Around the Region �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Downtown Improvement Board seeking new director The Pensacola Downtown Improvement Board recently announced that it would seek a new director. Ron Butlin, the organization’s current executive, resigned Aug. 1 because of family health issues. His last day will be Sept. 30. “This was a difficult decision,” Butlin said Thursday, “but family health issues dictated this was the right time to transition. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made over the last three years and look forward to seeing what the future holds.” Butlin joined the DIB in 2013, after four years as executive director for the Downtown Partnership in Colorado Springs, an organization similar to the DIB. His tenure coincided with a period of unprecedented growth for Downtown Pensacola. “We hate to see Ron go,” DIB Chairman John Peacock said Thursday, “but we have a lot of initiatives on the horizon and are excited to see what sort of new ideas these candidates bring to the table.” A search committee, chaired by board member Jim Homyak, has been created to winnow the applicant pool down to a list of finalists, which will be presented to the full board at their Oct. 18 meeting. Assistant director Lissa Dees, who Peacock called “extremely competent,” will helm the organization until the position is filled. Peacock said the eventual director would have their hands full, with a number of new initiatives on the horizon. “They will have to be someone of strong vision,” Peacock said. “They’ll also need to have the will to push that vision forward and the ability to work collaboratively with other governmental entities. Most importantly, though, we want someone who sees the potential in this community and is passionate about moving it forward.” Those interested in applying for the position should send a resume and cover letter to dib@ ideaworks.co. ECUA & Escambia County kick off new recycling facility The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority Board, or ECUA, and Escambia County Board of County Commissioners held a kick-off ceremony to mark the opening of ECUA’s Interim Materials Recycling Facility, or IMRF, on Aug. 22 at the facility located at 13009 Beulah Road. The event highlights the result of collaborative efforts between ECUA and Escambia County, bringing to the region a state-ofthe art facility that will have the capacity to recycle up to 40,000 tons of materials per year. “Building this partnership has been instrumental in eliminating our reliance on outside contractors for the processing of this region’s recycling effort,” said Steve Sorrell, Executive Director of ECUA. “Now, we can focus on what’s really important: keeping recyclable materials out of the landfills and putting them to good use once again.” The $10.6 million project was initiated to offer a long-term, regional recycling solution for this community, while at the same time, to assist Escambia County in reaching its state-mandated 75 percent recycling goal. On Feb. 12, ECUA broke ground for the IMRF, which encompasses a 53,460 square-foot fabric building and recycling equipment that is expected to process up to 165 tons of materials per day. Tom Williams, senior project engineer from the IMRF’s site design firm, Baskerville-Donovan Inc., explained that from the beginning, it was about forecasting what the area’s needs were and creating a facility that would succeed in meeting and exceeding those needs. “This project was a long time coming, so our mission was to develop a unique, innovative solution that would fill a void we’ve had for a while in ECUA’s recycling program. The Interim Materials Recycling Facility is a necessary investment in this community, and it will continue to be one for years to come.” Another long-term benefit of the ECUA-Escambia County alliance was touched on by Escambia County Commissioner Grover Robinson. “It is exciting to see this joint project to support recycling in Escambia County,” Robinson stated. “But it is even more rewarding to see the partnership between Escambia County and ECUA making this happen and thereby making our community better.” U.S. Department of Energy recognizes The Wendy’s Company and franchisee, The Wendco Group, for significant energy reduction at its restaurant in Mobile On Wednesday, Aug. 31 The Wendy’s Company and its franchisee, the Wendco Group, gained national recognition from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with a visit and tour of the newly rebuilt Wendy’s restaurant in Mobile, Ala. located on Airport Boulevard, to showcase the company’s innovations in reducing energy use. The company has cut energy use by 37 percent at the Mobile, Alabama location. The facility was highlighted as the company’s most energy-efficient location in the world and a “Showcase Project” for the Better Buildings Challenge, a DOE initiative designed to improve the lives of the American people by driving leadership in energy innovation. Through the Better Buildings Challenge, DOE partners with leaders in the public and private sectors to make the nation’s homes, commercial buildings and industrial plants more energy efficient by accelerating investment and sharing successful best practices. As the first restaurant company to include franchisees in the Better Buildings Challenge, The Wendy’s Company has committed to reduce energy consumption per transaction by 20 percent in company-owned restaurants by 2025. More than 500 Wendy’s company and franchisee operated UWF reaches record enrollment restaurants are participating in the Better Buildings Challenge to date. of more than 13,000 students for Fall 2016 semester The University of West Florida has surpassed 13,000 in enrollment for the first time in the institution’s history, reaching 13,030 students for the Fall 2016 semester, as of Aug. 24, 2016. UWF reached 10,000 in enrollment in 2008 and 12,000 in 2012. The growth has been steady in recent years, reaching 12,416 in 2014 and 12,603 in 2015.
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