WINTER PARK, Fla. --- Winston James Development recently negotiated a new lease agreement at Aloma Commerce Center in Winter Park.
Winston Schwartz, president of Winston James Development, said Christina Wong leased 938 square feet at Aloma Commerce Center to establish a service and maintenance facility for cellular phones.
Aloma Commerce Center was represented by Tyler Brackney of Dunhill Properties.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
First Green Bank Reports Record Quarter Results: Assets up 18 Percent, Deposits Up 20 Percent, Loan Volume Up 15 Percent
Mount Dora, Fla. --- First Green Bank, the Lake County-based community bank that boasts it is “a local bank with a global mission,” reports its assets grew by more than 18 percent during the first half of 2012 and its deposits grew by more than 20 percent during the same period.
Kenneth LaRoe, chairman of First Green Bank, said the bank’s combined assets as of June 30, 2012, totaled $193 million, up more than $30 million from Dec. 31, 2011.
During the second quarter First Green Bank’s assets grew by more than $17 million, LaRoe said.
Bank deposits, which totaled $171 million at the end of the second quarter, were up more than 20 percent since the start of the year.
“We increased our deposits by $17 million during the second quarter alone,” LaRoe said.
First Green Bank, headquartered in Mount Dora, has offices in Clermont and Ormond Beach. LaRoe announced First Green will open an office in downtown Orlando before the end of this year and offices in Winter Park next year.
“Our mission to encourage more sustainable communities that can rebuild our economy from the ground up is finding its market and gaining momentum,” LaRoe said. “We are very pleased, and we are greatly encouraged,” he said.
First Green reported similar growth in its retail and small business lending. Loans at the end of the second quarter totaled $140 million, up more than 15 percent since the start of the year.
First Green Bank’s loan volume grew by almost seven percent during the second quarter, LaRoe said.
The bank’s bottom line---profits---are likewise promising. First Green Bank reported year-to-date pre-tax profits of $522,698, with most of it---$375,931---coming in the second quarter.
A recent survey of 7,300 U.S. banks by MSN.com ranked First Green Bank one of the 359 safest banks in America and the only Central Florida bank to earn that distinction.
Kenneth LaRoe, chairman of First Green Bank, said the bank’s combined assets as of June 30, 2012, totaled $193 million, up more than $30 million from Dec. 31, 2011.
During the second quarter First Green Bank’s assets grew by more than $17 million, LaRoe said.
Bank deposits, which totaled $171 million at the end of the second quarter, were up more than 20 percent since the start of the year.
“We increased our deposits by $17 million during the second quarter alone,” LaRoe said.
First Green Bank, headquartered in Mount Dora, has offices in Clermont and Ormond Beach. LaRoe announced First Green will open an office in downtown Orlando before the end of this year and offices in Winter Park next year.
“Our mission to encourage more sustainable communities that can rebuild our economy from the ground up is finding its market and gaining momentum,” LaRoe said. “We are very pleased, and we are greatly encouraged,” he said.
First Green reported similar growth in its retail and small business lending. Loans at the end of the second quarter totaled $140 million, up more than 15 percent since the start of the year.
First Green Bank’s loan volume grew by almost seven percent during the second quarter, LaRoe said.
The bank’s bottom line---profits---are likewise promising. First Green Bank reported year-to-date pre-tax profits of $522,698, with most of it---$375,931---coming in the second quarter.
A recent survey of 7,300 U.S. banks by MSN.com ranked First Green Bank one of the 359 safest banks in America and the only Central Florida bank to earn that distinction.
First Green Bank Names Five Bank Employees to First Green Foundation Board of Directors
MOUNT DORA, Fla. --- The First Green Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization established to promote the environmental mission of First Green Bank in Mount Dora, recently appointed five First Green Bank employees to the foundation’s Board of Directors.
Kenneth LaRoe, founder and chairman of First Green Bank, said new appointments to the First Green Foundation Board include Rhonda DeCandia, Robbie Gossett, Darla Leonard, Denise Smith and Barbara Szczepanski.
LaRoe said the appointments signal the Foundation’s commitment to seeking small effective ways to strengthen the communities First Green Bank serves with a positive approach to environmental awareness.
“Typically, civic and charitable foundations appoint individuals to their boards whose stature in the community add credibility and gravitas, and you have to respect that,” LaRoe said.
“But sometimes those same individuals, while worthy of every respect, have earned for themselves a social and economic status that distances them from the people and institutions their foundations mean to serve,” LaRoe said.
“We wanted to try a different approach, with a board of directors open to significant input from a more youthful and perhaps more energetic and even idealistic perspective,” he said.
“Our new Board appointments are highly enthusiastic, highly committed young banking professionals whose focus on the community and on our environmental goals is not only admirable but infectious,” LaRoe said.
LaRoe said new appointments to the First Green Foundation Board of Directors include:
• DeCandia, who joined First Green Bank last November as Marketing Director and will serve in that capacity for the Foundation;
• Gossett, who joined First Green Bank as a Credit Analyst two years ago because he wanted to take part in the bank’s slogan: “A local bank with a global mission;”
• Leonard, head teller in the Mount Dora headquarters offices of First Green Bank, is likewise one of the bank’s first employees. “Darla Leonard is on the front lines every day, meeting and greeting our customers and providing the sort of customer service that really defines who we are,” LaRoe said.
• Smith, one of the bank’s newest employees, serves as a customer service representative at the Clermont facility. “When we put the call out for employees who might be interested in getting the Foundation up and running, she was the first to respond,” LaRoe explained.
• Szczepanski, who joined First Green Bank a year ago as Chairman Ken LaRoe’s executive assistant, will serve as the Foundation’s secretary.
First Green Foundation recently announced plans to provide grants to home owners and small business owners who want to make their homes and facilities more energy efficient using solar hot water heaters or photo voltaics.
Kenneth LaRoe, founder and chairman of First Green Bank, said new appointments to the First Green Foundation Board include Rhonda DeCandia, Robbie Gossett, Darla Leonard, Denise Smith and Barbara Szczepanski.
LaRoe said the appointments signal the Foundation’s commitment to seeking small effective ways to strengthen the communities First Green Bank serves with a positive approach to environmental awareness.
“Typically, civic and charitable foundations appoint individuals to their boards whose stature in the community add credibility and gravitas, and you have to respect that,” LaRoe said.
“But sometimes those same individuals, while worthy of every respect, have earned for themselves a social and economic status that distances them from the people and institutions their foundations mean to serve,” LaRoe said.
“We wanted to try a different approach, with a board of directors open to significant input from a more youthful and perhaps more energetic and even idealistic perspective,” he said.
“Our new Board appointments are highly enthusiastic, highly committed young banking professionals whose focus on the community and on our environmental goals is not only admirable but infectious,” LaRoe said.
LaRoe said new appointments to the First Green Foundation Board of Directors include:
• DeCandia, who joined First Green Bank last November as Marketing Director and will serve in that capacity for the Foundation;
• Gossett, who joined First Green Bank as a Credit Analyst two years ago because he wanted to take part in the bank’s slogan: “A local bank with a global mission;”
• Leonard, head teller in the Mount Dora headquarters offices of First Green Bank, is likewise one of the bank’s first employees. “Darla Leonard is on the front lines every day, meeting and greeting our customers and providing the sort of customer service that really defines who we are,” LaRoe said.
• Smith, one of the bank’s newest employees, serves as a customer service representative at the Clermont facility. “When we put the call out for employees who might be interested in getting the Foundation up and running, she was the first to respond,” LaRoe explained.
• Szczepanski, who joined First Green Bank a year ago as Chairman Ken LaRoe’s executive assistant, will serve as the Foundation’s secretary.
First Green Foundation recently announced plans to provide grants to home owners and small business owners who want to make their homes and facilities more energy efficient using solar hot water heaters or photo voltaics.
VOLUSIA LAW FIRM AND CAR DEALERSHIP TEAM UP AGAIN TO HELP STUDENT DRIVERS AVOID ACCIDENTS
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – The Port Orange-based law firm of Rue & Ziffra and Gary Yeoman’s Ford Lincoln in Daytona Beach are collaborating on a project this month that intends to educate student drivers on the perils of texting while driving.
The five-day program – which includes a state-of-the-art, hands-on texting and driving simulator – will begin Sept. 17 at Seabreeze High School, and will be offered at four other high schools in Volusia and Flagler counties through Sept. 21, according to Carlos Lira, general manager at Gary Yeoman’s.
“We’ve teamed up with the Rue & Ziffra folks on other occasions to offer safe driving classes for teens, but this is the first time for something quite like this,” Lira said.
The week-long program is being presented free of charge by the law firm and car dealership.
Representatives from both sponsoring companies will be on hand during the sessions, according to John Rue, a senior partner in the personal-injury law firm.
“We’re excited to be able to bring this type of interactive, educational event to our community to help prevent senseless accidents that often are fatal,” Rue said. “Our goal is to reach out to as many as 5,000 students and faculty members during the week.”
A state-of-the-art driving simulator will be connected to a car provided by Gary Yeoman’s dealership and set up 9/17 at Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Tuesday 9/18 at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Wednesday 9/19 at Father Lopez High School in Daytona Beach, Thursday 9/20 at DeLand High School, and Friday 9/21 at Flagler-Palm Coast High School in Palm Coast.
Staggering U.S. statistics provided by the PEERS Foundation show that nearly 50 percent of drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 text while driving, and of those, 11 teen-aged drivers die each week in accidents that involve texting while driving.
In interactive sessions throughout the U.S. data compiled showed that nearly all of the students who got behind the wheel to experience “distracted driving” failed after swerving, speeding and even hitting pedestrians.
For more information about the program, please visit rueziffra.com.
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 25 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, DeLand and Palm Coast. For more information, visit www.rueziffra.com.
The five-day program – which includes a state-of-the-art, hands-on texting and driving simulator – will begin Sept. 17 at Seabreeze High School, and will be offered at four other high schools in Volusia and Flagler counties through Sept. 21, according to Carlos Lira, general manager at Gary Yeoman’s.
“We’ve teamed up with the Rue & Ziffra folks on other occasions to offer safe driving classes for teens, but this is the first time for something quite like this,” Lira said.
The week-long program is being presented free of charge by the law firm and car dealership.
Representatives from both sponsoring companies will be on hand during the sessions, according to John Rue, a senior partner in the personal-injury law firm.
“We’re excited to be able to bring this type of interactive, educational event to our community to help prevent senseless accidents that often are fatal,” Rue said. “Our goal is to reach out to as many as 5,000 students and faculty members during the week.”
A state-of-the-art driving simulator will be connected to a car provided by Gary Yeoman’s dealership and set up 9/17 at Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Tuesday 9/18 at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Wednesday 9/19 at Father Lopez High School in Daytona Beach, Thursday 9/20 at DeLand High School, and Friday 9/21 at Flagler-Palm Coast High School in Palm Coast.
Staggering U.S. statistics provided by the PEERS Foundation show that nearly 50 percent of drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 text while driving, and of those, 11 teen-aged drivers die each week in accidents that involve texting while driving.
In interactive sessions throughout the U.S. data compiled showed that nearly all of the students who got behind the wheel to experience “distracted driving” failed after swerving, speeding and even hitting pedestrians.
For more information about the program, please visit rueziffra.com.
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 25 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, DeLand and Palm Coast. For more information, visit www.rueziffra.com.
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