Best In View

A special thank you to InstaClean with Jorden for supporting the 2026 Best In View Gala and helping make this year’s celebration possible.

Their sponsorship went directly toward helping cover a portion of the cost of our gala venue, giving us the space to bring together local business owners, community leaders, organizations, and award recipients for an evening dedicated to celebrating the people making an impact throughout our community.

Venue costs are one of the largest pieces of making an event like Best In View happen, so support like this truly matters. Every sponsorship helps us create an experience worthy of the businesses and individuals our community chose to recognize.

And we are especially excited to celebrate Insta Clean with Jorden as a 2026 Best In View 1st Place Winner as well.

They are currently accepting new cleaning clients throughout Crestview, Baker, and Niceville, so if you are looking for cleaning services, we encourage you to support a local business that also chooses to give back and invest in the community around them.

Thank you, Insta Clean with Jorden, for helping provide the place where our community could come together, celebrate accomplishments, recognize impact, and create another memorable Best In View Gala.

When local businesses support the community, we believe the community should know who helped make it possible.

If you loved the show performed at the gala the you will love this one too!

Thank you Stage Crafters Community Theatre, Inc for being an in kind sponsor with a value of $5,000 invested.

GUYS AND DOLLS TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!

Come roll the dice with us as Stage Crafters Community Theatre brings the classic Broadway musical GUYS AND DOLLS to the stage.

Set in the colorful streets of 1950s New York City, this beloved musical follows gamblers, dreamers, and the women who try to keep them in line. With romance, comedy, big personalities, and plenty of unforgettable music, there is something for everyone.

November 6, 7, 8 & 13, 14, 15, 2026

Fort Walton Beach Civic Auditorium

Get your tickets now and join us for a fun night of Broadway, romance, laughter, and a little bit of luck.

Tickets: www.StageCraftersFWB.com

A very special thank you to EPIC Prep Academy, one of our 2026 Golden Glow Sponsors of the Best In View Gala.

Their sponsorship was used directly toward a portion of the cost of this year’s Best In View awards, helping us place meaningful recognition into the hands of the businesses, organizations, educators, entrepreneurs, and community members who were selected by our community for the impact they are making.

And we could not think of a more fitting partner.

EPIC Prep Academy is helping redefine what education can look like for local families through microschooling, smaller class sizes, personalized instruction, hands-on learning, and an environment where students have the opportunity to truly participate in their education.

Instead of asking every child to learn exactly the same way, EPIC creates space for curiosity, collaboration, individual growth, and those moments when a student needs either a little more support or a greater challenge.

That commitment to investing in the next generation is exactly the kind of community impact Best In View exists to recognize.

Their Golden Glow Sponsorship did more than help fund an event. It helped fund the awards that represented years of hard work, service, perseverance, and impact for this year’s recipients.

We are incredibly grateful to EPIC Prep Academy for choosing to invest not only in their students, but in the broader community around them.

Thank you, EPIC Prep Academy, for helping us honor the people and organizations making our community stronger and for being an important part of the 2026 Best In View Gala.

Small classes. Personalized learning. Engaged students. Big possibilities.

That’s EPIC.

A huge thank you to Essence Salon for joining us as a Spotlight Sponsor of the 2026 Best In View Gala.

Best In View is built around recognizing the businesses, organizations, and individuals who make a meaningful impact throughout our community, and we are incredibly grateful for businesses like Essence Salon that choose to support that mission.

Their sponsorship went directly toward helping purchase a portion of this year’s awards, making it possible for us to recognize and celebrate the local businesses and community leaders who continue to make a difference across our area.

That kind of support has a tangible impact. It helps us place an award into the hands of someone who has worked hard, served their community, built something meaningful, and earned the recognition of the people around them.

Now it is our turn to shine the spotlight on Essence Salon.

Essence Salon offers custom color, lived-in blonding, Brazilian blowouts, and a beautiful salon experience right here in Crestview.

When you support the businesses that support our community, that investment continues to come full circle.

Thank you, Essence Salon, for investing in Best In View, helping us honor this year’s award recipients, and supporting our community in such an impactful way. We are proud to have had you as a 2026 Spotlight Sponsor.

We hope everyone had an incredible evening at the Best In View Gala. Seeing so many photos of our winners with their awards has been one of the best parts of this week, and we are already excited about what we are building for next year.

We also want to take a moment to address a few things from this year's event with transparency.

Many parts of the Gala were significantly upgraded from last year, and so much of the evening went exactly as planned. However, we also faced several unexpected challenges behind the scenes.

The Gala was originally scheduled to be professionally catered, but our caterer had to withdraw approximately three weeks before the event because of a scheduling conflict. We were fortunate to then secure a paid sponsor to help cover some of the cost of the main course.

Unfortunately, on the final deadline day, that sponsor requested a refund after determining they would be late and no longer be able to attend the Gala.

That created a significant last-minute gap in an event that had already been planned, budgeted, and built around those commitments.

At that point, there was only one option: adapt.

Many of you saw me checking guests in, going on stage, helping get food out, serving, troubleshooting, and then getting right back on stage again. It was not the evening I originally planned for myself, but my priority was making sure the event continued and that this community was celebrated the way it deserved to be.

There were circumstances that evening that were outside of our control, but there were also valuable lessons that came from them.

We learned.
We are growing.

And we are already building differently for next year.
One of the biggest changes for the next Gala will be the creation of a dedicated planning committee with clearly delegated areas of responsibility so that no single person is trying to carry so many pieces of the event at once. We are also currently in conversations to partner with the City for next year's Gala.

Best In View continues to grow, and the infrastructure behind it has to grow with it.

This experience also reinforced just how important our volunteers, sponsors, vendors, and community partners are. Events like this are built on people honoring commitments, showing up for one another, and working together toward something bigger than any one business or individual.

A handful of people are aware of which business originally sponsored that portion of the event and later received their refund. We will not be naming that business publicly. Best In View exists to recognize, uplift, and give back to our community, not to use our platform to tear another business down.

Instead, we are choosing to take what happened, learn from it, strengthen the organization, and make next year's Gala even better.

To everyone who volunteered, sponsored, donated, attended, helped solve problems, stayed late, stepped in when something needed to be done, and continued supporting us when plans changed, thank you.

You are the reason this event continued moving forward.

And if you thought this year was something special, just wait until you see what we are building for next year.

Winners List!

Congratulations to all winners!

Those that did not attend the awards may pick up their 1st & 2nd place awards at EC Squeezy when they reopen.

1st Place Winners
1. Jessie Huisken: Woman of the Year
2. Josh Kolmetz: Man of the Year
3. Kristy Kolmetz: Entrepreneur of the Year
4. Amanda Sanders: Outstanding Community Leader
5. Main Street Crestview Association: Non-Profit of the Year
6. Retro Replay Arcade & Bar: New Business
7. Sarah Seafoss: Artist of the Year
8. Little Haven: Family-Owned Business
9. Michael Cadenhead: Community Impact Award
10. Freedom Life Apparel: Veteran-Owned Business
11. Chasyanna Butler: Rising Entrepreneur of the Year
12. Dr. Kolmetz: Medical Professional of the Year
13. Kylee Seymour: Local Influencer of the Year
14. Ace Events 850: Event Planner/Planning Company
15. Float On Balloon Co LLC: Party Rental Company
16. The Loft on Main: Event Venue
17. Laurel Hill Farm: Wedding Venue
18. The Flower Basket Florist: Florist
19. Below Alabama: Band/Singer
20. Chasyanna Photography: Wedding Photographer
21. The Crestview Market: Community Events
22. BNI Crestview: Networking Event
23. Ace Events 850: Wedding Planner
24. Wild Olive: Place for a Date
25. Emerald Coast Zoo: Place to Take the Kids
26. Food Truck Friday: Downtown Event
27. Food Truck Friday: Place for Girls/Guys Night Out
28. Christina Custom Art: Local Painter/Visual Art
29. Frog Songs Pottery: Ceramic & Pottery
30. Hulonda Miles: Best Actress/Actor
31. Stage Crafters Community Theatre: Performing Arts/Filmmaker/Production
32. Crestview Christian Co-op: Homeschool Co-op/Group
33. Emerald Coast Zoo: Field Trip Destination
34. Crestview High School: Best School
35. Payton Peters: Best Teacher
36. Rafael Cratch: Best Coach
37. Unplugged Tutoring: Best Tutor
38. Tropical Palm: Breakfast Spot
39. Brunch with a Twist: Brunch
40. Tops Hamburgers: Best Burger
41. Bamboo Sushi & Hibachi: Casual Dining
42. Emerald Isle Seafood: Family Dining
43. The Wild Olive: Fine Dining
44. Be A Lion Ice Cream: Frozen Treat
45. Peppers Mexican Grill and Cantina: Happy Hour Destination
46. Pounders Hawaiian Grill: Locally Owned Restaurant
47. Pounders Hawaiian Grill: Outdoor Dining
48. Hideaway Crestview: Pizzeria
49. Rawlie Pop: Juice/Smoothie/Shakes/Drinks
50. Little Haven: Coffee Shop/Truck
51. Back Home Bakery: Gourmet/Specialty Food Store
52. Bamboo Sushi & Hibachi: Best Sushi
53. Palmas: Asian Fusion
54. Azteca: Mexican
55. The Jackson Experience: BBQ
56. Cookie Club Crestview: Cottage Baker
57. Dolce Forno: Italian
1. Chef Joe Sanchez: Best Chef
58. Moon Garden Apothecary: Market/Event Vendor
59. Be A Lion Ice Cream: Dessert
60. Stephanie Gifford : Bartender
61. Bangin’ Bowls: Food Truck
62. Old Time Antiques: Antique Store
63. Baby & Me Boutique: Children’s Clothing
64. Joey the Jeweler: Jewelry Store
65. Lou Lou Beans: Gift Shop
66. Marigold & Mule: Women’s Retailer
67. Pawsitively Scrumptious: Specialty Retailer
68. InstaClean with Jorden: Cleaning Services
69. Vibrant Electric: Electrical Contractor
70. Reagan Hobbs: Financial Advisor
71. Cadenhead Davis Construction: General Contractor
72. Holloway Agency: Insurance Agency
73. Ryan G. Hardy Law: Law Firm
74. Apex Visual Studios: Marketing Agency
75. Crowning Jewel Designs: Tech/Web Design
76. KG Plumbing: Plumbing Company
77. CQ Roofing: Roofing Company
78. Main Street Automotive: Auto Services
79. The Property Group 850: Property Management Company
80. Melissa Raulerson: Property Manager
81. The Property Group 850: Real Estate Brokerage
82. McQueen Team: Real Estate Team
83. Tanya Rivera: Female Realtor
84. James McQueen: Male Realtor
85. The Lawn Barber: Gardening & Lawn Service
86. Hub City Tattoo: Tattoo Shop
87. Sandy Paws Mobile Grooming: Pet Groomer/Care
88. Freedom Life Apparel: Men’s Retailer
89. Ohana Heating & Air: HVAC Company
90. Amy Harvell, Cross Country Mortgage: Mortgage Agency
91. Ashley Jolly: Female Tattoo Artist
92. Tommy Smith/Tommy Guns: Male Tattoo Artist
93. Nicole Bishop: Pet Sitter
94. Deuce Bainbridge: Dog Trainer
95. Crestview Health and Wellness: Chiropractic Clinic
96. Crestview Family Dentistry: Dental Practice
97. Dr. Kolmetz: Primary Care Provider
98. The Vue MediSpa: Medical Spa
99. My Favorite Place: Massage Studio
100. Okaloosa Eye Care: Vision Care
101. Essence Salon: Salon
102. Black Sheep Barbers: Barber Shop
103. Grateful Hearts Yoga: Yoga Studio
104. Temple Fitness: Gym/Health Club
105. Gordon Martial Arts: Martial Arts Studio
106. Flip N Fun: Dance/Ballet/Gymnastics
107. Amanda Leigh: Personal Trainer
108. Kendra K Beauty: Makeup Artist
109. Adiva’s: Spa
110. Alina Griffith, Kizuna Counseling LLC: Mental Health Provider
111. CrystalEyezed: Lash Tech
112. CrossFit Crestview: CrossFit/Functional Fitness
113. Brooke Dawson: Nutritionist

2nd Place Winners
1. Kristy Kolmetz: Woman of the Year
2. Michael Cadenhead: Man of the Year
3. Eric Goldman: Entrepreneur of the Year
4. Claresa Sikes: Outstanding Community Leader
5. The Fox Gives Back: Non-Profit of the Year
6. Chasyanna Photography: New Business
7. Izzy Carpio: Artist of the Year
8. Cadenhead Pest Control: Family-Owned Business
9. Charles Reynolds: Community Impact Award
10. Ate Dee’s Kitchen: Veteran-Owned Business
11. Danielle Suggs: Rising Entrepreneur of the Year
12. Dr. Faircloth: Medical Professional of the Year
13. Bama Morgan: Local Influencer of the Year
14. Amy Koger: Event Planner/Planning Company
15. Big E’s Bouncers: Party Rental Company
16. South Laurel Farm: Event Venue
17. The Barn at Water Oaks: Wedding Venue
18. Blossom Lane Farm: Florist
19. Josh Davis: Band/Singer
20. Crowning Jewel Design & Photography: Wedding Photographer
21. Kids Entrepreneur Market: Community Events
22. Emerald Coast Business Collective: Networking Event
23. Hutchison Events: Wedding Planner
24. Exit 4 Escape: Place for a Date
25. Party Lab: Place to Take the Kids
26. Triple B Festival: Downtown Event
27. Exit 4 Escape: Place for Girls/Guys Night Out
28. Laurie Jordan: Local Painter/Visual Art
29. Mr. Pottinger at CHS: Ceramic & Pottery
30. Melissa Raulerson & Deborah Dodge: Best Actress/Actor
31. Agape Cinematics: Performing Arts/Filmmaker/Production
32. NWF SHARE: Homeschool Co-op/Group
33. Biophilia: Field Trip Destination
34. EPIC Prep Academy: Best School
35. Baylee Wimpee: Best Teacher
36. Trey Simmons: Best Coach
37. Angie Brogniez: Best Tutor
38. Breakfast Jawn: Breakfast Spot
39. Brunch with a Twist: Brunch
40. Fat Boys: Best Burger
41. Bamboo Sushi & Hibachi: Casual Dining
42. Eagles Nest at Blackwater: Family Dining
43. Stick & Rudder: Fine Dining
44. Bangin’ Bowls: Frozen Treat
45. Helen Back Pizza: Happy Hour Destination
46. Wild Olive: Locally Owned Restaurant
47. Eagles Nest at Blackwater: Outdoor Dining
48. Dolce Forno: Pizzeria
49. Blendz with Benefits: Juice/Smoothie/Shakes/Drinks
50. Caffeine & Chaos: Coffee Shop/Truck
51. Bread and Butter: Gourmet/Specialty Food Store
52. You Sushi: Best Sushi
53. Thai 2 Go: Asian Fusion
54. Peppers: Mexican
55. The Hub: BBQ
56. Simone’s Bread Box: Cottage Baker
57. Wild Olive: Italian
58. Chef Dee: Best Chef
59. Sugar Muffins: Market/Event Vendor
60. Back Home Bakery: Dessert
61. Jess at Eagles Nest: Bartender
62. Lumpia Haus: Food Truck
63. Exodos Thrift Store: Antique Store
64. Neat Repeats: Children’s Clothing
65. Lewis Diamond Co: Jewelry Store
66. The Petal Barne: Gift Shop
67. Lou Lou Beans Giftshop: Women’s Retailer
68. Crestview Outdoor Store: Specialty Retailer
69. Bristles & Broomsticks: Cleaning Services
70. Casey Electric: Electrical Contractor
71. Sara Fordyce: Financial Advisor
72. David Griggs Construction: General Contractor
73. Farm Bureau/Mario Werth: Insurance Agency
74. Michles & Booth: Law Firm
75. Golden Price Media: Marketing Agency
76. The Vibe Unleashed: Tech/Web Design
77. Jack Dollar Plumbing: Plumbing Company
78. Viking Towers Roofing: Roofing Company
79. Tedders Total Tinting/Hunter Tedder: Auto Services
80. One Family Property Services: Property Management Company
81. Amanda Graham: Property Manager
82. Keller Williams: Real Estate Brokerage
83. Tessa Savoy Team: Real Estate Team
84. Rima Cole: Female Realtor
85. Steve Harmer, 850 Property Group: Male Realtor
86. Weeksworx: Gardening & Lawn Service
87. Tommy Gunns Tattoo: Tattoo Shop
88. Grooming by Marissa LLC: Pet Groomer/Care
89. Lou Lou Beans Giftshop: Men’s Retailer
90. ACbyDC Heating and Air: HVAC Company
91. Jasmin Frank: Mortgage Agency
92. Gabriela Barrera: Female Tattoo Artist
93. Alex Nichols, Artistic Encounters Tattoo: Male Tattoo Artist
94. Tammy Reilly: Pet Sitter
95. Hamiltons Hounds: Dog Trainer
96. Progressive Chiropractic: Chiropractic Clinic
97. Hometown Family Dentistry: Dental Practice
98. Dr. Kara Brooks: Primary Care Provider
99. Belfiore Wellness Center: Medical Spa
100. Crestview Health and Wellness: Massage Studio
101. Family Vision Center: Vision Care
102. Bloom Beauty Bar: Salon
103. HubCity: Barber Shop
104. 4:8 Physio: Yoga Studio
105. Flex Fitness: Gym/Health Club
106. Atlas Martial Arts: Martial Arts Studio
107. Triple Threat Dance: Dance/Ballet/Gymnastics
108. Amanda Bowser: Personal Trainer
109. Rae of Beauty by Jamie Rae: Makeup Artist
110. Studio V Esthetics: Spa
111. Healing Hoofsteps: Mental Health Provider
112. It’s Beauty, Babe! by Breezy Brackney: Lash Tech
113. 4:8 Physio: CrossFit/Functional Fitness
114. Natasha Cowie: Nutritionist