FROM THE EDITOR
BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE
EVOLVE Greater Daytona Region is published by TouchPoint Innovative Solutions .
PUBLISHER Howard M . Holley
EDITOR John Guthrie
MANAGING EDITOR Elesha Mavrommatis
ART DIRECTOR Leslie Proctor
ADVERTISING SALES Jeanne Coates
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Nick Conte • City of DeLand Richard Cooper • Halifax Insurance Partners Heather Edwards • Volusia County Economic Development Department
Michael Jiloty • Team Volusia Aaron London • Journalist / Writer Dean O ’ Brien • 06 Marketing LLC Brian Rademacher • City of Ormond Beach Chris Thomes • Daytona State College Jack White • Jack White Land Co Chris Wimsatt • Team Volusia Amy Workowski • The W Agency
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Author Chet Holmes helped me understand the allure of sports –– the simple act of one using his or her mind and body to compete to win . It ’ s this internal desire to win that draws us , as players and spectators , to embrace our competitive nature and bond with others who feel the same . That said , there are also outputs to this internal desire and one of them is business . Volusia County is blessed to have many sports-related offerings at our residents ’ fingertips . There are the major players like the Daytona International Speedway and the LPGA , but not to be overlooked are businesses and venues that play on a local scale , creating economic opportunity for many .
Pictona in Holy Hill , the result of a public / private partnership , has grown incredibly fast , both leveraging and helping to expand locally the popularity of one of the fastest-growing sports in the U . S .–– pickleball . Julie and Rainer Martens , who grace our cover , have been instrumental in Pictona ’ s success .
With its 65-year legacy of great golf , The Riviera Country Club , “ The Riv ” as golfers know it , is the place to go for the best greens and friendly people . Ryan and Eric Myers share the keys to the long-term success of this family-run business . An issue on sports would not be complete without including the Ocean Center , which hosts many sports events each year , including my personal favorite , for its name alone , The Bacon BeatDown ! But the largest Ocean Center event , and perhaps the one which impacts the Daytona Beach economy the most , is the National Collegiate Cheer Competition . Seeing the families unload their SUVs in matching warm-up suits and watching them enjoy all we have to offer brings a feeling of energy and enthusiasm for the place we ’ re fortunate to call home .
Speaking of energy , have you ever enjoyed a night at the New Smyrna Speedway ? The Hart family and their loyal team put on races almost the entire year long . Many famous and up-and-coming drivers have raced at New Smyrna Speedway . And the business of racing has been an economic driver in our area in more ways than one .
We feature some legacy businesses involved in sports , but there are also some newcomers to the landscape . Esports is a billion-dollar business globally and it ’ s good to know one local business , Vortex Esports Arena , has its controllers in the game !
Rounding out the issue , Mike Panaggio , CEO of DME Delivers and DME Sports Academy offers his thoughts on the business of sports and the exciting road ahead through globalization and changing media .
Who ’ s got game ?
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Editor @ evolvemagazineflorida . com
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JOHN GUTHRIE Editor , EVOLVE
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NOVEMBER 2021 | 3 |