Author: Site Staff

Jeff Goodman lights up when he speaks of traveling down the road less traveled. Jeff Goodman lights up when he speaks of traveling down the road less traveled. When faced with a fork in his path several years ago, he…

New Airport Director John Wheat sees a bright future for Bay County. The skies above Northwest Florida have become markedly busier in the past year and a half, thanks to the buzz of activity at the Northwest Florida Beaches International…

30A’s entrepreneurial couple is everything you didn’t expect. In the age of big-box retailers and online shopping, few would expect to find a flourishing independent bookseller or indie music store anywhere, much less in a small holiday town on Florida’s…

Deadhead logging is an expensive business to get into, and it’s risky — both financially and physically. There’s gold in the pitch-black waters of Northwest Florida. It’s in the form of long-forgotten timber — “deadhead” logs — lost and submerged…

The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship leads Florida State University into a new culture of business innovation. At the February 2010 meeting of the Florida State University board of trustees, his first as president, Eric Barron said he wanted…

Bobwhite Quail, the king of game birds, fuels the plantation business of Northwest Florida. Hunters from across the globe travel each year to the pine forests of North Florida and South Georgia, a region in its heyday considered to be…

Experts say personal interaction in the workplace is healthy. From Prohibition and Model-Ts to vaccines and laparoscopic surgeries, a lot has changed over the last hundred years. But changes and advances in technology have forever altered the world as we…

The art of exit interviews and their importance to your company. When a valued employee hands in a resignation letter, it’s an unquestionable loss for a company. But can it also be used as a learning experience? That’s the idea…

Internet crime is stealing millions from American businesses. The email looked official. The subject line stated it was a “Notice of Unreported Income,” and it appeared to come from the Internal Revenue Service. An American Realty of Northwest Florida employee…

Business leaders are a critical part of every community, and your commitment can make a tremendous difference in the life of a child and the success of a family. Business leaders are a critical part of every community, and your…

It’s entirely possible that banking is in Bill Smith’s blood. It’s entirely possible that banking is in Bill Smith’s blood. His father, Godfrey Smith, was president of Capital City Bank for more than 50 years, and by the time Bill…

We must be doing something right. A growing number of national surveys portray Florida as a business-friendly state growing in popularity. Consider this: More than 500 CEOs evaluated a wide range of criteria, from taxation and regulation to workforce quality…

Hunter & Harp has almost single-handedly revived some of Tallahassee’s most overlooked neighborhoods. They are the brains behind Hotel Duval and helped revive the capital’s old Midtown. Redefining a City Young financiers at Hunter & Harp are the developers of…

Greg Donovan has been working in overdrive to get more flights and more respect for his airport. Wing Man Greg Donovan, Gulf Breeze, Okaloosa County Airports Director By Zandra Wolfgram Greg Donovan always knew he wanted to fly. At 42,…

A look at what the Legislature accomplished for business during the two months it was in town. Session: 2011 2011 Legislature hands major victories to Gov. Rick Scott — and business By Linda Kleindienst Gov. Rick Scott went into his…

In Florida, students lag behind the U.S. average in science and mathematics. The state and the nation have failed to keep pace globally. Florida ranks behind 18 countries (including the 9th-ranked U.S.), according to the 2007 study “Chance Favors the…

Many Tallahassee residents don’t realize the popular steakhouse isn’t an out-of-town chain, nor is the name a marketing gimmick. There is a real Marie Livingston. Making Her Steak Marie Livingston was a newcomer to Tallahassee when she decided to open…

Front Beach Road is the artery that feeds the heart of tourism in Panama City Beach, and now it is undergoing a procedure that should dramatically improve the health of the vacation town. Front Beach Makeover From party strip to…

Accomplished equestrienne. Cancer survivor. Working mother. Influential lobbyist. Carol Dover, who manages the 10,000-member Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, is all that and more. And in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, she has now become an…

Meet Krys-Tina Scott, proud proprietor of Acquired Sole — an urban-themed clothing and sneaker retail specialty shop in Fort Walton Beach — and winner of the 850 Business Magazine’s 2010 Collegiate Entrepreneur Invitational. Young Minds + Big Ideas At the…

As the state enters the fourth year of state budget cuts, with jobless numbers that continue to outpace the nation and a housing market that collapsed and has now been restored to merely gasping, Gov. Rick Scott is casting himself…

For Northwest Florida’s northern counties — the ones that bump up against Alabama and are frequently seen only through the blurred window of a car traveling down Interstate 10 — attracting tourists is a frustrating and tough sell. Welcome Back…

Security hiring represents a challenge for vacation properties because there are unique liability risks involved, both from the actions and the inaction of guards. Heavy-handed security can alienate guests and lead to confrontations, while lax security can leave guests at…

They can walk into businesses and launch into red-faced tirades that turn heads. They can yell expletives over the phone they would never dare say in public. They can break down crying, unburdening their woes to strangers. “They” are anxious…

David and Trish Warriner are Port St.  Joe royalty. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t know them or appreciate what they’ve done to help revitalize the tourism industry in this small coastal town. In June 2001, the…

Sandy Williams’ Boomer Aviation is the largest operation of its kind between Jacksonville and California, according to Williams. The three-generation aerial banner towing business is now in its 31st year of operation. Credits go to inspiration, business sense and perseverance…

While CEOs are expected to display leadership talents, some of the skills they need for the job must be learned. And, anyone who has stood for the first time before a large audience — very possibly with shaking knees and…

Winter is tedious. Try these handy devices to make your exec life a little easier (and enjoyable). Company Perks: Helpmates Compiled by Tisha Crews Keller Originally published in the Feb/Mar 2011 issue of 850 Business Magazine   AUTO-PILOT This is…

Very few people in Tallahassee are aware Datamaxx Group exists, much less understand what this privately held company does. And that is intentional. Datamaxx develops crucial software that allows law enforcement agencies to communicate and share information with one another.…

Dominic Calabro on tax reform in Florida Righting Taxes By Dominic Calabro, Florida TaxWatch Originally published in the Feb/Mar 2011 issue of 850 Business Magazine As the nation recovers from one of the worst economic recessions in history, our state…

Many locals probably remember when the movie “Secondhand Lions,” starring Michael Caine and Robert Duvall, was filmed in Panama City in 2002. But what they don’t know is the pivotal role that Bay County Film Commissioner Julie Gordon played in…

Although Kimbrough, 63, has spent time in the corporate world far away from those roots, he came back. Now he’s working to sell the world on what a perfect place Jackson County is to start a business and raise a…

Meet some of the writers featured in the Feb/Mar 2011 issue of 850. 850 Contributors: Feb/Mar 2011 issue   JON BURSTEIN is an award-winning reporter with the Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale. He has written about legal issues, gambling and…

Blink your eyes and you might drive right by it. The tiny town of Ebro, nestled in the extreme southwestern corner of Washington County, is a little more than three square miles and home to 241 people. Yet, despite that,…

“There’s a slight clash of cultures between the residents who’ve lived in Sopchoppy for generations, hunting and fishing, and visitors and new residents who would rather hike, bike and enjoy nature in different ways. They’re both positive groups enjoying the…

Tom Morgan looks around his Apalachicola store with a smile that exudes confidence. It’s the look of satisfaction that comes from knowing he has built something from the ground up and answers to no one but himself. Leap of Faith…

Great ideas can come from anyone — young or old, male or female. The Emerald Coast has some residents who have come up with ways to enhance our lives. Meet a few who turned their creative ideas into reality —…

Candid Q&A with Walton area executives turn up some surprising answers What Execs Admit Out of the Office Interviewed by Zandra Wolfgram Originally published in the Dec 2010/Jan 2011 issue of 850 Business Magazine   We asked and they answered.…