LOV E LOCAL ISSUE LI F E + C U LTU R E
BOBBY WAGNER & BEKAH MANLEY TALK LOVE & LIFE AMBITIONS F E B R UA RY 2 02 4
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LIFESTYLE LETTER
"Love Local" Edition This special month is when we can really show our love and appreciation for those who mean the most to us! We're excited to share some wonderful news during this Valentine’s month – our awesome mayor of Destin, Bobby Wagner, is engaged to Rebekah Manley! It's such fantastic news, and we just had to spread the word in our community! A huge congratulations to both of you on your engagement! Here's to a future filled with love and happiness! As Valentine's Day approaches, should I plan a lavish Valentine’s Day date out or opt for a cozy night at home? Should I buy a card or simply express my affection with kind words? I typically find myself landing somewhere in between. Our individual preferences and personalities lead us to different answers but what unites us is the opportunity to ensure that those dear to us feel loved. Regardless of how you choose to celebrate, we hope the content in this month’s magazine will inspire you to do just that as we celebrate and highlight the lovable aspects of your local community. As we teeter between the chill of January and the anticipation of spring, we aim to inspire you to pause and connect with the people in your life – those in your home, on your street, in your neighborhood, and your community. "Love local" encompasses supporting your local businesses and community, but it also means cherishing what is close by, including those under your own roof. So, whether you choose to pick up a card and some flowers from Bella Flora30A and enjoy a cozy game night around the fire with your family, or grab a bottle of Slay Rose wine by Jessie Obrivich from the local liquor store and indulge in a movie night at home, let this season be an opportunity to express your love and appreciation for those around you. Happy Valentine's Day!
CARMEN IONASCU, PUBLISHER @DESTINCITYLIFESTYLE
February 2024 PUBLISHER
Carmen Ionascu | Carmen.Ionascu@citylifestyle.com M AN AG I N G E D I TO R
Josh Foster | josh.foster@citylifestyle.com E D I TO R I AL C O O R D I N ATO R
Savannah Vasquez savannah.vasquez@citylifestyle.com C O N T R I B U T I N G P H OTO G R AP H E R S
Shanna Magnuson with Davista Photography, Robert Young with Forever Young Images, Global Films 17
Corporate Team CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Matthew Perry EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HR Janeane Thompson DIRECTOR OF FIRST IMPRESSIONS Jennifer Robinson TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Josh Klein AD DESIGNER Matthew Endersbe LAYOUT DESIGNER Antanette Ray
Learn how to start your own publication at citylifestyle.com//franchise. Proverbs 3:5-6 Destin City Lifestyle™ is published monthly by Lifestyle Media Partners LLC. It is distributed via the US Postal Service to some of the Destin area’s most affluent neighborhoods. Articles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect Lifestyle Media
Visit our Instagram CITYLIFESTYLE.COM/DESTIN
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Partners’ opinions. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Lifestyle Media Partners’ does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. Information in Destin City Lifestyle™ is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed.
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inside the issue FE B RUA RY 2 0 2 4 | LOV E LO CA L
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Featured
12 20 26 38 8
Become A Sharkpreneur™
Get to know your business value with Gerard Perillo
Inspiring Generations
Bobby Wagner & Bekah Manley talk love and future ambitions
12 On the Cover
Departments
Destin Mayor Bobby Wagner and Reverie Corcoran’s Bekah Manley recently got engaged. The two share a love for building eco-friendly, sustainable communities.
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Lifestyle Letter
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Must See REAL ESTATE
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Inspired By LIFE + CULTURE
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Local Limelight LIFE + CULTURE
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Trend Setter LIFE + CULTURE
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Local’s Choice LOCAL SERVICES
Making Destin Sparkle
Local Window Cleaning Company Reflects on Last Decade
A Local’s World
Sign shop stays fresh and local for over 20 years
Photography: Shanna Magnuson with DaVista Photography
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ARTICLE BY SAVANNAH VASQUEZ | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT YOUNG, FOREVER YOUNG IMAGES AND KRISTIE BULACH WITH DOLCE VITA PHOTOGRAPHY
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M UST SE E | REAL ESTATE
Sharkpreneur™
Get to know your business value with Gerard Perillo
Kelly Schmidt, Gerard Perillo and Angel Orth
Ever heard of a Sharkpreneur™? Gerard Perillo of Shark Team EXP in Destin has just trademarked the term following his recent Amazon book launch of the same name; Sharkpreneur: Bite-sized Strategies For Selling Your Business with The Shark Team. “My book is a roadmap for business owners to prepare their businesses for sale,” Gerard said. “We are going to create a community of business owners that we call Sharkpreneurs.” In his book, Gerard defines the term. “A Sharkpreneur™ is a savvy business owner who navigates the turbulent waters of entrepreneurship with the precision and agility of a shark. Harnessing keen instincts,
Kelly Schmidt
a Sharkpreneur anticipates market shifts, capitalizes on opportunities with swift decisions, and confidently tackles challenges head-on. With a hunger for success and an unyielding drive, they dominate their niche, always staying ahead of the competition. In a sea of business ventures, a Sharkpreneur stands out, leading with vision, adaptability, and relentless determination. All of the Shark Team’s clients are Sharkpreneurs.”
But why the term shark? Gerard is not only an ICON Business Broker with every certification you can imagine to his name, but he also developed software for valuing businesses and launched it with Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington back in 2021. “During the pandemic, we knew businesses were all going to be impacted, so I developed a software called Today’s VAL that determines the value of your business,” Gerard said. “The idea behind it was so that businesses would be able to know how the pandemic impacted them. Just like your credit score, if you own a business, you should know what it’s worth. Our mission is to have every business owner know the value of their business so that they know the right time to exit, sell their business and retire.” CONTINUED >
Angel Orth
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G E O R I NG A E “W ESS OWN TO C
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Currently, Gerard’s team is the only brokerage in the U.S. that offers Today’s VAL, his unique software that integrates directly with QuickBooks. Gerard explained that Shark Team EXP not only knows what they are doing and has the credentials to back it up; but they are dedicated to creating a community of business owners who cheer one another on and share like-minded goals to strive for the best possible outcome in creating, buying and selling their businesses. “There really is no other business brokerage in the United States that has our credentials,” Gerard said. “We are relentless and tenacious in pursuing our clients and have a 96 percent close rate. We know what
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we are doing so we don’t over-inflate or understate the price, therefore maximizing what the owner receives when selling the business. We have closed 285 million businesses over the past 20 years both on a local and national level.” When asked about his team, Gerard said he has the best of the best serving right here on the Emerald Coast. "With the Shark Team, I have an incredible team," he said. "In this industry, it’s dominated by men, so I like to promote our women Kelly Schmidt and Angel Orth. These two women are my shining stars, my closers and the ones I am pushing to take over the business brokerage industry, both are very successful women with a 100-pecent close rate." For Gerard, the Emerald Coast is close to his heart because he is a Northwest Florida native. Born and raised in Fort Walton Beach, Gerard said he just helped his own parents sell their local favorite, longtime family eatery Joe & Eddies Restaurant. "My parents owned and operated Joe and Eddies Restaurant since 1954, and we just sold it a little over a year ago,” Gerard said. “Most business owners are very emotionally attached to their businesses and do not know what to do when they are ready to retire. We are here to help them, to show them the steps to sell their business before they are forced to sell. I really have a passion for the mom and pop businesses because they drive this country and make it what it is today, so we want to be there to help them.” Find Shark Team EXP at www.sharkteamflorida.com or check out Gerard Perillo's book, Sharkpreneur: BiteSized Strategies for Selling Your Business With the Shark Team on Amazon.
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ARTICLE BY SAVANNAH VASQUEZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHANNA MAGNUSON WITH DAVISTA PHOTOGRAPHY
INSPIRING GENERATIONS Bobby Wagner & Bekah Manley talk love and future ambitions
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I NSP IR E D BY | L I FE + C ULT U RE
Everyone in Destin has heard of Bobby Wagner, as the youngest Mayor to serve the city, he created quite a stir with his renewed energy and fresh eyes in a city that is relatively young itself. But to Bobby and his fiancé Bekah Manley, the city position just took what they were already doing and amplified it to the next level. Bobby wants to use his platform as Mayor to set up the future generations with promising solutions. And Bekah, a holistic realtor with Corcoran Reverie, said she aspires to help create sustainable, affordable housing in coastal areas affected by hurricanes. “Bobby becoming Mayor has allowed us to connect with other cities through the Florida League of Cities and the National League of Cities,” Bekah said. “What we have found is that everyone shares the same problems with affordable housing and sustainability.” CONTINUED >
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Bekah's mission and vision involve utilizing technology like 3D printing to produce affordable, durable, and eco-friendly housing. Together, the couple hopes to mobilize policymakers to address problems like the housing issue in the same way; with innovative ideas and solutions. “You can’t plan for the future using past tactics,” Bobby said. “A lot of cities are trying to find the answer to the housing problem by using traditional construction methods, but what a fun win to
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help different communities with this type of resourcefulness. I see it as a triple win across the board because it will improve quality, price and product.” Recently engaged, Bobby and Bekah became a local internet sensation with their Florida Caverns proposal. Bobby said he wanted to make the event a surprise, so instead of a trip to the mountains, they made a more local trip to the Bay County Florida Caverns State Park. Together, the pair make a great and inspiring
“We both share a vision of creating a better tomorrow by unifying people and inspiring new ideas. Our love story is inseparable from our commitment to community, sustainability, and positive change.” couple for future generations and they say the secret to their success is the support they find in each other. “Our love is deeply rooted in our shared passions of people and planet,” Bekah said. “We both share a vision of creating a better tomorrow by unifying people and inspiring new ideas. Bobby’s dedication to learning from the inside aligns with my commitment to reshaping the outside. Our love story is inseparable from our commitment to community, sustainability, and positive change. We envision a future where our collective impact extends far beyond the shores of Destin.”
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LOCAL WINDOW CLEANING COMPANY REFLECTS ON LAST DECADE
Making Destin
Sparkle ARTICLE BY SAVANNAH VASQUEZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT YOUNG, FOREVER YOUNG IMAGES
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It’s not something most people think about, but crystal-clear windows put forth the best image of a business or home. Taylor Wood of Optimum Window Cleaning in Destin knows the value of a correctly cleaned and pressure-washed building and has more than 20 years of experience in the window cleaning business to prove it. Better yet, Taylor and his fiancé Kaitlyn are Santa Rosa Beach locals, wanting the best for this small-town, big impact area. “The community is one of the main reasons I love doing what I do, because people always tell us we make them happy,” Taylor said. “For us, making the locals of Destin and Santa Rosa Beach happy is of greatest importance because it shows that they value working with a small-town local businesses.”
CONTINUED >
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Taylor got his start at the young age of 17, when answering a bulletin board ad for help-wanted in a national window-cleaning company. That experience, he says, taught him how to run a business in the most efficient and professional way possible. “What really sets us apart is how we run our business,” Taylor said. “I got the business foundation from the nationwide business, but Optimum, it’s a family locally-owned business. One thing I do differently is treat those who work for me like the business is their own. I don’t ever call them employees.” When it comes to their work, Taylor said they offer the highest quality window cleaning and pressure washing with the know-how that comes with his business’ longevity. “Before 2020, a lot of pressure washers never did window cleaning, and a lot of window cleaners never did pressure washing; but we have always offered both,” Taylor said. “There’s a real technique to washing windows the correct way. We get out there with
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the right tools and the right level of knowledge and our work really speaks for itself.” Taylor explained that his business was one of the first in the area to offer high-caliber window cleaning and both soft and hard pressure washing services. Optimum Window Cleaning is also one of the only businesses in the area that offers window cleaning up to six stories high. “Usually, a story is 10-12 feet above ground, but down here in Florida, the first story might be 20 feet up because it’s on stilts,” Taylor said. “Some people tell us that they had a hard time finding a window cleaning company because they wouldn’t go that high. We ladder-up and have a 60-foot ladder.” Along with his fiancé Kaitlyn and his two children, Taylor said he is forever grateful for the people of the Destin area who have trusted him to take care of their window and property cleaning needs. “Kaitlyn, I and the family, we love the community. We have even opened more businesses because everything has been going so well with our first business,” Taylor said mentioning his recent endeavors opening Beach Bonfires 30A and A1 Junk Removal and Services. “They call people like us serial entrepreneurs. That’s one of the cool things about being in a small town; everyone wants the local business; and that’s us.”
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LOCAL CARMEL CERAVOLO TALKS SUCCESS AND HOMECOMING
Go Big Then Go Home ARTICLE BY SAVANNAH VASQUEZ | PHOTOGRAPHY BY GLOBAL FILMS 17
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“
“ I wo rke d h a rd my e nt i re l i fe t o ge t w h e re I a m n ow,” C a r m e l C e r avo lo.
Carmel Ceravolo comes from a strong Italian family that values hard work, success, a strong work ethic and above all family. A world-renown turntablist Dj/Music producer turned film Director; Carmel has proven that family trumps all in his recent choice to leave his massively successful career to raise his son. “I worked hard my entire life to get where I am now,” he said. “But now my life is about my son Carmel Juliano Ceravolo who is a year and a half now. But don’t get me wrong, I do miss getting in front of thousands of people and making them go crazy; it was a lot of fun.” As a self-made man, Carmel is proud of how hard he has worked and how much he has achieved since growing up in the Fort Walton Beach area. He’s always followed his passions in music, film, and extreme sports. “I spent the first few years of my life in different parts of California and moved here when I was four years old,” he said. “My grandfather put Fort Walton Beach on the map for the Italian people. He was a great business guy; he owned liquor stores, lounges, and clubs and made the Ceravolo name a household one in the 70’s and 80’s in the community.” After his grandfather's passing, Carmel’s grandmother Josey decided to retire and shift her entire focus to family. But with the family business gone, life was not easy. Carmel said he learned grit and his work ethic grew at a young age, thanks to the fact that his mother Angela raised him and two sisters on her own. Starting out in the time-share telemarketing business at just 16 years old, Carmel has always played to his strengths when it comes to making money. By the time he was 18, he had mastered his craft, opening his own call center.
“I was making good money at 18-19 years old, while still being able to elevate my music career,” he said. “It was a dream come true to make money and still chase my dreams in the music industry. I never second-guessed myself and always believed I would make it.” Carmel said he always had a gift for music and a knack for talking big so that people would let him in the door. His philosophy was simple; the more shots he took, the more he missed, but the ones that went in positioned him to win. “I was a prodigy guitar player as a kid, my neighbor was a Vietnam Navy seal that taught me how to play. I played fast like Slayer, Megadeth, and old Metallica, with fast fingers; super technical,” he said. “But once I touched turntables for the first time I was like, ‘This is going to be my thing!’” In the music industry, Carmel went by the moniker Prolific (Underground), and later Earbutter for commercial projects and toured the world, performing and producing music in places like the Middle East, Russia, Europe, South and Central America to name a few. “I was sharing stages with names like Wu-Tang, A-Trak, Goldie, Skrillex, and 12th Planet,” Carmel said. “I started doing these Hip Hop & Drum and Base shows in the early 2000’s and touring globally and then dubstep exploded around 2010 and that’s when the crowds and the check got bigger.” Featured on various TV platforms such as BET, a U.S. Hip Hop TV channel, Carmel participated in a show called Spring Bling with Ludacris and Lil’ Wayne judging DJ’s on-air battles. He continued thriving in the music CONTINUED >
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scene, but with the emergence of DJ controllers making what he did on turntables look like anyone could do it, he said the DJ lifestyle began to lose its flavor. “I got to this point where I was running businesses outside of the music scene,” Carmel said. “I wanted to walk away from music because I didn’t feel for the most part like I was around authentic and sober-thinking people in the scene and wanted a change.” Thus Carmel entered his film era. With his music connections, he turned his RED cameras towards his fellow musicians and big brands and never looked back. He started making music videos for platinum recording artists, commercials for Fortune 500 companies, and eventually filmed and produced the Amazon documentary Green Is the New Gold with Tyler Eveleth and Imagination which have both streamed over a million minutes on Amazon Prime Video’s platform. “I got into the film game, and just killed it,” Carmel said. “I filmed everything you can imagine; food products, commercials, major universities, two projects for NASA. I’ve done a lot of great projects.
Carmel, center talks with actor Peter Dante, far right.
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But in 2021 my grandmother passed away, that’s my best friend. I’m a Sicilian, and losing someone that close jammed me up.” The funeral got Carmel focused on wanting a family and building his empire. With a baby on the way, he said he wanted to be fully present in raising his son and decided that the Destin area would be the best place to do that. Bringing his son back to Florida after a hard-fought custody battle was a crazy ordeal, but now that he’s here, Carmel said he just wants to share his lifestyle with his baby and his family here. "I want my son to have every opportunity to go big like I did, riding freestyle BMX, skating, wakeboarding, and wake surfing,” Carmel said, adding that he now owns and operates Wake Surf Destin which teaches wake boarding and wake surfing to new riders of all ages. Though he plans on returning to filming once his son is older, Carmel said that for now, he is focused on his newly found passions of building vacation homes and operating Seaside Towing which services the local community.
Professional boxer Roy Jones Jr. with Carmel.
Rapper Gucci Mane and Carmel Ceravolo.
Carmel with rapper NLE Choppa.
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ARTICLE BY SAVANNAH VASQUEZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT YOUNG, FOREVER YOUNG IMAGES
SIGN SHOP STAYS FRESH AND LOCAL FOR OVER 20 YEARS
A LOCAL’S WORLD 38
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It all started with a love for art and custom cars. Kevin Marler, a born and raised Fort Walton Beach local, said he found his passion quite by accident as an 18-year-old fresh out of high school. “A friend of mine got a job at a little sign shop in Destin,” Kevin said. “I walked into that shop and I noticed
over 20 years. My largest takeaway is the relationships not just with customers but with employees and the people in the community who have helped along the way. The team and the family of community has made our success possible. I just have a deep-seated love for loyalty and community.”
that every type of customer in town was coming in needing projects for their houses, their cars, their businesses, and I thought, ‘With this job, I can do all the things I'm passionate about. This business requires designing, creating and bringing to life oneof-a-kind needs for people." From then on, Kevin set out to use his creativity where the whole world was his canvas, thus his business name, A World of Signs. Kevin launched his business in late 2002 and his homegrown company just celebrated their 20th anniversary. Looking back over the two decades of serving the local community, Kevin said he views his success as coming from the people he has met over the years. “Honestly the biggest thing that we ever created is our countless relationships,” Kevin said. “I have people I’ve been doing business with for
When it comes to the day-today aspect of A World of Signs, Kevin said inside his business every employee is a designer and every customer, the next big thing. “Everybody here plays a role in creativity and has ideas,” Kevin said. “We don’t have departments, it’s one big think-tank. We are all working together cumulatively to make the customers' ideas and needs become a reality. We really have this cross-firing of creativity and design and knowhow where everybody gives each other ideas to get cool work done.” The environment inside A World of Signs is truly one-of-a-kind as Kevin explained at the end of the day, his entire business would not be possible without his family. His wife and five kids of course, but also his work family. “God and my family are my everything, my wife Ellie is my rock-solid
“HONESTLY THE BIGGEST THING THAT WE EVER CREATED IS OUR COUNTLESS RELATIONSHIPS.”
CONTINUED >
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“I HAVE A DEEPSEATED LOVE FOR THE COMMUNITY.” hope, she gave me five beautiful children,” Kevin said. “But growing my family with my business, it gave me a neat perspective. We spend more time at work than we do at home so that fact has driven me to build an environment at my shop that is like a family. The environment that we try to portray here at the shop kind of speaks for itself; we don’t have a high turnover and we have some employees that have been with us for over ten years, and that’s what we hope for.” And Kevin really means it when he says A World of Signs does not specialize. On any given day his team could be working on several projects that span from wrapping a fleet of vehicles to creating decals for a small business, to designing plaques for a military memorial service. Every day is an exciting new task and there really are no limits to where his art can go. “People said to me, ‘You’ve got to find something that you are good at and stick to that,’ but I don’t want that, it’s terrible advice for an artist,” Kevin said. “I’ve never had a client base, because in this business, it’s anything you can possibly think of. I can wrap your dining room, make yard signs for your t-ball team, create custom art pieces to hang in your house, stripe your hot rod, there is nothing off-limits to us and that’s the driving force behind everything we do here and why I love it.”
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FL-LO36800 | Movement Mortgage, LLC supports Equal Housing Opportunity. NMLS ID# 39179 (For licensing information, go to: www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org) | 877-314-1499. Movement Mortgage, LLC is licensed by FL # MLD1360.Interest rates and products are subject to change without notice and may or may not be available at the time of loan commitment or lock-in. Borrowers must qualify at closing for all benefits. "Movement Mortgage" is a registered trademark of the Movement Mortgage, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. 8024 Calvin Hall Rd, Indian Land, SC 29707
me today l l Cato see how I can help you purchase your next primary, vacation or investment property! 42
(850) 621 - 2220 gerard@sharkteam.com @gerardjperillo www.sharkteam.com
Gerard J. Perillo III
CBI, M&AMI, CMAP, BCA, MBA/JD Icon Business Broker Qualified SBA Appraiser, Author
DESTIN RESIDENTIAL ROOFING DESTIN COMMERCIAL ROOFING DESTIN ROOFING REPAIRS Contact Us for a Free Consultation and Estimate. 850.428.6288 | info@eagleviewfl.com | www.eagleviewfl.com
850.460.7295
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