Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty Hires New Realtor with Global Expertise and Background in the Military


CLERMONT – Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty has named Realtor Jennifer Dunphy, a former corporal in the United States Marine Corps and firefighter in the London Fire Brigade, as a sales agent at its Clermont Real Estate Gallery.

Dunphy, a Massachusetts native, gained marketing and advertising experience while working for an international real estate company in the United Kingdom, according to Diane Travis, Stirling’s Southwest Zone Performance Director.

“Jennifer has a very interesting background from the Marine Corps and fire brigade to short term rental management, working with foreign nationals in the vacation property market and she has organized property exhibitions in several countries,” Travis said. “She brings a lot of experience and talent to her new position with Stirling Sotheby’s.”

Dunphy, who lives in Clermont, said she enjoys working with clients from all over the world.
“I love to travel and learn new cultures,” she said. “I am enjoying the challenges in this ever-changing real estate market and looking forward to meeting new people.”

For more information, please contact:
Diane Travis, SW Zone-Performance Director, Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, 407-992-8900; dtravis@stirlingsir.com;

Roger Soderstrom, owner/founder, Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, 407-588-1260 or http://www.stirlingsir.com/;

Charlene Hager-Van Dyke, Larry Vershel Communications, 386-532-8862 or 407-644-4142; lvershelco@aol.com.

About Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty:
Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty is affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty, the largest luxury real estate brand in the world. Stirling Sotheby’s exclusive services include luxury residential, new homes, commercial, property management, in addition to supporting builders, developers, lenders, and asset managers. The company operates five performance centers which serve all of Central Florida.

MyDocHub Adds Dentists to its Medical Search and Review Database

ORLANDO, Fla. --- MyDocHub, an Orlando web-based company that allows patients to anonymously review their physicians and the care they provide – has launched a new feature on its database that offers the same criticism and compliments for dentists.

In its third year, MyDocHub now reports more than 400,000 hits monthly from patients who either offer reviews of their doctors or use the posted criteria to select new health-care providers, according to Dafe Ojaide, chief executive officer.

Ojaide, a Nigeria native who started MyDocHub with Ning Yu, a computer science doctoral candidate at UCF, said dentist reviews was a natural addition.

“We added dentists since some people see their dentist more than their physician in a given year,” he said.

At MyDocHub.com patients review and rate their experiences at doctors’ and dentists’ offices based on punctuality, waiting times, and staff efficiency, Ojaide added.

The site also has a fast-doctor search engine with Google maps, an on-line appointment feature, health blog and other features geared towards consumer-generated healthcare.

For more information about the database, visit mydochub.com and click on dentist reviews or doctor reviews.

MyDocHub is a University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program client company based at the Orlando location on E. Colonial Drive.

For more information about this release, please contact:
Dafe Ojaide, Chief Executive Officer, MyDocHub.com, 407-574-7060

Melissa Wasserman, Site Manager, UCF Business Incubation Program 321-281-8384

Charlene Hager-Van Dyke, Larry Vershel Communications, chagervandyke@yahoo.com, 386-532-8862 or 407-644-4142; lvershelco@aol.com

About the UCF Business Incubation Program:
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Business Incubation Program has helped more than 130 emerging companies (including nearly 80 current clients) create over $500 million in annual revenue and more than 1,600 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With six facilities across the Greater Orlando community, the Incubation Program is a collaboration in economic development between the University of Central Florida, Orange County, the City of Orlando, Seminole County, the City of Winter Springs, Lake County, the City of Leesburg, City of Sanford and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information, please visit www.incubator.ucf.edu.

Emerson International to Sell Home More than 200 Sites at Eagle Creek Golf & Country Club to Centerline Homes of Orlando

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. --- Emerson International, which is developing the 1,300 acre Eagle Creek golf course community near Lake Nona in southeast Orlando, has contracted to sell more than 200 home sites at Eagle Creek to Centerline Homes of Orlando.

Eric J. Emerson, vice president and general manager of Emerson International, said the home sites are waterfront or on the 18-hole championship Eagle Creek Golf Course designed by golf architect Ron Garl.

Centerline Homes plans to start construction of single-family homes, town homes and villa homes before the end of this year priced from the low $200s to the $400s+, Emerson said.
Emerson said he is currently negotiating with additional home builders as well for additional lot sales.

Altogether, some 3,000 new homes are planned at Eagle Creek. More than 300 home sites remain for sale.

Eagle Creek, located off Narcoossee Rd. two miles south of the 417, is owned by Emerson International, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Emerson Group, the global corporation that is one of the largest privately-owned property development companies in the U.K.

For more information about this press release, contact
Eric J. Emerson, Vice President / General Manager Emerson International, Inc. 407-834-9560; ejemerson@emerson-us.com;

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 Lvershelco@aol.com.

Bankruptcy Auction of 61,545 Square Feet of Office Condominium Suites in The Plaza in Downtown Orlando to be held Nov. 19

ORLANDO, Fla. – Worldwide Auction Realty Services will conduct an absolute auction of 12 office condominium suites that total 61,545 saleable square feet of space on the 10th floor of The Plaza towers on Church St. and Orange Ave. in downtown Orlando on Thursday, Nov. 19 starting at 5 p.m.

Lori Chipps, auctioneer for Worldwide Auction Realty Services, said the auction is already attracting worldwide interest from investors as well as office-users.

Office condominiums to be auctioned range in size from 2,585 square feet to 7,285 square feet including four private balconies, Chipps said, and feature floor-to-ceiling window views of the downtown Orlando skyline.

“The space to be auctioned spans both the north and south towers including the connecting area between the two towers,” Chipps said.

The bankruptcy auction will accept bids on individual office suites, multiple suites or bulk purchase of all 12 suites, she said.

“The 10th floor of The Plaza is the single largest floor plate in the downtown Orlando district,” said Roger Soderstrom, owner and founder of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, the firm representing the property.

“The space to be auctioned has never been offered for sale before as individual office suites, so we anticipate substantial interest from investors, end-users as well as industry observers,” said Soderstrom.

Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty Auction Services conducted an auction of 55,000 square feet of office condominium space in the Plaza towers in May of 2008 that brought an average sale price of $162 per saleable square foot.

The Plaza’s two towers total 394,000 square feet of office space, 105,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space, the 12-screen Plaza Cinema and cafĂ© on the ground floor and 306 residential condominiums in the Solair tower.

Chipps said the auction will be conducted live on site and the bids will be accepted by telephone and on the Internet. For more information about the auction or to register to bid live or online, telephone 800-327-1048 or visit www.WWAuctionServices.com.

For more information, contact:
Lori or Jon Chipps, Worldwide Auction Realty Services, 800 327-1048
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407 644-4142

Only Three Home Sites Remain For Sale at Sagamore Trace in N. Brandon

TAMPA, Fla. --- Only three home sites remain for sale at Sagamore Trace, located off Kingsway Rd. between I-4 and I-75 in North Brandon.

Michael Roche, vice president of sales and marketing for Ashton Woods Homes in the Tampa Bay region, said new three, four and five-bedroom single-family homes at Sagamore Trace sold for prices ranging from the high $100s to the high $200s.

Ashton Woods Homes is a subsidiary of the Great Gulf Group of Companies, a North American real estate conglomerate headquartered in Toronto, and currently has communities under development in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix, Tampa, Denver and Orlando.

For more information, contact:
Michael Roche, VP Sales & Marketing Ashton Woods Homes-Tampa 407-647-3700
John Reny, President, Ashton Woods Homes-Tampa/Orlando 407-647-3700
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142

Randall-Paulson Architects’ Design for MAP International Achieves LEED Silver Designation

ROSWELL, Ga. — The design by Randall-Paulson Architects for the MAP International office, warehouse and distribution center at 4700 Glynco Parkway in Brunswick has achieved LEED Silver designation. The award winning Roswell-based planning, design, and architectural firm recently received the news of the award.

MAP (Medical Assistance Programs) International is a faith-based non-profit global health leader with offices in Atlanta and nine countries. The facility, situated on a 16.5 acre site, has 39,820 square feet of warehouse space with a 6,960 square foot mezzanine and 15,420 square feet of offices and conference rooms.

Michael B. Randall, co-founder and principal at Randall-Paulson Architects, said the LEED-AP certified design team specified a variety of energy efficient features, including a project logistics plan that diverted 75 percent of the construction waste away from landfills and into recycling centers.

The owner and design team enlisted University of Georgia landscape design students to help identify native and adaptive plantings creating an attractive and water-efficient landscape that requires no potable water for landscape irrigation. To further reduce the building’s energy footprint, the LEED-AP designers specified white reflective roofing, 100- percent recycled gypsum wallboard and low flow plumbing fixtures, Randall explained.

The project achieved 41 percent water use reduction compared to similar facilities – more than twice the minimum required by LEED Water Efficiency standards. In addition, 20 percent of all construction materials were extracted, processed or manufactured within 500 miles of the construction site – again, double the amount required by LEED standards.

“These seemingly small steps are important ways to reduce client resource costs and champion the cause of U.S. energy independence and environmental sustainability,” Randall said.

Continuing MAP’s ideal of being a good steward to the environment, the building is an educational facility open to the public (by appointment) for tours highlighting aspects of the building and site that are environmentally responsible.

For more information, contact:
Michael B. Randall, AIA, Co-founder/Principal Randall-Paulson Architects 770-650-7558 x116; mrandall@randallpaulson.com

Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142; lvershelco@aol.com

About Randall-Paulson Architects:
Headquartered in Roswell, Ga., Randall-Paulson Architects is a 16-year old commercial architectural design firm that specializes in the design of industrial, office, retail, mixed-use, education, religious, childcare, hospitality facilities and sustainable design.

Grubb & Ellis|Commercial Florida Appoints Charles Alloway a Vice President in Retail Group


TAMPA, Fla. --- Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida, associated with 130 Grubb & Ellis offices worldwide, has appointed Charles Alloway a vice president in the Retail Services Group at the firm’s Tampa office.

Jeff Sweeney, SIOR, president of Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida, with offices in Tampa, Orlando and Melbourne, said Alloway has more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate in the Tampa Bay market, including 18 years with the Development Team at McDonald’s Corporation and three years in brokerage closing over 60 million in transactions as acquisition agent for Fifth Third Bank, McDonald’s, Panda Express Restaurants and others.

Most recently, Alloway served as regional director of real estate in the Tampa office of Armstrong Development Properties, Inc. a Pennsylvania based development company known for their work with CVS Pharmacy and Publix Supermarkets.

“Charlie is one of the most experienced commercial real estate executives in the Tampa Bay region and an excellent addition to our Retail Services team,” Sweeney said.

Alloway will partner with Retail Services Group vice president Michelle Seifert, and will focus on both landlord and tenant representation, Sweeney said.

Contacts:
Michelle Seifert, VP Retail Services 813-830-7285
Jeffrey Sweeney, President 407-481-5387
Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142

About Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida:
Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida is an affiliated commercial real estate services firm specializing in the leasing and sale of office, industrial, retail, land and investment properties. Currently Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida has 40 brokers divided among its Orlando, Melbourne and Tampa offices to serve the entire mid-Florida marketplace.

About Grubb & Ellis:
Named to The Global Outsourcing 100™ in 2009 by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals™, Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE) is one of the largest and most respected commercial real estate services and investment companies in the world. Our 6,000 professionals in more than 130 company-owned and affiliate offices draw from a unique platform of real estate services, practice groups and investment products to deliver comprehensive, integrated solutions to real estate owners, tenants and investors. The firm’s transaction, management, consulting and investment services are supported by highly regarded proprietary market research and extensive local expertise. Through its investment subsidiaries, the company is a leading sponsor of real estate investment programs that provide individuals and institutions the opportunity to invest in a broad range of real estate investment vehicles, including public non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), tenant-in-common (TIC) investments suitable for tax-deferred 1031 exchanges, mutual funds and other real estate investment funds. For more information, visit http://www.grubb-ellis.com/.

Data Transfer Solutions Executive a Principal Speaker at Annual Conference of GIS Industry Professionals in New Hampshire


ORLANDO, Fla. --- Jay Couture, northeast regional manager for Data Transfer Solutions, LLC (DTS), was a featured presenter at the New England GIS Users Group Annual Conference in Nashua, N.H. recently, sponsored by the New England ARC Users Group (NEARC).

A.M. “Trey” Fragala III, AICP, chief operating officer at DTS, said Couture’s presentation, “A Cohesive Asset Management Strategy Based on GIS,” focused on how regional and municipal authorities can use GIS technology to better manage public and private assets that range from roads, bridges and other public works to resources such as forests, lakes and rivers.

Orlando-based Data Transfer Solutions, LLC, provides geographic information systems (GIS), transportation planning and engineering, asset management, web design, database applications, and video and multimedia production services to local governments and regional and state agencies throughout the U.S.

For more information, contact:
A.M. “Trey” Fragala, III, AICP, Chief Operating Officer, Data Transfer Solutions, 3680 Avalon Park East Blvd., Suite 200, Orlando, 32828; 407-382-5222; tfragala@edats.com

Jade Winfrey, Marketing Coordinator, Data Transfer Solutions, 407-382-5222; jwinfrey@edats.com

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com

Mattamy Homes Appoints Twiggy Reyes, Gary Kelley Sales Associates in Orlando

WINTER PARK, Fla. --- Mattamy Homes USA, the U.S. division of Canada’s largest home builder, recently appointed Twiggy Reyes and Gary Kelley as new home sales counselors in the Orlando area.

Steve Parker, president of Mattamy Homes USA, said Reyes has more than 10 years of experience in new home sales and will be selling new homes at Lake Jean in east Orlando, Parker added.

Kelley also has 10 years of experience in new home sales and will sell new executive homes at City Homes at Baldwin Park located off Corinne Drive near downtown Orlando.

For more information, contact:
Steve Parker, President, Mattamy Homes-USA 407-599-9994 orAnnette Hemphill 599-2228 ext. 230;

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142

About Mattamy Homes USA:
Mattamy Homes www.mattamyhomes.com expanded into the U.S. in 2003 and is headquartered in Winter Park, Fla. with divisions in Orlando, Jacksonville Phoenix, Minneapolis and Charlotte. The homebuilder, the largest and most active in Canada with annual revenues exceeding $1.3 billion was ranked among the highest of all homebuilders in the greater Toronto and Ottawa areas in a nationwide customer satisfaction survey conducted by J.D. Power Associates.

Therigy Launches Specialty Pharmacy Web Application for Pharmacies at Annual Convention and Trade Exposition in New Orleans

ORLANDO, Fla. – Therigy Corporation – one of the industry’s newest and already most-trusted sources in specialty pharmacy consulting, web products and data analytics – recently debuted its TherigySTM.comTM web application for pharmacies at the National Community Pharmacists Association’s 111th annual Convention and Trade Exposition in New Orleans.

TherigySTM.com™ – the newest addition to Therigy’s line of web-based products and services – offers community pharmacies, as well as centralized specialty pharmacies and home-infusion pharmacies, the ability to conduct a broad range of specific patient assessments, surveys, and interventions with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes, according to Russel Allinson, the company’s chief clinical officer.

“NCPA was the ideal forum to debut the industry’s first web-based application to manage patients on complex, high-cost therapies in the community setting,” he said. “We were very pleased with the reception the application received from both independent and large pharmacy organizations.”

The easy-to-use application supports the complex needs of patients and allows pharmacies to deliver and document higher performance to referring physicians, payors and pharmaceutical manufacturers, Allinson added.

“By providing the tools and support across the pharmacy channel, participating pharmacies can operate at a ‘best practice’ level and benefit from manufacturer service agreements that require data collection and reporting” said Joe Morse, Therigy’s chief operations officer.

Therigy – a member of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program – offers strategy and business planning advisory service, operations consulting, pharmaceutical manufacturer and payor contracting, and an on-line pharmacy resource center.

For more information, contact Morse at joseph.morse@therigy.com, 407-992-8752, or www.therigy.com or email info@therigy.com.

For more information about this press release, please contact:
Joseph D. Morse, President, Therigy LLC, 407-992-8752; Joseph.Morse@Therigy.com;

Melissa Wasserman, Site Manager, UCF Business Incubation Program, 321-281-8383; Mwasserm@mail.ucf.edu;

Charlene Hager-Van Dyke or Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications Inc., 386-532-8862 or 407-644-4142; lvershelco@aol.com.

About Therigy Corporation:
For those who invest in, manufacture, dispense, pay for, and administer specialty pharmaceuticals, Therigy is the healthcare industry’s trusted source for rapidly changing business, clinical, and operational intelligence as well as vital advisory and consulting services that assure appropriate use and optimal outcomes. Therigy’s well-known experts track and report on industry advances delivered through subscriptions as well as providing hands-on engagement to assist organizations in operational evaluation and optimization, planning and development of best-practices and clinical protocols, or a variety of other specialized research and analysis. Therigy clients include Allergan, Cigna, McKesson, PrecisionRx, Prime Therapeutics, and many others.

About the UCF Incubation Program:
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Business Incubation Program has helped more than 130 emerging companies (including nearly 80 current clients) create over $500 million in annual revenue and more than 1600 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With six facilities across the Greater Orlando community, the Incubation Program is a collaboration in economic development between the University of Central Florida, Orange County, the City of Orlando, Seminole County, the City of Winter Springs, The City of Sanford, Lake County, the City of Leesburg, and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information, please visit www.incubator.ucf.edu.

Crossman & Company Appoints Katherine Rush Research Analyst


ORLANDO, Fla. --- Crossman & Company, one of the largest third-party retail leasing and management firms in the Southeast, has appointed Katherine Rush research analyst.

John Crossman, president of Crossman & Company, said Rush graduated cum laude from the College of Health and Human Performance at the University of Florida in 2007.

Justin Greider, Senior Associate, Crossman & Company/ICSC Florida Next Generation Chair, 407-581-6225; jgreider@crossmanco.com;

John Crossman, CCIM, President, Crossman & Company, 407-581-6218, jcrossman@crossmanco.com;

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142, lvershelco@aol.com.

About Crossman & Company:
Crossman & Company is one of the largest third-party retail leasing and management companies in the Southeast with over 16 million square feet under leasing and/or management. Founded in Orlando in 1990, Crossman & Company is a full service commercial real estate firm that advises its clients in leasing, management, development and investment sales of retail and office properties and serves clients including Publix Super Markets, Inc., Lake Nona, PREIT, and LaSalle Investment Management. Please visit http://www.crossmanco.com/, or call 407-423-5400 for more information.

Ashton Woods Homes Goes U.S. Government One Better with $8,000 Stimulus for all new Home Buyers

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Ashton Woods Homes reported it is offering an $8,000 Ashton Woods Homes stimulus grant to all new home buyers in the Orlando and Tampa Bay regions.

Michael Roche, vice president of sales and marketing for Ashton Woods Homes in Orlando and Tampa, said the $8,000 stimulus applies to all new home buyers, whether or not they qualify for the $8,000 U.S. federal tax credit that ends Nov. 30.

“We announced our stimulus grant because a number of home buyers are worried their homes won’t be completed in time to qualify for the $8,000 U.S. tax credit,” Roche said.

“In addition, the federal tax credit only applies to new home buyers. The $8,000 Ashton Woods Homes stimulus grant applies to all home buyers,” he said.

Ashton Woods Homes builds single-family homes and town homes in seven Orlando-area communities and six in the Tampa Bay region.

Ashton Woods Homes is a subsidiary of the Great Gulf Group of Companies, a North American real estate conglomerate headquartered in Toronto, and currently has communities under development in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix, Tampa, Denver and Orlando.

For more information, contact:
Michael Roche, VP Sales & Marketing Ashton Woods Homes-Orlando/Tampa, 407-647-3700;
John Reny, President, Ashton Woods Homes-Orlando/Tampa 407-647-3700
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142