By Kelly Murphu-Redd
Though Shane has only been in Okaloosa County for four years, the magnitude of his involvement in the community makes it seem as if he has lived here much longer.
Shane came to us from just outside Jacksonville, Fla. He was looking to buy a business. Having been in corporate manufacturing for 20 years, Shane had decided he didn’t want to work for people anymore. He had worked his way up the ladder, but after so many years, he wasn’t happy.
At first, he thought he would do something he knew well. Shane had experience in making lithium batteries, satellite antennas, and firearm accessories and armor. However, those products were highly capital intensive. For a short time, he thought maybe he would go into firearms holster manufacturing but that market was saturated.
A franchise coach found Shane on LinkedIn. She presented Shane with a dozen franchise opportunities. He looked online and found a sign company for sale in Fort Walton Beach. He had visited in 2015 while attending a wedding and loved the area. So, he came and visited the sign shop. And saw a lot of military products.
From Indiana originally, Shane enlisted in the Navy and served three years. He served on a guided missile destroyer participating in Caribbean drug operations, in Bosnia and Kosovo in 1993, and served in the National Guard for three years. When he inspected the sign shop and saw the military connection, he knew he was where he was supposed to be.
As the new owner of FastSigns, Shane joined the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce immediately. He currently serves on the board and is chairman of the Military Affairs Committee. Shane is also an Honorary Commander for the 58th Fighter Wing at Eglin and the 3rd Battalion at 7th Group Special Forces.
At first, community involvement and “giving back” weren’t a line item for Shane’s company. Then he started to, as he says, “lean into” giving back to his new community. He says it may be what makes his sign company different – how much they engage and how many people they have the opportunity to help. Supporting various causes is now a big part of what he does.
He has given his employees the authority to give away what they deem appropriate. Shane says it is fruitful personally. It “does something for you” when you engage. He defines engagement as writing a check but also showing up. Some of the community projects he supports include One Hopeful Place, Motorcycle Riding Events of America, and the Savage Loop run. He is also a member of One Okaloosa Economic Development Council’s Tri-County Partnership Initiative (TCPI) and Defense Support Initiative (DSI) committees.
A board member of Motorcycle Riding Events of America, Shane has worked to raise money to provide LifeVac devices for schools, daycare centers, nursing homes and law enforcement. So far, they have provided over 700 devices from Pensacola to Tallahassee in a year-and-a-half. The first recipient was the Fort Walton Beach Police Department. There is a device in every patrol vehicle. There are two confirmed reports so far of lives saved.
Recently Shane has become a community representative advocating for the preservation of the Eglin Gulf Test Range. He and others are asking for a bill to be passed that would lock in this protection for a lifetime. Shane recently returned from Washington D.C. where he participated in talks with the Department of the Interior, Oceana and Representative Patronis.
Shane simply states we have two industries in Okaloosa County that make up the bulk of our economy: the military and tourism. Drilling would negatively impact both. Drilling prevents testing, which would result in a loss of ability to bring war to our country’s enemies and to defend our nation. We have all seen what an oil spill does to the environment and to tourism.
As you can see Shane has done a lot of “leaning into” community involvement in just four short years. We have no doubt he will continue to be an energetic asset to our area.
