National Entrepreneur Center at Orlando Fashion Square to Celebrate Grand Opening Tuesday May 17 at 9 a.m.

ORLANDO, FLA. – If you think a major regional shopping mall isn’t the first place you’d go for help on launching your new business, think again. On Tuesday, May 17, the National Entrepreneur Center at Orlando Fashion Square Mall on East Colonial Drive near downtown Orlando will celebrate its grand opening starting at 9 a.m.

John Crossman, president of Crossman & Company, the local leasing agent for Orlando Fashion Square, said the 20,000 square foot National Entrepreneur Center (formerly Disney Entrepreneur Center on Robinson St. downtown) opening at Orlando Fashion Square is one of the most creative ideas he has seen in a long time.

“The nation’s economy is built on small business entrepreneurs, and small business entrepreneurs aren’t usually located in downtown office skyscrapers, they’re in the neighborhoods in the community,” Crossman said.

The opportunity to seek advice and assistance for an entrepreneurial idea at a regional mall is just brilliant, and my hat’s off to the National Entrepreneur Center for thinking outside of the box,” Crossman said.

Crossman said he is optimistic the opening of the National Entrepreneur Center will generate new traffic at Orlando Fashion Square, the Central Florida area’s first regional mall. “Retailing patterns are changing,” Crossman said. “The economy is part of the reason, but there are others — the wave of baby boom retirements, the emergence of online retail sales, and a new generation of young people for whom the recession will mark a major milestone,” he said.

“People are thinking differently about their retail purchases and their retailing habits,” Crossman said. “Retail locations are changing to meet new demands, and the National Entrepreneur Center’s Orlando Fashion Square Mall location is an outstanding example of the trend,” he said.

Leasing agent for the mall, Whitaker Leonhardt said “There are many more opportunities for community groups, business service tenants, and non-profit organizations to lease space at Orlando Fashion Square Mall. The National Entrepreneur Center sets the precedent for the mall to continue to add more community-minded tenants to the mall’s existing retail line up.

About The National Entrepreneur Center

The National Entrepreneur Center is a public/private partnership established in 2003 to support and assist small business development in Central Florida. The center houses a variety of non-profit business support organizations and is funded by Orange County, Walt Disney World Resort, The University of Central Florida, The City of Orlando, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Regions Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, Banco Popular, The Orlando Magic, Bank First, Orlando Utilities Commission, and Bright House Business Solutions.

Organizations affiliated with the National Entrepreneur Center are: The African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, The UCF Small Business Development Center, The Central Florida Disability Chamber, The National Assn. of Women business Owners, The UCF Business Incubation Program, The British American Chamber of Commerce, The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, The Hispanic Business Initiative Fund, SCORE, The Urban League of Central Florida, The Black MBA Assn, and the US Dept. of Commerce.

About Orlando Fashion Square/PREIT

Orlando Fashion Square is owned and operated by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust. Founded in 1960 and one of the first equity REITs in the U.S., PREIT has a primary investment focus on retail shopping malls and power centers. Currently, the company’s retail portfolio is approximately 34 million square feet and consists of 56 properties, including 38 shopping malls, 14 strip and power centers, and four properties under development. The company’s properties are located in 13 states in the eastern half of the United States, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region. PREIT is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa. The company’s Web site can be found at www.preit.com. PREIT is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol PEI.

About Crossman & Company

Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Crossman & Company is a commercial real estate brokerage firm that specializes in the retail industry. Currently their portfolio under leasing and/or management exceeds 150 shopping centers throughout the Southeast US. Founded in 1990, Crossman & Company focuses solely on landlord representation and serves clients including Publix, PREIT, and GE. Please visit www.crossmanco.com, or call 407-423-5400 for more information.

CFCAR to host Forum on Jobs and Impact on Commercial Real Estate Sept. 9 at Orlando Fashion Square

ORLANDO - The Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors (CFCAR) will host a community forum on Sept. 9 at Orlando Fashion Square titled, “Job Growth - How it Will Affect Our Industry.”

John Crossman, president of Crossman & Company, the Orlando commercial real estate firm that serves as exclusive leasing agents at Orlando Fashion Square, said the event is scheduled from 4:30 to 7 p.m. and the cost of admission is $25.

Speakers include Jerry Ross, executive director of the Disney Entrepreneur Center, which is relocating to Orlando Fashion Square; Thomas Chatmon, executive director of the City of Orlando’s Downtown Development Board and Rick Fraser, president of the Workforce Development Board of Flagler/Volusia-Center for Business Excellence.

“Employment and job growth is the single most important issue facing the commercial real estate industry,” Crossman said. “The CFCAR forum will discuss several major efforts under way to stimulate job growth and what we can do to support and enhance those efforts,” he said.

To find out more or to register for the forum, contact CFCAR Executive Shirley Knapp at 407-816-7368 or visit http://www.cfcar.net.

For more information contact: Molly Delahunty, Crossman & Company, 407-581-6220 mdelahunty@crossmanco.com; John Crossman, CCIM, President, Crossman & Company, 407-581-6218, jcrossman@crossmanco.com

Disney Entrepreneur Center Gets Green Light on Relocation

ORLANDO – Today the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve a five-year lease at the Orlando Fashion Square for the relocation of the Disney Entrepreneur Center. Representatives of the Disney Entrepreneur Center (DEC), Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) and Orlando Fashion Square had finalized a proposed lease agreement, and with today’s approval of the Orange County Commission, the center will relocate to Orlando Fashion Square next spring.

Since 2003, The Disney Entrepreneur Center has provided local entrepreneurs easy access to a variety of business coaching, education and resources in a single shared facility overlooking Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. The DEC proved to be both efficient for the resident organizations who share resources and for local entrepreneurs who can visit several organizations in a single visit. Based on the unanimous decision of its Board of Directors in early August, the DEC representatives had been in negotiations to occupy 21,000 square-feet on the north side of Orlando Fashion Square, near Barnie’s® Coffee and Tea.

“On behalf of the Disney Entrepreneur Center, our sponsors, and our service provider organizations, I am pleased to announce we are embarking on the next innovative chapter for our center.” said Jerry Ross, Executive Director of the Disney Entrepreneur Center. “This allows us to continue our growth, explore new partnerships, and expand opportunities for our small business community!”

“This seemed to be a natural fit for PREIT and Orlando Fashion Square” added Joseph F. Coradino, President, PREIT Services, LLC and PREIT-Rubin, Inc. “Their mission complements our own, as being innovative in our approach to business development, , and pro-active in our outreach to our community.” He said PREIT pursued the relocation of the Disney Entrepreneur Center because of the many positive opportunities it presented for Fashion Square, the community, the DEC, and the small businesses of Central Florida.

“I believe the awareness of Disney Entrepreneur Center will increase because of the additional exposure at Orlando Fashion Square, and the new opportunities that this space presents” Said Ross. “Since inception in 2003, our service provider organizations have assisted thousands of existing businesses, and helped to start hundreds more, however, there are still many folks who don’t know we’re here, or what we can offer them!”

The Disney Entrepreneur Center plans to have its own entrance on the north side of the mall where there is plenty of free parking in the adjacent garage. Renovations to the space, using plans designed by the Evans Group of Orlando, are scheduled to be complete in April 2011. In total, PREIT Services will facilitate the construction to accommodate the Disney Entrepreneur Center which is estimated at $1.5 million, while each resident organization of the center is expected to see a reduction in rental expenses upon relocation in April of 2011. The initial term for the new lease is five years.

“The DEC was established through a collaborative partnership of sponsors and service provider organizations, so it is no surprise that bringing the DEC to Orlando Fashion Square required the collaboration of many organizations. Relocating the DEC to Orlando Fashion Square is a very creative and innovative idea that can now move toward reality,” Coradino said.

Local leasing agent Whitaker Leonhardt of Crossman & Company negotiated the lease, and represents Orlando Fashion Square which is located at the corner of Maguire Road and Colonial Drive, and has been in operation since 1973.

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About the Disney Entrepreneur Center:
The Disney Entrepreneur Center is a public/private partnership established in 2003 to support and assist small business development in Central Florida. The center houses a variety of non-profit business support organizations and is funded by Orange County, Walt Disney World Resort, The University of Central Florida, The City of Orlando, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Regions Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, Banco Popular, The Orlando Magic, Bank First, Orlando Utilities Commission, and Bright House Business Solutions.

Organizations affiliated with the Disney Entrepreneur Center are:
The African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, The UCF Small Business Development Center, The Central Florida Disability Chamber, The National Assn. of Women business Owners, The UCF Business Incubation Program, The British American Chamber of Commerce, The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, The Hispanic Business Initiative Fund, SCORE, The Urban League of Central Florida, The Black MBA Assn, and the US Dept. of Commerce.

About Orlando Fashion Square/PREIT:
Orlando Fashion Square is owned and operated by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust. Founded in 1960 and one of the first equity REITs in the U.S., PREIT has a primary investment focus on retail shopping malls and power centers. Currently, the company’s retail portfolio is approximately 34 million square feet and consists of 56 properties, including 38 shopping malls, 14 strip and power centers, and four properties under development. The company’s properties are located in 13 states in the eastern half of the United States, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region. PREIT is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa. The company’s Web site can be found at www.preit.com. PREIT is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol PEI.

CONTACT: Jerry Ross, 407-420-4848

OC Grant Consulting Associates to Host Seminar at Disney Entrepreneur Center to Help Agencies Attain Non-Profit Status and Secure Grant Funding

OC Grant Consulting Associates to Host Seminar at Disney Entrepreneur Center to Help Agencies Attain Non-Profit Status and Secure Grant Funding

ORLANDO – OC Grant Consulting Associates, an Orlando-based grant consulting company, will present a series of informative seminars next month at the Disney Entrepreneur Center in downtown Orlando.

The first of five Capacity Building Seminar workshops will be from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 12 at the Disney Entrepreneur Center, 315 E. Robinson St. The sessions are designed to help local organizations – including those still in the planning stages – learn how to attain nonprofit status and receive grant funding, according to founder Olivette Carter.

“The seminars are for executives, administrators, managers and other leaders of aspiring or new start-up grassroots, non-profit faith- and community-based organizations,” said Carter, who specializes in prospect research, grant proposal writing, grant review and grant writing training, as well as post-grant support services.

OC Grant Consulting Associates is a client company of the UCF Business Incubation Program and located at Orlando Business Development Center (OBDC) office on E. Colonial Drive.

The Capacity Building Seminar is comprised of five separate workshops:
How to Start a Non-profit and Obtain 501(c) 3 Exemption
Board Development for New Non-profits
Program Design and Planning
Strategic Planning
Introduction to Grant Writing

Additional workshops will be held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 26, Oct. 10 and 24. The cost of each is $25 per person and those registering for four sessions can attend the fifth one free.

To register, go to http://www.ocgrantconsulting.com/ online or send a check payable to OC Grant Consulting Associates to 3218 E. Colonial Drive, Suite G, Orlando, 32803.

For details, contact Carter at 321-281-8346 or ocgrants@obdc2.fdn.com.

For more information about this release, please contact:
Olivette Carter, founder/owner, OC Grant Consulting Associates, 321-281-8346 or ocgrants@obdc2.fdn.com
Melissa Wasserman, Site Manager/OBDC, UCF Business Incubation Program, 407-882-2296 or mwasserm@mail.ucf.edu
Charlene Hager-Van Dyke, Larry Vershel Communications, 386-837-8780, 407-644-4142 or chagervandyke@yahoo.com

About the UCF 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 1,600 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 http://www.incubator.ucf.edu/