Panama Jack

No, this well-known brand of sun care products is not based in Panama the country, nor is it based in Florida’s Panama City. First established in 1974, the original Panama Jack is based right here in downtown Orlando, and the company turns 50 next year.

Specifically, their headquarters is in an unassuming brick building in south downtown, at 230 Ernestine St., in an old part of the business district just south of the 408.

“It’s a great central location,” Blake Thomas, the new president of Panama Jack (and former chief operating officer of Orlando-based

Corkcicle), explained. “For the team, it’s centralized. It’s an interesting dichotomy. We have the benefits of downtown, but in a quiet section.”

The company makes sunscreen and tanning lotions, sunglasses, and hats — especially Panama hats (which, interestingly, originated in Ecuador). Panama Jack also sells beach games, furniture and beach cruiser bicycles, and the company is working with other partners on developing new brand categories.

Jack Katz, who grew up in Key West, is the founder of Panama Jack and was a defensive lineman for coach Ray Graves’ Florida Gators football team in the early 1960s.

Katz is stepping back from dayto-day operations but is still very involved with the creative side of the brand, according to Thomas.

In Katz’s spare time, he also writes poetry. A rhyming poem graces the “about” section of PanamaJack.com, touting that “It’s a lifestyle at half throttle, it’s an island in a bottle.”

“We are a Florida brand and have been in the community for quite some time,” Thomas said. “We love Orlando. Jack has lived in the Orlando metro for years. It’s a good community.”