Ryland Homes Names Sarah McMichael Sales Assistant in Charleston

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Ryland Homes recently appointed Sarah McMichael sales assistant in the Charleston region.

Brian Cartwright, vice president of sales and marketing for Ryland Homes in Charleston, said McMichael holds a B.A. Degree in Communications from the University of Tennessee. Prior to entering real estate and new home sales, she was a preschool teacher.

McMichael will be assisting new homebuyers at Ryland’s community of Bellwood off Miles Jamison Road in Charleston.

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 31 markets across the country and has built more than 260,000 homes and financed more than 210,000 mortgages since its founding in 1967. Ryland is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "RYL."

Beazer Homes Opens Five Ready-To-Move-In Homes at Sawgrass in South Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Beazer Homes has five ready-to-move-in single-family homes priced from $164,900 to $249,900 at Sawgrass, located on Sawgrass Plantation Blvd. between Landstar Blvd. and Weatherbee Rd. in south Orlando.

David Byrnes, president of Beazer Homes Florida, said the new three, four and five-bedroom homes are among the last available for sale at Sawgrass---only 20 home sites remain for sale, Byrnes said.

New ready-to-move-in homes at Sawgrass range in size from 1,400 square feet of living space.

All new Beazer homes at Sawgrass feature eSMART energy-saving engineering with programmable thermostats, cost-saving CFL light bulbs, water-saving Moen low flow shower heads and faucets, MERV 8 air filters, and low VOC paints and carpets.

NAI Realvest Negotiates New Long-Term Office Lease at Primera in Lake Mary for an Information Technology firm relocating from Connecticut

ORLANDO, Fla. --- NAI Realvest recently negotiated a five-year lease agreement for 1,380 square feet of office space at Suite 125, Primera Court I, 725 Primera Blvd. in Lake Mary.

NAI Realvest Senior Broker Associate Mary Frances West, CCIM brokered the transaction. The landlord at Primera Court I is Interchange-Primera II, LLC based in Daytona Beach.

The new tenant RezZiliant, which provides IT services, offsite backup, Virtual and Server colocation, recovery and security services, and also has a division that develops Healthcare software, has relocated from Waterbury, Conn. Their website is www.rezziliant.com and contact info is 1-866-581-4678

About NAI Realvest

NAI Realvest, covering all of Central Florida, is a fully integrated commercial real estate operating company specializing in brokerage, development, investment, leasing and management, consulting and research services in the U.S. and worldwide. NAI Global is an international commercial real estate network with over 350 offices spanning the globe. Since 1978, clients have built businesses on the power of NAI Global’s expanding network. Extensive services include multi-site acquisitions and dispositions, sublease, tenant representation, lease administration and audit, investment services, due diligence and related consulting and advisory services. To learn more, visit www.NAIRealvest.com.

Ashton Woods Homes Opens New Phase for 38 New Single Family Homes at Wickham Park in Windermere

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Ashton Woods Homes has released 38 single family home sites for sale in a new phase at Wickham Park, off Overstreet Rd. and C.R. 535 in Windermere.

Michael Roche, vice president of sales and marketing for Ashton Woods Homes in the Orlando region, said new three and four bedroom single family homes at Wickham Park range in size from 1,630 square feet of living space to 1,950 square feet with two car garages.

New Ashton Woods homes at Wickham Park are priced from under $190,000.

Ashton Woods Homes is one of the nation’s largest private homebuilding companies with operations in Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, Raleigh, Dallas, Houston, Austin and Phoenix.

Allogy Interactive, McGraw Hill launch University of Central Florida Digital Press to Provide Textbook Downloads

ORLANDO, Fla., – Allogy Interactive, based in Orlando, recently entered into an exclusive agreement with textbook publisher McGraw Hill to create the UCF Digital Press, which will provide University of Central Florida students the opportunity to download their textbooks — complete with rich media, hyperlinks and coaching algorithms — directly to their favorite mobile device.

Colin Forward, Communications Director for Allogy Interactive, said the agreement means student backpacks never have to get much heavier than a tablet computer.

More importantly, digital texts will drive down the costs of a product plagued by expensive printing, shipping and a huge secondary market,” Forward said.

Allogy is taking a revolutionary step forward in the distributed learning environment, Forward said.

“Ask any college student. The hardest cost to swallow every semester is that of textbooks. Not only are they expensive, they are a pain to lug around and often play a supporting role to online resources,” Forward said.

Digital textbooks create enormous opportunities for learning, Forward said. With rich media and hyperlinks, a digital textbook becomes a far more formidable teaching tool.

“We are now able to provide students with instant access to enormous resources,” Forward said. “We won’t make libraries obsolete, but we will provide students with instant access, anywhere, to an entire library of content specific resources,” he said.

Allogy Interactive is a client of the UCF Business Incubation Program in the Central Florida Research Park in east Orange County.

About Allogy Interactive:

Allogy Interactive, a leading developer of mobile applications for education, healthcare, business, and social enterprises, connects people to promote learning, opportunity, and economic growth by understanding the relationships, creating intuitive interfaces and using data to promote the transparency and accountability necessary for achievement.

About the UCF Business Incubation Program:

Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Business Incubation Program has helped more than 160 emerging companies (including 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.

Data Transfer Solutions to participate in pilot program to reduce energy consumption in Longmont, Colo.

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Data Transfer Solutions, LLC (DTS), based in Orlando’s Avalon Park, recently was selected with Brendle Group, of Fort Collins, Colo., to participate in a pilot program to reduce energy consumption in Longmont, Colo.

A.M. “Trey” Fragala III, AICP, PMP, chief operating officer at Data Transfer Solutions, said Longmont’s energy efficiency information and education program is one of the most progressive approaches to energy efficiency in the nation.

“The goal of this project is to test and evaluate which methods of providing energy consumption information are most useful to city residents,” Fragala explained.

“The city wants to learn which energy efficiency tools result in the highest level of voluntary household efficiencies and decreased energy consumption,” he said.

DTS developed a suite of carbon calculator tools for Park City, Utah, that provides homeowners with monthly assessments of their energy use online.

“The city of Longmont realizes that significant efficiencies can be achieved if we can provide families with information on what they are doing right,” Fragala said.

“Our goal has been to assemble the data in a format that is easy to understand, effective and accurate,” Fragala said.

DTS provides asset management, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), transportation planning/engineering, web design, database/software applications, and video and multi media production services to local governments and regional and state agencies throughout the U.S.

NAI Realvest Negotiates 10 Year Lease where a new Ocean Buffet will open at former Whistle Junction on U.S. 1 in South Daytona

MAITLAND, Fla. - NAI Realvest recently negotiated a ten-year lease of the 11,414 square foot former Whistle Junction facility at 1854 South Ridgewood Ave. in South Daytona.

Paul P. Partyka, principal and managing partner at NAI Realvest, along with principals Matt Cichocki and Kevin O’Connor, negotiated the transaction representing the landlord, SBI Leasing of Titusville.

The new tenant is Fort Myers-based Ocean Buffet, Inc., who was represented by Josephine Wang of Carlino Commercial Group. It will be the third location for Ocean Buffet when it is anticipated to open in July. The firm also operates Ocean Buffet restaurants in Fort Myers and St. Augustine, Cichocki said.

This is also the eighth transaction involving a buffet style restaurant that the NAI Realvest team has completed in the last 18 months.

About NAI Realvest:

NAI Realvest in Orlando, covering all of Central Florida, is a fully integrated commercial real estate operating company specializing in brokerage, development, investment, leasing and management, consulting and research services in the U.S. and worldwide. NAI Global is an international commercial real estate network with over 350 offices spanning the globe. Since 1978, clients have built businesses on the power of NAI Global’s expanding network. Extensive services include multi-site acquisitions and dispositions, sublease, tenant representation, lease administration and audit, investment services, due diligence and related consulting and advisory services. To learn more, visit www.NAIRealvest.com.

Mattamy Homes Earns Two Gold Awards, One Silver in the Home Builders Association of Charlotte's Parade of Homes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. --- Mattamy Homes U.S. Group, the U.S. division of Canada’s largest home builder, earned three top awards in the Home Builders Association of Charlotte’s 2011 Parade of Homes.

Bill Kiselick, Charlotte division president for Mattamy Homes in the Charlotte region, said Mattamy earned both the Gold award and the Silver award in Category III, which includes single family homes priced from $290,000 to $337,000. Mattamy earned a second Gold award for the best new home in category II, for homes priced from $221,000 to $289,000.

Mattamy earned its first Gold award with the Honeyflower model home at South Point Village, located in Belmont off South Point Rd. The Honeyflower model home offers, three bedrooms with two-and-a-half baths in 2,425 square feet of living space with a two car garage. The “Dilworth” inspired home features oversized windows, nine foot ceilings and eight foot doors.

Mattamy Homes offers 10 distinctive three and four bedroom floors plans at South Point Village that range from 1,601 square feet of living space at 2,873 square feet.

Mattamy Homes earned a Silver award in the same category for its Periwinkle model home at Skybrook in Huntersville off Eastfield Road north of Highland Creek Parkway in Mecklenburg County near the Cabarrus County line.

The Periwinkle model home with 2,470 square feet of living space in three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths with a two car garage, is the first of a series of homes Mattamy is building on 50 foot home sites at Skybrook.

Mattamy earned its second Gold award for the Lavender model home at Waterlynn on Waterlynn Club Drive off I-77 in Mooresville. The two-story Lavender model home, with 2,117 square feet of living space, offers three bedrooms with the master bedroom suite on the ground floor, a loft, two-and-a-half-baths and a two car garage.

Kiselick said Mattamy Homes plans to build 157 new single-family homes at Waterlynn ranging in size from 1,800 square feet of living space to 2,600 square feet priced from the $190s.

About Mattamy Homes

Mattamy Homes expanded into the U.S. in 2003 and has divisions in Jacksonville, Orlando, Charlotte, Phoenix and Minneapolis. The homebuilder is the largest and most active in Canada with annual revenues exceeding $1.3 billion.