People of South Walton: Regina Jaquess of Emerald Coast Compounding

Regina Jaquess balances her life between being a local business owner and a professional
athlete. She is a pharmacist who owns Emerald Coast Compounding Pharmacy on Hwy 393, just north of 30A, and runs the business with her sister Renee. When she is not at the
pharmacy, she can usually be found down the street at the Pickos Waterski Resort, training
for upcoming events.

Regina is originally from Atlanta. She grew up in a skiing family, and spent lots of time in
Georgia on the water. When Regina and Renee wanted to learn more, their parents took
them back and forth to Orlando to train almost year round. Regina began participating in
tournaments, and earning scores that gained her an invite to the Junior Masters at Callaway Gardens. It was there she met Cory Pickos, who was also participating in the Masters that weekend. He invited her to train at his ski center here in Santa Rosa Beach.
Training for a week turned into training for a summer, and then training the following
summer turned into Regina moving to Santa Rosa Beach. “Somehow I convinced my
parents to let me come down to South Walton,” said Regina. At age 13, she moved in with
the Pickos to train full time. “I said if I’m going to pursue skiing, I have to do it year round,
and you can’t do that in Atlanta,” Regina stated.

The Pickos family – Cory, his wife Rose and their two children; Adam-who is also a World
Champion skier, and Alexis – made her feel at home. “They took me in as another kid,”
Regina said. She continued her education, which was important to her and her parents, at
Freeport High where she became an outstanding point guard on the girls’ basketball team.

The Pickos would watch her play and cheer her on. “I was one of the family,” she said. Her
parents would come down as often as possible to visit her.
Regina’s skiing continued to advance, and she was soon participating on a professional
level at the Masters and other tournaments such as the US Open. She has been a member of the USA Waterski Team since 2001, and has been invited to the Pan Am Games
consecutively since 2003. Regina’s sacrifice and hard work was worth it. “It paid off so
much,” said Regina, who is now the world’s most decorated skier.

Regina received a full scholarship to University of Louisiana at Monroe for waterskiing, and
graduated pharmacy school in 2009. She moved back to Santa Rosa Beach to start her
compounding business. “I’m not a true local, but it’s home,” said Regina. “South Walton is
the kind of place, when you come here, you don’t want to leave.” Her family has since
moved to the area.

Although Regina enjoys being an athlete, her passion and life’s dedication is her
compounding pharmacy. She opened Emerald Coast Compounding Pharmacy in 2011, and
it continues to grow. Regina works closely with her sister Renee, and an exceptional staff of
experienced technicians. “Our staff is amazing. I believe our ingrained nature of being the
best we can be, turns into the positive energy that feeds off everyone at the pharmacy.”

I think South Walton is happy to call this world-renowned athlete and successful
businesswoman a true local.

You can find out more about Regina’s skiing and her compound pharmacy at eccpharmacy.com, www.reginajaquess.com, and the Pickos Waterski Center at www.skicory.com