Business Briefs

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Jax Beach Native Sun wins ‘Best New Store of the Year Award’

Native Sun Natural Foods Market’s Jacksonville Beach store has been named the Best New Store of the Year by New Hope Network, the leading media company in the natural products industry.

Announced recently at the National Products Expo East in Baltimore, the award was presented to Aaron and Erica Gottlieb, who opened the first Native Sun location in Mandarin 20 years ago. The Jacksonville Beach store – located at 1585 Third St. North – recently celebrated its first anniversary.

“Native Sun’s creativity and curation stands out as a model for new natural foods stores across the nation,” said Christine Kapperman of New Hope Network.

The Gottliebs thanked the Jacksonville Beach neighborhood for embracing the Native Sun market.

“We continue to strive to create an inviting environment that becomes the center of food and community,” Aaron Gottlieb said. “We are truly blessed to be a part of their lives.”

Legacy Trust expands sponsorship of Web.com Tour Championship

Legacy Trust has expanded its sponsorship of the Web.com Tour Championship, adding a number of new events to it support of the tournament that benefits Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

On Sunday, Legacy Trust was the presenting sponsor of the North Florida Junior Golf Shootout, a new event pairing several local juniors with a Web.com player and members of the media for a six-hole tournament. On Oct. 6, the company will host “Fashion on the Fairway” at One Ocean Resort & Spa, showcasing fashions by local designer the Katherine Way Collection. The event will feature a breakfast for players’ wives and girlfriends and will benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Jacksonville, which provides a home away from home for families of children battling illnesses at Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital. And during competition on Saturday, Oct. 8 and Sunday, Oct. 9, Legacy Trust will sponsor a hole-in-one contest for the Web.com Tour players, who will be vying for a $25,000 cash prize. The contest will be held all weekend on the par-3 third

“Our hope is that someone wins and maybe shares it with Wolfson, but we wanted to do something that added an additional element of excitement to the tournament,” CEO Kristin McLauchlan said. “I envision a good crowd at the third hole helping to build some drama out there.”

Chamber seeks silent auction items for ‘Business Boogie’ celebration

The St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce is seeking silent auction item donations for its upcoming annual celebration.

Ponte Vedra Recorder Publisher and incoming chamber Vice Chair Susan Griffin is coordinating the event’s silent auction.

“By donating an item to the silent auction, local businesses can promote their products and services to a large audience of local business and community leaders,” Griffin said.

To donate a silent auction item, email Griffin at susan@opcfla.com.

To be held Oct. 19 at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, this year’s chamber celebration will have a 1970s theme of “Business Boogie.” In addition to food, drinks and the silent auction, the event will feature entertainment provided by the popular band Boogie Freaks presented by SERVPRO of St. Augustine and SERVPRO of Ponte Vedra Beach, and 1970s attire is encouraged.

An early bird ticket rate of $95 per person is available to chamber members. Tickets for non-members are $125 per person. To register, visit www.sjcchamber.com. For information on available sponsorships, contact Events Manager Debra Bulak at debra.bulak@sjcchamber.com.

Betty Griffin House changes name to ‘Betty Griffin Center’

The Betty Griffin House has a new name: The emergency shelter for domestic and sexual abuse victims will now be known as Betty Griffin Center.

“After more than two decades, it was time for us to refresh our design, but also to have a name and brand that captures all the services we provide beyond our important role in providing shelter for those fleeing domestic or sexual abuse,” Executive Director Joyce Mahr.

In addition to providing shelter for more than 350 people each year, Mahr said, the nonprofit also provides thousands of hours of free counseling while operating a 24-hour crisis helpline and two thrift shops to help fund its services.

“We have many other initiatives under way in our communities,” she said. “We think the new name, Betty Griffin Center, better captures the extent of services we provide today.”

As part of the transition, the agency has also launched a new brand campaign that includes a new logo and tagline along with a new website and marketing materials. Announcement of the new name and brand was timed to coincide with Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.

“We’ve worked on this transition for more than a year,” Mahr said, “and we felt October was the most opportune time to for an announcement to further heighten awareness about the issue in our community.”

Dobbs subsidiaries team up to serve wineries

Two subsidiaries of David Dobbs Enterprises, Inc. have paired up to become a one-stop shop for wineries seeking branded marketing products.

Menu Designs and Dobbs Global – both of which are based in St. Augustine – will join forces to serve wineries across the country. Menu Designs specializes in designing and creating custom drink menu holders and binders, sampler paddles and tasting mats, table top marketing pieces, check presenters and other related products. Dobbs Global, meanwhile, manufactures, imprints and sources custom print products, glassware, promotional products and offers in-house decorating capabilities for uniforms and apparel.

“We know the beverage industry is continuously growing and each company is looking for a trusted source for their branded marketing products,” CEO David Dobbs said. “With the products and services that are offered under both of these entities, we have the ability to be that one-stop marketing source for wineries, both large and small.”