First Green Foundation awards its first sustainable energy improvement grant

MOUNT DORA, Fla. --- The First Green Foundation, the non profit arm of First Green Bank in Mount Dora, Clermont, Ormond Beach and soon in downtown Orlando, has awarded its first sustainable energy improvement grant. Earlier the foundation announced it will award grants to home and business owners who want to convert their facilities to the use of sustainable energy resources such as solar, wind and recycled biofuels. The first grant of $1,000 was awarded to Daniel Dean of Lake County. In addition to the grant, First Green Bank will provide a loan to Dean so that he can install a 10 KW solar panel system, effectively taking his home off the power grid. Rhonda DeCandia, board member, said that the foundation is still accepting grant applications.

STIRLING SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY APPOINTS KIM DIAZ AN INTERNATIONAL LUXURY HOMES SPECIALIST

HEATHROW, Fla. --- Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty has appointed Kim Diaz an International Luxury Homes Specialist at the firm’s Heathrow/Lake Mary Marketing Center. Roger Soderstrom, founder and owner of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, said Diaz will specialize in marketing luxury properties and ranches in Seminole and north Lake Counties. Diaz and husband Marco---a hospital cardiovascular equipment manager ---live with their young son and daughter on a family ranch in Lake County. Kim Diaz has a vast background in the huge estates and ranchlands arena that supports her real estate career and she will play an integral role at Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty’s Heathrow/Lake Mary Marketing Center,” Soderstrom said. 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 global marketing services include luxury residential, new homes, new home communities, commercial and investment properties. In addition the company provides support to builders and developers locally and internationally. Visit www.StirlingSIR.com.

Couple overcomes fear of Florida retirement communities, finds love, friendship at Del Webb Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. – For Harry and Carole Baldwin of Lewes, Delaware, the Florida retirement lifestyle was at one point something to dread. “We had reservations,” Carole explained. “We had an unfortunate incident eight years ago that turned us off active adult communities because of the attitude one community had toward grandchildren,” she said. Grandchildren are what makes Harry and Carole Baldwin’s retirement worth the effort. Three Baldwin children and five grandchildren live in West Virginia, Georgia and Virginia and the Baldwins spend many weeks each year on the road visiting. But the lure for Florida called them. “We visited Florida many times in the 1980s when our son played professional baseball for the Houston Astros,” Carole said. “We fell in love with the area. When we learned about Del Webb, we looked into it. Given how much we love the area, our choice boiled down to the lifestyle. We want to live in a vibrant, active community, not a campground. Community rules and regulations are important, but we want to enjoy ourselves too,” she said. They found what they were looking for at Del Webb Orlando in Davenport in Polk County. “We moved in on June 7, 2012. New neighbors came to the door to welcome us and offered help that first day,” Carole said. “Harry joined the golf club, and he was in his element: instant friendships with really great guys. And my experience was the same. I met many great ladies at the clubhouse while exercising in the gym and pool,” she said. Now Carole is a member of the Community Service Club and she’s being nominated as secretary for the new term. Carole and Harry are already planning their 50th wedding anniversary in the Del Webb Orlando clubhouse. “Our bottom line?” Carole posed. “We are home. This is where we want to be, living and loving life at Del Webb Orlando. And our grandchildren can come visit anytime they want,” she said. Del Webb Orlando features world class health and wellness amenities that are all part of the lifestyle — an endless choice of activities, pastimes, hobbies and events that make life worth living. These are administered by a full time lifestyle director and community association manager. About Del Webb Del Webb, the pioneer of active adult retirement communities, is America’s leading builder of developments for people ages 55+. Since 1960, Del Webb has redefined retirement and retirement living by meeting the housing and lifestyle needs of the active Baby Boomer. Del Webb’s amenities and program offerings provide residents an engaging environment, which fulfills their creative, social, physical fitness and intellectual needs as they journey into the next chapter in their lives – whether it means retirement or still working. Del Webb has grown to more than 50 communities currently open for new home sales in 20 states. For more information on Del Webb, visit www.delwebb.com. To learn more about how to plan a smart future, check out financial tools at delwebb.com/value. About PulteGroup PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM), based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is one of America’s largest home building companies with operations in approximately 60 markets throughout the country. Through its brand portfolio that includes Centex, Pulte Homes and Del Webb, the company is one of the industry’s most versatile homebuilders able to meet the needs of multiple buyer groups and respond to changing consumer demand. PulteGroup conducts extensive research to provide home buyers with innovative solutions and new homes designed for the way people actually live today. As the most awarded home builder in customer satisfaction, PulteGroup brands have consistently ranked among top home builders in third-party customer satisfaction studies. For more information about PulteGroup, Inc. and PulteGroup brands, go to pultegroup.com; www.pulte.com; www.centex.com; www.delwebb.com

Knoll-Hillis Team at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank sets new low cap rate benchmark in sale of Publix-anchored retail center in Roswell

ATLANTA, Ga. --- The Knoll-Hillis Team at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank Capital Group in Atlanta recently negotiated a record price in the sale of the 81,159 square foot Publix-anchored Village Walk retail center at 270 Rucker Rd. in Roswell. Whitney Knoll, who heads the investment sales team at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, said Village Walk, built in 2005 and redeveloped three years ago, was 95.3 percent occupied at the time of sale with an “A” list of tenants that includes one of only two Publix Pix gas stations in Georgia, Chase Bank, Shane’s Rib Shack, Anytime Fitness, Dentistry for Children and Chin Chin Chinese Restaurant in addition to the Publix supermarket. Knoll and partner Fred Victor negotiated the $20,400,000 sale price on behalf of the seller. The Prudential Variable Contract Real Property Partnership, a subsidiary of Prudential Real Estate Investors acquired the retail center. “The returns for this transaction were driven by strong institutional investor demand for quality core product in a market with limited supply of such product,” said Victor. Knoll said several institutional pension fund clients stepped up to the rarefied pricing, willing to pay true core pricing to acquire such a quality center. The Knoll-Hillis team – led by Whitney Knoll and Mark Hillis – is a five-member team that is focused exclusively on capital market transactions on behalf of owners with assets in the Southeast. Jason Archer coordinates the underwriting and marketing of assets through the disposition process, and is responsible for developing disposition strategies, asset positioning and creating new business leads. The team has executed transactions valued at more than $10 billion across all property types including office, retail, industrial, multi-family, and hotels. Transactions range from $1 million to over $100 million and represent core, value add and opportunistic properties including distressed and REO assets. Newmark Grubb Knight Frank is one of the world’s leading commercial real estate advisory firms. Operating from more than 300 offices on five continents, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank serves the property needs of tenants, owners, investors and developers worldwide. Newmark Grubb Knight Frank provides a fully integrated platform of services to prominent multinational corporations and institutional investors across the globe, as well as to owners and users of real estate on a local, regional and national level. With services including leasing advisory, global corporate services, investment sales and financial services, property and facilities management, program and project management, consulting, and appraisal and valuation services, Newmark offer comprehensive real estate solutions supporting the business objectives of our clients.

Florida Business Incubation Association partners in the DEMO FALL 2012 event in Santa Clara.

Orlando, Fla., -- The Florida Business Incubation Association was invited to be a partner organization for the DEMO FALL 2012 event. The DEMO in Santa Clara Oct. 1-3 will showcase 70 of the best and brightest companies demonstrating their products for the first time. Some will be companies you’ve already heard of, others will be startups, but all of the tech companies will be new and dynamic. For those unfamiliar with DEMO, it’s where companies like Netscape, Salesforce, TiVo, VMWare, and E-Trade all got their start. More recent DEMO alumni include Fusion-io (which went public last year and has a market cap of $3 billion) and SuccessFactors (acquired for $3.4 billion in February). Dr. Thomas O’Neal, president of the Florida Business Incubation Association, said he is thrilled to be a partner from Florida and assist in an event for entrepreneurs. “We should do everything in our power to support entrepreneurs here in the US. It will benefit everyone, and hopefully we will start seeing more cooperation among different programs like this occurring across US in the future,” Dr. O’Neal said. More info regarding DEMO Fall 2012 is found at www.demo.com About the Florida Business Incubation Association (FBIA) Since its founding in 1998, the Florida Business Incubation Association has held bi-annual statewide meetings and been a unified voice for all the Florida incubators. FBIA plays an integral role in developing and/or identifying programs that help provide greater service to incubator clients. FBIA teams up annually with the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) to award conference scholarship opportunities to Florida incubation professionals. Please visit FBIA on www.fbiaonline.org or on Facebook on www.facebook.com/FLBIA

Golden Bear Golf Course in Windermere to host Women Playing Golf for T.I.M.E. tournament

Windermere, Fla. --- The Golden Bear Golf Club at Keene's Pointe in Windermere, will host the Women Playing Golf for T.I.M.E. golf tournament on Monday Oct. 8. Matthew Allen, director of at the Golden Bear Golf Club, said all proceeds from the tournament will benefit the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at Florida Hospital in Orlando. Allen said the Women Playing Golf for TIME Golf Tournament will start with registration at 11:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. For more information or to register for the golf tournament telephone 407-876-5775 or visit www.womenplayingfortime.org

Ashton Wood Homes Starts New Product Line at Laureate Park in Lake Nona area

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Ashton Woods Homes has released a new product line of new three and four bedroom homes called “Urban Traditions,” Michael Roche, vice president of sales and marketing at Ashton Woods Homes said. Homes in the new product line at Laureate Park range in size from 2,026 square feet to 2,492 square feet with prices starting from $289,990. Roche said there are 20 new homes in the current phase at Laureate Park located off Narcoossee Road in the Lake Nona area. Ashton Woods Homes, headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the nation’s largest private homebuilding companies with operations in growth communities in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Killeen, Orlando, Phoenix, San Antonio, Raleigh and Tampa. For more information, visit http://www.ashtonwoods.com.

Ryland Homes to host grand opening Oct. 13-14 to showcase new single family model homes at Whitney Lake on Johns Island

CHARLESTON, S.C. --- Ryland Homes will host a grand opening Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 13 and Oct. 14 to showcase two new model homes priced from $189,000 at Whitney Lake, located off River Rd. and Maybank Hwy. on Johns Island in Charleston. Brian Cartwright, vice president of sales and marketing for Ryland Homes in the Charleston-Myrtle Beach region, said new single-family homes at Whitney Lake in Johns Island are priced from $189,000. Cartwright said Ryland’s Edgefield model home at Whitney Lake appeals to growing families with 2,126 square feet of living space in three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. The two-story Edgefield model home at Whitney Lake features a detached two-car garage and a master suite located on the ground floor, along with a sunroom and a fireplace. The Edgefield floor plan is priced from $209,000. The Colleton model home, also a two-story design, offers 1,891 square feet of living space with three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and a detached two-car garage. The Colleton floor plan is priced from $199,000. Both model homes are fully furnished and decorated, Cartwright said. Whitney Lake features walking trails overlooking Whitney Lake, a natural 22-acre lake that affords a quiet environment with many recreational opportunities. Ryland Homes plans to build 81 new three and four-bedroom single-family homes at Whitney Lake that range from 1,600 to 2,440 square feet of living area. Presales are currently underway, Cartwright said. For more information, 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 13 states across the country and has built more than 295,000 homes and financed more than 245,000 mortgages since its founding in 1967. Ryland is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “RYL.” Visit www.Ryland.com