For 10 years, EVOLVE has set out to shine a light on success — on the entrepreneurs, businesses and ideas shaping our region. A decade later, we went back to10 leaders who’ve graced our cover to ask: Where were you then? Where are you now? What’s driven it? And what are you building next? 

Randy Dye,

Owner, Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM & FIAT | Featured August 2016

When EVOLVE first spotlighted Randy Dye, Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM & FIAT was in full growth mode — expanding its used car operation, building out its service department and setting ambitious new goals. Nearly a decade later, the dealership’s evolution has been less about square footage and more about people.

“Our business is still very much about people,” said Dye. “People buying from us, people selling and the people working here. My definition of success really is about helping our employees succeed.” That commitment takes a form that might surprise some: the dealership offers staff free college education through a partnership with Strayer University. Some might question the investment. Dye doesn’t. “It’s just really about people,” he said.

Twenty-nine years in business, Dye credits one thing above all else for the dealership’s staying power. “I think sticking to our core values — making the experience that the customer has here different, better and hopefully a positive surprise — is the reason we’re still here.”

Looking ahead, he has his sights set on the next generation of leadership. “I hope the dealership will be here 29 more years from now,” he said. “And if that’s true, it’s going to take somebody else besides me leading it.”

Christopher P. Bowler

President & Owner, Daytona Beverages, LLC | Featured November 2019

Growth has always been part of the strategy at Daytona Beverages — just not growth for its own sake. It’s a distinction Bowler is deliberate about. “Our goal is not to get bigger for bigger’s sake,” he said. “But to ensure that we can provide the best possible portfolio for our retailers and ensure our teammates can be successful.”

Since EVOLVE featured him in 2019, that purposeful approach has yielded real results. The team has grown from 130 to 161 teammates, and distribution territory has expanded from Volusia and Flagler Counties into Putnam and South St. John’s — now covering over 3,000 square miles.

But ask Bowler what’s driven it all, and the answer isn’t territory or volume. “Our teammates are the most important part of our success,” he said. “Culture is fundamental to our family business.”

Meaghan Sutter, AP, Dipl. Ac.

Owner, Port Orange Acupuncture | Featured August 2020

Fifteen years into practice, Meaghan Sutter’s mission hasn’t changed — but her definition of success has.

In 2020, Port Orange Acupuncture’s focus was clear: help people feel better and give the community a place where patients felt heard, supported and nurtured. That foundation holds. Today, POA serves the same local population that supported it from the start, while also extending care through the Veterans Administration.

What’s evolved isn’t the clinical focus — helping people find lasting relief from pain and restoring balance in the body has always been at the center — it’s how Sutter measures the work. “Early on, achievement meant growth and building a thriving practice,” she said. “Success looks different now. It’s seeing patients regain function, confidence and a sense of ownership over their health.”

“Health is deeply personal,” Sutter said. “Building relationships and trust with patients is now the most meaningful part of my career.”

Her intention going forward is to keep studying, keep listening, and continue bridging Traditional Chinese Medicine with conventional healthcare through education and collaboration.

Tom Brandt

Chef & Owner, Cress Restaurant | Featured February 2021

Tom Brandt bought Cress Restaurant in the summer of 2019. Months later, the pandemic hit. When EVOLVE first featured him, the primary focus wasn’t ambition — it was reassurance, ensuring guests felt safe to dine out at all.

Five years on, the picture looks strikingly different. Cress has built a devoted following of foodies and welcomes a steady stream of visitors to Historic Downtown DeLand. The formality has eased — a single all-day menu lets guests order dinner items at lunch or a burger at dinner — but the experience remains elevated. Brandt is now his own chef, cooking daily alongside his culinary team, with direct control over quality and direction in the kitchen.

What’s driven it? “People and a focus on excellence,” said Brandt. The recognition has followed: DiRoNA Award of Excellence for 2025 and 2026, and Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for the wine program.

Looking ahead, Brandt’s focus stays local, supporting DeLand’s community, the Athens Theatre and growing the restaurant’s private dining program.

Jesse McKnight

Co-Owner Flagler County Abstract | Featured June 2021

When EVOLVE first featured Flagler County Abstract, the operation had more bricks and mortar. Since then, McKnight has downsized and streamlined without any loss of capacity or capability.

“Market share in Flagler County is highly controlled and highly diverse,” said McKnight. “Because we are not realtor/builder affiliated, our share has shrunk — but word of mouth and satisfied customers who stand up for their right to choose has seen us through.” A small but growing following across the state has followed.

Through all of it, one thing hasn’t changed. “Our ethos of good service and diligence in all we do has not changed or diminished.” What’s mattered most? “Our priceless reputation for integrity and competence.”

As for what’s next, he lets someone else do the talking. To quote Elton John: “I’m still standing after all these years.”

Captain Zach McKenna

St. Augustine Eco Tours | Featured October 2021

When EVOLVE first featured St. Augustine Eco Tours, Captain Zach McKenna was navigating a company in transition: a new management structure post-COVID, rising operating costs and a surge of local competition on the horizon. The strategy he put in place worked.

Today, the business runs on a dynamic mix: fiercely loyal legacy clients, new academic research initiatives with major state universities and expanding programs for Spanish-speaking guests. Over 20 years, the company has welcomed hundreds of thousands of guests, conducted animal rescues of marine birds, sea turtles, manatees and dolphins, produced published scientific research, and led multiple wetland conservation initiatives.

“We are the organization people call with questions about flora and fauna, environmental regulations and policy, injured or distressed wildlife,” said McKenna. That role, environmental leader (and) not just tour operator, is the company’s essential backbone. And it’s outgrowing its funding.

Looking ahead, McKenna is focused on securing resources to continue federally permitted dolphin research, marine animal rescue and land acquisition, and developing the talent to carry it forward. Asked to sum up this chapter in a single word, he doesn’t hesitate: rebirth.

Corrine Heck

Founder & CEO Details Flowers Software | Featured February 2022

Corrine Heck built Details Flowers Software to solve her own floral business challenges. She didn’t stop there.

In 2022, Details was mid-transformation: a nine-person team entering the U.K. market, navigating post-pandemic complexity, and fostering local talent through a partnership with Stetson University’s Centurion Sales Program. Today, the platform serves floral professionals across the U.S., U.K., Canada and expanding international markets with a team of 16.

Two things, Heck said, have mattered most. “Staying rooted in the floral community is essential. My experience as a florist guides every feature we build.” The second is culture. In 2025, Details was named a Top 100 Business and Culture Champion by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “A company is only as strong as its people,” she said. “When strong systems handle the mechanics, creativity truly flourishes.”

Looking ahead, Heck is integrating AI-powered insights and streamlining the supply chain from farm to final delivery. Her goal is straightforward: “To bridge the gap between artistry and analytics and help build a future of stronger businesses and more vibrant communities.”

Jayson Meyer

President & CEO Synergy Billing | Featured Winter 2022

When EVOLVE first featured Synergy Billing, Jayson Meyer was building a precision operation: standardizing processes, establishing accountability and delivering consistent revenue cycle results for community health providers. Operational excellence was the competitive advantage.

That foundation held, but the landscape shifted.

“Much of what defined best practice in 2019 is obsolete — not because it was wrong, but because the world changed,” said Meyer. AI and technological advances have created new leverage: predictive receivables forecasting, smarter capital solutions, and the ability to serve more clients while processing nearly twice as many claims.

Through the transformation, Meyer’s priority has remained constant: people. “We’ve been transparent about technology — what it is, what it isn’t and how it benefits the team,” he said. “To reduce fear and build confidence that AI is here to elevate our people, not replace them.”

The next chapter is broader in ambition: taking Synergy’s methodology beyond its own operation to help level the playing field in healthcare and insurance billing. The goal is simple: “Fewer preventable denials, faster cash flow, and more resources staying where they belong — supporting patient care.”

Mckenzi Lyn Flis

Founder & CEO Old Trends New Trends LLC | Featured Winter 2023

Some businesses are built in boardrooms. Mckenzi Lyn Flis built hers between classes at Stetson University, during a pandemic, around a passion for authentic vintage designer handbags. By graduation, she was ready to go all in.

“I was honestly more excited than anything to stop going to class and really dive into OTNT,” she said. “No more splitting my time between the two.” What followed was a leap few entrepreneurs would take: packing up everything and moving to New York in March 2025 with rent due and no guarantees. Sometimes changing your environment changes everything. OTNT grew faster in its first month in New York than in the first five years of business combined. The team has grown from three to 15, e-commerce ships worldwide, and retail pop-ups now reach cities across the country.

“Most entrepreneurs give up before turning the corner to success,” she said. “You might just be one hit away from shattering it.”

Building an ironclad team is the next goal. For Flis, those behind the brand are the brand.

Bryon White

Founder & CEO Yaupon Brothers American Tea | Featured Spring 2023

Three people. A wild harvest. And a plant most Americans had nearly forgotten existed.

When Yaupon Brothers first appeared in EVOLVE, Bryon White’s own description said it best: “We were early — more conviction than infrastructure.” The team was building awareness around yaupon, a native North American plant with a long history and almost no modern market, while fighting two battles at once: educating consumers on what yaupon even was and proving there was real demand for it.

There is.

From early farmers markets and regional shelves, Yaupon Brothers has grown into a vertically integrated agriforestry and CPG platform with products in over 1,000 retailers, including Whole Foods and Walmart, and a direct relationship with consumers nationwide. The team has grown to 12 and counting. White points to one decision above others: “Investing early in supply chain control has been the single biggest unlock,” he said.

White credits the journey to persistence and clear-eyed storytelling. “We stayed committed through long periods where the market didn’t immediately respond while continuously refining how we tell the story — honoring yaupon’s indigenous roots while making it accessible and relevant to modern consumers,” he said

The vision ahead is bigger than tea. White is building toward category leadership in North American caffeinated botanicals — establishing yaupon as a regenerative, domestic alternative to imported caffeine.