Greensleeves LLC passes Million Square Foot Mark

WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. – Greensleeves LLC the company that designs highly efficient environmental systems which reduce heating and air-conditioning cost in commercial and public use buildings by 30 to 50 percent, recently passed an important milestone: one million square feet of building space utilizing the GeoModule control software. Robert Braam, general manager of geo operations at Greensleeves LLC, said Greensleeves’ newest contract, to design energy-efficient environmental systems for 111,956 square feet of new campus facilities in Fort Wayne, Indiana, pushes the three-year old company’s total to more than one million square feet completed or under construction. Greensleeves’ largest single project was a 384,000 square foot office building for the corporate headquarters of a large food service company. “A million square feet is a drop in the ocean of all commercial buildings in the U.S., but for us it is a huge benchmark,” Braam said. “Little by little we are helping universities, hospitals and commercial and industrial operations achieve substantial energy efficiency and significantly lower their energy costs,” Braam said. “We’re using very sophisticated technology to reduce these companies’ carbon footprints and their power bills,” he said. Greensleeves specializes in providing intelligent energy management that controls the thermal exchange in the geothermal borefield and optimizes the flow of energy thru the system and operation of the components. Greensleeves is a client company of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program in Winter Springs.

Low key membership drive at four area golf clubs results in new members

CELEBRATION, Fla. --- Celebration Golf Management’s low key first quarter membership drive at four area golf clubs resulted in a significant increase in members. Kenny Nairn, chief operating officer at Celebration Golf Management said the low-key membership drive resulted in 12 new golf club members at Golden Bear Golf Club in Windermere, 36 new members at Redtail in Sorrento, six new members at Stonegate at Solivita in Kissimmee, and two new members at Kings Ridge in Clermont.

Celebration Golf Management Names Jim Huntley Superintendent at Stoneybrook West in Winter Garden

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Celebration Golf Management has appointed Jim Huntley superintendent at Stoneybrook West Golf Club in Winter Garden. Kenny Nairn, chief operating officer and executive vice president of golf at Celebration, said Huntley has more than 18 years of experience in golf course management and formerly served as assistant superintendent at The Golden Bear Club in Windermere. “Jim Huntley takes great personal pride in the quality of the tees, greens and fairways he manages and that’s what makes for a perfect golfing experience,” Nairn said.

DiVosta Homes’ Cathy Franco is PulteGroup’s Leading Sales Consultant in South Florida for May

JUPITER, Fla. --- PulteGroup has named Cathy Franco the New Home Sales Consultant of the month for selling the highest number of new homes during May at the DiVosta Homes communities of Windsor Park and Mallory Creek at Abacoa located on Indian Creek Parkway in Jupiter. Franco, who has been with DiVosta Homes for 11 years, is a native of New York City but has lived in South Florida more than 12 years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art and Anthropology from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. Scott Mairn, vice president of sales and marketing for PulteGroup, Inc. in South Florida, said Franco sold more homes during May than any other sales consultant not only among DiVosta Homes sales consultants, but Centex, Pulte Homes and Del Webb too in more than 20 communities in south Florida. “We look forward to many more years of Cathy’s continued sales success with DiVosta Homes at Mallory Creek and Windsor Park at Abacoa,” Mairn said. The master-planned community features 16 distinctive townhome and single family home designs priced from the $220s to over $800,000, Mairn added. For more information, visit www.divosta.com or call 877-235-8173.

Cuhaci & Peterson Architects awarded contract to design professional offices for Central Florida Oral Surgery

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park was recently awarded a contract to design a new Central Florida Oral Surgery facility in Oviedo. Lonnie Peterson, chairman of Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, said the medical professional building will be 3,500 square feet and located on Red Bug Lake Road.

Cuhaci & Peterson Architects awarded contract to handle interior renovation for tool/equipment retailer in Casselberry

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park was recently awarded a contract to complete interior renovations at Northern Tool and Equipment Company in Casselberry. Lonnie Peterson, chairman of Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, said the Northern Tool facility is located at S.R. 436 and U.S. 17-92 and the renovations will cover some 15,000 square feet of retail space.

CUHACI & PETERSON ARCHITECTS RANKED NO. 1 AMONG ORLANDO AREA ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS

ORLANDO, Fla. – Cuhaci & Peterson Architects Engineers Planners based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park was recently ranked No. 1 among the largest architectural firms in Central Florida, according to an Orlando trade magazine. The Orlando Business Journal recently researched Central Florida architectural billings for 2012 and listed the top 23 architectural firms in the area. Cuhaci & Peterson was in the lead with $14.5 million in billings. Recently the firm had a visitor from Ottawa – its co-founder Edward Cuhaci who teamed up with Chairman Lonnie Peterson in the mid-1970s to open the Orlando office. “Our first client was the Winn Dixie grocery chain,” Cuhaci said. Cuhaci is now chairman of his own firm in Ottawa–Cuhaci & Associates. The 70-plus year old architect says he’s retired now but still goes to his office, “when I feel like it.” When Cuhaci & Peterson opened its Orlando office in the late 1970s, the first year’s revenues totaled less than $10,000, according to Peterson. Things are different now with over 100 employees. “When we started it was just Lonnie and me,” Cuhaci remembers. Cuhaci started his architectural career in the early 1960s and Peterson joined his firm in 1976. The first Cuhaci & Peterson office was located in a Turkey Lake Rd. strip center where they leased 4,000 square feet. Now they have their own building in Baldwin Park totaling 20,000 square feet. Why Orlando? “Orlando in the 1970s, I mean… my God, there was no airport, but we knew that was all coming. It was advertised because of Disney World,” Cuhaci said.

Lennar to open 134 new ready to move in homes over next 90 days in 14 communities in Tampa Bay

TAMPA, Fla. --- Lennar’s Central Florida division plans to open 229 new ready-to-move- in homes over the next 90 days in 14 communities in Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk Counties. Mark Metheny, president of Lennar’s Central Florida Division, said most of the 229 ready-to-move-in homes are currently under construction but some are already completed and ready for move-in. Metheny said the new homes include single-family and town homes priced from the low $100s to the mid-$300s. Metheny said the total number of new ready-to-move-in homes may change. “Some of the new homes will sell before construction is completed,” Metheny said. Visit www.lennar.com, for more details, or call 888-317-7489.

Competitive Pricing and Ocean Views Draw A-List Businesses, Professionals to the BankUnited Building in Palm Beach

PALM BEACH, Fla. – For Brett D. Forman, chief executive officer and principal of the firm that owns the BankUnited building at 2875 South Ocean Blvd. in Palm Beach, less is more. Forman, who acquired and redeveloped the abandoned office building for some $5.5 million in 2004, applied the same entrepreneurial approach to pricing he uses at Forman Capital, LLC a specialized commercial real estate lender with an anticipated loan volume in excess of $60 million this year. So far, he’s been successful in spite of the real estate crisis. In addition to BankUnited, and Forman Capital, the building tenants include a not-for-profit Bethesda Health doctor’s office, a pharmacy, physical therapist, salon/spa and venture capital firm. “As a direct lender we use an entrepreneurial platform that combines real estate underwriting with analysis of traditional credit metrics and creativity, Forman explained. Most Class A office buildings in Palm Beach charge upwards of $50 per square foot and are much older buildings with vacancy rates in the area averaging about 20 percent. Forman said rents in the $20-30 per square foot range are much more sustainable. “We try to look at our tenants as business partners,” Forman said. “We succeed if they succeed and if one of us fails, it affects the whole community.” The building boasts the Palm Beach Executive Center, a full service 9,000 square foot executive suite for startup and entrepreneurial business models and Forman said only 20 percent of the space remains available for lease in the building. “As a direct lender to commercial real estate ventures, I try to know the market pretty well,” Forman said. “By taking a sustainable approach to our property we hope to encourage economic growth and prosperity all around. We all benefit from that.”