The success secrets of 8 Tallahassee companies, nonprofits marking milestone anniversaries
The small business spirit remains alive and well in Tallahassee for many businesses and nonprofits, that despite challenges and economic rollercoasters, celebrated milestone anniversaries this year.
From hospitality to construction, they represent a range of industries. The Palace Saloon was one of them.
For 50 years, in the shadow of Doak Campbell Stadium, the easygoing bar has been a place to unwind or turn up for generations of locals and Seminoles on Tallahassee's west side. Owner Lora Lowe purchased the Palace in 2008, when it was a cash only business.
She ushered in some changes, including credit card payments, to offer options for customers. Operation hours shifted, and Lowe decided to close on Mondays to give the staff a break.
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"We have also decided to close on a lot of the holidays," Lowe said. "We know that people like to break away from their families and go somewhere and have a drink, but I feel that my employees need to be with their families. We all understand that family is one of the most important parts of life and at the Palace we want to make sure that all employees have significant amount of time with them."
What's been the secret of their success?
Keep things new and exciting, Lowe said. If you go on the bar's website, customers can snag Palace Saloon merch to showcase their fandom, including anniversary items.
If there's one thing her bar and every other business that celebrated a milestone anniversary this year has in common, it comes down to one word: community.
Here's a look at some local businesses and nonprofits that have been in business for 25 years or more. We asked each one a few questions. Here's what they said:
Kids Incorporated — 50 years
What were the early days of your business like?
We were founded by Elizabeth “Budd” Bell on August 4, 1972, in Tallahassee. We now serve zero to 3-year old children, their families and pregnant women in Leon, Madison and Jefferson counties.
Budd Bell was an advocate for human services and human rights. She was established in the community as an activist that was not afraid to take on the issues of the community to approach our legislators. So she took the issue of quality affordable child care, which resulted in the Child Care Bill that assisted in funding early childhood education programs. After which, Kids Incorporated began serving the children of college students attending Florida State University and Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. This is just the beginning that Budd Bell saw a need of quality early learning for those college students in Leon County that could not afford to pay for care for their children.
What’s been the biggest challenge and thrill of being a small business owner in Tallahassee?
The biggest challenge is always funding, because in order to have quality it takes money. We as an organization want the children we serve to receive the same level of care as any other child in our community. The biggest thrill is to see when a child begins to receive services and that child leaves our program ready for their next educational developmental level.
What’s been the biggest contributor to your longevity?
The biggest contributors are the community that support our efforts, the families who need our services, and the staff who on a daily basis ensure that the parents are able to have affordable and quality care and comprehensive services.
Mad Dog Construction — 45 years
What were the early days of your business like?
In the early days of Mad Dog Construction, we were framers, master carpenters and designers. We self-performed nearly all aspects of our work, and we developed our own products.
What’s been the biggest challenge and thrill of being a small business owner/nonprofit in Tallahassee?
The greatest challenge of being a small business is staying ahead of change and supporting our employees in that. Technology, building systems, risk management, all of it changes constantly. The thrill is watching it all come together. Whether it was Blairstone Forest in 1980 or Orange Avenue Apartments planned for 2023, watching the elements assembled in three dimensions through the hard work of our team is remarkable.
What’s been the biggest contributor to your longevity?
Our leadership, the experience and skill of our employees and a lot of hard work.
Food Glorious Food — 40 years
Susan Turner owned it for the first 20 years, and (head chef and owner Kevin Stout) has been the majority owner and managing member for the last 20 years.
What were the early days like?
The early days are a blur. We actually made money our first year. We were so busy that we took over another space and expanded from 40 seats to almost 300 at one point (outside included). I made a mistake of going too big. It took several years to grow into our new size and finally make a little money again.
When Susan Turner ran the place it was just lunch and catering. Already famous for the desserts, she was great and ahead of her time. Back in the early 80s, you did not see many women running a restaurant. No one was doing what she did. I came in and changed it to what you see now. A upscale dining with fresh made food from scratch.
Both me and Susan had our children work for us. Now all of them are grown up and doing their own things.
What's been the biggest challenge?
Biggest challenge has been managing all the people we have had work for us. I feel blessed that we have very little turnover and have some career employees which is very gratifying.
What’s been the biggest contributor to your longevity?
I always care more about customers and staff being happy and satisfied with their experience. If we do 200 people in a day and we have one bad mistake, that is what I will dwell on.
We change the menu daily and have changed our look and vibe several times always trying to evolve and get better. I have been in this business since I was 13, and I am now 54. I had to lie about my age to get my first job which of course back then there was no internet so you could get away with that. Even after all of this time I am still trying to get better and learn (see chicken restaurant haha). That is why I think we have had such great longevity.
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Golden Lighting — 40 years
What were the early days of your business like?
My father, Ingshang Liao, started this business 40 years ago. It took him 10 years to find the right product for the right customer at the right price. When I started 20 years ago, it was a period of great growth and change. It felt like we were reinventing our business every year.
What’s been the biggest challenge and thrill of being a small-business owner in Tallahassee?
Building a team that can execute is hard, but sharing our wins together brings meaning and purpose to our work.
What’s been the biggest contributor to your longevity?
Even in difficult times, there are opportunities. Golden has typically made tough, transformational decisions during past recessions. They were borne out of necessity, which in turn led to great periods of growth.
Target Print & Mail — 40 years
What were the early days of your business like?
We occupied a small 1,500-square foot location on Tennessee Street, where we stayed for 38 years. We were primarily focused on the universities, and student course packets and student print needs in particular.
What’s been the biggest challenge and thrill of being a small-business owner in Tallahassee?
The biggest challenge and thrill has been managing and developing our people. In a town like Tallahassee, it can be difficult sometimes to find the skill sets we need, but it is such a joy to watch our team members grow and blossom, even when they move on to other markets and opportunities.
What’s been the biggest contributor to your longevity?
Creativity and adaptability. Things have changed dramatically in our business over the past 40 years, and we have moved in step with the times and the trends.
Aegis Business Technologies — 25 years
What were the early days of your business like?
It felt like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were in my office when I first got started, complete wild west, pre-cloud, pre cyber threats everywhere, pre-mobile, it has been a revolution we used to 100% wing it each and every day, said CEO Blake Dowling.
What’s been the biggest challenge and thrill of being a small business owner in Tallahassee?
When a staff member hits an anniversary, five years, 10 years, that’s awesome. It feels like a sports coach some days, when they win, you win. So proud of our staff for all they do. When a client hits an anniversary, the same feeling. When someone trusts you with their technology for 10 years there is nothing better relationship wise. As far as challenges, working with national entities like Microsoft and Apple can be difficult, pandemics are a hard pass for me, let's not to that again. Also, hiring the past three years has been agonizing but we have fought through it and assembled our biggest and strongest team to date. Long live the A-squad.
What’s been the biggest contributor to your longevity?
People that have chosen to make this company their life’s work, there are five, 10, 15, and 20-year team members to my left and right. Also being accountable is our culture, we get here early, we stay late, there is no fluff on this team, everybody pitches in, every day, relentless effort, answering the phones, sales, service, marketing and don’t be surprised if I answer the phone when you call as I grab it all the time. That is who we are. Plus, outages and cyber attacks are so common that you must have a wicked sense of humor to hang with our crew, that is a must.
Full Press Apparel — 25 years
What were the early days of your business like?
In 1997, Danny Shrine founded a screen-printing business called PDT’s with a business partner. Located in a 9,000-square-foot facility on Gaines Street in Tallahassee, the modest shop consisted of two employees and two manual screen-printing presses. They started looking for opportunities to partner with other local businesses on the production side. Over time, demand began to exceed production capacity, so they continued to grow. In 1999, the shop was officially rebranded as Full Press Apparel. Tracey Shrine, Danny’s wife, joined the business as a partner and co-owner in 2006.
What's been the biggest challenge and thrill of being a small business owner in Tallahassee?
Finding and keeping talented employees is by far the biggest challenge, although locating stock in many products is proving to still be a challenge some days too! The thrill of being a small business owner is seeing how you can help improve and enrich the lives of our employees, but also seeing the joy our clients have for the products we create for them!
What's been the biggest contributor to your longevity?
The biggest contributor to our longevity is providing a consistent level of service that exceeds our clients’ expectations and having those repeat clients return year after year. Being involved in our Tallahassee community is also a huge part of our success – we are “all in” in Tallahassee and live by our values and treat our clients the way we want to be treated.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Eight Tallahassee companies hit milestone anniversaries in 2022
