FAST-GROWING COMPANY

Grain & Barrel Spirits

Matti Christian Anttila, 40, founded West Palm Beach-based Grain & Barrel Spirits in 2012. In 2018, it reached $3 million in revenue and hit $4 million in 2019. Its brands include Dixie Southern Vodka, distilled in South Carolina, Barbados-distilled Endless Summer Rum and Kentuckydistilled Chicken Cock Whiskey, a resurrected brand that dates to before Prohibition. Its citrus vodka uses Valencia oranges from Florida’s Lykes company.

Anttila is on the board of Piper’s Angels, which raises funds for cystic fibrosis, and participates in its annual Father’s Day Crossing for a Cure, a Bahamas-Florida opensea paddle crossing. Last year, he did it in 14½ hours.

REAL ESTATE

• Palm Beach Gardens-based Eastwind Development broke ground on the four-story, 178-apartment, The District Flats in West Palm Beach’s Warehouse District. A fifth of the units are designated as workforce housing and discounted for tenants whose annual income is 140% of annual county median income or less.
• Brightwork Acquisitions acquired six acres in the Tradition Center for Commerce in Port St. Lucie for $1.6 million with plans for a 60,000-sq.-ft. medical office building scheduled for completion in the third quarter.

WORKFORCE

• Broward ranked 16th nationally among large counties in talent attraction in an annual scorecard from research company Emsi that evaluates net migration, education attainment, job growth, competitiveness and annual openings per capita.
• Outplacement and personnel firm ManpowerGroup appointed Ryan Shea president of its Right Management Florida/ Caribbean region. His mother, Maureen Shea, continues as Right CEO, and his father, Tom Shea, as chairman.

FINANCE

• In a deal valued at $33 million, Stuart-based Seacoast Banking made its third bank acquisition in Palm Beach County since entering the market in 2003, acquiring West Palm Beach-based First Bank of the Palm Beaches and its two branches, including $172 million in deposits and $150 million in loans.

PHILANTHROPY

• Deerfield Beach-based childcare franchisor The Learning Experience donated $540,000 to Make- A-Wish America.
• The Raymond and Bessie Kravis Foundation gave $10 million to the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts’ Kravis 2020 campaign, which funds the renovation and expansion of the center.

EDUCATION

• Indian River County schools hired Miami-Dade Assistant Superintendent David Moore as its superintendent at $180,000 per year.
• Atlantic Technical College & Technical High School in Coconut Creek and Weston Christian Academy in Weston were named National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Florida Atlantic University broke ground on a $35-million, 58,000-sq.-ft. neuroscience building and a $17.1-million, 165- bed dorm on its Jupiter campus.

RETAIL

• AutoNation hired Office Depot CFO Joseph Lower as executive vice president and CFO.

TRANSPORTATION

• Fort Lauderdale-based regional carrier Silver Airways began deploying the 70-seat ATR 72-600, the first airline to operate the aircraft in the United States, with a flight from Tampa to Pensacola.

 

Read more in Florida Trend's February issue.

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