Friday, September 3, 2010

Crossman & Company Named Exclusive Management, Leasing, and Marketing Representatives at Water Tower Place in Celebration

ORLANDO - Crossman & Company, the Orlando real estate firm that ranks as one of the largest retail property specialists in the southeast, has been named exclusive property management, leasing and marketing representatives at Water Tower Place, a 124,000 square foot retail center located in Celebration in Osceola County.

John Crossman, president of Crossman & Company, said the firm has launched a major marketing campaign to reposition the retail center.

The campaign will start with a name change to Water Tower Shoppes at Celebration, Crossman said, and will include outdoor billboards on U.S. 192, extensive print and internet advertising and new signage.

Bruce Lyons will serve as the principal contact for management, leasing and marketing at Water Tower Shoppes at Celebration, Crossman added.
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For more information please contact:
John Crossman, CCIM, President, Crossman & Company, 407-581-6218, jcrossman@crossmanco.com

About Crossman & Company:
Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Crossman & Company is a commercial real estate brokerage firm that specializes in the retail industry. Currently their portfolio under leasing and/or management exceeds 150 shopping centers throughout the Southeast US. Founded in 1990, Crossman & Company focuses solely on landlord representation and serves clients including Publix, PREIT, and GE. Please visit www.crossmanco.com, or call 407-423-5400 for more information.

Cuhaci & Peterson Architects Awarded Contract to Design Renovations for new Five Guys Restaurant in Orlando

ORLANDO - Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park, was awarded a contract to design renovations for the new 2,900 square foot Five Guys Restaurant that opened on Orange Avenue in Orlando last month (August).

Lonnie Peterson, president of Cuhaci & Peterson Architects LLC, said Bengel’s Burgers of Oviedo developed the restaurant and T.J. Flynn Construction Management awarded the contract.

For more information contact: Lonnie Peterson, Chairman Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, LLC, 407-661-9100; Jed Downs, President Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, LLC, 407-661-9100

Poker Run Sponsored By Volusia County Law Firm Raises Nearly $5,000 For Local Mom Diagnosed With Cancer

PONCE INLET – More than 100 motorcycle enthusiasts participated in a recent poker run sponsored by the law firm of Rue & Ziffra as a fundraiser for a mother of two who was diagnosed with brain cancer.

The event – which kicked off Aug. 14 at the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and included a classic car show and a barbecue dinner – raised $4,500 for the family of Lorraine Metakes of Port Orange.

Robin Fenwick, one of four organizers of the fundraiser, said 137 hands of poker were sold to motorcycle drivers, their passengers and others who participated in cars.

“We never expected to be able to give the family this much help with their expenses,” she said.

“When we started out, we thought we’d be lucky to make $500.”

Fenwick said more than $1,000 was from raffle tickets for donated items. The rest came from the sale of poker hands, food, T-shirts and from other donations.

“We know that we couldn’t have done it without the help of Rue & Ziffra,” she added. “After they got the word out in the newspapers and on the radio, my phone was ringing off the hook about the ride.”

About Rue & Ziffra: Founded by John D. Rue and Allan L. Ziffra, the personal-injury law firm of Rue & Ziffra has served the Central Florida community for more than 30 years. The firm’s commitment to its profession and its clients has earned it a reputation as one of the top personal-injury law firms in Central Florida. Known for handling everything from automobile and motorcycle accidents to medical malpractice, wrongful death, and social security and disability cases, Rue & Ziffra has recovered millions of dollars for injured clients and their families. With a staff of nine attorneys, the firm maintains offices in Port Orange and Orange City.

For more information about this release, please contact: Allan L. Ziffra, President, Rue & Ziffra, 386-788-7700 or allanz@rueziffra.com; Shane Snipes, Promotions/Advertising Director, Rue & Ziffra, 386-788-7700 or shanes@rueziffra.com; Charlene Hager-Van Dyke, Larry Vershel Communications, 386-532-8862, 407-644-4142 or chagervandyke@yahoo.com

CFCAR to host Forum on Jobs and Impact on Commercial Real Estate Sept. 9 at Orlando Fashion Square

ORLANDO - The Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors (CFCAR) will host a community forum on Sept. 9 at Orlando Fashion Square titled, “Job Growth - How it Will Affect Our Industry.”

John Crossman, president of Crossman & Company, the Orlando commercial real estate firm that serves as exclusive leasing agents at Orlando Fashion Square, said the event is scheduled from 4:30 to 7 p.m. and the cost of admission is $25.

Speakers include Jerry Ross, executive director of the Disney Entrepreneur Center, which is relocating to Orlando Fashion Square; Thomas Chatmon, executive director of the City of Orlando’s Downtown Development Board and Rick Fraser, president of the Workforce Development Board of Flagler/Volusia-Center for Business Excellence.

“Employment and job growth is the single most important issue facing the commercial real estate industry,” Crossman said. “The CFCAR forum will discuss several major efforts under way to stimulate job growth and what we can do to support and enhance those efforts,” he said.

To find out more or to register for the forum, contact CFCAR Executive Shirley Knapp at 407-816-7368 or visit http://www.cfcar.net.

For more information contact: Molly Delahunty, Crossman & Company, 407-581-6220 mdelahunty@crossmanco.com; John Crossman, CCIM, President, Crossman & Company, 407-581-6218, jcrossman@crossmanco.com

Disney Entrepreneur Center Gets Green Light on Relocation

ORLANDO – Today the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve a five-year lease at the Orlando Fashion Square for the relocation of the Disney Entrepreneur Center. Representatives of the Disney Entrepreneur Center (DEC), Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) and Orlando Fashion Square had finalized a proposed lease agreement, and with today’s approval of the Orange County Commission, the center will relocate to Orlando Fashion Square next spring.

Since 2003, The Disney Entrepreneur Center has provided local entrepreneurs easy access to a variety of business coaching, education and resources in a single shared facility overlooking Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. The DEC proved to be both efficient for the resident organizations who share resources and for local entrepreneurs who can visit several organizations in a single visit. Based on the unanimous decision of its Board of Directors in early August, the DEC representatives had been in negotiations to occupy 21,000 square-feet on the north side of Orlando Fashion Square, near Barnie’s® Coffee and Tea.

“On behalf of the Disney Entrepreneur Center, our sponsors, and our service provider organizations, I am pleased to announce we are embarking on the next innovative chapter for our center.” said Jerry Ross, Executive Director of the Disney Entrepreneur Center. “This allows us to continue our growth, explore new partnerships, and expand opportunities for our small business community!”

“This seemed to be a natural fit for PREIT and Orlando Fashion Square” added Joseph F. Coradino, President, PREIT Services, LLC and PREIT-Rubin, Inc. “Their mission complements our own, as being innovative in our approach to business development, , and pro-active in our outreach to our community.” He said PREIT pursued the relocation of the Disney Entrepreneur Center because of the many positive opportunities it presented for Fashion Square, the community, the DEC, and the small businesses of Central Florida.

“I believe the awareness of Disney Entrepreneur Center will increase because of the additional exposure at Orlando Fashion Square, and the new opportunities that this space presents” Said Ross. “Since inception in 2003, our service provider organizations have assisted thousands of existing businesses, and helped to start hundreds more, however, there are still many folks who don’t know we’re here, or what we can offer them!”

The Disney Entrepreneur Center plans to have its own entrance on the north side of the mall where there is plenty of free parking in the adjacent garage. Renovations to the space, using plans designed by the Evans Group of Orlando, are scheduled to be complete in April 2011. In total, PREIT Services will facilitate the construction to accommodate the Disney Entrepreneur Center which is estimated at $1.5 million, while each resident organization of the center is expected to see a reduction in rental expenses upon relocation in April of 2011. The initial term for the new lease is five years.

“The DEC was established through a collaborative partnership of sponsors and service provider organizations, so it is no surprise that bringing the DEC to Orlando Fashion Square required the collaboration of many organizations. Relocating the DEC to Orlando Fashion Square is a very creative and innovative idea that can now move toward reality,” Coradino said.

Local leasing agent Whitaker Leonhardt of Crossman & Company negotiated the lease, and represents Orlando Fashion Square which is located at the corner of Maguire Road and Colonial Drive, and has been in operation since 1973.

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About the Disney Entrepreneur Center:
The Disney Entrepreneur Center is a public/private partnership established in 2003 to support and assist small business development in Central Florida. The center houses a variety of non-profit business support organizations and is funded by Orange County, Walt Disney World Resort, The University of Central Florida, The City of Orlando, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Regions Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, Banco Popular, The Orlando Magic, Bank First, Orlando Utilities Commission, and Bright House Business Solutions.

Organizations affiliated with the Disney Entrepreneur Center are:
The African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, The UCF Small Business Development Center, The Central Florida Disability Chamber, The National Assn. of Women business Owners, The UCF Business Incubation Program, The British American Chamber of Commerce, The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, The Hispanic Business Initiative Fund, SCORE, The Urban League of Central Florida, The Black MBA Assn, and the US Dept. of Commerce.

About Orlando Fashion Square/PREIT:
Orlando Fashion Square is owned and operated by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust. Founded in 1960 and one of the first equity REITs in the U.S., PREIT has a primary investment focus on retail shopping malls and power centers. Currently, the company’s retail portfolio is approximately 34 million square feet and consists of 56 properties, including 38 shopping malls, 14 strip and power centers, and four properties under development. The company’s properties are located in 13 states in the eastern half of the United States, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region. PREIT is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa. The company’s Web site can be found at www.preit.com. PREIT is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol PEI.

CONTACT: Jerry Ross, 407-420-4848

Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty negotiates a sale of a $2.1 million luxury home at Lake Markham Preserve

LAKE MARY - Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty recently closed on the sale of a $2.1 million estate home at Lake Markham Preserve, the gated lakefront community near Heathrow in North Seminole County.

Roger Soderstrom, founder and owner of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty (www.StirlingSIR.com), said Cassandra Levine, a luxury home specialist at Stirling Sotheby’s Heathrow-Lake Mary Gallery represented the buyer of the Mediterranean-style estate home on more than one acre of land. Custom built in 2008, the home boasts 8,111 square feet of living space with five bedrooms, five full baths and three half-baths.

The seller was represented by Luis and Jennifer Gonzales with Stirling Sotheby’s Heathrow-Lake Mary Gallery.

Soderstrom said the sale is one of the most significant deals in Seminole County this year.

For more information, contact: Roger Soderstrom, Founder/Owner Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty 407-581-7890

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 three performance zones which serve all of Central Florida. Visit www.StirlingSIR.com

Cuhaci & Peterson Architects awarded contract to renovate a Vet Clinic in College Park

ORLANDO - Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, LLC based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park, have been awarded a contract to start permit drawings for renovation of the College Park Vet Clinic on Edgewater Drive in College Park.

Lonnie Peterson, chairman of Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, said the contract was awarded by general contractor, M. Paul Construction and will include 2,000 square feet.

For more information contact: Lonnie Peterson, Chairman Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, LLC, 407-661-9100; Jed Downs, President Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, LLC, 407-661-9100

Central Florida Advisors, a Grubb & Ellis|Commercial Florida Subsidiary, Increases Portfolio of Tax Advisory Properties by 300 Percent

ORLANDO - Last year, Central Florida Advisors, the tax advisory subsidiary of Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida, represented properties valued at more than $100 million.

This year, Central Florida Advisors represents properties valued at more than $460 million in Florida, reports Jeff Sweeney, president and managing principal at Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida.

Central Florida Advisors specializes in helping commercial property owners reevaluate their property tax assessments, Sweeney explained.

Central Florida Advisors helped the owners of one suburban-area mixed use property cut their property taxes by nearly 50 percent, Sweeney said.

“That resulted in over $200,000 of tax savings for their bottom line,” he added.

The deadline for appealing property tax assessments in Orange County is Sept. 10.
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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 45 brokers divided among its Orlando, Melbourne and Tampa offices to serve the entire mid-Florida marketplace.

CONTACTS: Brett Felberg, 407-481-5390; Jeff Sweeney SIOR President 407-481-5387; Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142