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.
