I AM PENSACOLA - Collier Merrill

What is your hometown, what brought you to the 

Pensacola area and how long have you been here.

Pensacola is my hometown. Other than going off to Alabama 

for school (Roll Tide) I have been in Pensacola my whole life – 

there is nowhere else I would rather be.

What is your profession and give a brief description 

of what you do. 

My brothers Will, Burney and I are all a part of our 

companies; Merrill Land Company and Great Southern 

Restaurants. I serve as the President of Merrill Land 

Company which specializes in condo construction, 

subdivisions, retail/offi ce holdings and property acquisitions. 

Additionally, I am the President of Great Southern 

Restaurants which includes The Fish House, Atlas Oyster 

House, The Deck Bar, Jackson’s Steakhouse, Five Sisters 

Blues Café, The Palafox House, Great Southern Weddings, 

Great Southern Management and Great Southern Catering & 

Events.  

What led you to choose this profession?

Our grandfather came to the area around 1925 with the 

Bagdad Lumber Mill and our father was also in the lumber 

business - I guess you could say it was in our family. 

What do you like best about Pensacola? What makes 

it unique?

One of the best things about Pensacola is of course, the 

people, and that the people are all actively involved in making 

Pensacola that great place that it is.  However, what makes 

it so unique is the combination of the beaches, history, the 

military, university, the arts, the medical community and the 

culture that surrounds us each and every day.

Three words that best describe you. 

I posed this question to my offi ce, I told them I would go with 

what they said – here goes…
Fair, Adventurous, Inquisitive

Favorite Things you like about Pensacola.

It’s hard to pick my favorite things about Pensacola – we 

have so many wonderful assets; but besides the great people 

– to name a few - we have the Community Martitime Park, 

University of West Florida, Historic Pensacola, The Blue 

Angels, Pensacola sports, Pensacola Navy Museum, the 

beaches, thriving arts community, fun downtown and of 

course, the great restaurants.

Finish this statement, I AM PENSACOLA because…

It’s by the grace of God and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

photo by Steven Gray

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