Sound Bytes Spring 2024

Capital //Happenings

Tri-Eagle Sales’ Donation Supports Fire Departments

Anheuser-Busch and beverage wholesaler Tri-Eagle Sales are providing more than 2,300 cans of emergency drinking water to local fire departments as they continue to protect our communities and prepare for future wildfire relief efforts. The emergency drinking water was sourced from Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in Cartersville, Georgia, which periodically pauses beer production and cans clean and safe drinking water to be delivered to communities in times of need. Tri-Eagle Sales has a long history of giving back to the community, actively providing charitable contributions and volunteering for local causes as a family-owned beverage distributor.

Local Honors

Investment Broker Named To Forbes List

Stifel Financial Corp has announced that the Huggins WindersGroup of its Stifel, Nicolaus & Company incorporated broker-dealer subsidiary has been named to Forbes’ 2024 Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams list. Based in Stifel’s Tallahassee office, the Huggins Winders Group consists of financial advisors Stephen Huggins, Linda Winders, C. Blair Huggins and J.D. Huggins. They are supported by Lynnette McMullen, client service associate; and Deborah Davis, operations coordinator. The team has more than 65 years of investment industry experience and is dedicated to helping its clients navigate markets and make informed decisions with their financial resources and wealth over multiple generations.

» Sachs Media has earned a spot on PRNews’ prestigious Agency Elite Top 100 list for 2024. This is the third time the firm has earned this accolade, which celebrates the most innovative and impactful firms in the world of communications, marketing and digital content creation. For more than 25 years, Sachs Media has been a go-to strategic communications partner for organizations with high-stakes challenges. The firm focuses on elevating bold organizations, leaders and agendas; supercharging clients’ public policy advocacy efforts; and driving audiences to action with campaigns that educate, inform and persuade.

» Leon County Emergency Medical Services (LCEMS) celebrated 20 years of providing exceptional, lifesaving care and treatment to the residents and visitors of Leon County as well as serving the community through training and public education programs. Since its launch on December 31, 2003, LCEMS has responded to more than 775,000 calls for service and transported more than 500,000 patients. A leader in response and survival, LCEMS has continued to exceed local, state and national benchmarks by providing clinically superior, cost-effective emergency medical services and transport.

New & Notable

» Monica Ross has been named vice president and chief human resources officer of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH). In that role, she is responsible for developing and executing a human resource strategy to support TMH’s organizational goals and strategic vision. Ross will lead the human resources department and all its functions including talent acquisition, total rewards management, training and continuing education, succession planning, colleague health, child care center and employee relations. Ross joined TMH in 2022 as the executive director of colleague relations and human resource administration. She is a human resources strategist and experienced attorney with over 13 years of legal experience, most recently as the chief legal counsel at the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

Rebeca Sayers

» Capital City Bank announced that Rebeca Sayers has joined its team of trust administrators. Sayers brings more than 10 years of experience as a practicing attorney with an extensive background in trust, estates and family law. Sayers will be teaming up with Capital City Trust Company, Capital City Investments and Capital City Strategic Wealth to provide expertise in investment strategies, retirement planning, estate and tax planning and risk management. Sayers is a licensed member of the Florida Bar.

» The Office of Economic Vitality (OEV) announced that Dineta O’Hara has joined the team as business development manager. In this new role, O’Hara will manage activities to support economic and business development opportunities in Tallahassee-Leon County. Previously, she served as the community engagement coordinator for Gwinnett County Government. There, she led community engagement initiatives for the county’s 2045 Unified Plan and spearheaded project management efforts in workforce development for the Division of Economic Development and Neighborhood Revitalization. O’Hara also served as economic development coordinator at the City of Clarkston, where she directed a varied portfolio of economic development projects emphasizing job creation, business expansion and community development in Georgia. 

» Florida-based lobbying giant The Southern Group and one of the country’s leading economic development firms, VisionFirst Advisors, have entered a partnership that pairs state and local lobbying efforts with economic development site selection, incentive work and community planning. Both client bases now benefit from a turnkey solution for expanding business throughout the country, especially the Southeast, where the lobbying firm has a substantial footprint.

Emerald Coast // Local Honors

Theater Company Founders Recognized By Conference

Emerald Coast Theatre Company (ECTC) has announced that founders Nathanael and Anna Fisher have been awarded The Florida Theatre Conference 2023 Distinguished Career Award in the professional category. In 1986, the Florida Theatre Conference began recognizing individuals in the state of Florida who have made contributions in the areas of community theater, professional theater, university/college theater, theater for youth and high school theater.

Jeanne Dailey

» Newman-Dailey Resort Properties founder and CEO, Jeanne Dailey, has been appointed by the Florida Department of Commerce to the Board of Directors of VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation. Florida’s official source for travel planning for visitors across the globe, VISIT FLORIDA is a not-for-profit corporation created as a public/private partnership by the Florida Legislature in 1996. Dailey brings more than three decades of experience working in the vacation rental and tourism industry. After founding Newman-Dailey Resort Properties in 1985, she became a visionary leader and advocate for vacation rentals and the tourism industry in the Destin area. She has been honored with the Pioneer Award for leadership in the vacation rental industry by VRMIntel as well as the prestigious Van Ness Butler Jr. Award for tourism leadership by the Walton County Tourism Department. In addition to her new role with VISIT FLORIDA, she currently lends her time and talents to the vacation rental industry by serving as a steering committee member for the Florida Professional Vacation Rental Coalition and as an active member of the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA).

Shannyn Stevenson

» Newman-Dailey Resort Properties Real Estate Division has announced that Shannyn Stevenson was its top listing and sales agent for the third quarter of 2023. With a dedicated real estate career spanning three decades, Stevenson’s commitment to excellence and her remarkable prowess in real estate have once again earned her this prestigious dual recognition. Stevenson consistently ranks in the top 10% of all active agents in the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors.

» The Florida Department of Education has released baseline school grades for 2023, and the Okaloosa County School District has earned an A rating in the first year of a new statewide assessment. Okaloosa is one of three districts in Florida to have earned an A each year since 2014. Ten Okaloosa County schools increased their grade from C to B or B to A. Laurel Hill, Edge Elementary and Florosa Elementary each earned an A this year after having a B in 2022–2023. Superintendent Marcus Chambers expects even better results at the conclusion of the current school year.

New & Notable

Hunter Morris

» International Paper announced that Hunter Morris has been named manager of International Paper’s Pensacola Containerboard Mill in Cantonment. In his new position, Morris will assume overall responsibility for safety, people engagement, commercial and operational excellence and community stewardship at the Pensacola mill. Most recently, Morris was the operations manager for the company’s Savannah, Georgia, mill. Morris joined International Paper in 2007 at the company’s Riegelwood, North Carolina, mill. He has worked in several manufacturing and technical leadership roles of increasing responsibility throughout his career with the company.  

Hong Potomski

» Florida Blue has announced the promotion of Hong Potomski to the newly created role of market leader for the Pensacola region. Deepening its local commitment and meeting the diverse needs of the communities Florida Blue serves is critical to the success and mission of the organization. In this new role, Potomski will have responsibility for nine counties to include Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Holmes, Washington, Jackson and Calhoun. She will leverage her extensive background in health care strategy and operations to lead the development and execution of local strategies, develop and nurture key partnerships, and drive results to improve overall health and well-being in the Panhandle. Potomski is passionate about improving health literacy and access to great quality care for members, patients and the community. She was recently recognized as one of seven Rising Executives in Florida Trend and was awarded the 2023 Alumni Community Spirit Award by the University of West Florida.

Compiled by Rebecca Padgett Frett
Photos courtesy of individuals