Dick Appleyard

President

Dick Appleyard’s success in business began with basketball.

Dean Smith recruited him to join North Carolina because he wanted a team leader. “We’ve got plenty of scorers and big play makers, but we need someone to bring out the best in each of our players.” Hugh Durham of FSU said, “He understands the game. He sees the big picture.” C. M. Newton of Alabama recruited Appleyard because “he makes everyone on the team better; he’s a great assist man.”

When Dick walked off the playing court, he transferred those same skills to the business world, earning an MBA from the University of West Florida and joining the Appleyard Agency in 1974.

Since that time Dick’s enthusiasm and “big picture” understanding have been applied to bring out the very best in our clients. His love of competition has helped businesses and individuals compete for customers, votes, public awareness and market share. He has built a team that is focused on customer satisfaction and results.

Appleyard understands a lot more than advertising. He knows how to run a business and how to help businesses build profit. Our diverse clientele enjoys having a partner that is passionate about market share leadership, sales growth, increased guest counts and growing gross margin.

Community Service

• Rebuild Northwest Florida, Founder
• Habitat for Humanity
• Waterfront Rescue Mission, Advisor
• Five Flags Rotary Club, Program Committee Chair
• Pensacola Museum of Art, Board of Directors
• Sacred Heart Hospital, Board of Directors
• United Way, Board of Directors
• Pensacola Children’s Chorus, Board of Directors (Past)
• Pensacola Junior College Foundation, Executive Committee
• Pensacola Sports Association, Member

Professional Awards

• PJC Capital Campaign, Extraordinary Commitment, 2000
• Pensacola Sports Association, Sportsman of the Year, 1999
• Arts Council of Northwest Florida, Music Award, 1999
• Kiwanis, Man of the Year, 1989
• United Way, Outstanding Volunteer, 1989
• Civitan, Citizen of the Year, 1988
• Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, Professional Leader of the Year, 1987

John Appleyard

Founder & Author

John Appleyard attended Northwestern University School of Journalism, Oxford University, and the University of Delaware where he earned a Bachelor’s degree, graduating with honors in 1947. After college, he worked for Armstrong World Industries and was a partner in the public relations firm of Justin Weddell & Associates. In 1958, he served as State Director for the Florida Quadricentennial Commission.

In 1959, he and his wife Eleanor founded the John Appleyard Agency, Inc. and served as CEO until 1993 when his son, Dick, took the reins. He also served as president and CEO of Healthcare Research & Development Institute from 1967-1992, when Diane Appleyard became president.

Author/Historian

One of the region’s foremost storytellers, John Appleyard has published more than 100 books, including histories of prominent local families, novels and non-fiction works detailing the area’s rich history, and a series of more than 100 mysteries involving two 1900s-era Pensacola policemen. He has authored histories and produced films for local businesses such as Baptist Hospital, First United Methodist Church, the Medical Center Clinic, the Lewis Bear Company, the T.R. Miller Company, Pensacola Junior College, the Pensacola YMCA, the Escambia County School System and First Presbyterian Church. He also wrote the plays The Second Great Document and The Third Great Document and numerous radio enactments and plays dealing with local and regional history. He and his clients were recipients of over 100 Freedom Foundation medals and awards for patriotic presentations.

Sales of John’s books benefit numerous local charities and causes such as WEAR-TV’s Community Caring at Christmas, the United Way, and the Arthritis Foundation. With the help of sponsors, John has also donated thousands of books to local public schools. His latest works include a series of reader-coloring books prepared for public school fourth grade students.

Community Service

• City of Pensacola, Constitutional Bicentennial Commission, Member
• Downtown Rotary Club, Former President, Paul Harris Fellow
• First Presbyterian Church, Elder, Teacher
• Home Builders Association of West Florida, Former Executive Director
• Junior Achievement, Former Director
• LIONS Club, Former Director
• Pensacola Junior College, Adjunct Professor
• Pensacola Junior College Foundation, Former President, Fellow
• Pensacola Historical Society, Former President
• United Way of Escambia County, Former Board Member
• United Way Foundation, Board Member
• University of West Florida, Adjunct Professor
• Wachovia Bank Advisory Board, Member, Former Chairman
• West Florida Regional Medical Center Board, Former Chairman, Board Member
• WWII Memorial Committee, Korean War Memorial Committee, Secretary

Awards

• Pensacola Kiwanis Club, Citizen of the Year, 1996
• Ad Club, Silver Medal, 1989
• Rotary Club, Man of the Year, 1989
• Civitan Club, Citizen of the Year, 1989
• Cordova Rotary Club, Honorary Member, 1989
• Warrington Kiwanis Club, Honorary Member, 1989
• Grover Robinson Award, 1989
• Rotary Club, Citizenship Medal, 1989
• Pensacola Historical Society, Heritage Award, 1988
• Rotary Club, Paul Harris Fellow, 1988
• Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association, Liberty Bell Award, 1988
• Chamber of Commerce-News Journal, Pioneer Businessman of the Year, 1986
• Jaycees Northwest Florida, Young Man of the Year, 1955

Service Citations

• Boy Scouts of America
• City of Pensacola, Constitutional Bicentennial Commission
• Escambia County
• Homebuilders Association of West Florida
• Junior Achievement
• Pensacola Junior College
• Pensacola LIONS Club
• University of West Florida
• YMCA

Literary/Lecture Series

• Civic Programs, Lecturer
• Lois & Mike Show, BLAB, Daily Historical Briefs
• Pensacola Junior College, Elderhostel Series Lecturer
• University of West Florida, Community Lecture Series
• University of West Florida, Heritage Foundation Lecture Series
• WBSR Radio, Daily Historical Briefs
• WCOA Radio, Pensacola History Series

Carolyn Appleyard

Financial Manager

A graduate of the University of West Florida, Carolyn Appleyard has an M.A. in accounting and B.S. in Vocational Education. She has served as the comptroller and strategic planner for the agency for the past twenty years. Prior to joining Appleyard Agency, Carolyn worked with the Saltmarsh accounting firm. She also has experience in banking and teaching.

Community Involvement

Since 1959 the Agency has always had a policy of giving back to the community in a variety of ways including providing marketing and advertising support of public service events and projects. Carolyn has always had passion for helping others and today she spends over 75% of her time in public service.

Currently Carolyn serves as chairman of the Pensacola Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors, having recently completed 20 months as a volunteer co-executive director of Rebuild Northwest Florida. RNWF was a community effort launched after the area was devasted by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, coordinating recovery efforts for low-income residents.

Other areas of community involvement include:

• Escambia Community Collaborative, Poverty Solutions Team
• Impact 100 Pensacola Bay Area, founding board member and treasurer
• Pensacola Children’s Chorus, past board chair and treasurer
• Some Like It South!, recipe editor
• “Discovery” hands-on children’s museum project, chairman
• Leadership Pensacola (LeaP)

Diane Appleyard

Vice President

Diane Appleyard is vice president of Appleyard Agency and president of both Healthcare Institute, a national think tank of leading healthcare system executives, and Core Consulting, a healthcare consulting firm. She received her bachelor’s degree from Birmingham-Southern College and master’s from Vanderbilt University.

After an early career in education, during which she was named Florida’s Outstanding Young Educator of the Year in 1975 and served abroad at Department of Defense Schools in Germany, Diane returned to Pensacola and became vice-president of WPMI-TV, then a startup independent station. She began working at the Appleyard Agency in 1985 and entered the healthcare industry three years later. She has been included among Modern Healthcare’s “100 Most Powerful” lists and was the Pensacola News Journal’s Businesswoman of the Year in 2005.

Diane is active in a number of not-for-profit boards, including the National Center for Healthcare Leadership and Access Escambia. She was a founding board member of Impact 100 Northwest Florida. She also serves on the board of Gulf Coast Community Bank and the advisory boards of Alter+Care and Clark Consulting.

Rick Appleyard

Production Assistant

Since Rick was a young boy, he could be seen wandering through the offices of the Appleyard Agency. After graduating from the University of West Florida with a degree in advertising, he went on to study copywriting at the Creative Circus, an advertising portfolio school in Atlanta. Rick joined the Agency’s production department in 2010 as a video editor and cinematographer.

Riannon Boven

Art Department Manager

Riannon joined Appleyard Agency in November 2007. As Art Department Manager, she oversees the design, writing and production of all print advertising, brochures and direct mail. She is a graduate of the University of West Florida where she earned a degree in Advertising with a minor in Marketing and a certificate in Sales Management.

Chitra Carroll

Art Director

Chitra Carroll graduated from the Indian Art Institute and the Sir J.J. School of Art in Bombay, India. In 1981, she won Best Student of the Year at the Indian Art Institute. She earned an additional degree in Advertising Design from Pensacola Junior College where she was named the 1985 Department Scholar, selected by the faculty as the top student in the Visual Arts program. Prior to joining Appleyard Agency in 1995, she worked as a graphic artist at Lintas and served as Art Director for both Ogilvy & Mather in Bombay and Creative Advantage in Little Rock, Arkansas. With more than 20 years’ experience in her field, Chitra is a highly-respected graphic artist with excellent computer skills and a strong eye for design. Her work has earned a number of awards.

Heather Carroll

Print Media Coordinator & Copywriter

Heather Carroll graduated from Pensacola Junior College with honors, earning an A.A. in Liberal Arts. She went on to attend the University of West Florida where she honed her copywriting skills while working in the university’s Writing Lab. Since joining the Agency in 1996, Heather has become involved in nearly all aspects of print media including copywriting and editing, project supervision, media planning and ad placement.

Eva Chastain

Office Manager & Bookkeeper

Eva Chastain has over 25 years of experience with Appleyard Agency working in a variety of phases. In addition to her bookkeeping duties, Eva assists customers with their specialty and promotional item needs.

Carol Estrada

Runner

As “runner,” Carol Estrada is the public face of the Appleyard Agency. She retired from a 30-year telecommunications career in 2002, taking computer courses and spending more quality time with her family, including an ailing brother to whom she donated a kidney. Finding herself with some extra time, Carol joined Appleyard Agency in November 2004. You may see her around town, shuttling important documents between the Agency and our clients.

Chase Gatyas

New Media Artist

As part of our production team, Chase handles interactive media including website design and video editing, as well as social media and search engine optimization. After serving four years in the United States Navy, including two tours in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, Chase attended Full Sail University in Orlando, graduating with a degree in digital media and serving as a digital video instructor. Prior to joining the Agency in 2011, he was the frontend designer/developer for a Boca Raton-based online retailer.

Karah Hobbs

Print Media & Ad Traffic Coordinator

Karah graduated from Pensacola Junior College with a degree in Photographic Technology. She joins the Agency’s Art Department, where her duties include ad traffic and art department billing, as well as some copy writing and editing.

Jeanie Hufford

Broadcast & Outdoor Media Supervisor

A graduate of the University of Florida with a B.A. in English, Jeanie is a 20-year veteran of broadcasting. Prior to working at the Appleyard Agency, she managed radio stations in Mobile, Alabama, as well as Pensacola and Panama City, Florida. Her role at the Agency is that of Media Supervisor, with oversight duties for TV, radio, and outdoor media buying, and account service for specific clients.

Gail Ledbetter

Receptionist & Executive Assistant

Gail Ledbetter has worked for Appleyard Agency as our Receptionist since December 2000. She is also the Executive Assistant to John Appleyard, retired founder of the Agency, and helps him as he continues to produce numerous books for publication each year.

Mike McDuff

Production Coordinator & Media Buyer

Mike McDuff graduated from the University of West Florida, where he earned a B.S.B.A. in Marketing and a minor in Business Management, as well as certificates in Supply Chain Logistics and Sales Management. His duties at the Agency include radio & TV production, outdoor advertising and media buying.

Liz Pelt

Account Manager

Liz Pelt is responsible for account services, public relations and social media. She graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Consumer Science and a minor in Merchandising. She brings experience in business management, online marketing and event planning.

Marybeth Pitman

Special Projects

Marybeth focuses on special projects, offering exceptional attention to detail and sharing more than eighteen years’ experience in account services. Before joining Appleyard Agency in 1993, she was the owner and director of Right this Way, Pensacola, promoting our area to visitors and providing full convention planning services and local sightseeing tours. Marybeth is a graduate of Auburn University.

Bart Rowell

Media Production

Bart Rowell graduated from the University of West Florida with a B.A. in Telecommunications – TV, Film, and Radio before joining the Production department at Appleyard Agency. His creative copywriting and technological skills are a true complement to the team. In addition, he manages ad traffic and collaborates with production agencies to create radio and television advertisements that are seen and heard throughout the Southeast.

Jami Sanderson

Graphic Artist

Jami Sanderson came to Appleyard Agency in 2000 and has more than 25 years’ experience as a graphic designer, pre-press & production manager and direct-marketing director. She has well-rounded technical training in many computer programs and expert photo scanning retouching skills. Jami’s work has been in many forms of print media.

George Saunders

Bookkeeper

George Saunders joined the Appleyard Agency in September 2008 with an extensive background in accounting/bookkeeping. Prior to joining the Appleyard team, George owned a successful automotive parts business, served as CFO of Hospice/VNA of the Florida Keys and was finance manager of Rebuild Northwest Florida. He graduated from Florida Keys Community College in Key West, where he earned A.S./A.A. degrees in Business Management/Accounting. George assists with the bookkeeping functions and budget tracking of various clients for the Agency.

Susan Suggs

Assistant Art Department Manager

Susan supports the design, writing and production of print advertising, brochures and direct mail. She brings twenty years’ experience in marketing and is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Joe Vinson

Director of New Media

Joe Vinson is a native of Pensacola and graduate of the International Baccalaureate program at PHS. He studied at Florida State University and Hiroshima University, earning a B.A. in English, Italian and Asian Studies. Before joining the Agency in 2003, he was an award-winning production artist for the FSView newspaper in Tallahassee. As director of new media, his duties include creative design, interactive development and in-house video production.

Joe founded the Pensapedia wiki project in 2006. He was 2009-10 president of AAF Pensacola, local chapter of the American Advertising Federation, and has served on the boards of several other community non-profits, including the Choral Society of Pensacola and the Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida.

Dana Wiggins

Media Buyer

Dana is a graduate of Presbyterian College with more than 25 years’ experience as an account executive, senior media buyer and national sales manager for agencies and television stations across the country. Joining the Appleyard team in early 2008, her duties at the Agency include media placement and account services.