Business Archive

New York (AP) — In a flat year overall for stocks, there was still plenty of excitement to be enjoyed — or endured — by 2015’s biggest winners and losers.

While nearly all other wireless providers had already foregone offering two-year service contracts, the large cellphone service-provider, AT&T, has continued to offer this option for its customers. However, in a recent nationwide policy change, AT&T announced early this year that as of Jan. 8, the popular cellphone service-provider would no longer offer such contracts. The change came for a number of reasons, all of them seemingly beneficial for the AT&T customer.

Chamber members honored at awards banquet

At the annual awards and installation banquet 2014 chamber chairman Jim Taylor passed the gavel to Regina Carter of Gulf Power Company, who served as chairman of the 2015 executive board.  The event honored businesses and individuals who had made a difference throughout the year.  Ambassador of the Year was awarded to Linda Fusco, All Phase Cleaning; Mentor of the Year to Jan Clark, Made For You Gift Venue; Volunteers of the Year to Cherie Rice, Coldwell Banker United Realtors and Sarah Hasty of New York Life Insurance Company; Director of the Year to Norm Crowder of St. Rosa Sound RV Resort; Spirit of Navarre to James Dabney of East River Smokehouse; Member of the Year to Navarre Area Board of Realtors; Business of the Year to Navarre Drywall; Citizen of the Year to Shirley Brown; Corporate Citizen of the Year to Bill Crouch of Tech Star Systems, Inc.; and the Legends Award was given to Frankie and Barbara Gibbs.

New York (AP) — Cheap is the new chic for holiday gifts.

The Gulf Breeze Area Chamber is pleased to announce  SpringHill Suites by Marriott Pensacola Beach as the Chamber’s Business of the Month for December 2015.

When Andy Pike opened Auto Depot on Highway 87 south in Navarre in March it was on one of the three lots he was leasing for the business directly in front of Navarre Auto Repair.  The lot was originally approved for used car sales for eight vehicles in 2012.  The business grew quickly and Pike had to expand to the other two lots on the property.  What he didn’t realize, was one of those lots was zoned differently than the others.

Gov. Rick Scott issued a press release touting the highest level of Florida jobs available in a decade, with a total of nearly 300,000 openings across the state.  “Florida is leading all large states in job growth and we will keep working every day to be first for jobs,” Scott said.

The Florida Retail Federation  says that Florida retailers are in for a busy and successful holiday shopping season behind the strength of numerous positive economic indicators and a healthy economic climate overall in Florida.  FRF is projecting a 4.5 percent increase in sales for retailers, which would outpace the predicted national average of 3.5 percent.  This continues a recent hot streak for Florida retailers which included a record-tying back-to-school sales tax holiday in August and a successful Halloween season.

The Gulf Breeze Area Chamber announces Bayside Collision Center as the Chamber’s Business of the Month for November 2015.

By all accounts and everyone’s accounting, the 2015 Holiday Small Shop Crawl presented by the Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce was a huge success.  More than a dozen Navarre shops participated, and each one said the event brought new customers into their shop.   The Director of Membership and Marketing for the Navarre Chamber Chanda Ryan said, “The main goal of the Small Shop Crawl is to increase awareness of all the local shopping options in the Navarre area.  I think we did that with over 300 purchases made.”