July 2014 Business Briefs / Member News Part 1

4th of July Celebration at Fort Walton Beach Landing  Come spend the 4th at the Fort Walton Beach Landing on Brooks Street, from 4 – 10 p.m., and enjoy food and exhibitor booths. The event will also include live music, entertainment, and children’s activities. The evening will conclude with a breathtaking fireworks display at approximately 8:45 p.m. The City of Fort Walton Beach is now accepting vendor/exhibitor applications for the 4th of July Celebration event. Applications may be obtained from the City’s website or by calling (850) 833-9575 or via email attcorcoran@fwb.org. Fort Walton Beach KIDS GOT TALENT!  Can your child sing, dance, or play a musical instrument? Does your child have a special talent? If yes, here’s an opportunity for your child to display his or her talent on stage at the 4th of July Celebration at the Landing! Fort Walton Beach Kids Got Talent event is open to kids 17 and under. Singing, dancing, juggling, and more…anything goes! Kids can sign up individually or in a pair/group (there will be a 5 min time limit per act). Talent hour is from 4 – 5 p.m. For more information and to sign up, please call Tiffiny at (850) 833-9575 or email tcorcoran@fwb.org. No judging…everyone’s a winner! Each participant will receive a gift for participating. Okaloosa County Commissioner Nathan Boyles Gains Certification Vice Chairman Nathan Boyles has completed the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) Certified County Commissioner Program. Every Okaloosa County Commissioner is encouraged to complete the program, which encompasses about 42 hours of training in the following areas: ethics, public records, Sunshine laws, growth management, financial management, emergency management, economic development, state legislative process, leadership, and strategic thinking. Boyles also serves on FAC’s Board of Directors. Locally, he is Commissioner Liaison for Clerk of Courts, Purchasing, Water and Sewer, Growth Management, and Information Systems, within the county, as well as community liaison for the Business Industry Association, Library Cooperative, Law Library, Transportation, and Regional Planning. You may reach Boyles at nboyles@co.okaloosa.fl.us. United Way Welcomes New Board Members United Way of Okaloosa-Walton Counties welcomes six new members to its Board of Directors, now comprised of 33 leaders. The new members include Sasha Jarrell, Northwest Florida State College; Sean Lynch, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office; Patricia Parker Davis, Trustmark Bank; Christine Powell, Sacred Heart Hospital of the Emerald Coast; and Nathan Sparks, Okaloosa Economic Development Council. For more information, visit www.united-way.org. Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort Awarded 2014 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award. The accolade, which honors hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide. For more information about Sandestin, visit www.Sandestin.com. Newman-Dailey Resort Properties Association Management Division Adds New Team Members and Clients Newman-Dailey Resort Properties (NDRP) Association Management Division announces two new team members and three new clients. The rapidly growing division specializes in expert management of residential developments, condominiums, homeowner associations, and commercial plazas. Dan McMahon recently joined the team after moving to Destin from Key West. An experienced CAM, McMahon is managing multiple associations, overseeing on-site staff, property maintenance and regular communication with all home owners. His experience ranges from managing smaller properties to large associations with budgets of up to $2.5 million annually. Missy Windes also joined the Newman-Dailey team as a CAM and is now managing associations, including Fountain Plaza, where Newman-Dailey is headquartered in Miramar Beach. A Destin native, Windes brings extensive knowledge of the area along with providing exceptional service to all NDRP clients. She graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Real Estate and is a graduate of the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce’s Destin Forward leadership program and a member of the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors (ECAR) and the Community Association Institute (CAI). The recent addition of staff has been fueled by a growing list of association clients, including the recent addition of three Destin properties--Diamond Lakes, Island Home Condominiums, and Crystal Beach Cottages II. The three new association clients range in size from eight to 96 units, yet all have similar needs for quality management and consistent communication among owners and the board. For more information, visit www.DestinManagement.com or call (850) 837-1071. Florida Chamber Names Two Distinguished Advocates in Panhandle Region This week, Florida Chamber of Commerce announced House Speaker Will Weatherford as their 2014 Most Valuable Legislator and honored the following two Panhandle region legislators with 2014 Distinguished Advocates awards: • Rep. Matt Gaetz (R- Shalimar)- Championed meaningful lawsuit abuse reform this session with his work on fair settlement legislation and reducing nursing home litigation. • Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-Panama City)- Continued to advocate for environmental regulatory reform. To see grades for all 160 members of the Florida Legislature, click here. Insurance Agencies Sign Joint Venture Letter of Intent Acentria, Inc., and Gateway Insurance Agency, L.C. announced the signing of a Letter of Intent to consolidate and join forces in the South Florida marketplace. Gateway, a cornerstone of the independent agent community, has been proudly serving Dade, Broward, and West Palm Beach communities since 1952. Acentria, with 10 Florida locations, is expanding the southeast corridor of Florida with this strategic merger. Once the joint-venture is completed, the two independent insurance agencies will continue to meet the needs of the community under the name, Gateway-Acentria Insurance with locations in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. For more information on Acentria or Gateway-Acentria, please visit www.acentria.com orwww.gatewayins.com or call Mitchell Weinstein (863) 602-9600. Patriots’ Trail Gets Help from Tax Office The Okaloosa County Tax Collector’s Office presented the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce a check for money raised to support the Col. Bud and Dorie Day Patriots’ Trail. Those attending the check presentation included Tax Collector Ben Anderson, Fort Walton Beach Tax Collector’s Office Manager Cristina Davenport, Tax Collector employee Nikki Davidson, Mrs. Dorie Day, Tax Collector employee Cheron Sincarenco, Greater Fort Walton Beach Women’s Club President Mrs. Cissy Wyninegar, and Chamber CEO Ted Corcoran. Employees of the Tax Collector’s Office took on this effort to show their appreciation and respect for the Day family. In doing so, they held internal fundraisers throughout the month of May and served as a collection point for those wishing to donate to the cause. To date, Tax Collector employees raised $1,259.18, exceeding their goal of $800. Donations to the Bud and Dorie Day Patriots’ Trail are tax deductible. Call (850) 244-8191 for more information. United Way Announces New Finance Director United Way of Okaloosa-Walton Counties announced Terri Duplantis as the organization’s new Finance Director. Duplantis succeeds Rhonda Glassburn, who retired in May after 20 years of devoted service. Duplantis, a graduate of Louisiana State University, continued her education and received a Masters in Public Administration from the University of West Florida. She is active in the Destin Area and Walton Area chambers of commerce and volunteers for various charities. For more information, visit www.united-way.org. Landrum Ranks #77 in Florida Trend Top 225 Private Companies Landrum Human Resource Companies, Inc., ranked number 77 on the 2014 Florida Trend Top 225 Private Companies list. This is Landrum’s 14th consecutive year to be recognized and the only Pensacola based company to earn a spot on the 2014 list. Profiles of Landrum and other businesses listed are featured in the July 2014 issue of Florida Trend Magazine. For an online list of Florida Private 225, visit FloridaTrend.com. For more information about Landrum, visit www.LandrumHR.com or subscribe to its blog atwww.LandrumHRBlog.com. Record Payout, Purse for 2014 Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic The 12th annual Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, presented by Mojo Sportswear Company and ORCA Coolers, took place June 18-22, at the Sandestin® Golf and Beach Resort, located in Florida’s scenic Panhandle region. And Team Reel Worthless is red-hot right now after winning big in its third major Gulf tournament this season. Angler Steve Brown and his team again combined with the Reel Fuelish crew to land the biggest—and only—blue marlin of the 2014 Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic. That 594.9-pound fish was worth an ECBC record payout of $498,450, topping the previous mark set by UPTOIT in 2008 by more than $61,000. Reel Worthless swept the marlin division, top crew and all but one of the optional jackpot entries to claim the biggest share of the overall $1.68 million in prize money. The 2015 Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic is scheduled for June 17-21. For more information about the tournament and its winners, visit www.fishecbc.com. Summer Specials at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Come on in and try Bubba Gump’s Groovy Summer Shindig specials! These specials are available for a limited time at the Destin location at 14059 Emerald Coast Parkway. Click on the image to see a larger version. Sandy Goes the “Extra Mile” for Children in Crisis Sandy Miller was presented with the CIC “Extra Mile Club” award for her continued long-time volunteer service to Children in Crisis. Although now “officially” retired, you can’t tell it when it comes to her donation of time and dedication to the CIC vision. For the past several years, Miller has been the smiling face and welcoming voice at the CIC Neighborhood Center. She is seen here with CIC President & CEO Ken Hair. For more information or to make a donation to CIC, call (850) 864-4242 or visit www.childrenincrisisfl.org.