alexis, also a FAMU graduate, concurs. “I’ve always liked being in the pharmacy,” reminisced Alexis. “This, where we are now at 319 N. Macomb St., was not the original pharmacy. It was at 315 N. Macomb St. just a few doors down, with a soda fountain. I know people don’t talk about soda fountains now, but we had ice cream, we had comic books. People would come in and talk and have conversations about what had gone on.” Today, things are a little different at the pharmacy. While downsizing resulted in the loss of their soda fountain, the Roberts are happy to maintain a strong footing as their neighborhood drug store in an era of fast-paced living. “The health of this community is something we can look out for,” insisted Alexis, “something we can be proud of. We want to help people know their own bodies and know how they can take care of themselves. We’re proponents of having someone know his or her medication.” “I hope that we have given something back to the community,” added Geraldine, “because of what the community has given to us.”

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BUSINESSES THAT HAVE TURNED THE BIG 5-0, AND THEN SOME

LOCAL LANDMARK, UNIVERSAL INSPIRATION BY SHELBY BOUCK GOOFY GOLF | FORT WALTON BEACH | SINCE 1958

EVEN IF YOU’VE NEVER BEEN to the colorful miniature golf course on Racetrack Road in Fort Walton Beach, there’s a chance you might have heard of it. Goofy Golf garnered national attention when one of its — and Fort Walton’s — most recognized monuments was felled by a passing semi-truck. Luckily, Hammy the T-Rex survived the fall. “The concrete rebar had rusted inside him,” Chris Clements said. “We worked with several vendors, the community joined together and did fundraisers and eventually we were able to find the right people to reconstruct him. “News stations all over the country picked it up,” he added with a laugh. “I even spoke to one from Ohio.” After more than half a century in business, Goofy Golf is still going strong. On any given Saturday night there are families, couples and groups of teenage friends all waiting patiently to knock a ball into the snake’s mouth at the end of both courses. If you make it in on your first try, you get a coupon for a free game next time. The bright, hand-built statues that dot the mini-golf course are only part of what keeps local customers coming back. Another part of Goofy Golf’s mass appeal is its affordable prices: Eighteen holes cost $1.50 for kids and $3 for adults. “Originally the prices were 75 cents per adult and 50 cents per kid,” Clements said. “They’ve gone up three, four hundred percent in the past 57 years, but look at movie theaters — those prices have gone up a thousand or twelve hundred percent.” Clements started out mowing lawns for Robert Fleskes, original owner and operator of Goofy Golf, in high school. He then became an official employee of the company and eventually bought the course in 2011, after promising Fleskes that he would keep Goofy Golf intact and running as it always had. Ask Clements why Goofy Golf remains such a success and you’ll get a simple answer: tradition. “The basic idea has stayed the same,” he said, pointing to countless staff hours spent maintaining the course. “We want people to remember its roots and how it started.”

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MAKING LOOKING GOOD LOOK EASY BY CHAY D. BAXLEY NIC’S TOGGERY | TALLAHASSEE | SINCE 1950

“You can’t change your philosophy on business because the economy softened. You have to keep your principles, because that’s what got you here and that’s what’s going to get you through things.” – GEORGE GAVALAS, CO-OWNER OF NIC’S

YOU MIGHT THINK THAT the most essential asset for a clothier would be having the finest materials and threads. While such tools of the trade certainly come in handy, the gentlemen of Nic’s Toggery (a Tallahasseebased haberdashery) will tell you that when it comes to their line of business, it’s all about relationships. “We build relationships with our customers,” explained George Gavalas, co-owner of Nic’s. “It’s not sell one time and go on down the road. We build relationships and hopefully keep them for a long time.” Making looking good look easy for nearly 65 years, Nic’s is a family owned and operated business with a penchant for mastering refined Southern style. With three strategically positioned locations, congressmen and businessmen alike have celebrated the brand for its custom suits, high-end selections and over-the-top customer service.

KEEPING FRANKLIN COUNTY RESIDENTS INFORMED FOR 128 YEARS BY CHAY D. BAXLEY

PHOTOS BY MATT BURKE (NIC’S TOGGERY) AND COURTESY OF DAVID ADLERSTEIN (APALACHICOLA TIMES)

THE APALACHICOLA TIMES | APALACHICOLA | SINCE 1887

Upon request, the three Gavalas brothers who operate Nic’s — George, Victor and Mike — will even bring a selection of handpicked suits right to your door. It’s an added service they learned to appreciate while growing up in the business. “My father started the business back in 1950,” explained George. “Then after several years, and several sons graduating, one by one the sons came into the business. Well, three of us did, the fourth didn’t.” According to George, today the siblings keep their father’s memory alive by upholding the principles that he built their business on: quality, value, honesty and customer service. Having survived enduring recessions and fleeting trends, the Gavalas brothers and their 20 employees remain dedicated to leaving their mark, one truly dapper suit at a time. “You just have to stick to what you do and weather it and get through it,” said George Gavalas of surviving the Great Recession. “You can’t change your philosophy on business because the economy softened. You have to keep your principles, because that’s what got you here and that’s what’s going to get you through things. “We’ve stayed on that course real strong but have also adapted. We’ve made changes that are good for today.”

SOME SAY THAT NEWSPAPERS are a dying breed. Clearly those folks haven’t been to Northwest Florida’s Forgotten Coast in a while. There, the Apalachicola Times — a weekly newspaper that serves Franklin County — is alive and well. Having just celebrated its 128th birthday, the award-winning publication continues to push out the headlines, from news about fourth-grade spelling bees to investigative reporting on local criminal activity. While the paper has certainly become a historic icon over the past century, covering breaking news in an underserved market is still its primary focus. According to Editor David Adlerstein, that’s the way it’s always been. “I don’t know if I can point to my proudest moment, but I can tell you what I am most proud of,” Adlerstein said. “The feeling that comes after covering a difficult story, one that may involve a tragic chapter in a family’s life or a bitter conflict between two parties. The pride comes when word gets back that you have told it straight and given all sides their due, and readers feel you have given them a chance to make up their own minds. “I don’t know “To me, that’s the essence of a free press — to if I can point give people the tools so they are free to decide for to my proudthemselves.” est moment, Like the rest of the newspaper industry, the but I can tell Apalachicola Times has experienced flux. Having you what I am shifted ownership more than a half dozen times most proud over the past two decades alone, the paper is curof. The feeling rently owned by Halifax Media Group, which also that comes manages The Star in Port St. Joe and The Walton Sun after covering in Santa Rosa and Walton counties. In recent years, a difficult story, the Times has revamped its website, added to its soone that may cial media following and relocated to Apalachicola’s involve a tragic historic downtown center, where it maintains a chapter in a strong visual presence. family’s life or Although selling a unique product, Adlerstein said a bitter conflict success in this industry is achieved just as it would be between two in any other business in Northwest Florida. parties. The “Whatever your product is,” said Adlerstein, “be pride comes trusted for consistency, accuracy and quality.” when word

gets back that you have told it straight and given all sides their due, and readers feel you have given them a chance to make up their own minds.” — EDITOR DAVID ADLERSTEIN

From 1972-95, the Times offices were located on Water Street next to the Apalachicola River.

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BUSINESSES THAT HAVE TURNED THE BIG 5-0, AND THEN SOME

BANKING ON MORE THAN A CENTURY OF SERVICE, INNOVATION BY CHAY D. BAXLEY CAPITAL CITY BANK GROUP | TALLAHASSEE SINCE 1895

KEEPING A COMMUNITY CLOTHED IS A FAMILY AFFAIR BY LEANNE CASTRO THE FAIR STORE | PERRY | SINCE 1925

BUSINESSES DO NOT ACHIEVE 90 years of success by accident. Passion and integrity — two qualities that The Fair Store owners Marsha Doll and Dean Faulkenberry have plenty of — are the keys to longevity. Given the depth of the family ties found at the very heart of the store’s history, it is no wonder it means so much to the husband-and-wife duo. Doll’s grandfather emigrated from Lithuania to New York and eventually Perry, Florida, in the 1920s, and every generation of the family has dedicated a lifetime to the men’s, women’s and children’s clothing store he started. The Fair Store has long done much more for the community than selling them the things they need (a huge service to the community in and of itself, as it is the only place in Perry that sells things such as medical uniforms or certain law enforcement equipment). “My grandfather would clothe people off the streets,” Doll remembered. “He’d pull in a little boy walking around in 30 degrees with no shoes on and put shoes on his feet. There was one kid with 12 brothers, and half of them worked for my grandfather. We adopted everybody. We’ve got so much history. We’ve had people who have worked there for 40, 50 years.” It is the family’s passion that keeps them in high standing as a community institution, but it is their integrity that keeps them in high standing as a place of business. Faulkenberry and Doll have continued the “When you tradition of refusing to sacrifice higher quality for lower walk into a pricing, even if that decision might make it more difbigger store, ficult to compete with other, bigger businesses. you just don’t “In a world where you have ‘big box’ department get the kind of stores, you can’t beat their pricing on the cheap stuff,” treatment you Faulkenberry said. “(Those are) lower-quality products. get in a familyWe sell the better-quality products.” owned store. Doll, however, feels that it is not just the quality of Just be good to goods that sets The Fair Store apart. the people of “When you walk into a your town. Be bigger store, you just don’t a good, honest get the kind of treatment person and it’ll you get in a family-owned all come back store,” she said. “Just be to you. And good to the people of your work hard.” town. Be a good, honest per– MARSHA DOLL, son and it’ll all come back to CO-OWNER OF THE THE FAIR STORE you. And work hard.”

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IT’S TAKEN A CENTURY or so, but over the years Capital City Bank Group has grown into a major economic powerhouse for Northwest Florida. Headquartered in downtown Tallahassee, the company employs more than 530 people within the 850 area code alone. In reality, though, it helps finance business ventures for thousands more. With a credo of putting client relations first and staying abreast of the latest technological advances — yes, including the advent of smartphone photo check deposits — Capital City has managed to transform a small-town bank into a household name for countless Floridians. Today, there are branches in nine Florida counties, as well as six counties sprinkled throughout Georgia and Alabama. “Our three biggest communities are Macon, Georgia, and Gainesville, Florida, in addition to Tallahassee,” said the bank’s chairman, president and chief executive officer, Bill Smith. Smith’s family, beginning with his grandfather in 1895, has been involved with Capital City Bank since the very beginning. His father served as president before him. “But most of our franchises are in small towns,” continued Smith, “towns with less than 25,000 people. That’s a little different strategy for a bank headquartered in Florida. Most people, when they think of Florida, they don’t think of those kinds of places. They think of Disney World and Miami and big beaches with high-rise condos. We’re just not in those towns.” Business got rolling for the small bank back in the late 1880s with a couple of humble loans to local farmers. Since then, it has weathered world wars, depressions, recessions and even a few natural disasters. What has kept the bank afloat, Smith will tell you, is the loyalty of its clients and the stable nature of its hometown’s economy. Smith’s top tips for business success are pretty straightforward, though, and ring true for nearly every industry: Be good to the client, and never be afraid of change or innovation. To him, the latter is the lifeblood of the ever-evolving modern banking system. “You can’t be (afraid),” Smith said. “You’ll die if you are.”

PHOTOS BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN (MARSHA DOLL) AND COURTESY OF VISIT TALLAHASSEE (BRADLEY’S), STATE ARCHIVES OF FLORIDA, FLORIDA MEMORY (CAPITAL CITY BANK) AND REDWINGSHOES.COM (BOOT)

HOMEMADE SAUSAGE IS JUST PART OF BRADLEY’S OLD-TIME APPEAL BY K. MAXWELL GREENWOOD BRADLEY’S COUNTRY STORE | TALLAHASSEE | SINCE 1927

IF YOU TAKE A DRIVE out Centerville Road, about 12 miles north of Tallahassee proper, you’ll see a white, tin-roofed shanty surrounded by a canopy of oaks. This is Bradley’s Country Store. Not much has changed at Bradley’s since it opened for business 88 years ago. The store operates in the same structure it did in 1927. The recipe for homemade country sausage has, remarkably, remained unchanged since 1910. And the Bradley family has remained the sole owners of the operation from the beginning. “My dad always stuck by the saying, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it,’ ” said Janet Bradley Parker, the store’s current proprietor and a member of the third generation of Bradleys to work at the store. “We do things the way we’ve always done them: My

“My dad always stuck by the saying, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it.’ We do things the way we’ve always done them: My grandma’s sausage recipe is the same, all our principles are the same and we rely on a solid customer base.” – JANET BRADLEY PARKER, BRADLEY’S CURRENT PROPRIETOR

grandma’s sausage recipe is the same, all our principles are the same and we rely on a solid customer base.” Stepping inside Bradley’s, it’s easy to see why the place has been open for nearly a century. From the building itself to the coarse ground grits sold inside to the memorabilia hanging on the walls, Bradley’s is steeped in nostalgia; it emanates an aura of authenticity hard to find elsewhere. The store doesn’t hinge on innovation or trends but pushes back by embracing its roots. And with Tallahassee’s rapidly changing population, Parker says the business has tried to reach out to new customers as well. But the store largely relies on word of mouth, rather than extensive advertising and marketing. “Of course we’ve done some TV advertising, some newspaper advertising here and there,” Parker said. “But most people come to the store because they hear good things from other customers. “There’s no secret to our success,” she added. “We just stick to our roots; we’re consistent, and I think people like to see that.” n

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ALLAN BENSE

It’s Not About Winning.

IT’S HOW YOU WIN. In business and public service, Allan Bense has spent a lifetime winning ‘the right way’ BY LINDA KLEINDIENST // PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOLLY GARDNER

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Bense displayed an acute business acumen at an early age. By the age of 10, he was selling Grit newspapers outside the Quik Chek grocery store on 6th Street in Panama City, where the main fire station is now. “I’d stand out front, people would come in and I’d sell them a newspaper. It was my first venture into making money. I had a great schtick back then. I’ve always been a salesman!” He never stopped working. “Of the three of us, Allan was the only one that ever had money. We always had to borrow from him,” remembers Judy Bense, president of the University of West Florida and Allan’s older sister. “He has always been good with money. He knew how to get it, worked hard for it and kept track of it.” Bense’s wife Tonie, who related the oil can counting story to demonstrate her husband’s goalorientation, says she liked her future husband the first time she met him.

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He was “positive about everything,” exuded confidence and, as she came to learn, was a hard worker. “He started with nothing,” she remembers. “But he would set a goal and go after it. And he never gives up.” The Early Years Allan Bense, now 63 years old, has lived all his life in Bay County. He was born in a house on his family’s farm, about 3 miles north of where his businesses are now headquartered. His parents, transplants from New Jersey, each died at the age of 45 and are “buried on the hill up there, 2 miles away.” His folks were farmers but couldn’t make a living at it. They lost the farm. “They weren’t successful at it, but we got it back and now I’m going to try to turn it back into the way it was when I was born,” he says. “We’re not gonna have cows, but we’re going to grow hay. I haven’t gone far from my roots.” After his father and then his mother died, Bense was raised by his

PHOTOS BY XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

hile working at a gas station during his college years, Allan Bense sat counting oil cans as he looked across the street at a Capital City Bank office. One day, he decided, he would sit on that bank’s board of directors. Today, he does. Bense has always been a hard worker and a goal setter. And it has stood him in good stead. He’s been successful in business, in politics and in life. And he’s accomplished it all with a deep humility accompanied by an uncommon understanding of and compassion for others. “My parents taught me how to work hard and play by the rules, to be honest and treat people fairly and to win. But don’t win at all costs,” Bense says, reflecting on how he came to be what he is today. “It’s not about winning. It’s how you win. I want to win the right way.”

Allan Bense of Panama City is one of the best known political and business leaders in Northwest Florida. He served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives 2004 to 2006, serves on a multitude of state and community boards and owns a host of businesses. “I just can’t have one business. I have to have several,” he says.

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ALLAN BENSE

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grandmother. The two siblings (a third, Craig, has passed away) remember that the family had little money. So he worked to earn money to buy his school lunches. And then he worked his way through college at Florida State University, including taking on a janitorial job and waiting tables. “I did everything known to mankind to get through,” he recalls. “Worked straight through college. Got my MBA. Worked through summers because I knew if I ever quit and got a job I’d never go back. I knew I just had to keep on going.” Today he is chairman of the FSU Board of Trustees, and in March he was inducted into the FSU College of Business Hall of Fame. Business Successes Upon leaving college, Bense went to work for Southeast Banking Corporation. Soon he had his eye on buying a bank. In 1981, he convinced some friends to buy a bank with him. They sold it in 1985 and, according to Bense, “made a pile of money.” He insists that timing, not brilliance, had a lot to do with that success. When they purchased the bank, interest rates were high. When they sold, the economy had bounced back. Those earnings helped Bense on the way to his involvement with several different businesses, including GAC Contractors, Gulf Asphalt and Holiday Golf Club. Today he is chairman and CEO of Bense Enterprises, which is involved with road building, mechanical contracting, insurance and golf courses. And he recently decided to delve into the health care realm. He credits his mother with his drive for success, especially remembering a particular Little League game in which he struck out 17 of 18 batters. “She comes up after the game and says, ‘I’m so proud of you. You did such a good job. How come you didn’t strike out No. 18?’ ” he recalls. “She was quick to give you praise but always made you look to the next horizon. I’m sure that’s why I have the drive I have in business.” Bense pauses a moment and then admits, “I just can’t have one business.

I have to have several. When am I happy? I don’t know. Whenever Mom decides she’s going to let me off the mat. She was a great driver.” And while he keeps the businesses running, he sits on a wide variety of boards and commissions. Besides chairing the FSU Board of Trustees, Bense is chairman of the board of the James Madison Institute and of Gulf Coast Hospital. He sits on the board of Gulf Power Company and the Capital City Bank Group. He is past chairman of the board of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, the Bay Economic Development Alliance and the Florida

Bense concedes he’s made his share of mistakes, “just not major ones.” And he’d do it the same way all over again if he had the chance. “I wouldn’t do anything different,” he insists. “Nothing.” Foray Into Politics When he first ran for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives in 1998, Bense entered the political arena because he wanted to make a difference. He had grown up with a love for Democratic President John F. Kennedy, a favorite of his parents. “I think he was the greatest president of this country, except for George Washington and maybe Abraham

“ IF YOU’RE HONEST, YOU WORK HARD AND PROVIDE GOOD SERVICE, YOU’LL BE SUCCESSFUL. I DON’T DO STUPID THINGS.” — ALLAN BENSE

(At left) Allan Bense and his wife, Tonie, at the Bense family farm. Although his parents lost the property, which is located only a few miles north of his current office, Bense bought it back and is restoring it to a working farm.

Council on Military Base and Mission Support. He’s past vice chair of Enterprise Florida (the governor is honorary chair) and sits on the board of directors for Triumph Gulf Coast Inc., which oversees the spending of BP Florida claims related to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. He credits his success in the business world to a few simple principles. “If you’re honest, you work hard and provide good service, you’ll be successful,” he says. And, “I don’t do stupid things.” Bense considers himself a “singles and doubles” kind of guy. He didn’t make a lot of money fast. “I just pounded away every single day. Little singles, little doubles.” In his construction business, he does about $50 million a year in volume and won’t bid on giant jobs of $100 million or more because he considers them too risky. He is also prepared for failure but insists the real winners are those who, “when they fail, get up, dust themselves off, hitch up their pants and go after it again. Those are the ones I’ll put my money on, because you’re not always going to bat 1,000.”

Lincoln,” Bense says. “That’s surprising, because I’m a Republican. But he opened the door on civil rights issues and so many other great things.” Bense recently came across a saying that he feels is important for all politicians to remember: “The true test of a man’s character is how he treats people he can’t use.” And he still remembers the early words of advice he got from a local Bay County politician: “Mr. Bense, the Chamber (of Commerce) doesn’t get you elected. It’s the working man and working woman.” After his election to the House (the same year that Jeb Bush was elected governor), Bense worked his way up to the position of speaker, a post he held from 2004 to 2006, the last two years of Bush’s administration. He admits that he and Bush — just like he and some of his Democratic colleagues in the chamber — didn’t always agree. But when it was over, it was over. It never got personal. Bush calls Bense “a class act. I really enjoyed working with him. He was a straight shooter . . . strong, principled, serious and of good spirit. Everyone, both friend and foe alike, respected

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ALLAN BENSE

Cheating Death Nearly two years ago, Allan Bense found himself at Bay Medical Center, totally paralyzed. He had been stricken with Guillain-Barré syndrome, in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. He lay in the fetal position perhaps 70 percent of each day and had “more tubes in me than you could count.” With still a look of amazement on his face, he now says, “And here I am today. For some reason, God just said, ‘Bense, I’m not ready for you yet.’ ” Then he smiles and adds, “When I

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“ I REALLY ENJOYED WORKING WITH HIM. HE WAS A STRAIGHT SHOOTER … STRONG, PRINCIPLED, SERIOUS AND OF GOOD SPIRIT. EVERYONE, BOTH FRIEND AND FOE ALIKE, RESPECTED HIM WHEN HE WAS SPEAKER. I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE HIM AS A DEAR FRIEND.” — FORMER GOV. JEB BUSH

MEREDITH HILL

him when he was speaker. I am fortunate to have him as a dear friend.” And Bense never used a trick employed by other House speakers to limit debate, especially from members of the minority political party. It’s a respect he showed other elected officials that he laments is missing in today’s politics. “Sometimes there were 30 Democratic microphones raised (to debate), but we took the time,” Bense says. “I had the votes to get most of what I wanted to do. But it was the right thing. Today’s world is different. It’s Democrat versus Republican. It’s ‘I hate you’ and ‘You hate me.’ It’s just not healthy.” Tonie Bense remembers that when her husband drove to work after being elected speaker, he always chose to enter through a back entrance to the Capitol so he was able to interact with a variety of workers. “He worked hard to include and listen to everyone, and he’s good at looking behind the scenes,” she says. “He’d always come in the back way so he could say hello to the workers. He’d recognize the janitors because he was one of them.” At the end of eight years in the Legislature, however, Bense was ready to call it quits. “I liked it, but I didn’t love it,” he says. “I could have run for the Senate, but I was done. I’ll never figure out why so many people spend so much time on getting re-elected and getting re-elected. Being speaker of the House was pretty cool, but in my second year of being speaker I was ready to come home.”

got sick, I got more cards, email and letters from Democrats than Republicans. It was maybe 75 percent from Democrats.” Asked if he has learned anything from the illness and his long recovery, Bense reflects for a moment and says he learned to take life a little slower, conceding that he has kept a lot of balls in the air for most of his life. “I’ve always moved at a fast pace all my life, and it’s time to slow down,” he says. “I didn’t come into the office today until 10 o’clock. I was at the farm, but I call that playing. I used to work six days a week. I never went to football games on Saturday because

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Then-House Speaker Allan Bense looks on as Gov. Jeb Bush delivers his final State of the State speech to the Florida Legislature in the House Chambers on March 7, 2006. Sitting next to Bense is Speaker Pro Tempore Leslie Waters of St. Petersburg.

I worked all day on Saturday. I was a little too focused.” But then again, that’s Bense’s nature, says sister Judy. Asked to describe her brother, she immediately replies, “Relentless.” He could have retired, she adds, but didn’t because “he loves the chase. He’s got a lot of guts. He’s mellowed, he’s older, but he’s still the same old fighter he always was. The illness brought out his fighting ability. It’s always the same approach he’s had to business.” Add to that the fact that the Bense siblings know how to pick themselves up and dust themselves off. Says Judy, “We can deal with a hard lick.”

Begin with a strong foundation.

Development: residential, commercial, industrial Financing assistance, conventional or private Partnerships and joint ventures Site selection/property acquisition • Planning/permitting Construction services • Property management

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REAL ESTATE

Rising

RESIDENTIAL, RETAIL AND COMMERCIAL CONTINUE ON A REBOUND WHILE NEW CONSTRUCTION SEES A SLOWER — BUT SURE — COMEBACK It’s amazing what a strong economy will do. Florida’s housing market, which suffered disaster upon disaster during the Great Recession, is being rebuilt. In Northwest Florida, people are buying and, in many cases, plunking down cash to buy homes, second homes and rental properties. Surpluses of commercial properties are beginning to dwindle. And local real estate agents are once again smiling. Here we take a look at what is happening in the various corridors of the 850 — from Tallahassee’s explosion of townhouses near the state universities to the robust commercial growth in Panama City Beach to the surge in new home construction along the Emerald Coast.

Tallahassee Real Estate Market Continues Overall Recovery, But Not Without Growing Pains BY AUDREY POST

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allahassee real estate continues to rebound from the recession and accompanying collapse of the housing market, with real estate brokers and professionals in the construction trades hopeful the recovery will continue. “I feel a lot better about it,” said Joan Raley, a Realtor who is involved in both real estate transactions and property management. “I look at the recession as starting in 2007. Things started to turn five years later, in 2012, and then a little

more in 2013. Last year was when we saw things starting to take off.” This year, family homes in the $150,000 to $250,000 price range are “moving nicely,” Raley said, with many sellers juggling multiple offers. The market for Tallahassee homes under $150,000 is also strong for both owneroccupied homes and investor purchases. “There’s a real need for mid-range family-home rental property,” she said. House sales have steadily increased over the past four years. Citing statistics from the Multiple Listing Service,

The surplus of existing homes for sale is shrinking and there has been an explosion of new apartments near the universities, but new home construction hasn’t caught up to prerecession levels.

The average time to sell a house is 6.8 months. This time on the market was much higher during the recession.”

PHOTO BY MATT BURKE

— Joan Raley, a Realtor who is involved in both real estate transactions and property management

CATRS Inc. and Timberlane Appraisal, Raley said there were 2,234 closed sales in 2011, 2,392 in 2012, 3,005 in 2013 and 3,175 in 2014. Other statistics showed “a 10 percent increase in sales from Jan. 15, 2014, to Jan. 14, 2015,” Raley said. “We have 6.8 months of supply of homes, or the average time to sell a house is 6.8 months. This time on the market was much higher during the recession.” Joe Manausa, a Tallahassee real estate investor and blogger who tracks real estate trends, concurred that the real estate

market is rebounding. He said house sales were up 7 percent last year over 2013, with single-family home sales making their best showing since 2006. Prices also rose, he said, with single-family detached homes averaging $211,111. Despite the sight of new homes going up, new construction still hasn’t caught up to pre-recession levels. “One of 10 home sales is new construction, and the norm is 21 percent,” Manausa said. The biggest challenge facing the new construction industry is the availability of

lots on which to build, said electrical contractor David Perkins of Perkins Electric. “Construction is good right now. It’s steady. But lots in the northeast (part of town) are getting scarce. Welaunee subdivision is supposed to be ready (for building) this calendar year, and that’s about 1,500 lots. If Welaunee doesn’t come through, things could slow down.” Even as new construction rebounds, Perkins said builders are still leery of “spec homes,” houses built on speculation that someone will buy them. Builders are sticking to building homes on contract. Low interest rates have helped fuel the recovery. Thirty-year mortgages with 1 point buy-down or less have hovered around 4 percent for the past five years, Raley said. “That’s less than half of the 50-year average, which is 8 percent,” Manausa said. “Right now, we’re at the high 3s or low 4s, and we’ll probably stay there for a while. When interest rates return to normal, when they start to shoot up, we will see a slowdown in the market.” Although things are getting better, they are not perfect. Progress on one front can mean problems on another. The explosion of apartment buildings and townhomes near the campuses of Florida State and Florida A&M universities as well as Tallahassee Community College has changed the appearance of the west side of town. Students who want the convenience of walking to class, as well as to university events, are drawn to the new units with all the modern amenities. The growth of retail stores and restaurants, often located on the ground floor of residential buildings, increases the attraction.

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So where are the tenants in these new units coming from? From townhomes and single-family houses primarily on the west side of town. “The west side is awash with singlefamily homes and townhomes,” Manausa said. “There are 1,700 single-family homes on the west side that are no longer occupied by students.” Manausa estimates that 4,500 units targeting students have been built in the area around Florida State in the past few years, with average occupancy for each unit at two or three tenants. “These are more than apartments,” he said. “They’re communities.” The concentration of student housing near campus is in line with local government’s long-term plans to make the city in general, and downtown and the campus areas in particular, more pedestrianfriendly and less vehicle-dependent. The glut of homes on the west side of town will mean some great bargains for savvy home buyers, and the cycle of real estate peaks and valleys indicates the area will rebound. But that’s not much comfort to landlords with vacant houses or homeowners looking to sell and relocate. “People want a house in the northeast part of town because of the location and the schools, but you can pick up a comparable house in the northwest for 50 cents on the dollar,” Manausa said. “Over time, this likely will create pressure to improve the schools and rejuvenate the west side.” COMMERCIAL Like the residential real estate market, Tallahassee’s commercial real estate business continues to rebound since the economy bottomed-out in 2008, but not all aspects are back to pre-recession levels. “The velocity is better than I’ve seen in 25 or 30 years,” said E. Edward “Ed” Murray Jr., director and president of NAI TalCor commercial real estate agency. “We’re not back to the prices we had at the peak, before the recession, but the velocity is back.” Velocity, which is the number of transactions and active properties, and price are two of the major indicators of market strength, along with length of time on the market. Chip Hartung, broker/ owner of Coldwell Banker Hartung and Noblin real estate agency, said a lot of the

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transactions over the past 12 to 18 months have been sales and leases of distressed properties. “I think a lot of what we’re seeing is the result of pent-up demand. There have been a lot of good buying opportunities, but that is hard to sustain.” There were almost 70 office sales in Tallahassee totaling $70 million to $72 million in 2013, Hartung said; in 2014, there were only 52 transactions totaling about $24 million. “The volume of sales transactions decreased; however, the average sales price of those transactions increased,” he explained. “As the market starts to stabilize, as prices increase, you’ll see a decrease in volume.”

We’re not back to the prices we had at the peak, before the recession, but the velocity is back.” — E. Edward “Ed” Murray Jr., director and president of NAI TalCor Jeff Billingsley of Craig Commercial Realty said office space that sat vacant in the northeast and eastern sections of town during the recession is beginning to fill up, citing the Centre Point and Thomasville Road areas, in particular. Retail is rebounding, and construction of new retail space continues in pockets all over town, but especially on the west side of Magnolia Drive between Park Avenue and Governor’s Square Boulevard, and in the CollegeTown area near Florida State University. As retail outlets move into new locations in Tallahassee, the city appears to have escaped the “big box blight” that has plagued other cities. “Unlike other markets where, say, a WalMart will move to a new location and the old one will sit empty for several years, something new will move into the old location,” said John McNeill, a commercial real estate advisor with TalCor.

In particular, he cited Big Lots’ move into the old Publix space in the Lafayette Place shopping center, vacated when Publix moved across the street to a new building in a brand new shopping center with entrances on both Mahan Drive and Capital Circle Northeast. Hobby Lobby moved into the old Publix space near the flyover, at the intersection of Capital Circle Northeast and Thomasville Road, and HH Gregg now occupies the old Publix space in the shopping center at the corner of Apalachee Parkway and Blair Stone Road. When Kmart closed in the same center, Party City and Pet Smart repurposed the space. A similar transformation is taking place at another “big box,” the old Florida Department of Corrections building at 2601 Blair Stone Road. The 272,000-square-foot structure sat empty for several years after the state vacated it before being sold at auction in late 2013. McNeill said the lobbies at all three entrances have been remodeled, the parking lot has been refurbished and “spec” office suites have been completed. While waiting on a “big” tenant to occupy a large portion of the space, TerraCap Management Co. is leasing smaller office spaces to tenants. The location makes it convenient to state government vendors and contractors who need easy access both to downtown offices and those at SouthWood. “By the end of this year, we hope to have it 25 to 30 percent occupied,” McNeill said. Farther south on Blair Stone Road, the new Veterans Administration clinic under construction likely will attract additional commercial construction in the vicinity, particularly in retail properties. While retail and multi-use transactions have continued to improve, albeit more slowly than residential, “Tallahassee is not blessed with a large industrial market,” Murray of Talcor said. “The industrial vacancies are beginning to fill up. Leon County is not positioned to have a large industrial base, but if you look regionally, there is potential for an industrial and manufacturing sector, particularly in the outlying counties.” City Commissioner Gil Ziffer agreed: “We have a lot to offer regionally, with low-cost land in the outlying counties and students for a workforce.”

Real Estate Redux: Bay County’s Real Estate Market is Bouncing Back BY WENDY O. DIXON

PHOTO BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN

fter years of uneven recovery since the recession, the real estate market may be finally leveling off in Bay County. Realtors predict 2015 to be a year of realistic recovery, with more inventory and home prices flattening out. In Bay County, buyers closed on 114 single-family homes in January 2015, an 18.8 percent gain over the same time last year. Teresa Dyer, president of the Bay County Association of Realtors, sees a lot of vacant land and new construction, indicating the market is hitting its strides. “The west end of Panama City Beach is hot,” she said, “thanks to Pier Park shopping center and the airport. And Lynn Haven is always steady.” Robust commercial growth in Panama City Beach is attracting residential construction nearby, as more families move into homes, condominiums and apartments. The number of residents in 2010 was 11,554. In 2013 that number grew to 12,064, a 4.4 percent increase, according to Census data. Ocean Mist, a gated community just east of Bid-A-Wee Beach, opened in February of this year with 24 new home lots. Homes start at $245,000. Nautilus Cove is a new, centrally located, affordable gated neighborhood with condominiums, apartments and townhouses. Developed with families in mind, Palmetto Trace, Summerwood and Breakfast Pointe are near Pier Park and Frank Brown Park, a multi-sport park with a public swimming pool, kids’ pool and dog park, as well as biking and walking trails. Tapestry Park, a new, eclectic neighborhood off Hutchison Boulevard and Clara Avenue, is also selling well for families, notes Kirsten McAndrew, a resorts and second-homes specialist with R.C. Real Estate Group, citing its close proximity to Hutchison Beach Elementary School. “It is a planned community with an urban feel,” she said. “They are all custom homes, so you may have a Tudor next to a Craftsman style next to a coastal home.” In the rest of Bay County, slow and steady growth is the trend, says Dice Wyllie, a Realtor with ERA Neubauer Real

Estate in Panama City. That’s slow and steady growth in the number of units sold as well as the average price of homes. “If you look back over the last 15 to 20 years, we are still in a course of a 3 to 4 percent increase in prices and units,” he said. “We took a big hit in ’07, ’08 and especially ’09. But right now, things have begun to move back up with a more realistic increase. Quite honestly, it concerns me that we’re not seeing more home buying than we are with rates this low.” A new community is taking shape in Panama City. SweetBay, with home prices anticipated from the mid-$200,000s to the $400,000s, is a waterfront community set on 700 acres at the former airport site, allowing for plenty of room for growth as the neighborhood expands during a 15- to 20-year projected build-out. Construction for phase one began in early 2014, and the first homes are available for purchase this spring. The first phase includes community parks and a community pool. Darrell Malloy, a Realtor with Action Realty in Lynn Haven, reports that this year is much better than last, particularly in Lynn Haven. “One of the most important things to remember when buying a home is selling a home,” he said. “Lynn Haven is a no-brainer for developing because of its location. You can’t go south because of the Gulf, and prices on the west end of the beach are prohibitive for some. I find that

The west end of Panama City Beach is hot, thanks to Pier Park shopping center and the airport. And Lynn Haven is always steady.” — Teresa Dyer, president of the Bay County Association of Realtors

Pier Park

eight out of 10 of my clients are looking for a home in Lynn Haven. It is the number one choice, dollar for dollar.” Dyer, of the Bay County Association of Realtors, sees a trend in older buyers with cash in hand, with 67 paying in cash in January 2015, compared to 37 in January 2014. “People have been saving since the economy went down,” she said. “Banks are getting hard to borrow money from, so people are either saving cash or taking equity out of their home for a second home investment.” COMMERCIAL Commercial real estate is booming on the west end of Panama City Beach, with new construction multiplying over the past few years. The Pier Park outdoor lifestyle center has expanded to the north, doubling its already massive size. New restaurants and retail stores are opening every month. And while some stores in the Panama City Mall are closing, moving to the west end of Panama City Beach, 34 acres of prime real estate across from the mall, largely vacant for years, sold in January, making way for a major commercial and retail development. “The development will probably include several major retailers, restaurants and other companies not presently located in the Panama City market area,” said Jim Everitt, senior commercial associate with Counts Real Estate Group, “as well as expansion by some existing companies and possible relocations by others.”

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“In the next few months, Everitt adds that two mediREAL ESTATE the city will be working on cal offices are undergoing conPREDICTIONS a lease with the two contracFOR 2015 struction in Panama City now. tors remaining in the process “On the commercial side ■ Millennials — Great South out of Atlanta of real estate, it’s so slow will account for and HomeFed Corp. out of moving that what you see 65% of first-time California — to allow for happening today really haphomebuyer sales. development that will kickpened last year,” he said. start development in down“Most of the time, a devel■ Mortgage rates town Panama City,” he said. oper or user doesn’t purchase will likely average The St. Joe Co., one of a piece of property until 4.6% but inch up Florida’s largest landownway into the process of perto 5% by the end ers, is a partner with Pier mitting. So they started six of the year. Park North, which opened months, eight months or in spring 2014. Over the past even a year ago.” ■ New-home sales two decades, St. Joe began In downtown Panama will rise 25% to move away from rural City, a redesigned marina is as single-family land, announcing a shift in the works, adding hotels, construction picks in strategy with a focus on shops, restaurants and other up traction. growing its resorts, leisure attractions, with the hopes and leasing operations. The of luring private enterprise ■ Affordability company rid itself of the and boosting the downtown for homes, based majority of its woodlands in economy. Since gaining sole on home-price Northwest Florida in 2014. ownership rights to the appreciation and At approximately 380,000 Panama City Marina and rising mortgage acres, the land counts for interest rates, the St. Andrews Marina, the will likely fall more than two-thirds of its city now has the freedom by 5% to 10%. non-strategic timberland to explore both public and and rural land. The buyer, commercial uses for its reviSource: Realtor.com and AgReserves Inc., a tax-paytalization project. Florida Realtors ing affiliate of The Church Panama City Mayor Greg of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Brudnicki says 20 percent Saints, purchased the land of people who attend downfor $562 million. town events and The sale affects shows are from timberlands in out of town. Bay, Calhoun, “If there’s a Franklin, Gadsnice hotel nearden, Gulf, Jefferby, they can stay son, Leon, Liberthe night and eat ty and Wakulla there,” he added. counties. Some imThe Church provements of Jesus Christ have begun, with of Latter-day utility work and Saints, also one seawall repairs of the largest in progress. — Jim Everitt, senior comprivate landPhase one inmercial associate with owners in Floricludes redevelCounts Real Estate Group da, owns nearly oping the civic 2 percent of plaza, the most Florida land as a result of the purchase visible aspect, says Jeff Brown, city managand will maintain it for timber and ager for Panama City, who expects an expanriculture use. St. Joe still owns approxision of the Marina Civic Center. Business mately 185,000 acres, mostly in Northplans for the multi-year project are due from the developers in June. west Florida.

On the commercial side of real estate, it’s so slow moving that what you see happening today really happened last year.”

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Emerald Coast Real Estate on the Road to a Healthy Recovery BY ZANDRA WOLFGRAM

he forecast for the Emerald Coast real estate market is looking as sunny as the region’s famous sugar-white sand beaches. With listprice negotiations tightening, inventory shrinking and home prices inching up, veteran real estate professionals don’t have to sugar-coat what they see — a market that is — dare we say it? — healthy. It’s been a long road to recovery. The 2000s were not kind to the Emerald Coast. Years before the Great Recession caused the real estate market to tank, the area and its feeder markets were hammered with a series of hurricanes in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Then came 2007. “That was a low point. It was a pretty sad year,” said Ed Smith, 58, who opened

PHOTO BY MATT BURKE

Homes along 30A in South Walton County are appreciating, and those with a view of the Gulf are being gulped up at prime prices.

Remax Coastal with his wife, Terri, 25 years ago. “In 2008, we were selling the heck out of REOs (lender-owned properties) and short sales as fast as we could. In fact, our company was the exclusive REO agent for Bank of America in this market for a while until they started to limit how many you could take on.” Then in April 2010, when real estate had just started to stabilize, things along the entire Gulf Coast went from bad to worse. “We just started dusting off our britches to begin marching again when the BP oil spill happened,” Smith said. Five years later, local Realtors across the board are expecting 2015 to be a good year. Overall in Okaloosa and Walton counties home prices are on the rise. According to the Emerald Coast Realtor Association, in 2014 the average singlefamily home price rose from $400,000 to $427,000. The rental market is strong, too, as more and more homeowners are opting to rent their investment homes rather than sell them. And a surge in new home construction to meet the demand accounts for 18 percent of all homes listed for sale.

The weakest segment on the Emerald Coast, in Smith’s view, is condominium sales. “The Dodd-Frank Reform Act has hamstrung lenders on their ability to close loans on condos,” Smith said. “So, while we often see 50 percent of sales in cash, sales have curtailed for the other 50 percent who are trying to finance.” Still, these highs and lows of the past decade are not the first time the market has fluctuated. “This is really the same as what we saw in the ’80s and early ’90s,” Smith recalled. “Condos got so cheap, they were selling more than single-family homes, and so the cycle has just sort of evolved.” A byproduct of the downtrodden economy has been the steady rise of distressed properties — foreclosures, REO (bankowned) and short sales. Though Florida still leads the nation in foreclosures (one in every 441 homes was foreclosed in 2014, according to RealtyTrac.com), in Northwest Florida, some segments are improving. The Emerald Coast Association of Realtors reports that distressed sales no longer control the local condo market. The number has been steadily falling since

2010. As inventory diminishes, what’s left has become a hot seller for investors. “They are looking for what they call a 10-cap,” Smith explained. “If you can rent it out for $20,000 a year and it’s worth $200,000, that’s a good investment. Generally, if it’s priced well, those little properties fly off the shelves.” Though Northwest Florida seems to be recovering a little more slowly than the rest of the country, some segments, such as the area around Scenic Highway 30A, are thriving. “It’s supply and demand,” Smith said. “South Walton is appreciating, and it is attracting a certain type of buyer who is desiring that lifestyle despite the cost.” To make his point, he described a client who listed a 3,800-square-foot condo with floor-to-ceiling glass facing the Gulf in Destin’s Regency Towers for $1.2 million, in order to move farther east toward 30A. “They cannot find anything that comes close to what they currently have, not even for a half million more,” Smith said. “You can’t find this smack dab on the Gulf with all of the amenities. You are simply going to pay a whole lot more for the privilege of living on 30A.”

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If you can rent it out for $20,000 a year and it’s worth $200,000, that’s a good investment. Generally, if it’s priced well, those little properties fly off the shelves.” — Ed Smith, Remax Coastal Rosa Beach — The Hub and 30Avenue; COMMERCIAL a planned mixed-use town center at SeaGordon MacLean, a 20-year veteran Realtor scape Resort in Miramar Beach; the sale of who serves as the commercial director for TerraMar apartment/condominium comECAR, was recently in the midst of opening plex in Santa Rosa Beach; and the nearly a Destin office for the Tallahassee-based 50,000 square-foot Lowes/Office Depot/ Sperry Van Ness franchise. He says the Ross retail center listing in Pensacola as loosening of purse strings has reactivated recent examples of the upswing. the commercial real estate market. There is also the expansion of the Gulf “The biggest change in the past 12 Coast Commercial Mutiple Listing Service, months is that debt is available,” he says. which now spans from 30A to Pensacola, al“Now that you can get funding from your lowing Northwest Florida real local bank there has been an estate agents to better serve the increase in activity in the REAL ESTATE growing commercial market. market.” FACTS: In March, Gulf Coast CMLS MacLean cautions that ■ Orlando’s 32801 reported 1,571 active commerreal estate loans are still bezip code, where cial listings in the Gulf Coast ing very well underwritten. the median price market, an indication the mar“They don’t just check your of a home is ket is back. credit score, they audit your $276,000, was At this year’s Florida Realwhole global picture,” he the most searched tor Convention & Trade Expo says, “but in the end there are neighborhood on held in Orlando, panels dismore approvals which has Realtor.com in 2014. No other Florida cussed the integral relationled to an uptick.” city made it into ship between housing, jobs The upswing in commercial the top 10. and wages. Kinkaid counsels real estate isn’t just at the local that to remain competitive, level. MacLean says Emerald ■ U.S. commercialcommunities must be proCoast real estate is attracting property values gressive on education. buyers at the regional and have increased “Okaloosa County is the national level. “We are seeing 42% since hitting fourth fastest in growth in investors from Birmingham, the bottom in the state. We need technical Atlanta, Memphis even Chi2009, according to the Moody’s/ education such as STEM and cago, because the properties REAL Commercial skilled trade programs in are priced based on a tertiary Property Price our high schools to keep our market, so they are getting a Indices. (Source: Wall workforce here,” she said. higher yield than they would Street Journal) Despite setbacks over the in a larger market.” past decade, Realtors insist Within the commercial ■ Sales of the future of real estate resector, office space is one of commercial mains bright for this tourist the swiftest moving segments. properties in the destination. “It was tough for a while, but U.S. rose 9.5% in “The good news is our today we’re seeing more tenthe fourth quarter of 2014 as compared to beaches are still strong,” Kinants leasing and hiring, which 2013. The average caid said, “and one of the most means they are needing more property price was positive things people are still space,” McLean says. 3.8% higher in 2014 saying is that we are friendly, MacLean points to two over 2013. (Source: gracious and welcoming, so mixed-use retail centers on National Association that’s good to hear.” of Realtors) Scenic Highway 30A in Santa

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30Avenue, Santa Rosa Beach

Florida had the largest share of cash home sales in the nation in January — 56.3 %. Alabama was second at 54.7%. Nationally, cash sales made up 38.9% of total home sales, down from 41.4% in January 2014. Source: CoreLogic Inc.

Inland Regions and Less Populated Coastal Towns See Flickers of Progress BY WENDY O. DIXON

PHOTOS BY CORR GROUP/KERRI PARKER (30AVENUE) AND SCOTT HOLSTEIN (ST. GEORGE ISLAND)

s more and more people move away from rural communities to larger cities or suburban communities, agricultural populations are dwindling. Fewer people are seeing rural commercial activities such as farming as a viable economic option, leaving the rural areas struggling. Still, there is a market in Northwest Florida for those who want several acres of land. Robby Roberts, a second-generation real estate broker for Prudential Jim Roberts Realty, manages a diverse collection of real estate sales in Washington, Holmes, Jackson and Calhoun counties, including farmland, timber tracts, commercial and residential property. Roberts says 2014 was a good year, with a pick-up in the volume of sales. “It’s been stable, and in the last few months we’ve seen an increase in prices,” he said. “There are still a lot of distressed properties, but they are diminishing, and in the long run, as they diminish the values start coming back up.” While some inventory is loaded up, these rural towns also have some shortage areas that will go up in value because of supply and demand, Roberts added. “Across the state, values are up 10 percent, and we’re a little behind big cities,” he said. “Our economy has been struggling for some time, and people are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m excited about the upcoming market, and I think it’s on its way back.” In agricultural regions, there’s a big demand for row-crop farmland for peanuts, cotton and corn, particularly in larger acreages. “There has been a lot of timberland property available,” Roberts said. “And it’s still struggling, because if a farmer wants to cut the timber and sell it, then clear the land and farm on it, it’s still expensive.” Yet not all rural land buyers are planning to farm it. Dice Wyllie, a Realtor with ERA Neubauer Real Estate in Panama City, sees some clients snatching up rural land for recreational purposes. “Some buyers are able to get rural

development loans that are 100 percent financed,” he said. “And I have a couple of buyers looking for 40 up to 120 acres to use for recreation.” Properties along less populated areas of the beach are also selling — and at higher prices than last year. Barry Bostwick, a Realtor for Parker Realty of Mexico Beach, sees a shrinking inventory in that area of Bay County, as well as a reduction in the number of days on the market.

We are like Martha’s Vineyard here on St. George, and people love the relaxed, unplugged environment here.” — Jeff Galloway of Jeff Galloway Real Estate

“Our inventory sells pretty fast, and prices have gone up 10 percent in the last year,” he said, noting more eager cashpaying customers. Although it hasn’t seen the same kind of price hikes as along the busier 30A area in Walton County, prices have also gone up on St. George Island in Franklin County, making it a bargain for those looking for a quiet retreat. “We are like Martha’s Vineyard here on

St. George, and people love the relaxed, unplugged environment here,” says Jeff Galloway of Jeff Galloway Real Estate. “Some of these rental homes gross rent over $150,000 per year, and many of these homes will have positive cash flow with as little as 20 percent down. It’s a great time to buy.” Between March 2014 and March 2015, the number of sales on the island dropped slightly from 100 to 90 single-family homes, according to Galloway. “But the average price increased to $591,000 over $536,000 the same 12 months of the previous year,” he says. “Also, our inventory is drying up, and the shift is on from a buyer’s market to a seller’s market.” COMMERCIAL When it comes to commercial property, the best prospects are in Gulf County, home to the Port of Port St. Joe. The 180acre deepwater seaport, with nearly 1,900 linear feet of bulkhead at the ship-channel turning basin, is well suited for bulk and cargo shipments, offering access to rail, the U.S. Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and state and U.S. highways. One of the port’s greatest assets is the approximately 213 acres of combined ready-to-lease lands adjacent to the bulkheads and many more acres of land in the port environs available for immediate development. Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City has leased 20 acres at the port site to expand its shipbuilding, vessel construction and repair, and industrial steel fabrication operations in the Gulf Coast region. The St. Joe Company, which owns the rail, is working on a dredging project that will open the shipping channel up to a depth of 37 feet. St. Joe’s David Graff says his company expects to have an operating port and railroad by late 2016. Once dredged, the port will be well positioned for new shipping and industrial opportunities. “Florida ports are working hard to ensure that they are ready for prime trade opportunities, which means that they have to have the infrastructure and facilities necessary to compete,” said Doug Wheeler, president and CEO of the Florida Ports Council. “We congratulate the Port of Port St. Joe in reaching this milestone in moving their port toward being a viable economic engine for their community and beyond.”

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DEAL ESTATE For Lease

JOHN MCNEIL/NAI TALCOR

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Capital Commerce Center Shines

By Rebecca Padgett

It is almost impossible to miss the five stories of gleaming windows spanning the large office space located at 2601 Blairstone Road in Tallahassee. The newly renovated Capital Commerce Center is not only a sight to be seen but also a valuable space to be leased. Built in 1990, it went through major renovations in 2014 on the outside and inside. The ground floor of Building C was completely remodeled, including the lobby, elevators, restrooms, common areas and office suites. Top-notch industrial supplies were used throughout the building to give it a structured yet refined look. The office suites are spacious and simple yet tastefully designed, allowing much potential for future tenants to work with. Pops of primary colors are present on the walls throughout. Office space ranging from 2,000 to 274,400 square feet is available. The building exterior was repainted and the entrances were reconstructed. The fresh coat of paint paired with the reflective blue of the windows gives the building an eye-catching and modern facade. This beautiful building sits atop 6.47 sprawling acres making it Tallahassee’s largest block of office space. There is an abundance of structured and surface level parking that was recently resurfaced, which allows 836 parking spaces for employees and clients. The location of this building is ideal for those looking to increase their business or attract business. Address: 2601 It is conveniently situated between Blairstone Road downtown and SouthWood’s state Square feet: 274,400 offices, right off of Apalachee Contact: John McNeil, Parkway. Nearby are many popular NAI TALCOR, restaurants, shopping areas, hotels (850) 224-2300 and residential developments. “This is without question one of the best located and nicest large blocks of office space available today in Tallahassee. Being located in the capital city of one of the fastest growing states in the country, we believe Capital Commerce Center is being repositioned to be one of the most desirable office buildings in all of North Florida,” said commercial advisor John McNeil. These recently renovated suites are for lease with negotiable prices and immediate occupancy. n

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DEAL ESTATE Just Listed

The Industrial Side of Fort Walton Beach By Rebecca Padgett

When you think of Fort Walton Beach, pictures of industrial offices are probably not the first to come to mind. But while the area may be known for its pristine beaches, businesses are operating full-force in the area. And when an industrial office site opens, it becomes a hot commodity. The Industrial Park of Fort Walton Beach is one of the few areas where industrial spaces can be found. The office space and warehouse at 638-D NW Anchors Street is an industrial-zoned building that is ready for purchase and occupancy, boasting 11,000 square feet of heated and cooled office space and a 5,000-square-foot warehouse. The two-story office buildAddress: 638-D NW Anchors St., Fort Walton ing includes plenty of offices Beach, Fl 32548 in varying sizes, a spacious

THIS IS

THAT place Where the kids had as much fun jumping into the waves as they did jumping into their bunk beds.

Quick Look

OXANA SOLOVIEVA/NBI PROPERTIES

Price: $1,600,000 reception area, a large conference room, a break room and Square Feet: 16,000 multiple equipment rooms. Contact: Oxana Solovieva, The warehouse has eight Investment Real Estate Specialist, NBI Properties, 16-foot bay doors that make (850) 797-5277 it ideal for trucks to load and unload materials. The ceilings reach up 20 feet for optimal space and storage, and the building open outs to 4.71 acres of fenced stockyard. There are two access roads leading to the building, making vehicular traffic easy. To ensure the safety of the building and its inhabitants there are security cameras around the perimeter of the yard and building. This property would be desirable for maintenance and/or sales of fleet, boats, RVs and other vehicles. Construction, distribution and storage companies would also do well in this location. Any company that needs an ample amount of storage indoors and outdoors would find interest in this space. The selling point is the fact that industrial properties of this size, in regards to both the building and the stockyard, very rarely come on the market. “Owning five acres right in the middle of Industrial Park is very desirable for a lot of businesses,” said investment real estate specialist, Oxana Solovieva. n

+1 877 705 6641 • info@HiltonSandestinBeach.com HiltonSandestinBeach.com #HiltonSandestin #ThatPlace

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SPECIAL REPORT

OKALOOSA/ WALTON COUNTIES

Okaloosa County Keeps Flying High Military-related spending pours billions into the region By Tony Bridges

amouflage isn’t the only thing green about the military in Okaloosa County. National defense dollars flow into nearly every corner of the local economy, accounting for about two-thirds of production and spending in Okaloosa. The money comes in through Eglin Air Force Base and the complex of defense 54

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contractors that surround it, as well as nearby military installations and a community of military retirees who call the area home. Together, they’re responsible for $7.5 billion in economic impact. Military realignments 10 years ago contributed in part to that robust defense spending in Okaloosa. Now growth is leveling off and the Department of Defense

is making additional budget cuts, so military spending is expected to decline. However, local economic leaders expect the losses to be mitigated somewhat by the nature of the military mission at Eglin and by growth in other industries such as aeronautics. “It’s not going to feel like it did a couple of years ago,” said Rick Harper, an economist with the University of West Florida who has studied defense spending in Florida. “I don’t see anything in the near-to-medium future that would threaten the vitality of military spending in Okaloosa County.”

Thousands of Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors The military has a huge presence in the Florida Panhandle and nowhere more so than in Okaloosa County.

In addition to the two major Air Force installations, Okaloosa also serves as a base for the 870th Engineering Company of the Florida National Guard and U.S. Coast Guard Station Destin. Spreading out from either side of Okaloosa, there are Navy installations in Escambia County just to the west and Air Force and Navy bases in Bay County to the east. “You add all that up and you have one heck of a center of gravity for military activity,” said Sal Nodjomian, retired commander of the 96th Test Wing, current member of the Niceville City Council and executive vice president of Matrix Design Group, an engineering firm that does work for the DoD.

Drawn to the Bases

PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/SAMUEL KING JR.

Maintainers and aircrew load luggage onto a B-1B Lancer prior to the aircraft leaving Eglin Air Force Base and returning to its home station.

Eglin Air Force Base is the largest military installation in the United States and is home to nearly 10,000 service members, 4,000 civilian employees and nearly 3,000 contractors. The base covers more than 640 square miles, according to the Department of Defense. Among the units at Eglin are the Air Force’s 96th Test Wing and 33rd Fighter Wing (Joint Strike Fighter training), the Army’s 7th Special Forces Group and 6th Ranger Training Battalion and the Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal school. Next door to Eglin is Hurlburt Field, where the 1st Special Operations Wing is based. According to the Department of Defense, there are another 8,000 service members and 2,000 civilian employees at Hurlburt.

Nodjomian said the military missions associated with Eglin and nearby bases are incredibly diverse, from air and ground training to high-tech and research to special operations. That, and the sheer size of the military presence, has helped build a robust community of defense contractors in the county. There are more than 300 defense contractors located in Okaloosa County, including seven of the 10 largest in the country, according to Nathan Sparks, executive director of the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County. They include Boeing, Lockheed Martin and L-3 Crestview Aerospace, with a combined 2,000 employees between them. In fact, five of the 10 top employers in Okaloosa County are major defense-related businesses working on DoD projects. Nodjomian said there are three factors that draw the defense industry to Okaloosa County: proximity to the military units that need their products and services, the low cost of doing business in a military-friendly state and the labor pool. He said many service members — like him — choose to spend the last years of their careers in the Panhandle and then stay on after retirement because of the quality of life. That makes for a “fabulous labor pool” from which defense contractors can easily draw. Total number of military and militaryrelated jobs in Okaloosa County: more than 70,000, according to Sparks, with the EDC.

Dollars Follow the Military The economic impact of all that defense activity is enormous. There is the direct influx of Department of Defense dollars, the money spent on paying salaries to service members and civilian employees, paying out retirement and disability benefits to veterans living in Okaloosa, and buying supplies and services from local businesses and military contractors. In 2011, that alone amounted to $2.9 billion, according to a report by the Haas Center for Business Research at the University of West Florida. The lion’s share — $1.2 billion — went to procurement, which could be everything from purchasing light bulbs for the base to paying for parts for the F-35 fighter. Another $884 million went to pay service members and civilians. And $883 million went to retirees and disabled vets. But that direct money is only part of the story. Those 70,000 service members, civilian workers and defense contractor employees all need places to live, food to eat and all the incidentals of life like car repairs, home furnishings and entertainment. Most of the money they spend for those things goes into the Okaloosa economy. There’s also the dollar value of the goods produced for and because of the military by defense contractors and local businesses, as well as the dollar value of all the various services provided. Add to that items exported and imported into the county to meet military demands and investment dollars brought in because of the military. Taken all together, it adds up to about $7.5 billion in gross regional product, or the total of goods and services provided in the county. That is roughly 65 percent of Okaloosa’s total economy, according to the Haas Center report. “Okaloosa is the most defense-dependent county in the state,” said Harper, the UWF economist. The amount of DoD money flowing into Okaloosa, and the higher wages of defenserelated jobs has led the county to have much higher per-person incomes than neighboring Panama City or Pensacola, he said. 850 Business Magazine

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WHAT’S NEXT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A MYSTERY. A 96th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Blue F-16 Fighting Falcon team lifts up an AIM-9X missile onto their aircraft during the annual weapons load crew of the year competition at Eglin Air Force Base.

Eglin also extends into neighboring Walton County, but the military’s impact there is significantly less, accounting for just 9 percent of Walton’s economy, according to the Haas report. Steve Jaeger, executive director of the Walton County Economic Development Alliance, attributes this to the fact that Walton is not a center for defense contractors and serves mainly as a bedroom community for Eglin. “Okaloosa County is really where the jobs are stationed and headquartered,” he said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/SAMUEL KING JR.

Decline in Spending In 2005, the Department of Defense initiated the Base Realignment and Closure process. While military installations shrank and closed all across the country, Okaloosa County received great news: Eglin would grow. The Army sent the 7th Special Forces group from Fort Bragg to Eglin, and the Air Force opened the Joint Strike Fighter program — training pilots to fly the new F-35 — at the base. The moves meant thousands of new military and civilian jobs. That caused a rise in spending, both by DoD and by the newly arrived soldiers and airmen and their families. But once the new units were settled in and the Air Force began phasing out the F-15 fighter, spending began to decline. The 2013 Haas Center report projected a decrease in military-related gross regional product to $6.9 billion by this year. Additionally, government sequestration and proposed budget cuts have reduced Department of Defense spending in recent years. Nodjomian said he can’t put a dollar figure on the impact, but between the leveling off of BRAC-related spending and DoDwide cuts he said it would be reasonable to think it has had an impact on Okaloosa. In fact, he said he’s heard from other defense contractors that there has been a tightening effect locally. Sparks, with the Okaloosa EDC, said he doesn’t expect the budget contractions to have serious repercussions for Okaloosa. While “it’s a difficult environment” in terms of allowing an enterprise to plan future revenue growth, Okaloosa’s defenserelated businesses are in a good position because many of them are “tip of the spear” businesses supporting critical missions such as the F-35 and special operations. They are still going to be a priority for DoD, he said.

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Maintainers from the 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, attach the fuel hose to an F-35A Lightning II during a hot pit session on the 33rd Fighter Wing flightline at Eglin Air Force Base.

Looking Outside of Defense

Total Department of Defense direct expenditures in Okaloosa County in 2011 » $1.2 billion for procurement of goods and services

At the same time, the smart money » $884 million for is looking for ways to diversify. salaries to service Nodjomian said his engineering members and firm is doing well because it is civilian employees heavily involved in other industries » $883 million for and doesn’t have “all its eggs in the payments to retirees DoD basket.” The key, he said, is and disabled vets staying flexible so your business Source: Haas Center, can move between markets, for University of West Florida example from defense to municipal contracts. Total military and Many local defense contractors civilian employees are looking toward the aerospace at Eglin Air Force market, Sparks said, particuand Hurlburt Field larly with Airbus about to begin » 17,557 military production of its A320 in nearby » 6,006 civilian Mobile. The plant likely will need Source: Department of Defense support from local manufacturers. Greg Britton, CEO of Fort Walton Machining, said he has made a deliberate effort to move away from reliance on DoD-related projects. At one point, about 60 to 70 percent of his business was defense-related. He’s gotten that down to about 50 percent, with a goal of reducing it another 10 percent. “We’ve had to look at the commercial aerospace field, and oil and gas,” he said, including potentially seeking to get involved with Airbus production. But that’s not necessarily the right direction for every defenserelated business in Okaloosa, Britton said. “There’s no one-size-fits-all for business,” he said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/SAMUEL KING JR.

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Renting the Coast With few big hotels here, most visitors stay in privately owned houses and condos By Rebekah Sanderlin

nlike resort areas in other parts of the United States, there are few large hotels in Walton and Okaloosa counties. The 4.5 million visitors who travel to the Emerald Coast each year tend to stay in houses and condominiums owned by private individuals and typically managed by local firms. These vacation rentals run the gamut from being just a place to stay to providing a nearly allinclusive resort experience. “Our story has really resonated with consumers,” said Scott Russell, a partner in Russell Vacation Rentals, which specializes in vacation condos and homes near Destin and South Walton. “Being in a vacation rental allows you to fully immerse yourself in the destination. You can unwind, relax and explore the community. When people leave here and go back to their homes, they truly feel like they’ve been on a vacation.”

Selling the Coast “Right now the demand is high and supply is low,” said Dana Fairchild, a Realtor with Beach Properties of Florida. “Gulf-front property is selling really fast. We’re on track to do better this year than we did in 2013 and 2014.” Most Emerald Coast vacation-home owners buy here because they want to use the property themselves at least some of the time. Many choose to rent their property out to guests when they aren’t using it themselves to help their budgets, which is exactly what Emerald Coast vacation rental pioneer Jeanne Dailey, the founder and CEO of Miramar Beach-based Newman-Dailey Resort Properties, recommends. She’s been managing properties in the area since 1983. “Find a location that you love and would want to stay in as a vacationing guest,” Dailey said. “People buy homes in this area because they want the American Dream, they want to own a second home. Being on a rental program gives them a way to generate the income to afford that dream.” 60

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With 100 miles of beautiful beaches to choose from, where should someone who wants a vacation home start looking? It all depends on one’s budget and interests, Fairchild said. Prices range from about $400,000 to nearly $12 million for a Gulf-front location. But a place that isn’t on the water can be found in the $200,000 range. Many owners have found that owning beach property here almost, if not completely, pays for itself when the owner commits to sharing his or her home with paying guests. The process is fairly simple: A prospective owner, working with a Realtor, finds a property he or she is interested in purchasing and, as often as not, the Realtor recommends a management company. The management company submits a projection of the rental income the potential owner can expect, allowing the buyer to decide if the home is affordable. Amanda Ferguson, director of the rental management program for Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, said her team talks at length with potential buyers to find out what they want from their property. Their goals will determine which properties they’re shown. “If someone just wants an investment, we steer them to areas with amenities and conference potential,” Ferguson said. “Those generate more year-round business.” Other owners, she said, might plan to spend the entire winter in their unit and then rent it out during the summer, in which case there are other properties they’re more likely to find appealing. Ferguson said that she’s able to provide owners with a detailed analysis of how much similar properties are earning. It’s important for prospective vacationhome owners to know what they’re getting before making such a large investment, said Ashley Hamm, the CEO of 360 Blue, a management company that works primarily with properties along the Scenic Highway 30A corridor. “A homeowner should look for a 7 to 10

ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals features this coastal rental home, called Our Blue Bonnet. Located in Inlet Beach it features a Gulf view along with four bedrooms and a loft to sleep 12.

percent gross rental income based on the purchase price, before commission or maintenance,” Hamm said. “Higher than 7 to 10 percent is incredible; lower than that and it should be a property that the owner plans to primarily use for themselves.” Hamm said that 360 Blue charges owners 20 percent of the rental price as a commission. She explained that some companies might charge a bit less and some might charge more, depending on the amenities that are included. The amenities, particularly in homes along 30A, can be impressive. In some areas, guests and owners have access to golf, tennis, boating, beach clubs, child

care, preferred beach parking and special discounts in stores and restaurants. “Some places, you book a home, and a home is all you get,” said Dru Zeiset, the general manager of vacation rentals for the St. Joe Club & Resorts. “We’re trying to create more of a resort experience.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF RESORTQUEST

Making the Leap Once owners have found their vacation home, they have to decide whether to sign with a management company or to manage it themselves. Websites such as VRBO, Homeaway and Airbnb make it easy for owners to advertise, find renters and book their properties.

“A lot of people, when they look at a vacation home, they toss around the idea of managing it themselves,” Hamm said. “People don’t want to lose access to their home, and they’re skeptical of the wear and tear. We can’t promise or guarantee anything, but that’s why you have a professional management company.” Screening is a major service that management companies offer to owners. Lino Maldonado, vice president of operations for Wyndham Vacation Rentals and ResortQuest, said that his company’s call center staff is trained to note details about people who call to make a reservation.

Emerald Coast management companies all say that they screen guests a second time when the guests check in, which can take place either at the management company’s office or at the vacation home. However, properties along 30A and Destin aren’t as likely to attract the spring break crowd in the first place. “We’re working with very nice properties, so the price point alone helps us keep out the party crowd,” Zeiset said. Two years ago, some Seaside homeowners decided to create a third option: a hybrid of the self-managed and professionally managed models called Homeowners Collection. The 850 Business Magazine

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850 BUSINESS MAGAZINE’S 2015

PINNACLE AWARDS HONORING THE OUTSTANDING WOMEN BUSINESS LEADERS OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA

PINNACLE AWARDS PRESENTING SPONSOR

HONORING THE OUTSTANDING WOMEN BUSINESS LEADERS OF NORTHWEST FLORID

PINNACLE AWARDS

Ten women have been selected to receive the 2015 Pinnacle Award — women of character and integrity, our leaders, mentors and community servants. These honorees will be profiled in the 2015 October/ November issue of 850 Magazine. We will host an intimate luncheon in mid-August on 30A with an award ceremony recognizing the women and hear key subjects and insights from their success and experiences.

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Panama City September 23, 2015 Representative Gwen Graham 2nd District of Florida, U.S. House of Representatives

Okaloosa County October 26, 2015 Elmira Mangum, Ph.D. President, Florida A&M University

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This four-bedroom penthouse with stunning views of the Choctawhatchee Bay is located in Bahia, which is part of a complex of four mid-rise condominium buildings within The Village of Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SANDESTIN GOLF AND BEACH RESORT®

nearly 50 owners who have joined to date paid $5,000 upfront, said Amy Wise-Coble, the general manager of Homeowners Collection. The company also charges a 20 percent management fee. Those fees allow the owners to both maintain control of their own home and have the convenience of a professional management company. For guests, Homeowners Collection handles the reservation process, provides concierge services and assigns a cottage host to help guests with any other needs. “If the company makes a profit over the operating expenses, it will go back to the homeowners,” Wise-Coble said. “It’s a groundbreaking concept that could be duplicated in other communities. I think we’ll see more like this in the future.” Emerald Coast property managers contacted for this story all said they advertise their homes in the markets where most of their guests come from — which are the same markets where most of their owners

live: Atlanta, Nashville, Birmingham and Dallas. However, they all also said that most of their renters are repeat guests. “Because we don’t have high-rise hotels here and we do have so many vacation rentals, we’ve been able to really promote this area as being great for families,” Dailey said. “It’s a tradition for many families throughout the Southeast to come here year after year.” Maldonado said that ResortQuest, which manages more than 1,500 properties in the area, doesn’t use third-party websites to find bookings. However, other management companies say listing on third-party sites is essential for finding guests. “Guests may not even realize that they’re booking with us,” Hamm said. “They’re looking on VRBO or Homeaway and get directed to one of our properties.”

Sealing the Deal Once the decision to purchase a property has been made and a management plan is

established, the process is fairly simple. An owner who plans to self-manage will need to get high-quality photographs of the interior and exterior, list the property on a website such as VRBO or Homeaway, and find housekeepers and possibly a handyman in the area. Gleaves said an owner who manages his or her own rental should expect to spend several hours each week updating the listing with rate information, responding to rental requests, confirming guests, collecting payments and managing housekeepers. An owner who lists with a management company won’t have to do any of these things — all of these tasks will be handled by the property manager. Whether you self-manage or list with a property manager, the experts all say the home should be well decorated and updated. “Think of the kind of place you’d want to stay in as a vacationing guest and furnish your place accordingly,” Dailey said. “Guests tend to take better care of places that are furnished nicer.” 850 Business Magazine

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Walton Tourism Breaking Records

n Walton County, nearly one of every four residents works in the county’s major employment sector — tourism and hospitality. Unlike neighboring Okaloosa, Walton County’s focus is on selling its 26 miles of beaches and 16 beach neighborhoods to visitors, hoping they’ll return on a regular basis and someday become permanent residents, perhaps even starting a new business. “Tourism is setting records every year. It’s a huge part of our economy,” said Steve Jaeger, executive director of the Walton County Economic Development Alliance. “We would just be another rural county in Northwest Florida if not for the beaches and the military.” In 2014, Walton was the third fastest growing county in the state, and the result is 64

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being seen in the spurt of new home construction in developments like Hammock Bay. The county’s largest employers are Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Hilton Sandestin and ResortQuest. They, along with other businesses catering to tourists, are experiencing a surge in popularity. “Last year our tourist numbers were up 7 percent over the previous year. And so far this year, we’re up 23.96 percent over last year,” said Jim Bagby, executive director of the Walton Tourist Development Council. “People don’t realize it, but we’re the ninth largest short-term rental destination in the state of Florida. We beat Pensacola, Jacksonville, everyone north of Orlando.” Last year, Bagby said, Walton County ranked as the top beach destination in Florida

By Linda Kleindienst

for the summer months. And as a summer vacation destination, it beat out everyone in the state except for Orlando. “There’s a lot of reasons for that,” he added. “We have gorgeous sand, two major subdestinations — 30A and Sandestin/Miramar Beach — and whatever visitors want they can find here. We’re a nature destination, a music destination, a culinary destination. Per capita, we have more Golden Spoon award winners than anywhere else in Florida.” The county is also selective in the types of visitors it wants to attract. Its primary target group is in the 35-to-64 year age range and has an annual household income over $175,000. The secondary target group is aged 65 and over and has a net worth of more than $1 million.

PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT SOUTH WALTON

The tourist season and the number of visitors keep growing

“It’s a lifestyle difference,” Bagby said. “When you compare us to our neighbors, we get an entirely different demographic.” In recent years, county tourism leaders have put increased emphasis on the “shoulder seasons” of spring and fall. As a result, the popularity of those seasons — which feature a variety of cultural and culinary festivals — has grown twice as fast as the ever-popular summer season. The tourism council recently closed out its application process for events seeking county financial support in 2016. A total of 28 events, scheduled from Sept. 1 to May 31, asked for funding — almost one per week. The impact of these events is a huge boost to the local economy. For instance, the county’s $50,000 sponsorship of the 30A Songwriter’s Festival resulted in an economic impact of almost $4 million for one weekend. A national multi-million dollar ad campaign paid for by BP after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill helped to boost tourism along the Gulf Coast by allaying

fears of oil-soaked beaches. But visitation records kept getting broken long after the ads went off the airways. “It did help stop the bleeding and clear the airway, but the area has been growing for years and to say it is all a result of BP is a misperception,” Bagby said. While tourism remains Walton County’s economic bread and butter, Jaeger focuses (Above) Alys Beach is a luxury community located on 30A, where on attracting investment that vacationers enjoy rental homes close to the Gulf. (At left) The will diversify the economy and Hilton Sandestin Golf Resort & Spa. provide new jobs in areas like manufacturing. trial park near Freeport, Morgan’s Ice will be “There’s nothing wrong with tourism constructing a new facility that is expected jobs, but they can be seasonal and subject to to provide jobs especially geared toward high outside events,” he said. school and college students. At the county-owned Mossy Head Indus“It’s tourism related, but it’s a wonderful trial Park off I-10, trucking-related compaexpansion for us,” Jaeger said. “They’re nies are moving in and there are hopes of currently distributing ice from Atlanta and attracting a freight-handling warehouse in that’s a long haul.” the near future. At the county’s second indus-

850 Business Magazine

JUNE – JULY 2015

BUSINESS NEWS

SOUNDBYTES

CAPITAL

general manager for the 162-room Aloft Tallahassee Downtown, which opened in 2009.

NEW BEGINNINGS

» G. Matthew “Matt” Brown has been named chief executive officer of Tallahassee State Bank, a division of Synovus Bank. Brown has almost 40 years of banking experience, most recently serving as market president of Centennial Bank in Tallahassee. He previously served as chief executive officer of Premier Bank, also in Tallahassee, and Riverside Bank of the Gulf Coast.

» Jim Hunt has left his post as vice president at Moore Communications Group to accept a job as executive vice president and chief operating officer of an international technology firm, Coaxis International, and with a new related entity Coaxis is about to launch. » Tiffany Roddenberry has joined Holland & Knight as an associate in the Tallahassee office. She focuses her practice in the areas of commercial and appellate litigation. » Matthew Z. Leopold, former

SANDI POREDA, BULLDOG STRATEGY GROUP

» Veteran Florida public rela-

tions professional Sandi Poreda, APR, has launched her new communications firm, Bulldog Strategy Group. Headquartered in Florida’s capital city, the firm specializes in the underserved field of litigation communication, as well as crisis communication training and response.

» Peter

Antonacci, former general counsel to Gov. Rick Scott, has rejoined GrayRobinson’s Tallahassee ANTONACCI office. Antonacci concentrates his practice in the areas of government relations, white collar defense, civil litigation and administrative law.

» Tallahasseearea attorney and community volunteer Katrina Rolle has taken over as president and chief executive officer of the ROLLE United Way of the Big Bend. » Wood+Partners Inc., a regional land planning and landscape architecture firm, has welcomed back Tallahassee native Meghan C. Mick, LEED® AP, ALSA, as project manager. » McKibbon Hotel Group Inc. has hired Carrie Duncan as the new

JUNE – JULY 2015

general counsel of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and former attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, has joined Carlton Fields Jorden Burt as Of Counsel in Tallahassee. He will be a member of the Government Law and Consulting practice group.

» Bruce I. Wiener, Wendy

Russell Wiener and D. Bedford Wilder have joined the Tallahassee office of Broad and Cassel.

» Kristi White and Brianna

Gubala recently joined Centennial Bank’s mortgage loan department.

» April Brueckheimer Dean

and Christie Powis have joined Prime Meridian Bank as mortgage loan officers.

» Michael Brown

has transitioned to the Ameris Bank Construction Financing Division as a construction loan officer, serving BROWN the Tallahassee and Crawfordville markets.

» William D. Townsend has joined

the Tallahassee office of Dean, Mead & Dunbar, a business law firm with five offices across Florida, as Of Counsel in the Government Relations, Lobbying and Administrative Law department.

» Alva Striplin and Melanie Quinton have joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend. Striplin, currently a member of the Leon County School Board, District 1, is the new director of Marketing and Donor Development. Quinton has joined the agency as program director. » Mary Linzee Branham has joined the Tallahassee office of Baker Donelson as an associate in the Business Litigation group.

LOCAL HONORS

BRANHAM

» Agustin “Gus” G. Corbella and Leslie Y. Dughi of international law firm Greenberg Traurig, P.A. have been elevated to senior director and director, respectively, of the Tallahassee office’s Government Law & Policy Practice.

850businessmagazine.com

» SmartAsset.com, an investment website, ranked Tallahassee Community College No. 8 in the country for the combined factors of cost of education, return on investment and student success rate. Among the top 10 schools, TCC had the fourthlowest in-state tuition cost and the fifth-highest graduation and transfer rate. » Sean Pittman of The Pittman Law Group has been named second vice chair of the Orange Bowl Committee.

CORBELLA

DUGHI

» Lewis M. Killian Jr. of the Berger Singerman business law firm has been certified by the Florida Supreme Court as a Circuit Court mediator. » Kimberly Smiley, a 14 year banking and finance veteran, was recently promoted to Tallahassee Market SMILEY President at Centennial Bank. Smiley will oversee the operations of six Centennial branches in Tallahassee and Quincy. LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» International law firm Butler Snow LLP has formed Tallahassee-based VisionFirst Advisors to assist public and private entities with economic development by providing strategic analysis and identifying market opportunities for organizations and also serving as frontline advocates, strategists and negotiators for

» Diane DeWolf has left the

Florida Solicitor General’s office to join the Akerman LLP Appellate Practice as an associate in the Tallahassee office focusing on civil and administrative appeals.

complex location and site selection decisions. Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour will serve as chairman, and former Florida Secretary of Commerce Gray Swoope will serve as president and chief executive officer. » American Commerce Bancshares Inc. and ProFinancial Holdings Inc. in February announced an agreement to purchase Tallassee-based ProBank, a Florida state-chartered bank with two local offices.

BARBOUR

SWOOPE

» John Schrowang, president of the Red Elephant Pizza and Grill, was recently honored with the Governor’s Business Ambassador Award, which is given to individuals and business in recognition of their efforts to create jobs and opportunities for Florida families. The Red Elephant began with 60 employees in Tallahassee and today has seven locations in two different states with over 400 employees. » Legal Services of North Florida Inc. awarded the Jack McLean Champion for Legal Services award to Chief Judge Charles A. Francis at its annual Jazz for Justice fundraiser. Francis is chief judge of the 2nd Judicial Circuit consisting of Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, Franklin, Jefferson and Liberty counties. » Local signs and visual graphics provider FASTSIGNS® of Tallahassee, owned by John and Marilyn Buck, received the Pinnacle Club Award as one of the top centers in sales volume out of more than 560 locations worldwide at the 2015 FASTSIGNS International Convention. » Tadlock Roofing has been awarded the service industry’s coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award, reflecting an exemplary year of service provided to members of the local community and the consumer review site in 2014.

» Gigi Rollini, a shareholder and attorney practicing in the Tallahassee firm of Messer Caparello P.A., has ROLLINI been recognized by the Florida Association of Women Lawyers as one of Florida’s “Extraordinary Women.” » Tallahassee Community College’s television station, TCC22, recently took home the gold for the production of “The SKiNNY on Paying for College” at the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations’ Paragon Awards. » Tallahassee’s Optimal Bag-

ging won as the top technology startup at Jacksonville’s One Spark crowdfunding festival, taking home $15,000.

» Hancock Bank recently ap-

PHOTOS BY ALICIA OSBORNE (SMILEY) AND PROVIDED BY PROFILED INDIVIDUALS

pointed seven new members to its Tallahassee market advisory board: Chris Dudley, managing partner at Southern Strategy Group; Dr. Marc J. Inglese, a practicing physician and partner at Dermatology Associates of Tallahassee; Dr. Floyd R. Jaggears, managing physician partner and interim chief executive officer of Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic; Michael Kalifeh, a shareholder at Thomas Howell Ferguson; Felicia Leborgne Nowels, a partner at Akerman LLP; John B. “Jay” Smith II, vice president and owner of Ajax Building Corporation; and Bruce Wiener, a Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education Certified Real Estate Lawyer at Gardner, Bist, Wiener, Bowden, Bush, Dee, LaVia & Wright P.A.

COGNETTA AND MCCULLY

» The Capital Medical Society celebrated Doctors’ Day in March by honoring two local doctors for their accomplishments: Dr. Alvie “Al” McCully with the I.B. Harrison M.D. Humanitarian Award and Dr. Armand Cognetta with the Outstanding Physician Award.

» Canita Peterson, with Tallahas-

see-based Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A., has been recognized by the National Academy of Public Accounting Professionals as one of the Top 10 Public Accounting Professionals in Florida for 2014.

» Mark E. Holcomb, a part-

ner with Madsen Goldman & Holcomb LLP in Tallahassee, has been named the Gerald T. Hart Outstanding Tax Attorney of the Year for 2014-15 by the Tax Section of The Florida Bar.

» Alfreda Blackshear, a pediatri-

cian and owner of Alfreda D. Blackshear Pediatrics, has been elected treasurer of the FAMU Foundation. Randy Guemple, a staff accountant with Carroll & Company CPA since 2004, has been named to the Foundation board.

» Valerie Hubbard, director of planning services for the Real Estate Practice Group of Akerman LLP, has started her term as president of the American Planning Association’s professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners. » Tallahassee Allstate agency

owners Jeff Ard, Tara Smith and Tom Paterson have been named Allstate Premier Agencies for 2015.

» First Florida Credit Union received a 2015 Credit Union National Association Diamond Award for the organization’s innovative CREATE campaign, designed to roll-out the company’s merger with State Employees Credit Union. APPOINTED BY GOV. SCOTT

» J. Layne Smith, 53, of Tallahassee, to the Leon County Court. Smith is the former general counsel for the Florida Department of Lottery. » Timothy Center and Ed Moore, both of Tallahassee, to the Board of Directors of Careersource Florida. Center, 49, is founder of Centerfield Strategy. Moore, 63, is president of Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida. » Paul Wilford and John Girdler, both of Tallahassee, to the Board of Opticianry. Wilford, 50, is an optician with the Tallahassee Eye Center. Girdler, 50, is an optician with Luxottica, Sears Optical.

» Stanley Warden, 53, of Tallahassee, contract manager and geologist with the Department of Environmental Protection, to the Board of Professional Geologists. » Lisa Bolhouse, 53, of Tallahassee, a licensed clinical social worker with the University Counseling Center at Florida State University, to the Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling. » John Chafin, 78, of Tallahassee, former Leon County Tax Collector, to the Area Two Family Care Council. » Charles Fleming, 52, of Tallahassee, the principal electrical engineer for McGinniss and Fleming Engineering, to the Board of Professional Engineers. » Linda DiGonzalez, 59, of Tallahassee, director of volunteers for senior citizens for Westminster Oaks, to the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind Board of Trustees. » Kenan Fishburne, 63, of Quincy, an assistant professor of interior design at Florida State University and owner of Main Street Design Inc., to the Board of Architecture and Interior Design. » William Phelan of Tallahassee, chairman of Elder Care Services and a former executive director of the Florida Health Care Association, to the Board of Nursing Home Administrators. » Maryellen McDonald, 63, of Tallahassee, executive director of Disability Rights Florida, to the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council. » Cassandra Pasley and Elizabeth Kidder, both of Tallahassee, to the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation Board of Directors. Pasley, 49, is director of children’s medical services for the Florida Department of Health. Kidder, 44, is assistant deputy secretary for Medicaid policy and quality for the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. » Elva Peppers, 46, of Tallahassee, project manager biologist with Florida Environmental and Land Services Inc., to the Acquisition & Restoration Council.

» Tanya Wilkins, 52, of Tallahassee, co-founder and vice president of LifeConnectors, to the Guardian Ad Litem Qualifications Committee. » Bradley Williams, 44, of Monticello, owner and president of Williams Timber Inc., to the Suwannee River Water Management District.

EMERALD COAST NEW BEGINNINGS

» The University of West Florida has hired retired Navy Capt. Susan K. Cerovsky as director of the Center for Cybersecurity. The 30- CEROVSKY year Navy veteran most recently held the title of commanding officer of the Center for Information Dominance at Corry Station in Pensacola. » Jerry Maygarden has been appointed chairman of the University of West Florida College of Business Advisory Council. Maygarden holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in communication arts from UWF and currently serves as the executive director for the Pensacola Chamber Foundation. » Rick Byars and Verdell Hawkins have been named to key posts with Gulf Power. Byers, the new Community and BYARS Economic Development general manager, is responsible for job creation, community building and community development in Northwest HAWKINS Florida. Hawkins has been named Community Relations manager and is responsible for overseeing the strategy regarding the company’s charitable activities and community engagement. He will also serve as executive director for the Gulf Power Foundation. » Denise Kendust has been named director of Marketing and

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JUNE – JULY 2015

BUSINESS NEWS

SOUNDBYTES

Public Relations for Fort Walton Beach Medical Center. She previously served as administrator for Pink Monarch Breast Center in Columbus, Georgia.

» Destin Com-

mons has promoted Heather Pike to the post of marketing manager.

» Emagination

PIKE Unlimited Inc. has added Felipe Muñoz to its team as art director. He will oversee the art department in creating a variety of communications materials including print ads, brochures, videos, Web sites and billboards.

» Santa Rosa-based M Public

» The New York City-based

Debt, Joint Venture and Structured Capital team of the Avison Young commercial real estate services firm has secured a $44 million construction loan for the first phase of Henderson Beach Resort in Destin. The project’s first phase includes a 170-key hotel and conference center offering private beach access that will be managed by Salamander Hotels & Resorts.

» Beach Properties of Florida is expanding its service with a new office location, now open at The Crossings at Inlet Beach located by the intersection of Scenic Highway 30A and Highway 98 within walking distance from Rosemary Beach.

Relations has been appointed the marketing communications partner for Justin Gaffrey, South Walton’s iconic self-taught acrylic artist.

» Stirling Properties has been awarded a contract to provide comprehensive leasing and property management services for Santa Rosa Mall in Mary Esther.

» Kim Stacey,

LOCAL HONORS

Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS®, has been promoted to assistant manager of the Pensacola office. STACEY

» Eric M. Shoemaker, D.O., has

joined the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, where he will specialize in non-operative treatment of hip, spine and shoulder conditions, as well as nerve injuries.

LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» New locally owned restaurant, The Beach House, has opened on the beach in Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. The two-story beachfront restaurant originated on the Emerald Coast in 1985 as The Elephant Walk. Created by long-time restaurateurs, Ron Green of the Another Broken Egg concept and Gene Speni, franchisee of 12 Bonefish Grills throughout the region, the managing partner will be David Valentine, a restaurateur with over 25 years of industry experience.

» ABC Fine Wine & Spirits has opened its first store in Destin and only the second location west of Tallahassee. It is the store’s 140th location.

JUNE – JULY 2015

» Mort O’Sullivan, CPA, has been reappointed to the Board of Trustees of the University of West Florida. O’Sullivan is the managing member of Warren Averett’s Gulf Coast Division. He is a founding member of the former Gulf Coast firm, O’Sullivan Creel. » Simona Faroni, president of Fort Walton Beachbased G.S. Gelato & Desserts, a manufacturer of Italian gelato FARONI and sorbet, has been recognized as one of the Influential Women in the Food Industry by The Griffin Report and as one of the Top Female Business Owners by Enterprising Women. » Edison Electric Institute presented Gulf Power with the association’s “Emergency Recovery Award” for outstanding power restoration efforts in 2014 following a severe ice storm in January and major flooding in April. » West Florida Hospital was recently named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® by Truven Health Analytics, a leading provider of data-driven analytics and solutions to improve the cost and quality of health care. The study

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identifies hospitals that provide the highest level of value to their communities, based on a national scorecard.

» Della Scott-Ireton, associate director of the Florida Public Archaeology Network, received the 2015 Senator Bob Williams Award at the annual Florida Heritage Awards ceremony. She has worked with the Pensacola Shipwreck Survey, University of West Florida Historic Trust, Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research and the government of the Cayman Islands. » Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa garnered two recognitions from Hilton Worldwide: the “Make it Right” Award and the “Make it Right” Most Improved Award. The “Make it Right” program is a way to measurably show the commitment to serving Hilton guests and is based on an email survey sent to a random list of guests to gauge the satisfaction of their stay. » Brian Haugen and Steve Cann have been named as one of the 2015 PLANADVISER Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisory Teams, an annual listing of adviser individuals, teams and multi-office teams that stand out in the industry. » White-Wilson Medical Center has been granted a three-year term of accreditation in Echocardiography in the areas of Adult Transthoracic and Adult Stress. » IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area received the Public Citizen of the Year Award from the National Association of Social Workers, Northwest Florida Unit, and has been nominated for the same award on the state level. » Carrie Boynton with Warren Averett, LLC, Certified Public Accountants and Advisors, has become a Certified Public Accountant. » ResortQuest Real Estate announced its 2014 top producers during its annual banquet. The Nathan Abbott Team of the Destin office received highest honors for top closed production in 2014 by achieving $43.1 million in total sales volume. Janette Klein of the Miramar Beach office received runner up for total production with $22.8 million in

sales volume, and Mary Fletcher of the TOPS’L Beach & Racquet Resort office received highest honors for top closed production by a single agent with $10.5 million.

» Jerry Pate Company of Pensacola was named the Club Car distributor of the year for overall superior performance during the annual awards ceremony held at the 2015 Golf Industry Show. The company also received the prestigious Club Car Black & Gold designation for 2015, recognizing its business performance and customer service. Account Executive Jason Gattina, SCPS, received the prestigious Green Blazer Award for his accomplishments in Toro equipment sales. » The Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard, owned by the Howard Group, each received top honors for performance and achievements in 2014. Both hotels were recognized out of thousands of Marriott hotels worldwide at the 2015 Marriott General Managers Conference. The Courtyard by Marriott Sandestin received the Platinum Hotel Award for its overall customer service satisfaction scores ranking in the top one percent out of 1,000 Courtyard hotels worldwide. The Residence Inn by Marriott Sandestin received the Gold Hotel Award for its overall customer service satisfaction scores ranking in the top 10 percent out of 667 Residence Inn hotels worldwide. Tania Koehler also received the Diamond General Manager of the Year award for her management of both hotels. » Twin Cities Hospital in Niceville recently announced the recipients of the 2014 Dr. Frist Humanitarian Awards: Dr. Mark Schroeder, Wendy Borcyk (employee) and Wanda Stapleton (volunteer). The award is the highest honor an employee, volunteer and physician can receive at HCA, the parent company of Twin Cities Hospital. APPOINTED BY GOV. SCOTT

» Dr. Carl Spear, 50, of Pensacola, a self-employed optometrist, to the Board of Optometry. » Ken Bell, 58, of Pensacola, a

shareholder with the Gunster Law Firm and a former Florida Supreme Court Justice serving from 2002 to 2008, to the Florida Government Efficiency Task Force.

» Nolan Sanford Winn, 61,

» William “Billy” Buzzett, 56,

» PCB Chick in Panama City Beach won the People’s Choice Award at the second annual Chicken Salad Chick franchise conference. The honor goes to the restaurant that received the highest percentage of positive reviews from guests via all social media and corporate submissions.

» Robert “Bob” Jones, 72,

LOCAL HAPPENINGS

of Pensacola, reappointed as a Judge of Compensation Claims, a post he has held since 2006. of Santa Rosa Beach, an attorney and partner with Harrison, Rivard, Duncan & Buzzett, to the Florida State University Board of Trustees. of Westville, chief executive officer of Jones-Phillips & Associates Inc., to the University of West Florida Board of Trustees.

» Frank White, 36, of Pen-

sacola, general counsel and business analyst for Sandy Sansing Dealerships, to the Florida Development Finance Corporation.

» Patrick Dawson and Kevin

Lacz to the Pensacola State College District Board of Trustees. Dawson, 49, of Milton, is the general manager of G4S Secure Solutions Inc. Pensacola. Lacz, 33, of Gulf Breeze, is a physician assistant for Regenesis LLC.

FORGOTTEN COAST APPOINTED BY GOV. SCOTT

» Veronica Wold, 45, of

Crawfordville, a government operations consultant with the Department of Corrections, to the Barbers’ Board.

BAY PHOTOS ROVIDED BY PROFILED INDIVIDUALS

Chosen from more than 440 nominations, she will serve as the public face of PSI’s nearly 7,000 independently owned member businesses and represent the pet-sitting industry throughout 2015.

LOCAL HONORS

» Michelle Miller, owner of At Home Comforts Pet Sitting MILLER in Panama City, has been named Pet Sitters International’s 2014 Pet Sitter of the Year™.

» This spring, Silver Airways began new daily, non-stop service to Orlando International Airport and Tampa International Airport from Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. » The Sun Harbor Marina, one

of the oldest marinas in the area and one of the few deepwater facilities in Panama City, has been sold to Sun Harbor Holdings LLC in a transaction managed by Nations Real Estate. The new owners plan to improve the existing facilities.

APPOINTED BY GOV. SCOTT

» Dr. Peter Claussen, 65, of Panama City, a self-employed pediatric dentist, to the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation Board of Directors.

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» Richard Schwab, 42, of Perry, a procurement manager with M.A. Rigoni, to the Suwannee River Water Management District. Schwab is president of the Southeastern Wood Producers Association, vice president of the American Loggers Council and on the board of the Forest Resources Association. » Joe C. Peavy, 83, of Madison, a retired sheriff of Madison County, to the Third Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission. Compiled by Linda Kleindienst

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Gadsden, Jefferson + Leon Counties

MAJESTIC SCULPTURE Tallahasseebased FIGG Bridge group designs and builds bridges worldwide that create lasting impressions, including the I-93 Leonard P. Zakim Bridge that crosses the Charles River in Boston and (below) the bridge superstructure for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project.

Spanning the Imagination Tallahassee-Based FIGG Bridge Group specializes in giant, functional works of art By Rochelle Koff

o Linda Figg, bridges aren’t just a way to travel from one spot to another. She sees each structure as a work of art, a storyteller, a lasting symbol of a place and time. “Bridges connect people to each other and their dreams,” said Figg, president and chief executive officer of Tallahassee-based FIGG Bridge Group. “The beauty of a bridge tells the story of the quality of life in a community.” Figg’s own connection with bridges began as a child who loved creating things, like sewing her own clothes and climbing trees, where she would sit for hours a day, “dreaming of building things high in the air.” Those dreams led to her life’s work — building bridges that are considered works of art. At 55, Figg runs an international company with construction values totaling more than $14 billion. Launched by her father, Eugene Figg Jr., four decades ago, FIGG has its headquarters

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in Tallahassee, but the firm also has regional offices in Alabama, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota and Philadelphia and currently has eight field offices. The company has specialized in the design, inspection, management and construction of bridges in 42 states and six countries — Canada, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Guyana, Brazil and Venezuela. Some of FIGG’s bridges span emeraldgreen waters (Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys), sweeping mountain vistas (Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway’s Linn Cove Viaduct in North Carolina), red rock formations (U.S. 191’s Colorado River Bridge in Moab, Utah) and busy city streets (AirTrain JFK at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City). FIGG has created bridges with stunning views (Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory in Waldo and Hancock counties, Maine), wildlife mosaics (Broadway Bridge in Daytona Beach) and the artwork of American

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FIGG/ADAM COHEN (I-93 LEONARD P. ZAKIM BRIDGE AND LINDA FIGG) AND COURTESY OF FIGG (HONOLULU RAIL TRANSIT PROJECT)

Indians (Four Bears Bridge in New Town, North Dakota). The firm has more than 355 awards of excellence, including three Presidential Awards through the National Endowment for the Arts. One of those bridges is the I-275 Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge across Tampa Bay, with spans reminiscent of a sailboat. Sen. Graham called it a “state of the art” design. “What we are trying to do is create lasting impressions,” said Figg, a Tallahassee native. FIGG bridges have been on the covers of more than 300 books and magazines and featured on TV shows including “Modern Marvels,” PBS programs and “National Geographic.” Chances are you’ve driven across FIGG structures somewhere in Florida or elsewhere in the country. If not, one of their latest projects is the first in Figg’s hometown. FIGG designed Tallahassee’s new Capital Cascades Trail pedestrian connector bridge, which will be 100 feet south of the railroad bridge crossing South Monroe Street, connecting the park to South Adams Street. Construction bids were received on March 3 for $5.4 million, and about half of this is for the bridge and the other half is for landscaping, trails, parking facilities, lighting and other amenities. “The concept has always involved an iconic gateway element,” said Wayne Tedder, director of Blueprint 2000, the agency created to build infrastructure projects using money from a penny sales tax passed by voters. The bridge, expected to be completed by next spring, features poles angled “like trees you’d find in a forest” that are attached to eight canopies with solar fabric, Figg said. These panels provide enough electrical power to light the bridge at night — and the city can change the color for any event, even big home football games. FIGG presented four bridge design options during a public charrette. Getting community input “was a big part of their process,” said Gary Phillips, Blueprint 2000 project manager. The canopied concept received the highest ratings. “We wanted to be sure it was specific to Tallahassee,” Phillips said. “In terms of communication, creativity, innovation and imagination — all the

things that get people excited about these projects — FIGG is as good as I’ve ever seen,” he said. And as for Linda Figg, “she’s the one who makes it happen.” Figg calls the bridge a “tribute to our canopy trees and roads,” adding that it “incorporates some strong ecological technology.” It seems fitting that she has a role in Cascades Park. It’s a place where she and her husband, Richard Drew, a retired environmental engineer, like to walk — when she has time. Figg travels about three days a week on the firm’s private plane, but her interests include health, nutrition, education and books — she keeps favorites in her office to give away to fellow book lovers. “I love learning new things,” said Figg, whose enthusiasm is catching. But make no mistake. Bridges are her passion, her hobby as well as her work.

Large, colorful photos of bridges are proudly featured, as if museum pieces, on the stark white walls of the firm’s three-story, historic downtown headquarters on Tallahassee’s North Calhoun Street. Originally built in 1844 by contractor George Proctor, a freed slave, it was once the home of federal judge Thomas Randall and later banker George Lewis. But it’s been the world headquarters for FIGG since her father founded the company in 1978. Figg worked with him for 20 years before his death at age 65 in 2002. She then took over the company, remaining true to his lofty goals. “My father used to encourage me by saying, ‘You can do anything that you put your mind to,’ ” Figg said. “He had great optimism and believed that anything is possible if we dedicate our hearts and minds to it. There is great power and amazing results in teamwork.”

HALL OF FAMER Linda Figg picked up the reins of the company started by her father in 1978, making an impact on the profession with her passion for what is her work and her hobby.

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RENDERING COURTESY OF FIGG

CASCADES CONNECTOR Expected to be completed in spring 2016, the Tallahassee pedestrian project features eight canopies with solar fabric that will provide electrical power to light the bridge at night.

She says the firm’s name of FIGG is written in all capitals because “everything we do is about the team. I see it as an entity. It’s not about my name.” Figg directs her teams from the same office her dad used, an expansive but understated space with a fireplace and 22-foot ceilings. Figg’s massive mahogany library desk was her father’s, brought from his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. Figg was born and raised in Tallahassee and her mother, Ann Ruth, and one of her three sisters still live in the city. Figg excelled in science and math during her years at Leon High School, and then she attended Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. “She represents the very best of Auburn engineering,” said Jim Killian, director of engineering communications and marketing at Auburn. Figg was one of three women in her civil engineering class when she graduated; today about 20 percent of graduates are women, Killian said. “Her dad started the company, but she picked up the ball and moved it right along,” Killian said. “It’s hard to go from one generation to the next with continuity, and she’s done that. FIGG Bridge has remained a solid competitor in the business primarily due to her efforts in leading the company forward.” Larry Benefield, dean emeritus of Auburn’s engineering college, said he was one of two members of the board who nominated Linda Figg for the state of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. Inducted in 2010, she is one of seven women among the 163 individuals given that honor.

Colleagues call her personable, engaging and persuasive, especially when it comes to pitching her designs. “She’s been an extraordinary leader,” Benefield said. In 2011, she was inducted into the National Academy of Construction. In 2007, Concrete Construction magazine named her one of the 13 most influential people in the concrete industry, and she was named one of Engineering News Record’s Top 22 Newsmakers in 1998. Linda Figg was a student when her father, a structural engineer, started a firm with French engineer Jean Muller. Their idea was to incorporate a bridge system used in Europe to replace bridges destroyed by war in a “quick and efficient manner,” she said. They brought the technology to the United States “and advanced it to another level,” she said. In 1988, Gene Figg became the sole owner of the firm, which expanded and became FIGG Bridge Group. The company’s method is to use precast, concrete segments “like big Lego blocks,” Figg said. “This is like creating a kit of precast concrete parts from local materials and local labor to assemble quickly at a site.” FIGG also uses a system of cables that are pulled on tightly with hydraulic stressing equipment. Then the cables and concrete segments are locked into place together to permanently create a superstructure span. To meet needs in the future, bridges may need to use vertical space to expand, rising out of highway medians, Figg said. And to get more bridges funded, it may be necessary to have more toll bridges in the country.

“The United States has a backlog of needs in infrastructure,” Figg said. “About one in four bridges in the U.S. is structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. “So our focused challenge is to bring the best solutions for getting more sustainable bridges built in communities to grow local economies and improve the quality of life,” she said. Her firm’s goal is to create “bridges that are costeffective, have a longer life, respect the environment and are aesthetically pleasing. Bridges that are functional bridge sculpture.” Using its precast concrete method, the Seven Mile Bridge in the Keys was completed six months ahead of schedule, Figg said. She was on the Florida Keys Inspection Site Team, her first job working with her father’s company after graduating from Auburn in 1982. Since then, FIGG has taken on some formidable projects, including the $234 million replacement of a Minneapolis bridge across the Mississippi River after the original collapsed in 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145. Minnesota wanted the new I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis to last at least 100 years, and it had to be built in 11 months. The price of delay without a bridge took an economic toll of $400,000 to $1 million a day, Figg said. Bridges reflect the latest technology, she said, and the new I-35W bridge incorporated many new advances, including 323 sensors to make the structure a “smart bridge.” Figg said she relishes her role in getting public input, especially at the beginning of a project to “capture a community’s vision.” In Daytona Beach, public workshops led to the theme of “Timeless Ecology” on the Broadway Bridge. An artist created 18 wildlife mosaic tiles along the bridge’s sidewalk and walkway. The mosaic at the highest point of the bridge features a pair of bald eagles and other birds. In North Dakota, FIGG worked with local artists for the Four Bears Bridge at the Fort Berthold Reservation dedicated to the lives of three affiliated tribes who live there — the Mandan, the Hidatsa and the Arikara. The bridge’s pedestrian walkway and railing resemble a linear art gallery celebrating the Indian community. Figg’s favorite older bridge is the Brooklyn Bridge, which she calls “remarkable.” “It was the largest thing on the landscape when it was built,” she said. Even after more than 30 years in the industry, she’s still amazed by the “majesty” of a bridge. “It can really take your breath away.” n 850 Business Magazine

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EMERALD COAST CORRIDOR

Coastal Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa + Walton Counties

Cashing In on Creativity Three local couples turn their passions for food, design and photography into successful careers working side by side By Danielle Buenrostro

nly a small percentage of us share a workplace with our spouses. In fact, the average person would probably say that working with his or her mate wouldn’t be good for the marriage. Yet three local couples have taken a less traditional approach to keeping business and pleasure separate. They’ve found a way to co-work and cohabitate in perfect harmony.

LOVE THROUGH THE LENS Shawn and Hannah Brown are the dynamic duo of HBB Photography, capturing the engagements, weddings, pregnancies and special moments of families on the Emerald Coast. Part Spanish shutterbug and part Canadian creative genius, the two are known for their photojournalistic style and out-of-the-box thematic shoots. The Browns’ passion to see life through a camera lens started early in life. Hannah grew up in Madrid, inspired by her mother’s studio portraiture work and learning the fundamentals of light, composition and film. Shawn was born in Toronto, where he inherited his dad’s film camera and developed a curiosity to learn more. The two made their way to the Emerald Coast and were each other’s first kiss and first date, which eventually led to wedding vows. After eight years of wedded bliss, Hannah testifies that they are truly each other’s best friend and says she couldn’t imagine work without Shawn by her side. For the Browns, being together 24/7 doesn’t get old. Their success is a classic case of yin and yang that works. Hannah is technical and calculated while Shawn is uninhibited and eccentric. “He also has no fear of making a fool out of himself in order to get a shot,” Hannah said. “He thinks way outside the box, and I try to grasp

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TASTEBUD TANTALIZERS Camille, 33, and Steve Withall, 34, pictured in their gourmet chef's kitchen in Miramar Beach, are passionate about all things food and wine, each other and their cat named Roux.

SHUTTERBUG GENIUS The Browns met in youth group when Shawn was 11 and Hannah was 14. Being playful inspires the couple’s innovative approach to photography and is one of the secrets to their lasting marriage.

what he’s saying and make it into reality. That’s how we come up with all of our thematic portraits.” Relying on each other’s strengths during a photo shoot allows the Browns to produce one-of-a-kind pieces of art that families cherish for years. It has also helped them develop a reputation in the area as firstrate artists. “One thing that keeps us passionate is getting to meet new people and experiencing the dynamics they have with their loved ones in their relationships,” Hannah said. When a family actually has fun during a photo shoot, that moment is one of the biggest compliments a photographer can get, according to Hannah. Also, when clients looks at their website and immediately know they want the Browns to capture their special day, the moment is very humbling to the couple. When they’re not behind the camera, Shawn loves to play and write music. Hannah enjoys riding horses and unwinds by reading at least three books a week. “We work at the beach every day, but when we actually get to go just for fun, it kind of blows my mind that we live five minutes from some of the most beautiful beaches in the world,” Hannah said.

Photos by MARI DARR~WELCH

CULINARY PROWESS If you’ve eaten at some of the best restaurants on the Emerald Coast or taken a cooking class, chances are the dishes of chefs Steve and Camille Withall have tantalized your taste buds. Steve boils a mean batch of crawfish as head chef at Stinky’s Fish Camp in Santa Rosa Beach, while Camille is sous chef at George’s at Alys Beach and enjoys baking her cake and eating it, too. The couple come from a long line of great cooks in their respective families, Steve growing up in New York and Camille in the Philippines. After working in the engineering field left him unfulfilled, Steve had a desire for something more, and he soon discovered the kitchen is where he belongs. Steve and Camille’s paths crossed when they both ended up working in the same kitchen in Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort after culinary school. Their love affair with food and each other soon led them to tie the knot. “Working together really well was organic,” Steve said. At George’s, Camille takes pride in making sure the food tastes as good as it looks with memorable and unexpected dishes such as popcorn, bacon and chocolate blended together. At Stinky’s, Steve satisfies appetites with a definitive taste of Gulf Coast cuisine, creatively integrating seasonal ingredients from local farmers and putting his own spin on things. “Stinky’s daily feature menus are my main creative outlet,” he said. “Wine dinners, catering events and the guest amuse-bouche program (which is a small, unique one-bite treat used to stimulate a guest’s appetite and to welcome them) all keep my creative juices flowing.” A dual household of chefs is demanding, with unforgiving work

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BUILDING ON THEIR TALENTS An unlikely mix of talents and unfortunate circumstances led a couple from Malibu, California, to make their mark in the Emerald Coast as one of the leading husband-and-wife custom home builders and design firms in the area. After purchasing property in WaterColor in 2002 and coming to the horrifying realization that they couldn’t afford to pay a contractor to build their dream home, Scott and Lisa Marie Brooks took matters into their own hands. Although neither had worked in the home building industry, they pooled their skills — Scott as a naval officer, entrepreneur and airline pilot and Lisa Marie as a model, designer and photographer — and made their dream a reality with the help of family.

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MARI DARR~WELCH

hours and very little time off. But both chefs enjoy being in the pressure cooker because it brings out their creativity. “It’s all about complexity of flavors for me, growing up with Filipino cuisine, which is a mix of Asian and Spanish food,” Camille said. “It’s the love of feeding others great food.” On their days off, they’re at home in their Miramar Beach kitchen, entertaining for family and friends. For sweethearts Steve and Camille, the ingredients to a successful dish parallel the ingredients of a successful marriage. “For any composed dish, quality of ingredients and maintaining their integrity with the correct amount of seasoning and attention to detail is key,” Steve said. “Like the care you put in food, respecting your spouse and vows and communication, while remembering to have fun along the way, makes for a great marriage.”

BUILDING DREAMS Scott and Lisa Marie Brooks, who have been a married dynamic duo for 14 years, pour their love into designing and building custom fairytale dream homes like this one in Seaside.

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It was during the downturn in the home market from 2005 to 2007 that Lisa Marie called her dad, Dave Borges, who was a custom homebuilder in Arizona, in tears, saying their dream home wasn’t going to happen based on what local builders were quoting them. “The next thing I knew, he was on his way to Orlando to get his Florida contractor’s license,” Lisa Marie said. Soon after building their dream home, others began to notice the craftsmanship, were impressed by the unique quality and began to inquire. It was at that point Lisa Marie’s dad left the collapsing Arizona market for good and joined forces with the Brookses to officially launch Borges Brooks Builders in 2008. Although they’ve been in business only six years, they’ve built 30 custom homes, five of which are for repeat customers building their second home with the firm, Lisa Marie said. “We have built homes for three friends, and we are still friends with all of them,” she said. The booming business is truly a family affair. Dave is semiretired now yet still helps with various aspects of the company. Used to operating with no margin for error as a pilot, Scott manages the finances and the building process while Lisa Marie handles the design aspects of building, taking a creative license to infuse her coastal contemporary style into home furnishings, elements and décor. “I spent years in the fashion world, traveling and living in more than 14 countries, and immersed myself in different cultures, architecture, style and design, which all helps me to see projects from a different set of goggles than most,” she said. Working side by side every day is no big deal to Scott and Lisa

Marie. They make it work by knowing which battles are worth fighting and which are not. “It’s not that difficult to work together,” Lisa Marie said. “We both want perfection, so we can usually agree. If we do disagree, and if it’s design-related, I win out. If it’s a structural issue, Scott always wins.” In addition to their impeccable attention to detail and exquisite workmanship, one of the Brookses’ biggest keys to professional success is operating with integrity. “If you have that one quality, everything else falls into place and all are happy in the end,” Lisa Marie said. “Build it with integrity and it will last. Design it to be in harmony with, as well as a reflection of, the amazing natural beauty in this area and people will love it.” Back home, Scott and Lisa Marie enjoy time outdoors with their son Logan, 13. Life on the water gives them a chance to recharge and reconnect away from the stresses of work. “We love to hop on the boat or the Jet Ski or the Harley-Davidson,” Lisa Marie said. Their chemistry as a couple, their business acumen blended with sophisticated style and their team of talented professionals are all the components of a successful equation for the Brookses at home and at the office. “In order to compete in this niche market, you must always be upping your game. We are both creative; however, we cannot take all the credit,” Lisa Marie said. “We have some of the most talented subs, designers and trade people anywhere. We have both lived and traveled all over the world, and we both agree that the level of talent in our little corner of the world is second to none. We are incredibly blessed to have all of them on our team.”

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2015.03.014 850 Business Magazine

JUNE – JULY 2015

FORGOTTEN COAST CORRIDOR

Gulf, Franklin + Wakulla Counties

Charting A Course The Apalachicola Maritime Museum is working hard to provide a ‘Franklin County-friendly’ industry By Jason Dehart

education throughout the ApalachicolaChattahoochee-Flint River System. The museum’s sailing program will be expanded to include the resumption of trips aboard the Heritage that will be open to public and a sail training program based on the American Sailing Academy guidelines, said George Floyd, museum chairman. The Heritage can accommodate up to 20 passengers. As important as that mission is, there is an ancillary benefit that local officials are counting on being just as successful. The hope is the museum will continue to provide a much-needed long-term boost to the local economy. To date, more than 11,000 people have ventured along on the museum’s many educational excursions, and that number is expected to grow. “Franklin County and Apalachicola have weathered great changes in their economic base over the years. Most recently both the county and the city have transitioned

GEORGE FLOYD

nce upon a time, the powerful splashing blades of elegant wooden steamboats churned the waters of the Apalachicola and Chattahoochee rivers. The steamboat era, so vital to early commerce, ran from 1827 to 1927. But these weren’t the only boats that would have been familiar to the dockworkers and merchants in Apalachicola. Sleek sailing ships of various shapes and sizes, and capable of carrying tons of precious cargo, plied the waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico and opened trade to far off ports. Today, thanks to the hard work and dedication of a small army of craftsmen, historians, machinists and other enthusiasts, the maritime heritage of this laid-back tourism destination is coming back strong. The Apalachicola Maritime Museum’s mission celebrates and preserves this rich history with regular sailing cruises in Apalachicola Bay aboard the aptly named Heritage (a 58-foot wooden ketch purchased by the museum in 2007); boat building classes for young and old; ecotourism excursions; and ecosystem stewardship

LIVING HISTORY The Samuel Floyd (above) will soon restore paddlewheel transportation to the area for the first time since the 1920s and will become the centerpiece attraction of the Apalachicola Maritime Museum (right). Facing Page: Museum Chairman George Floyd relaxing aboard the wooden ketch Heritage.

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into major destinations for visitors. The Apalachicola Maritime Museum is a cornerstone for the city’s tourism economic engine,” said Curt Blair of the Franklin County Tourist Development Council. “For over 100 years the county’s future has been connected to the maritime industry. The museum’s role in chronicling those transitions and laying a pathway to the future has been a critical element in the vibrancy of our economic evolution.” THE JEAN MARY/SAMUEL FLOYD Perhaps the most ambitious project to date for the owners and directors of the Apalachicola Maritime Museum is the renovation of the Jean Mary, an 86-foot-long replica paddlewheel boat that will “capture the beauty and romance” of the bygone era of steamboats. The boat was donated by legendary actress Debbie Reynolds, the vessel’s most recent former owner, after it sank in 2008. Reynolds gave the ship to the

museum in hopes that it could be restored to its former splendor, according to Floyd. The extensive restoration work began in a Jacksonville shipyard in September 2012. More than two years later renovations were nearing completion, Floyd said. “This magnificent vessel will soon be at her new home port at the Maritime Museum docks where she will restore paddlewheel transportation to the area for the first time since the 1930s,” he said. By September 2014, more than 90,000 man hours of crew and volunteer time had been applied in this enormous endeavor. The vessel was launched on Nov. 4, 2014, and in January had paddled up the St. John’s River to a marina in Green Cove Springs where it will undergo final renovations and sea trials. The restoration funds come from a foundation Floyd established in 2007. The repair work exceeded $1.2 million in 2013, Floyd said, and delays from bad weather and illness hampered progress, but the plans remain the same. “While way over and way beyond expected delivery time, we expect the wait will be worth it,” he said. Once ready to go, plans call for the Jean Mary to make an 800-mile voyage to Apalachicola by a circuitous route around the peninsula. She will travel down the waterways of Florida’s east coast, cut across the state along the Okeechobee Waterway, paddle north along the west coast, then make an open water transit from Tarpon Springs. Once docked at the museum in Apalachicola, it will be rechristened the Samuel Floyd. Samuel was a successful entrepreneur of maritime trade on the Apalachicola River in the 1840s and is George Floyd’s great-great-grandfather. Once a part of the museum’s fleet, she will carry up to 12 passengers on short cruises around the local bays, rivers and barrier islands, including trips to St. Vincent, Little St. George and Ballast Cove on Dog Island, and other local points of interest. Longer cruises up to Columbus, Ga., will also be offered to give guests a taste of old-time steamboat travel. “The restored paddle wheel boat is very exciting and will be a unique offering to those who want a true river experience,”

Photos by MATT BURKE

said Franklin County Commissioner Pinki Jackel. “I’m looking forward to taking the trip and stepping back in time to when things were a lot more slow paced.” LOCATION, LOCATION The Apalachicola Maritime Museum actually has two locations, one in Apalachicola and another set to open in the near future in the city of Chattahoochee. The Chattahoochee facility is still under development and is located just below the Lake Seminole dam where the Apalachicola River begins. Back in

the mid-1800s, this particular property was a riverboat landing and comes with a 20-acre island below the railroad bridge. The site being developed now will feature a 120-acre campus with a museum, a renovated historic commercial building, riverboat remains, springs and a live music venue. “This will become a port for the paddlewheel vessel and a launch point for downriver paddle excursions,” Floyd said, noting that it will be the perfect place for the protection and preservation of historical, environmental, ecological and archaeological treasures.

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works for us “I feel it really captures the pulse of the regional, national and international marketplace.” Dustin Frost, Auxiliary Service Coordinator, TCC Conference and Events Department 850 Magazine advertiser since 2010

I decided to advertise with 850 because I felt the community was mostly unaware that TCC offered conference and events services. After reading 850, I could not think of a better way to get the word out than by advertising with a publication that is so respected, has the distribution numbers I need to be effective and whose readers are the exact people I am trying to reach. The partnership between TCC Conference and Events and 850 Magazine has been ideal. 80

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850BUSINESSMAGAZINE.COM (850) 878-0554

SAVE THE DATES Friday, October 16 Grand Southern Tasting 6pm–9pm Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front

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Savor an ocean of signature dishes and fine wines featuring the area’s top chefs and special guests.

Sunday, October 25 HANDS-ON LEARNING ROW YOUR OWN BOAT Members of a boatIf you’ve ever wanted to try your hand building class (above) at constructing your own wooden learn the time-honored and techniques boat, the AMM now gives anyone the skills used by their forefathers to build chance through its new wooden boat school that teaches students how sea-going vessels. to build small vessels like a canoe, kayak, stand-up paddleboard or a Passagemaker dinghy. In time, the school might also feature a wider spectrum of larger boat projects, such as commercial fishing boats and paddlewheelers like the ones of the 19th century. There’s also the possibility that high-end yacht building and renovation work can be done in Apalachicola in the future. Jackel is an enthusiastic supporter of the museum’s mission and the vital role it’s playing in the local economy. “The Maritime Museum focuses on the historic and current role that boating, boat design and the commerce of the Apalachicola River played in the community and economy of Franklin County,” she said. “The setting and the facility is an incredible tribute to life years ago on the water and to the art of boat crafting. Though it is a museum, the art of boat making and classic boat construction is alive and well but only in a few locations in the world. So, from that standpoint, as a commissioner I would love to see this enterprise continue to grow and thrive, because it is bringing much-needed jobs to Franklin County.” Overall, the museum’s projects and vision are what Jackel describes as “Franklin County-friendly.” “It means treasuring our natural environment, understanding the rich tradition of the river and the bay and the very important role it continues to play in our community,” she said. “These are great opportunities for folks to experience history firsthand in a very fun way. Imagine floating along the great river, on a luxurious paddle wheel boat, music playing and a tall glass of sweet iced tea. Well, it just doesn’t get any better than that in the South.”

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The Last Word

The first report, which addresses income equality by state from 1917 to 2012, came from the Economic Policy Institute and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, two Washington-based think tanks. Most interestingly, it looks at the growth of incomes as the national recovery from the Great Recession began. For Florida, it reports that ALL income growth between 2009 and 2012 accrued to the top 1 percent. Sixteen other states — including a mix of large and small from the South, North and Midwest — found themselves in the same category. In fact, the analysis shows that between 2009 and 2012, Florida’s overall income growth was 3.4 percent. But the top 1 percent of wage earners saw their income jump by 39.5 percent while the bottom 99 percent saw a 7.1 percent drop. The only state showing a bigger decrease for the bottom 99 percent of its wage earners was Nevada, with a minus (yes, minus) 16 percent. The second report, from the American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor, addresses the growing positive attitude of Florida’s small business owners — who apparently have a far more optimistic economic outlook than their counterparts nationwide or throughout the rest of the South. Noteworthy Florida highlights from the report: ■ More than eight in 10 entrepreneurs (84 percent, which is up dramatically from spring of 2014, when it was 65 percent) are confident they can access the capital they need to build their businesses. ■ Nearly eight in 10 (77 percent) have a more positive outlook for their business prospects than they had a year ago (59 percent). ■ Two thirds (66 percent) said they would make capital investments over spring and summer, compared to 46 percent in 2014. ■ Four in 10 (40 percent) have plans to hire — up from 34 percent a year earlier.

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■ Over the last three years, on average,

businesses reported 13 percent revenue growth. Unfortunately, neither study has a breakdown to show Northwest Florida specific stats. And, we all know that our region was hit with more than the Great Recession. As the rest of the country began its slow slog out of the economic downturn, the 850 region in 2010 had to endure the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and its disastrous impact on tourism — even in areas that never saw a drop of oil touch the beach. So, here’s my question to you — and I do hope that some of you will send in your thoughts: Do either of these reports reflect what has happened or what you see happening in the 18 counties that are part of the 850? We have obviously seen a huge uptick in tourism the last couple of years. And, as we relate in this issue’s story about residential and commercial real estate, our construction and real estate industries are definitely showing improvement across the region. But have the 99 percent seen improvements? Or is it only the 1 percent that is benefitting from the growing positive economic climate? If our small business owners are optimistic about the economy, how will that manifest itself in actions they take during the coming year? If you are a small business owner, have you seen a 13 percent revenue growth? And what are your plans for the rest of 2015 or even 2016? Planning to grow? To hire? Surveys and studies are always fun to look at and statistics are nice to share. But it’s better to get real-life examples to see what the mom-and-pop store down the street or the new manufacturing plant or the young entrepreneur only a few years out of college has planned. Let us hear from you. Send your comments, thoughts and plans to me at lkleindienst@rowlandpublishing.com.

LINDA KLEINDIENST, EDITOR lkleindienst@rowlandpublishing.com

PHOTO BY KAY MEYER

Two interesting reports have crossed my desk in the last few months. And I hope that by sharing with you their bottom lines it will prompt some discussion as to how these statistics do, don’t or could relate to Northwest Florida.

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