Sundog Software CEO Frank Kane is Guest Columnist in Military Technology Training Magazine

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Frank Kane, founder and chief executive officer of Sundog Software in Orlando, which creates highly realistic specialized software used by developers worldwide to design training simulators and computer games, was invited to provide a guest column recently in Military Training Technology Magazine, the world’s leading professional publication for producers and users of training simulation equipment in military and commercial environments. Kane wrote about the cost benefits the commercial gaming industry provides for military buyers and defense contractors, and the competitive advantage enjoyed by providers who focus on both military and commercial gaming products. The military is able to acquire highly advanced training simulators at much lower costs thanks to the commercial gaming industry, Kane said. “We’re able to offer our 3-D water, sky and cloud effects at a much lower price than competing products made exclusively for the military training and simulation industry, since the game developer market is larger and also demands lower price points,” Kane wrote. Sundog Software’s newest Triton Ocean SDK software library Version 2.1, which is distributed worldwide, adds highly realistic three-dimensional water effects to games, simulations, and training applications with unparalleled realism in the look and action of ocean forces. “It’s possible today to create high-fidelity image generators capable of simulating the entire earth without incurring any per-channel licensing costs. Technology such as ours crossing over from the game development world, combined with the maturation of open-source frameworks, is making immersive training environments possible with very modest budgets,” Kane wrote. Sundog Software is a client company of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program in the Central Florida Research Park in East Orange County.

Emerson International Negotiates Three Leases for 3,952 Square Feet of Office Space in Maitland, Altamonte Springs, Longwood

Altamonte Springs, Fla. --- Emerson International recently negotiated three new commercial property leases that total 3,952 square feet of Class A office space in Longwood, Maitland and Altamonte Springs. Kenneth Koch, director of leasing at Emerson International, negotiated an office lease agreement for 2,809 square feet of space at 2600 Maitland Center Parkway in Maitland. The tenant, VMAX Vision, Inc., was represented by Jason Schrago of CNL Commercial in the transaction Koch also negotiated a new office lease for 730 square feet of space at 2180 Sanlando Center on West SR 434 in Longwood. T.I.B. Insurance Brokers, Inc. is the new tenant. Zack Starkey, commercial leasing associate at Emerson International negotiated a new lease agreement for 413 square feet of office space in the CenterPointe Office Park at 370 CenterPointe Circle in Altamonte Springs. Cunningham Sales, Inc. is the new tenant.

Lennar names New Associate for Tampa Bay region

TAMPA, Fla. --- Lennar’s Central Florida division, has named Anna Litchfield as new home consultant in the Tampa Bay region. Mark Metheny, president of Lennar’s Central Florida Division, said Litchfield will be working out of the Thousands Oaks community in Trinity in Pasco County. Metheny said Litchfield is a graduate of Kansas State University with over 20 years experience in architecture, engineering and construction in the Southeast. She is originally from Cape Girardeau, Mo. but has lived in the Tampa Bay area for more than 15 years. Litchfield is currently a Registered Florida Architect and Licensed Florida Real Estate Sales Associate.

ICI Homes Appoints Matt Boltz East Central & Central Florida Divisions Sales Manager

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --- ICI Homes has appointed Matt Boltz sales manager in its East Central and Central Florida divisions. Rosemary Messina, vice president of sales and marketing for ICI Homes, said Boltz has more than 20 years of experience as a home building executive. He formerly served as division president of Mercedes Homes in the Volusia-Flagler region and vice president of operations at Henin Homes in Winter Park and DeBary. “Matt Boltz is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable sales executives in the Central Florida region and we are delighted he has joined the ICI Homes team,” Messina said.

MERITAGE HOMES NAMES PAT RECIO PURCHASING DIRECTOR

ORLANDO, Fla. – Meritage Homes has appointed Pat Recio director of purchasing in the Orlando region. Brian Kittle, division vice president at Meritage Homes, said Recio, a graduate of Elon College in North Carolina, has more than 19 years of experience in the homebuilding industry and formerly held management positions at Ryland Homes.

Meritage Homes Opens New Model Home at Fisher Plantation in Apopka

ORLANDO, Fla. – Meritage Homes recently opened its first model home at its newest community, Fisher Plantation located on Schopke-Lester Rd. off Plymouth-Sorrento Rd. in Apopka in northwest Orange County. Brian Kittle, division vice president for Meritage Homes in the Orlando region, said the new model – The Palermo – offers five bedrooms and four baths in 3,082 square feet of living area. The model features a state-of-the-art learning center to demonstrate energy efficient building techniques. Kittle said Meritage has 41 home sites at Fisher Plantation for homes ranging from 3,082 square feet of living area to 5,107 square feet, priced from the mid $200s to the mid $300s.

Villages of Royal Palm Reports sales of luxury homes for active adults doubled in first six months of this year

PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- The Villages of Royal Palm reports that sales of luxury homes for active adults are up more than 100 percent over last year. Winston Schwartz, president of Winston-James Development, Inc., which is developing the Villages of Royal Palm, said the luxury community sold 16 new homes from Jan. 1, 2013 through June 30. The average sale price of a new home at the Villages of Royal Palm for the first half of 2013 was $275,000.

NAI Realvest Negotiates New Lease with Perfume Paris at Kissimmee Shopping Center

ORLANDO, Fla. – NAI Realvest recently negotiated a new long-term lease agreement for 3,597 square feet at Kissimmee Shopping Center 2501-2573 Old Vineland Road in Kissimmee. Paul P. Partyka, managing partner at NAI Realvest negotiated the transactions representing the landlord, Herndon, Va.-based KVOS, LLC. Perfume Paris, Inc. leased unit 2539 at Kissimmee Shopping Center to open its third location offering fine perfumes at discount prices. Partyka added that Kissimmee Shopping Center is the retailer’s second location in Central Florida following another store on Osceola Parkway. Jeremy Gomez of G World Realty & Investments, Inc. represented the tenant. Other major tenants at Kissimmee Shopping Center include Nike, Beall’s, Dollar Tree, Tommy Hilfiger and Converse.

NAI Realvest negotiates Lease Agreement for another Once Upon a Child store in Waterford Lakes area

MAITLAND, Fla. – NAI Realvest recently negotiated a long-term lease agreement for 4,200 square feet at 2504 Alafaya Trail near Waterford Lakes in Orlando. Mez Birdie, CCIM, director of retail services at NAI Realvest, negotiated the transaction on behalf of the tenant, Waterford Kids Clothes LLC. Birdie said with this lease altogether he has closed seven leases for Winmark Corporation, parent company of Once Upon a Child. The local landlord is Spoudaza 12, LLC represented by Davey Brown of Bishop Beale.

NAI Realvest Negotiates Lease Agreements with High Tech, Insurance and Staffing Firms in Maitland and Orlando

MAITLAND, Fla. --- NAI Realvest recently negotiated three lease agreements for office space totaling 2,657 square feet in both the Maitland Center area and at Plaza Central on South Orange Blossom Trail. Senior Broker Associate Mary Frances West, CCIM and Tom R. Kelley II, CCIM, a principal in the firm, negotiated a new lease at Suite 401, 2201 Lucien Way in Maitland representing the local landlord Florida Bramingham Construction, Inc. The new tenant, who was not represented by a separate broker, is Atlantic.Net.Inc., a provider of dedicated data center and cloud hosting services. Kelley and associate Chris Adams represented the landlord at Plaza Central, 6220 S. Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando in brokering two lease agreements with local tenants American Integrity Insurance who leased suite 136 with 595 square feet of office space and Magnus Staffing LLC who renewed its lease of suite 115 with 616 square feet.

Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty named exclusive broker for 20+ acre luxury estate adjacent to Heathrow

Lake Mary, Fla. --- Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty has been named exclusive sales and marketing agents for a 20+ acre estate located off Markham Woods Road north of Lake Mary Blvd. and bordering Heathrow in Lake Mary. Roger Soderstrom, founder and owner of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, said the new listing, one of the most exclusive estate properties in Central Florida, is offered for $4.95 million. The gated estate property is fully fenced and borders on a private lake. The European-style estate home offers 15,800 square feet of living space with six bedrooms, six full baths and two half baths. The estate includes an additional 3,000 square foot guest house with three bedrooms, three full baths and a half bath. Altogether, the property includes garage space for 10 vehicles and seven additional carports, a 10-stall horse barn and a spacious two-story air conditioned studio with a caretaker’s apartment. Soderstrom said the estate features a luxurious swimming pool, spa and pool deck, a sandy beach and covered boat dock, a tennis court and a tree house. “This estate is a one-of-a-kind property that will certainly draw an international audience,” Soderstrom said. “Its features, size and location make it a priceless property,” he said. To view a video of he estate visit http://www.stirlingsir.com/eng/3400michigan Sally Andy and David Warren with Stirling Sotheby's International Realty's Heathrow Marketing Center are representing the property and are the principal contacts.

Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty Negotiates New Long-Term Lease of Signature Penthouse Space in The Plaza’s North Tower

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty recently negotiated a new six-year lease agreement for the 10,000 square feet of penthouse office space with a 10,000 square foot rooftop garden terrace in The Plaza, located at 121 S. Orange Ave. in downtown Orlando. John Kurtz, commercial specialist with Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, negotiated the $1.5 million lease with Team Gemini LLC, a sustainable project design and development company. The Plaza north tower penthouse, which overlooks Lake Eola, will serve as the world headquarters of Team Gemini which is expanding rapidly due in part to a $300 Million flagship project in Ohio. Kurtz brokered the transaction representing the landlord ACM DT Properties LLC and Team Gemini.

Orlando Company Eyes Nationwide Food Network with TV Show, Corporate Programs, Books and Mouth-Watering Recipes

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Move over, Rachel Ray. Chill out, Gordon Ramsey. There’s a new chef in town and Isabella Morgia di Vicari a/k/a Chef Isabella plans to change the way Americans think about the family dinner table---and maybe about America too. Chef Isabella, founder Isabella’s Bella Cucina in Orlando – with clients throughout Florida, and in New York, Chicago and San Francisco – plans to turn her unique blend of healthy home cooking, passion and philosophy into a food empire that will benefit everyone it touches. Chef Isabella now has her own cooking show, “At the Table with Isabella” that will air this fall on Good Life TV45. The series will consist of 13 half hour segments, once a week, at a prime time date and time to be determined. Chef Isabella says the show will be more than a cooking show: “It will be about bringing the family back to the table, to family traditions and about bringing communities and America back to health at the table.” Meanwhile, Chef Isabella stages entertaining cooking demonstrations to teach corporate groups team-building, innovation, self-sufficiency and the joys of cooking and eating well. She’s performed before corporate boards and conventions of 3,000 people. “The tools of the kitchen are the tools for life,” Chef Isabella said. “It’s how you bring the family to the table. “The foundation of a strong family is the foundation of a strong corporation and in turn the foundation of a strong America,” she said. Isabella’s Bella Cucina web site ‒ www.foodwithpassion.com ‒ is increasingly popular and Chef Isabella recently published a Kindle book – What Can I Bring? – available at Amazon.com. She already appeared on The Daily Buzz, Growing Bolder on PBS, The Good Life, Ivanhoe News, American Italian Radio, Central Florida News 13 and the Brighthouse Network’s Spanish channel InfoMas. Chef Isabella also serves as an E-How chef and plans more projects with the innovative web portal. “Food is love,” Chef Isabella said. “Good food is a blessing. And with a little help -- and passion – anyone can learn the very simple, very basic skills that will bring their family to the table every time,” she said. Isabella’s Bella Cucina is a client company of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program.

As Mortgage Rates Rise, Loans to Refinance Decline but New Mortgages Are Way Up

LAKE MARY, Fla. --- Rising mortgage rates are changing the mortgage business. That’s the word from Integrity Home Loan of Central Florida, the region’s largest and most active privately-owned residential mortgage provider. Matt Malloy, president of Integrity Home Loan, said the rise — though slight — has put the damper on applications for refinancing loans. “For some home owners, an increase in mortgage interest rates makes it less sensible to refinance their existing mortgage,” Malloy said. But, Malloy said, mortgage financing for new purchases of new or existing homes is way up. “We’re seeing a 45 percent increase in mortgage loans for new purchases,” Malloy said. With 11 offices in Jacksonville, Port Orange, Lake Mary, Orlando, Altamonte Springs, Maitland Center, Tampa, Clearwater, West Palm Beach, Coral Springs and Southfield, Michigan, Integrity Home Loan provided more than 2,700 mortgage loans last year that totaled more than $600 million. Malloy projects Integrity will serve up more than 3,200 residential mortgage loans in 2013.

Pulte Homes Starts Construction of Three Model Homes at Camden Lakes in Naples

NAPLES, Fla. --- Pulte Homes has started construction of three new single-family model homes at Camden Lakes, the homebuilder’s newest community located west of I-75 in North Naples, off Livingston Road, just 1.6 miles north of Immokalee Road. Scott Mairn, vice president of sales and marketing for the South Florida Division of Pulte Homes, said all three model homes along with a new sales center will grand open in early October. In the interim, home buyers at Camden Lakes are now being welcomed at The Quarry Beach Club, located at 8975 Kayak Drive in Naples. Pulte Homes plans to build 150 homes at Camden Lakes and eight floor plans will be available ranging from 1,761 square feet of living space, priced from $309,990. The three new model homes under construction include the Martin Ray, a single-story home with two bedrooms, a flex room and two baths in 1,968 square feet of living space priced from $324,990 with a two-car garage. The model will showcase optional features – third bedroom and second story loft with fourth bedroom and full bath – which increase the living space to 2,821 square feet. The Cameron model, with 2,384 square feet of living space priced from $404,990, offers three bedrooms plus a den and three baths with a three-car garage, an island kitchen and a majestic open floor plan with more than 600 square feet of family living and entertainment space. With four bedrooms and three baths, the Windsor II offers 3,078 square feet of living space in a single-story floor plan that includes a three-car garage. Priced from $474,990, the Windsor II is one of the most popular Pulte Home designs, with an enormous open family living area that includes an island kitchen, great room with coffered ceiling, dining room and screened lanai, along with a den and a flex room. The plan also offers a popular zero-corner sliding glass door option. Mairn said Pulte Homes plans to host a grand opening event in October to showcase the three new models and sales center at Camden Lakes. The community features a unique European Manor architectural style with an amenity center that includes a resort style swimming pool, fitness center, community gathering room, catering kitchen, pavilion, covered veranda and playfield.

Construction underway of Pulte's new Malibu Model Town Home at Sandpiper Cove in Jupiter, Grand Opening Slated for October

Jupiter, Fla. --- Pulte Homes has started construction of its new Malibu model town home at Sandpiper Cove, located on Black Ironwood Road off Indian Creek Parkway in Jupiter. Scott Mairn, vice president of Sales and Marketing for the South Florida Division of Pulte Homes, said the Malibu offers two owner’s suites, each with a its own full bath, plus a loft and a first floor half-bath in 1,445 square feet of living space. The design also features a rear-entry two-garage and a second-floor balcony. Mairn said Pulte Homes will host a grand opening event in October at Sandpiper Cove to showcase four new town home designs and the new decorated model that will be accompanied by a sales and information center. Pulte Homes plans to build 32 new two and three-bedroom town homes at Sandpiper Cove that range from 1,129 square feet of living area to 1,485 square feet with rear-entry two-car garages. Prices will start from the high $100s. Sandpiper Cove features a community swimming pool, cabana and tennis court. Located five miles from the beaches, Sandpiper Cove offers direct access to Abacoa shopping, dining, parks and recreational facilities.