Author: Linda Kleindienst

Runs a restaurant in Panama City Beach where everybody may not know your name, but he does. A third generation chef, his mantra is, "We don't do fancy … we do fresh." A local favorite, Andy's Flour Power has been featured in Southern Living and many travel magazines and John has served as a celebrity chef at plenty of local fundraising events. Three of his four grandparents were Italian, the fourth came from Bay County, which he visited while on vacation in 2005 and then decided to make his home.

Legislative director for the Pittman Law Group in Tallahassee and, at the age of 27, has already worked with Fortune 500 companies, the Florida Legislature, collegiate sports teams and the banking industry. Last year he was recognized by the Florida Conference of Black Legislators as an "Emerging Leader" in politics. He works to raise money for a wide range of charities, teaches basketball to underprivileged kids and also runs his own company, PGR Outreach Consultants, which provides opportunities for college students and young professionals in the marketing and political world.

Loves the art of the deal and her work shows it. Inkbridge, the Tallahassee company she runs with partner J.T. Burnette, last year closed New Market Tax Credit transactions totaling approximately $60 million to commercialize solar technology developed out of Florida State University. That resulted in two manufacturing facilities, three solar demonstration sites that will provide power to local utility companies and new jobs. So far in 2012, the company has invested in ProBank, a local community bank, to help launch an SBA lending platform and purchased two limited service hotels, among other investments.

Vice president and owner of Ajax Building Corporation, a Tallahassee-based company started by his grandfather 55 years ago. He oversees 130 workers and the company's active projects, which can range from 15 to 30 in design or construction at the same time. He also leads business development efforts throughout the southeast and helps with the management of JBK Insurance.

John and James Hosman earned their MBAs from the University of West Florida and have been active in the Pensacola business world and community ever since. As young alumni the brothers helped found Pensacola Young Professionals and started CollegeFrog.com, a website that James Hosman describes as "a combination of Match.com and Monster.com, connecting accounting students with accounting firms." Both remain active in that endeavor. While James has worked to help Panhandle business owners obtain financing for commercial real estate, machinery and equipment, John is a partner in a financial advising firm.

Earned his undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Florida State University, and while going to school became a real estate agent and broker. He then went on to get a law degree. Today, he runs his own law firm in Crestview, plus a land title company, plus Yellow River Winery, where local fruits are made into wine. In his spare time he campaigned for and was elected to the Okaloosa County Commission.

Learned the farming business while growing up on a citrus farm in Central Florida. In her first job out of the University of Florida, where she earned a degree in food and resource economics, she serves as marketing director for the Panhandle Fresh Marketing Association. Tapping into a surprising set of business skills for a 22-year-old, in a few months she built the organization to where it is helping farmers diversify their crops and market local produce to WalMart and several other retailers in the region.

Started What's Next Marketing right after graduating from Florida State University three years ago. In 2011, the company was named as a finalist by Forbes Magazine for America's Most Promising Companies. The Ad Club of Boston named the company as Emerging Interactive Business at the 2011 South by Southwest Festival. No surprise then that this summer his company was acquired by Ron Sachs Communications — and that he's writing a book to help business and government leaders navigate the fast-changing landscape of social/digital media platforms.

Chris left the high pressure life of working for a Fortune 100 company after his father, a Destin charter boat captain, passed away. He took early retirement from corporate life and returned to Destin with his wife, Heather, to start Destin Vacation Boat Rentals, now in its third year of operation. Heather Thomas does PR and marketing for the company. She has a tourism blog and was named one of the Amazing Women of 2011 by a top website for women.

Realtor who works on Pensacola Beach — and closed more than $4 million in sales during the first half of 2012 in spite of the economy. His grandmother established the first Pensacola Beach newspaper, The Islander, which his mom owns and manages today as Island Times. An expert marksman, he is in the process of opening a gun sales shop — and is involved in a rescue program for golden retrievers.

A mainstay for the Bay County Economic Development Alliance, where she heads up the marketing program. She got her professional start with Herrle Communications in Tallahassee and now lives in Panama City, where her job with the EDA is to promote Bay County to businesses looking to relocate.

Introduced this year to the FSU Baseball Hall of Fame, spent a decade playing in more than 1,000 major and minor league ballgames before returning to Tallahassee.

A native of Argentina, worked at global public relations firms in New York and Miami, including Burston-Marstellar and Edelman, before coming to Northwest Florida. She served as communications manager of the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa before joining the Pensacola Bay Chamber of Commerce to run its communications department for Visit Pensacola. In 2011, she was named Communicator of the Year by the Florida Public Relations Association Northwest Florida Coast chapter and was honored for her creativity by Visit Florida.

Began his career at Northwestern Mutual but quickly broke off to form his own company in the community near where he was born (Eglin Air Force Base). While advising his clients on a wide range of financial issues, from life insurance to investing for retirement, he is active in local organizations like the Rotary Club and chamber of commerce and serves on the alumni board of Northwest Florida State College. He is chairman of the school advisory council for Collegiate High School, coaches basketball at his church (where he also serves on the board), and works at a Guatemalan orphanage twice a year while serving on the board of Friends of Children Everywhere, which operates the orphanage.

Has managed parking facilities in multiple states, which he opened with his father, and is now focusing on a facility in Bay County near the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. He's involved with the U.S. Ski Association and has been active in several national charity organizations, including Toys for Tots.

Owns two award-winning hotels in Gadsden County and has been an active proponent of community economic development efforts. Past president of the local Rotary Club and past chairman of the county's tourist development council, he remains active in the county's chamber of commerce and the Asian-American Hotel Owners Association.

At the young age of 25, appears to have done it all already. He has made more than 100 short films — shot and edited with no budget — that have an audience of more than 7.5 million viewers on YouTube. He's won more than 20 film festival awards, speaks four languages fluently (and he's working on three more), is releasing two children's books this fall and sold a patent for a cooling box fan to GE for a hefty sum. In his spare time he's produced and directed commercials for companies like McDonald's and Ace Hardware.

Born and raised in Miami and went to FSU, where he met his wife, in the 1990s. He began his business life owning and operating a Chick-fil-A in Palm Beach Gardens but then broke into hospital work nine years ago, at the age of 28. Since then he has served as a COO and CEO of hospitals in Tennessee and, in March, he became CEO of Capital Regional Medical Center in Tallahassee.

Began her career in radio then branched into marketing for a local company and the Okaloosa County elections office. She formed her own award-winning marketing firm before joining the administrative team at the University of West Florida, where she teaches marketing and public relations courses and is the university's director of marketing and communications.

Has a doctorate in pharmacology and worked for a research firm for 15 years. But he decided to pursue the American Dream, trading Paris for rural Northwest Florida, where he had often vacationed. He has transformed a historical 1930s schoolhouse into a bed and breakfast and event center that he named in honor of his mother. La Maison de Lucy was recently selected the 2012 Best Themed bed and breakfast by the online readers of Lanier BB travel guide website.

Has made headlines with her work as an immigration attorney, but how many in her own community know that her civic participation extends far beyond the field of law? She served in the Peace Corps as a small business development volunteer, working on women’s micro loans in Guatemala. She was 2004 Volunteer of the Year at Pineview Elementary for tutoring an at-risk student, served on the Tallahassee/Leon County Cultural Resources Commission, was treasurer of the Big Bend Fair Housing Center, has written several articles, is president of CIAO! (the Capital Italian American Organization) and a founder/organizer of the Italian Family Festa.

A member of TEAM Santa Rosa Economic Development Council’s Board of Directors, is a volunteer firefighter and works with a multitude of community groups. He is on the board of the Florida Rural Health Network and the Emergency Services Advisory Council, serves on the faculty of the American Heart Association training center, holds seven professional certifications, is an adjunct professor at the University of West Florida and brought a program to the community designed to help seniors avoid falls.

Established a family endowment with the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Foundation for research and education done by the hospital’s NeuroScience Center. (His dad suffered a traumatic brain injury at the age of 26, when Huston was about two years old.) He was president of Tallahassee Young Professionals, active in Rotary and ran the Rotary Leadership Campaign at the ripe age of 25. He mentors at Riley Elementary School and is an advisor on business program development at Keiser University.

Perfect food, perfect service, community involvement.

Knock loud, hard and often.

Stay hungry. Stay foolish. (via Steve Jobs)

“When deeds speak, words are nothing.” (African proverb)

Be relentless in character, marketing and common sense.

Stategy. Inform. Connect. Growth. Savvy. Create.

Don’t be afraid of hard work.

Deliver unsurpassable value through every interaction.