First Green Bank Foundation Awards Two More Grants for Solar Energy Systems

MOUNT DORA, Fla. --- First Green Bank Foundation, the charitable arm of Lake County-based First Green Bank, recently awarded two grants of $1,000 each to businesses and individuals who want to develop solar energy systems for their businesses or homes. Kenneth LaRoe, chairman of First Green Bank, said the First Green Bank Foundation awarded a grant to Bowen Radson & Schroth, a law firm in Eustis a 20-kilowatt solar energy system. LaRoe said First Green Bank Foundation awarded another grant to Bob Cirone who owns a storage facility in Winter Garden and is developing a 20 -kw solar energy system there. The First Green Bank Foundation has awarded grants to support four solar energy projects, LaRoe said.

Emerson International closes on four new office leases that total more than 4,000 square feet

Altamonte Springs, Fla. --- Emerson International recently closed on four new office lease agreements that total more than 4,000 square feet of space in Orlando, Longwood and Altamonte Springs. Kenneth Koch, director of leasing at Emerson International, negotiated two lease agreements in Orlando and Longwood representing Emerson as landlord. Beacon Enterprises leased 971 square feet in the Major Plaza building on Major Blvd. off Kirkman Rd. near the I-Drive tourism corridor in southwest Orlando. RDL Development, LLC, leased 1,322 square feet of office space in the Sanlando Office Center on West SR 434 in Longwood. Zac Starkey, Commercial leasing associate at Emerson International, negotiated two lease agreements in Altamonte Springs at CenterPointe Office Park. Brad Central Business Group, Inc. leased 700 square feet of office space and the Together We Are Better Foundation, Inc. leased 1,054 square feet at CenterPointe Office Park.

M/I Homes starts development of four new communities in St. Cloud, Winter Garden, Apopka and South Seminole County

LAKE MARY, Fla. --- M/I Homes has started development of four new communities in St. Cloud, Winter Garden, Apopka and south Seminole County. David Byrnes, area president for M/I Homes in Central Florida, said development will be completed by early fall through early winter. The new developments include Narcoossee Village in St. Cloud, located off Jack Brack Road, east of Narcoossee Rd. with the first phase comprising 93 home sites and second phase 106 home sites totaling 199 home sites, Byrnes said. Narcoossee Village will begin selling Oct. 13 with homes priced from $225,000 and ranging in size from 1,900 square feet of living space to 4,700 square feet. Another new community is the Enclave at Bear Lake, located off Bear Lake Road and Maitland Blvd. in Seminole County. Byrnes said there will be 35 home sites at the Enclave at Bear Lake with pre-sales starting in August. Homes will start from $239,000 and range from 1,900 square feet of living space to 2,700 square feet. Hickory Hammock is another new community M/I Homes has under development located off Marsh Road in Winter Garden. In phase one there will be 54 home sites, Byrnes explained, and sales will start in December of new homes priced from $299,000 and ranging from 2,800 to 5,200 square feet of living area. M/I Homes is also developing Magnolia Park Estates located off Park Meadow Drive and Ocoee-Apopka Road in Apopka. Byrnes said the homebuilder is offering 32 home sites in Magnolia Park Estates with sales starting in August for homes priced from $229,000 and ranging in size from 2,100 square feet of living area to 5,200 square feet. M/I Homes is now active in nine communities in Central Florida and with the new communities will offer home buyers distinctively designed homes in 13 communities.

More than two years of effort plus renovation to lease 13,771 square feet of Class A office space at Crystal Center in Lake Mary

MAITLAND, Fla. – It took more than two years of effort by NAI Realvest in Maitland to lease up most of the remaining space at Crystal Center at 3300 West Lake Mary Blvd. in Lake Mary, but the effort was worth it. Senior Broker-Associate Mary Frances West, CCIM recently negotiated two new lease agreements that total 13,771 square feet of Class A office space at the Crystal Center to the Nemours Foundation and to J.D. Insurance & Financial Group. Now the building is 95 percent leased. West said the biggest problem was the struggling economy. “Costar posted a 19 percent vacancy rate for the first quarter of this year in the Lake Mary submarket and we’re in recovery mode,” West explained. During the same period, Lake Mary showed a 50,000 square foot negative absorption rate, meaning more tenants vacated the Lake Mary submarket than moved into Lake Mary. West said she was able to convince the landlord, Maya Associates, LLC of Okemos, Mich., to renovate the building lobby along with the second floor landing and seal and repair the exterior of the building. The owner was forward-thinking and dropped the rental rate to below market to accelerate occupancy to cost conscious tenants.

NAI Realvest Negotiates New Office Lease for Wellness Center in Building B at La Vina Office at Lake Nona–Level 2 now is 94 Percent Leased

ORLANDO, Fla. --- NAI Realvest recently negotiated a new lease agreement for professional office space in Building B of La Vina Office at Lake Nona, 9161 Narcoossee Rd. in East Orlando. Mary Frances West, CCIM senior broker associate at NAI Realvest, negotiated the lease of suite B208 with 1,610 square feet representing the landlord Orlando-based Ripley’s International, LLC. The tenant is NU Wellness, LLC d/b/a Progressive Wellness Medical Center is the tenant. The 21,028 square foot second floor of Building B is now 94 percent leased. West added that there is lease proposal pending on Suite B104 – the only remaining suite on the second floor at La Vina Office a Lake Nona.

NAI Realvest negotiates sales of industrial properties in Sanford Totaling More than $686,000

MAITLAND, Fla. – NAI Realvest recently negotiated the sales of two industrial properties totaling $686,400 in Sanford. Michael Heidrich, a principal at NAI Realvest negotiated both transactions representing the sellers. McWeeney-Smith Real Estate Partnership of Orlando sold a 12,000 square foot office-warehouse building at 751 Central Park Drive in Sanford’s Central Florida Industrial Park for $600,000 to Space Port USA, Inc. The buyer was represented by David Hammett of CRE Advisors. Heidrich brokered the sale of a 1,350 square foot industrial condo at 4240 Church St. in Monroe CommerCenter IV representing the seller/developer Small Bay Partners, LLC of Maitland. The buyer, Longwood-based FC Management Consulting, LLC paid $86,400 for the condo in shell condition.

Celebration Golf Management names Anukul Hampton Executive Chef at Stonegate Golf Club in Solivita, promotes Michele Woods to Banquet Chef Supervisor

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Celebration Golf Management has appointed Anukul Hampton executive chef at Stonegate Golf Club at Solivita in Kissimmee. Arto Rahmani, general manager of Solivita Club services and vice president of food and beverage operations for Celebration Golf Management, said Hampton has more than 14 years of hospitality experience. Hampton has been featured in Orlando Home and Leisure magazine and served as signature chef at the Central Florida Restaurant Forum Magazine Taste of the Nation exposition. “Chef Anukul is a highly skilled professional with an excellent sense of timing and taste,” Rahmani said. “He possesses just the right mix of experience and creativity and we’re sure he’s going to be a big hit with our guests,” Rahmani said. Rahmani also promoted Michele Woods to banquet chef supervisor at Mosaics Restaurant at Solivita. Woods joined Celebration Golf Management two years ago as banquet cook. “Michele Woods is a great leader who is very detail-oriented with strong organizational and communication skills, and that’s what our guests at Solivita deserve,” Rahmani said.

Orange County National Golf Center promotes two to Top Management Positions

Winter Garden, Fla. --- The Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge in Winter Garden recently promoted Toby Krause to assistant general manager of the award winning facility. Tano Malentin, general manager at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge, said Krause joined the staff at Orange County National in March of last year as an assistant in the pro shop. Most recently Krause served as event manager. “Over the last year Toby has demonstrated strong leadership and organizational skills,” Malentin said. His passion to make a success of the Orange County National brand will serve him well and we look forward to many good things from him,” Malentin added. Malentin also promoted Kevin Naylor to golf shop and events supervisor. Naylor joined Orange County National last year and most recently served as golf shop supervisor. “Since taking over as golf shop supervisor, Kevin’s organizational and customer service skills have grown dramatically,” Malentin said. “He has gone above and beyond many times to assist the event team to help turn well-run events into excellent tournament experiences,” he said..

Park Square Homes Unveils New Augusta Luxury Town Home at Gated Waters Edge at Lake Nona

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Park Square Homes has taken its trademark open space design theme to the next level with its new three-bedroom Augusta model town home at Waters Edge at Lake Nona in southeast Orlando. Anthony Rouhana, sales and marketing coordinator at Park Square Homes, said the Augusta model town home was designed for smart couples and professional singles who might be juggling careers, education and starter families, or planning to. “For young professional families, efficient design is a high value feature,” Rouhana said. With 1,861 square feet of living space and two-and-a-half baths, the Augusta is Park Square’s largest town home design. It’s than Park Square’s Belmont and Cambridge town home floor plans at Waters Edge. An open kitchen that serves a dining room and family room turns square footage into smart family living and social space accented by the Augusta’s courtyards or patio, Rouhana explained. “The Augusta is a smart lifestyle,” Rouhana said. “We think it will prove to be one of our most popular town home designs,” he said.

Park Square Homes to host Realtors June 5 at Prairie Lake Reserve Open House

ORLANDO, Fla. – Park Square Homes will host an open house for Realtors from Noon to 2 p.m. at Prairie Lake Reserve its gated town home community located off A.D. Mims Road and Clarke Road in Ocoee. Anthony Rouhana, sales and marketing coordinator at Park Square Homes, said two models will be showcased at the event. Rouhana said Park Square Homes recently opened a new phase at Prairie Lake Reserve for town homes that range from 1,652 square feet of living area to 1,785 square feet with three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and a two-car garage. Town homes in the new phase start from the $150s and currently there are 30 available, Rouhana said. Amenities at Prairie Lake Reserve include a community swimming pool, clubhouse and children’s playground. Visit www.parksquarehomes.com

Winston James Development leases 1,050 square feet of commercial space at Beville Road Business Park in Daytona

South Daytona Beach, Fla. --- Winston James Development, which developed the Beville Road Business Park in Daytona Beach, recently reported it negotiated a new lease agreement for 1,050 square feet of commercial space there. Jamie Adley, president of Beville Road Business Park, said Beautiful Salon and Spa leased the space. The locally owned business is expanding, Adley said.

Villages of Royal Palm in Port Orange reports sales of new homes in April at $1.5 million

Port Orange, Fla. --- The Villages of Royal Palm in Port Orange reported that sales of luxury homes in the community topped the $1.5 million mark in April. Jamie Allen Adley, president of Villages of Royal Palm and co-owner of Winston-James Development, the developer of the Villages of Royal Palm, said the award-winning community sold five new homes during the month totaling close to $1.5 million. Adley said only 45 new home sites remain for sale at the Villages of Royal Palm, priced from the high $100s to $300,000.

First Response Disaster Team Doubles Staff and Moves into Larger Quarters

EDGEWATER, FL – First Response Disaster Team – a three-year-old emergency response company that extracts water, removes mold and restores damage from smoke – recently hired several employees and moved into a 1,000-square-foot facility at 2220 Hibiscus Drive in Edgewater. A member of the University of Central Florida Business Incubator at Daytona Beach International Airport, First Response doubled its staff to include four full-time technicians, an administrative assistant, and four part-time employees, says Anne-Marie Poulin√, who co-owns the business with husband Ken Poulin. “We’ve been able to grow quickly in part because of the help we’ve received from Connie Bernal√, the incubator’s site manager,” Anne-Marie Poulin said. “We also wanted to be closer to Interstate 95 so that we’d be within 60 minutes to most Central Florida locations, including Orlando, Flagler County and Brevard County.” The incubator–a partnership between UCF, Volusia County and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council –helps start-up companies as well as established businesses. Incubator clients can either lease space at the Daytona Beach International Airport incubator site or, as First Response Disaster Team does, participate as “off site” clients to receive access to mentoring and coaching opportunities; educational programs; marketing and public relations specialists; access to seminars; networking with peers; as well as office equipment and support services. Those who opt to locate at the incubator also benefit from affordable office space with a flexible lease. The First Response staff – which occasionally drives box trucks or tows a 26-foot trailer out of state to assist with damage caused by disasters such as hurricanes and major storms – is led by Ken Poulin, a Certified General Contractor and a Certified Mold Remediator. Having worked together for more than 20 years, the couple views their new venture as being recession proof. “No matter what; there will always be floods, fires and natural disasters,” Anne-Marie Poulin said.

Centex to host grand opening June 15 at Magnolia Park in Riverview to showcase three new town home designs

TAMPA, Fla. --- Centex will host a grand opening Saturday, June 15 to showcase three new town home designs priced from the $130s at Magnolia Park, located off Falkenburg Rd., west of U.S. 301 in Riverview. Sean C. Strickler, vice president of sales for Centex in the North Florida region, said lunch and entertainment will be provided from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. along with tours of the new two-bedroom Fraser model town home, which offers 1,548 square feet of living space with two-and-a-half baths, priced from $142,990. All three new town home designs — the Evergreen, priced from $134,990 with 1,451 square feet, the 1,818 square foot Ashe town home priced from $164,990 and the Fraser -- feature one to two-car garages. Pond and conservation home sites are available as well, Strickler said. Magnolia Park is a gated community that features a community cabana, swimming pool and a playground. The Magnolia Park community features a mix of single family homes and town homes.

DiVosta Homes opens new three bedroom Cambridge model home at IslandWalk at the West Villages in Venice

VENICE, Fla. -- DiVosta Homes has high hopes for its newly completed three-bedroom, three-bath Cambridge model home at IslandWalk at the West Villages, a gated community located on US 41 between Jacaranda Blvd. and River Road in Venice. Scott Mairn, vice president of sales and marketing for the South Florida Division of DiVosta Homes, said wide open spaces in the Cambridge model are very popular at DiVosta communities in Florida and he thinks the single story Cambridge will prove just as popular in this gated luxury community. Priced from $281,990, the Cambridge features an island kitchen, great room and dining area that totals more than 700 square feet and opens onto a screened and covered lanai that can become an optional extended patio. Mairn said the Cambridge is packed with energy-efficient features including Lennox central air-conditioning and heating with a programmable thermostat, an energy-efficient water heater, R-30 ceiling insulation, double-pane insulated, low-E screened windows, and insulated fiberglass entry door. The Cambridge comes in four distinctive elevations.

Pulte and DiVosta Homes join forces to host summer sales events in 20 Florida Communities

Fort Myers/Naples, Fla. --- Pulte Homes and DiVosta Homes have joined forces to host summer sales events from Memorial Day Monday, May 27, through Sunday, June 9. Scott Mairn, vice president of sales and marketing for the firms’ parent company, said home buyers at 20 communities in Florida where either Pulte or DiVosta are building can save up to $10,000 by taking advantage of 20 percent off special design options such as cabinets, tile and wood flooring, granite countertops and more. Summer sales events are being hosted at the Pulte Homes communities of Bridgetown and The Plantation in Fort Myers, The Preserve at Corkscrew in Estero, The Quarry in Naples and Emerson Park in Ave Maria as well as the DiVosta communities of VillageWalk of Bonita Springs and VeronaWalk in Naples, Oak Haven in Lake Worth, Heron Bay in Palm Bay, Provence Bay in Vero Beach, and Copperleaf in Palm City as well as the DiVosta communities of Windsor Park at Abacoa in Jupiter, Castellina in Wellington, Waterway Village in Vero Beach, IslandWalk at the West Villages in Venice and The Isles on Palmer Ranch in Sarasota. Pulte and DiVosta Homes in these communities range from the mid $100s to the $600s. “With these discounted high-end design options every homeowner can get tremendous value and choice on a brand new DiVosta or Pulte home in their price range and live in a first-class community,” Mairn said.

Lennar unveils new Monte Carlo model home at Orange Blossom Ranch

NAPLES, Fla. --- Lennar Homes recently unveiled its new five-bedroom Monte Carlo model home at Orange Blossom Ranch, a new community located off Immokalee Rd. in Naples. Phillip Macon, new home consultant at Orange Blossom Ranch, said the two-story Monte Carlo model home offers three full baths in 3,200 square feet of living space with a massive family, living and social area that includes a huge open island kitchen, leisure, formal dining and living rooms and screened lanai. “The Monte Carlo model is one of the most dramatic executive homes Lennar builds,” Macon said. Lennar plans to build 10 new three, four, five and six bedroom single family homes at Orange Blossom Ranch that range in size from 1,577 square feet of living space to 3,231 square feet. Priced from the low $200s, new homes at Orange Blossom Ranch feature Lennar’s “Everything Included” pledge: extras such as granite kitchen countertops, wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances, crown molding and tile are all included in the Lennar price. Visit www.lennar.com.

Ryland Homes Opens Two New Single-Family Homes Communities in Riverview, new models ready for viewing in June

Tampa, Fla. --- Ryland Homes is opening two new single-family home communities in Riverview. New models will be ready for viewing in June. Mike Finley vice president of sales and marketing for Ryland Homes in the Tampa Bay region, said Ryland plans to build 43 new homes at the Enclave at Ramble Creek, located on Whistling Wind Drive off Ramble Creek Drive east of U.S. 301 between Symmes and Rhodine Roads. New three, four and five bedroom homes from Ryland’s popular Florida Series of new home designs at the Enclave at Ramble Creek will range in size from 1,679 square feet of living space to 2,984 square feet with two and three baths and two-car garages, Finley added. Ryland Homes plans to build 54 new three, four and five-bedroom homes in the first phase at WaterStone Lakes, located on Waterstone Drive in Riverview off Mathog Road and Gibsonton Drive just east of I-75. Finley said Ryland Homes is featuring its popular Florida Series homes at WaterStone Lakes as well as its Palm Series. New homes at WaterStone Lakes will range in size from 1,853 square feet of living space to 3,500 square feet with two, two-and-a-half and three baths and two and three-car garages. “Riverview is one of the most desirable areas in the Tampa Bay region and we expect sales to be very strong in both the Enclave at Ramble Creek and WaterStone Lakes,” Finley said. Ryland Homes already plans a second phase at WaterStone Lakes with 45 new home sites, according to Finley.

ICI Homes appoints Antonio (Tony) Hernandez New Home Sales Associate at Avilla in Kissimmee

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- ICI Homes, which is building 81 four and five bedroom luxury homes priced from the mid $300s at Avilla, a gated neighborhood near Walt Disney World in Kissimmee, has named Antonio (Tony) Hernandez new home sales associate. Rosemary Messina, vice president of sales and marketing for ICI Homes, said Hernandez is a former New Yorker who served as an equity and fixed income trader at global financial service giant UBS for close to two decades. He also was a Realtor in New York City working on a part time basis since the mid 1990s. Hernandez relocated to Florida four years ago and was most recently with Charles Rutenberg Realty.

Gravitational Marketing hosts over 120 auto executives at specialized marketing seminar in Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. – Gravitational Marketing, the Avalon Park based company author entrepreneurs Jimmy Vee and Travis Miller launched three years ago to provide marketing expertise to small business owners, hosted more than 120 auto dealer executives at downtown Orlando’s Renaissance Hotel recently for a special seminar on marketing strategies. Vee and Miller recently published a book on Gravitational Marketing with a first printing of some 10,000 copies. John Wiley & Sons is the publisher. Vee, co-author of Gravitational Marketing, The Science of Attracting Customers said the seminar focused on successful, highly effective marketing strategies using video and social media and smart new approaches to offline strategies for newspapers, radio, TV and direct mail. “We offer a bold, contrarian view point and non-traditional ideas,” Vee explained. “Our seminar explains how to attract the right customers who pay more, stay longer and refer everyone they know,” he said. Miller, who likewise co-authored Gravitational Marketing, said the simple ideas, tools, strategies and tips that drive Gravitational Marketing attract customers and close sales naturally, without manual sales labor such as cold calling, prospecting and begging for business. Miller, who also co-authored the text, said Gravitational Marketing is based on a simple concept. “Gravitational Marketing is based on the principle that all bodies exhibit an inherent gravitational force that naturally attracts other bodies. Every business has a natural tendency, however large or small, to attract customers,” Miller explained. “We teach business owners how to increase their gravitational potential without corresponding marketing costs utilizing a wide range of smarter strategies and new technology,” Miller said. Vee and Miller launched Gravitational Marketing with a total budget of $200. Last year the firm reported revenues of more than $6 million.

Royal Oak Homes Names Sales Associate for Clermont community

CLERMONT, Fla. --- Royal Oak Homes, a third generation family home builder whose track record includes more than 14,000 new homes in Central Florida over the past 30 years, has appointed Tiffany Reis, sales associate for the home builder’s community of Vista Grand in Clermont. Matt Orosz, co-president at Royal Oak Homes, said Reis has more than 10 years of real estate experience. Royal Oak Homes, based in Baldwin Park, builds single-family homes in 10 Central Florida communities.

Royal Oaks Homes hires Financial Analyst, and promotes Steve Shackelford to Construction Manager

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Royal Oak Homes, based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park, has promoted Steve Shackelford to construction manager and appointed Tim Tassone financial analyst. Shackelford has been with Royal Oak for three years as a community builder. He was Royal Oak's first employee when they broke ground in early 2011. Tassone is a recent graduate of the University of Central Florida. Royal Oak Homes is a third-generation home builder whose track record boasts more than 14,000 new homes built in Central Florida over the past 30 years under the Cambridge Homes brand, one of the region’s most successful home builders in the 1980s and 1990s. Founded in 2011, Royal Oak Homes is rapidly becoming one of the largest and most active home builders in the Central Florida area, building in ten active communities in the region.

Royal Oak Homes aims for spot in Top 100 ranking next year

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Builder Magazine ranked Royal Oak Homes in Baldwin Park as the nation’s 186th largest home builder last year and Royal Oak Homes co-president Steve Orosz said that won’t do. “We expect to be ranked among the Top 100 builders next year,” Orosz pledged. Last year Royal Oak Homes built new single family homes in five communities in Central Florida that totaled more than $18 million. This year, Royal Oak Homes should see sales in excess of $54 million in 11 Central Florida communities, Orosz said.

Serial Entrepreneur Randy Frey is Keynote Speaker at Forum hosted by Rollins College CFAE, GrowFL, CEO Nexus June 12

Winter Park, Fla. -- Randy Frey, a serial entrepreneur who turned his expertise in lasers and electro-optics into a billion-dollar corporation, will be the keynote speaker at a forum of area CEOs and corporate principals hosted by Rollins College Center for Advanced Entrepreneurship, GrowFL and CEO Nexus on June 12. Frey, a former aerospace engineer and member of the NASA Space Technology Hall of Fame, is a founding sponsor and member of the board of directors of the Center for Advanced Entrepreneurship at the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College. Steve Quello, president of CEO Nexus, said Frey is the founder of Autonomous Technologies, which developed advanced technologies that revolutionized cataract and Lasik surgery. The CEO Forum begins at 6 p.m. at Rollins College at Winter Park Plaza on Fairbanks Ave. Quello said area CEOs and corporate principals invited to attend the Rollins Forum should be registered at info@CEONexus.com. “Getting up close and personal with industry leaders like Randy Frey is a rewarding experience for all who are fortunate enough to attend this forum,” said Dr. Tom O’Neal, executive director of GrowFL and associate vice president for Research and Commercialization at UCF. To learn more about CEO Nexus, visit www.ceonexus.com.