Author: Site Staff

Across the Panhandle, businesses small and large have spent the past few years trying to come up with innovative ways to retain loyal employees and recruit new blood at a time when economic challenges have kept more financially lucrative incentives…

Awards won’t make a business — reasonable prices and outstanding service do that — but they can provide an edge in an economic time when even the slightest boost helps. Strut Your Savvy Stuff Awards competitions offer a way to…

Family businesses are loosely defined as businesses in which two or more family members are employed. The underpinnings of our economy, they are known for their personal service and commitment to the community. But they often struggle to stay open…

For all our communicating, is anybody really listening? Probably not as much as you think. The guilty parties may even be found in your own building. Loss of morale, physical distance and isolation between departments, rivalries, conflicting personalities and more…

Jack Kerigan has never forgotten the professor at Florida State University in Tallahassee who each day urged his students to “make it a great day.” He continues to weave this optimism into every marketing project he takes on Ad Man…

More and more companies are discovering that providing fitness opportunities for employees pays off big time in productivity, stress relief and morale Don’t Sweat the Investment Accumulating evidence shows that wellness in the workplace benefits the employee and the employer…

Once a booming business, catfish farming has dwindled since the influx of imported seafood. Vernon Hiebert and other aquaculture professionals are having to reinvent the business to remain viable. Fishing for Marketshare As imports take up a larger market share,…

Four hours northwest of “The Land That Disney Built” sits another Florida gem, a land that time forgot. Instead of tourism on steroids, where fun is measured in how fast the rollercoaster flies or how far it drops, this oasis…

Matt Fleck, who loves to sail, scuba dive and fish, has found the perfect place to do all three. Now his job is to introduce thousands of others to the place he calls paradise — Port St. Joe. Selling Small-Town…

The oil seems to be gone, but the economic impact of the distaster lingers The Slick Effect While the visible physical impacts of the BP oil leak are minimal in Northwest Florida, the economic damage of the disaster is a…

Michelle Evans defines herself in many ways: a mother of a 20-year-old, a fun-loving fiancée, a passionate start-up business owner — and a biker girl. Motorcycle Maven Blazing a new path in business, and in life By Zandra Wolfgram Originally…

When deaths occur in a business or home, hazardous waste is left behind, creating a dangerous environment for future tenants. An ordinary maid service can usually make the area appear clean on the surface. However, it takes a professional to…

No matter who wins the gubernatorial election, reviving Florida's unsteady economy will be the top priority Economic Revivor-in-Chief Repairing Florida’s economy will be ‘Job One’ for Florida’s new governor, no matter who gets elected By Linda Kleindienst Originally published in…

For 10 years, Glenn Hallam dreamed of creating the interactive technology he calls “wahi,” short for “Web automated human interaction.” But it took certain advances in technology, namely broadband access and faster, more powerful computers, before the Tallahassee entrepreneur could…

Dr. Rick Harper of UWF’s Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development, gives his studied opinion on the economic recovery from BP's disaster. Business Speak Assessing the Economic Damage By Rick Harper, Ph.D. Originally published in the Oct/Nov 2010…

After more than a decade of planning, Panama City’s new international airport has seen friendly skies in its first months of operation. And its success is giving area businesses hope that their economic slump may soon be over. Taking Flight…

Even when Janet Watermeier is relaxing, she’s thinking — perhaps subconsciously — about economic activity. Rain Maker Janet Watermeier, PANAMA CITY Director, Bay County Economic Development Alliance By Jason Dehart Originally published in the Aug/Sep 2010 issue of 850 Magazine…

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster has suddenly made “boom,” “skimmer” and “junk shot” part of the vocabulary for residents of the Florida Panhandle. But the Gulf spill is now also introducing such terms as “multi-district litigation,” “secondary claims” and…

A century ago, vast satsuma orange orchards stretched across Jackson County, with rows of trees extending as far as the eye could see. Every November, the trees would be laden with thousands of ripe satsumas ready for picking. The sweet,…

September will mark nine years since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Many lessons have been learned since Sept. 11, 2001, and there have been major changes in attitudes toward security in every facet of…

Starting a new, independently-owned business is hard enough in good years. It’s even tougher during bad times. That’s why owning a franchise remains a popular option, even though this part of the entrepreneurial sector has taken its share of lumps…

Taunya James was eager to take the reins of the Franklin County Seafood Workers Association in January. As the new president, James had what she thought was a successful business model. Her plan was to help create work for fishermen…

Thanks to a new state grant system, Florida’s traditional waterfronts may come back to life. The Stan Mayfield Working Waterfronts Florida Forever Grant Program, created in 2008, is aimed at restoring once-vital coastal communities. Apalachicola is the first community to…

Today, Matt Butler is a major in the U.S. Air Force. He works as an air battle manager at Hurlburt Field, testing surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, systems and aircraft. But around seven years ago, while seated in a Boeing 707…

As a young boy growing up in rural Michigan in the late 1970s, James Klok was immersed in the auto-racing culture. For Klok, souped-up cars with massive rumbling engines, aerodynamically modified bodies and exotic paint jobs were as normal as…

While Quincy is known for its high per capita percentage of millionaires, it is the county seat of Gadsden County, one of the poorest counties in Florida, where more than one in three children live below the poverty level and…

As Florida’s Deepwater Horizon crisis continues to unfold, a postmortem evaluation suggests that the power and strength of a unified effort should be revisited by many who have cast aside lessons learned from history, be it five or 500 years…

When the stakes are life and death for American service members, military inventors have to think on the fly to come up with equipment that will keep the blood off the ground. And the counter-IED engineers at the Naval Surface…

He’s known around campus as a cheerleader, risk-taker and visionary. His resume boasts three decades of community college experience — including 21 years as a community college president. Since June 2007, James Kerley has served as president of Gulf Coast…

Lowering the Cost of Doing Business Major reforms of the state’s workers’ compensation laws in 2003 have resulted in fewer claims filed by employees and better insurance rates for businesses By Christine Jordan Sexton Originally published in the June/July 2010…

The 850 Economic Road Test From Havana to Pensacola, 850 hits the road in Northwest Florida to test the economic waters of small business By Lilly Rockwell with Zandra Wolfgram and Tony Bridges Originally published in the June/July 2010 issue…

The Pro-Business Approach Florida lawmakers worked to get the state’s economy back on track with a variety of measures favored by the state’s business interests. By Linda Kleindienst Originally published in the June/July 2010 issue of 850 Magazine   Florida’s…

Where a Community Gathers Red Bay Grocery is a business reborn on the road less traveled — thanks to its customers and community By Scott Jackson Originally published in the June/July 2010 issue of 850 Magazine Small, rural communities dot…

A Dairy Tale Ocheesee Creamery in Calhoun County offers its customers increasingly rare commodities — fresh milk sold in glass bottles and farm-made butter By Lee Gordon Originally published in the June/July 2010 issue of 850 Magazine In front of…

Don’t Side-step Safety Violations You can’t rely on luck to keep your workplace safe, say health and safety consultants By Jason Dehart Originally published in the June/July 2010 issue of 850 Magazine It started out as a nice accomplishment that…

Backwoods, Uptown Sopchoppy’s Jesse Rice and family beat back a tough economy with good food and a personal touch By Lee Gordon Originally published in the June/July 2010 issue of 850 Magazine Jesse Rice and his father Randy have a…

Seeking a Rebirth Hard hit by hurricanes and the economy, St. Marks works to revitalize itself By Lee Gordon Originally published in the June/July 2010 issue of 850 Magazine In the 1950s, St. Marks was one of the key social…

Seaside’s Anchor Charlie Modica met his competition head-on, shifting focus and giving his customers a unique experience By John Van Gieson Originally published in the June/July 2010 issue of 850 Magazine Charles J. Modica Jr. may be the most recognizable…

Hands-On Entrepreneur George Koikos’ American dream was realized by pleasing customers and maintaining quality By Tori Gibbs Originally published in the June/July 2010 issue of 850 Magazine George Koikos greets visitors with a warm smile and a cold handshake. The…

If all goes to plan, Panama City’s old airport eventually will become the city’s first master-planned community, complete with homes and commercial space, hiking trails, a school and a marina. The new owners, the St. Andrew Bay Land Company, have…