Thursday, September 3, 2009

Grubb & Ellis|Commercial Florida negotiates long-term lease agreements for Class A Office Space totaling 18,897 square feet in Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. – Mia Jarrell, vice president of Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida’s Office Group, recently negotiated two long-term lease agreements for Class A office space in Tampa totaling 18,897 square feet.

Jarrell negotiated a new lease for 10,168 square feet in Corporate Center Four at International Plaza, 4301 W. Boy Scout Blvd. in Tampa’s Westshore district representing the tenant, Pegasus TransTech, a local firm providing accounting and back office services for the trucking industry. The landlord is Crescent Resources, LLC.

Downtown, at 400 N. Ashley Drive, Jarrell represented the landlord, Tampa-based America’s Capital Partners, in an expansion lease agreement for 8,729 square feet in Rivergate Plaza. The Gunn Law Group is the tenant who leased Suite 400 in the building.

Contacts:
Mia Jarrell 813-639-1111
Jeffrey Sweeney 407-481-5387
Larry Vershel 407-644-4142

About Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida:
Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida is an affiliated commercial real estate services firm specializing in the leasing and sale of office, industrial, retail, land and investment properties. Currently Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida has 30 brokers divided among its Tampa, Orlando and Melbourne offices which serve the entire mid-Florida marketplace. Visit www.commercialfl.com.

About Grubb & Ellis:
Named to The Global Outsourcing 100™ in 2009 by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals™, Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE) is one of the largest and most respected commercial real estate services and investment companies in the world. Our 6,000 professionals in more than 130 company-owned and affiliate offices draw from a unique platform of real estate services, practice groups and investment products to deliver comprehensive, integrated solutions to real estate owners, tenants and investors. The firm’s transaction, management, consulting and investment services are supported by highly regarded proprietary market research and extensive local expertise. Through Grubb & Ellis Realty Investors, the company is a leading sponsor of real estate investment programs that provide individuals and institutions the opportunity to invest in a broad range of real estate investment vehicles, including public non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), tenant-in-common (TIC) investments suitable for tax-deferred 1031 exchanges and other real estate investment funds. For more information, visit www.grubb-ellis.com.

Full Month of Activities underway at Lennar’s Concept Home Showplace at Wyndham Lakes in South Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. - Lennar is underway with a full month of activities in September to celebrate the unveiling of its Concept Home Showplace, located in Stratford Cove at Wyndham Lakes off Landstar Blvd. between the Central Florida Greenway and Town Center Blvd. in South Orlando.

David Parker, vice president of sales and marketing for Lennar’s Orlando division, said nine new model homes have opened at the Concept Home Showplace. Prices range from the low $100s to the high $200s, Parker said.

“With this many model homes and so many features and variations, the traditional fully-furnished model home could turn into a blur,” Parker said. “Instead, we’ve furnished individual rooms---kitchens, dining rooms, family rooms and porches and lanais in some cases---to highlight special features in each home,” he said.

Lennar will also unveil new three, four and five-bedroom floor plans that range in size from 1,515 square feet of living space to 3,283 square feet.

The public is invited to all Concept Home Showplace events in September, and anyone can register to win a new car worth $30,000 and free gas for a lifetime.

September Concept Home Showplace events coming up include:
•Thursday, Sept. 10 Lennar will host a Realtor Wine and Cheese reception, with tours of the Concept Home Showcase from 4 to 6 p.m. Parker said Orlando and Kissimmee Realtors have been invited and he expects to host as many as 250 participants during the evening.

•Friday, Sept. 11 Lennar will host a Teachers Appreciation Reception for Orange and Osceola County school teachers – a catered wine & cheese event and tours from 4 to 6 p.m. “Our Concept Home Showplace was designed to appeal to working families with smarter homes that offer more lifestyle at more affordable prices,” Parker said.

•Saturday, Sept. 12 Lennar will host a Kids Fest for the Grand Opening event of the Concept Home Showplace from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parker said families have been invited to participate with their children. “Our new concept homes were designed to raise families and we plan to host games, giveaways and activities for children to show off all the kid-friendly design elements in our Concept Homes,” Parker said.

•Tuesday, Sept. 15 Lennar will host a free catered breakfast from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. – a networking event for Realtors who serve Central Florida’s Hispanic communities.

•Friday, Sept. 18 Lennar will host a community referral event from 5 to 9 p.m. with light snacks and beverages, featuring cigar rolling contest, live demonstrations from professional cigar rollers, and outside seating for smoking.

•Saturday, Sept. 19 Lennar will host the La Familia Festival block party from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with music, dancing, food and refreshments. The public is invited, admission is free, and activities include live music shows and garage sale.

•Sunday Sept. 20 Lennar will host the Concept Home Showplace Grand Prize Giveaway event from 12 noon – 2 p.m. that includes a new car worth $30,000 to a lucky winner that registered at Lennar New Home Centers. Lennar will also give away a lifetime of gas – up to 10,000 gallons for as long as you need it.

For more information contact:
David Parker, Vice President of Sales, Lennar-Central Florida 888-317-7489
Jody Proudfit, Marketing Manager, Lennar-Central Florida 888-317-7489
Mark Metheny, Lennar Division President-Central Florida, 888-317-7489
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com

Mattamy Homes’ St. Simon Model Home at Sevilla Wins Major Award in St. Johns County Parade of Homes

Left to Right – Holly Yelton of St Johns County Builder’s Council & SunTrust Bank, Sue Andrews and Sharon Pacetti, Mattamy Homes Sales Associates and Dennis Ginder, St Johns County Builder’s Council & Mattamy Homes Division President


Mattamy Homes’ St. Simon Model Home at Sevilla Wins Major Award in St. Johns County Parade of Homes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The St. Simon luxury model home at Sevilla, a community located in World Golf Village off International Golf Parkway near I-95 in St. Johns County, won a major award for homebuilder Mattamy Homes in the St. Johns County Parade of Homes recently.

Laura Bailey, vice president of sales and marketing for Mattamy Homes USA---the U.S. division of Canada’s largest home builder---said the St. Simon model home offers 2,475 square feet of living space with four bedrooms, three baths, a covered porch and a two-car garage with a bonus room and bath, all priced from $229,990. Model as shown is priced at $303,255.


Most of Mattamy’s 43 new 50 and 60-foot home sites at Sevilla offer lake or conservation area frontage, and new single-family homes at Sevilla are priced from the $150s, Bailey said.



Mattamy Homes recently introduced new floor plans at Sevilla, including the 2,164 square foot Ashley, the Jessica, with 1,888 square feet of living space, and the Michele, with 2,402 square feet. New floor plans include an optional bonus room, and the Michele plan comes with a standard three-car garage.



Mattamy Homes expanded into the U.S. in 2003 and has divisions in Jacksonville, Orlando, Charlotte, Phoenix and Minneapolis. The homebuilder is the largest and most active in Canada with annual revenues exceeding $1.3 billion. Visit http://www.mattamyhomes.com/.


For more information contact
Kerry Soltis, Marketing Manager Mattamy Homes-Jacksonville 904-279-9502
Laura Bailey, VP of Sales & Marketing Mattamy Homes USA 407-599-9998
Dennis Ginder, Division President Mattamy Homes-Jacksonville 904-279-9500
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142

BioTraits, Inc. Launches Biotraits PC-ID to Provide Workers with Secure Computer Access from Off-Site Locations

BioTraits, Inc. Launches Biotraits PC-ID to Provide Workers with Secure Computer Access from Off-Site Locations

ORLANDO, Fla. - BioTraits, Inc., the six-year old biometric technology firm that provides corporate and government agencies with state-of-the-art security and accounting systems that accurately recognize and verify unique human characteristics, has launched BioTraits PC-ID, a security software component that provides employees with secure off-site access to online accounts and files.

Peter A. Wengert, founder and chief executive officer of the firm, said BioTraits PC-ID utilizes some of the same technology BioTraits developed in conjunction with the world’s leading security firms to verify the identity of workers entering or leaving secure areas.

“With BioTraits PC-ID, companies can give workers secure access to internal files from any location in the world and record their time, activities, job codes and accounting for billing purposes,” Wengert said.

“BioTraits PC-ID provides an accurate accounting of all work performed with job codes, times and other data, and provides employers with all the necessary human resources accounting data so that employees can be accurately compensated for their efforts,” Wengert said.

BioTraits PC-ID can also be used to secure certain files from specific workers or divisions, Wengert said.

“BioTraits PC-ID can be easily configured to grant different levels of secure offsite access to individual workers or to divisions within the company,” Wengert said.

Wengert said BioTraits PC-ID was developed to take the virtual workplace to a new level of security and automation.

“With PC-ID, a company can establish highly secure, fully automated virtual offices with employees all over the world,” Wengert said.

BioTraits Inc. is a University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program client in the Central Florida Research Park.

For more information about this release contact:
Peter A. Wengert, CEO BioTraits, Inc. 3267 Progress Drive, Suite 103, Orlando, FL 32826; 866-815-0888 or peter@biotraits.com

Carol Ann Dykes, Site Manager, UCF Business Incubation Program, 407-882-0211, cdykes@mail.ucf.edu

Thomas O’Neal, Executive Director, UCF Incubation Program, 407 882-1120, oneal@mail.ucf.edu

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142 or LvershelCo@aol.com

About BioTraits:
Founded in March 2003, BioTraits, Inc. is a biometric company providing solutions for biometric identification and verification products through its development of a suite of workforce management products and distribution of biometric access control products. For more information, visit www.biotraits.com.

About the UCF Business Incubation Program:
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Business Incubation Program has helped more than 100 emerging companies (including nearly 70 current clients) create over $500 million in annual revenue and more than 1600 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With five facilities across the Greater Orlando community, the Incubation Program is a collaboration in economic development between the University of Central Florida, Orange County, the City of Orlando, Seminole County, the City of Winter Springs, Lake County, the City of Leesburg and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information, please visit www.incubator.ucf.edu.

NAI Realvest Negotiates Two New Leases totaling 5,487 square feet of office Space at South Park Business Center in Orlando

NAI Realvest Negotiates Two New Leases totaling 5,487 square feet of office Space at South Park Business Center in Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. – NAI Realvest recently negotiated two new office lease agreements totaling 5,487 square feet at 8600 Commodity Circle in the South Park Business Center in Orlando.

Tom Kelley CCIM, principal at NAI Realvest, negotiated both transactions representing the Miami-based landlord, South Park, LLC.

Nova Eagles USA doing business as O.E. Source, an Orlando-based worldwide manufacturer and distributor of auto parts, leased Unit 120 with 3,123 square feet and Orlando-based Accessgate.Net, Inc. a technology firm that serves the security and intelligence industries has leased Unit 106 with 2,364 square feet.

For more information, please contact:
Tom Kelley, CCIM, Principal, NAI Realvest, 407-875-9989, tkelley@realvest.com;
Patrick Mahoney, President, NAI Realvest, 407-875-9989 pmahoney@realvest.com;
Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com.

About NAI Realvest:
NAI Realvest in Orlando, serving all of Central Florida, is a fully integrated commercial real estate operating company specializing in brokerage, development, investment, leasing and management, consulting and research services in the U.S. and worldwide. NAI Global is an international commercial real estate network with over 325 offices spanning the globe. Since 1978, clients have built businesses on the power of NAI Global’s expanding network. Extensive services include multi-site acquisitions and dispositions, sublease, tenant representation, lease administration and audit, investment services, due diligence and related consulting and advisory services. To learn more, visit www.NAIRealvest.com.

CoStar Group Ranks Three Brokers at Grubb & Ellis|Commercial Florida among Top Brokers in Tampa Region

CoStar Group Ranks Three Brokers at Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida among Top Brokers in Tampa Region


TAMPA, Fla. - Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida got a boost recently from CoStar Group, the leading U.S. provider of information services to the commercial real estate industry.

Jeff Sweeney, SIOR, president and managing partner of Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida in Tampa, Orlando and Melbourne, said CoStar Group recently named Michelle Seifert, Jan Boltres, CCIM, and Michael Scott of the firm’s Tampa office among the top commercial property brokers in the Tampa Bay region.











Jan Boltres, Michelle Seifert and Michael Scott


The CoStar ranking was based on leasing and sales activities in 2008, Sweeney said.
Seifert, who was recently promoted to vice president of Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida’s Retail Group, posted retail property leases and sales that totaled $25,000,000 in 2008.

Boltres and Scott, principals at Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida, serve as senior vice presidents of the firm’s Industrial Group. Working as a team, Boltres and Scott closed on industrial property leases and sales in 2008 that totaled $29,842,720.

Contacts:
Larry Lietzman, Marketing Director, 813-830-7890
Jeffrey Sweeney, SIOR President 407-481-5387
Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142

About Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida:
Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida is an affiliated commercial real estate services firm specializing in the leasing and sale of office, industrial, retail, land and investment properties. Currently Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida has 30 brokers divided among its Tampa, Orlando and Melbourne offices which serve the entire mid-Florida marketplace. Visit http://www.commercialfl.com/.

About Grubb & Ellis:
Named to The Global Outsourcing 100™ in 2009 by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals™, Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE) is one of the largest and most respected commercial real estate services and investment companies in the world. Our 6,000 professionals in more than 130 company-owned and affiliate offices draw from a unique platform of real estate services, practice groups and investment products to deliver comprehensive, integrated solutions to real estate owners, tenants and investors. The firm’s transaction, management, consulting and investment services are supported by highly regarded proprietary market research and extensive local expertise. Through Grubb & Ellis Realty Investors, the company is a leading sponsor of real estate investment programs that provide individuals and institutions the opportunity to invest in a broad range of real estate investment vehicles, including public non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), tenant-in-common (TIC) investments suitable for tax-deferred 1031 exchanges and other real estate investment funds. For more information, visit http://www.grubb-ellis.com/.

Lennar Acquires 30 Home Sites at Daintree in Viera in Brevard County, Will Build New Single Family Homes Priced From the Low $200s

Lennar Acquires 30 Home Sites at Daintree in Viera in Brevard County, Will Build New Single Family Homes Priced From the Low $200s

VIERA, Fla. - Lennar’s Central Florida Division, which builds new single-family homes and town homes priced from the $100s to the $400s in more than 30 Lennar communities throughout Central Florida, recently acquired 30 home sites at Daintree, located off Tavistock Drive and Solerno Blvd. in the Town of Viera in Brevard County.

Mark Metheny, president of Lennar’s Central Florida Division, said the home builder has started construction of one model home that is expected to open by Oct. 1 at Daintree.

New three, four and five-bedroom homes at Daintree are priced from the low $200s.

Lennar is introducing new floor plans at the community that range in size from 1,677 square feet of living space to 2,183 square feet with two-car garages.

For more information contact:
David Parker, VP Sales & Marketing, Lennar-Central Florida 877-205-1102
Mark Metheny, Lennar Division President-Central Florida, 877-205-1102
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142,lvershelco@aol.com

DiMucci Companies Seeks Permitting for Towers 14 with 28 Luxury Condominiums Priced from the $400s in Daytona Beach Shores

DiMucci Companies Seeks Permitting for Towers 14 with 28 Luxury Condominiums Priced from the $400s in Daytona Beach Shores

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. - The DiMucci Companies, developer of the DiMucci Towers on S. Atlantic Ave. in Daytona Beach Shores, is seeking construction permits to start work Towers 14, which will offer 28 luxury oceanfront condominiums priced from the $400s to the $600s.

Anthony DiMucci, who heads The DiMucci Companies, said he plans to start construction when the market for luxury oceanfront condominiums improves perhaps late next year.

“What we’re finding is that the higher-priced, larger condominiums with better views are selling better than the smaller units,” DiMucci said.

“The luxury market has not been affected as much as the middle of the market by the real estate slowdown,” he said.

For more information contact:
Corinne LeClaire, Broker DiMucci Realty Company 386-322-2000
Anthony DiMucci, President The DiMucci Companies 386-322-2000
Larry Vershel Communications, Larry Vershel or Beth Payan 407-644-4142

Mercantile Capital Corporation Sees Jump in Lending Volume in August, to Finance I-Drive Hotel, Suburban Atlanta Dental Office Among Others


Mercantile Capital Corporation Sees Jump in Lending Volume in August, to Finance I-Drive Hotel, Suburban Atlanta Dental Office Among Others

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - Mercantile Capital Corporation, which ranks as one of the nation’s leading provider of U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 loans saw a big jump in commercial loan volume in August.

Christopher G. Hurn, president of Mercantile Capital Corp., said the firm closed on loans worth more than $12 million in August, up more than 212 percent over the same period last year.

Hurn said August loans included $4.5 million to acquire and renovate Best Western’s Sun Vista Hotel on International drive in Orlando and $1.1 million to acquire and renovate a dental office in Atlanta.

“We anticipate we will close on loans that total more than $90 million in 2009,” Hurn said.
SBA 504 loans offer 90 percent loan-to-cost financing at below-market rates for qualified small business owners who want to acquire or develop their own facilities.

For more information, contact:

Chris Hurn, CEO, Mercantile Capital Corporation, 407-786-5040

Geof Longstaff, Chairman, Mercantile Capital Corporation, 407-786-5040

Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142