The Leadership Factor, Collier Merrill

Leadership is important to any organization’s success. I felt like I hit the motherload when I sat down with Collier Merrill, Maria Goldberg, and David Bear at The Fish House Restaurant in Pensacola a few weeks ago. There is so much to learn about the Scenic 98 Coastal area from these movers and shakers. They are part of the equation that is changing and fortifying the Scenic 98 Coastal area, especially downtown Pensacola. 

I was able to follow up with Collier Merrill, who, with his two brothers, Will and Burney, own and operate Merrill Land Company and Great Southern Restaurants, which includes the Fish House, Angelina’s, Jackson’s Steakhouse, Five Sisters Blues Café, Atlas Oyster Bar, and The Palafox House event venue. 

Merrill Land Company has been a staple in the panhandle of Florida for generations. Collier’s grandfather, Burney Henderson, moved to Pensacola in the 1920s because his father had purchased the lumber mill in Bagdad, Florida, just northeast of Pensacola in Santa Rosa County. 

As huge tracts of timberland were purchased in the Destin area for growing pine trees, Mr. Henderson would purchase the beachfront property, which was cheap. “You can’t grow pine trees in the sand,” the sellers would tell him, so they practically gave it away. Six miles of beachfront property later, Destin became a destination for vacationers, and the rest is history. 

You may have visited Henderson State Park in the heart of Destin, a gift to the State of Florida years ago. Sixty-five years ago, Mr. Henderson was instrumental in developing the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Ft. Walton Beach. Today, it is still family owned and operated. 

Through the years, property has been bought and sold. Merrill Land Company has developed subdivisions, apartments, and condominiums from Destin to Gulf Shores and even ventured into Mississippi to develop a subdivision.

The family also started and still operates Building Supply Center in Pensacola. Today it is the largest remaining family-owned building supply company in existence, and where Collier cut his teeth working in his youth and after college. Collier’s father, a native of Boston, was an aviator in the Marines and was stationed in Pensacola, where he met Collier’s mother and fell in love with both his wife and the city.

Collier grew up through the timber side of the family business. In 1988, when he was 27 years old, he developed his first subdivision. He served as President of the Homebuilders Association, although he is quick to point out that he is a developer, not a home builder. 

Through the years, he has developed many condo projects, including Crystal Towers on West Beach in Gulf Shores, featuring the only skywalk across the road. Other projects were Crystal Shores, Crystal Shores West, Spanish Key in Perdido Key, Oceania in Destin, The Tides of Destin, and Harbor Landing Condos in Destin.

In 1996, Merrill Land Company built Crystal Lake, a 228-unit apartment complex in Pensacola. Then Hurricane Ivan hit in 2004, and “the whole Gulf Coast was a mess,” says Collier. He was putting the project back together with the insurance money when he was approached by someone who wanted to purchase the property. 

“The complex was completely empty, but he was offering to purchase the property at the pre-storm appraised value as long as I completed the extensive renovation. He was smarter than me because he knew the area was about to take off,” says Collier. And take off it did!

“Everything was a big mess, and we were already in the restaurant business,” he said. “God sent us Ivan. While tragic in many ways, it also boosted the redevelopment of downtown Pensacola. He goes on to say that before the downtown revitalization began, the sewer plant was located on the property where the Blue Wahoos Stadium now sits. “It was called the Big Stinky, and the smell was truly awful.”  The price tag to move Big Stinky was $300 million, an insurmountable amount for our community. However, once Ivan hit, FEMA chipped in the dollars to make it happen.”

City leadership moved the sewer out of harm’s way, which led to the beginning of downtown Pensacola’s comeback. Before the renovations began, business owners agreed to add five millage points to their real estate taxes to help with redevelopment costs. “We needed eyes on the streets,” says Collier. “Arts, entertainment, and retail were a big part of the equation. We wanted a balance between daytime business and nighttime business.”

A big step in the right direction came when, under Collier’s leadership, the University of West Florida took the Historic Trust under its control. Collier served eight years as the Founding Chair of the UWF Board of Trustees. “Once the buildings were maintained by UWF, we didn’t have to worry about maintaining the roofs and could now turn our attention to programs and enhancing cultural tourism.”

Collier is a big history buff, and it shows in every project and development he’s undertaken. He tells the story of Pensacola being the oldest city in the United States when the first colony was established in 1559. It was not continuous, though. Thirteen ships were at anchor with most of their possessions on board when a hurricane wiped out most of the fleet, and they abandoned the colony and then reestablished it two years later. 

The Fish House restaurant at Seville Harbor was once the Beef and Ale. The Merrill brothers purchased the property in 1988 when nothing was happening along the Pensacola waterfront. This was an opportunity to create activity downtown and to boost the reimagination of the  downtown district. The Fish House was the original restaurant that launched the Great Southern Restaurants. It soon became a popular local spot known for its good food and entertainment. Joe Scarborough and his band, Regular Joe, played often and eventually became the “house band.”

The Merrill brothers expanded into the adjacent space at the complex and opened Atlas Oyster House, then added a large outside deck for dining, Overlooking the harbor, it is accessible by boat and has won numerous awards over the years, including Wine Spectator’s Hall of Fame Award. Over the years, celebrities, sports stars, politicians, astronauts, locals, and visitors alike have all enjoyed the restaurants.

In September 2004, Hurricane Ivan’s 12-foot storm surge heavily damaged the building, but the Atlas Oyster House was up and open three days after the storm. However, the property required extensive renovation, a large deck was added with The Deck Bar, and a bandstand for entertainment 

In April 2008, the Merrills acquired Jackson’s Steakhouse, the award-winning restaurant on Palafox Street overlooking Plaza Ferdinand. Jackson’s has incorporated the rich history of the Square, where then-governor Andrew Jackson accepted the transfer of Florida to the United States from Spain and first raised the American flag in 1821. His home was located just a block north of the restaurant.

As a community leader, Collier’s list of service and accomplishments on behalf of the city he loves is too numerous to list here. He has served and led many civic boards that have helped to revitalize Pensacola, especially downtown. Merrill Land Company also purchased two historic buildings, Seville Tower and the Bass Building. 

Collier was most generous with his time, and each of my lunch companions continues to have a positive impact throughout the Scenic 98 Coastal communities along the Gulf Coast. Thanks to everyone! We are deeply grateful.