UWF Graduate To Pitch His Business On Next ‘Shark Tank’ Episode
February 11, 2021
University of West Florida graduate Wenceslaus “Wen” Muenyi will showcase his company’s odor-resistant fabrics on the reality TV series “Shark Tank” Friday night..
Muenyi, who graduated from UWF in 2016 with a BSBA in Marketing, will try persuading the panel of investors to invest in his company, HercLéon, a line of products, including bed sheets and clothing items, that uses manufactured sustainable and odor-resistant materials.
“I was lucky enough to discover the fantastic world of materials many years back after a trip to Iceland, where my clothes started to smell horrible, and I didn’t know where to find a laundry machine,” Muenyi said. “After that experience, I decided to find a way to develop products that would allow me to travel the world without any luggage and still be clean and comfortable. I did a lot of research and discovered HercFiber, a material that can be worn for days, weeks and months without having to be washed.”
Muenyi applied to be on “Shark Tank” early last year and received a call from producers over the summer. He flew to Las Vegas in September to make his pitch to investors. Not all tapings are aired so he was excited to learn last month that his presentation on the show would be broadcast. While he’s not able to disclose what happened on the show or if the Sharks invested in HercLéon, he said he most of all had fun.
“No matter what happens, you have to think ‘I’m doing this for the fun of it,’” Muenyi said. “You need to go in with a positive attitude and get excited about it. It’s an opportunity to do something that interests your curiosity, something that you get excited telling people what you’ve learned while doing it and that will take you far in life.”
Muenyi chose the name for his company because of his interest in Greek mythology and African history. Hercules is a symbol of faith, hope and service. He is from Cameroon, so he chose the word lion in French to represent persistence and determination. Fellow colleague and UWF graduate, Daniel Robar, is the main actor in HercLéon’s Jax Sheets commercials and assists with the developing and fulfillment of the company’s products. Muenyi credits his professors for preparing him for the pressure of the real world.
“Professor C. Scott Satterwhite is probably the single most important teacher I had at UWF, his
class’s focus on the Beat Generation characters like Alan Watts is the reason I live such a peaceful life, and in business it’s critical to find internal peace because you’ll always be putting out external fires,” Muenyi said. “If you can’t handle constant stress, then you’re going to hate being an entrepreneur.”
Whatever the outcome on the show, Muenyi is ready for the extra business that may come from his appearance on national TV.
“My fulfillment company had another client on the show, and they said they had over six thousand orders by the next day,” Muenyi said.
Muenyi’s episode will air locally at 7 p.m. Friday on WEAR ABC 3.
Federal Mask Mandate Includes ECAT Buses
February 11, 2021
Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) is reminding residents that face masks are required to ride public transportation.
Face masks have been required to ride ECAT since December 21, 2020.
On January 21, 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order requiring mask wearing on all modes of public transportation including intercity buses and trains. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order which requires people to wear masks while on all public transportation and conveyances (trains, airplanes, ferries, etc.) and at transportation hubs.
ECAT has provided free face masks since June 1, 2020, and will continue to do so.
“Although ECAT will have face masks available, riders are urged to plan ahead and bring their own face coverings before boarding any public transit,” said ECAT Mass Transit Director Tonya Ellis. “We would like to thank our ridership for following these federal orders, making the ride enjoyable and safe for our customers and operators.”
ECAT operators will also continue to wear masks. All ECAT employees are subject to temperature checks when they arrive to work as a precaution.
According to these orders, operators must use best efforts to ensure that any person on the conveyance wears a mask when boarding, disembarking, and for the duration of travel or while entering or on the premises of the transportation hub. Depending on the circumstances, operators must take the following actions:
- Board/allow entry only people who wear masks;
- instruct people that wearing a mask on the conveyance/premises is a requirement of federal law and that not complying with the requirement is a violation of federal law;
- monitor the conveyance/premises for any person who is not wearing a mask and seek compliance from such a person;
- at the earliest safe opportunity, disembark/remove from premises any person who refuses to comply; and
- notify people of the requirement to make sure they aware of and comply with the requirement to wear a mask. Examples of such notifications are messaging in apps, on websites or through email; posters in multiple languages with illustrations; and printing the information on tickets.
Riders also are required to properly wear the face covering according to CDC guidelines for their entire trip, including covering the face and nose.
People are not required to wear a mask under the following circumstances:
- while eating, drinking, or taking medication for brief periods of time;
- while communicating, for brief periods of time, with a person who is hearing impaired when the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication;
- if unconscious (for reasons other than sleeping), incapacitated, unable to be awakened, or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance; or
- when necessary to temporarily remove the mask to verify one’s identity such as during Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening or when asked to do so by the ticket or gate agent or any law enforcement official.
The following categories of people are exempt from the requirement to wear a mask:
- A child under the age of 2 years;
- A person with a disability who cannot wear a mask, or cannot safely wear a mask, for reasons related to the disability;
- A person for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to workplace health, safety, or job duty as determined by the relevant workplace safety guidelines or federal regulations.
Winners Announced In 67th Youth Art Focus (With Photos, Virtual Tour)
February 11, 2021
Winners have been announced from the 67th Youth Art Focus for the Escambia County School District with the Pensacola Museum of Art is now available.
Since 1954, Youth Art Focus has created an opportunity to expose students to the fine art world in a professional museum environment while giving the public a chance to experience and appreciate the accomplishments of Escambia County’s fine art education programs.
(Tip: To skip ahead to the student art in the virtual video tour, go to 27:55 in the video on the page linked above.)
Escambia County COVID-19 Hospitalizations Continue Downward Trend
February 11, 2021
The number of Escambia County COVID-19 daily hospitalizations is continuing to fall.
There were 152 people currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Escambia County on Wednesday.
“COVID-19 hospitalizations between the three local hospital systems are starting to slowly go down, but we still want to get back to the 50-75 range,” Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said. “It’s important that we continue to work together to bring these numbers down for our community and for our hospitals. Please be vigilant and take preventative actions, including wearing a mask, social distancing and washing your hands often.”
The numbers in the graph indicate daily hospitalizations in Escambia County and are provided daily by Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, Baptist Hospital and West Florida Hospital. The daily numbers are not cumulative.
Data source: Escambia County, City of Pensacola. Graphics: City of Pensacola, Escambia County.
FDOH Reports 11 New COVID-19 Deaths, 124 New Cases In Escambia County
February 11, 2021
THIS IS AN ARCHIVED STORY. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST DATA.
The Florida Department of Health reported 11 new COVID-19 deaths and 124 new cases Wednesday in Escambia County.
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 32,332 (+124)
Non-Florida residents: 3,353
Recovered: 30,854*
Total deaths: 580 (+11)
Long-term care facility deaths: 253 (+8)
Current hospitalizations: 152 (-7)
Number of tests reported last day: 1,251
Percent positive reported last day: 7.9%
Percent positive reported last week: 11.1%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 24,051 (+94)
Cantonment: 2,924 (+10)
Century: 1,130 (+2)
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 445
McDavid: 193 (+1)
Bellview: 56 (+1)
Walnut Hill: 49
Perdido Key: 21
Gonzalez: 12
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 16,217 (+65)
Non-Florida residents: 208
Total deaths: 237 (+3)
Long-term care facility deaths: 72
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 733*
Number of tests reported last day: 519
Percent positive reported last day: 11.3%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 7,786 (+33)
Navarre: 3,260 (+14)
Gulf Breeze: 2,347 (+10)
Pace: 1,288 (+6)
Jay: 501 (+1)
Bagdad: 31
Florida cases:
Total cases: 1,798,280
Florida residents: 1,765,659
Deaths: 28,208
Hospitalizations: 75,162*
*“Hospitalizations” in the statewide and Santa Rosa County totals is a count of all laboratory confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness. Most of these people are longer be hospitalized. The FDOH does not provide a count of patients currently hospitalized. The Escambia County number is current data compiled each day from the local hospitals.
**On cases by location, the city is based upon zip code and is not always received as part of the initial notification. There may be a delay in reporting locations, and locations will not total the daily case increase as a result.
***The Florida Department of Health does not have a clear standard or definition of “recovered” and does not report a number of recovered individuals. Escambia County is reporting an approximate recovery number defined as the total cases prior to last month, minus deaths. In other words, anyone that tested positive more than a month ago is presumed to have recovered by Escambia County.
**Data Sources: Florida Department of Health, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, local hospitals.
Pensacola, Biloxi VA Facilities Offering COVID-19 Vaccination Appointments
February 10, 2021
The Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System’s (GCVHCS) Joint Ambulatory Care Center (JACC) in Pensacola and Biloxi Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Biloxi are scheduled to host drive-thru COVID-19 vaccinations on February 13.
Veterans interested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccination during the appointment-only Pensacola and Biloxi VA facility events are encouraged to register by calling 1-800-296-8872.
\Using the mass vaccination model used by numerous public health organizations, both the Pensacola and Biloxi facilities will offer COVID-19 vaccinations by appointment only from 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. based on availability, according to Dr. M. Christopher Saslo, the GCVHCS associate director for patient care services and nurse executive.
“This effort will help to boost the number of vaccines being delivered to our Veteran population with the support of the VA Network Office and VA Central Office efforts,” he said. “With more than 75,000 registered Veterans throughout the Gulf Coast, it is vital to maximize these efforts in order to minimize risk to our Veterans at risk for exposure.”
Saslo added that GCVHCS COVID-19 vaccination prioritization falls in line with CDC recommendations and VA guidelines, which include Veterans over the age of 65, Veterans in residential behavioral health facilities, caregiver support recipients, Veterans with spinal cord issues and Veterans in long-term care facilities.
He also said that other high-risk populations that are being added as deemed available through vaccine delivery.
FWC Charges Cantonment Man With Deer Hunting Out Of Season On Someone Else’s Land
February 10, 2021
A Cantonment man has been charged with a long list of offenses after allegedly hunting deer out of season while trespassing on someone else’s land.
Brandon Lee Cobb, 31, was charged with three counts of felony armed trespassing on private property, three counts of possession of an antlerless deer in a closed season, three counts of willful wanton waste of wildlife, and one count of being over the daily bag limit of deer. He was also given numerous citations for offenses including no hunting license, no deer permit, no hunter safety card, failure to complete a harvest report and littering. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $14,500 bond.
Cobb was driving around concrete barricades with a large “No Trespassing” sign and entering two private parcels in Cantonment and property owned by Escambia County in order to hunt out of season, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC).
FWC officers said they located Cobb on one of the private parcels with three dead deer in the bed of his truck, an arrest report states. The truck was parked near a tree stand, and a .30-30 rifle was in the front seat along with two dogs. Officers determined that the deer had been killed about 20 hours earlier and were spoiled. Cobb told officers he was looking for a fourth deer he had shot.
Cobb claimed he had permission of the landowner to hunt on the property, but the person he named is deceased, the report states. The actual landowner told FWC he not given Cobb permission to hunt on the property.
The exact location of the properties was not provided in the FWC report.
Dense Fog Advisory In Effect
February 10, 2021
There is a dense fog advisory in effect for the entire area until 9 a.m. Thursday. Visibility is expected to be reduced to one quarter mile or less.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then a slight chance of showers between 9pm and midnight. Areas of dense fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 61. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Thursday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. Areas of dense fog before noon. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 72. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before midnight, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Low around 55. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 61. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Friday Night: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 51. North wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 60. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. North wind around 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.
Washington’s Birthday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 59.
Monday Night: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 39. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 52.
Navy Federal Announces Leadership Changes
February 10, 2021
Navy Federal Credit Union has announced that Captain Keith Hoskins (USN Retired), has been named to the role of executive vice president, branch operations and Kara Cardona has been selected to serve as the new leader of Greater Pensacola Operations. Hoskins served as lead executive for Greater Pensacola Operations since April 2019.
“Keith Hoskins has been a tremendous leader for Greater Pensacola Operations,” said Debbie Calder, chief operating officer for Navy Federal. “Between that experience and his 27 years of service in the U.S. Navy, Keith truly understands our members. I’m confident he will help our growing branch team meet the evolving needs of our members around the world.”
Hoskins takes the helm of the branch team from RADM Dietrich Kuhlmann (USN Retired) who was named chief real estate lending officer. Prior to joining Navy Federal, Hoskins was the western district manager for Gulf Power Company. His transition from military service came after 27 distinguished years in the U.S. Navy where he retired as commanding officer for Naval Air Station Pensacola, providing leadership and oversight to over 25,000 military and civilian personnel. In this role, Hoskins received the Chief’s Installation Excellence Award in 2015. He also served as a F-18 pilot on the Blue Angels flight demonstration team.
“One thing I have learned in my time so far with Navy Federal is this team, no matter where you serve in the credit union, has an unwavering commitment to be there for our members, each other, and our communities,” said Hoskins. “I am proud to be part of it, and look forward to leading our branch team.”
Cardona has been with the credit union for over 21 years, the last three years serving as the number two for Greater Pensacola Operations, Navy Federal’s largest operations site employing more than 8,400 people. Navy Federal is on track to reach its commitment of employing 10,000 people in the Escambia County community by 2026. Prior to her current role, Cardona served as vice president for the credit union’s branch operations.
“Kara’s commitment to our members, team members and the Pensacola community is outstanding,” said Calder. “I’ve always been impressed with her relentless focus on our members while continuing to improve the work experience for our team members.”
In addition to her senior executive role at Navy Federal, Kara also serves as vice chair on the board of directors for Baptist Health Care Inc. and as secretary on the board of directors for First Place Partners Economic Development Organization. She is also a member of IMPACT 100 Pensacola and serves as a big sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida. Kara holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in interdisciplinary studies, with a minor in business, and is an alumnus of Navy Federal’s Executive Education program at Darden School of Business, University of Virginia.
“The opportunity to lead our Pensacola team is a great honor,” said Cardona. “I look forward to continuing to help our employees enjoy a world-class work environment so they can continue their exceptional service to our members while also strengthening our partnerships across the local community.”
Tate Soccer Wins District Championship For The First Time In Over A Decade
February 10, 2021
The Tate High School mens soccer team won the District 1-6A championship Tuesday night 1-0 over Niceville. It’s the first time Tate has claimed a men’s district soccer championship since 2010.
Regular play ended scoreless, and after two 10-minute over halfs it was still 0-0. The game then when into penalty kick overtimes with the Aggies coming out with the win.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.