SPOTLIGHT
One day at a barbecue joint, firefighter/EMT Sean Conant of Jacksonville was complaining about the cost of firefighter clothing and the length of time it would take an order to arrive, often approaching two or three months.
That initial conversation of frustration led to the creation of FILO Apparel, which sells firefighter clothing that’s less expensive, includes a line of clothing for female firefighters, and arrives in about two weeks or less. Conant started the business with his friend Dan McLaughlin, a brother and uncle to firefighters.
FILO is able to keep costs lower because orders go right from the manufacturing facility to the end users. The Nomex (a heat- and flame-resistant material) sold by FILO is PFAS-free, helping buyers avoid a group of chemicals common in firefighter clothing but that also can raise the risk for cancer.
FILO Apparel also sells FILO FUEL Coffee, made by a Nicaraguan coffee farm. A portion of the sales from FILO Fuel help benefit Next Rung, a nonprofit that supports firefighters with mental illness or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Since opening online in June of last year, FILO has fulfilled orders from around the U.S. The company saw 66% growth in sales from the fourth quarter in 2023 to the first quarter of 2024. “We’re trying to increase that same percentage each quarter of 2024 and into the following years,” Conant says.
MANUFACTURING
- Anderson-DuBose Company of Lordstown, Ohio, will open a new $60-million facility in Jacksonville that will serve more than 300 restaurants in the Southeast, including McDonald’s and Chipotle. The 33-acre, 160,000-sq.-ft., cold-storage distribution facility will bring 109 jobs to the area.
EDUCATION
- Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) is now a partner with the U.S. State Department’s Diplomacy Lab program, a public-private initiative in which State Department officials draft projects and seek bids from faculty to work on them with student teams.
- FSCJ also has received an $897,577 grant to assist career and technical programs related to welding and medical assistance at two Duval public schools and a nearly $1.5-million grant for a vocational and career-readiness training program geared toward adults with intellectual disabilities living in Duval or Nassau counties.
IPOs
- Jacksonville-based auto transport consolidator Proficient Auto Logistics went public at $15 per share, raising more than $200 million, as it rolled up five separate companies that primarily move vehicles for manufacturers to dealers. The combined companies had $414.8 million in revenue and 649 employees in 2023.
WEALTH
- Shad Khan, owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, is the 162nd richest person in the world with a net worth of $12 billion, according to Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s billionaires. In addition to owning the Jaguars, he owns the Fulham F.C. soccer team in England and the auto parts supplier Flex-N-Gate, and co-owns All-Elite Wrestling.
HEALTH CARE
- Cadrenal Therapeutics of Ponte Vedra has received an Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its drug tecarfarin to prevent thromboembolism and thrombosis in patients with a ventricular assist device or a total artificial heart. The Orphan Drug Designation can assist with the drug development process and provide tax credits for clinical research.
- Kevin Rinks was named president and CEO of Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside hospital in Jacksonville, and Bryan Walrath is now president and CEO of Ascension St. Vincent’s Clay County in Middleburg. Rinks had been CEO of St. Vincent’s Clay County since 2020. Walrath was previously CEO of Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach.
- Mayo Clinic Florida and Nemour Children’s Health announced a 10-year extension of their partnership focused on research and clinical care in pediatrics. Their collaboration, which began in 1993, will include expanded educational programs and potential advancement of clinical research programs.
- Walmart Health is shuttering all 51 of its locations around the U.S., including seven in Northeast Florida. Walmart says rising costs and reimbursement challenges made operations unsustainable. The Northeast Florida locations opened in 2022 and 2023.
RAIL
- Gulf & Atlantic Railways of Jacksonville has rebranded as Pinsly Railroad Company on the heels of its 2023 acquisition of Pioneer Valley Railroad, which was Pinsly’s last short line railroad company. The renamed company operates six short line regional railroads, including Florida Gulf & Atlantic, which runs through the Panhandle.
- In partnership with Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CSX debuted its first hydrogen-powered locomotive. It is a converted diesel locomotive using a hydrogen conversion kit. Hydrogen is a potential alternative to fossil fuels as it emits only water vapor.
NONPROFITS
- Cheryl A. Taylor was promoted to CEO of CareerSource Northeast Florida. She replaces Bruce Ferguson, who has retired.