BUSINESS BRIEFS
Fair Play Sports opens on Fairpoint

Fair Play Sports is designed to help families get the best value for their sports equipment. We understand that as children grow, their equipment needs may change each season. Fair Play Sports wants to help you maximize your dollar by purchasing your gently used equipment (for cash or store credit) and reselling it for discounted retail prices. We are currently buying gently used equipment. The store's GRAND OPENING is scheduled for July 28, 2007.

Fair Play Sports will also have a large selection of NEW "name-brand" merchandise ranging from baseball/softball, tennis, soccer, basketball, football, skateboards, scooters and RipStiks.

Other Services in which Fair Play Sports will offer are 1) Consignment Services for the higher priced items, like golf club sets, foosball tables, pool tables, etc, and 2) Delivery Services for the larger/heavier items.

Fair Play Sports is committed to providing quality service and becoming a supporter of the local Sports communities. For more information regarding Fair Play Sports, please call 850.934.6015 or visit the web sitewww.FairPlaySportsFL.com

GB resident named Engineer of the Year

Gulf Breeze resident Charles "Chuck" Meister wins Government Engineer of the Year award from the Florida Engineering Society for his work with the City of Destin.

Two weeks ago, Meister received a letter at his office at city hall from the Florida Engineering Society, notifying him that in August, he would be recognized by his fellow engineers as the state's 2007 Government Engineer of the Year. Meister was nominated for the award by Danielle Slaterpryce, Okaloosa County's public works director.

The award recognizes the engineer who has made the most outstanding contribution to the advancement of engineers in government.

Meister is A 1956 graduate of the University of Florida. Meister has been Destin's city engineer for 12 years. Prior to that, Meister had his own civil engineering firm, Meister and Associates in Pensacola.

Meister will travel to the Florida Engineering Society's Annual Summer Conference and Exposition held on Aug. 1-4 at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort.

Navarre Chamber Recognizes Small Business of July

All Phase General Cleaning Services, Inc. has been chosen as the Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce's first Small Business of the Month for the month of July. At the June 29 Commerce and Coffee meeting, Chamber President Mark Williams presented All Phase owner, Linda Fusco, with a certificate of appreciation and a display yard sign designating her business as the Small Business of the Month. Requirements for recipients include being a current chamber member, in business a minimum of one year and have fewer than 50 employees. Additional considerations include: being an active chamber member, having business growth and public service/ civic contributions. Fusco has been active in the chamber since moving to the area over three years ago.

For more information about the chamber and other programs affiliated with the Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, call 939-3267 or log on to www.navarrechamber.com.

PSO appoints new Executive Director

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra board president Tom Bailey announced the appointment of Christina Littlejohn as Executive Director of the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra. Littlejohn will assume her new role beginning August 1. She succeeds Edgar Herrera- Arizmendi who left Pensacola this month to become Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.

Littlejohn comes to the Pensacola Symphony with impressive artistic and orchestral management credentials. She has served as Director of Cleveland Orchestra Residencies since 2005 where she was responsible for the orchestra's year-round activities in South Florida in support of its annual three-week residency at the Miami Performing Arts Center.

Prior to her current position, Littlejohn was CEO of the Mobile Symphony where she expanded educational and outreach programs, helped create a chamber music series and increased the number of classical and pops concerts.

Littlejohn holds a Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts Administration from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. In 2001, Littlejohn received the American Symphony Orchestra League's Helen M. Thompson Award for extraordinary accomplishment by an early-career manager.

Littlejohn will preside over a $1 million annual operating budget and be responsible for developing and executing the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra's strategic vision and for its day-to-day operations.

SBA announces Patriot Loan

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today began accepting applications from lenders on behalf of borrowers in its new Patriot Express Pilot Loan Initiative for military community entrepreneurs. Patriot Express is a streamlined loan product based on the agency's highly successful SBA Express Program. Patriot Express is available to military community members including veterans, service-disabled veterans, service members leaving active duty, Reservists and National Guard members, current spouses of any of the above, and the widowed spouse of a service member or veteran who died during service, or of a service-connected disability.

More than 150 banks have already been approved to participate in Patriot Express.

The Patriot Express Pilot Loan Initiative can be used for most business purposes. Details on the initiative can be found at www.sba.gov/patriotexpress.