Creators of Healthy Omega Cookie™ Help Local Food Bank Provide Thanksgiving Dinners for those in Need

Healthy Cookies and “Clicks” Equal Dollars for All Faiths Food Bank VENICE, FL – In addition to the usual Thanksgiving contributions, a Sarasota food bank is receiving some creative donations this holiday season, compliments of Omega3 Innovations, creator of the Omega Cookie. For every box of Omega Cookies sold at the Sarasota Farmer’s Market and every Facebook “like” the company receives this month, Omega3 Innovations is donating $1 to All Faiths Food Bank, according to Dr. Anne-Marie Chalmers, co-founder of the Venice-based biotech company. “I’m impressed with the nutrition courses that All Faiths gives to young families,” Chalmers said. “They not only provide food for the hungry, but they teach how to make inexpensive, healthy and good-tasting meals. That’s very much in line with our mission, too.” Omega3 Innovations – a family-owned company that produces healthy oatmeal-based cookies and dark chocolate truffles rich in omega-3 fish oil, as well as fresh-tasting liquid fish oil – is hoping to help provide food to those who need it most by working with All Faiths Food Bank. Previously, the company donated Omega Cookies directly to All Faiths Food Bank to not only help feed hungry people, but also provide them with nutritious food, Chalmers said. With the help of nearly 200 partner agencies and programs, All Faiths Food Bank gathers and distributes more than 88,000 meals weekly in Sarasota and Desoto counties, according to All Faiths Executive Director Sandra Frank. “Every day, thousands of people in southwest Florida struggle with hunger,” Frank said. “Statistics indicate that the face of hunger has changed with unemployment being the stronger predictor of food insecurity. Today, the hungry also include hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days.” Chalmers said she hopes her company’s donations will help the food bank provide more food for the hungry this holiday season than ever before. “All Faiths does so much for our community, and this year they desperately need more resources.” To join the November donation effort, visit www.facebook.com/Omega3Innovations or the Omega3 Innovations booth at the Sarasota Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.

Ryland Homes Launches the Great Ryland Homes Toy Drive, Including an Extra $500 worth of Design Options to Homebuyers Who Donate a Toy

Charleston, S.C. --- Ryland Homes plans to include an extra $500 worth of design options to new home buyers who donate a toy to the Great Ryland Homes Toy Drive in time for Christmas. Brian Cartwright, vice president of sales and marketing for Ryland’s Charleston/Myrtle Beach Division, said the offer applies to new to be built homes that are contracted between Nov. 26 and Dec. 16. Toys should be new and unwrapped and dropped off at any Ryland Homes Sales Center, “Ryland is a 2012 National Corporate Sponsor of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation,” Cartwright said. Ryland builds single family homes priced from $128,990 to more than $300,000 in Charleston at Brickhope Plantation, Carolina Park, Charleston Oaks, Taylor Plantation, Victoria Pointe, Wellborn Village and Whitney Lake, and at The Shoreline and The Woodlands at Creekhaven in Myrtle Beach. For more information, visit www.ryland.com.

FIRST GREEN BANK APPOINTS REGIONAL PRESIDENT, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ORLANDO MARKET

Mount Dora, Fla. – First Green Bank whose Mount Dora headquarters is the second privately built commercial building in Florida to qualify for U.S. Green Building Council’s Platinum LEED certification, recently appointed Alan Rowe regional president and Jeffrey B. Cowherd senior vice president of Commercial Lending in First Green Bank’s new Orlando office opening by early December at 1118 S. Orange Ave. Kenneth LaRoe, chairman of First Green Bank, said Rowe holds a Masters of Business Administration from The Fogelman College of Business and Economics in Memphis, Tenn. and has more than 25 years of experience in the banking industry. He has held several official positions at Central Florida Banks during his career, most recently as regional president of First Southern Bank in Orlando. Rowe just completed a term on the Board of Governors of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce. LaRoe said Cowherd, who graduated from University of Central Florida with a degree in Accounting, was formerly senior vice president and senior lender for the central Florida region of First Southern Bank. He has nearly 30 years of experience in banking and finance and throughout his career has held leadership positions at local civic organizations including Hospice of Central Florida, American Red Cross Central Florida Chapter and East Orlando Kiwanis. “Alan and Jeff have impeccable track records with numerous accomplishments in the industry. They both will play a major role in our growth within the Orlando market,” LaRoe said. First Green Bank www.FirstGreenBank.com is one of only five banks in Central Florida to earn the prestigious Five-Star rating from BauerFinancial, Inc., the independent community bank rating group based in Coral Gables.

Ryland Homes in the Charleston region offers home buyers washers, dryers, refrigerators included with purchase of ready-to-move-in homes closing before Dec. 31

CHARLESTON, S.C. --- Ryland Homes in Charleston has a big offer for new home buyers: buy a new move-in ready home in select Ryland Home communities in the Charleston area and Ryland will include a washer, dryer and refrigerator. Brian Cartwright, vice president of sales and marketing for Ryland’s Charleston/Myrtle Beach division, said the offer is good if the contract to purchase the home is signed by the end of November and closes by Dec. 31. “Ryland Homes has 30 ready-to-move-in homes in eight communities in the Charleston region with new appliances for the buyer who goes to contract by Nov. 30,” Cartwright said. Ryland builds single family homes priced from $128,990 to more than $300,000 in Charleston at Brickhope Plantation, Carolina Park, Charleston Oaks, Taylor Plantation, Victoria Pointe, Wellborn Village and Whitney Lake For more information, visit www.ryland.com.

NexGen Global Technologies Partners with UCF Police Department to Send Photos, Video and Text to 9-1-1

Winter Springs, Fla.,– NexGen’s Global Technologies has just successfully completed Beta Testing of its new NexGen’s 9-1-1 technology with the UCF Police Department 9-1-1 Communications Center. Rick Shaffer, co-founder and managing partner at NexGen Global Technologies, said NexGen 9-1-1 is a cloud based technology which allows the general public to call in and speak to a 9-1-1 operator, after which they can be directed to send in photos, video and text to the Emergency Communications Center from their mobile phones. There’s no special software or app needed and cell phone users can use any wireless carrier. UCF Police Chief Richard Beary said the NexGen system will allow his 9-1-1 Dispatch Operators to send and receive photos, video and text from citizens then distribute them to his Officers within minutes. “This technology supports and enhances our mission in a big way,” said Chief Beary. “Add this to NexGen’s partnership with the newest aerial drone technology company, Hoverfly, and we can now effectively patrol all areas with a virtual birds eye view of the entire campus while using high resolution imagery to capture, record and transmit events in a 4G LTE and cloud-based wireless environment,” Chief Beary said, adding “We are negotiating a contract in order to implement these next generation technologies as soon as possible.” The NexGen technology suite also includes Satellite Assisted Mobility (SAM Alerts) which allows for satellite communication in areas where land based and wireless infrastructures become disabled; and aerial drone technology which provides virtual mobile aerial surveillance and assessment. Shaffer said NexGen is paving the way to a new level of safety and security during emergency incidents when time is of the essence. “No other company or wireless carrier in the world has this technology,” said Shaffer, a 25 year veteran of the FBI. NexGen Global Technologies is a client company of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program in Winter Springs.

Over seeding of Fairways at Kings Ridge Golf Club Now Complete, Course Ready for Winter Visitors

CLERMONT, Fla. --- Winter is the season for golf in Florida, and the ‘Kings Course’ at Kings Ridge Golf Club in Clermont is ready for action! Jay Scruggs, general manager at Kings Ridge Golf Club, said they recently completed over seeding the fairways for the first time in four years; resulting in lush fairway turf on every hole. “The visual appeal of the fairways is almost as important as their playability,” Scruggs said. Also adding that, “Over seeding at this time of the year means golfers can look forward to a great season of playing golf on a beautiful course.” Scruggs said as many as three times the number of golfers will play Kings Ridge Golf Club over the next five months than in prior years. “We’re ready, and we’re already seeing a big increase in play!” Scruggs said. Visit www.cgmgolfproperties.com.

Fleet of New Golf Carts headed for Legends Golf & Country Club in Clermont

CLERMONT, Fla. --- Legends Golf Club in Clermont is getting a new fleet of golf carts! Gene Garrote, president of Celebration Golf Management which operates Legends Golf Club and Jay Scruggs, General Manager at Legends, said they have acquired 75 new 2013 Club Car Precedent model golf carts. “As a division of Ingersoll Rand, the world leader in creating and sustaining safe, comfortable and energy efficient environments, Club Car ranks on the forefront of environmentally responsible Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) technologies,” Scruggs said. Garrote added that the new Club Car Precedent models will be available at Legends Golf Club before Christmas. Visit www.cgmgolfproperties.com

Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty Names Alice Lincoln Coastal Property Specialist at Volusia County’s Spruce Creek Fly-In

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty has appointed Alice Lincoln a Coastal Property Specialist in the firm’s Volusia County office at the Spruce Creek Fly-In luxury community in Port Orange. Roger Soderstrom, founder and owner of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, said Lincoln is a Tampa native who will focus on unique and luxury properties in the coastal and intercoastal areas of Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach. A Florida licensed Realtor for more than 10 years, Lincoln is also a certified personal trainer and Aqua Aerobics instructor, a certified Florida B.P.R.Community Association Management professional, and served more than six years on the board for Adopt-A-Child. “Alice Lincoln is an enthusiastic, highly creative Realtor who will help our Volusia County division grow,” Soderstrom said.

First Green Bank is growing greener — Bank plants citrus trees at Mount Dora headquarters

MOUNT DORA, Fla. – First Green Bank, heralded as one of the nations’ greenest banks by the American Bankers Association and the Independent Bankers Association, is about to grow even greener. Kenneth LaRoe, chairman of First Green Bank, said workers recently planted 60 citrus trees at the bank’s headquarters facility on U.S. 441 in Mount Dora. LaRoe said he wanted to celebrate the region’s history as a citrus industry leader, but he has other plans too. “We plan to give away fruit to our customers who visit the bank, along with organic cookies and other locally grown seasonal fruits,” LaRoe said. Citrus trees aren’t the bank’s only effort to grow greener---First Green Bank is a lead sponsor of the Community Garden at South Lake Hospital in Clermont, LaRoe said. “We are particularly interested in helping to expand the Community Garden so that more people can benefit from it,” LaRoe said.

Cuhaci & Peterson Architects Focuses Charitable Efforts on Feeding the Hungry

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Cuhaci & Peterson Architects Engineers Planners, which ranks as one of the nation’s leading designers of supermarkets and other retail facilities focused its 2012 charitable efforts on feeding the hungry. The Baldwin Park architectural firm recently completed the design of a 10,000 square foot warehouse for Feeding Children Everywhere, an international charity that mobilizes volunteers and donors to assemble thousands of simple, nutritious meals that are shipped to isolated parts of the world where hunger and malnourishment are rampant. Lonnie Peterson, chairman of Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, said Nathan Griffis served as project manager for the warehouse project and provided engineering services. The warehouse, located on West Pine Street has been submitted for permitting. Cuhaci & Peterson also participated in Canstruction 2012, a charitable event to raise awareness across the U.S. and provide food for the local second Harvest Food Bank. The firm created a massive display depicting a Sherwin Williams Paint Can---one of the event’s primary sponsors---surrounded by Van Gogh’s famous painting, Starry Night. The entry, displayed at Orlando Fashion Square, earned Cuhaci & Peterson Architects the Can-O-Rama award.

Avex Homes to host “Lunch and Learn” event Nov. 29 at Avalon Park West Community Center

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. -- Avex Homes, the Orlando-based home builder that has started construction of new homes at Avalon Park West in Wesley Chapel, will host a “Lunch and Learn” event starting at 11 a.m. Thursday Nov. 29 at the Avalon Park West Community Center. Stephanie Hodson, marketing director for Avalon Park Group said the event will begin with a networking session at 11 a.m. and the complimentary luncheon will conclude at 1:30 p.m. Open to all Realtors, the focus of the program will be risk management and overcoming barriers to completing your sale. The Avalon Park West Community Center is located at 5227 Autumn Ridge Drive, Wesley Chapel FL 33545. Enter the community off SR 54, 3.5 miles east of I-75. For more information contact Hodson at 813-364-4918. Avex Homes plans to build 342 single family homes priced from the $150s at Cypress Village, the first phase, at Avalon Park West.