850 — The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida

10/30/2025

Diego Medone is the founder and CEO of Consulting IQ, a company offering AI-human hybrid consulting. Their digital ecosystem provides an all-in-one platform to help small and medium-sized businesses grow. Here, Medone provides insights from a leading voice and user of AI tools. Though authorship of these responses belongs to Medone, he curated them for grammar using AI—an ethical use for this tool that leaders in industry are utilizing as a cost-effective time-saver.

Diego Medone is the founder and CEO of Consulting IQ, a company offering AI-human hybrid consulting. Their digital ecosystem provides an all-in-one platform to help small and medium-sized businesses grow. Here, Medone provides insights from a leading voice and user of AI tools. Though authorship of....

10/28/2025

As a testament to the growth of the region, Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport now has a direct flight to and from New York City. Though seats have been available on a weekly basis, Delta Air Lines is expanding flights to include daily trips to the Big Apple, starting on November 6, 2025.

Photo by Black & Hue Photography Between tourism and a growing population of retirees and snowbirds with second homes in the region, many travelers are looking forward to ditching the layover on their way to the beach. A nonstop flight from Panama City to New York City will be a boon to the local ec...

10/21/2025

Whether you are a northwest Florida student or a current job seeker, this Thursday and Friday, Oct. 23-24, North Florida Worlds of Work (WOW) Career Expo will be connecting job seekers with over 100 employers. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on job explorations, on-site interviews, one-one-one conversations, and more. The expos will occur on the campuses of Tallahassee State College and Lively Technical College.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — This year marks the 3rd Annual North Florida Worlds of Work career exploration event, presented by the Talent Development Council, which will take place Thursday, Oct. 23 – Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, on the campuses of Tallahassee State College and Lively Technical College. For t...

10/20/2025

In her publisher’s letter, Kenzie Burleigh talks about trends and tools being utilized in the publishing industry, medical field, education, and beyond. Much of her conversation revolves around generative artificial intelligence programs and how they should be used both ethically and effectively.
https://www.850businessmagazine.com/leading-the-future-of-print-in-nwfl/
Photo by M. Little Productions

I had the pleasure of hearing from Hod Lipson, professor of engineering and data science at Columbia University, one of the keynote speakers at the annual Florida Power and Light Symposium earlier this year. He said, “Those that see it, lead, and those that don’t get dragged along.” He was spe...

10/14/2025

Collaborative engagement is a foundation for a better community into the political sphere, Allan Branch has deep roots in Panama City. The former software developer turned restaurateur successfully ran a campaign promising to be a thought leader, offering conversations about ideas to improve infrastructure, reduce the millage rate, and offer an open discussion with constituents on the vision of Panama City.

Photo by Boo Media Before Allan Branch took office as Mayor of Panama City in May 2025, he was better known for opening brewpubs, restoring historic buildings, and revitalizing downtown storefronts. Now, he is bringing that entrepreneurial mindset to city government. Branch’s roots run deep in Pan...

10/06/2025

Seacoast Collegiate High School gets to dream big with a new project opening in the 2025-2026 school year. The accelerator program aims to provide a smoother pathway to dual enrollment for juniors and seniors who will have opportunities to receive early credit for college and select from new certificate-awarding courses in technology and technical trade skills.

Raised during the age of the internet, millennials had a leg up on older generations in mastering all that the world wide web brought to the table. But generations Z and A are coming up during a new apex of technology where systems have evolved, and generative AI is now at everyone’s fingertips. C...

10/02/2025

The highest award and honor that any teacher in the United States can achieve has been awarded to Fort Walton Beach High School’s very own, Jacqueline Sheffield. With 28 years of experience teaching mathematics, Sheffield was recognized for her excellence in the classroom.

After 28 years in the classroom, it would be safe to say that teaching has helped put a roof over Jacqueline Sheffield’s head—not just metaphorically. Earlier this year, the 51-year-old math teacher at Fort Walton Beach High School was named a recipient of the prestigious Presidential Award for ...

10/01/2025

Teaching is a passion, but taking on entrepreneurship to train others is next level. It may not be obvious what cooking classes and martial arts have in common, but both tap into the market of forever learners—those high-performers in society who are not satisfied to spend all their time off work sitting in front of a screen.

Photo by Jennifer EkrutIt was Gandhi who said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever,” which is the philosophy of living a meaningful life of continuous learning. Today, people proudly brandish this quote on coffee mugs, T-shirts, and other memorabilia. Busin...

09/30/2025

Today is the final day to nominate an outstanding female business leader for the 2025 Pinnacle Awards presented by 850 – The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida. Head to the link to make a nomination by the end of today. https://www.850businessmagazine.com/pinnacle-awards/

09/25/2025

The current job market is highly competitive, so parents are searching for alternative education and extracurricular activities to provide advantageous skill sets to their children. From robotics and a STEM focus to farming and hands-on activities, students are grounded in principles based on grit, understanding, and project-based success.

Photo by Elizabeth Linn Photography The rapid change of technological innovations has made the job market more competitive, creating an edge for students who pursue extracurriculars related to the field they will eventually follow. There seems to be little connection between a verdant Florida field....

09/23/2025

Take a look at last year's leading ladies of northwest Florida! This could be you or someone you know for the 2025 class. Nominations for the Pinnacle Awards are open for one more week. Visit the link to nominate: https://www.850businessmagazine.com/pinnacle-awards/

09/22/2025

With the rise of generative AI tools, educators have been primarily focused on cheating, but it is growing increasingly clear that these tools are quickly being adopted in industries across the globe. Forward-thinking colleges and universities across Northwest Florida have pivoted in pedagogy but also in training offered to faculty. During this crucial time, early adopters on the college and university levels will place their graduating classes in first place as they enter into the rat race of today’s job market.

Generative AI appeared like a slow-moving tsunami, just a ripple on the horizon that concerned citizens watched with great interest. GPT-1 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 1) was released in 2018 and was largely limited in scope, accuracy, and comprehensibility. Those keeping an eye on those wate...