Longwood names Huey Magoo’s manager Business Person of the Month

Longwood used its May business honor to spotlight more than a chicken tender shop. The city named Harvey Coleman, general manager of Huey Magoo’s at 1022 W. State Road 434, as its Business Person of the Month for May 2026, a recognition presented after Commissioner Tony Boni made the nomination at the April 20 City Commission meeting.

The award points to the kind of local enterprise Longwood is choosing to elevate on one of its most visible commercial corridors. Coleman brings 38 years in the food industry, and the city said his career has included managing restaurants in Ohio, Georgia and Florida before opening his own business, Coleman’s Sports Design Pizza, in Orlando in 2010. Longwood said he operated that company for 11 years and created jobs there, a detail that gives the honor a workforce angle as much as a ceremonial one.

Coleman’s background also shows the value cities place on managers who can keep a restaurant running day after day. His education includes Admiral King High School, Lorain County Community College, Bowling Green State University and North Metro Technical Institute. At Huey Magoo’s, he oversees a location that opened on Oct. 1, 2024, as a 2,500-square-foot free-standing restaurant with a double drive-thru, a design that fits a stretch of State Road 434 where convenience and quick service matter.

The Longwood restaurant opened as the chain’s 68th location systemwide across 12 states, and the franchise group behind it called it its fifth Central Florida restaurant, alongside locations in Altamonte Springs, Winter Springs, Apopka and Ocoee. That expansion matters for Longwood’s retail economy because it shows how national growth can still hinge on local operators who hire staff, generate repeat visits and compete for spending along a corridor packed with fast-moving traffic.

Longwood also highlighted Coleman’s community role. The city said he has hosted spirit nights for Longwood Elementary School, Lyman High School and Northland Church, while also supporting local partnerships, special events and nonprofit donations. That kind of outreach can help a restaurant become part of the daily rhythm of a city rather than just another stop for lunch or dinner.

The Business Person of the Month program itself is a recurring part of Longwood’s civic calendar, with recent honorees including One F1tness, Stills Upholstery, Precision Auto Wraps, Ruby Sun Gifts, AC Cowboys, Von Stelling, Inc. and Central Florida Therapy Solutions. In that context, Coleman’s recognition fits a broader pattern: Longwood is using City Commission meetings to put a spotlight on businesses that help shape the city’s economy and neighborhood life.