For the past 24 years, Mr. Peter Nowak of Nowak Enterprises, Inc. (NEI) has owned and operated McDonald’s restaurants in Pensacola. Beginning with two in 1991, Mr. Nowak expanded to six.

Besides building a business that employs over 300 people, in 2008 the entrepreneur developed and co-designed a unique system to better communicate with and train NEI employees. L3 is cloud-based and provides hundreds of video messages to all NEI employees, on-demand, while they hand wash. L3 also interfaces with desktops, laptops, and mobile devices.

Pete believes early childhood education is the best way to give all children a chance at self fulfillment and happiness. In 2011 he donated L3s and educational content to Escambia County’s Oakcrest Elementary school, to reinforce spelling and vocabulary lessons.

Also in 2011, Pete funded and completed a pilot project with Escambia County’s Early Learning Coalition. L3s and content were donated to help four-year-olds prepare for school. Voluntary pre-K teachers used L3s to reinforce curriculum essentials: phonics, math/science concepts, etc.

Since 2012, Pete has presented L3’s early childhood benefits to statewide educators and business leaders. In 2014 he started a pilot project with the support of Pensacola Mayor, Ashton Hayward; Pete converted L3 into a child-friendly version: Ernie the Ant. Ernie and 100 pre-K lessons were donated to Pensacola’s Woodland Heights Community Center.

This year, Pete worked with Pensacola’s Chief of Police, David Alexander III, and developed Officer Ernie. Pete donated two Officer Ernies and interactive reading lessons suitable for four to eight year olds; they are in two of Pensacola’s community centers: Fricker and Theophalis May.

In 2013, Pete co-developed a multi-use software system that offers customer care/recovery, value-added mobile marketing/product placement, customer base growth, and campaign analysis. It’s also used at Woodland Heights to help parents get their children ready to learn.

Other Nowak products include an already developed remote monitoring system for equipment and a prototype that lets casual diners listen to personal audio devices via Blue Tooth.

As regional co-chair of The Children’s Movement of Florida, Pete helps improve the state’s workforce and business climate by supporting health/education programs for parents and children.

Memberships in other organizations include the Foundation Board of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors and Governor’s Board for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of N.W. Florida, the Board of Innovation Coast, the Advisory Board of the Pensacola Young Professionals, the Pensacola Young Entrepreneurs Academy, and the Optimist Club of North Pensacola. Pete is a long time tennis player who supports high school tennis and sponsors youth and adult tournaments.

Originally from New York, Pete is married to Bronagh Nowak; the Nowaks have three children: Millicent, John, and Elizabeth.