By Nathan Sparks, CEcD
Executive Director of One Okaloosa EDC
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 Sept. 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.
