Judie Mackie:
Judie was born in Northern Maine and grew up an Air Force brat in Washington DC. When her father returned home from the Vietnam War, the family moved often and she went to five different schools, in three different states, in one short year. When her parents divorced she was sent to live with relatives in a small Indiana town.Having first been a published writer at the age of ten she continued to excel at writing during these difficult years. Astonished teachers encouraged her talents by entering her works into several local, regional and state competitions. She went on to contribute popular pieces to a variety of publications and even wrote and directed a school play during high school.
Short, non-fiction articles are the easiest for this working mother of three, who lives on a tropical island paradise with her husband, in Northeast Florida. Judie has never kept track of the wide array of magazines, newspapers, trade publications, radio stations, Web sites, commercial collateral and non-profit organizations she has written for, though she does keep copies of her favorite pieces.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Johan Ramakers Ph.D.
Johan Ramakers
Economist by study, marketer by trade and musician by passion, Johan (Han to his friends) has over a long 35 year career traveled almost every country in the world, sailed the Caribbean extensively and has been the master of his own destiny since 1980 when he left a great corporate job to start painting his own road, which until now has included import-export, corporate consultancy, publishing, endeavors into the music industry, travel and real estate development, printing, event organization, event sponsoring and political campaigns.
Turning into an Internet junkie became inevitable after teaming up with his brother Thom in 1990 when they opened a very successful marketing company in the Caribbean, which, with the advance of the Internet in the early 1990’s changed gears quickly to benefit from the opportunities afforded by the Worldwide Web. Much of the time since then have been spent on developing, executing and improving sales strategies for online success.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mark Dennis
Mark Dennis -
Owner and Founder of A1A Wealth Management, Inc.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Nick Deonas aka the Godfather
The godfather, Nick Deonas
Nick Deonas: Nick is the American born second generation Greek Boatbuilding family that became most instrumental in Florida’s modern day shrimping industry. A true Renaissance man, Nick’s interests are deeply rooted in the ups and downs of the Human Race. A very accomplished businessman with interests in Real Estate and the Marine Industry, Nick gave many years to Public Service as well, performing duties as a firefighter, County Commissioner, Port Authority Chairman and initiating contributions to many charities and community services. As an ASCAP member he still co-writes music with Howard Scott of legendary “War” (Cisco Kid).
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jamie Deonas, a 40 under 40
Jamie Deonas
Jamie Deonas: Active firefighter, marine specialist and business owner with an uncanny sense for the out-of-the-box approach, Jamie has successfully developed many homebased business opportunities since he left high school some 20 years ago. Actively involved in Network Marketing he has developed a solid business that approaches Multilevel Marketing based on Internet Marketing tools. Jamie is an Amelia Island native and local businessman.
Jamie and his father, Nick own and operate Deonas Boat Works, Inc. and Apex Rentals and Events,LLC. Jamie was born into the boating business and is the grandson of Jimmy Deonas, a master boat builder credited with designing the present day super shrimp trawler. Jamie has become a marine expert himself and solves marine problems on a regular basis. Jamie and his wife Janet enjoy leisure time on the water.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ric Conzet aka the Market Man
The Market Man
Ric leads the good life. He and his wife live on one of the U.S.’s most beautiful islands. Trained and college educated as a jazz musician (plus a business degree) he went on to become the marketing officer for several of the most famous cable music networks. In his formative advertising and marketing years he was the youngest full partner in one of the east coast’s largest corporate identity agencies. Ric’s philosophy is “why work for the man when your total financial freedom is only trades away”.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Suzanne Batchelor
Suzanne Batchelor
Suzanne Batchelor is a writer, designer and artist on Amelia Island. She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana into an Acadian French family who settled in Broussard, Louisiana in the 1800s. She moved with her family as a teenager to Houston, Texas, Delft, Holland and Brussels, Belgium then back to Houston following her Dad’s line of work in the oil business. After graduating with a Business Management degree, she climbed the corporate ladder in the oil business herself until she realized she had many ideas and talents of her own that no one could harness.
She started her own company, The HSE Group in 1996 – an international safety consulting firm that assists companies worldwide achieve world-class safety management systems. Part of that endeavor included writing and developing 90 online interactive regulatory compliance courses for geographically disperse companies who need to meet global training requirements. She also deploys international safety consulting services to large corporations such as British Gas and British Oxygen and writes safety policies and procedures for her clients to coincide with her safety management consulting work.
Suzanne met her British husband John in Scotland and they married in 1994. They initially lived in Houston, but once she had her niche established – they moved to beautiful Amelia Island where she now maintains her library of online courses. She satisfies her creative side with painting and designing creative web sites. She has her own studio at the Blue Door Artists on Centre Street to separate her corporate endeavors from her creative inclinations —- a decision that has proven valuable for balancing her life in our tropical paradise.
For fun Suzanne loves to fish and enjoys traveling to far away places with her husband John. Her stepchildren live in England and Australia and they have a cute dog named Seamus, who she claims most people recognize before her – but that’s okay. She loves him too. You can tell, because she paints him a lot!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Cyndi Jones
Cyndi Jones
An avid student and lifelong learner, Cyndi is always ready to tackle new adventures and experiences. Born in Nashua, New Hampshire, but raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia, she considers herself very much at home in the small community of Fernandina Beach. Although rather shy, she is a loyal friend who can be depended upon to help with anything.
The oldest of 3, and mother of two, she currently lives with her husband of 27 years, her son, and her younger brother. Her daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren live in Ohio. She loves to spend time with friends, travel, or spend time reading or writing.
She is a certified paralegal and is employed by a large corporation in Jacksonville. Her spare time is spent going to school and she will be carrying a full class load this fall in anticipation of completing her degree program in the spring. She also does some quilting as a hobby with her mother and is an active member of the Fernandina Pirates Club.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dick Luttekes, Pharmacist
Dick Luttekes, Pharmacist
Hi, I’m Dick Luttekes, pharmacist in the Netherlands Antilles however deal on a very regular basis with American customers visiting the Dual Island Nation of St. Maarten and Saint Martin either on their holiday or on a one day visit on the cruise ships that frequent our Great Bay Harbor. I’m delighted to write contributing stories for SearchAmelia since knowledge on medicine and common disease treatment harbor often misguidance and there are quite some misconceptions about medical applications.
I will gladly share my knowledge with the readers of SearchAmelia in any which way I can and please do not hesitate to post your questions on this wonderful communal website. I look forward to your questions which you can leave either in the comment section or if you prefer a more discrete consultation, use the SearchAmelia Contact form and your questions will be forewarded to me.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rana Killough
Rana Killough originally visited Fernandina Beach in 2003 with her husband and two children. She fell in love with the area and promptly relocated in 2004. This happened to coincide with the beginning of an astounding hurricane season for Florida. Never experiencing hurricanes in her life, she began working as an executive for a water damage restoration company.
Having previous experience in management and the construction industry, she began extensive training and earned her certification through the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration. She found helping her local community residents during an emergency flood to be very gratifying. Ensuring indoor air quality by drying their structures and performing mold cleanup became her passion.
Working in the industry for 5 years, she noticed the need for water damage companies that performed their services the greenest way possible. Keeping this in mind, she started the first green water damage and mold remediation company, Wipe Out, in the Nassau/Duval area at the beginning of 2009, which became Paul Davis Emergency Services of Camden, GA in spring of 2011.
Paul Davis Emergency Services adheres to industry standards and gives you friendly local service, the best of both worlds at a price you can’t beat. Having a disaster in your home doesn’t have to be a disaster anymore. To speak with Rana, give her a call at (912) 342-2220.
At the bottom of this page you find the stories contributed by Rana Killough
Paul Drayton
Paul is a Certified Mental Trainer™ (CMT) and has been training since 2000. He has experience working with clients of all ages and experience levels, including nationally acclaimed celebrities. He has published two books on performance enhancement and has operates a private practice specializing in relationship and self-leadership counseling.
At the bottom of this page you find the stories contributed by Paul Drayton.
Captain Jim wormhoudt
Captain Jim Wormhoudt is a contributing writer for Search Amelia and has resided in Fernandina Beach for nearly 30 years. For 20 of those years he has been president of Servicemaster of Amelia Island and 12 years have been spent as a local fishing guide for fresh water and both inshore and offshore saltwater fishing.
His fishing expertise comes from four years as the owner of Lunker Hunters Bait and Tackle. This shop gave him the experience in custom rod building and rod and reel repair as well as all things surrounding baits, rigging and tackle for fishing Northeast Florida.
Jim fished for years as a member of the successful Amelia Angler Fishing team, fishing the Southern Kingfish Association and the Redfish Cup tournament trails. He and his wife Debbie still fish the Nassau Sportfishing Club Tournament of Champions and the Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament whenever possible.
CleanSweep Charters specializes in tidal creek fishing primarily in Lofton Creek located between Yulee and Fernandina Beach, Florida. Largemouth Bass are the targeted species however Stripers, Redfish, Catfish, Seatrout and Flounder occasionally are boated as well. Live Shiners are the bait of choice although live Mullet or live Shrimp are sometimes deployed. Captain Jim also ventures into the creeks and rivers along the Intercoastal waterway fishing for sea trout, flounder and redfish. Jetty fishing and offshore reef and wreck trips are also available.
The CleanSweep fishing boat is a 2007, 24 ft. Everglades 243; well equipped for almost all types of fishing or sightseeing. Captain Jim can be reached at (904) 753-0882 or (904) 277-2998.
At the bottom of this page you find the stories contributed by Captain Jim Wormhoudt.
Rae Lane
After completing high school in Tallahassee, Florida, Rae moved with her family to Pensacola to attend Pensacola Christian College. Later, she discovered a talent in wallpaper installation, and became one of Amelia Island’s best installers. Her thirst for fitness began when she joined the Amelia Wellness Center in 1996 in an effort to ‘gain weight.’
At the bottom of this page you find the stories contributed by Rae Lane
Sajah Medina is the foremost tribal fusion belly dancer and teacher in Fernandina Beach (Amelia Island), Florida, as well as southeast Georgia. A passionate dancer and advocate for this art, she is solely credited for introducing American Tribal Fusion belly dance to the area.
Sajah’s journey in belly dancing began 16 years ago in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She studied American Tribal Fusion, Folkloric and Cabaret belly dance with several distinguished teachers, including the Internationally renowned Amaya, Kay Williams, and Terri Corbin. Sajah performed at venues throughout the southwest, including being a returning performer for Silk Road Café and Ali’s International Coffee House. She was also a core performer in a series on dance at Albuquerque’s South Broadway Cultural Center.
In 2002, Sajah moved with her family to Fernandina Beach, Florida. Finding no belly dance community in the immediate area, she began teaching classes at the Bean’s School of Dance, and subsequently formed Island Tribe Belly Dance. She has developed an award winning educational program on the birth and development of American belly dance entitled, “Belly Dance : History and Origins.” This is a program she incorporates into her classes as well as a program she presents to various organizations such as the Girl Scouts of America, Retirement communities and religious groups. Sajah has taught classes and workshops for Hope Heaven Children’s School for special needs children in Jacksonville, Florida; the YMCA in Brunswick, Georgia, which, impressively, 300 people attended, and various other local and regional organizations. Additionally, Sajah performs throughout the northeast Florida and southeast Georgia region. She has been a returning artist at events such as Boleros’ Holiday Spectacular International Ball Room Dance Competition in Jacksonville, Florida.
As founder and director of the Island Tribe Belly Dance troupe, she has created a performance group that is recognized for its eclectic dance style and extensive costuming. Troupe members must learn music, rhythms, instruments, costume construction and development, terminology, history, public relations and much more in addition to the dance art itself.
Sajah has enjoyed teaching and sharing belly dance with others for 10 years now. She currently teaches classes in Fernandina Beach, on Amelia Island, Yulee, Florida, and in St. Marys, Georgia. To learn more about Sajah and Island Tribe Belly Dance, visit her website, www.islandtribebellydance.com.
A passion for people, their health, good food, fine wines combined with an adventurous spirit unafraid of change and challenge characterizes the past 30 years of Holistic Medical practice, Vinology, Marketing, Advertising, Videography, Computer and IT technology culminating in a roller coaster ride of the unexpected at each turn of events including 7 hurricanes, an island lifestyle of the Caribbean a la “Don’t Stop the Carnival” has provided me a full spectrum of human emotions and between you and me, believe me when I say, so far it has been far from boring!
That’s me, Tommlyee (Thomas) Ramakers and since 3 years I am called Tomas by my lovely wife Ivana with whom communication to this day is still a challenge as Spanish is not my mother tongue. Obtaining my MD in 1980 and Holistic specialization in 1982, Vinology in 1983, falling in love with Apple Computers in 1984, developing databases in Omnis in 1985, experimenting with Pagemaker publishing software in 1986 and QuarkXpress since 1989 while seeing 30 to 50 patients daily, being chief editor and publisher of a weekly holistic magazine called Libertyn and twice weekly 4 nightly hours of lectures in holistic medicine, this lifestyle called at long last for a drastic change. In 1990 I joined my brother Johan in the Caribbean to venture in the advertising and marketing business on the unique dual island nation of St. Maarten / Saint Martin.
If and when you see contributions that “carry” my name ranging from Medicine, Wines, to IT technology, all so diverse in topic — you know where I’m coming from. Each, to this day, carry my passion. Starting out in healing my fellow humans my interests evolved making me realize that, born under the zodiac sign of Sagittarius the Teacher, being able to pass on knowledge, how humble it may be, is the greatest reward mankind can obtain.
Uncertain times are ahead of us and wise decisions will need to be made, not by elected politicians but by an informed and educated human race (CNN and Fox are not necessarily the best sources of information) else future generations will find that the ransom “Mother Earth” claims will be all too steep for mankind to survive.
“I never worry about action, only about inaction” — Sir Winston Churchill
At the bottom of this page you find the stories contributed by Tommlyee
