Help for Chipley Kids and Business

Site Staff,

Notable business news in the Bay Corridor.

Help for Chipley Kids and Business

CHIPLEY – The engineering management firm of PBS&J, with funding through The PBSJ Foundation Inc., recently presented a $5,000 donation to the North Central Panhandle Education Foundation Inc., to provide funds for the Washington County Take Stock in Children program. Take Stock in Children is a comprehensive statewide program that helps low-income children succeed by providing scholarships, mentors, and most importantly, hope. This $5,000 donation from PBS&J will be matched by the Orange Hill Soil and Water Conservation District and then matched again by the State of Florida for a total investment of $20,000 for local students. These funds will provide four-year tuition scholarships for two students in the Florida Panhandle.

  • In response to economic challenges affecting retail and service businesses, due in large part to rising gas prices, Chipley has kicked off a campaign to revitalize its downtown and surrounding area, spur tourist visits and increase retail sales. Part of that campaign is a new Web site, downtownchipley.com, which is being used to reach potential customers traveling to the Florida Panhandle or already vacationing on the Gulf of Mexico in nearby Panama City Beach.

New Piers, Trains Move into PC

PANAMA CITY – Local model railroad fans are happy. Digitrax, a Norcross, Ga.-based company that makes digital command controls for high-end model railroad systems, has relocated to Panama City. It will initially employ 10 people but has plans to increase that number to as many as 50 in the next two years.

  • The rebuilding of the Panama City pier at Pier Park is on schedule to open in spring 2009. The new pier will be 1,500 feet long and rise 26 feet above the water. The pier is designed to be more resistant to severe weather or rough seas. The county pier at PC Beach will be of the same design and should be completed in spring 2010.
  • Col. Darryl Roberson, commander of the 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall Air Force Base, was recently promoted to the rank of brigadier general. Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz presided at the promotion ceremony.

Changes in BayBay County has one less air carrier, with the departure in early September of US Airways. Rising prices in the airline industry have forced the cutback, just four months after the airline opened its counter at the Panama City Airport. Delta and Northwest continue to service Panama City-Bay County International Airport.

  • Dering Elliott & Associates has announced the development of a new second home development on Highway 30-A in Bay County called Magnolia Private Residence Club, located between Rosemary Beach and WaterColor. The development is described as a luxury, family-friendly property. All residences are furnished and feature three-bedrooms (each with private baths), and beautiful kitchen and living room. The Club has a rooftop deck with swimming pool, hot tub and grilling areas with Gulf views, and a kids’ media/game room.
  • The Florida Department of Transportation is making improvements to State Road 79 from north of CR 284 (Miller’s Ferry Road) to Court Street in the city of Vernon. The SR 79 project involves widening the existing 6.5-mile, two-lane roadway to create a four-lane divided facility from north of CR 284 to Court Street.
  • The new Bay County Jail opened its doors at the end of August. Three hundred fifty inmates were transferred from the old jail in downtown Panama City to the jail in Bayou George.  

PC Gains Valuable Meetings PREdgewater Beach & Golf Resort was recently voted as one of the best meeting facilities in the Southern United States for 2008 by the readership of Meetings South magazine. Competing with several hundred other resorts, this distinction is regarded as a great achievement since the voting readers make up most of the top national meeting planners. “We are thrilled to be recognized for our facilities, value and customer service with such an impressive award,” said Paul Wohlford, vice president of sales and marketing for The Resort Collection of Panama City Beach, which manages Edgewater Beach & Golf Resort.

  • A source for local news about Panama City Beach is attracting more attention on the Internet.
  • Pcbdaily.com is an interactive resource for news, information, pictures and video on Panama City Beach. Founder and head “blogger” Jason Koertge says that in the past two years, “we’ve grown to over 20,000 visitors and almost 50,000 page-views each month.  I honestly did not expect to grow so much so fast, but obviously there is huge pent-up demand for information about Panama City Beach.”

Related Posts