Mike Hill is a man of many hats and talents. he is not just a family man, but Mike is also a successful business man, conservative advocate, mentor, investor, and community leader. Mike is a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives and represents the 1st district. He was born into a military family and went to elementary school at Eglin Elementary. Following in the family footsteps, he went into the Air Force himself and to the United States Air Force Academy and graduated from there, as well as going to the University of West Florida.
In the Air Force, he started out as an acquisition officer. As an acquisition officer, he and his team bought mainframe computers that ran military installations around the world. He interacted with contractors to build the computers and kept them on time to build the software. Mike went from Mongomery, AL, and then got transferred to Eglin AFB, where was a test director for a smart bomb, the AGM-130 air to ground missile that was 2000 lbs, guided by a TV.
After being in the Air Force for 10 years, being Captain, he decided to leave to pursue a career in insurance with State Farm. He built his own business from the ground up, pursuing the American Dream. With his supportive wife at his side, he made the dream happen and became quite successful. He put in long hours, working from 7 a.m. until around 10 p.m. every day, except the Sabbath. Mike knocked on doors, made phone calls, and did everything he could to succeed.
Mike Hill was not afraid of putting the time in to get the results he wanted. The first two years were difficult, but he pushed through them and came out on top. As a result, the agency grew into a profitable business and failure was never an option. Not only was he busy with work, three years in, his son was born. After 5 years, he started making the profits he dreamed of. At this time, State Farm came to him, bought his company, and asked him to be an agency field consultant.
How long have you lived or worked in Pensacola?
I have lived in this area for around 35 years.
Who is the most interesting person/business owner you’ve met here in Pensacola? Who would you like to see nominated as a Face of Pensacola?
I would say Julian Irby. He’s a really interesting man. He started out in the military as well, and started his own business, Irby Engineering.
What advice would you give a crowd of people? (Or someone starting their own business?)
I would say know within you, deep in your heart, why you want to start it. You have to have the “why” first. Once you have the “why”, you need to start with that.
What current/former local business makes you the most nostalgic about (or what is most iconic in) Pensacola?
People make me more nostalgic about the area, rather than a business. I think of my family first, my neighbors, and some of my friends. I would also say the 3 Mile Bridge because whenever you go across that, it’s just so Pensacola.
Where do you see yourself (and your career/business) in 5 or 10 years?
I see myself doing the same thing. I love what I do and I wouldn’t change it.
What is your favorite restaurant in Pensacola, and what do you love there? (What is your favorite dish, and where do you get it?)
O’Brien’s Bistro on Bayou Blvd.
If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be? And why?
I would go to Ireland and see the greenery. I want to see the castles. Believe it or not, my brother did an ancestry.com thing and my heritage is from a village in Ireland.
What is your favorite movie OR what is the first movie you remember seeing in a theatre?
My favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz. A brain, a heart, and courage, there’s a lot of wisdom in that movie.
What is something on your bucket list?
Something I would really like to do, I would probably say to hike the mountains in Peru.
What is your favorite thing or something unique about Pensacola?
I would say that it’s peaceful. The character of the people here is great. You can hold a conversation with just about anybody, and find out there’s a goodness in them. There are good people here, and some very good people here. There’s good character here.
Choosing anyone alive and a non-relative: with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? Where in Pensacola would you have lunch?
Milania Trump, the first lady, because we don’t hear a lot from her. She’s quiet and we don’t hear her speak on subjects of topics. But, with hearing her background, it would be fascinating to hear about her and her life. I would like to hear her salvation experience.
What is your favorite music/ 3 bands you would like to see (dead or alive)?
My favorite music is in different categories. I love Classical music. In that genre, I love Bach, Beethoven, Handel, and more. That’s just three of them. I love Jazz music too. In Jazz, I’d say Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, and George Duke. They are phenomenal. I also enjoy Pop; Earth, Wind, and Fire of course, Chicago, and then Paul Simon. Paul Simon wrote some great music.
(Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
Well, a lot of people don’t know that I was a heavyweight boxer, with a record of 10-1. I lost my 10th fight to the heavyweight champ and I won my 11th fight in a rematch against him. I did that for a year and a half. My weight was 195.
What 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Peaceful, cozy, and love.
If you were cast into a major motion picture and had your choice of anyone to be your co-star, who would you choose?
My wife, Greta. That would be fun. We’d do an action movie together.
If you had a full-time staff member that was fully paid for, who would you choose?
Chef, Housekeeper, Driver, Coach, Physical Fitness Trainer, or Nanny?
If I had to choose one of those, I would say a housekeeper. I like things clean. If I could choose something that’s not on the list, I would choose a Bible Scholar. If I had a Bible Scholar everyday and I could sit and talk about the Word, it would be amazing.
Be sure to check out what our other nominees have to say!
