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North Florida Small Business Advocates Win PACE Awards for Community Leadership

Mar 2012

Florida First Capital is pleased to announce that Larry Strain and Jay Bradshaw recently received Pensacola Area Commitment to Excellence (PACE) awards for their significant contributions to the Pensacola area's overall economic progress.

Strain, who is the regional director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of West Florida (UWF), was named Professional Leader of the Year for his outstanding leadership and contributions in response to the 2010 BP/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

In the aftermath of the spill, Strain quickly mobilized resources to assist economically impacted small businesses in the hardest hit areas of North Florida as well as throughout the state. Working with Florida First Capital, administer of the State of Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, Strain traveled more than 10,000 miles to provide 163 emergency bridge loans worth $4.3 million which resulted in retaining more than 1,700 jobs.

“To be recognized by my peers for doing the things I am passionate about is truly special. It has been and is my goal to try to make our region and our community a better place to live, work and play each and every day. I am simply thrilled about the recognition this award brings to the SBDC and UWF,” said Strain.

Also recognized for a PACE award was Jay Bradshaw, owner Coastal Moving & Storage of NW Florida and Pensacola Moving & Storage and a Florida First Capital 504 loan recipient. He was named Emerging Leader of the Year for his tireless community support and volunteering efforts.

Since Bradshaw and his family moved to Pensacola in 2005, he has inspired local small businesses like his own and has made volunteering in the community with his family a top priority. He displays the heart, mind and motivation that it takes to make a single impact on a community.

A great example of that is Bradshaw's involvement in Manna Food Pantries and Fill the Mayflower food drive this past Thanksgiving.

Manna Food Pantries is a private, not-for-profit corporation dedicated to alleviating hunger in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. It serves more than 30,000 people in Northwest Florida annually through a network of distribution sites.

Under Bradshaw's leadership this year's food drive was the best yet, having filled two 53-feet Mayflower trailers with 20,000 pounds of non-perishable food items. The drive also collected $10,000 in donations, which with Manna's buying power equated to 160,000 pounds of food for a total of 180,000 pounds of food put into pantry. Additionally, Gulf Winds Federal Credit Union donated $25,000 and Walmart donated $30,000 toward Manna's ongoing infrastructure needs.

Congratulations Jay and Larry on these well deserved awards.

For more information about SBA 504 loans in Florida, contact Florida First Capital by visiting www.ffcfc.com, emailing at info@ffcfc.com or calling 888.320.5504.