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 In 2006, Santa Rosa County commissioners put a bid out for the Emergency Medical Services contract as commissioners felt that the EMS response times and services needed to improve. Lifeguard Ambulance Service was awarded that contract in August of 2007 and has improved the county's emergency medical response statistics, located corporate offices, hired 115 people, broke all the old transport records for response times, as well as exceeding the contract requirements in all areas.
A true Cinderella story, Lifeguard's story is multifaceted and unique. John and Deborah Roche made their home in Santa Rosa County and brought their air ambulance business here in 1990. John, a graduate of Gulf Breeze High School, began his EMS career as an EMT with Santa Rosa County EMS in 1979.
Originally, Lifeguard Air Ambulance was located in Tampa when John and Deborah purchased it in 1990. "It was a natural choice to bring our new business home to Northwest Florida," said John Roche. In 1997, the Roche's opened their first ground ambulance service, which has expanded and grown, from 75 employees to over 700, operating nine locations serving communities in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. Lifeguard's home base of operations is firmly rooted here in Santa Rosa County. "The goal was to make the Santa Rosa County operation the flagship of the company," further elaborated Roche. "In reaching for the high bar, our team members have shaped Lifeguard into that flagship for the EMS industry."
 The ambulances with the red flying cross seem to be everywhere people look in SRC. Lifeguard's response to an emergency is quick, and is backed by the 6.28 minute average response time. They are fast with service to patients, but they are also quick to support the community. Lifeguard has supported an assortment of community organizations, projects and initiatives. In the last year alone, the 150-person Lifeguard team in Santa Rosa has given the County in excess of 1,200 volunteer service hours. Lifeguard team members serve on a variety of public service boards such as Santa Rosa Crime Stoppers and Leadership Santa Rosa, with volunteer man-hour assistance for Walk-for-Life, TEAM Santa Rosa Board of Directors, the United Way, Relay for Life and the Ronald McDonald House. Lifeguard also lends hearty support to a variety of community events including the Chumuckla Redneck Christmas Parade, Milton River Fest, Gulf Breeze 9-11 Remembrance, CPR Saturday, Santa Rosa County Fair, and the Skills USA Career Expo 2011. "Lifeguard is committed to giving back to the communities we serve," said Jason Kimbrell, Lifeguard's Regional Director. "That commitment comes from the hearts of our team members, the managers and the owners. We care- this is our home."
Could there be a possible correlation with Lifeguard's ever-presence in the community and the caliber of employee at Lifeguard Ambulance Service? Absolutely! As in most areas of the company, Lifeguard excels in training. On average, Lifeguard offers their employees over 200 hours per year of continuing education. The team members are taking advantage of the opportunity by participating in double, often triple, the required minimum of 32 hours per year needed to maintain clinical credentials.
Lifeguard was the first EMS provider in the United States to implement the Studer Group Employee and Customer Service Satisfaction Business Principles, thus providing team members with valuable public relations tools that, when utilized correctly, ensure that both the customer, our patients, and the Lifeguard team member have a positive experience with our company.
 "It takes a very special kind of person to work in the EMS profession," observes Deborah Roche. "One meets people in often the very worst time and during the most traumatic events of their lives. One must be calm and compassionate in manner, while remaining confident and skillful in treatment. That is not always an easy or pleasant task to accomplish, but for the love of the job, the EMS worker comes back day after day. Their daily courage and commitment of service to others is contagious and very inspiring!"
When asked, why Santa Rosa County, Lifeguard Operations Manager Jason Kimbrell replied, "What better place to establish the leading regional EMS service than in the heart of Santa Rosa County? Not only do the City and County make it easy to do business here, TEAM Santa Rosa provides superior customer service to their existing businesses. When it came to our recent Incumbent Worker Training Grant, TEAM handled everything. The next thing we knew was that we had the resources we needed to train dozens of staff on our new protocol and equipment," said Jason Kimbrell, Operations Manager. "I'd recommend Santa Rosa County and TEAM to any business looking to make a home for themselves."
So in a place like Santa Rosa County where business is continually being Re-defined, TEAM celebrates Lifeguard Ambulance Service and the excellence they've brought here. Lifeguard is Re-defining the emergency medical service industry, by offering a variety of services, by empowering the team members with a can-do attitude and by demanding that excellence be achieved in all aspects of their business. Lifeguard has Redefined emergency medical services. They've Redefined community service. And they've Redefined excellence.
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 Michael Murdoch started AppRiver with partner Joel Smith in 2002. Since then, the company has become a leading e-mail security firm, with 10,500 customers from a range of industries worldwide. AppRiver is projected to double last year’s revenue of $6 million dollars in 2007, and is rapidly expanding its international presence.
MY ASPIRATION: To continue to build a company that is fun to work at. We’re serious about what we do, but we want to build a place where you can continue to learn and grow.
MY INSPIRATION: My father was an Episcopal priest. He taught me early on in life that it was good to help other people out.
WHY I’M A SUCCESS: I was very fortunate; I started out in technology at 22, and I had people that not only employed me but that showed me how to build and run a business.
HOW I DID IT: In your twenties, you want to learn as much as you can, and in your thirties, you want to take as many risks as you can.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED: Never give up. We all have struggles and battles along the way, but if you keep at it long enough and if you do something you enjoy, you’ll make it.
WHAT’S NEXT: We’re fighting what they call in the industry the “black hats,” and we get to wear the white hats. People are being overwhelmed by this stuff and we get to protect them.
WHAT’S NEXT: One thing we’re proud of is that we developed our own systems internally. We have some very talented developers here, so we just want to continue to grow that.
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