September 2015 Business Briefs / Member News Part 2

Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast Breaks Ground on $30 Million Expansion Project
Hospital and community leaders gathered together last week to break ground on Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast’s $30 million expansion project to increase capacity for maternity services, emergency services, inpatient services, and pediatric services. The Family Birth Place will be redesigned and expanded to provide a total of five labor and delivery rooms, 12 postpartum rooms, two antepartum rooms, four triage rooms, and a larger nursery. The expanded maternity services will allow for a future Level II NICU facility in collaboration with The Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart in Pensacola. The emergency department expansion will include five additional treatment rooms and an eight-bed observation unit to provide care for patients staying less than 24 to 48 hours. The inpatient expansion will include 12 new medical/surgical rooms, with a portion of those rooms to be pediatric-friendly to allow for the future expansion of inpatient pediatric services. Construction has already begun to address the need for more parking areas, with a side parking lot to be completed later this month. The hospital expansion will be completed in two phases, with the first phase opening in 2016 and the second phase opening in 2017. 

A + Art Committee Kicks off Celebrate the Masters
The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County's (CAA) A+Art Committee announces Celebrate the Masters opening on Sept. 15, with a reception from 5 – 7 p.m., at Northwest Florida State College's Chautauqua Center in DeFuniak Springs. The show will run through Dec. 11. Celebrate the Masters is an exhibit of works inspired by the art of the Masters, from realism to abstract and beyond. 

Paddle for the Promise Raises More than $3,000 for Covenant Hospice
Covenant Hospice thanks the community for its tremendous support of its Paddle for the Promise prize drawing, which raised $3,270 to support patients and families in Okaloosa and Walton Counties. The lucky winner of this year’s 12-foot Starboard Atlas Stand Up Paddle Board, donated by Dog House Surf Shop and customized with airbrushed artwork by Keith Jette of Wicked Paint and Big Rooster Co. Cycles and Tattoos, was local resident Ruth Anne Heberle. 

Funds raised from Paddle for the Promise Prize Drawing help fund Covenant Hospice’s special programs in Okaloosa and Walton counties. These programs include bereavement services, children’s support programs, spiritual support services and charity care. Covenant Hospice accepts patients regardless of ability to pay. In 2014, the organization provided over $1.7 million in care for uninsured or under-insured patients facing a terminal illness.

Holiday Craft Show
The City of Destin’s 10th Annual Holiday Craft Show will be held at the Destin Community Center on Friday, Nov. 13, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. There will be hand-crafted jewelry, woodcarvings, watercolor paintings, and much more from more than 50 vendors. Vendor booths are available for $45 for Destin residents and $55 for non-residents. Corner booths are an additional $10, when available. Each booth is an 8-foot x 10-foot space, including one 6-foot table and two chairs. Register soon as space is limited. Admission is free. Call the Community Center at (850) 654-5184 for more information.

Bloody Mary Festival to benefit Sinfonia Gulf Coast Sept. 19
Enjoy unlimited tastes of 15 of the Emerald Coast's most creative and innovative Bloody Marys made with Cathead Vodka and served by the finest restaurants and bars, including Bijoux Restaurant & Spirits, Brotula's Seafood House & Steamer, Bud & Alley's, DIG eatery, Great Southern Café, Louis Louis, Mama Clemenza's, NOLA Boiling Company, Signature Catering of 30A, Stinky's Fish Camp, Sunset Bay Café, The Beach House, The Bowery on Thirty-A, The Craft Bar, and The Perfect Pig. Each ticket includes one vote for the People's Choice Award for "Best Bloody Mary" and an event swag bag. Live music will be provided by local band Sound Advice, and food is available for purchase by area restaurants, including Bijoux Restaurant & Spirits, DIG eatery, and Island Wing Company. Guests will also enjoy a mimosa bar by Coastal Wine and Spirits and frosty brews by Grayton Beer Company. 

Heritage Alive! Craft Class – Basket Weaving
Popular instructor Lou Holt will teach students to make a paper plate basket on Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida. Learn a new skill, experience an age-old tradition, and create something uniquely yours! The cost is $35, or $30 for Museum Members, and includes all materials. Space is limited. Call (850) 678-2615 to register.

Customized Knee Replacement Topic of Sept. 23 Seminar
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast Senior Spirit program will host a seminar featuring Dr. Mark Tenholder, board-certified orthopedic surgeon, on Sept. 23 at 10 a.m. Tenholder will speak on MRI-Based Customized Knee Replacement. MRI-based knee replacement is a minimally invasive approach that customizes the knee replacement to each individual patient’s needs. A pre-operative MRI allows the surgeon to precisely determine in advance the appropriate size and three-dimensional position of the knee replacement components according to the patient’s overall alignment of the leg. Call (850) 278-3600 or (877) 416-1620 to register.

Boys & Girls Clubs Receives $100K Donation
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast (BGCEC) received a donation of $100,000 from the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation.

"Thank you Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation for your profound giving that will positively impact the lives of Club youth throughout Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, which will help them realize their potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens," explained Shervin Rassa, BGCEC chief executive officer.

1st Wiggin’ Out For A Cause 
Bring yourself and your BFF’s to this entertaining ladies night out at V LaLa Galleries on Oct. 1, from 6 – 10 p.m. Filled with libations, food, fun, music, and happenings, the 1st Wiggin’ It Out For A Cause will benefit Walton County kids at the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center (ECCAC). Upon arriving, ladies will select a mystery bag with a unique on-loan wig inside. She will then be whisked away into the style lounge to transform her look with hair and make-up done by area stylists.  Now the fun begins…will the ladies be recognized by their friends?  Also enjoy karaoke, live auction, door prizes, raffle, and more. Tickets, which are $125, are limited. Visitwww.eccac.org, or call (850) 892-0280.

First Partners Bank Among Top in Alabama ‘Rank the Bank’ Report
First Partners Bank ranked third on a Rank the Bank Report from Banks Street Partners, an investment bank based in Atlanta. This report takes five different metrics and equally weighs each metric and then provides a state-by-state ranking of the Top 50 banks per state for Q1, 2015. The five metrics used to measure each bank are net interest margin, non-Interest income, overhead, asset quality and return on average equity.

Niceville-Valparaiso Rotary Donates to Museum 
Carrie Ely, president of the Rotary Club of Niceville-Valparaiso, presents a check for $450 to Gina Marini of the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida from the proceeds of water and soda sales at the Museum’s 39th Saturday in the Park Heritage Festival, held on April 25, 2015.  





Grand Boulevard Launches New Website
Grand Boulevard at Sandestin has gone live with a newly designed website that has been developed for easy navigation for mobile users, as well as PC users.  Visit www.GrandBoulevard.com to explore it. The new site showcases all aspects of the mixed-use Town Center, with amplified coverage of sales and promotions, events and entertainment, retail and office leasing, more Marriott hotel coverage, and increased visual imagery.

“Tombstone Tales: Cemeteries, Symbols, and Stories” 
Celebrating the Okaloosa Centennial all year long… the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida presents “Tombstone Tales: Cemeteries, Symbols, and Stories,” a free lecture, Oct. 9, at 12 p.m.  Guest speaker Nicole Grinnan, public archaeology coordinator with the Florida Public Archeology Network, will examine Okaloosa County’s historic cemeteries and the vast information on their markers and tombstones, some that “read” just like historic documents. Grinnan will also discuss the development of modern cemeteries, the kinds of information that can be found from their inscriptions and symbols, and the unique marker styles of local cemeteries. Bring a sandwich and take your lunch break at the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida for History Sandwiched-In, a free lunch-time education program.  This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited. Call (850) 678-2615 to reserve your seat.

99Rock Donates Back to School Items to CIC Kids
Nic Allegretto and Taryn Driggers of 99Rock helped the kids living at Children in Crisis (CIC) get ready for back to school. Thanks to the generous donations from the listeners and supporters through the “Morning Movement” program, the kids living at the CIC Neighborhood received necessary supplies to get the new school year started. Seen here, Ken Hair, CIC president and CEO, receives the donation from Allegretto and Driggers.

MKAF Presents Free Arts Education Program to Local Schools
On Friday, Sept. 11, local students will enjoy a Bluegrass Music Residency Concert at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center on Northwest Florida State College’s Niceville campus. Run Boy Run, Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Contest winner, guest stars on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion, and featured band for Mattie Kelly Art Foundation’s (MKAF) inaugural Bluegrass at the Beach Festival, will play along with featured guest and rising star Danielle Yother. Run Boy Run offers student-oriented concerts and events that celebrate musical storytelling and the joy of ensemble playing. With roots-inspired original music and arrangements of traditional songs, the award-winning folk quintet will take audiences on a journey through American musical history. 

ECAR Director Given FR Editorial Excellence Award 
Emerald Coast Association of Realtors (ECAR) Director Rob Brooks recently received an Editorial Excellence Award from Florida Realtors Magazine, during the 2015 Florida Realtors Convention and Trade Expo. Brooks received the award for the content he and his team provided for the Starring Your City feature article about his video series, “Where I Live,” in the January/February edition of Florida Realtors Magazine. Brooks is known throughout the state for the Rob Brooks Realty video marketing series. It includes various updates from Brooks and his team sharing their knowledge of the local community through restaurant reviews and sneak peeks of area landmarks. 

Eight-year Old Donates Birthday Presents to CIC Children

Eight-year old Marlee Green has learned to be charitable at an early age.  During her recent birthday party, she decided to donate all her gifts to needy children living at Children in Crisis (CIC).  She asked her guests to bring a donation or needed items for the CIC children instead of toys. Seen here, Ken Hair, CIC president and CEO receives the donation and gifts from Green, along with her mother, Maya, and father, Lt. Col. Merrick Green. 


5th Annual Celebrity Server Luncheon
The Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation is bringing your favorite children’s storybook, cartoon, comic strip super heroes and movie characters to life to raise awareness and funding to support All Kinds of Art, a k-12 educational outreach program in Okaloosa and Walton counties. Enjoy a celebrity waiter lunch on Sept. 24, at Bonefish Grill. Servers will be working to earn generous tips for “All Kinds of Art” educational outreach programs. Purchase raffle tickets to win exciting prizes. For details, visithttp://www.mattiekellyartsfoundation.org/destinfloridaeventcelebrityservers.html.

Stouse Joins Raymond James and Associates
Maurice “Moe” Stouse recently joined Raymond James and Associates, after 28 years with Fidelity Investments in Denver, Houston, Austin, and Dallas. A Louisiana native, Stouse now resides in Grayton Beach, where he specializes in helping clients plan for a financially secure retirement. Reflecting upon 28 years with Fidelity, Stouse understands “that a client’s financial success depends on crafting and maintaining a personalized plan. Locally, we are all part of the same wonderful community on 30A, yet our financial lives are highly unique.” Stouse is a member of the Raymond James branch in Destin, located at 34851 Emerald Coast Parkway. He previously served as senior branch manager, market manager, and vice president for managed accounts at Fidelity.

Destin Commons Donates $10,000 to MKAF
Staff and members of the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) board of directors gathered at its Cultural Arts Village to receive a $10,000 donation from Destin Commons to benefit MKAF’s All Kinds of Art initiative. The donation was made through Destin Commons’ Coins For A Cause program, which was created to help benefit local charities with the monies collected from the Center’s parking meters. It’s a win-win because shoppers can enjoy the convenience of parking right in front of the stores, while local charities enjoy the benefit of donations made to their respective causes related to issues such as health, disabilities, education, the arts, and children’s well-being. Coins For A Cause has donated more than $1 million to area charities since its inception ten years ago.