Winter Park entrepreneur Ron Schwartz launches Ride Green Scooters dealerships in Winter Park, Orlando: 75 MPG transportation that costs $799 and up

Winter Park entrepreneur Ron Schwartz launches Ride Green Scooters dealerships in Winter Park, Orlando: 75 MPG transportation that costs $799 and up

WINTER PARK, Fla. - Winter Park entrepreneur Ron Schwartz has launched Ride Green Scooters, a dealership with two Central Florida locations that sell highly efficient scooters for highly efficient prices.

Schwartz, whose business interests include Park Plaza Gardens Restaurant & Café on Park Avenue in Winter Park and Scalini’s Pizza & Pasta on Dr. Phillips Blvd. in southwest Orlando, said Ride Green Scooters sells scooters priced to fit almost every pocketbook---from $799 to $2,000.

The Asian-manufactured two-wheelers range from 50 cc's to 250 cc's and boast 75-80 miles per gallon, Schwartz said.

Ride Green Scooters has already opened its first location at 671 W. Fairbanks Ave. Schwartz said a second location will open in 90 days at 7217 E. Colonial Drive.

Ride Green Scooters partners John Henderson (left) and partner Brian Schwartz

Schwartz’s son Brian is a partner in the venture and serves as director of sales.
Partner John Henderson heads the new firm’s maintenance division, and Schwartz said Ride Green Scooters also repairs and maintains other scooter brands.

“In America we’re obsessed by cars, but worldwide, most people get around on small, energy-efficient scooters,” said Schwartz. “The benefits to the environment, and to America’s need to wean itself from dependence on foreign oil, is too much to pass up. We’re proud to take part in the greening of America in a big, positive way,” he said.

Ride Green Scooters is open daily and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5.

For more information, please contact:
Ron Schwartz, Principal, Ride Green Scooter 407-342-3648 (direct);

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142

ICI Homes to Donate Trees to Elementary Schools in Volusia, Flagler and Jacksonville April 22 to Honor Earth Day

ICI Homes to Donate Trees to Elementary Schools in Volusia, Flagler and Jacksonville April 22 to Honor Earth Day

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Elementary schools in the Volusia-Flagler and Jacksonville areas will get a boost when ICI Homes and Land Care Management, Inc. donate trees on April 22 to honor Earth Day.

Rosemary Messina, vice president of sales and marketing at ICI Homes, said the home builder plans to deliver more than 15 young oak trees to 15 elementary schools in Volusia, Flagler and Jacksonville school districts that surround the homebuilder’s communities.

Messina said students will be invited to help plant the trees around the schools.

“We learned that due to budget cutbacks, schools have few dollars left to pay for trees on elementary school campuses,” Messina said. “Earth Day seems like a perfect time for us to help solve that problem and to just give more back to the communities where we build EFACTOR homes with high energy efficiency and environmental quality standards.”

For more information, please contact:
Lisa A. Egle, Marketing Manager ICI Homes-Daytona Beach, 386-236-4273
Rosemary Messina, VP Sales & Marketing ICI Homes, 386-236-4231
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, LV Communications, 407-644-4142

About ICI Homes:
ICI homes, ranks among the top 100 Builders by Builder magazine and is one of the largest privately owned homebuilder in the US. The 30-year-old firm builds new homes and resort facilities in the Volusia-Flagler region as well as Northeast Florida, Orlando and Tampa.

Prospective Homebuyers Enthusiastic About Beazer Homes Smartdesign® Eco Promotion

Prospective Homebuyers Enthusiastic About Beazer Homes Smartdesign® Eco Promotion

30,000 Consumers Participate in Eco-Themed Sweepstakes Leading to 500 Net New Home Orders in February

ATLANTA -Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (NYSE: BZH), one of the nation’s top 10 homebuilders, recently announced an overwhelming response to its recent eco-themed sales promotion.

Approximately 30,000 prospective homebuyers participated in Beazer’s eco-themed sweepstakes, which launched early in the first quarter and gave participants a chance to instantly win one of 350 environmentally-friendly prizes. The grand prize of a 2009 Toyota Prius was won by Catherine Deppa of Pasadena, Md., who said the eco theme caught her attention and drove her to explore Beazer’s website for more information.

The sweepstakes culminated with a national sales event, in February, which offered buyers limited-time special incentives on new eco-friendly homes that included features aimed at reducing the cost of homeowners’ monthly energy bills.

“Even in this very challenging housing environment, the appeal of ecologically-friendly homes seemed to overcome the gloom in the economy. Our eco-promotion resonated strongly with consumers and drove more qualified traffic to our sales centers,” said Kathi James, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Beazer Homes. “This led to over 500 net new home orders in the month of February.”

As part of Beazer’s SMARTDESIGN initiative, the builder includes up to 10 eco-friendly features in every home it builds, including CFL bulbs, programmable thermostats and EnergyStar® dishwashers. Other standard features include water-saving faucets and showerheads, as well as MERV-8 air filters and low-VOC paints and carpet that contribute to healthier indoor air quality.

According to James, as more Americans look for ways to live an eco-friendly and energy efficient lifestyle, those considering the purchase of a new home are evaluating the many benefits of new construction. Indeed, research by Better Homes & Gardens* found that interest in green elements in the home is on the rise, with some 90 percent of survey respondents saying they plan to have energy-efficient heating and cooling systems in their next home.

In response to this trend, Beazer offers standard eco-friendly features in all homes plus market-specific energy-efficient options. For example, buyers in Beazer’s Indianapolis communities can select from a range of energy-saving upgrades—including low-emissivity windows, hybrid heat pumps and variable speed air handlers— to further personalize their home. Additionally, Beazer is testing LED recessed lighting, the newest generation of high-efficiency lighting, in its Las Vegas and Phoenix divisions.

“It is clear that despite the difficult economic climate, the potential homebuyer is looking long-term, and an eco-friendly home has great appeal. Beazer will continue to highlight the eco-friendly aspects of our homes,” James said. “Look for enhancements to our standard offering and the addition of new eco-friendly optional features through our design studios later this year.”

Beazer Homes is one of the country's largest single-family homebuilders with operations in 17 states. For more information on Beazer’s homes, communities and eco-friendly features visit Beazer.com.

Contact:
Mandy Brooks, 770-829-3755, mbrooks@beazer.com

* Source: Amy Hoak, At Annual Builder’s Show, Small Is In, MarketWatch, available at http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=17092507

Handex Consulting and Remediation, LLC Signs President to Multi-Year Contract

Handex Consulting and Remediation, LLC Signs Irvin L. Heath to Multi-Year Contract as President

MOUNT DORA, Fla. - Handex Consulting and Remediation, LLC, (HCR) which ranks as one of the leading soil and groundwater remediation and cleanup contractors in the southeastern U.S., has signed a three-year contract to retain Irvin L. Heath as president.

Brett Fadeley, chairman of HCR said Heath engineered the firm’s successful transition to new ownership at their headquarters in Mount Dora, Florida and has substantially increased revenues during his 15-year tenure with the firm and during his recent years as the firm’s president.

Heath, an attorney, also serves as Co-Chair of the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association (FPMA), the largest petroleum marketing lobbying group in Florida, and will become its chairman later this year.

HCR has offices in Mount Dora, Tampa, Tallahassee and Delray in South Florida. The firm reported revenues last year that totaled more than $25 million. HCR currently employs more than 150 environmental professionals and also maintains extensive operations and offices in Monroe, N.J.

HCR serves federal, state, county and local environmental agencies, major oil companies, large convenience store operators, and private sector clients. The firm specializes in providing environmental soil and ground water remediation for hydrocarbon impacted sites and provides consulting, civil construction, sludge dewatering, emergency response services, remedial system design, installation, operation and maintenance and both Brownfield and infrastructure project management.
“I am excited about continuing my role at HCR. These are challenging times and we have tremendous opportunities before us and all of HCR knows we have a very important job to do as we protect our environment while we expand and diversify our client base,” Heath said.

For more information, contactIrv Heath, President, HCR (Handex Consulting and Remediation, LLC) 352-735-1800 ext. 127Brett Fadeley, Chairman, HCR (Handex Consulting and Remediation, LLC) 352-735-1800 ext. 113Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142