Join NAIOP NWFL for the monthly What's Up Chat Series. David M. Bear and Rick Harper will be speaking about Triumph Gulf Coast.  They will give a state of the state about how many projects have been funded and the impact.  

Lunch will be provided for registered attendees.

Meet the Presenters:

David M. Bear

Owner & Vice President

Bio

Mr. David M. Bear, of Pensacola, is an owner and Vice President of The Lewis Bear Company, a wholesale beverage distributor with operations throughout the Panhandle of Florida. In his professional work, Bear is a member of the Board of the National Beer Wholesaler Association, the Treasurer of the Board of the Florida Beer Wholesaler Association, and served on the Board of the Florida Strategic Brand Alliance. Bear is also a member of the Trustmark Bank Advisory Board.

In his volunteer, civic work, Bear has served in many leadership roles, including currently as Chair of the Escambia County Tourist Development Council and Vice Chair of FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance. He has served as President of the Boards for the Arts Council of Northwest Florida, Pensacola Museum of Art, Creative Learning Academy, and Pensacola MESS Hall. As the Founder, President, and Trustee Emeritus of the local arts agency, Art, Culture and Entertainment, Inc., Bear founded and chaired both Foo Foo Festival and Vacation Artfully, two of Escambia County’s cultural tourism campaigns.

In 2003, Governor Jeb Bush appointed Bear to serve a four-year term to the Florida Arts Council where he served as Vice President and Secretary. Bear was also appointed by Florida Secretary of State, Kurt Browning to serve on the Board of Citizens for Florida Arts, where he served as Treasurer.

Other community boards on which Bear has served include: Pensacola Sports Museum, Lakeview Center, the Melba Meyer Charitable Trust, and The Bear Family Foundation. He was also a member of the Advisory Committee for the Voices of Pensacola, presented by Gulf Power, and a member of the Leadership Pensacola Class of 2000.

Bear was recognized by the National Society of Fundraising Executives as Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year and the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce’s Emerging Leader of the Year.

Bear is a graduate of Belhaven College in Jackson, MS with a B.S. in Business Administration. He resides in Pensacola with his wife, Cindi, and their two children: Julia Belle (15) and Max (12).

Rick Harper
PhD 

Bio

Rick Harper received his BA in Economics from Guilford College in 1978, and an MA in 1986 and a PhD in 1989, both in Economics from Duke University. Rick worked as a professional economist from 1980 – 1984 at Research Triangle Institute in Research Triangle Park, NC, and at the University of West Florida (UWF) from 1989 until retiring in 2017. From 1996 – 2011 (except sabbatical and other time away) he served as Director of UWF’s Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development, conducting numerous studies of the local, regional, and state economies and economic sectors. He then served as Executive Director of the UWF Office of Economic Development and Engagement, overseeing activities of the Haas Center and of the State Director’s Office of the Florida Small Business Development Center Network.

Rick served as the Senior Policy Advisor for Economic Affairs for the Florida Senate from 2012 until 2014. In this capacity he had oversight responsibilities for several legislative committees, including Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Appropriations, Commerce and Tourism, Community Affairs, Military Affairs, and Gaming. After these two years, he returned to UWF as Assistant, then Associate, Vice President for Research and Economic Development and served as the University’s Chief Research Officer during 2015 and 2016. He has offered expert economics testimony in litigation and served as the economic expert for the State of Florida from inception until completion in its economic damages litigation with BP. Since retiring from UWF in 2017, Rick has served as the Economic Advisor to Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., providing advice and support to the Triumph Board of Directors as it seeks to distribute $1.5 bn in Deepwater Horizon damages funds to projects that will grow and diversify the Northwest Florida economy.