Weblogic

Growing up in New York, even after 45 years away I still vividly remember what the coming of winter felt like. The days grew short, the winds got stronger and more biting, a late fall rainstorm would leave you chilled to the bone.  We had lots of cold and rainy Halloweens, but I don’t remember one with snow.

Just up from the St. Andrews Yacht Basin is a small treasure trove of shops and restaurants, locally owned businesses that exude charm and the feel of a long ago, more relaxed time. It is an escape of sorts from the mainstream bustle of ordinary life, a small breath of salty-aired simplicity.

Franklin County wants to make something very clear to the nation and the world. It is open for business. The beaches are clean. The seafood is safe. And county leaders want you to know that, “We’re Salty.” So far, the new marketing message appears to be getting some traction. There are definite bright spots in the county’s economy, but there’s a long way to go for this area to return to what was considered normal only two years ago.

When Tallahassee lawyer Gary Anton first drove down the rutted clay road toward the little music club in the country, it felt like home. The road led to an old cinder block building, and as he stepped out into the starry field, he heard twanging guitar. A bonfire was throwing flickering shadows on hanging Spanish moss. Here, tucked among the fat old oaks, like a scene in some movie: a juke joint.

Growing olives in Florida seems about as likely as growing oranges in Alaska. To find a farmer that produces olives in the Sunshine State used to be difficult if not impossible. That was, at least, until Don Mueller came into the picture. He’s a rare breed, especially in Northwest Florida.

When the Florida Legislature convenes on Jan. 10, the primary focus of 120 representatives and 40 senators will be on the once-a-decade job of reapportionment. They’ll also have to tackle an expected $2 billion revenue shortfall. Then the Jan. 31 presidential preference primary will certainly draw everyone’s attention away from lawmaking, no matter how briefly.

Few things loom larger in a small business owner’s agenda than a financial planning exercise. Here’s a quick test. Are you on top of these key financial components for your company: banking and investing, retirement plans, insurance, succession planning and general financial health? Unfortunately, most of us procrastinate any real strategizing until we are forced to do so.

When it was time to hire a new chief executive for Big Bend Hospice, a large Tallahassee-based non-profit organization with a $22 million budget and more than 200 employees, the board of directors faced an uphill battle.

How much time do you spend in front of your computer?  According to a poll on The New Business Blog, a whopping 65 percent of Americans are glued to their PCs for eight hours a day. A recent article in The New York Times went on to say that the amount of time people spend on the Internet has increased more than 120 percent over the last five years.

Wearing his signature bow tie, Sandy D’Alemberte stood before the Florida Supreme Court in June to argue against the lead attorney for Gov. Rick Scott. The congenial D’Alemberte certainly wasn’t motivated by the amount of money at stake or even the exposure. He had argued before the court plenty of times.

There is only one thing worse than your cell phone ringing during an important board meeting — actually leaving the room to answer or having a personal conversation right there at the table. If looks could kill, the stares you’d get from co-workers and clients would be a death sentence.

The world famous Harvard professor and scholar Edward O. Wilson has characterized Northwest Florida as a part of one of the most biologically diverse regions on Earth. The combination of spring-fed and black water lakes, streams and rivers layered on top of a complicated mosaic of soil types, geology and topography provides a dizzying array of habitat combinations that support rich communities of plant and animal life.

On his first day working as a summer clerk for an Alabama law firm, Mark Crosswhite was told to go work with the utility section. He “had a blast,” but little did he know that would start his journey to becoming CEO and president of Gulf Power Company.