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The Bay County Chamber of Commerce announced the recipients of the 2020 Industry Appreciation Celebration (IAC) Awards at their annual breakfast on September 25th at Edgewater Beach & Golf Resort.
“The Chamber believes in our industrial partners and truly appreciates their contributions to our economy and way of life,” said Carol Roberts, President of the Bay County Chamber of Commerce. “It is hard to imagine life in Bay County without the economic and civic contributions companies like our award recipients make on a daily basis.”
The prestigious IAC Awards Program recognizes companies in Bay County that have gone above and beyond to diversify the local economy and build a better Bay. Award categories included business expansion, innovation, newcomer, manufacturer of the year, and small business of the year. To be eligible, the company must be a for-profit business located in Bay County.
2020 Industry Appreciation Celebration Award Winners
Business Expansion: Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center
On June 29th, Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center opened their new free standing Emergency Room on Hwy 231 to bring care closer to the residents of the northern part of Bay County and to provide them with an extended more convenient high level experience. Investing over eleven million dollars, Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center added 30 new full time jobs to Bay County.
Small Business of the Year: Tudor’s Biscuit World
After vacationing to Panama City for over 20 years, the owners of Tudor’s Biscuit World decided to bring a piece of West Virginia to our area. With a capital investment of a quarter of a million dollars, they have created 20 new jobs. Business expansion is on the horizon for Tutors Biscuit World. When completed, over 50 new jobs will be created and three new locations will be added.
Manufacturer of the Year: Trane
With over 650 employees, our Manufacturer of the Year produces commercial and residential HVAC units. Over 99% of their total sales are exported outside of Bay County, with 10% outside of the United States. Trane attributes their success to their awesome employees, the culture of their workforce, dedication to their Core Values, exceptional customer services and the outstanding quality of the product made in their Bay County Facility. Products made in Bay County have the reputation for not being the lowest cost at initial purchase time, but over the life of the unit. Trane also gives back to their community by participating in United Way, Kaps 4 Kids, Iron Man Competition, Pride – LGBTQ Community, NAACP, Wounded Warriors, Relay for Life, American Heart Association, St. Andrew Bay Center for Christmas, and various school supplies drives.
Innovation Award: JetBoatPilot
When COVID-19 spread earlier this year, JetBoatPilot made the adjustment from manufacturing boat parts for the marine industry to developing a product line of personal protection equipment. This enabled the business to keep their 20 full time employees working and helped protect customers and front line workers against the virus. The PPE products effectively protect the user’s eyes, nose and mouth from airborne droplets. JetBoatPilot have successfully created, marketed and sold the new PPE products in addition to manufacturing and fulfilling orders for their traditional boating customers which is growing at a record pace.
Newcomer Award: Clark and Sons
Our newcomer award winner, Clark & Sons, chose Bay County as the US Distribution Headquarters. With a capital investment of 6 million dollars, Bay County was chosen over locations in Ohio and Pennsylvania because of the assets of our international port and the relationships with businesses in our community, such as Linea Peninsula. Bay County is centrally located and is an ideal location to receive products from our sister city, Merida, Mexico.
About the Awards
The 2020 IAC Industry Appreciation Celebration awards that were presented at the Awards Breakfast were produced by Mr. Kurt Morris, Engineering Technologist at Gulf Coast State College. The awards were designed using Auto Desk Inventor, a 3D modeling software, and printed on the college’s 3D printer. These awards took over nine hours to design, and 12 hours each to print, and include working mechanics.