850 Business Magazine Spring 2022

AREA MANUFACTURERS MEET SPECIALIZED NEEDS OF MILITARY, INDUSTRY

Downtown Pensacola’s Rishy Studer reminds us that little indulgences — think the finest of virgin olive oils and the best of breads — punctuate lives of authentic quality

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Meet Holly.

For more than a decade, Holly Onda has focused on leveraging financial tools to help her clients work toward realistic and achievable goals. She understands no two clients’ financial lives, needs or goals are the same and, therefore, takes a tailored approach to planning and selecting tools to serve the individual. Call Holly today to schedule your no-obligation financial plan review.

Holly Onda Financial Advisor, LPL Financial holly.onda@lpl.com 850.404.6059

Serving Bay and Walton Counties www.capitalcityinvestments.com Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial (LPL), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer (member FINRA/SIPC). Insurance products are offered through LPL or its licensed affiliates. Capital City Bank and Capital City Investments are not registered as a broker-dealer or investment advisor. Registered representatives of LPL offer products and services using Capital City Investments, and may also be employees of Capital City Bank. These products and services are being offered through LPL or its affiliates, which are separate entities from, and not affiliates of, Capital City Bank or Capital City Investments. Securities and insurance offered through LPL or its affiliates are:

Not Insured by FDIC or Any Federal Government Agency · Not Bank Guaranteed Not Bank Deposits or Obligations · May Lose Value 6 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

SPRING 2022

FEATURES

CONTENTS

→ 36

PHOTO BY MICHAEL BOOINI (36)

Made in the 850

For some, product manufacture is synonymous with smokestack industry and long assembly lines.

The 850 region, for generations, has been home to paper mills that belch clouds into the sky, but manufacturing in the area today is predominantly clean, highly technical and many times unseen. Drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico require specialized drill bits. Blue Origin has a need for rocketship components. A business doing work on the ocean floor has to have large-diameter umbilicals to deliver power for controlling pumps.

Military aircraft pilots need to be notified if cockpit pressure or oxygen levels stray from optimum ranges.

The 850 hosts businesses that meet all of these requirements. stories by AL KRULICK

ON THE COVER: Downtown Pensacola has undergone a well-documented renaissance in recent years by becoming a place where people can work, shop, dine, live and find sources of entertainment and things to do. Rishy Studer, with her Bodacious shops at the corner of Palafox and Main streets, has been at the very center of the area’s evolution. At her businesses, good things to eat, culinary expertise and shared, gentle experiences come together. PHOTO BY MATTHEW COUGHLIN

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CONTENTS

SPRING 2022

U.S. 27 near Waukeenah, it will comprise 1.3 million square feet of interior cultivation space. And, it will be fully automated. “There’s no other like it in the country,” said Trulieve construction manager Gordon Oakley, who helped design the building.

“We’ve applied for a patent on it.”

Periscope

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30 In Every Issue 14 From the Publisher 18 N ews in Brief 82 T he Last Word from the Editor

VIDEOGRAPHY Tally Entertainment already has established itself as a regional leader in video production services and has worked with clients including Florida State University, Charlie Park, Tallulah, Dunkin’ Donuts and Marriott hotels. “What sets us apart is that we find the story behind everything, whether it’s a business or individual,” Tally Entertainment owner Andrew Goldstein said. “What better way to relate to consumers than by showing them the story behind the business that you have?”

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COMMENTARY The CSX

railroad has identified 14 infrastructure upgrades needed to accommodate four Amtrak trains daily running from Mobile to New Orleans. The projects are to be paid for with a portion of the $66 billion reserved for Amtrak in the federal infrastructure bill. Why stop the project in Mobile? Why not extend it to Tallahassee and on to Jacksonville? The money is in the bank, says columnist William Hume. Out of the $1.2 trillion in the bill, only $600 billion is earmarked

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for hard surface infrastructure. The other $600 billion may be used for a variety of public transit and eco-friendly transit projects.

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PHILANTHROPY Ashley Harrell of Tallahassee was born with cerebral palsy and later was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a nervous system disorder that produces tumors. Her participation in Special Olympics, she says, helps her deal with those conditions, builds her confidence and enables her “do anything my siblings can do.” She is grateful for the support of Special Olympics provided

by Publix grocery stores and the stores’ customers. Harrell hopes to become a spokeswoman for Special Olympics — after she competes in cheerleading at the national level.

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CULTIVATION ​​Upon completion, Trulieve’s 750,000-square-foot medicalmarijuana growing facility in Jefferson County will be a first. The massive structure is equal in size to three Walmart Supercenters combined. Together with 12 other buildings on the 85-acre site off

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HEALTH ​​At age 79, renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who has treated some of the sports world’s highest-profile athletes, still sees a wide array of patients, performing surgical miracles on broken bones, torn muscles and damaged ligaments. But he expects to shift some of his priorities as new projects and interests vie for his time and attention, and to focus on the young. “Preventing injuries in youth sports has been my passion for about 15 or 20 years,” Andrews said.

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ARTS & CULTURE

The Pensacola Cultural Center is home to a theater and ballet and also hosts a tremendous variety of community events. But for longtime Center board member David Clark and his wife Cynthia, the best is yet to come. Last year, the Clarks made a $1 million donation toward The Center’s planned $3 million renovation project, which Pensacola Little Theatre executive director Sid Williams-Heath said will bring the facility into the 21st century.

PHOTOS BY SAIGE ROBERTS (30) AND COURTESY OF TALLAHASSEE ENTERTAINMENT (23)

Pursuits

23

RETAIL Hurricane Ivan heavily battered downtown Pensacola, which remained dilapidated for years thereafter. Enter Rishy and Quint Studer, who hired a planner to assess and identify redevelopment priorities.

He suggested buying and renovating buildings located at the intersection of Palafox and Main at the center of the downtown area. Today, that intersection is home to Rishy Studer’s Bodacious shops, which have spurred the arrival of other businesses adding up to a vibrant downtown.

Paradise has arrived ON THE EMERALD COAST

LIVE THE LIFE YOU’VE DREAMED AT LATITUDE MARGARITAVILLE WATERSOUND! Sunshine and cool breezes. Palm trees and margaritas. Welcome to Latitude Margaritaville, a 55-and-better community inspired by the legendary music and lifestyle of Jimmy Buffett, built on food, fun, music and escapism.

Escape to the place where fun and relaxation meet. Escape to island-inspired living as you grow older, but not up.

Escape to Latitude Margaritaville Watersound, located on Hwy 79, less than 8 miles from the beach.

New Homes from the mid $200s

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

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

Visit online for more information LatitudeMargaritaville.com

Obtain the Property Report required by Federal law and read it before signing anything. No Federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property. WARNING: THE CALIFORNIA BUREAU OF REAL ESTATE HAS NOT INSPECTED, EXAMINED, OR QUALIFIED THE OFFERINGS. Latitude Margaritaville Kentucky Registration Number R-201. For NY Residents: THE COMPLETE OFFERING TERMS FOR THE SALE OF LOTS ARE IN THE CPS-12 APPLICATION AVAILABLE FROM SPONSOR, LMWS, LLC. FILE NO. CP20-0062. Pennsylvania Registration Number OL001182. Latitude Margaritaville Watersound is registered with the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salesmen, 1000 Washington Street, Suite 710, Boston, MA 02118 and with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 1700 G Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20552. This material shall not constitute a valid offer in any state where prior registration is required and has not been completed.

The facilities and amenities described are proposed but not yet constructed. Photographs are for illustrative purposes only and are merely representative of current development plans. Development plans, amenities, facilities, dimensions, specifications, prices and features depicted by artists renderings or otherwise described herein are approximate and subject to change without notice. ©Minto Communities, LLC 2022. All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced, copied, altered, distributed, stored, or transferred in any form or by any means without express written permission. Latitude Margaritaville and the Latitude Margaritaville logo are trademarks of Margaritaville Enterprises, LLC and are used under license. Minto and the Minto logo are trademarks of Minto Communities, LLC and/or its affiliates. St. Joe and the St. Joe logo are trademarks of The St. Joe Company and are used under license. CGC 1519880/CGC 120919. 2022

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 9

CONTENTS

SPRING 2022

74

EDUCATION

Dr. C. Edward Meadows, the president of Pensacola State College, has long navigated trends in higher education, but the pace of change has increased dramatically due to rapidly evolving technological advances and a global pandemic. Meadows is dealing with declining enrollment and revenue and changes in the way instruction is delivered. Distance learning isn’t new to colleges and universities as an option, but the pandemic made it indispensable.

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HOSPITALITY “A lot of people who come here are looking for a mom-and-pop place that feels vintage, yet clean, updated and upgraded,” said Karl Hedlund, who has worked at the Paradise Motel in Pensacola Beach for 16 years. “We’re not a big corporation, so we’re more personable with our guests, and we’re in a great location, but I think the biggest draw is our atmosphere. We’ve worked hard to change very little but keep the place up to guests’ standards.”

Promotional

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TOP SITES As a Fort

Walton Beach-based, award-winning technology company, Bit-Wizards has been doing professional custom software development since 2000. Clients, including the developer of the website TalkingParents.com, find that Bit-Wizards has the skills required to make websites all that they can be.

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ECON SUMMIT For nine years, William Loiry has been conducting Air Force Contracting Summits that unite private-sector businesses with military commands and demystify the military procurement process.

This fall, he will introduce the Northwest Florida Economic Summit, which will help businesses tap into federal infrastructure dollars and Triumph Gulf Coast funds and bring about a more diversified regional economy.

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ELEVATING ART

The Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation has strived since 1995 to bring art to the forefront in Okaloosa and Walton counties through cultural events and outreach initiatives. Mattie Kelly was among Destin’s founders and a lifelong patron of the arts. Today, Foundation CEO Demetrius Fuller keeps the spirit of Mattie very much alive.

Construction view each of their projects as unique and deserving of highly focused attention.

The company uses high-quality materials, adheres to rigid standards of excellence and works to build customer trust.

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BUILDING BETTER

President/CEO Justin Phelps and his team at JM Phelps

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SOLUTIONS ​​ ReliantSouth Construction Group has become a much

sought-after contractor that provides full-service commercial general contractor/construction management services. Led by professional engineer Richard Dodd, ReliantSouth has completed various exemplary projects throughout the Southeast. “We provide solutions and value to our clients while working collaboratively with all our stakeholders,” Dodd said.

PHOTOS BY STEVEN GRAY (74) AND COURTESY OF BIT-WIZARDS (48)

RESTAURANT There is no job at Capt. Joey Patti’s Seafood Restaurant in Pensacola that Charlie Merritt cannot or will not do. “My title is general manager/owner, but today, for example, I was frying food,” he said. “I washed dishes yesterday, so I do everything.”

Merritt moved the restaurant to a more highly visible Market Street location after Hurricane Sally de-roofed the original building.

Business is good.

Insight, Integrity, Innovation.

Any deficiency in a building project can be considered a construction defect, including improperly designed materials, poor workmanship, failure to follow construction codes, defective architectural designs, lack of planning and supervision, and more. If you are experiencing construction defects in your new or remodeled home, our attorneys will review your situation and evaluate the legal options.

MATTHEWSANDJONES.COM DESTIN 4475 Legendary Drive | Destin, FL 32541 | 850.837.3662 phone | 850.654.1634 fa x NICEVILLE 323 E. John Sims Parkway | Niceville, FL 32578 850.729.7440 phone | 850.729.7871 fa x SANTA ROSA BEACH 2930 W. Count y Hw y 30A , STE 202 | Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 850.682.6211 phone | 850.622.0898 fa x

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 11

DO YOU KNOW AN OUTSTANDING WOMAN BUSINESS LEADER? 850 — The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida is looking for YOUR HELP in recognizing women in our region who have demonstrated outstanding leadership skills in their businesses and communities.*

Spring 2022

850 THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA

Vol. 14, No. 3

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BRIAN E. ROWLAND ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER MCKENZIE BURLEIGH EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE EDITOR Steve Bornhoft SENIOR STAFF WRITER Emma Witmer STAFF WRITER Hannah Burke CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Paige Aigret, Lazaro Aleman, Rebecca Padgett Frett, William Hume, Al Krulick, Thomas J. Monigan, Liesel Schmidt

CREATIVE VICE PRESIDENT / PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY Daniel Vitter CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Lindsey Masterson SENIOR PUBLICATION DESIGNERS Sarah Burger, Shruti Shah PUBLICATION DESIGNER Jordan Harrison GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sierra Thomas

Nominations are now open at

850BusinessMagazine.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Michael Booini, Matthew Coughlin, Tony Giberson, Steven Gray, Mike Hayatck, Blake Jones, Saige Roberts, Michael Spooneybarger, The Workmans

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

Twelve women will be selected to receive the 2022 Pinnacle Award — women of character and integrity, our leaders, mentors and community servants.

These honorees will be profiled in a future issue of 850 Business Magazine in 2022 and be recognized at the eighth annual Pinnacle Awards Luncheon.

DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WESTERN DIVISION Dan Parker ADVERTISING SERVICES SPECIALIST Tracy Mulligan SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Julie Dorr ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Darla Harrison DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Zandra Wolfgram MARKETING MANAGER Javis Ogden SALES AND MARKETING WRITER Rebecca Padgett Frett ADMINISTRATIVE & CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST Renee Johnson

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

DIGITAL SERVICES *Nominees must be a private or public sector business owner, CEO, primary manager or top executive in their companies. Nominees must have: 1) demonstrated professional excellence and outstanding leadership in her business or profession; 2) actively participated in civic and/or business-related organizations; 3) served as a mentor to others. Nominations must be received by April 15, 2022.

For additional sponsorship opportunities contact McKenzie Burleigh at mburleigh@rowlandpublishing.com

PRESENTED BY

PRESENTING SPONSOR

12 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

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 (4 issues) subscription is $20. To purchase, call (850) 878-0554 or go online to 850businessmagazine.com. Single copies are $4.95 and may be purchased at Midtown Reader in Tallahassee and at Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million in Tallahassee, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Pensacola, Panama City and at our Tallahassee office. Availability may change subject to COVID-19 restrictions.

SPONSORED BY 850 Magazine is published quarterly 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 March 2022 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.

MEETINGS DONE RIGHT The Largest Hotel Conference Space in Tallahassee

Free Self Parking Free Wi-Fi 24-Hour Fitness Center Airport/Downtown Shuttle Service Resort-Style Pool

Bus/RV Parking Business Center ADA & Accessible Rooms Off-Site Venues Nearby Indoor & Outdoor Event Venues Pet-Friendly Hotel

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SPRING 2022

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Steps Along the Path to Prominence The 850 region is poised to become a technology hub Last year, with the help of people including Cristina Paredes,

the director of the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality, and Steve Evans, a retired IBM executive and mentor to many, we launched a new publication focused on innovation and technology businesses in the Tallahassee market.

14 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

In Year ı, we described the community effort that led Eric Graben of QuarryBio to pass on Gainesville and locate his biotech business in Tallahassee. Such successes are steps along the way toward building our region’s reputation as a technology and innovation hub.

Elsewhere across the region, Eastern Shipbuilding in Panama City, which has landed massive contracts to build cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard, has announced plans for a state-of-the-art aluminum fabrication plant in Panama City. The St. Joe Company, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and the College of Medicine at Florida State University are combining to develop the first full-size hospital in Bay County west of the Hathaway Bridge.

In January, the One Okaloosa Economic Development Council announced that Boeing Global Services had selected Fort Walton Beach for a $2,550,000, 20,000-square-foot expansion to its facility in the Fort Walton Beach Commerce & Technology Park.

Escambia County has begun to bill itself as the Cyber Coast with good reason, given the public and private partners there who are working to enhance cybersecurity.

Across the region, colleges, universities, business incubators and even high school academy programs are helping build the future by teaching students and emerging business owners the science of entrepreneurship and the art of taking products to market. Stakeholder

gatherings, including the Northwest Florida Economic Summit in Panama City and Florida Power & Light’s economic symposium at Sandestin, provide analysis of trends and exciting forecasts.

All of this activity will benefit our region as it redoubles efforts to diversify its economy and to develop economic development momentum. All of it equates to the kind of progress we will document in the newly expanded coverage area for Innovation & Technology, a special fifth edition of 850 Business Magazine that will be published this fall.

I invite businesses to position their brands by reserving space in a magazine devoted to telling the story of one of the most dynamic and promising areas anywhere.

Take care,

Brian Rowland

browland@rowlandpublishing.com

PHOTO BY THE WORKMANS

We were gratified by the immediate and enthusiastic response the publication received from community stakeholders who expressed appreciation for the insightful, in-depth writing of our executive editor Steve Bornhoft and freelance contributors T.S. Strickland and David Ekrut, Ph.D. I personally want to thank the many business leaders in Tallahassee who believe in our brand of top-notch storytelling and who invested the marketing dollars that made Tallahassee Innovation & Technology Magazine a reality. My thanks also go to valued Rowland Publishing team members Lori Yeaton, Dan Parisi and McKenzie Burleigh, who carried our vision for the publication to potential advertisers and earned their support.

This year, we are committed to expanding the scope of Innovation & Technology to include Northwest Florida from Pensacola east to the Capital City.

We have been convinced from the very inception of 850 Business Magazine that by adopting and promoting a regional identity, Northwest Florida can add to its appeal and enjoy the marketing clout of a major metropolitan area.

Our region is rich in technological assets and innovators. Some of them, such as the National High Magnetic Laboratory and Innovation Park in Tallahassee, are well-known facilities with international profiles. Others may occupy highly specialized niches and be confined to nondescript buildings with limited signage in light industrial parks.

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Killearn 1511 Killearn Center Blvd. | Governor’s Crossing 101 N. Blair Stone Rd. | Mahan Village 3122 Mahan Dr.

Membership is open to anyone in Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Madison, and Wakulla counties.2 1. Credit approval and initial $50 opening deposit required. Member must elect to receive eDocuments. 2. Credit approval and initial $5 deposit required. Insured by the NCUA.

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 15

850businessmagazine.com P RO M OT I O N

850 BYTES & BEYOND

Now you can read at your convenience the latest 850 Business Magazine “Bytes” — essential information about business openings, promotions gained and honors won.

850businessmagazine.com/news.

EXCLUSIVE

LAST CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Do you know a businesswoman who is making an indelible impact in her community? 850 Business Magazine is accepting nominations for its 2022 Pinnacle Awards program. Our 2021 honorees are pictured above. Nominations, which are due by April 23, may be made here: 850businessmagazine.com/pinnacle-awards/nominations.

The Wizard of Oz isn’t the only one in the know. Check out our digital exclusive, “Ask A Wizard,” to find the latest tech questions answered by the wonder wizzes at Bit-Wizards. Go to 850businessmagazine.com/ innovation to learn more.

REWIND

Peter Bos has been a mainstay for development in the region since 1972 and he shows no signs of slowing down. Read about his stewardship on past projects, as well as what is coming in the future at

850businessmagazine.com/ meet-peter-bos-the-developerof-sandestin

CONNECT

For the latest news and information, sign up for our free e-newsletter.

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WIN AND WINE & DINE YOUR CLIENTS

In celebration of the South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival’s 10th anniversary, we are giving away an amazing wine and craft beer experience on the Emerald Coast April 22–23. Sip amazing wine, savor delicious food and listen to live music at this award-winning event — in beautiful South Walton. Enter to win online at 850businessmagazine.com/giveaways.

16 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

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Twitter

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PHOTOS BY THE WORKMANS (PINNACLE AWARDS) AND COURTESY OF SOUTH WALTON BEACHES WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL AND BIT-WIZARDS

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A BOWLER, A FATHER AND A YOGA TEACHER WALK INTO YOUR OFFICE.

YOU WALK OUT WITH A SOLID FINANCIAL PLAN. Our team’s diverse background is unmatched – just like our expertise and our resources. Put them all to work for you. » » » » »

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» » » »

Tax Planning & Compliance Technology Solutions Transition Planning Wealth Management

www.jmco.com | info@jmco.com | 850-386-6184 850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 17

NEWS IN BRIEF

SOUNDBYTES

CAPITAL LOCAL HAPPENINGS

EMERALD COAST // LOCAL HAPPENINGS

NICEVILLE MARINA COMPLEX HAS NEW OWNER

SVN Marinas has advised the owners of Emerald Coast

Marine Center on the sale of the marina, located in Niceville, to Safe Harbor Marinas, a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly listed Sun Communities, Inc. (NYSE: SUI). Advising the deal for the seller were David Kendall and Mike Howell, the founding partners of SVN Marinas, a leading marine advisory practice specializing in mergers and acquisitions and business advisory services for marine properties and marine businesses throughout the United States and the Caribbean. “We congratulate the owners and management team on the sale of this best-in-class marine facility,” Kendall said. “Emerald Coast Marine Center is one of the largest and most diversified marina complexes in the Florida Panhandle.

The leadership team at Emerald Coast had the vision to transform the property from a regional marina into a highly profitable, worldclass marina complex, which meets the demands and satisfies the recreational boating needs of their customers.” The Emerald Coast Marine Center is a destination lifestyle marina. The concept of a marine center provides for a turnkey approach to boat ownership, recreation, storage and maintenance. The marina includes a hurricane-rated indoor storage facility accommodating up to 280 boats and 70 wet slips together with a leading regional boat dealership carrying premium brands, including Beneteau, Blackfin, Crownline, Crest, Crevalle, Hurricane, Key West, Monterey, Nautique, Release, Sea Pro and Solace. “David and Mike were instrumental in helping achieve the successful outcome of this transaction,” said Shawn Talpey, president of Emerald Coast. “Together, they are uniquely capable to advise on both marina and marine business transactions that require both market specialization and the sophistication to negotiate complex M&A type marine business transactions.” Said Howell, “David and I launched SVN Marinas to provide the transaction expertise required to successfully advise larger and more involved marina and marine transactions requiring both commercial real estate and business expertise.”

18 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

» RJ Young, an industry-leading business technology solutions provider in the Southeast, recently opened a new office and distribution center in Tallahassee to accommodate growth in the area. The move will combine two of RJ Young’s Florida offices into one, and add a new distribution center that will serve coastal Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

The new location will house 15 team members and spans 12,500 square feet. This is the company’s fourth warehouse distribution center in the Southeast. » The Tallahassee Community College Foundation announced a $200,000 gift to benefit its workforce development programs.

The donor has chosen to remain anonymous.

The gift will be used for 10 welding booths in the new Welding Lab that opened in January and for 35 Wakulla Workforce Scholarships for residents of Wakulla County.

LOCAL HONORS

» Capital City Bank

with over 30 years of experience partnering with high-net-worth private, corporate and institutional clients throughout the United States on projects ranging from commercial portfolios to mixed-use facilities and residential developments. Crowell is co-founder of Kalo Companies, which owns and operates 40 Jersey Mike’s Subs restaurant franchises and has another 17 stores in development in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Davenport, the president and founding principal of BKJ, Inc. Architecture, has built a reputation as a community leader through her involvement with numerous successful projects across Florida.

Recently retired, Williams is the former executive director and chief investment officer for the Florida State Board of Administration.

In that capacity, he was responsible for managing over $250 billion in assets, including those of the Florida Retirement System, the fifthlargest public pension fund in the United States.

Group announced that Will Butler, Kimberly Crowell, Bonnie Davenport and Ash Williams have joined its board of directors.

Butler, the founder and principal of Real Estate InSync (REI), is an accomplished real estate project and portfolio manager

» Families across the Big Bend and South Georgia are welcoming a familiar face into their homes on weekday

compiled by REBECCA PADGETT FRETT

mornings. ABC 27 has promoted newsroom veteran Karah Bailey to Sunrise anchor.

Bailey started at ABC 27 as an intern in 2016 before going full time in 2017. She is a graduate of Florida A&M University and has lived in Tallahassee for the last 20 years.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EMERALD COAST MARINE CENTER AND INDIVIDUALS

» Leon County Administrator Vincent S. Long has been named 2021 Person of the Year by Capital Outlook. Each year, Capital Outlook identifies extraordinary persons and organizations that have distinguished themselves in leadership, service and community engagement. This designation highlights Long’s lifelong commitment to public service. As the CEO of county government, Long provides fiscal, strategic and operational leadership, as well as professional implementation of County Commission policies.

»Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A., CPAs, a professional

accounting, assurance, tax and governmental consulting services firm headquartered in Tallahassee, has promoted Matthew Warren to a senior position in the Assurance Services Department.

Warren joined the firm

in September 2018 and has over three years of experience in public accounting and providing assurance services. Warren earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Flagler College.

»Julian Dozier of

Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A., CPAs

has been selected one of CPA Practice Advisor’s “40 Under 40” in the accounting profession.

The 40 Under 40 awards spotlight the top practicing public accountants, educators and thought leaders who are leading their professions by visibly and incrementally changing the accounting profession through their exemplary leadership, innovative thinking, collaborative efforts to provide unity to the profession across generations and their community outreach, which extends the visibility of the profession outside of the workplace. Dozier has over 15 years of public accounting experience providing assurance services. He graduated from Florida State University with degrees in accounting and finance and earned a master’s degree in accounting. Dozier serves on boards at the American Institute of Public Accounting and the Florida Institute of Public Accounting.

»Tallahassee Community College’s Career Service Department hosted a

swearing-in ceremony for new campus police chief Wesley Hardin.

Hardin has more than 26 years of experience in law enforcement and supervision across diverse assignments in local, county and K-12 law enforcement agencies.

He spent the last 13 years as the officer-in-charge at Gwinnett County Public Schools in Suwanee, Georgia. That schoolbased police department is the 13th largest in the nation with 96 uniformed police officers protecting more than 180,000 students in 143 schools. Hardin earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Saint Leo University and a master’s in public administration from Columbia Southern University.

NEW & NOTABLE

»Tallahassee Community College

announced a $250,000 grant from Bank of America to create a Medical Lab Tech Program at the TCC Ghazvini Center for Healthcare Education.

The Ghazvini Center has more than 85,000 square feet of learning space devoted to emergency medical services, nursing, radiologic technology, respiratory care, pharmacy technology and surgical technologies. The center is located in the heart of Tallahassee’s medical corridor and is equipped

with cutting-edge technology, allowing students to strengthen and apply their skills in simulated real-time settings. The facility houses classrooms, conference rooms, a one-of-a-kind on-site library and learning commons, an accredited simulation center, a computer lab and administrative offices.

EMERALD COAST LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» In the first project of its kind in Northwest Florida, Florida Power & Light Company

has finished replacing overhead power lines with more reliable underground lines to continue improving service and speed storm restoration for customers in a west Pensacola neighborhood.

FPL completed the undergrounding project for 131 homes in the Myrtle Grove community as part of a pilot to find cost-effective ways to put power lines underground.

» Chase Properties

closed on the acquisition of The Lakes at Nottingham Apartments in Pensacola. Built in 2003, this 268-unit apartment complex was acquired off market. This transaction represents the second multifamily property Chase Properties has purchased and is the seventh asset they have acquired in their efforts to expand beyond the retail sector. While

Chase Properties has been investing in retail for nearly 50 years and continues to do so, they have expanded their capabilities into multifamily and industrial asset classes.

LOCAL HONORS

» Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, a premier

beachfront resort located on Florida’s Gulf Coast, has announced key additions and promotions to the resort’s culinary team.

These additions come following the announcement of Dan Vargo’s departure.

Ending a distinguished tenure spanning over a decade as executive chef at Hilton Sandestin and executive chef of Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood, Vargo is leaving to fulfill a lifelong dream of creating his own company. Dan Tederous is Hilton Sandestin’s new executive sous chef.

With more than 20 years of experience, Tederous was most recently chef de cuisine at Delmonico Steakhouse in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he managed all culinary operations and developed daily specials, menus and seasonal items.

Tederous also held positions as executive sous chef at Mauna Kea Resort in Waimea, Hawaii, and banquet chef at Four Seasons Hualalai in Kona, Hawaii.

Lee Guidry has been promoted to banquet chef after working at Seagar’s Prime

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 19

NEWS IN BRIEF

Steaks & Seafood for more than four years.

Thomas Mikesell will take on Guidry’s previous role leading the team at Seagar’s.

He comes to the team with an extensive background at some of Atlanta’s finest eateries.

Fleetwood Covington, who has been with Hilton Sandestin since 2017, was promoted to sous chef. The new culinary team lead, Steve Withall, will be overseeing the renovation of Sandcastles Restaurant.

» The “Misty the

Mermaid” campaign for The Island by Hotel RL received four statewide awards for excellence in marketing, social media and public relations. The campaign received three honors at the Florida Public

SOUNDBYTES Relations Association (FPRA) Golden Image awards, held in connection with the association’s annual conference. The full campaign was awarded a Golden Image award in the integrated marketing category, making it the No. 1 integrated campaign in Florida. The Mermaid Tails social media video series won an award of distinction and a Judges Award in the online engagement category. Additionally, the “Misty the Mermaid” campaign was awarded a bronze Flagler award in the social media category from VISIT FLORIDA.

BAY LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» Courtney Hellett and Samantha Vines

compiled by REBECCA PADGETT FRETT

joined Progress Bank in their Panama

City office. Hellett, Panama City assistant branch manager, began working in real estate and mortgage lending while a student at the University of South Carolina.

Hellett later moved into insurance sales before transitioning to banking. She is currently attending the American Banking Association’s Branch Manager Program, as well as pursuing her finance degree with a minor in business management from Capella University.

Hellett is currently on

the Board of Directors for the Panama City Symphony Orchestra.

Vines, Panama City universal banker, has lived in Florida most of her life. She spent the first 16 years of her career in retail, working her way up from sales associate to store manager. Since 2018, Vines has worked as a teller for well-known financial institutions.

She is active in the local community and works to support local food banks.

I-10 LOCAL HAPPENINGS

» CareerSource Chipola provided

NextStep at Endeavor Academy with a $50,000 grant to enable it to obtain licensed curriculum for autistic students. The

Learn4Independence curriculum helps students with independent living and career readiness skills. The money comes as part of a Rural Initiatives Grant totaling $206,250 from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

Career Source Chipola specializes in connecting partners with individuals to pursue employment opportunities and improve the quality of the regional labor force. NextStep at Endeavor Academy is a program launched

by Jackson County and Endeavor Forward Inc., a Florida-based nonprofit that supports the development and operations of an autism transition, vocational and residential program as part of an inclusive community.

CAPITAL // LOCAL HONORS

FIRST COMMERCE’S HOMISON ELECTED TO NATIONAL ASSOCIATION BOARD

has been elected by her peers to serve on the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Board of CEO CECILIA HOMISON Directors, representing District 3, Class B. CUNA has long been recognized as the most influential financial services trade association advocating on behalf of America’s credit unions and their 120+ million members. District 3, Class B encompasses credit unions with memberships between 38,000 and 141,000 located in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Homison was also recently appointed to CUNA’s Advocacy Committee for a one-year term that began Jan. 1. The Advocacy Committee advises CUNA staff and provides policy recommendations to the board regarding advocacy issues affecting the credit union movement. “Serving on CUNA’s Board of Directors and the Advocacy Committee have been long-term career goals of mine, and I consider it a privilege to serve in these capacities,” Homison said. “I look forward to working with leaders across

20 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

the nation to support and advance the credit union movement. I believe our industry has tremendous opportunities to continue the incredible work we do to strengthen the communities we serve.” As a member of the CUNA Board, Homison has pledged to focus on four key areas: n Tenacious, targeted advocacy that protects credit union interests while positioning the industry for the future. n Strategic conversations focused on thriving in a digital and data-driven world. n Deepening alliances and

collaborations that leverage diversity of thinking, talent and experiences. n Decisive leadership that facilitates open dialogue and action to attract and retain the next generation of employees and members.

“Cecilia’s experience and passion for federal advocacy will bring much to CUNA as a member of its Advocacy Committee,” said Patrick La Pine, CEO of the League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates.

“Additionally, as an elected member of the CUNA Board of Directors, she will be a great representative of credit unions in the Southeast and help advance the mission of our national trade association.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF INDIVIDUALS

First Commerce Credit Union CEO Cecilia Homison

® ®

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22 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

VIDEOGRAPHY

TALLY ENTERTAINMENT

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

← MARKETING

MINDS From left: Tally Entertainment’s Matt Feeland, partner and director of films; Rachel Prior, director of communication and outreach; and Andrew Goldstein, owner and CEO.

Finding a Niche For marketer, success is a series of connections

PHOTO COURTESY OF TALLY ENTERTAINMENT

story by EMMA WITMER

THE FUTURE OF RAIL

|

GOING FOR THEIR GOALS

|

L E AV E S A N D B O U N D S 850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 23

VIDEOGRAPHY

TALLY ENTERTAINMENT

F

or Andrew Goldstein, success always has resulted from hustle and timing as much as inherent skill.

Goldstein is the owner and founder of Tally Entertainment, a media group known for captivating, narrative-style videography and event-related services.

Launched in 2020, Tally Entertainment already has established itself as a regional leader in multi-media services and has worked with clients including Florida State University, Charlie Park, Tallulah, Dunkin’ Donuts and Marriott hotels.

“What sets us apart from other video production companies is that we find the story behind everything, whether it’s a business or individual,” Goldstein said. “What better way to relate to consumers than by showing them the story behind the business that you have.”

Timing can only get you so far. You have to be ready to jump when the time comes. A self-described extrovert, Goldstein has never been shy seizing the opportunities that good timing presents.

As a teen, Goldstein worked as a grocery store bag boy and helped his mom with her event planning business. He discovered a fondness for social scenes.

While in business school at the University of Connecticut, Hartford, Goldstein worked as a promoter for clubs and restaurants. Then came a big break.

Fans of cable television’s Real Housewives of New York City may recognize Tipsy Girl, a brand that gained traction both on the show and online.

Started by real housewife Sonja Morgan and her business partner Peter Guimaraes, Tipsy Girl wine opened its flagship restaurant in Hartford during Goldstein’s years there.

Dining there, Goldstein overheard Guimaraes say the restaurant was having trouble drumming up business.

“I’ve always been an outgoing guy, so I stepped in and said, ‘Hey, this is something I can do for you.’”

He passed out fliers, spread the word about Tipsy Girl among friends on campus and did everything he could think of to get the word out about Tipsy Girl. Within a few weeks,

24 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

→ Andrew Goldstein, founder and owner of Tally Entertainment, looks for the stories behind businesses.

↑ When Andrew Goldstein first moved to Tallahassee, he was without a social network,

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TALLY ENTERTAINMENT

but he quickly made friends at F45, a fitness studio (top). Lower photo: Tally Entertainment filmed a Christmas production at the Emerald Coast Fellowship, a church in Lynn Haven.

Goldstein said, the restaurant was doing well.

Inspired by that success, Goldstein started a business, Promotonics Promotions, but found that it lacked sufficient backbone.

“What I realized is that a lot of these businesses needed the marketing aspect of things,” Goldstein said.

“Marketing is the spine of any business — not necessarily the heart, but definitely what sustains it long term.”

Marketing, Goldstein explained, is more than creating a website on Wix

or haphazardly posting to Facebook.

It’s about getting in front of your audience and telling a story.

Goldstein moved from Connecticut to Tallahassee in early 2020 with the goal of establishing himself in Florida. His arrival in the Sunshine State unfortunately coincided with the arrival of the COVID-ı9 pandemic.

“The pandemic threw our plans off quite a bit,” Goldstein said. “But in marketing, when things like that happen, you have to pivot.”

Tallahassee was a market vastly different than what he was used to, one that valued homegrown businesses and emphasized personal relationships, something that Goldstein was without when he first got to town.

“Honestly, the only way I made any connections in this area when I first moved was a local company called F45,” Goldstein said. The franchise fitness company has a location in Midtown.

“They had this free outdoor boot camp for a while, and I became a member,” Goldstein said. “I wanted to get out there and be active, socialize.

I got really close to a lot of people there, and that’s kind of how my whole network initially started.”

One of the first connections Goldstein made was with a local videographer trying to get his business off the ground. The two sat down together and made plans.

Goldstein would bring his background in marketing and event planning to the table but let the videos take center stage. With people stuck inside on their phones and computers due to the pandemic, video was an ideal vehicle for connecting with audiences in a meaningful way.

Tally Entertainment was born, and Goldstein went straight to his buddies at F45. The business had plenty of marketing material but no videos.

Much to F45’s and Goldstein’s delight, a video produced by Tally Entertainment performed well.

Goldstein had a Tallahassee toehold.

“I know we’ve helped a lot of businesses here, and it’s been a great thing because this community is so much more tight than what I’m used to,” Goldstein said. “Word-of-mouth has always been the most powerful marketing tool, and I think here, it’s very easy to spread the word when you’re a legitimate business looking to help others.” ▪

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 25

COMMENTARY

FUTURE OF RAIL

Is Rail the Right Way? Enhanced service could boost the regional economy story by WILLIAM HUME

W

ashington calls the $ı.2 trillion Infrastructure Bill & Jobs Act a pathway to “transformational change,” a term that is not well defined, as politics are caught up in those two words.

But as long as that phrase means new jobs, involvement by private business and wealth generation, I can live with it. People want a better America, not a necessarily different America.

In what is a scarcity these days, the infrastructure bill attracted bipartisan support achieved in a spirit of compromise. It stands to provide money for upgrades to roads, bridges and, of particular interest to me, railways.

Businesses and municipal entities are well advised to move quickly in order to tap into the authorized funds.

South Dakota, as an example, received $22 million in November for a railroad freight capacity expansion project.

Amtrak is negotiating with the CSX and NS railroads to re-establish rail passenger service that was lost as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Amtrak has offered to pay for certain rail infrastructure upgrades and to facilitate the smooth operation of a combined passenger and freight operation.

In November 202ı, CSX told Railway Age magazine that it is not opposed to the introduction of new passenger service as long as the new service does not negatively impact freight.

Fair enough.

CSX has identified ı4 infrastructure upgrades needed to accommodate four Amtrak trains daily running from Mobile to New Orleans. The projects are to be paid for with $66 billion reserved for Amtrak in the infrastructure bill.

26 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

illustration by LINDSEY MASTERSON

Why stop the project in Mobile? Why not extend it to Tallahassee and on to Jacksonville? The money is in the bank. Out of the $ı.2 trillion in the bill, only $600 billion is earmarked for hard surface infrastructure. The other $600 billion may be used for a variety of public transit and ecofriendly transit projects.

In my view, the resources are available to help Northwest Florida’s business community by reviving Amtrak rail passenger service along the Gulf Coast and developing a remodeled train station in Tallahassee. At the same time, we can build in the same corridor a fast freight rail service for CSX, Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad and adjoining rail branch lines that will expand the freight customer base and increase delivery efficiency.

All of this is doable with today’s construction technology. We might begin with a two-tiered business plan incorporating conventional Amtrak and freight operations, and then advancing to embrace the future with high-speed passenger and freight service across North Florida.

Elevated concrete decks similar to those already in place in China and Japan could accommodate lightning-fast freight operations and highspeed passenger service. On the ground level, slower, conventional freight and

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 27

COMMENTARY

FUTURE OF RAIL

Amtrak trains could proceed at their accustomed 79 miles per hour.

If the federal Department of Transportation can be sold on the New Orleans-to-Jacksonville idea, a world-class transportation structure could be built on ground and elevated levels and rival anything on the Asian rim.

Going from New Orleans to Jacksonville also makes sense in terms of construction costs.

The bridge segments would be of typical unit design and replicated over the entire route. A massive concrete and steel construction plant could be strategically located in Tallahassee and manufacture components for new structures from Mobile to Jacksonville and a similar plant could be built to provide components for the stretch from Mobile to New Orleans. Each plant would employ hundreds, if not thousands, of workers.

Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad would be able to multiply the quantity of delivery service it provides from Pensacola to Jacksonville by a factor of ı0. Amtrak likely would add ı0 to 20 stops, given the restoration of conventional passenger travel along the route.

Join me in envisioning a new Tallahassee Amtrak station that includes elements of the past and a fully enclosed, double-deck, passenger platform equipped with solar-powered lighting. Passengers ascending to the elevated area would board 230-mph, high-speed Amtrak trains to Orlando, Miami or west to New Orleans.

From New Orleans, the newly merged Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroad route would take passengers to Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago. Eventually, the 230-mph service could be converted to 340-mph maglev, magnetpowered service.

Imagine yourself enjoying a drink in a classy club car at that speed and watching Florida, Alabama,

illustration by LINDSEY MASTERSON

Mississippi and Louisiana fly by in 90 minutes! I’ll take a martini shaken, not stirred, just like James Bond preferred.

This plan has the capacity to generate great wealth for all stakeholders involved in such a forward-technology rail transportation system. It’s all about creating jobs, advancing regional business interests and sustaining prosperity throughout the 850 region. ▪

William Hume retired from the fields of civil engineering and infrastructure land surveying. As a freelance writer, he frequently addresses topics related to transportation and agriculture. He resides in Milwaukee with his wife Jeanine, an international banker.

28 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

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COMING FALL 2022

850 MAGAZINE SPECIAL EDITION, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Have a business in the Innovation and Technology industry in Northwest Florida?

Let us know what impact you are making in the region for an opportunity to be a part of this special edition.

Please contact McKenzie Burleigh at mburleigh@rowlandpublishing.com 850businessmagazine.com/innovation 850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 29

PHILANTHROPY

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

→ Ashley Harrell is

grateful to Publix stores for their long-running support of the Special Olympics in Florida.

Participation as an athlete, she said, has helped her deal with cerebral palsy and neurofibromatosis, a nervous system disorder.

Going for Their Goals Corporate partnerships create opportunities for Special Olympians story by STEVE BORNHOFT

30 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

A

shley Harrell is a sextathlete.

She competes as a Special Olympian in six sports: tennis, golf, cheerleading, gymnastics, stand-up paddleboard and swimming.

Harrell, 33, of Tallahassee, has won medals at state-level competitions, and she is especially proud to be a member of the Leon County Chargers cheerleading squad that will compete in the Special Olympics 2022 USA Games to be held in Orlando in June.

“I can do a front roll, and I have been working on my cartwheels,”

Harrell proudly said. “We do shaking of the hips and lots of dance moves and some cool stunts that are pretty advanced like we hold somebody up high.

We are one of the only teams that doesn’t need much assistance on the mat.”

Harrell’s participation in Special Olympics Florida and the success of the organization throughout the state is due largely to the support of Publix Supermarkets, headquartered in Lakeland. The relationship was fostered 50 years ago by Publix founder George Jenkins, said Dwaine Stevens, a 42-year Publix employee, who

PHOTO COURTESY OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS INTERNATIONAL (SHRIVER)

photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

two years ago became its director of community relations.

Publix’s annual point-of-sale Torch Icon campaign has raised more than $60 million for the Special Olympics since ı993, Stevens said. (That figure does not include the 2022 fundraising total, which was unavailable at press time.) Shoppers who contribute to the campaign are rewarded with coupons for products from Proctor & Gamble, another longtime supporter of Special Olympics.

“We thank Publix for all of their support throughout the year,” said Damien McNeil, the regional director for Special Olympics in Northwest Florida.

“Publix has been a pioneering leader in employing people with special needs.

Go into any Publix across the state, and you will see people with intellectual and developmental disabilities working alongside fully able peers. They welcome Special Olympians into their stores during the campaign and enable us to use their bandwidth to better engage people across the state.”

At Publix store No. ı28 in Jacksonville, where Stevens frequently shops, he has gotten to know over many years a disabled employee, John.

“We’ve never been together outside of the store, but it’s always good to see him when I do my shopping,” Stevens said. “I’ve had the privilege of meeting associates with a developmental or intellectual difference who have been with us for 20 years.”

Disabled employees, Stevens said, enrich the workplace they share with their fellow associates and enhance the shopping experience.

“All of our associates are devoted to serving our customers and serving each other,” said Stevens, who started with Publix in custodial services just days after graduating from Kathleen High School in Lakeland and continued to work for the business while attending Polk Community College. “We believe in

an inclusive work environment, and that brings value to everyone.”

Harrell represented Special Olympics during the Torch Icon campaign at her home store, Publix No. ı05ı, located on Blairstone Road in Tallahassee.

“It was awesome,” she said. “We wore our medals, and people were asking us what sports we competed in. It is very important that we have organizations like Publix that help us. Every time I go to the store, I thank them for all their support. They have gotten to know us, and they will help us with anything.”

Harrell says she regularly attends practices overseen by coaches in preparing for competitions. Coaches are trained specifically to work with Special Olympians.

“Anyone can come out and coach,” McNeil said. “It’s better, obviously, if a person has experience in a given sport, but we truly could take a generic weekend athlete and make them into a coach.”

To the extent possible, Special Olympics avoids removing components of sports or events as they are typically played, but adjustments are made in the spirit of reasonable accommodations.

In bowling, athletes unable to throw a ball down the alley may position a ramp, place the ball on it, and then push it toward the pins. Athletes unable to get to their feet on a stand-up paddleboard may sit or kneel instead.

Harrell stands up.

In tennis, she has developed forehand and backhand ground strokes and an overhead serve. She has participated in skills competitions in golf and will tell you about having rolled in a snake during a long putting competition at state. As a swimmer, she participates in freestyle and backstroke events. Her gymnastics specialties include floor exercise and the balance beam.

At state, she has won Athlete of the Year and Inspirational Athlete honors. To get to state, athletes must succeed in area and regional competitions.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver at 1968 Special Olympics games in Chicago.

A DRIVE FOR JUSTICE

→ In the 1950s and

early 1960s, Eunice Kennedy Shriver became aware of how unjustly and unfairly people with intellectual disabilities were treated. She also saw that many children with intellectual disabilities didn’t even have a place to play.

She decided to take action, and soon, her vision began to take shape. She held a summer day camp for young people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in her backyard.

The goal was to learn what these children could do in sports and other activities — not dwell on what they could not do.

Throughout the 1960s, Eunice Kennedy Shriver continued her pioneering work. She was the driving force behind President John F. Kennedy’s White House panel on people with ID. She directed the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, and her drive for justice grew into the Special Olympics movement.

— from SpecialOlympics.org

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 31

PHILANTHROPY

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

↑ Ashley Harrell has competed successfully at regional and state levels and looks forward to going to nationals as a member of the Leon County Chargers cheerleading squad. In preparation, she is working to perfect a cartwheel. In addition, she is training to become a public speaker with the goal of representing Special Olympics as a spokeswoman.

“She is a very well-rounded athlete,” McNeil said of Harrell.

Harrell was born with cerebral palsy and was diagnosed as an adult with neurofibromatosis, a rare nervous system disorder that causes tumors to form in the brain and on the spinal cord and nerves.

She lives independently and loved working at a daycare center until her medical conditions forced her to drop out of the workforce.

“Special Olympics gives me the courage to do things I wouldn’t do otherwise,” Harrell said. “Now I can do anything my siblings can do.”

Too, Harrell enjoys the social aspects and other benefits of the Special Olympics.

“I get my glasses through Special Olympics, which is very important,”

32 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

she said. “Otherwise, I would have to go through my regular insurance, and I like the glasses I get from Special Olympics a lot better. They are more stylish for my age group. I love making friends at the state games and seeing them all the next year.”

McNeil started volunteering with Special Olympics in 20ı3, a year after he graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of West Florida.

He coached swimming, surfing and sailing. In 20ı4, he became the Special Olympics director for Okaloosa and Walton counties.

In 20ı8, he both earned his master’s degree in business administration from UWF and became the Northwest Florida director for Special Olympics. His responsibility area includes 23 counties that extend from Pensacola to Lakeland.

A big part of his job involves finding practice facilities and locations for athletes. They include, for example, a church’s basketball court in Panama City; athletes practicing watersports gather at The Bay restaurant on Choctawhatchee Bay in Walton County.

But, for Harrell, it’s not all fun and Olympic games.

“I want to become a speaker for Special Olympics because I love it so much,” she said, adding that she is participating in its Athlete Leadership Academy. “I am going through classes that will teach me how to speak in public, how to do interviews and understand leadership.”

Harrell’s voice rises and intensifies as she says, “They have helped me so much with my confidence.” ▪

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850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 33

CULTIVATION

CANNABIS

Leaves and Bounds At Trulieve, business is budding story by LAZARO ALEMAN

34 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

U

pon completion, Trulieve’s 750,000-square-foot medical-marijuana growing compound in Jefferson County, will be a first.

The massive structure is equal in size to three Walmart Supercenters combined. Together with ı2 other buildings on the 85-acre site off U.S. 27 near the small rural community of Waukeenah, it will comprise ı.3 million square feet of interior cultivation space. And, it will be fully automated.

“There’s no other like it in the country,” said Trulieve construction manager Gordon Oakley, who helped design the building. “We’ve applied for a patent on it.”

He believes the mega-structure represents the way forward for Trulieve, in terms of scale and automation.

Oakley clarified that when he said

the facility is unique, he is referring to the marijuana side of the nursery industry. Automation, he explained, has existed on the ornamental plant side for a while. Trulieve’s automation, however, is specifically designed to meet the needs of growing and processing marijuana.

It’s not Trulieve’s first first.

The Gadsden County-based company, the nation’s largest medical marijuana retailer, was the first in Florida to cultivate and market medical marijuana, establish dispensaries, sell smokable and edible products, and now embrace automation.

“Over there,” Oakley said, referring to the multiple buildings next door, “manual labor moves everything. Here, a control system will run everything — the lights, dehumidification, watering, watering mixture, everything.”

photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

← Employee Cory Williams at a Trulieve medical marijuana cultivation facility in Quincy. ↑ Pruning of plants eliminates nonproductive parts and ensures uniform canopies that absorb maximum light and water.

Conveyors belts will move the plants throughout the building during their various stages of development — from seedling to flowering, harvesting and drying — with a minimum of manual handling.

“It’ll cut the labor considerably,” he said, noting that recruiting employees remains a challenge for Trulieve, despite offering above-average wages, generous benefits and opportunities for advancement.

The Jefferson County facility focuses strictly on the growing of marijuana plants, whose harvested parts are shipped to Midway and Quincy for processing into the finished medicinal products sold statewide.

Alexander Hudson is Trulieve’s Florida director of cultivation. He gave City of Monticello officials a tour of the secured facility, both to show off the operation’s sophistication and in an effort to persuade them to extend city sewer service to the site.

Fred Beshears, owner of Simpson Nurseries in Jefferson County and a proponent of the sewer extension, arranged the tour. Simpson is one of three longstanding nurseries whose partnership launched Trulieve, which was one of five vertically integrated medical marijuana companies

licensed by Florida in 20ı5, a year after lawmakers approved medical cannabis for epilepsy and cancer treatments.

In 20ı6, the state’s voters approved a constitutional amendment that further expanded the use of medical marijuana. Ever since, Trulieve has been growing by leaps and bounds.

Construction on the Jefferson County facility began in 2020. By 202ı, it produced all the marijuana used in medicinal products statewide and employed upwards of 300 people, making it the county’s largest private employer. Trulieve, moreover, plans to hire another 300 in the coming months, and up to 700-plus eventually.

On the tour, officials were required to show IDs and don lab coats and hairnets before entering the buildings. The operation’s security, safety and qualitycontrol measures were everywhere evident. Hudson led the group through sundry rooms stocked with innumerable plants in various stages of development.

One room Hudson called the genetic library.

“These are our mother plants,” he said. “There are about 30 cannabis cultivars. If the marketing or sales teams say we need more of something, we’ll take cuttings from one of these plants and reproduce it.”

Particular cultivars, Hudson explained, have properties that determine the types of medicinal products derived from their “offspring.”

Equipment in the rooms maintains optimum growing conditions for the plants to the point of the artificial lighting mimicking the quality of autumn daylight to induce the plants’ flowering and fruiting.

“We manage everything, from humidity to temperature to light intensity,” Hudson said. “The whole nine yards. It’s all measured multiple times daily to ensure we get the absolute maximum from these plants’ lifecycles.”

Pruning also was critical, he said, to eliminate the plants’ nonproductive parts and ensure uniform top canopies that optimized light and water absorption.

A popular misconception, Hudson said, is that the medicines come from the leaves. They actually came from the flowers.

“This is what we’re trying to maximize,” he said, holding up a flower head. “This is what brings the money.”

Leaving the facility, the city officials appeared duly impressed with the operation and favorably inclined toward the company.

A recognized industry leader and pioneer, Trulieve’s footprint grew larger in late 202ı with its acquisition of the Arizona-based Harvest Health and Recreation. It now boasts locations in ıı states, 3.5 million square feet of cultivation and processing space, and more than 8,500 employees.

Publicly traded on the Canadian exchange, politically connected and consistently upbeat with reported profits, Trulieve is generally viewed as poised for accelerated growth and expansion.

Experts also see the company as well positioned to capitalize on recreational marijuana in Florida, should the state or federal government legalize its use. ▪

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 35

MADE IN THE 850 Businesses abhor an empty niche photo by MICHAEL BOOINI

Walter Williams, the late economist and commentator, often spoke to free enterprise systems and their unlimited capacity for creating solutions, meeting the needs of people and, we might add, fueling their desires for an endless variety of products and services. By way of contrast, Williams would describe the relatively poor performance of slow-footed central authorities that control the means of production and determine what gets produced.

Were Williams around today to experience the supply chain disruption precipitated by the pandemic, he would be the first to point out that matters could be far worse. That is, one might find himself subject to an encumbered system removed from the forces of competition. While not known as manufacturing centers, Northwest Florida communities host businesses including some whose products relate to the tiniest of niches and whose manufacture requires incredible precision and ingenuity.

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MADE IN THE 850

Fort Walton Machining

One-time job shop diversifies its operations story by AL KRULICK // photography by MICHAEL BOOINI

ort Walton Machining is a recognized leader in the manufacturing and assembly of custom-designed, precision-machined parts. Founded in ı987, it was at first a small shop with 30 employees that was created to service the machining needs of customers at nearby Eglin Air Force Base.

Tim McDonald Sr. bought the business in ı997, and today his widow, Jan, who is company chairman, and her son, Tim Jr., director of operations, head the company and oversee a complement of ı30 skilled workers.

In its early years, the company was a job shop.

“It didn’t build thousands of any one particular item,” Tim Johnson Jr. explained. “They’d build five of this part, ı0 of this part, one of another part,” he explained. “So, it was high-mix, low-volume.”

But the McDonalds wanted their new acquisition to become a Department of Defense manufacturer so that it could bid for more lucrative contracts from firms like Lockheed-Martin and Northrop-Grumman. To do that, it had to upgrade its quality management systems and adhere to all the regulatory requirements promulgated under Federal Acquisition Regulations.

“Then comes 9/ıı,” McDonald said. “Once we started shifting toward the country’s focus to the War on Terror, the demands of the war fighters’ needs — hardware, equipment, vehicles, munitions — had a heightened sense of urgency. So, the company shifted more and more into

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→ Chad

Weisenburger, production manager, and Dee Setzer, human resources manager, frequently discuss the Northwest Florida talent pipeline and ways in which their employer, Fort Walton Machining, is reaching out to schools, promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education.

Across the region, middle schools, high schools, technical schools, colleges and universities are combining to help supply employers with people possessing skills their operations require.

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MADE IN THE 850

the defense world and grew very rapidly from 200ı to 20ı0.”

Tim Sr. passed away in 20ı0, and since then, Fort Walton Machining has continued to focus on developing parts for the country’s major defense contractors. Its employees work out of two buildings: The “MFG” houses all the fabrication and machining equipment, and the “MFD” supplements the machining side with metal finishing.

“Once we machine something at the MFG, we’ll send it over to the MFD, and they employ a series of chemical processes that could also include priming and painting a particular item before it goes to the customer,” McDonald said. “We start with a raw block of metal and the customer’s engineering, all the way to a final product that, typically, would be ready to go right onto an aircraft.”

Meanwhile, Fort Walton Machining is working to diversify its customer base.

“We don’t want to have all of our eggs in one basket. So, we do medical fieldwork, mostly with Johnson & Johnson. We support their Acuvue lens line. We also build safety seat buckles for Walt Disney World. Then, we do a lot of energy work, mostly oil field. We do a lot of drill bits for deep drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The biggest emerging market for us right now is commercial space exploration — SpaceX, Blue Origin and other startups. We’re in the modern age space race.”

McDonald said that the manufacturing space is fiercely competitive, but with so many different capabilities across the industry, it also is highly cooperative.

“The word I like to use is ‘competimate,’ because it takes so many different manufacturing disciplines to ultimately end up with a useful piece of hardware,” he said. “For example, I might machine a bracket that goes into some type of munition, and Company XYZ might hydraform a sheet metal part that goes into that system, and Company ABC might be building the circuit card that goes into that munition. All of

those facets and features are important for the end function of the product. So, we might compete in the same space, but, ultimately, we’re all teammates in the end goal of serving the customer. And nine times out of ten, in our business, it is going to be the need of the war fighter.”

Going forward, McDonald wants the company to expand its equipment line in order to offer more processes for its customers. It’s looking at additive manufacturing (3D printing), high-precision sheet metal forming and the ability to machine much bigger parts. → Clockwise from “There are a lot of shops out there left: Nate Vansickle of Fort Walton that can build a part that’s ı-inch Machining operating square,” he said. “There are very a Mazak 5 Axis few shops that can do a part that’s Milling Machine; Mark Modelsky in the ı0 or 20 feet square because they Quality Assurance don’t have a big enough piece of Lab operating equipment to be able to bid on that a Coordinate Measuring Machine type of work. So, we organically (CMM); a control remove our competition just by panel for Mazak being able to do bigger stuff.”

Milling Machine; Greg Davidson measuring But the really big stuff, according a lathe part to verify to McDonald, is the company’s accuracy; metal ethos, its “open environment of shavings, a byproduct of milling, await family, trust and ownership.” recycling.

“We treat everybody as if they’re part of the immediate family,” he said. “Because, ultimately, we can’t put food on our table unless our employees are part of my family. We talk to each other openly and candidly, and that’s the culture that I like to live in.”

Speaking of family, McDonald said he would like to see his own three children carry on the company’s legacy.

“I know what I would like for them to do, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they want to do it,” he mused. “They don’t have to love what their dad loves.

But I want to expose them to it and let them make the decision if they want to pursue it — or whatever else makes them happy.” ▪

The word I like to use is ‘competimate,’ because it takes so many different manufacturing disciplines to ultimately end up with a useful piece of hardware. … So, we might compete in the same space, but, ultimately, we’re all teammates in the end goal of serving the customer.” — TIM MCDONALD JR.

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MADE IN THE 850

Avalex Technologies Delivering essential information to pilots in flight story by AL KRULICK // photography by MIKE HAYATCK

t’s a really cool company.”

So says chief revenue officer Cleve Bellar about his employer, the Gulf Breeze-based Avalex Technologies, an aerospace engineering firm that designs and builds advanced avionics and electronics for the world’s defense, law enforcement, search and rescue, and commercial operators.

“Imagine,” Bellar said, “on the Emerald Coast, we have a manufacturing facility that develops components for all the

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jets across all the service lines — Navy, Army and Air Force. And we even have equipment in Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two. And it’s all the result of people here in Gulf Breeze.”

Located in Northwest Florida since 200ı, Avalex was first established in Atlanta in ı992 by company president Jurgen (Tad) Ihns.

“Tad is a pilot with a computer science background who is also very design-oriented,” Bellar said.

His mission was to devise and manufacture innovative avionics solutions that would address the

↑ Exterior

of the Avalex Technologies building in Gulf Breeze is appropriate in appearance for an engineering firm. The lobby is likewise strongly horizontal in design. Among the firm’s achievements: developing a cockpit pressure/ oxygen warning system for the Blue Angels.

problems that all pilots have, while simultaneously developing new ways for them to have more and better access to information while in flight.

The company began by making video monitors, then video recorders (DVRs) for its law enforcement clients.

“You’re flying in a helicopter, and you want to be able to record what you’re doing,” Bellar explains. “After that, we started getting into mapping and mission processing with moving maps on the video monitors, so that as you’re flying the helicopter, you can see where you’re going and try to map out missions.”

Next, the company got into military applications.

“Like cockpit communications management units,” Bellar explained. “Avalex developed a single unit that allows pilots to communicate across different radios.”

Smart displays soon followed.

“In 200ı, they were just video monitors,” Bellar said.

“Now you had a video monitor that also had a computer behind it, which allowed you to integrate everything — maps, radios and the displays.”

About ı0 years ago, Avalex developed a cockpit pressure and oxygen warning system that was specifically designed for the Blue Angels, the Navy’s flight demonstration squadron and aerobatic team that, today, pilots F-ı8 Super Hornets.

“It’s a device that goes into a jet and allows you to identify if there’s a need to track changes in the pressure of oxygen, which allows you to prevent pilots from passing out,” Bellar noted.

A new Avalex product is an innovative OLED display

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→ Avalex Technologies

president Tad Ihns is a pilot with a computer science background and a strong design orientation.

At Avalex, his mission has been to devise and manufacture innovative avionics solutions that address issues faced by all pilots. In addition, he had dedicated himself to giving pilots better access to information while in flight.

that offers rich colors, high contrast, fast response time and a wide viewing angle while using low power.

Instead of silicon or gallium, which LEDs are made of, OLEDs use “organic” carbon-emitting layers.

“It’s super bright, it’s very small and it’s integrated into the warning system of the cockpit,” Bellar said. “It’s all about the design and trying to help the human interface.”

As a relatively small firm in a sprawling sector, how does Avalex stack up against some of the aerospace industry’s giants, such as Lockheed-Martin or Curtis-Wright?

“Avalex is a very nimble, design-oriented manufacturer,” Bellar explained. “The hard part is integrating new technologies into an existing cockpit or existing structure or design. And that’s where we really excel — identifying and thinking through those different variables to come up with something that’s very modern, very future-proof but also fits in well with what the current design is. So,

we can modernize older jets by taking new technologies and embedding them in their current infrastructure.”

In all of that, there is an effort not to overcomplicate things.

“We’ll always be the leading edge in technology, but it’s really about identifying that simple way of integrating it within whatever you have,” Bellar said.

“So, when we go against the big companies, we go in with a very good, nimble, design-oriented proposal that ends up winning at the end of the day.”

This past November, Mercury Systems of Andover, Massachusetts, a leader in mission-critical technologies for the aerospace and defense industries, acquired Avalex.

Bellar calls the deal “a perfect complement.”

“Mercury Systems is one of the bigger players in the market, but they did not play as much in the display market,” he said. “We were working on expanding from displays to taking over the entire cockpit. They come from the other areas of the plane and try to work toward the display. So, it’s a really good complementary acquisition.

We’ll always be the leading edge in technology, but it’s really about identifying that simple way of integrating it within whatever you have.” — CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER CLEVE BELLAR

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MADE IN THE 850

Deep Dives Engineering firm finds ways to make the ocean floor its workplace story by AL KRULICK

↑ Among the

PHOTOS COURTESY OF AVALEX TECHNOLOGIES (BELLAR) AND OCEANEERING INTERNATIONAL

products offered by Avalex is this video monitor portrait display screen. In November, Mercury Systems of Andover, Maryland, acquired Avalex.

We’re excited about what they bring to us in terms of their resources. And the great thing about them is that they’re very much about engineering and research and development.”

Avalex is working to integrate the two companies in ways that will allow it to leverage Mercury’s resources while gearing up for several years of development programs for the Army, Navy and Air Force.

“We’re recruiting quite a bit,” Bellar said. “We try to hire locally and train and develop our resources here. So, if that’s something that excites you, come on board. And if you want to be part of something that’s super interesting, this is the place.” ▪

ceaneering International, is a technology company focused on delivering engineered products and services to the offshore energy, aerospace, defense, manufacturing, and entertainment industries, and is based in Houston. Founded in ı969, Oceaneering was the result of a merger among three underwater diving companies.

“It started as a diving company in the Gulf of Mexico, and the technology evolved,” said Shaun Roedel, senior vice president of manufactured products at Oceaneering. “We started doing more and more work in the offshore world, and the dives kept getting deeper and deeper.”

In order to reach ever-deeper underwater locations, Oceaneering pioneered improvements to diving efficiency, safety and hardware. It became the largest manufacturer of remotely operated vehicles (ROV), replacing human divers in deep subsea environments with over 250 vehicles operating globally. Its diving teams made some memorable salvage dives.

In ı982, the company raised three propellers from the LMS Lusitania, torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland in ı9ı5.

“It got to the point where you had to send a machine (also known as an ROV) instead of a person, so we built remotely operated vehicles to go down to deeper depths to do work and lift heavier objects,” Roedel said. “And then, we started expanding into the energy field.”

Today, the company’s primary clients are in the offshore oil and gas industry, but its technology serves other sectors as well, including aerospace

→ Aerial

photo includes loadout dock at Oceaneering’s umbilical manufacturing plant at Port Panama City. The highly functional umbilicals perform a variety of duties; they are wound onto huge spools for shipment and deployment.

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MADE IN THE 850

and defense. “We’ve got a group that does work in space and a group that does amusement park rides. It ends up being a fairly diverse company, which is primarily focused on technology deployment.”

Roedel’s most recent assignment was leading Oceaneering’s umbilicals plant at Port Panama City in Bay County, one of the company’s three umbilical manufacturing facilities worldwide.

“An umbilical is a way an operator can deliver chemicals to a well, deliver power to control pumps on the ocean floor, deliver signals back and forth between areas, and pump hydraulic fluid to open and close a valve or to perform other functions,” Roedel explained. “Every job is different.

Each umbilical has different tubes, different components, different size conductors and different tensions.”

According to Roedel, the Panama City Plant was constructed to replace a similar one the company already had in Houston.

“We needed to be on a port so that a big vessel could come and pick up a product,” he said. “So, they planned Panama City about

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↖ From top left: Oceaneering’s plant at Port Panama City on St. Andrew Bay in Bay County; inspection work conducted remotely improves efficiency and data collection; a remotely operated underwater vehicle takes the plunge.

ı5 years ago, and we moved the operation from Houston.”

To date, the Panama City plant’s longest manufactured umbilical measured 62 miles when unspooled and laid upon the ocean floor.

While there is some competition in this unique field — Roedel mentioned competitors in Mobile, Alabama, the United Kingdom, Norway and Brazil — Oceaneering’s advantages lie in its advanced technology and its ı00-percent ontime record.

“Being able to produce the most difficult technical umbilicals in the world and being on time is what the oil and gas companies are looking for,” Roedel said. “And that’s the Panama City plant’s claim to fame.”

Because the machinery used to produce umbilicals is large and can be complex, Roedel is equally proud of the plant’s commitment to safety.

“It’s the No. ı thing that we focus on as a company,” he said. “We want to make sure that everybody goes back home at the end of every shift. If we have to weigh doing something risky to get product out faster, versus doing something safely, we’re going to choose safety every time.”

Today, the huge umbilical facility has ı25 employees, and Roedel says they’re always looking for new hires. Appropriately trained workers can be hard to come by in an area dominated by the hospitality industry.

Being able to produce the most difficult technical umbilicals in the world and being on time is what the oil and gas companies are looking for. And that’s the Panama City plant’s claim to fame.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF OCEANEERING INTERNATIONAL

— SHAUN ROEDEL, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS AT OCEANEERING

“So, what we try to look for are employees who have good attention to detail, want to learn and are constantly challenging themselves to get better,” Roedel said. “If we can hire people with the right values, then we can train them how to wind wire. We end up hiring quite a few people out of the military because it teaches a lot of those values.”

Workers at Oceaneering are treated well both on and off the job. In 20ı8, when Hurricane Michael devastated parts of the Florida Panhandle, Oceaneering shipped in generators and worked with employees on their homes to make sure that they were made safe and livable.

Going forward, Roedel expects the plant to continue to focus on

the needs of the oil and gas industry, while also looking at how it can apply its technology to other energy sources such as hydrogen or offshore wind.

“We’re looking at how (our Panama City facility) can be a part of that,” he said. Oceaneering is already supporting the offshore wind industry in Europe and Asia Pacific. “We want to make sure we’re staying at the forefront of that because all of those require a pretty heavy engineering component, and we think we have some really strong engineers at our facility. We’re looking to be balanced between traditional oil and natural gas and other alternative energy sources.”

While Oceaneering is a wellknown service company in the offshore energy industry, the company’s Panama City location keeps a low profile.

“We’re sort of tucked away, and not a lot of people know what we do even though we’re a large, engineering-intensive company that’s so important to the United States and world economies,” Roedel said. “We ship products from Bay County around the world; we do business with China and Malaysia, East and West Africa, and Brazil. To me, [Panama City is] sort of a hidden gem, and we’re always looking for good workers who want to come in and contribute to society and the company.” ▪

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CUSTOM CONTENT

For the Record App provides indisputable documentation of communication between co-parents

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S

tephen Nixon, a family-law attorney in Fort Walton Beach, had become thoroughly familiar with problems inherent in dealing with co-parenting disputes.

“It was difficult to determine who said what and when,” Nixon said. “I would spend days combing through printouts of emails, texts and social media messages looking for some sort of record, then spend more time trying to determine their legitimacy. It occurred to me that lawyers, co-parents and court representatives were wasting an incredible amount of time. There had to be a better way.”

Thanks to Nixon’s ingenuity, there was.

In 2009, Nixon launched TalkingParents.com, a service for improving and storing communications between co-parents that would provide an indisputable, unalterable record for use in the courtroom.

But Nixon’s website, while functioning, wasn’t “finished.”

“To be an actual enterprise-level business, I knew TalkingParents needed a proper website,” Nixon said. “It needed apps; it needed marketing — things you’d typically have to go to Silicon Valley to find.”

As it happened, a solution was instead available right in Nixon’s backyard.

Bit-Wizards, an award-winning technology company adept at software and application development based in Fort Walton Beach, had just the “skills, resources and knowledge to transform TalkingParents into what I knew it could be,” Nixon said.

Bit-Wizards CEO Vincent Mayfield said his company has been doing professional custom software development since 2000 and, upon evaluating Nixon’s website, knew TalkingParents was off to a solid start.

CUSTOM CONTENT

(Opposite) Bit-Wizards CEO Vincent Mayfield explains that the reason for putting TalkingParents on the outside of the building was to not only create a special space for the company, but to also start running the companies separately and allowing each to grow independently.

(Left) TalkingParents is an all-in-one communications service for shared parenting with more than 500,000 users.

“TalkingParents, like many products, was built by a single developer to answer a necessity and not necessarily built with scale in mind,” Mayfield said. “We did a deep evaluation of the user interface and the back-end systems and knew, with a little reengineering, it would be an awesome solution for end users and the court systems.”

Together, Bit-Wizard’s co-founders Vince Mayfield and Louis Erickson partnered with Stephen Nixon to form a new company, Monitored Communications, LLC. Bit-Wizards rebuilt the TalkingParents website and developed an Android and iOSfriendly smartphone app while building a scalable company with disciplined systems, teams and processes for financials, product development, marketing, sales, human resources and customer experience. The collaboration made Nixon’s brainchild the internationally successful SaaS (software as a service) application it is today.

More than 550,000 families in 50 states and 11 countries are using the app.

The success of TalkingParents was over a decade in the making. Mayfield

said Nixon was initially tasked with promoting awareness of the app and did so by traveling around the country to speak with clerks of courts, judges and other potential users.

Meanwhile, Bit-Wizard’s software engineering, digital marketing and user experience teams “rebuilt the app from scratch in the cloud and applied the polish that is needed for professional application in the commercial space,” Mayfield said. “We decided that, to monetize it, the TalkingParents app was suited to a subscription model.”

“The ways things work on the internet and your smartphone are constantly changing,” Nixon said. “It takes a whole team of highly intelligent, trained and well-educated people just to keep something like this running, let alone develop it. Hence, the necessity for a subscription-based service, where you’re paying for quality.”

TalkingParents documents activity calendars, payments, messages, calls, and more and stores the information on a fixed record.

“That’s the beauty of this thing,” Mayfield said, “the immutability of the

record. It’s not only helpful to the court, but encourages better civility because people know their communications are visible. We hope co-parents aren’t only saving time and money, but are having healthier interactions that provide their children with a better quality of life.”

Nixon said TalkingParents continues to evolve, noting that it has added cutting-edge features, including a recorded video calling service and coparenting content blogs.

“I think the biggest thing we’re doing is listening to our users,” Mayfield said.

“We survey them and ask what they want and how we can get better. We’re going to continue putting them at the forefront to figure out how we can best improve their lives, while giving them great customer service for the support they need, when they need it.”

Vincent Mayfield, Stephen Nixon and Louis Erickson

Bit-Wizards | 13 Memorial Parkway SW, Fort Walton Beach | BitWizards.com | (850) 226-4200

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 49

CUSTOM CONTENT

New Conference Focuses on Economic Diversification Northwest Florida Economic Summit highlights biotech, cybersecurity and more 50 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

N

orthwest Florida will forever be synonymous with the most scenic beaches in the country, but the region increasingly is becoming known for business activities unrelated to tourism and hospitality.

Prominent leaders, including business owner and defense and security facilitator William Loiry, have championed networking efforts that are bringing about remarkable economic diversification.

Since 1996, Loiry has organized homeland/global security and defense summits throughout the nation. His annual Air Force Contracting Summit has strengthened connections among private businesses, public officials and military commands.

Loiry’s latest venture, slated for this fall, is the Northwest Florida Economic Summit.

“The Air Force summits have helped diversify the region past tourism alone because thousands of contractors attend the summits, and then, many subsequently establish offices here or expand their existing offices,” Loiry said. “Through the Northwest

CUSTOM CONTENT

More than 700 military and business leaders attend the annual Air Force Contracting Summit in Sandestin.

Florida Economic Summit, we intend to bring in other sectors as successfully as we have the defense sector.”

Already, Loiry has greatly enlarged the presence of biotech in the region. He has assisted in relocating a major biotech business’s headquarters to the area and is working toward securing another plant that would employ thousands.

The summit’s target sectors include biotech, defense, aviation, aerospace, cybersecurity, manufacturing, distribution and logistics.

At the Economic Summit, public officials at local, regional and national levels will discuss their economic development priorities and provide insights as to how infrastructure funds are allocated.

The summit will include speakers, roundtable discussions, general sessions and networking opportunities.

Invaluable matchmaking sessions unite company representatives with decision-makers and industries that influence how infrastructure dollars are spent. Those sessions often lead to further collaboration.

The summit is also designed to help Northwest Florida businesses secure contracts and grants for projects funded with public dollars or the Triumph Gulf Coast Fund, which was created in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. To date, the Triumph Gulf Coast Fund has provided more than $250 million for projects including an aircraft maintenance campus, an international port terminal and expansion of welding, aviation mechanics and commercial driving training programs.

“My hope for attendees is that they gain contracts, their companies experience opportunities for growth and that each person personally prospers from a connection made or knowledge gained,” Loiry said.

» WANT TO GO?

For more information on the 2023 Air Force Contracting Summit and the 2023 Northwest Florida Economic Summit, visit usdlf.org and northwestfloridaleadershipforum.org, respectively.

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 51

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Northwest Florida Military Report

BY WILLIAM LOIRY U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-2), a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, delivered the keynote address at the 2022 Air Force Contracting Summit, which was held Feb. 8 and 9 at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa. The ninth annual Summit, a national military business event, brought together more than 700 military and government officials, business executives, contracting experts and financing leaders to discuss the 2022 defense budget, Air Force mission and contracting priorities, and new support for companies with innovative defense solutions.

Speakers from the Pentagon, Air Force bases, and Air Force commands provided the latest information on Air Force procurement opportunities, accelerated innovation contracting, Tyndall AFB reconstruction, military base energy resiliency, support for small business tech programs, military-community partnerships and more.

Of special note were opportunities at the Summit for companies to pitch their products and services to DEFENSEWERX, SOFWERX, DHSWERX, MGMWERX and the Doolittle Institute, Pentagon-supported organizations which speed the development of innovative solutions to benefit the warfighter and the nation.

The 2022 Air Force Contracting Summit was organized by the Defense Leadership Forum, a public service organization that brings together members of Congress, military officials and business leaders through Defense Contracting Summits nationwide.

Representatives of leading defense contracting firms including General Dynamics, ARMA Global, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and L3Harris Technologies participated in the summit. More than 60 on-site exhibitors were on hand, representing a wide range of products and services from aircraft maintenance to command-and-control systems to military base

CONGRESSMAN NEAL DUNN AND WILLIAM LOIRY

Congressman Neal Dunn (FL-2) with Summit Chairman William Loiry at the 2022 Air Force Contracting Summit. More than 100,000 government, military and business leaders have attended Loiry’s conferences on defense, homeland and global security, disaster reconstruction and economic development.

For more information, visit WilliamLoiry.com.

reconstruction. Local and Northwest Florida companies and organizations participating in the summit included Florida Power & Light; Carr Riggs & Ingram; Horsley Construction; Gulf Coast Energy Network; and many others.

Interested in attending the 2023 Air Force Contracting Summit? Visit usdlf.org.

Join us as we celebrate 50 years of dedication by our team members

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Concerts in the Village

A Provider of Arts for All

Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation offers a diverse palette of cultural events

E

ach day, in a multitude of ways, art impacts us all.

Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation has made it their mission since 1995 to bring art to the forefront in Okaloosa and Walton counties through cultural events and by providing funds and stimulating awareness via outreach initiatives.

Mattie Kelly and her husband Coleman were among Destin’s founders and were lifelong patrons of the arts.

Upon her passing, she left behind 52 acres that now house and host events, classes and outreach initiatives of the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation.

Today, MKAF CEO Demetrius Fuller keeps the spirit of Mattie very much alive. Under Fuller’s direction, the notfor-profit charitable arts organization offers a year-round lineup of cultural events open to the public.

Residents and visitors alike actively attend MKAF’s two signature events, Concerts in the Village and Festival of the Arts. The concert series spans

the spring and summer, attracting thousands to the lawn at Dugas Pavilion at the Mattie Kelly Cultural Arts Village.

The Festival of the Arts, occurring in the fall, is a two-day event that showcases the works of more than 200 local and national artists.

“Thanks to our generous partners and dedicated MKAF staff, members and volunteers, we are excited to offer even more fun and creative opportunities for people to engage with the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation in 2022 in support of our ArtsReach efforts,” Fuller said.

Fuller and MKAF education director Melanie Moore created ArtsReach, which provides access to visual and performing arts to K-12 students, children and adults with special needs and the military community.

Throughout the year, ArtsReach will conduct events and classes, including the Artz for All with Zot lunch & learn event on April 14, when Dwayne Szot, a champion for people

of all abilities, will explore adaptive art tools and techniques.

Whether it’s a crayon in the hand of a child, a veteran healing through music therapy or a couple attending a concert on a date, MKAF’s vision to enhance and inspire every life through arts and culture is a masterpiece in progress that we all can be a part of creating.

Festival of the Arts

M AT T I E K E L LY A R T S F O U N D AT I O N T O L E A R N M O R E , V I S I T M K A F.O R G

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CUSTOM CONTENT

The Powder Room

Building Your Business

JM Phelps Construction has earned a regional reputation for excellence

P

resident/CEO Justin Phelps and his team at JM Phelps Construction view each of their projects as unique and deserving of highly focused attention.

The company uses high-quality materials, adheres to rigid standards of excellence and works to build customer trust.

JM Phelps Construction specializes in small retail and light industrial projects, medical facilities and marinas.

By applying a wealth of knowledge on costs, system operations, comparison analysis, sustainable materials and design methods, they meet project specifications expertly and efficiently.

The company has worked extensively on gas stations and restaurants throughout the Panhandle, given its partnership with Texas-based CEFCO convenience stores. Past projects have included Busy Bee, Wildcat, WHICH WICH, First Watch and more. Success in these areas has resulted in the

expansion of their business and regional recognition as superior builders.

Recent large-scale projects have included The Powder Room, Treasure Island Marina and the St. Joe Marina.

The Powder Room, already popular among shooting enthusiasts, comprises 25,000 square feet and includes a 14-lane firing range and 3,000 square feet of retail space and simulators. The project required a specialized ventilation system inside the shooting range.

For the Treasure Island Marina, the company added 108,000 square feet of boat storage to the boat barn with a new foundation, boat racks, boat parking and storage. The St. Joe Marina project included stormwater infrastructure, additional parking, an outdoor boat storage rack and a ship’s store with the potential for a dining facility.

“We intend to continue expanding our footprint and showcasing the variety of projects we do,” Phelps said. “We want to continue to pursue projects that assist

with local needs such as medical offices and multi-family buildings.”

Phelps gives his enthusiastic team credit for the company’s growth and for facilitating an experience that sets the company apart in the eyes of the client.

“When clients select us, they get to experience the fun and potential of a new project,” Phelps said. “We make it stress-free by including them in the planning process. From there, they get to focus on the business side while we focus on the business of building.”

JM PHELPS CONSTRUCTION ( 8 5 0 ) 8 1 8 - 0 2 1 0 | J M P H E L P S C O N S T R U C T I O N .C O M

54 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 55

MODERN OPULENCE

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56 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

AN

850 BUSINESS MAGAZINE

SPECIAL REPORT

PERISCOPE D E TA I L E D LO O K S AT N O R T H W E S T F LO R I D A C O M M U N I T I E S

Baseball and Beyond Rishy Studer has served Pensacola as a clean-up hitter story by LIESEL SCHMIDT

R E TA I L

|

H E A LT H

photography by MATTHEW COUGHLIN

|

A R T S & C U LT U R E

|

E D U C AT I O N

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R E S TA U R A N T

|

H O S P I TA L I T Y

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 57

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

RETAIL

D

owntown Pensacola has long been a place rich in potential.

Increasingly, that potential has been tapped as ripples of revitalization have gathered to become a wave.

New businesses have been established, taking their places in newly renovated spaces whose faces have long been parts of the landscape downtown.

There’s been new construction, too.

Established businesses have benefitted from growing interest among locals and tourists alike and have watched in wonder as downtown has become the place to be, to live, to work and to play.

For Rishy Studer and her husband Quint, Downtown Pensacola was a long-underutilized asset. Revitalizing it would be like mining diamonds from a coalface. Both visionaries, the Studers utilized their considerable influence and resources to give the city the gift of rebirth — and it all started with something as traditional and pastoral as the nation’s pastime.

“Interestingly enough, baseball was the impetus of this entire journey,” said Studer, who moved to Pensacola in ı996 when her husband was recruited by Baptist Hospital. “There was a group of people, including the mayor, who wanted to improve downtown, redo Maritime Park and build a baseball stadium directly on the water. The University of West Florida also wanted to have buildings downtown that they conduct classes in. We decided to join the team, and it all took place at once.”

At the time, Pensacola was still feeling the effects of major hurricane damage.

“Downtown had suffered tremendous damage from Ivan, and it was never rebuilt after that,” Studer said. “We hired a planner to come in and assess the area and give us feedback on what to do first. He said that Palafox and Main were the center of our downtown, but all of

58 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

photography by MATTHEW COUGHLIN

↖ Rishy Studer at

the Bodacious Olive, a specialty shop that offers its customers more olive oil options than they would have thought possible.

Via the shop, Studer works to educate people on tenets of healthy eating.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER (BLUE WAHOOS)

the buildings there were boarded up.

He suggested buying and renovating the buildings at that intersection and opening businesses. People driving to games at the stadium to see the Blue Wahoos play would see a vibrant downtown with lots of activity instead of abandoned buildings.”

The Studers began phasing in the restoration of what they hoped would become a vibrant downtown district.

“We started with one building on Palafox and Main, the anchor, because the planner felt it was center of the city and would be good for our community,” Studer said. “We started buying others to make sure we had more retail and restaurants. In any building we bought, we would only allow living spaces to be upstairs. We wanted more places to shop and eat to draw families to the downtown area.

This is what started it all. More people

Interestingly enough, baseball was the impetus of this entire journey.”— RISHY STUDER 850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 59

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

RETAIL

were starting to come downtown and invest in our community.”

As downtown came to life, Studer’s pet project became Bodacious Olive, a specialty olive oil shop boasting olive oils of every flavor profile imaginable.

“We remodeled this building and we needed retail, so after I met with a gentleman in Pinehurst, North Carolina, I knew I’d found the perfect concept,” Studer said. “He was the owner of the olive oil store there. Our meeting was very educational, and I learned a lot about the health benefits that olive oil had. I wanted to bring all of that to our community and share it along with educating people on the health benefits, teach healthy

60 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

eating and offer cooking classes. I just thought it was a good fit for Pensacola.”

Today, Bodacious Olive isn’t just a shop — it’s an experience.

“We have a giant tasting room for olive oil, and you can come in and try all of our oils and balsamics and interact with our expert staff,” Studer said. “They teach all of our guests when they come in. We also stress healthy eating, so our cooking classes revolve around health and educating our clients. Bodacious Olive is an interactive place, and you can spend the whole day there.”

While spending the day at Bodacious Olive may be tempting, there is much more to do downtown,

thanks largely to the Studers. That first concept has given rise to others under the Bodacious umbrella: Bodacious Brew, So Chopped and So Gourmet.

“We needed a downtown coffee shop, and we wanted to be able to offer that for our guests,” Studer said. “Our café has the best coffee in town, and we roast our beans in house. You can come and see the process happen in our roasting room downstairs. Our oils and balsamics were so good that we started So Chopped for our guests to get healthy lunches. It just seemed like a natural progression for us.”

Transplants though they may be, the Studers have fallen in love with the city’s heart — and for that reason,

photography by MATTHEW COUGHLIN

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

COMMUNITY PROFILE

TOTAL POPULATION

316,719

LABOR FORCE

0–9

TOP JOBS BY OCCUPATION

10–19

OFFICE/ADMIN SUPPORT

13.77%

20–29 30–39

SALES

12.01%

40–49 50–59

MANAGEMENT/ ADMIN

60–64

9.39%

65+

FOOD PREP SERVING

AGE DISTRIBUTION

↑ The Southtowne apartments on East

Romana Street added a significant residential component to what Downtown Pensacola has to offer. Its residents include young people who walk or ride a bicycle to work. The apartment community offers an impressive suite of luxury amenities.

0–9...........37,529

40–49...... 33,710

10–19....... 39,406

50–59.. .... 38,345

20–29 . . .... 48,043

60–64...... 21,155

30–39 . . .... 42,504

65+.......... 56,027

6.74% BUSINESS/FINANCE

5.09%

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT <GRADE 9 . . ...................................... 2.52%

LABOR FORCE

GRADE 9–12.................................... 6.78%

PHOTO BY BLAKE JONES (SOUTHTOWNE)

HIGH SCHOOL................................ 27.41%

the Studer name has become almost synonymous with Pensacola.

“We loved the downtown community so much that we continued with a bookstore and café, Bubba’s Sweet Spot, The Bodacious Brew Thru, the SCI building, Oyster Bay Hotel, Southtowne, 5Eleven, 5 Sisters and Savoy Place,” Studer said.

“They have a special place in my heart.

All of these businesses — and this entire project — has been important to us because Pensacola needed a jumpstart after Ivan. We wanted to get people to look at it differently. We wanted them to be able see all of the potential that we saw in the city that we love so much.” ▪

SOME COLLEGE............................ 23.72%

TOP INDUSTRIES

BY JOBS

ASSOCIATE DEGREE . . .................... 12.72% BACHELOR’S DEGREE....................17.01%

HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES

GRADUATE DEGREE....................... 9.84%

22,423

2.52%

RETAIL

6.78%

9.84%

18,762

17.01%

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

27.41%

14,464

12.72%

23.72%

ACCOMMODATIONS/ FOOD SERVICE

13,043

SOURCE: Florida West Economic Development Alliance, 2021

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 61

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850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 63

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

HEALTH

The Sidelines Can Wait Focus on youth sports energizes Dr. James Andrews story by AL KRULICK

T

he Andrews Institute of Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, located in Gulf Breeze, boasts a worldwide reputation for excellence in sports medicine and orthopaedic patient care, research, education and prevention.

The ı27,000-square-foot facility provides a spectrum of medical services for the musculoskeletal system, using the latest innovative clinical and surgical technologies.

In addition, it hosts a ı2,000-squarefoot rehabilitation wing with highly specialized physical and occupational therapies to help patients achieve the best possible outcome following treatment for sports injuries.

64 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

Dr. James Andrews, who founded the institute in 2007, turns 80 this May. But the world-renowned orthopaedic surgeon and mentor to generations of doctors, surgeons, athletic trainers and physical specialists doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

“As long as my health stays where it is and I’ve got the energy and desire and the love for it, I’m going to try to continue to work,” he said. “If you just quit and do nothing, you don’t last very long. So I’m not going to do that.”

Andrews, who has treated some of the sports world’s highest-profile athletes, still sees a wide array of patients, performing surgical miracles on broken bones, torn muscles and

→ Internationally renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews, well known for having worked on the knees, elbows and shoulders of some of the world’s top athletes, has embraced a new priority: injury prevention among young athletes. To that end, he founded a children’s health institute.

damaged ligaments. But he expects to shift some of his priorities as new projects and interests vie for his time and attention.

“Protecting injuries in youth sports has been my passion for about ı5 or 20 years,” he explained. “It’s about figuring out how to keep these young kids from getting all these injuries before becoming big-time athletes.”

That relatively recent passion has manifested itself in the third major

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ANDREWS INSTITUTE

institution founded by Andrews over his long and distinguished career.

(Before establishing the Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze, he started the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center and the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Alabama.)

“The new place I founded about five years ago is called the Children’s Health Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine

in Plano, Texas,” he said. “It’s a 200,000-square-foot clinic and research building, and it’s devoted to youth sports up to age 22. The Dallas area has 2 million kids playing youth sports, and this facility is devoted just to those athletes in that age group.

“And now, we’re trying to get two more places like that up and running.

So, what I’m trying to do is to gradually get out of the clinical setting and manage the facilities I’ve got and these

new facilities we’re trying to build around the country.”

Creating a sports medicine empire wouldn’t have seemed a likely life’s labor for someone with Andrews’ humble beginnings.

“I grew up in a small, Southern town which had 4,000 people — Homer, Louisiana,” he recounts. “My father had been a football player in college; my mother was a music teacher. So, I was always involved in sports growing

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 65

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

HEALTH

→ Dr. James Andrews in surgery. Influenced

up, but it was also embedded in me that education was more important than athletics. I wanted to put the two together so that I could continue both.”

Andrews’ next-door neighbor was a primary care doctor who took care of the local high school athletic teams.

“So, I wanted to be a team physician,” he said. “As it turned out, the way to be a team physician was to go into orthopaedic surgery. I went from high school, being a polevaulter, playing football, baseball and basketball, to getting a scholarship at LSU in pole-vaulting and track. I was in pre-med, and when I finished LSU and got accepted to medical school there, they gave me a legislative grant that paid for my schooling.

“I went all through school, and it never cost my parents any money — I got it all through athletics.”

Andrews completed his residency at Tulane Medical School and followed up with fellowships at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the University of Lyon.

Since that time, the doctor has spent decades giving back to the world of athletics, while remembering to always recognize those who came before him, especially his chief mentor, Dr. Jack Houston, with whom he practiced for ı3 years in Columbus, Georgia.

“He was the team physician for a number of high schools but primarily for Auburn University,” Andrews said. “He was my idol, and under him I escalated my abilities to move right along in my profession as an orthopaedic surgeon.”

Following in Houston’s footsteps, Andrews is the team doctor for the University of Alabama, Auburn

66 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

University and the NFL’s Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Football Team.

Andrews explains his ethos regarding his progenitors: “When you get up in the morning and look in the mirror, if all you see is yourself, you’re doomed for failure. What you should see are your mentors because you’re really a combination of all of them. You have to give tribute to your mentors because it’s not an ‘I’ world; it’s a ‘we’ world. You can’t take credit for yourself. So, I always try to point back to my mentors for my success.”

Of course, along with success — and it’s clear that Andrews has achieved much of it over his professional life — there sometimes comes the danger of egocentrism and self-aggrandizement.

Andrews, with help, has kept things in perspective.

“If I get some kind of award or come home with a big head, my wife says, ‘Remember, if you’re talking about what you did yesterday, you’re not doing much today.’ So, I try to live my life with humility. I’m constantly challenging myself to do better and to continue to grow. When you’re green, you’re growing. When you’re ripe, you’re next to rotten.”

This May, there will be a multitude of events at various Andrews locations, including Gulf Breeze, celebrating the ground-breaking surgeon’s 80th birthday. The celebrants will likely note that the good doctor is still green, still growing and still going strong. ▪

I’m constantly challenging myself to do better and to continue to grow.

When you’re green, you’re growing. When you’re ripe, you’re next to rotten.”

— DR. JAMES ANDREWS, FOUNDER, ANDREWS INSTITUTE

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ANDREWS INSTITUTE / RPI ARCHIVE PHOTO

by a neighbor, he grew up with a desire to become a team physician. Today, he is the team doctor for the University of Alabama, Auburn University and the NFL’s Tampa Bay and Washington franchises.

Respected. Responsive. Local.

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

State Certified General Contractor in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi Locally Owned and Operated 900 Industrial Court, Pensacola 850.857.4740 | PhoenixPensacola.com 850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 67

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

ARTS & CULTURE

A Legacy Gift

Major donation stands to transform Cultural Center

A

three-story, alabaster building at 400 Jefferson St. in Downtown Pensacola houses history and, for locals like David Clark, enduring memories.

A former jail and records repository, the Pensacola Cultural Center, known about town as The Center, was donated to the Pensacola Little Theatre in the early ı990s not long after Clark moved with his wife and daughter from Midland, Texas, to Escambia County.

Clark recalls that The Center soon after the transfer had a new tenant — the Kaleidoscope Dance Centre, which is known today as Ballet Pensacola.

“At age 8, my daughter decided she wanted to be a ballerina, so my wife, Cynthia, and I found ourselves at The Center nearly every day for the next ı0 years,” Clark said. “In ı995, I

68 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

was asked to join the Pensacola Little Theatre Board, and a year later, I became president and was actually responsible for the construction of the building’s first theater.”

Clark, a real estate developer and one of the longest-tenured members of the Pensacola Little Theatre Board, has seen The Center weather “lean times and good times,” he said.

Tenants have come and gone, but the venue’s culture, camaraderie and talent have grown even stronger.

That’s what keeps him sticking around.

“One of my favorite memories of this place was our mortgage burning party ı0 years ago, where the community, our volunteers and past and present members of the board came together to celebrate our new, debt-free status,” Clark recalled. “There is so much

RENDERING COURTESY OF PENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE

story by HANNAH BURKE

photography by STEVEN GRAY

← David and Cynthia Clark’s relationship

with the Pensacola Cultural Center dates to their daughter was 8 years old and expressed a desire to become a ballerina.

The Clarks — David is a longtime board member at The Center — have contributed $1 million toward the planned $3 million renovation of the facility.

support from both the community and The Center. We invite all kinds of talent. None of our plays are precasted, and we’ve had aspiring actors, directors, musicians and dancers all pass through. It’s just a welcome center for everybody.”

Indeed, The Center is still home to the theater and ballet but also hosts Liberty Church, Improvable Cause, the West Florida Literary Federation, the Stamped LGBTQ Film Festival, EntreCon and numerous other community organizations and events.

But for Clark and the rest of Pensacola, the best is yet to come.

Last year, the Clarks made a $ı million donation toward The Center’s $3 million renovation project, which Pensacola Little Theatre executive director Sid Williams-Heath said has been “a long time coming.”

“From theater to church to a gay film center, it’s an awesome, multiuse space,” Williams-Heath said of The Center. “But, after 30 years of our original repurpose, it’s time to bring it up to the new century with us. All of the renovations are to make it that hub, that community center, where it’s not just for people to come see a show, but for meeting with friends on a Tuesday for a glass of rosé because it’s a cool place to be.”

In the future, that glass of vino may be sipped from The Center’s planned rooftop bar and lounge, which will be the first of its kind in Pensacola. Sky-high watering holes are more common in big cities, but

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 69

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

ARTS & CULTURE

Williams-Heath said The Center’s take will take a back seat to none of them and will offer views of downtown and Pensacola Bay. “Hands-down, I’m most excited for the rooftop venue,” Williams-Heath said. “It’ll be open to the public, and the best thing about it is that it’s not like going to a normal bar; there will be live art and culture in front of you, and the funding from all the ways you engage here will go back to supporting the operations of a nonprofit.”

Too, the project will see the complete overhaul of The Center’s first floor. The theater will receive new seats, lighting, carpet, paint, curtains and improved acoustics, giving it what Williams-Heath calls a “New York Cityfeel.” The historic, red brick atrium will be “retrofitted and equipped with a small champagne bar, low lighting and leather furnishings,” WilliamsHeath said, and an old courtroom will be renovated with an expanded entryway and new interiors that will

70 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

serve as a gathering place and gateway to The Center’s brick garden and fountain.

“We’re also adding a permanent fine art gallery,” Williams-Heath said.

“Right now, we’re all performing arts, so we’re going to showcase painting, writing, sculptures and other media to really make it that cultural center.”

At this writing, donations totaling $500,000 plus the Clarks’ contribution have put the project at a halfway point. Williams-Heath said numerous naming opportunities are available, including the rooftop bar, and fundraising will continue throughout 2022. Construction is due to commence at the end of this year or early 2023.

The Clarks’ generosity, said Williams-Heath, is a “game-changer.”

“I can’t even tell you what their gift means to us,” he said. “It’s trailblazing, and I would have appreciated that generosity from anybody. But all of this coming from them just feels … right.

This isn’t just a family who had the capacity to give; these are people who have been involved in this building since we opened 30 years ago. Every major fundraising event has their name on it, and it’s their dedication that makes this so special. They saw the potential of the future and said, ‘We want to help get us there.’ It’s truly going to change the institution as a legacy forever.”

Indeed. The Center will be officially renamed The Clark Family Cultural Center. Clark said he hopes his gift inspires others to contribute and get involved with the project.

“Knowing this will be The Clark Family Cultural Center is just so special to our family,” Clark said.

“The arts are such a great way to bring people together, and we want to expand that opportunity for Pensacola natives and visitors. When you’re in Pensacola, if nothing else, we hope you stop by and spend some time with us.”▪

RENDERING COURTESY OF PENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE

↑ UP ON A ROOF Rendering depicts a rooftop bar and lounge that has been built into plans for a $3 million renovation of the Pensacola Cultural Center. The venue will provide spectacular views of downtown Pensacola and Pensacola Bay. Pensacola Little Theatre executive director Sid Williams-Heath promises that live art will be a regular attraction of the bar/lounge.

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CUSTOM CONTENT

ReliantSouth: A Commercial Contractor You Can Trust

B

ased in Northwest Florida, ReliantSouth Construction Group has become a much sought-after contractor that provides full-service commercial general contractor/construction management services. Led by professional engineer Richard Dodd, ReliantSouth has completed various exemplary projects throughout Northwest Florida and the Southeast.

Having started his construction career 38 years ago, Dodd has been leading successful and award-winning construction companies in this area for more than three decades.

What makes ReliantSouth stand out from its competitors is its adherence to one primary mission: “We provide solutions and value to our clients while working collaboratively with all our stakeholders,” Dodd said.

The past two years — first with Hurricane Michael and then the pandemic — have dealt some unexpected hardships all across Northwest Florida.

Contracting has certainly been anything but ordinary. However, ReliantSouth has both persevered and excelled. So, what’s their secret?

“I believe it’s our perspective,” Dodd explained. “Because you see, life is truly a gift and should be appreciated all the time. Perspective helps you appreciate the little things.”

ReliantSouth takes great pride in adapting to circumstances, remaining

steady in uncertainty, and building quality projects that exceed client expectations. Perhaps that stability comes from the fact that the firm is blessed with a rich legacy. Also, seasoned, integrity-filled construction professionals make up the team who have worked together for years.

And then there are the grateful ReliantSouth clients: Hurricane Michael decimated Southerland Family Funeral Home.

Steve Southerland, principal in the business and former member of Congress, felt contracting with ReliantSouth was an excellent decision.

“When Hurricane Michael completely destroyed our family’s business structure, we were devastated,” Southerland said.

“However, we knew that in order to pick up the pieces and build back better, it would require contracting with the best commercial contractor we could find. In our mind, there was only one choice — Richard Dodd and the ReliantSouth team.

“They didn’t just meet our expectations — they far exceeded them and did so under budget as well as with the highest professional standards,” Southerland said. “Quite simply, we believe they are the ‘gold standard’ in construction, with their team of

honest, respectful, and competent experts. When businesses are searching for a builder that will serve as a trusted advisor, who will also deliver value that exceeds price, look no further than Richard Dodd and ReliantSouth. It was one of the best decisions our family has ever made.”

This proven track record is also why Bay District Schools chose ReliantSouth to build their $37 million elementary school in Panama City Beach, and why other business entities rely on this ethical firm to build their projects.

Wayne Lindsey, owner of Sonny’s BBQ, shared why he chose ReliantSouth to handle his restaurant construction.

“I’ve been in the restaurant business for more than 35 years, and I was looking for a contractor who was honest and had my best interests at heart,” Lindsey said. “Once I found ReliantSouth, I knew I could quit looking. They do business the right way, with attention to detail, which is second to none.”

Richard Dodd explained what sets ReliantSouth apart within the industry.

“It all boils down to ReliantSouth’s corporate culture and engrained core values,” Dodd said.

ReliantSouth has the expertise and values to make any dream a reality.

R E L I A N T S O U T H 2 3 0 W. 5 T H S T. , PA N A M A C I T Y | ( 8 5 0 ) 2 1 5 - 5 5 4 0 | R E L I A N T S O U T H .C O M 72 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

Sept. 25-29, 2022

Twenty-five anglers each trip will have the opportunity to join Guy and Jessica Harvey on a 5 day/5 night VIP experience at the world-famous Tropic Star Lodge in Piñas Bay, Panama.

For more information and available expedition dates, contact browland@GuyHarvey.com 850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 73

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

EDUCATION

Campuses Become Students of Change

Pandemic speeded trend toward remote learning at PSC story by PAIGE AIGRET

D

r. C. Edward Meadows, the president of Pensacola State College, has long navigated trends in higher education, but the pace of change has increased dramatically due to rapidly evolving technological advances and a global pandemic.

Meadows, the PSC president since 2008, is dealing with declining enrollment and revenue and changes in the way instruction is delivered.

Distance learning isn’t new to colleges and universities as an option, but the pandemic made it indispensable. Faculty members without experience in remote instruction were quickly brought up to speed — making for greater flexibility for students and their professors.

Distance learning figures to be an enduring part of a new normal.

Students at PSC can choose to take an asynchronous class completely online without required virtual meeting times with their professors; a synchronous class completely online but with required virtual class times; or a hybrid class, which is asynchronous online combined with on-campus class times.

In addition to growth in online course offerings, PSC has taken steps to make it possible

74 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

photography by STEVEN GRAY

PHOTO COURTESY OF PENSACOLA STATE COLLEGE (STUDENT)

← Pensacola State College President Dr. Ed Meadows at the school’s administrative offices. ↑ A Pensacola State College student takes notes during an online trigonometry class; PSC has made it possible for students to also attend workshops and labs virtually.

for students to virtually attend labs and workshops. Grant funding enabled the college to employ new technology when circumstances demanded it.

The Health Sciences Department now has an immersive program, and other departments are offering virtual training. Students in a truck driver course master driving a big rig using a simulator. Meadows, himself, tested the simulator out.

“I didn’t crash the vehicle, but I ran over a curb or two,” he said.

Even with a plethora of online course offerings and programs, PSC, like schools across the country, could not prevent a drop in enrollment due to the pandemic.

“The pandemic is an anomaly in that not only do we have high unemployment rates, but we have fewer people coming back to college to get new employability skills,”

Meadows said. In the year after the pandemic arrived, enrollment dropped by 40 percent.

Meanwhile, the percentage of students favoring online instruction has increased. Meadows believes that “the pandemic has created an environment where people who never thought they would have to rely on technological advancements for higher education are doing so, not just as a necessity with the pandemic, but now as a preference.”

Prior to the pandemic, about 20 percent of full-time equivalent

students were utilizing some form of distance learning. At this writing, that figure has jumped to 4ı percent.

Meadows said the next couple of years “are going to be a lot more critical for community colleges from a financial perspective in continuing to expand offerings related to the emerging technologies that are impacting the workforce.” He added that such expansion will involve costs that PSC will be unable to meet without a higher tuition rate.

Institutions and community colleges in particular are having to become more entrepreneurial in finding additional sources of funding.”

— DR. EDWARD MEADOWS, PRESIDENT, PENSACOLA STATE COLLEGE

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 75

EDUCATION

Thanks to funding from the Cares Act, the school was able to largely maintain the integrity of its budget. But with enrollment declining, Meadows said, “Institutions and community colleges in particular are having to become more entrepreneurial in finding additional sources of funding.”

Meadows foresees that enrollment will begin to rise. It must, he said, if employment numbers are to return to normal.

“Building back your enrollment to what it was pre-pandemic is not for the purpose of seeking additional revenue, it’s for the purpose of trying to get our workforce back to prepandemic levels,” Meadows said.

Meadows said loyalty doesn’t necessarily equate to longevity in today’s workplaces.

“Employers are looking more for education in the advancing technologies,” Meadows said. That means that employees may need to go back to school to obtain additional certifications to supplement their experience.

Meadows pointed to carpentry and construction as examples.

“Technology has had a profound effect on the way in which we now build things,” Meadows said. “A person who knows how to hammer and cut a straight line, that’s not enough anymore to become a carpenter.”

Many people looking to return to the workforce will likely have to return to the classroom first.

One way that PSC hopes to increase enrollment is by creating career ladders. In the area of medicine, for example, a student might earn a nursing assistant certification, then further his or her career through education to become a licensed practical nurse, a registered nurse and so on.

Meadows recognizes that despite the pandemic’s undulating waves, its impact on people and their families has become less intense.

“The morale in our community, in particular, is a lot better,” Meadows said. “There is a brighter outlook in general about the future and what the future holds for American citizens to be prosperous and to have a good environment to live in.” ▪

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF PENSACOLA STATE COLLEGE

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

↑ Pensacola State College Phlebotomy Coordinator Wilma Duncans-Burnet (top)

helps a Phlebotomy Technology Program student draw blood from a simulator.

At bottom, a PSC sonography student performs a sonogram on a classmate at the Warrington campus.

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 77

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

RESTAURANT

Ahead of the Storm

Seafood restaurant made plans to move before it lost its roof story by THOMAS J. MONIGAN

A

fter spending 33 years in its original home, Captain Joey Patti’s Seafood Restaurant is thriving in a new location.

“Inside, I think the restaurant has a much nicer feel — the old location was a converted fish market,” said owner Charlie Merritt, who is the son of the restaurant’s founder, the late Josephine Patti Merritt.

According to its website, the restaurant was “basically a sandwich shop built on to the side of West Florida Seafood, which was run by Joey Patti. Joey, one of four sons of Joe Patti, talked his sister Josie into investing in the restaurant. Within their first year, Joey decided the restaurant business was not for him and left it to Josie to try to figure out.”

At the helm, one of the first things she did was to take over the West Florida Seafood Market space, which she turned into a seating area for restaurant patrons.

“We started this company with my mom back in ı988 was when I was about ı2 years old,” Merritt said. “I worked every day after school, and I did that until I was 20 when I moved out of the area.

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Merritt returned to the business in 20ı3 when his mother’s health started to fail. Jo Patti died in 20ı9, and the branding image of the restaurant was modified to honor her shortly after her passing.

“All that we do inside the restaurant is our tribute to her,” Merritt said.

There is no job at the business that Merritt cannot or will not do.

“My title is general manager/ owner, but today, for example, I was frying food,” he said. “I washed dishes yesterday, so I do everything.” He works about 52 hours a week.

Merritt moved the restaurant ı2 blocks to ıı24 W. Market St. shortly after Hurricane Sally destroyed the roof at the original location. Fortunately, plans to move already were in place.

“We spent years in that other location, and people would walk in

and say they had lived in Pensacola all their lives and had never been to the restaurant,” Merritt said. “So we

↑ Josephine “Josie” Patti Merritt

with Frank Patti Sr., a one-time shrimper who managed Joe Patti’s Seafood.

© TONY GIBERSON – USA TODAY NETWORK

↑ Charles Merritt, the son of Josephine “Josie” Patti Merritt, reflects on his mother’s success and the

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FLORIDAPANHANDLE.COM AND MERRITT (PARENTS)

early days of her eatery, Capt. Joey Patti’s Seafood Restaurant. Charles moved the business to its current Market Street location after Hurricane Sally ransacked the original restaurant building.

wanted to move to a location with more visibility where we could do alcohol sales and stay open for dinner.

We just have more options over here.”

The current location formerly was at various times occupied by Cypress Restaurant, George’s Artesian Bakery and Premier Bakery.

“A lot of Pensacolans know that as children they got doughnuts from there,” Merritt said of Premier.

Getting the new location ready was something Merritt handled personally.

“I worked around the clock, and I had it done in two weeks,” Merritt said. “There wasn’t too much to do.

The location was ready to go. We had to rebuild the food window (for to-go orders) to make it larger. The main thing was running the cabling for the point-of-sale system and the camera system. I did that work myself.”

Captain Joey Patti’s Seafood Restaurant has 78 seats inside and 38 more outside. The hours are ıı a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. There is a full bar offering daily drink specials such as jalapeno margaritas.

“We have more parking than we had at the old location,” Merritt said, “and we’ve been adding new items to the menu. Grilled grouper over rice with a spring mix topping is one of our biggest sellers, and we just added blackened shrimp and grits.

“Moving to grilled items has just increased our audience. It’s more healthy. We’re trying to offer something for everyone, but our bread and butter is still fried seafood because that’s what we’re famous for.”

One of Merritt’s key employees is Robyn Robertson.

“I’ve been here a couple of years, and I serve, bartend and help supervise,” Robertson said. “The food is what makes us special. The recipes they used years ago they’re still using today.”

Robertson added, “I like it here because Charlie is really easy to work with. We have a lot of repeat customers who have been coming in here for years and years. People who came here with their parents as kids, well they’re coming here now with their kids.”

“I’m very thankful for each of the small businesses that choose to call the City of Pensacola home,” Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said. “The Patti family has been an integral part of our community for decades, and we appreciate their continued commitment to supporting our local economy with their family businesses.” ▪

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ESCAMBIA COUNTY

HOSPITALITY

Working Hard to Stay in Place

Paradise Inn captivates guests with an ‘old-timey’ feel story by HANNAH BURKE

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I

mages preserved by the Pensacola Historical Society depict the sepia-soaked landscape of Pensacola Beach’s past: miles of pristine beach speckled with more sun tanners; a business district consisting of a grocer, restaurant and laundromat; and an aerial shot, circa ı960, in which the only notable landmarks on the mostly barren barrier island were the Pensacola Beach Water Tower and fishing pier.

It was “Old Florida,” the type of unspoiled, uncrowded paradise you’d find in a Jimmy Buffet song. Today, Pensacola Beach’s skyline, defined by highrise condominiums, Hiltons,

Hamptons and Holiday Inns, tells the story of an inevitable progression.

But the Paradise Inn, a vintage waterfront motel with an open-air bar and grill, recalls days gone by.

Originally a ı950s motor lodge, the Paradise Inn’s doors open to the outside, where bikers, boaters and beachgoers belly up to the bar, enjoy live music and mingle.

It’s an “old-timey feeling” that sets the inn apart, said Paradise Inn general manager Karl Hedlund.

“A lot of people who come here are looking for a mom-and-pop place that feels vintage, yet clean, updated and upgraded,” said Hedlund, who has worked at the motel for ı6 years. “We’re not a big

photography by STEVEN GRAY

corporation, so we’re more personable with our guests, and we’re in a great location, but I think the biggest draw is our atmosphere. We’ve worked hard to change very little but keep the place up to guests’ standards. With the beach, bar and grill, and pier leading to the bay, everything’s all in one place, and people love that.”

Fred Simmons, Paradise’s current owner, manages around ı50 properties across Pensacola Beach with his business, Paradise Coastal Realty.

Despite having no previous experience in the hospitality industry, Simmons said he purchased the motel in the late ı990s to provide a place to stay for the “everyday guy.”

Rates are about a third of what you’ll find among Pensacola Beach’s commercial hotels, and maintaining that affordability has been important, he said. Guests have the option of lodging in the motel’s one- and twostory units and villas, and there’s an outdoor pool, private beach and pier access, complimentary breakfast and pet-friendly amenities.

But Simmons said the Paradise Bar & Grill, located off the inn’s western parking lot, may be its best feature. He has his father to thank for that.

Simmons grew up in Escambia County at a time when Pensacola Beach was frequented by few.

“But, whenever we did encounter someone, my father would go out of his way to help them,” he said. “I remember he told me, ‘Son, when you grow up, you build you a house on the water and be a friend to mankind.’”

Simmons recalled those words as he was doing his final walkthrough of the motel before purchasing it. He sat on an old grill out back and studied the water.

“My dad had passed, but I was talking to him then and telling him I was going to close on this thing tomorrow,” Simmons recalled. “I wondered, ‘What if I built me a bar

here on the waterfront and was a friend to mankind?’”

The Paradise Bar & Grill — and the inn — have long been a part of the lives of Sandra and Fred Bundy. They have called Pensacola home for more than 40 years and have been “staycationing” at the motel since 2006.

“Sitting outside at the bar, you meet a lot more people than you would in the bigger hotels,” Sandra Bundy said. “Even at the pool, strangers are just talking, hanging out and making friends. We’ve grown close with Karl Hedlund and his wife, Melody, and love having some adult beverages with them at the picnic area once they get off work. We even went to their wedding that they had here at Paradise.”

Bundy said she’s in the habit of asking new guests why they chose the Paradise Inn over other hotels.

“They say it’s the ambiance, the friendly faces, bands at the bar. All you have to do is park, take your stuff in and you’re set,” she said. “We love it so much and hope they never take it away.”

Simmons isn’t worried about the

competition or even the economy. The Paradise Inn continues to flourish and, in 202ı, experienced a record year. The biggest threat to the business may be Mother Nature.

In September 2020, Hurricane Sally’s ı05 mile-per-hour winds ripped the roof off the motel’s two-story unit and office building and dropped debris on the villas and Hedlund’s truck. The parking lot was flooded, and the pier had been obliterated.

“It was stressful, but everyone came together and did their part to rebuild,” Hedlund said. “And, we got it all done by July ı0, just in time for the Blue Angels.”

A new pier and seawall have been installed, the two-story motel rooms have been rebuilt and interior rooms have been refurbished and updated with new furniture. Of the future, Hedlund said things are “looking bright.”

“I’m grateful for the fact that we have so many return guests and locals who have embraced us,” he said. “I hope we stay the way we are.” ▪

↑ Guests at the Paradise Inn relax at a comfortable distance from sophistication. “With the

beach, bar and grill and pier leading to the bay, everything’s all in one place, and people love that,” said general manager Karl Hedlund. ↖ From left: Tracey Bednar, assistant manager; Melody Hedlund, housekeeping Manager; and Paradise Inn general manager Karl Hedlund.

850 Business Magazine | SPRING­­­2022 | 81

LAST WORD

FROM THE EDITOR

Stories From Your Hearts We have resharpened our focus on people

For years, I suppose, he had been accustomed to turning to his Suddenly, that was no longer possible, and he was mightily displeased. When he reached me by phone, he screamed in decrying the reorganization of his hometown newspaper.

“Lunacy,” he called it, and far worse.

I might just as well have gotten into his medicine cabinet and switched the locations of his blood pressure and acid reflux medications.

Instead, I had dared to move the local and state news from the “B” section into the “A” section, relegating national and international news to the interior of the paper.

I had played with fire.

The caller’s neighbors called. His neighbor’s neighbors called. I reversed the decision. The local news was restored to its proper place.

Today’s edition of 850 Business Magazine incorporates some changes equating to not a remodeling so much as a refreshing. Out with the davenport, in with the sectional, that kind of thing.

We have renamed parts of the magazine. What used to be the Business Journal, that portion of the magazine where we focus on particular counties within the 850 region, has become Periscope. We are collecting other stories about business and entrepreneurial activity in a section called Pursuits.

Too, exercising that same impulse I did during my newspaper days, I dared to suggest that we move our high-readership business briefs section, Bytes, from the back of the magazine to the front.

Maybe this time, I’ll pull it off. In all of this, Rowland Publishing is indebted to

82 | SPRING 2022 | 850BusinessMagazine.com

its creative director, Jennifer Ekrut, who excels at moving possibilities from the idea stage to the design stage.

Perhaps more subtle than the design changes are changes in our approach to content gathering. For years, we relied heavily on reports from the region’s economic development directors — principally Scott Luth, Shannon Ogletree, Nathan Sparks, Becca Hardin, Beth Cicchetti and Cristina Paredes — in compiling progress reports contained in Business Journal pages.

We are sure to continue to check in with them. They are folks who know precisely what is in their county’s economic development pipelines and are thus invaluable as contacts. But we will increasingly be turning to business owners and leaders as representatives of sectors within local economies for information about challenges, triumphs and trends.

Business people are intrigued with business people. I have consistently found that the most prominent and successful businessmen and women around are interested to learn about the business models and practices that employers of ı0 or ı2 people use to succeed.

They love to hear their stories.

We will endeavor, too, to explore and report ways in which members of the business community enhance, support and shape communities overall — as leaders, as educators, as mentors — and philanthropists.

I invite you to meet Ashley Harrell. In a story, “Going for Their Goals,” that begins on page 30, Ashley describes how her life

has changed due to her participation in the Special Olympics and thanks the businesses who support that program.

Ashley is 33 years old and competes in six sports. She has a collection of medals and is looking forward to competing as a member of the Leon County Chargers cheerleading squad in competition at the national level.

Ms. Harrell did a magnificent job representing herself and the Special Olympics in my interview with her. Regional Special Olympics director Damien McNeil was standing by in case Ashley got stuck, but she found all the right words.

As an athlete, she has gained confidence, she said, and she wants to give back. She is preparing herself to be a public speaker with the goal of serving the Special Olympics as a big-time spokeswoman.

Already, she has something that can’t be taught. She speaks from her heart.

Three cheers, Ashley, and Godspeed.

Be well,

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

PHOTO BY MICHAEL BOOINI / ROWLAND FILE PHOTO

and saying, “Hey, toss me the Local/State section.”

Progress Looks Like Investing For

Your Legacy

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Financial Advisor 3063 US Highway 98 Santa Rosa Beach 850.724.1405 zseabolt@mypfswealth.com

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