Charleston Home Builders, Home Energy Group and Ryland Homes to host three hour training on new state energy code for builders, contractors Dec. 13-14

CHARLESTON, S.C. --- Ryland Homes has announced that the Charleston Home Builders Assn. will sponsor a three-hour field training course on new state energy code requirements for builders, contractors, framers and code officials Thursday, Dec. 14 and Friday, Dec. 15 at Whitney Lake, a Ryland Homes community on Johns Island. Don McDonough, division president for Ryland Homes in the Charleston region, said the Home Energy Group is offering the three hour training course in four different sessions. Home Builder Association Members and Code Officials can register free for sessions from 9 a.m. to noon or from 1 to 4 p.m. both days. There will be a fee for non-members. The 2009 IECC energy code goes into effect Jan. 1, 2013 throughout South Carolina, McDonough said. The field training course will include instruction, course materials and live demonstrations of new code requirements in homes currently under construction at Whitney Lake, which is located off River Road and Maybank Highway.

Brothers Matt and Steve Orosz named co-presidents of family owned Royal Oak Homes in Baldwin Park

BALDWIN PARK, Fla. --- Brothers Matthew and Stephen Orosz were named co-presidents of Royal Oak Homes, the Baldwin Park based home builder that has grown from a single community that sold 20 new homes in 2011 to 10 communities with 200 new home sales this year. Longtime Orlando area home builder William S. Orosz, Jr., president of Hanover Capital Partners, LLC announced the appointments. Stephen Orosz earned his B.S. Degree in accounting from Villanova University and his M.S. Degree in accounting from the University of Central Florida before launching his career with Deloitte and Touche, LLP and served as financial analyst with the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL. He joined K. Hovnanian Cambridge Homes in 2005. He was appointed vice president at Hanover Capital Partners at the firm’s inception in 2007. Matthew earned his B.S. Degree in accounting and business administration from Villanova University and his MBA from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College. At KTR Capital Partners, a private real estate investment trust in Philadelphia, he was responsible for the acquisition of more than 1.2 million square feet of industrial real estate. He was appointed vice president of investments at Hanover Capital Partners in 2009. So far this year, Royal Oak Homes has sold more than 185 single family homes priced from the mid-$100s to more than $300,000 in 10 communities in Clermont, Apopka, St. Cloud, Kissimmee and Eustis for revenues of more than $20 million.

M/I HOMES HAS ONLY 30 HOME SITES REMAINING AT WEKIVA RUN IN APOPKA

LAKE MARY, Fla. – M/I Homes has only 30 developed home sites remaining at its community of Wekiva Run located off Ponkan Road and S.R. 441 in Apopka. David Byrnes, area president for M/I Homes in the Orlando region, said homes at Wekiva Run range from 2,400 square feet of living area to 5,200 square feet and are priced from $241,000 in three, four, five and six bedroom designs. Byrnes added that there are two move-in ready homes available and three more under construction. There are also two model homes for viewing at Wekiva Run.

Lennar opens four-bedroom Trevi model home at Copper Cove in Naples priced from $252,000

FORT MYERS, Fla. --- Lennar recently opened the Trevi model home at Copper Cove, located at 3815 Treasure Cove Circle off Colliers Blvd. south of Tamiami Trail in Naples. Matt Devereaux, vice president of sales and marketing for Lennar in southwest Florida, said the Trevi model home offers four bedrooms and three baths in 2,032 square feet of living space with a two-car garage. Priced from $252,990, the Trevi model home is one of eight distinctive floor plans available in Lennar’s Executive Series of homes at Copper Cove that range in size from 1,340 square feet of living space to 3,357 square feet. Features such as granite kitchen countertops, wood cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, crown molding and tile floors in common areas are included in Lennar’s “Everything’s Included” pricing. Devereaux said 40 home sites are in the current phase at Copper Cove. Altogether, Lennar plans to build 80 new Executive and Manor Homes at Copper Cove. Visit www.lennar.com.

Emerson International awards contract for 15,100 square foot tenant improvement project at CenterPointe I in Altamonte Springs

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. --- Emerson International recently awarded a contract to complete tenant improvements in 15,100 square feet at the CenterPoint I office building at 240 E. Central Parkway in Altamonte Springs. Kenneth R. Koch, commercial portfolio director at Emerson International, said Macdade Construction will complete the work in the class A office space that will be occupied by GM Financial / Americredit.

Park Square Homes to start Construction of 100 new Resort-Style Homes at Solterra in Polk County

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Park Square Homes plans to start construction of the first of 100 new homes in January at Solterra, a new resort-style community located on Ronald Reagan Parkway in Davenport in Polk County. Anthony Rouhana, marketing coordinator, said Park Square Homes recently started construction on two model homes, and presales will begin early next year. Rouhana said new homes at Solterra will range in size from 2,000 square feet of living space to 3,300 square feet and are priced from the mid $200s.

Integrity Home Loan Expanding, Plans to Hire over 100 College Graduates at Starting Salaries of $36,000

Lake Mary, Fla. --- Integrity Home Loan of Central Florida, which ranks as one of the largest residential mortgage companies in the state, has announced plans to hire more than 100 college graduates at starting salaries of $36,000, a six-month training program and the potential to earn as much as $100,000 within the first two years. Matt Malloy, president, said Integrity Home Loan is averaging 300 residential mortgage loans per month from 10 locations in Coral Springs, West Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Mich. Integrity’s residential mortgage business is up more than 30 percent over last year, Malloy said. “We’re seeking college graduates interested in mortgage banking to qualify to enter a six month extensive training program,” Malloy said. “It has gotten more and more difficult to find knowledgeable, experienced residential mortgage professionals since the housing meltdown six years ago,” Malloy said. “Now that the housing industry is reviving, we are expanding rapidly to meet demand,” he said. With a comprehensive training program, Integrity can thoroughly train mortgage loan officers to tailor services to the individual needs of the clients and process loan applications efficiently, Malloy added. Preference will be given college graduates with degrees in banking and finance, but all applicants will be considered.

Mercantile Capital Corporation reports its best year ever, loan volume up more than 149 percent over last year

ORLANDO, Fla. — Mercantile Capital Corporation reports its commercial property loan volume is up more than 149 percent over last year and 2012 will end up as its best year ever. Christopher Hurn, chief executive officer of Mercantile Capital Corporation, said the 10 year old firm should close commercial property loans to finance projects valued at a total of more than $450 million in 2012. In 2011, Mercantile Capital closed $174 million in loans. In November, Mercantile Capital financed $15 million in total project costs. Hurn said the largest single loan in November financed the $11.2 million purchase of a multi-building campus for an aviation training institute in Inglewood, Calif. Mercantile Capital Corporation is one of the nation’s leading providers of U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 loans for small business owners who want to acquire or develop their own facilities.

Winter Springs Health Care Equipment Manufacturer wins Top Awards at Emergency Medical Trade Shows in New Orleans, Baltimore

WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. --- Advanced EMS Designs in Winter Springs won top awards for their latest invention at emergency medical equipment trade shows in Baltimore and New Orleans recently. Scott Neusch, president of Advanced EMS Designs, said the firm’s most successful product---Board Armor®, a sterile disposable covering used by Emergency Medical Services teams, earned the “2012 Hot Products Award” at the EMS Today—The JEMS Conference and Exposition in Baltimore recently and followed that up a month later with the “2012 Innovation Award” at the EMS World EXPO in New Orleans. Board Armor® is a patented high-grade plastic covering for medical spine boards---rigid frames--used to immobilize victims of neck and back injuries for transport to medical facilities. Developed with funds from the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, Board Armor® was invented and developed by career firefighters and paramedics who saw a big problem firsthand and designed a solution for it, according to Neusch. “We tested hundreds of spine boards in use and found that every single one of them was contaminated by one or more organic or noxious compounds, from petroleum products to blood, vomit and feces,” Neusch said. Board Armor®, their solution, is manufactured in the U.S. of Tyvek plastic, a high-grade and cost-effective barrier that protects accident victims---who often have open wounds themselves---from contamination that might exist on a spine board. Neusch said Board Armor® sales have been increasing steadily since Advanced EMS Designs licensed their manufacture to CSI Medical, Inc. in Tennessee. Board Armor® is currently being evaluated by several metropolitan area EMS teams around the country, and the company is poised to be launched soon in the international market. Advanced EMS Designs is a client company of the University of Central Florida Business Incubator in Winter Springs, Fla.