FC–CPM-2026-3Q-merged - Flipbook - Page 34
WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS // Melissa Nelson de Valcourt
Why the Women Entrepreneurs of Suite 33 are
Choosing Collaboration Over Competition
rive through Harbortown
Village in Gulf Breeze and it’s
easy to miss Suite 33. From the
outside, it looks like another
collection of professional
o昀케ces. Step inside, however, and you’ll
昀椀nd something becoming increasingly
common among women entrepreneurs—
but still surprisingly rare to see done well:
independent business owners who have
intentionally chosen collaboration over
competition.
Across the country, shared workspaces
have evolved beyond co-working desks
into industry-speci昀椀c communities where
professionals with complementary
services work side by side. In the wellness
昀椀eld, that model makes particular sense.
Clients seeking healthier skin may also be
looking for massage therapy, hormone
support, weight management or laser
treatments. Rather than sending clients
across town, these professionals can often
point them to the o昀케ce next door.
Suite 33 Wellness Center is Gulf
Breeze’s local example of that movement,
but it didn’t happen by accident.
After operating Ideal Weight Loss
for more than 15 years, Kristi Renfroe
shifted her primary focus to real estate,
while continuing to o昀昀er weight loss
services. When she made the decision to
sell the building where several wellness
professionals had been renting space,
what could have marked the end of
their working relationship became
the beginning of something new. “The
wellness professionals renting space
there had become more like family than
tenants,” Renfroe said. “Rather than going
our separate ways, we decided to stay
together and 昀椀nd a space where we could
D
continue supporting one another.
Massage therapist Micah Baldwin,
whose practice can be found at
massagebymicah.com, located the
current Suite 33 space and had a clear
vision for what it should become.
Instead of 昀椀lling o昀케ces with businesses
that o昀昀ered the same services, she
intentionally sought professionals whose
specialties complemented one another.
“I wanted to make sure we weren’t
competing,” Baldwin said. “All of those
specialties go together.”
Today, that vision brings
together Renfroe’s Ideal Weight
Loss (idealweightloss-gb.com),
Skin Health & Wellness Studio
(skinhealthandwellnessstudio.com),
Bare Essence Spa (bareessencespa.
com), Amped Up Health & Wellness
(ampeduphealthwellness.com) and
Massage by Micah under one roof. Each
business operates independently, yet the
women consistently describe themselves
as partners rather than competitors.
For licensed master esthetician Carine
Bourgeois Faggioni, that partnership
re昀氀ects a broader philosophy. “Our focus
is wellness,” she said. “Nutrition, skincare,
massage—it all ties together.” During
facials, conversations naturally drift beyond
skincare, allowing her to recommend
massage therapy, hormone care or weightloss coaching when those services could
bene昀椀t a client. Likewise, clients often
schedule a facial and massage together,
turning routine appointments into a
monthly wellness ritual.
Amber Thomas says the
collaboration also changes the
experience for clients. While continuing
to work part-time in the hospital as she
COURTESY ELISSA DE VALCOURT
More Than Shared Space
grows Amped Up Health & Wellness,
she appreciates knowing patients are
surrounded by trusted professionals
even when she isn’t in the o昀케ce.
Referrals happen “right across the
hall,” she said, instead of sending
clients searching across Pensacola.
Just as important, she believes the
environment itself puts people at
ease. “It’s very cozy,” Thomas said.
“It’s not that stark white o昀케ce exam
room,” making it easier for women to
discuss concerns they may have put
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