Santa Rosa County is Life by Design. At the heart of Life By Design is the belief that people – YOU – can work, live, play their/your way. Life and business aren’t spelled out. They aren’t scripted. Rather, they are waiting to be played out by you.

Santa Rosa County is a place marked by diversity where independent spirits thrive, business is made easy, and fertile ground awaits your impression. It is the place of entrepreneurs, farmers, scientists, and mechanics. It is where people invent, sail, serve, paint, work in flip-flops, and put on a flight suit. And, it just might be the place for YOU.

Here’s a glimpse of industry and business leaders who characterize, “Business. Redefined Here.” and who are experiencing “Life By Design” in Santa Rosa County. TEAM has worked with many, many industries on all fronts of economic development. Here are just a few of their stories:

AppRiver, LLC

As Michael Murdoch looks out his office window at the Intercoastal Waterway, he can’t help but think how fortunate he is to work and live in such a beautiful place. “People work their whole lives to live in a place like this,” he said. “A few years ago, I started to think, why wait?” That’s when Murdoch decided to create a business however (his way) AND wherever (Gulf Breeze) he wanted.

Murdoch appreciates that, thanks to today’s technology, people can live anywhere they choose while doing great work around the globe. This from a man who relishes driving three miles through a state forest to get to his office. Murdoch enjoys the atmosphere of holding business meetings down by the dock while, at the same time, building what is now one of the largest email security companies in the world.

Murdoch started AppRiver along with partner Joel Smith in 2005. Then, it was just “two guys and a spam trap.” Today, it’s nearly 50 people serving 25,000 organizations and businesses worldwide. While their reach is massive, Murdoch can’t say enough about operating out of Santa Rosa County. On top of loving it, he credits this location as one of his key talent magnets.

GDL Cycles, Inc.

Work hard. Play hard. And, do it in the same place. That’s what Troy Kehoe, founder of GDL Cycles, does every day in Santa Rosa County. He moved here from New Jersey to grow his business and has never looked back. He knew from the get-go that this was the place for him – a place conducive to business success, to working with great people, to riding his motorcycle all year round, and to fishing.

To Kehoe, it’s all this and more. For starters, it’s affordable. GDL Cycles was bursting at its seams up North, but options for growth were costly. Here, in Milton, Kehoe could purchase necessary land, build a building, and secure an extra acre for growth for the same price of a vacant, half-acre lot in the Garden State. The real value he recognized in Northwest Florida was a business-friendly environment that stood behind and believed in his company.

Since moving GDL Cycles to Milton, Kehoe has also grown to appreciate the “great core of talented, hard working people.” GDL Cycles, a motorcycle parts warehouse, has the largest selection of used motorcycle parts anywhere in the world.

Trinity DNA Solutions

Think forensics. Think Trinity DNA Solutions. This state-of-the-art, accredited private forensic laboratory is one of only 12 of its kind in the entire United States. It is also the first of two in the state of Florida. Trinity DNA Solutions provides DNA testing to law enforcement agencies, courtroom officials, and the general public based on three areas of expertise: forensic, paternity, and identity.

Candy Zuleger is the force behind this innovative, successful business. Being a self-proclaimed “scientist at heart,” Candy is quick to point out that she didn’t go it alone. TEAM Santa Rosa Economic Development Council and the University of West Florida’s Small Business Development Center were both instrumental in attracting Trinity DNA Solutions to Santa Rosa County. Bottom line, they helped Zuleger secure property in an enterprise zone, offered attractive financial incentives, and pledged ongoing support, which continues to this day.

Zuleger chose to locate her company in Santa Rosa County because of this support and the region’s overall business climate. Proximity to multiple states was also a factor (Trinity DNA Solutions is the lead DNA facility serving North Florida, Georgia, and Alabama), as was the region’s brand promise: Life By Design.

Boise Building Solutions, Distributions

Northwest Florida was a natural fit for Boise Building Materials Distribution. The leading inventory-carrying wholesale distributor of building materials already had 29 locations throughout the United States, but there was an obvious void along the Gulf Coast. How did the company end up in Santa Rosa County in particular?

Well, according to Branch Manager, Ken Ponsell, there were several key factors. Most notably: TEAM Santa Rosa’s support, availability of affordable land on which the company built a first class 80,000 square-foot facility, and access to rail and major roadways that included Interstate 10.

Boise opened in March 2007, and with hiring support from TEAM Santa Rosa, is already up to 20- plus employees. TEAM also provided Boise with incentives and helped them with everything from securing land to permitting to building connections.

Ponsell encourages any industry considering a move to Santa Rosa County to contact TEAM to “get the straight scoop about this region, as well as the local feel.” He credits TEAM with a big reason Boise chose Santa Rosa County. Although he also acknowledges the “area sold itself,” he adds, “This region is a sportsman’s paradise.”

Melt-Pro

Melt-Pro specializes in glue melting equipment. Ironically, the company’s founder, Steve Wages, is stuck on Northwest Florida. He moved the company from Atlanta to Milton in 2005, and he remains thrilled with his decision. Initially attracted to the region based partially on incentives, Wages speaks highly about this region.

He loves living in a place that affords him the best of both worlds – a country setting with a suburban feel. Steve appreciates being surrounded by a ready and willing workforce and values his company’s relationship with TEAM Santa Rosa.

As a matter of fact, TEAM played an instrumental role in recruiting Melt-Pro. In Wages’ words, “TEAM gave me 100 percent support.” TEAM was, in essence, his clearinghouse by providing information on incentives, available land, workforce, training, vendors, and so forth.

Wages has maintained strong ties with TEAM and refers to the organization as “the dictionary of everything you need to know about business.”