Beazer Homes hosts more than 100 at Grand Re-Opening of Dupree Lakes in Land O’Lakes, two new model homes unveiled

TAMPA, Fla. --- Beazer Homes hosted more than 100 current residents and potential home buyers recently at the grand re-opening of Dupree Lakes, a residential community located in Pasco County off Collier Parkway in Land O’Lakes.

Ed Suchora president of Beazer Homes in the Tampa Bay region said the home builder hosted the recent weekend event to showcase two new model homes in the new third phase at Dupree Lakes.

Suchora said 75 home sites are available in the new phase at Dupree Lakes. New three, four and five bedroom homes priced from the $150s range in size from 1,400 square feet of living space to 3,200 square feet and are built with Beazer’s eSMART features that include elements to increase energy and water efficiency and indoor air-quality.

Dupree Lakes features a community sports complex and clubhouse that includes a resort-style swimming pool and splash zone with playground area, tennis courts, basketball and volleyball courts. The community is convenient to shopping, entertainment a new hospital and 15 minutes from three highly rated schools.

Visit www.beazer.com or call 813-929-0710 at Dupree Lakes which is open 10-6 Tuesday through Saturday and Noon to 6 Sunday and Monday.

About Beazer Homes:

Beazer Homes, headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the country's 10 largest single-family homebuilders with operations in 17 states. Beazer Homes is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "BZH."

Celebration Golf Management eyes major growth, will focus on southeast region

CELEBRATION, Fla. --- Celebration Golf Management LLC plans to expand the business model that has grown the four year old company into a well-respected regional management firm with six central Florida courses and two more in Myrtle Beach and Kingsport, Tenn.

Gene Garrote, president and principal of Celebration Golf Management LLC, launched the company in 2007 while he was operating the Celebration Golf Course in the unique Disney community near Orlando.

Garrote, 39 grew up in Miami, of Spanish and Italian heritage, where he started playing golf as a 15 year old and took jobs at local courses to earn more playing time.

“I started as a bag attendant, worked in the cart barn, in the golf shop, in food and beverage and finally worked my way into management,” Garrote said. That’s where he found his passion

Today, Celebration Golf Management employs more than 300 co-workers. More than 30 managers at Celebration Golf followed Garrote’s career path “up through the ranks.”

“Golf course management is a relationship business,” Garrote said. “Every visit to one of our courses presents the opportunity for us to help create a lifetime memory for the golfer. Every detail of our business aims to achieve that,” Garrote said.

Garrote said Celebration Golf enjoys modest growth and profitability thanks to a conservative approach that keeps the customers — and the courses — first.

“Our priorities are first making sure the guest is number one, second, making sure our co-workers have all the resources they need to provide excellent services and a memorable golfing experience on every visit, and third, to generate a profit,” Garrote said.

“We dissect our business and look at every single element, every expense,” he said. “We put our profits back into the courses, our guest facilities, our equipment and our co-workers,”

The U.S. economic downturn has separated the good golf management companies from the great ones, Garrote said, and Celebration Golf’s top managers have become expert at out-of-the-box thinking.

“We don’t look at golf courses as the sole revenue center,” Garrote said. “There are so many things we can do to generate revenue if we create our own opportunities.”

Celebration Golf hosts its own golf academies, corporate and institutional golf leagues, tournaments, banquets and a wide range of special and seasonal promotions and events, Garrote explained.

Garrote said Celebration Golf Management is currently considering acquisition of some six additional courses in Florida and outside the state. “We’re looking at two opportunities right now,” Garrote said.

Celebration plans to focus its growth on the Sunbelt states.

Right now Celebration Golf Management includes Celebration Golf Course, in Celebration, The Golden Bear in Windermere, Kings Ridge Golf Club and Legends Golf Club in Clermont, Stoneybrook West in Winter Garden and Eagle Creek Golf Club in Southeast Orlando.

Crossman & Company Negotiates 10 Long Term Leases for Publix Super Markets that Total 24,577 Square Feet of Retail Space

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Crossman & Company, the Orlando-based commercial real estate firm that ranks as one of the largest retail property specialists in the southeast, turned in a strong 2011 first quarter for client Publix Super Markets, Inc.: 10 long-term agreements that total 24,577 square feet of retail space.

John Crossman, president of Crossman & Company, said associate Ashley Thornburg and Justin Greider, vice president and director of leasing at Crossman & Company negotiated the lease agreements in Brevard, Seminole, Palm Beach, Sarasota, Pinellas, Duval and Martin Counties in Florida and in Atlanta, Ga.

Thornburg negotiated five lease agreements at three Publix-owned retail centers in Florida:

At Publix at Town Commons, 8899 Hypoluxo Rd. in Lake Worth, Wildberries leased 1,572 square feet for three years and Prime Time NY Deli, 3,869 square feet for 10 years.

At Cornerstone at Stuart, 1501 NW Federal Highway in Stuart, Festival Music Centers leased 1,200 square feet and Surf Ratz, 3,600 square feet and both were for five-year terms.

At University Walk, 2875 University Parkway in Sarasota, AT&T signed a four-year lease for 1,000 square feet.

Greider negotiated five lease agreements at five Publix-owned retail centers in Florida and Georgia:

At Palm Springs Crossing, 482 East Altamonte Dr. in Altamonte Springs, Miracle Ear leased 1,025 square feet for five years.

Sound Advice Hearing Aids leased 1,761 square feet for five years in the Pinellas retail center at 857 West Bay Drive in Largo;

At OakLeaf Plantation Center, 9518 Argyle Forest Blvd. in Jacksonville, Fro-Yogi leased 1,725 square feet for five years.

Anytime Fitness signed a 10-year lease for 4,025 square feet at Rockledge Crossing retail center, 3820 Murrell Road in Rockledge.

Sherwin-Williams leased 4,800 square feet for five years at Paces Ferry Center, 2451 Cumberland Parkway in Atlanta.

Publix Supermarkets owns or operates retail centers throughout the Southeast that total more than 11 million square feet.

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.

Ryland Homes Eyes Entry into Raleigh Market, Appoints New Vice President of Land Acquisition

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Ryland Homes has appointed Mitch Huff vice president of land acquisition in the Raleigh region.

Jay Thrower, division president for Ryland Homes in Charlotte, said Huff earned his MBA degree from the College of William & Mary and has more than 30 years of experience as a homebuilding executive and developer.

“Mitch Huff is one of the most experienced land acquisition experts in the Raleigh region and we are delighted he has joined the Ryland Homes team here,” Thrower said.

Thrower said Huff, who will be based in the Raleigh office, has a lot to do: Ryland Homes is expanding to include the Raleigh market, and Huff’s efforts in securing new land positions will lead the process.

“We are currently negotiating to acquire home sites in the Raleigh market,” Thrower said.

Currently, Ryland Homes builds single-family homes priced from the $120s to more than $300,000 in 12 communities throughout the Charlotte area.

The homebuilder recently hosted grand opening events at Traditions in Pineville, Baden Village at Regent Park in Fort Hill, Christenbury Mews in Concord, The Reserve at Morrison Plantation in Mooresville and Westland Farm in Mount Holly.

Visit www.ryland.com.

About Ryland Homes

With headquarters in Southern California, Ryland is one of the nation’s largest homebuilders and a leading mortgage-finance company. The company currently operates in 28 markets across the country and has built more than 275,000 homes and financed more than 230,000 mortgages since its founding in 1967. Ryland is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “RYL.”

Grub Taxi Adds TooJay’s Gourmet Deli in Waterford Towne Center for Business and Home Delivery Services

ORLANDO, Fla. - Grub Taxi LLC, the Orlando restaurant home and business delivery service that launched in June 2008 in the UCF area, announced that TooJay’s Gourmet Deli in Waterford Lakes joined the company as a restaurant partner.

David Gray, marketing manager at Grub Taxi, said Grub Taxi mobile waiters are now making home and business deliveries for TooJay’s in Waterford Towne Center to any of Grub Taxi’s standard delivery areas in the Orlando area.

Grub Taxi’s 25 to 30 drivers currently deliver in East Orlando, Oviedo, Casselberry, Winter Springs, Winter Park, East and Southeast Orlando communities including Avalon Park, the Lake Nona, Lee Vista and Airport areas.

Grub Taxi now serves more than 90 restaurants and plans to expand delivery service into Osceola County in June.

Gray said the firm projects sales for 2011 will exceed $1.2 million, which is a 60 percent increase over sales in 2010.

Grub Taxi is a client company of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program. For more information visit www.grubtaxi.com.

About Grub Taxi LLC

Grub Taxi partners with more than 90 Orlando area restaurants to offer customers choices beyond traditional pizza and Chinese delivery, although Grub Taxi does offer those restaurants. They deliver non-traditional cuisines such as BBQ, Bar & Grill, Ice Cream, Smoothies, Deserts, Diner meals, Sushi, Mediterranean, Latin and more. Grub Taxi also provides convenient drop-off and corporate catering – parties, social events, office meetings – for large groups at discounted prices. Visit www.grubtaxi.com

About the UCF Business Incubation Program:

Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Business Incubation Program has helped more than 160 emerging companies (including nearly 100 current clients) create over $800 million in annual revenue and more than 1,600 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With eight – and soon nine – facilities opened across the Greater Orlando community, the Business 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, Osceola County, the City of Kissimmee, City of St. Cloud, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and will be adding Volusia County. For more information, please visit www.incubator.ucf.edu.