Stephanie M. Powell

I'm on the team! Ready to work...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:22:40 -0500

Hayward Assembles Downtown Team

Pensacola’s mayor has assembled an Urban Redevelopment Advisory Committee in an effort to focus of the development of the city’s downtown.

Beginning this month, the committee will embark on a four-month endeavor to assist Mayor Ashton Hayward in implementing the redevelopment of Pensacola’s Community Redevelopment Agency—including downtown, the waterfront and surrounding neighborhoods. The group will be working towards incentivizing development and converting vacant and surplus public property to active uses.

“The City has planned and studied the redevelopment of our downtown and waterfront for long enough,” Hayward said in a statement. “There are several redevelopment plans just sitting on the shelf collecting dust.”

The Urban Redevelopment Advisory Committee will tasked with producing a report outlining specific recommendations. The mayor has outlined nine goals to guide the group’s work: build a community that is competitive in today’s economy; replenish the income of the CRA through new capital investment; make productive use of the large inventory of public land; create jobs and a sustainable future for this community; create a walkable community by increasing mixed-use density; insure that opportunities created and resources expended will benefit all; create a waterfront that is a thriving public space; create housing with a wide spectrum of affordability; restore the value of the authentic, historic character of downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods.

“As a downtown resident and business owner, I’m excited to see Mayor Hayward shift focus from the planning phase to taking action,” said Brian Spencer, Chair of the Community Redevelopment Agency, in a statement. “This is a great opportunity to focus on the execution of our redevelopment efforts.”
The seven members of the Mayor’s Urban Redevelopment Advisory Committee are Dr. Ken Ford, Teresa Dos Santos, Christian Wagley, John Myslak, Brian Hooper, Stephanie Powell, and Shana Neuhaus.

Soul of the Community

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:17:00 -0500

Growing up, I dreamed of being as involved in church just the same as those I admired when I was growing. Until I was interviewed for this article, I had never realized that I had already met my childhood expectations.

CHURCHES PUT CREED INTO DEED

By Jennie McKeon

What is gratifying to any pastor is when he or she has touched somebody and made a significant change in her life. For Pastor May, that person is Stephanie Powell.

Powell began going to Friendship when Rev. Theophalis May was pastor almost 11 years ago. She enjoyed the church and her fellow members, but she was unhappy with her place in the church. She tried the mass choir, praise team, usher board and helping with the youth choir.

“I didn’t want to be a bench member,” Powell said. “I thought, ‘There has to be something I can do.’”

After Hurricane Ivan when the remodeling of Friendship was done, Powell noticed the projectors above the altar and thought it would be fun to try the multimedia side of church.

“It became my niche,” Powell said. “I love it. I think I’ve grown into one of the people that I admired when I was younger. It’s a big deal. I remember when I got keys to the church, I thought, ‘I’m somebody. I’ve arrived.’”

Once Powell began working actively with the church, she realized that this may actually be something she would want to do for a living. She went to Florida A&M to major in graphic design, where she was number one in her class. After graduation, she was offered a job with the IRS in Washington, D.C.

When Powell was unsure about moving away to go to college as a first-generation student, Pastor May gave her guidance to push her along.

“Pastor May told me, ‘The Lord will never take you anywhere that His will won’t cover you’,” Powell said.

She only lasted in Washington, D.C. for two and a half months, and was welcomed back to Pensacola and Friendship with open arms. Now she is the media manager at Friendship, where she is in charge of branding the church. She even created a logo for the church. Powell typically spends about 15-20 hours a week either at the church or working for the church. For free. And she does this on top of her job at Pensacola Apothecary as marketing coordinator.

Friendship is the type of church where every member is family. At the 11:30 a.m. service, people are talking and laughing before the service starts. Even though the service lasted almost two hours, people are not ready to leave. They hand their colorful gifts to Pastor May, who accepts them graciously, and socialize with other members.

“We’re a big, happy family,” Powell said. “It’s great to feel like you belong somewhere, and it’s even greater to feel like you’re at home. I take that with me all week, and by the time I need more, it’s Sunday.”

Read the entire article

My Pensacola - Loving my hometown!

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:57:45 -0500

Photo: ActiveRain.com

Name: Stephanie M. Powell
Day Job: Marketing Coordinator, Pensacola Apothecary Specialty Pharmacy
Pensacola Resident Since: the fabulous year of 1981 – minus college and a few internships

Good Eats: Bagelheads on Gregory is a fave! Chicken Salad Supreme (ok, supreme really means the chicken salad is covered in crumbled bacon!!) on an untoasted Cheddar Jalapeño bagel is so yummy! Oh, then there’s the calamari at Macaroni Grill with extra lemon juice squeezed on top washed down with their Mango Sweet Tea. I love, love, love Captain Joey Patti’s fried oysters, shrimp, hush puppies, French fries and cheese grits. Can’t beat southern eating, right? And, there’s nothing like brunch at Atlas. Mimosas and Grits à Ya Ya or a MOMA Salad with blackened salmon… Bon Appétit!

Retail Therapy: Nothing—NOTHING—about shopping for clothes is therapeutic, but it’s a necessary evil, right? If I’m not in Dillard’s or Trade Secret (who doesn’t love OPI nail polish?), I’ll be scanning the racks in Loft, New York & Co. or The Limited. I relax when I’m shopping for the house. Nothing like wandering through Stein Mart, Target or Pier 1 and “happening upon” a great find. At least that’s how I tell the story.

A top coat of inspiration

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:17:00 -0500

There’s something about being trapped in one place by wet nail polish that I’ve never gotten used to. As much as I typically HATE going to the nail salon, today’s visit was a bit more enjoyable. Nail Lounge sprung up out of nowhere. It’s really amazing to see where having big dreams can take you. About 3 years ago the owner, my longtime manicurist, was working in a nail salon and decided to step out on her own. A little over a year ago, Nail Lounge opened with much fanfare. It’s inspiring to see Jenny walking around her lovely salon living HER dream. My wheels are turning. What do I want to accomplish this year? What’s holding me back?

A Fun Night in...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:49:03 -0500

Hubby’s away and I’ve decided to spend the night in and assemble Baby Olivia’s shower invites. Ok, Ok. I was planning to hand over over my wish list and butt out, but how could I? The designer in me just couldn’t do it. So, I designed the cutest invite (of course I’m biased) and had them printed. They arrived yesterday Next Day Flyers saved the day again. Last week the envelopes and liners came in from Paper Source. Yep, timed their delivery perfectly so that I could have them ready for addressing…

On to Plan B! Happy stuffing, right? Queuing “The Women” as I type…