Dr. George T. “Tip” McKnight - Large Business
“I don't think it had ever occurred to me that man's supremacy is not primarily due to his brain, as most of the books would have one think. It is due to the brain's capacity to make use of the information conveyed to it by a narrow band of visible light rays. His civilization, all that he had achieved or might achieve, hung upon his ability to perceive that range of vibrations from red to violet. Without that, he was lost.”
― John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids
Sight is a gift and a sense that we cannot imagine living without. How can we, each of us, imagine comporting our daily activities without our vision? It is with that in mind that one can truly say the economic impact of healthy eyes in our community is literally innumerable and immeasurable.
Dr. George T. “Tip” McKnight not only serves our area by aiding in our eye health as a Doctor of Opthamology , but expounds his contributions greatly through donations of his time, gifts of knowledge, and generous financial donations (through his business, his family trust and his personal income).
McKnight has practiced in Pensacola since 1992, joining Dr. William Henson’s practice which has served Pensacola for 35 years. McKnight credits Henson’s significant foundational spiritual and ethical standards for the extremely high level of employee benefits and opportunities that continue until today. In the Rotary spirit of Fairness, Truth and Building good will, the practice long offered full medical and retirement benefits before Federal mandates began requiring them. And numerous long-time employees currently serving up to 30 years in loyalty bears out their employment practices honor Rotary’s Fairness to all concerned focus. Four doctors of Opthamology and four Optometrists serve together at Center for Sight, lead by senior principals Dr. McKnight and Dr. Bob Harbour.
“We do not identify ourselves as an eye emergency room on any level,” McKnight says, “but there is no way we turn emergencies away. And at least three days a week we get to our office and find an individual needing emergency treatment and care is waiting in the parking lot. Most of them are not insured. We do not turn them away.”
And the pro-bono work only begins there! The Lions Club sends two SCHEDULED patients per doctor every month for indigent care or care for the needy. Emergency calls to the Emergency Rooms in the area require follow up, too, and local clergy and social workers know that they will find tender hearts guiding highly skilled hands in Dr. Tip McKnight’s office.
Dr. McKnight serves as a board member of Camp Seale-Harris, a long-running juvenile diabetes camp. And he also participates hands-on in the summer camps. A Type I diabetic himself, Dr. McKnight knows that the fun the mostly lower income kids have at camp pales in comparison to the potentially life-saving healthy living practices and tips that infuse their experience.
Dr. McKnight also serves on the clinical faculty of Florida State University Medical School, and welcomes medical students as they rotate their potential specialties. He is also starting to accept rotating students from Nova Southeastern Medical School.
“Many of the students do not intend to specialize in optometry or opthamology,” he explains. “But if they are ever going serve in emergency care, or general or primary care practice, they know the eye is a unique challenge. We know it helps them perform as better physicians over all when they’ve done a rotation with us.”
It is frequently said that a truly ethical and inspiration leader will find themselves followed by and reflected in those around them. Is there a harder group to impress than one’s own family – or even worse, one’s children? Dr. McKnight’s two daughters must like who they see, as his eldest is studying premed at Southern Methodist, and his youngest daughter is currently weighing her acceptance to the FSU Honors Medical Scholars Program.
They’ve had many chances to observe heir father in work, and also experience his commitment to annual week-long mission trips to Beliz.
“Forget the romantic sounding destination,” McKnight says quietly, “my staff amazes me year after year, vying for the opportunity to serve a mostly desperately needy population. We perform 100 surgeries, fit and grant 200 pairs of glasses and see over 500 patients total each trip. Their commitment to serve and make a difference is beautiful.”
There is great truth in John Wyndham’s assertion in the quote above that man’s very “civilization, all that he had achieved or might achieve” hung upon his ability to see. It seems to follow that we can all agree that the medical services alone provided by Dr. McKnight are Beneficial to all concerned. Add to that the immense generosity of heart and sprit and resources, and I know you will agree that Dr. Tip McKnight exhibits the highest possible ethics in business and maintains standards completely consistent with our Four Way Test as Rotarians.
Without that, we could be “lost.”
― John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids
Sight is a gift and a sense that we cannot imagine living without. How can we, each of us, imagine comporting our daily activities without our vision? It is with that in mind that one can truly say the economic impact of healthy eyes in our community is literally innumerable and immeasurable.
Dr. George T. “Tip” McKnight not only serves our area by aiding in our eye health as a Doctor of Opthamology , but expounds his contributions greatly through donations of his time, gifts of knowledge, and generous financial donations (through his business, his family trust and his personal income).
McKnight has practiced in Pensacola since 1992, joining Dr. William Henson’s practice which has served Pensacola for 35 years. McKnight credits Henson’s significant foundational spiritual and ethical standards for the extremely high level of employee benefits and opportunities that continue until today. In the Rotary spirit of Fairness, Truth and Building good will, the practice long offered full medical and retirement benefits before Federal mandates began requiring them. And numerous long-time employees currently serving up to 30 years in loyalty bears out their employment practices honor Rotary’s Fairness to all concerned focus. Four doctors of Opthamology and four Optometrists serve together at Center for Sight, lead by senior principals Dr. McKnight and Dr. Bob Harbour.
“We do not identify ourselves as an eye emergency room on any level,” McKnight says, “but there is no way we turn emergencies away. And at least three days a week we get to our office and find an individual needing emergency treatment and care is waiting in the parking lot. Most of them are not insured. We do not turn them away.”
And the pro-bono work only begins there! The Lions Club sends two SCHEDULED patients per doctor every month for indigent care or care for the needy. Emergency calls to the Emergency Rooms in the area require follow up, too, and local clergy and social workers know that they will find tender hearts guiding highly skilled hands in Dr. Tip McKnight’s office.
Dr. McKnight serves as a board member of Camp Seale-Harris, a long-running juvenile diabetes camp. And he also participates hands-on in the summer camps. A Type I diabetic himself, Dr. McKnight knows that the fun the mostly lower income kids have at camp pales in comparison to the potentially life-saving healthy living practices and tips that infuse their experience.
Dr. McKnight also serves on the clinical faculty of Florida State University Medical School, and welcomes medical students as they rotate their potential specialties. He is also starting to accept rotating students from Nova Southeastern Medical School.
“Many of the students do not intend to specialize in optometry or opthamology,” he explains. “But if they are ever going serve in emergency care, or general or primary care practice, they know the eye is a unique challenge. We know it helps them perform as better physicians over all when they’ve done a rotation with us.”
It is frequently said that a truly ethical and inspiration leader will find themselves followed by and reflected in those around them. Is there a harder group to impress than one’s own family – or even worse, one’s children? Dr. McKnight’s two daughters must like who they see, as his eldest is studying premed at Southern Methodist, and his youngest daughter is currently weighing her acceptance to the FSU Honors Medical Scholars Program.
They’ve had many chances to observe heir father in work, and also experience his commitment to annual week-long mission trips to Beliz.
“Forget the romantic sounding destination,” McKnight says quietly, “my staff amazes me year after year, vying for the opportunity to serve a mostly desperately needy population. We perform 100 surgeries, fit and grant 200 pairs of glasses and see over 500 patients total each trip. Their commitment to serve and make a difference is beautiful.”
There is great truth in John Wyndham’s assertion in the quote above that man’s very “civilization, all that he had achieved or might achieve” hung upon his ability to see. It seems to follow that we can all agree that the medical services alone provided by Dr. McKnight are Beneficial to all concerned. Add to that the immense generosity of heart and sprit and resources, and I know you will agree that Dr. Tip McKnight exhibits the highest possible ethics in business and maintains standards completely consistent with our Four Way Test as Rotarians.
Without that, we could be “lost.”
Ace Cannon - Small Business
"The Master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both."
-Zen Philosophy (found in _Head to Head_, L. Thurrow)
It is unlikely that Ace Cannon, owner of Cannon Automotives in Gulf Breeze, has spent much time devouring Chinese Philosophy. But the quote above is a true reflection of his constant, committed and ethical pursuit of excellence in mechanical repairs and maintenance for his family, friends and neighbors - all customers. A job and a joy that has filled the past 40-plus years as his avocation and his vocation as a mechanic.
“There have been many times when I’ve taken Ace my old truck and he has driven it a few days, tinkered and solved whatever problem it was having,” says Hood Powell. “And that’s after all the advanced computers in the area and at the dealership could not. And he doesn’t charge exorbitant fees for the above-and-beyond work he does. He’s always fair, honest, and reasonable.“
His thriving and profitable business does not suffer from the many times he affords complimentary “tweaks” when he feels the work was not time consuming or difficult enough to charge. The buzz among his clients is most favorable – you pay fair prices for his excellent service, and it’s always worth what he charges when he hands you a bill. And that kind of service is beneficial to all concerned; his customers do not unnecessarily pay for services that end up to be minor, and his business continues to thrive since 1977 due to customer loyalty and confidence.
Being truthful and “Fair to all Concerned” comes naturally to affable Ace Cannon, and his 20 years of perfect attendance at Rotary probably helped drill those very Four Way Test attributes into his daily life. And his ethical practice of his trade has borne many economic fruits – his parking lot on Highway 98 stays packed with cars awaiting his attention. If you drop by the office, you’ll find him literally up to his elbows in a car, and he always greets you with a smile on his face. He loves hunting down elusive mechanical problems, solving them and serving his clients – all while he builds good will and better friendships!
It’s fair to say that most people don’t associate the words “fair, reasonable and excellence” with car repair services – one of the most anxiety-ridden transactions most of us ever undertake.
Cannon adheres to the high ethical standards of honesty, integrity and consistency in dealing with his customers and employees, and many times can actually extend the life of an automobile for a family with his dedicated and creative approach to auto repair and maintenance. The positive economic enhancement of such savings for his clients CANNOT be overstated. In America, 76 percent of workers depend upon their automobiles to get to and from their workplace, so having a dependable vehicle is paramount.
Another unique and powerful tool Ace Cannon employs in his business and his personal service life is his commitment to mentor. The Ancient business practices of leading and guiding apprentices have often fallen by the way side with modern concerns of liability, lack of principal business owner productivity and distractions. Yet, Ace Cannon has not only mentored multiple mechanics over the year, he also served as a volunteer scout leader for years through cub scouts and boy scouts, lending his unique skill set to many. His joy in serving others and sharing his unique knowledge and participation in activities that are beneficial to the community with no evident economic benefits to his business are stellar examples of his ethical business practice.
“"I have worked as a leader and scoutmaster in Boy Scouts for many years, and I have come to appreciate the power of mentorship and inspirational leading that some in our community provide to young men,” praises Scott Musmansky. “It can literally clarify a life path, and reveal potential professions. When young Westin Demotts was able to work under Ace Cannon's skilled direction at Cannon Automotive, I saw him bloom into a man with greatly increased confidence and self understanding.”
Ace avoids the spotlight, and prefers hunting on weekends with his son and his closest friends, so this is a surprise nomination. When Ace’s wife, Kathy, was asked who mentored or inspired Ace to develop his incredible mechanical and “tinkering” skills at a very young age, she replied with a wry grin, “I really do not know; he was raised by his grandmother.”
It is not a stretch for this nominator to imagine Ace, loaded with youthful enthusiasm and his characteristic desire to serve and help others, growing in his skills most likely daily – responding to his grandmother’s pleas for help.
“Ace, can you come fix this?” must have been a frequent request that echoed through their Pensacola home at a time before computer boards. Ace developed his skills in a time when mechanical motors and most household objects would be easily disassembled, deciphered and repaired.
And it’s easy to imagine Ace being more than willing to help!
-Zen Philosophy (found in _Head to Head_, L. Thurrow)
It is unlikely that Ace Cannon, owner of Cannon Automotives in Gulf Breeze, has spent much time devouring Chinese Philosophy. But the quote above is a true reflection of his constant, committed and ethical pursuit of excellence in mechanical repairs and maintenance for his family, friends and neighbors - all customers. A job and a joy that has filled the past 40-plus years as his avocation and his vocation as a mechanic.
“There have been many times when I’ve taken Ace my old truck and he has driven it a few days, tinkered and solved whatever problem it was having,” says Hood Powell. “And that’s after all the advanced computers in the area and at the dealership could not. And he doesn’t charge exorbitant fees for the above-and-beyond work he does. He’s always fair, honest, and reasonable.“
His thriving and profitable business does not suffer from the many times he affords complimentary “tweaks” when he feels the work was not time consuming or difficult enough to charge. The buzz among his clients is most favorable – you pay fair prices for his excellent service, and it’s always worth what he charges when he hands you a bill. And that kind of service is beneficial to all concerned; his customers do not unnecessarily pay for services that end up to be minor, and his business continues to thrive since 1977 due to customer loyalty and confidence.
Being truthful and “Fair to all Concerned” comes naturally to affable Ace Cannon, and his 20 years of perfect attendance at Rotary probably helped drill those very Four Way Test attributes into his daily life. And his ethical practice of his trade has borne many economic fruits – his parking lot on Highway 98 stays packed with cars awaiting his attention. If you drop by the office, you’ll find him literally up to his elbows in a car, and he always greets you with a smile on his face. He loves hunting down elusive mechanical problems, solving them and serving his clients – all while he builds good will and better friendships!
It’s fair to say that most people don’t associate the words “fair, reasonable and excellence” with car repair services – one of the most anxiety-ridden transactions most of us ever undertake.
Cannon adheres to the high ethical standards of honesty, integrity and consistency in dealing with his customers and employees, and many times can actually extend the life of an automobile for a family with his dedicated and creative approach to auto repair and maintenance. The positive economic enhancement of such savings for his clients CANNOT be overstated. In America, 76 percent of workers depend upon their automobiles to get to and from their workplace, so having a dependable vehicle is paramount.
Another unique and powerful tool Ace Cannon employs in his business and his personal service life is his commitment to mentor. The Ancient business practices of leading and guiding apprentices have often fallen by the way side with modern concerns of liability, lack of principal business owner productivity and distractions. Yet, Ace Cannon has not only mentored multiple mechanics over the year, he also served as a volunteer scout leader for years through cub scouts and boy scouts, lending his unique skill set to many. His joy in serving others and sharing his unique knowledge and participation in activities that are beneficial to the community with no evident economic benefits to his business are stellar examples of his ethical business practice.
“"I have worked as a leader and scoutmaster in Boy Scouts for many years, and I have come to appreciate the power of mentorship and inspirational leading that some in our community provide to young men,” praises Scott Musmansky. “It can literally clarify a life path, and reveal potential professions. When young Westin Demotts was able to work under Ace Cannon's skilled direction at Cannon Automotive, I saw him bloom into a man with greatly increased confidence and self understanding.”
Ace avoids the spotlight, and prefers hunting on weekends with his son and his closest friends, so this is a surprise nomination. When Ace’s wife, Kathy, was asked who mentored or inspired Ace to develop his incredible mechanical and “tinkering” skills at a very young age, she replied with a wry grin, “I really do not know; he was raised by his grandmother.”
It is not a stretch for this nominator to imagine Ace, loaded with youthful enthusiasm and his characteristic desire to serve and help others, growing in his skills most likely daily – responding to his grandmother’s pleas for help.
“Ace, can you come fix this?” must have been a frequent request that echoed through their Pensacola home at a time before computer boards. Ace developed his skills in a time when mechanical motors and most household objects would be easily disassembled, deciphered and repaired.
And it’s easy to imagine Ace being more than willing to help!
