Joey Mason of Mason Hills Farm in Grand Bay, Alabama, has done a lot in his 40 years. He’s the kind of man who doesn’t let the moss grow under his feet. He’s not afraid to take a risk, hard work doesn’t scare him, and he always sees a bigger vision for what things can become.

One of the smartest things I ever did was move to a town so beautiful that my friends quit asking when I’d come visit them and started asking how soon they could come to Pensacola. Like many Saturdays before, this past Saturday, my best girlfriends and I kicked off another fun-filled girls’ weekend with a little breakfast at The Coffee Cup, my favorite local diner, catching up over hash browns and cheese eggs before diving into our weekend festivities.

I was recently invited to sit in on a roundtable discussion with the principals of Portside Advertising and three of their long-term clients. The occasion was Portside’s 20th year of being in business, providing clients with advertising counsel and marketing execution. The subjects were how methodology has changed and progressed over the years, and what subsequently, the future holds.

On a beautiful day in downtown Mobile, one might drive down historic Dauphin Street, windows down, feeling that mix of live oaks, bay breeze, and the hum of the Port City at lunchtime. The street is lined with restaurants, shops, and bars, each with its own story, but there’s one spot that carries a little extra flavor of fame.