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Northeast Florida Roundup
Commercial Composter
SPOTLIGHT
Sunshine Organics & Compost of Jacksonville is a trashy business in the best way possible.
The business takes food waste, yard waste and other organic waste and turns it into usable products such as soil, mulch and biochar, a charcoal-like substance made by burning organic material. The aim is to save those types of waste from landfills, where they emit methane gas. Sunshine also produces compost from the waste it collects.
The waste processed by Sunshine includes bulk waste from nearby Budweiser, Maxwell House and Kraft Heinz plants and warehouses. Fun fact: The business once composted 200,000 pounds of expired pickles and ketchup.
Mike Kelcourse, who owns Sunshine Organics & Compost along with his wife Christina, grew up around the waste management business in New England and lived on a farm. That combination helped him see the intersection between waste and compost.
The permitting process for the business began in 2020 and was completed in February.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded Sunshine a $4.9-million grant earlier this year that will go toward equipment upgrades and improved production. The company is on pace to earn $750,000 in revenue this year and double that amount in 2024.
REAL ESTATE
- CBRE has named Tommie Reilly managing director and market leader for Jacksonville. Reilly will manage business operations and growth strategy for all advisory services lines of business. She takes the place of Tripp Gulliford, who had overseen the Jacksonville office since 2013.
EDUCATION
- Coursework designed by the University of Florida that focuses on artificial intelligence is being used in 12 Florida public school districts following a successful pilot program in three districts. Engineering faculty at UF received grant funding from the Florida Department of Education to develop the three-year AI Foundations curriculum and related professional development. The courses are offered through the state’s career and technical education programs.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
- Medius, a provider of automated accounts-payable technology, has moved its headquarters from New York City to Jacksonville. The company’s location in Jacksonville’s Brooklyn neighborhood will serve as a home base for more than 100 employees. In 2022, Medius acquired Jacksonville-based OnPay Solutions, an invoice payments provider. The business has more than 4,000 customers in 102 countries.
MARINE
- Yamaha Motor Corp., USA purchased Fort George Island Marina in Jacksonville and plans to convert it into a test center for Yamaha Marine products such as outboards, sport boats and WaveRunners. The Yamaha Offshore Endurance Center will include 7,200 square feet of office and event space and a 36,500-sq.-ft. warehouse and marina building.
CONSTRUCTION
- W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor has opened a two-story, 49,665-sq.-ft. headquarters in Jacksonville after a fire destroyed its previous building in 2020. Auld & White Constructors was the contractor on the project, and Kasper Architects + Associations was the architect. W.W. Gay has more than 1,300 employees.
TRANSPORTATION
- Florida State College at Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority have deployed an autonomous electric vehicle service on campus connecting the Advanced Technology Center, the president’s office and the school’s cafeteria. The 1-mile route is part of JTA’s Ultimate Urban Circulator program. Other autonomous vehicles are planned throughout the city in the coming years, including a shuttle network down Bay Street in 2025 and eventually in the Sports/ Entertainment district, downtown Northbank and Southbank.
- Mike Cory has been appointed executive vice president and CEO of CSX. He previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Canadian National Railway and was a transportation consultant after retiring from that position in 2019. Cory replaces Jamie Boychuk, who left the company after six years.
SPORTS MEMORABILIA
- Jacksonville-based Fanatics has sued Italian-based sports card competitor Panini, alleging unfair competition. In a federal lawsuit, Panini claims that Fanatics made unlawful business dealings with professional sports leagues and their players’ associations. In turn, Fanatics filed a federal lawsuit against Panini. Fanatics purchased the sports card firm Topps in 2022.
NON-PROFITS
- Dennis Whittle was named CEO of the Jacksonville Civic Council. He has more than 15 years of experience in public policy, economic development and public investment project leadership, as well as nearly 40 years of experience in global business and economics.
