Pensacola native and small business owner D.C. Reeves will officially announce his candidacy for Mayor of Pensacola tomorrow, Sept. 1.
A successful entrepreneur, Reeves is the founder of Perfect Plain Brewing Company, which opened in 2017, and the Chief Entrepreneur Officer at The Spring Entrepreneur Hub, which operates as the foundational front door and advocate for aspiring small businesses in the Pensacola community.
Reeves said he feels a calling to invest in the community and make it as vibrant as possible.
“I am running for a simple reason — I care deeply about this community, and I want this to be a place where our children want to live and work when they get older,” said Reeves. “For too long, Pensacola was a place where we exported our greatest asset — our brightest young talent. I left here, too. But I’m glad I came back, I was able to accomplish a dream of starting my own business, and I believe Pensacola is on the cusp of becoming one of America’s truly great destinations to live, work, and play.”
Reeves outlined his ultimate picture of success: fastest growing coastal destination in the U.S., growth in the population/tax base, an activated waterfront with downtown as the driver, the fastest growing airport in the region, a strong reputation at a state and national level, a revolution of economic development and making city government a great place to work.
Reeves serves as the chairman of the board for Visit Pensacola, and was named 2021 Emerging Leader of the Year by the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce.
“Through hard work, transparency and accountability, together we can get these projects across the finish line,” said Reeves. “The mayor should be the CEO of the city, bringing leadership that will help make Pensacola a great place to live and a desirable destination dedicated to making decisions in the best interest of its citizens.”
Former Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward said Reeves has a heart for Pensacola and the leadership skills and work ethic to make Pensacola a better place for everyone.
“D.C. is the kind of smart, community-minded, get-it-done leader Pensacola needs,” said Hayward. “I’ve watched his many successful endeavors and the way he’s fought for our city through his involvement in many notable community projects — D.C. has what it takes to lead and help propel Pensacola into a bright future for all its citizens.
Reeves will make it official at the Supervisor of Elections Office, 213 Palafox Place, on the second floor at 9 a.m. Sept. 1.
REEVES BIO:
D.C. Reeves is an entrepreneur, community builder and native Pensacolian who moved home in 2015 to make a difference in Pensacola.
D.C. is both the founder of Perfect Plain Brewing Company, which opened in 2017, and is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer at The Spring Entrepreneur Hub, which operates as the foundational front door and advocate for aspiring small businesses in the Pensacola community.
Previously as Chief of Staff for Quint Studer, D.C. had the chance to work on many impactful community projects.
In 2018, D.C. led the effort to bring an appointed superintendent to lead Escambia County schools, winning a referendum that passed by 0.7 percent during the 2018 election. That referendum had lost convincingly in Escambia county 5 times in the past 60 years.
In 2019, D.C. was the lead staff on the City of Pensacola Mayoral Transition team, putting together a 95-page transition report for new mayor Grover Robinson, the most comprehensive transition report for a Pensacola mayor to date.
Four years ago, D.C. drained his savings account and convinced a few friends into investing into his vision for Perfect Plain. It quickly became one of the busiest craft beer taprooms in Florida. They now operate four bar concepts downtown with almost 50 employees. The fourth, The Well Floridian Lounge, opened in May.
D.C. focused its mission on community building. During the pandemic, while their own operations were forced to cease, Perfect Plain manufactured hand sanitizer for nursing homes, health care workers and first responders. Despite dealing with their own flooded building, Perfect Plain provided hundreds of gallons of clean water to the public following Hurricane Sally. They also hosted Bridge The Gap, a market to help feature Gulf Breeze businesses struggling due to the broken Pensacola Bay Bridge.
In 2019, D.C. authored The Microbrewery Handbook, a how-to guide to understanding the business of opening a brewery, in 2019 that was published by Wiley & Sons, one of the oldest publishers in the United States.
He currently serves as the chairman of the board for Visit Pensacola, our tourism marketing organization, and was named 2021 Emerging Leader of the Year by the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce.
