View This Issue - Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce

SECOND GENERATIONS: Making A Difference
Continued from Page 22
County, Alabama, 50 miles from his hometown of Tuscaloosa. Reggie is
still active in the business, as Dana runs the day to day operations. Both
Reggie and Dana believe in an old fashioned business philosophy of providing
service and value, and treating employees with the utmost respect,
and have done so for nearly 30 years.
The Walsingham Family
The Walsinghams have been residents of this community
since 1950. Father Gary, son Mike and daughter Sherri
Walsingham were students of the Bay County School System.
Gary and Mike attended Gulf Coast Community College and
Florida State University, and Sherri attended Bauder College. They
opened the first Alvin’s
Island (originally Alvin’s
5¢ & 10¢) which sold in
2003, and in June 2006
opened Ripley’s Believe
It Or Not! Museum.
The Walsinghams
believe,
“Good foresight,
open mindedness,
and great
decision-making
skills make a
The Walsinghams: Gary, Sherri and Mike.
30 The Circuit January/February 2008
good leader.” They believe it is the new airport that this community
needs in order to grow and move into the future. The Walsinghams
learned from their parents to always work hard to get where you want to
be, and once you are there, learn to take time to enjoy life.
The Gilmore Family
In the late sixties, Woody and Irene Miner sold everything they
owned to follow the dream of owning a business in sunny Florida.
They closed on the Driftwood Lodge on the week before Hurricane
Camille hit the Mississippi Coast. Lorraine and Doug Gilmore
joined the family business in 1971. In 1987 the Gilmores opened the Osprey
Motel. Having been
raised in the motels, the
Gilmore girls learned the
people skills they needed
to be good innkeepers.
Tracy and Suzanne
co-manage the Driftwood
and Osprey.
For 35 years, Suzanne
has been a resident of
this community. Family
includes husband
Michael Burke of 10
years and three children
Catherine Grace, Olivia
The Gilmores: (front) Irene; (back) Tracy
Shoppe, Doug, Lorraine, Suzanne.
and William Web. Suzanne attended Jinks Jr. High, Bay High, Mercer
University, Gulf Coast Community College and Florida State University.
She is a past Board member of The Greater Panama City Beaches
Chamber of Commerce, and has worked for the Red Cross, the Bay
County School System, Hyatt Pier 66, and currently is co-owner/manager
of Gilmore Resorts and Rental Properties.
Suzanne feels confidence, compassion, vision, goals
and the ability to listen are the ideal qualities of a
leader. A quality local government, cultural/educational institutions,
and an active business community are what Panama City Beach needs to
embrace growth. Suzanne is most proud of her three children and running
an established and successful family business. Her parents taught her,
“Your community is what you make of it.”
Since childhood, Tracy has been a resident of Panama City Beach.
Family includes husband Ted of 15 years and four children from
ages 1 to 13. Tracy attended Beach Elementary, Bay High and the
University of Florida. She is owner/manager of Gilmore Resorts and
Rental Property.
Tracy believes a leader demonstrates the qualities
of compatibility as well as strong communication
skills. The top three resources she feels are needed for
this community to embrace growth and move into the future include
infrastructure, affordable housing and mass transit. Tracy is most
proud of the successful family business. “I believe our guests leave
our motels with a positive feeling about our property and Panama
City Beach as a whole,” she states. Her parents taught her this:
Where you spend your time reflects what you value most.
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