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September 2025

From the Director's Desk

By Nathan Sparks, CEcD

September is nearly over and what a Fall it is already shaping up to be here at One Okaloosa EDC! If you were among the 170 who joined us for our September 4 Roundtable Luncheon with Florida Secretary of Commerce Alex Kelly, you were treated to a comprehensive presentation that touched on everything from Florida’s #1 ranking in GDP Growth, Business Formations, and Higher Education to our impressive growth in manufacturing (Florida is now ranked #10 in the nation, with our manufacturing GDP growing from $42.1 billion in 2014 to $80.7 billion in 2024). It was particularly interesting to hear that manufacturers in Florida tend to be uniquely small, with 80% having 20 employees are less. This certainly holds true in Okaloosa County, where we have 257 companies classified as manufacturers employing a total of 2,913 people (an average of 11.3 employees per manufacturer). As October is Manufacturing Appreciation Month, we would like to express our sincere appreciation for all of you out there who “make things” – thank you for what you do!

Of course, manufacturers (or any business, for that matter) cannot operate effectively or without access to sufficient human capital – precisely why we were thrilled to see the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro ranked #5 among the Top 200 large metropolitan areas in the nation in the 2025 Talent Attraction Scorecard developed by Lightcast. These rankings are determined based on factors including overall job growth, growth in college-level jobs, growth in blue-collar jobs, growth in high-earning jobs, regional competitiveness, attraction of earners, and attraction of prime-age talent (ages 25-54). We are thrilled to share this latest community accolade with you, and we look forward to incorporating it into our pitches to future prospects!

With One Okaloosa EDC’s fiscal year coming to a close on Sept 30, I wanted to take a moment of personal privilege to thank our outgoing FY 2025 Chairwoman, Ms. Neko Stubblefield, Senior Vice President, Eglin Federal Credit Union, for the stellar job she has done chairing our organization over the past year. Neko is perhaps one of the most well-known (and well-loved) individuals in our community – and rightfully so. Not only is she a strategic thinker who loves our community, she always manages to wear a smile and offer an encouraging word at just the right time. She’s also a phenomenal cook who makes the best brownies this side of anywhere (if you don’t believe me, just ask Mel Ponder). While we will certainly miss having Neko as our chair, we’re delighted that she will remain on our Executive Committee for another year as our Immediate Past Chair. We‘re equally excited to welcome Nic Dezinski, Marketing Director, Vertex Solutions as our FY 2026 Chairman. Nic is one of the first people that I met when I arrived in Okaloosa County some 12 years ago, and if you’ve perused any of our One Okaloosa EDC annual reports over that time – or watched our Veteran Entrepreneur Video Spotlights (found at https://www.startupokaloosa.com/page/veteran-entrepreneur) – you’ve seen his handiwork! Bottom line, One Okaloosa EDC will once again be in excellent hands.

Defense Support Initiatives Committee

By Jeff Riemer, Chairman

With One Okaloosa’s Fiscal Year 2026 Office Installation in October, I will be ending my term as chairman for the Defenses Support Initiatives Committee, or DSI. The DSI started out as the EDC’s Military Support Task Force and has evolved into the DSI and what is known today as a very successful military advocacy group for the tri-county area.

Through established DSI partnerships and our volunteer military unit liaisons, the last two years have seen successful advocacy outreach for the Gulf Range Enhancement Plan and the Eastern Gulf Test and Training Range Maximization Plan expanding critical instrumentation further into the Gulf of America and along Florida’s west coast; advanced technological advancements in Electronic Warfare, hypersonics and electromagnetic spectrums through higher space domains; and advancement of artificial intelligence, swarming drone technology and new sensors technologies for multi-role weapons.

Quality of life attributes have moved in the right direction to include affordable and quality childcare, more available workforce housing units, and transportation infrastructure improvements supporting our installations and communities.

While progress has been realized, our job is not done. Permanent protection of the Eastern Gulf Test and Training Range in the Eastern Gulf of America needs to be secured. Oil drilling and energy exploration of any kind is not compatible with military test and training requirements. To encroach upon those capabilities in the Gulf Range would encroach upon and threaten missions conducted at local installations; threatening jobs, our economic stability and our national security.

Going forward, the DSI will be in the very capable hands of Garry Haase, Colonel United States Air Force Retired, currently with General Dynamics. Please join me in congratulating Garry on his upcoming chairmanship..

Technology Coast Manufacturing & Engineering Network

By Nate Pierpoint, Chairman

September is here already, and my time as chair of the Technology Coast Manufacturing and Engineering Network, TeCMEN, is coming to an end. Established by One Okaloosa Economic Development Council in 1989 to be the premier business exchange for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) industries, it has been a pleasure to facilitate the county partnership embodied in TeCMEN. Charing our membership meetings on a monthly basis, every second Tuesday, has been a true honor. This quarter has been no different; we have had two informative meetings since the last update.

We were honored to host Representative Pat Maney at the August meeting. He provided a detailed 2025 Florida Legislation overview – highlighting the secured $20.8 million in state funding for various projects around Okaloosa County. Two specific funding awards he reviewed included:

Funding for a civil engineering undergraduate program for the Fort Walton Beach UWF/NWFSC Joint campus
The NWF delegation secured $325,00 for the mental health diversion program in Fort Walton Beach, providing additional funding for the homeless-focused One Hopeful Place complex as well as the Bridgeway program.

Following Representative Maney’s presentation, he asked for and received input from our network for Okaloosa County needs/items he could assist in resolving though future legislation.

At our September meeting, Laura Swann, Assistant Director of the UWF Office of Workforce Development introduced the UWF Talent Catalyst program, which is a workforce initiative recently implemented at UWF. The program is designed to connect high-caliber students with strategic industry partners across Northwest Florida. Through paid, part-time placements, mentorship and structured professional development, the UWF Talent Catalyst program gives employers early access to emerging talent while providing students with meaningful, career-relevant experience. By emphasizing leadership, soft skills, and industry readiness, the program strengthens the regional workforce pipeline and supports long-term economic growth.

Additionally, we announced a SAVE THE DATE of May 13, 2026 for TeCMEN Industry Day!!…Yes, we have already started planning so – Mark your calendars!

As I finish my time as chairman, I am so thankful for all the support and partnership provided by our One Okaloosa EDC team in ensuring each TeCMEN event came off without a hitch. I am very honored to be handing off the gavel of chairmanship to a better man than myself, whom I deeply respect for his leadership and service to our county and our nation. Mr. Travis Hill will lead our mighty band of STEM industry professionals to new heights in the coming year, and I’m excited to see Okaloosa County continue to rise to the top thanks to leaders like Travis.

Business Retention & Expansion

By Cole Randall, Project Manager

September has been a busy and rewarding month for One Okaloosa EDC, filled with events that brought together business leaders, community partners, and educators to focus on growth, collaboration, and opportunity.

On September 4, One Okaloosa hosted a well-attended Roundtable event at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fort Walton Beach. We were fortunate to hear from Secretary Alex Kelly of the Florida Department of Commerce, who provided a thoughtful overview of both the state and local economy. His perspective sparked meaningful discussion and gave our attendees a clearer picture of the economic trends shaping Florida and our county.

On September 11, we held our Business Leadership Council (BLC) meeting at the UWF/NWFSC Fort Walton Beach campus. We opened with a moment of silence in remembrance of 9/11, followed by Nathan’s recap of our recent FY 2026-2028 Strategic Planning retreat. On September 16, Select Florida brought its ABCs of Exporting Roadshow to the UWF/NWFSC campus. The program highlighted the steps necessary for our local companies to effectively sell goods and services abroad. On September 19, I had the privilege of attending the Okaloosa Technical College Advisory Board Meeting, where I saw firsthand the impact OTC has made over the past year in preparing students with skills that directly serve the workforce needs of our community. Their role in talent development cannot be overstated.

Finally, on September 23, we hosted an 8@8 event in Crestview at the new Diligent Coworking space. This gathering gave us the chance to meet with a select group of current and prospective One Okaloosa EDC investors to showcase the work One Okaloosa EDC is doing and to discuss ways we can partner together for economic success in the north end of the county. Each of these events reinforced something I’ve seen time and again: when leaders, businesses, and institutions come together with a shared purpose, great things happen for Okaloosa County.

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Members in the News

The City of Crestview’s Mayor, JB Whitten, has received the Gold Certificate of Excellence from the Certificate Program for Elected Municipal Officials hosted by the Florida League of Cities. The certificate achievement program rewards municipal officials for their commitment and dedication to training and continuing education.

Okaloosa Superintendent Marcus Chambers has been named president of the Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors during the board’s meeting Monday morning in Gainesville. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Chambers to the FHSAA Board of Directors in June 2024.

United Fidelity Bank, under their parent company Pedcor Financial, has been ranked #9 for 2025 Top Performing Banks by American Banker.

Bit-Wizards and Talking Parents have earned recognition among the top 15 positions on Florida Trend magazine’s Best Companies To Work For list for 2025, with Bit-Wizards earning its 16th consecutive recognition and TalkingParents claiming honors for the second straight year.