ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AWARD

Robert Parrish Group named EDC Champion

The company that brought Publix to Crawfordville is honored for its work by Wakulla’s Economic Development Council

Members of the Wakulla EDC with staff of the Parrish Group at the awards ceremony on Thursday.

The Wakulla Economic Development Council honored Robert Parrish and the Parrish Group for work bringing Publix to Crawfordville.

Due to a prior commitment, Parrish was unable to attend the event, held on Thursday, Aug. 25 at Sherlock Springs. But Parrish Group staffer Fred Cook stressed how many meetings Parrish had with Publix officials.

“A lot of meetings,” Cook said.

Cook also praised County Administrator David Edwards for his support of the project.

Cook said Parrish prioritized the type of development the community needed most.

Future projects include “much-needed medical services in Wakulla County,” he said.

In some impromptu comments, EDC member John Shuff said the Wakulla has been “chasing Publix for a long time.” And he stressed how rare it is that Publix builds a new store on anything less than a four lane road.

“This is special,” Shuff said.

The new Crawfordville Publix is on a stretch of Crawfordville Highway that is slated to be widened to a four lane sometime in the future, but currently is two lanes with a center turn lane.

Wakulla EDC won a marketing award from the Florida EDC for its website, wakullaedc.com.

The award was presented by EDC members Steve Cushman and Jessica Revell. In his comments, Cushman also acknowledged the contribution of the late builder Gene Cutchin, who was a partner with Parrish on the Publix project. “This place would not be what it is today if Gene had never driven a nail,” Cushman said.

EDC member Amy Geiger spoke on the achievements of the council over the past year, and the work done by Economic Development Coordinators Beth Chichetti and Julie Dennis.

Those accomplishments included winning a marketing award for the council’s website, wakullaedc.com, from the Florida EDC.