Living near the coast has many benefits. According to a study of more than 1.3 million participants by the journal of Environmental Health Perspectives, residing close to a large body of water reports an overall reduction in mortality by 12 to 17 percent. Additional studies show that being near the ocean, staring out at the waters, can alter the frequency of brain waves, causing a relaxing effect on the senses when watching the ebb and flow of the ocean’s swell.

In short, being near the water, in both the short and long term, can improve overall quality of life, so it is no wonder that our beaches are always crowded. Many locals complain about “season,” having to share paradise with transients. Many local residents even view these out-of-town guests as a necessary evil—tourists help their favorite businesses flourish, while causing traffic delays, creating longer wait times at their favorite restaurants, and overcrowding the beaches. 

However, all business owners seem to share a sense of pride for every patron or customer entering their businesses, regardless of where they call home. In this closing bell, we share some highlights from Q&A’s with some of this issue’s proprietors and CEOs.

Being a local in a tourist-driven economy can be frustrating. How do you keep your regulars happy during season?  We’re incredibly grateful to be part of a destination that welcomes visitors from all over—but we never forget the community that built us. We offer exclusive local perks, prioritize community-centered offerings, and maintain strong relationships with regular guests through personalized service and familiarity, sometimes making them locals once they realize how much they love the area. It’s about making sure our locals feel seen, even when the resort is bustling.
—Sara Becnel, President Sandestin Investments and Managing Partner of The Agency Northwest Florida Beaches

We make a big effort while designing our business models, especially with the restaurants in Fort Walton, to create something that can be enjoyed by our locals. Our pricing in most cases reflects a better value, which is attractive to our day-in-day-out customers. And we are fortunate that the density year-round in Fort Walton allows us to do that. I understand that if we were in other markets, that may not actually be the case. In terms of the marina business, most people recognize that our opportunity to pay the bills comes during peak summer season, so there isn’t much we can do to keep pricing down—this is literally all about supply and demand. During our shoulder seasons, we are able to offer a much more affordable rate or even boat club options that make boats very affordable for our local customers year-round.—Bobby Nabors, Managing partner of Beach Weekend Vacation Rentals, Wood Foot Beer Co.

My husband and I discovered 30A and Rosemary Beach over 20 years ago. I do not believe you need to balance commitment to community while welcoming guests who travel to Rosemary. I feel equally committed to making sure we exceed expectations of all guests while sharing our community. —Cheryl Moodie, founder of The All Seasons Collection 30A in Rosemary Beach

In our three decades of operation, we have been pleased to take reservations of both our local customers and visitors for both lunch and dinner. This has proved to be a welcome accommodation for locals and often a pleasant surprise to visitors calling for wait times.
—Tom Rice, Owner, Magnolia Grill, local historian  

→ If you had any tips for new small businesses, what would it be? 
Stay true to your brand, build genuine relationships, and be consistent. It’s easy to get swept up chasing trends—but what sets you apart is your authenticity and connection to your audience. Invest in your team, stay agile, and never underestimate the power of genuine hospitality.
—Sara Becnel, President Sandestin Investments and Managing Partner of The Agency Northwest Florida Beaches

Don’t be afraid to pivot and pivot fast, then grind! This is the only thing we have on big corporate competitors. They can’t do that!
—Bobby Nabors, Managing partner of Beach Weekend Vacation Rentals, Wood Foot Beer Co.

Advice to anyone starting their own small business: Stay focused, think big, work hard, and never compromise your standards. —Cheryl Moodie, founder of The All Seasons Collection 30A in Rosemary Beach

The best advice I was ever given was from my late father-in-law. Having served in WWII and in 1953 building one of the first motor lodges in our community, he repeatedly beat the drum with the advice of, “If you don’t own the dirt, you don’t own anything.” After leasing property for a restaurant, most typically the costly infrastructure becomes property of the landlord. Many of my friends have gone this route and have not been able to weather the oil spills, hurricanes, and pandemics. Better to start small on your own dirt, so in good times and bad, you have a reason to stay. —Tom Rice, Owner, Magnolia Grill, local historian  

The Walton Area Chamber of Commerce is now taking applications for the 2023-2024 Leadership Walton Class online until Friday, September 1, 2023.

Since 2000, Leadership Walton has been training emerging and existing leaders in the Northwest Florida region. Leadership Walton is for men and women who have achieved leadership positions in their fields and are likely to be tapped for greater community responsibility.

The program is designed in eight monthly sessions, beginning with an overnight retreat. Each session thereafter focuses on skills, including team building, mentoring, communication, organizational leadership, government, time management, and servanthood.

There will be interactive field trips and tours of the area’s greatest assets. Students will also complete a Dale Carnegie professional training course and earn a certification.

Those enrolled will receive a mentor to guide them through this process and work on professional goals. The Leadership Walton program concludes with a graduation dinner ceremony. Graduates automatically become a member of the Leadership Walton Alumni to assist in the group’s continued education, networking, and community support.

Leadership Walton is a unique and innovative approach to the traditional community-based leadership model. The program is the result of planning by the Leadership Walton Visionary Council and promises to be a valuable resource for member businesses interested in building the leadership and management skills of their employees.

The program provides the opportunity to develop an individual’s leadership, entrepreneurial and team building skills, increase their value to their organization, and strengthen the community overall.

The cost to enroll in the Leadership Walton program is $1,500 for employees of Walton Area Chamber member businesses or $1,750 for future Chamber member businesses.

Tuition includes all course materials, assessments, supplies and refreshments. To enroll or learn more about the program, visit WaltonChamber.com/Leadership-Walton or contact Gabrielle Hamilton at gabrielle@waltonareachamber.com.

Graduates of area entrepreneurship programs include some who have gone on to become mentors while still quite young.

They are serving as old gorillas but aren’t silver backed, not yet.

Jason McIntosch, Mitch Nelson and Spencer Bluni are all under the age of 30 and run a multimillion-dollar company, DivvyUp, which was started as a class project at Florida State University in 2014.

Their vision was to sell fun, personalized socks and give a pair to a homeless shelter for every pair the community purchased. Setting up around campus and selling socks, they donated 160 pairs of new socks to a Tallahassee homeless shelter in just six weeks.

Last Thanksgiving, DivvyUp surpassed one million socks sold and gifted to shelters all over the country.

McIntosch and his partners developed their business in FSU’s entrepreneurship program when it was still a part of the business school. He said that he, Nelson and other members of their group spent both semesters of their sophomore year working on the business in a class called Sophomore Experience.

“There really wasn’t much homework or tests,” he said. “It was getting into groups with your classmates, starting your business and really just figuring it out and getting your hands dirty.

“It gave us that freedom to make our business what we wanted it to be, while under the shelter of still being in college. Our professor gave us a $400 loan to get us started. That was really huge.”

McIntosch credits the entrepreneurship program with “allowing a company like DivvyUp to start at a very slow speed and over time grow into a company with a million pairs of socks sold and gifted.”

McIntosch and his partners return to campus several times a year to speak with future entrepreneurs and share their experiences.

Another pair of entrepreneurs, sisters Deborah and Michaiah Smoots, started their media company, Aloha Borah Media, while attending Gulf Coast State College in Panama City.

Dr. Emmaneul Hernández introduced them to another student, Tyler Anderhold, who developed a prototype that warned motorists of approaching emergency vehicles. The sisters produced a video presentation about the product, which was part of Anderhold’s Enactus entrepreneurial competition entry at Silicone Valley. They won third place. Later, the sisters entered and won a competition to produce a documentary for VIE Magazine founder Lisa Burwell. VIE is an upscale lifestyle magazine, published in Santa Rosa Beach.

“Dr. Hernández was very patient and helped us gain confidence in the entrepreneurial world,” Michaiah said.

The partners also credit Dr. Erica Goines, an associate digital media professor at Gulf Coast, for encouraging their pursuits.

“It’s sometimes hard to take those dreams and to make it a reality, but with the help of those two professors, they really helped us to help take our dreams come true,” Michaiah said.

“We got to meet a lot of influential people who are very well-established and doing a lot of things for a good cause. They all say, in different ways, to not be afraid to step through big doors. Work with excellent people, and never forget about what sparked the passion behind your work. Always remember why you do what you do. Why do you love it? You can do what you love and learn how to make a business out of it.”