850 — The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida - 850 Business Magazine December-January 2009

Did You Know?

DID YOU KNOW? There are 34,470 military retirees living in Okaloosa County, making up more than 20 percent of the county’s population. Military retirees have made the town of Crestview, which has grown by 40 percent since 2000, one of…

Did You Know?

DID YOU KNOW? According to the Hass Center for Business Research and Economic Development, while the size of the total military force in the U.S. declined by 23.7 percent from 1975 to 2005, the military employment in Escambia County declined…

Did You Know?

DID YOU KNOW? According to the Hass Center for Business Research and Economic Development, while the size of the total military force in the U.S. declined by 23.7 percent from 1975 to 2005, the military employment in Bay County actually…

Did You Know?

DID YOU KNOW? According to the Hass Center for Business and Economic Development, defense spending in Florida comprises an estimated 7.5 percent of the state’s gross product. Northwest Florida is most heavily reliant on defense-related dollars, which represent nearly 35…

Did You Know?

DID YOU KNOW? According to the Hass Center for Business and Economic Development, about 35 percent of Northwest Florida’s regional output is driven by defense spending, versus 18 percent for Northeast Florida, 5 percent for Central Florida and 3 percent…

Daddy’s Girl

Daddy’s Girl After working beside her father for decades, Michelle Styron has moved on from oil to real estate, with great success By Daniel Mutter   As a little girl, she could be found in the back warehouse of Tate…

Woe, Christmas Tree

Woe, Christmas Tree Area Christmas tree farms persevere despite tough donditions and diminishing returns By Lilly Rockwell     Farmer Bill Maphis spends his days worrying about trees. Specifically, whether the nine acres of Christmas trees on his Chipley farm…

On a Mission

On a Mission Helping sick and impoverished people around the world is a calling for Dr. David Keen By Lee Gordon   Dr. David Keen has so many jobs that sometimes it’s hard to remember them all. He is the…

Tupelo Tango

Tupelo Tango Drought, dredging, pests and disease haunt region’s tupelo honey industry By Jason Dehart   Buzzing around the fields and flowers of Northwest Florida is a tiny economic dynamo, the most behind-the-scenes kind of worker you’ll find. The humble…