Cotter-Ryan Commercial Starts Renovation of Northwest Community Center off John Young Parkway

Cotter-Ryan Commercial Starts Renovation of Northwest Community Center off John Young Parkway

LONGWOOD, Fla. - Cotter-Ryan Commercial, LLC of Longwood recently started renovations of the 1,500 square foot Northwest Community Center, located on WD Judge Dr. off John Young Parkway in west Orlando.

Scott Ryan, president of Cotter-Ryan Commercial, LLC, said the work includes new electrical, fixtures and lighting, refurbishing the floors and repainting the entire facility.

Orlando Magic, the NBA Cheers Program, and Toyota of Orlando are contributing to the renovation project, Ryan said.

For more information, contact:
Scott H. Ryan, President, Cotter Ryan Commercial, LLC, 407-786-7686 sryan@cotterryan.com;

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

ABD Development Company opens new model luxury home at Wyndham Lakes Estates in South Orlando

ABD Development Company opens new model luxury home at Wyndham Lakes Estates in South Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. - ABD Development Company, which ranks as one of Central Florida’s most active custom home builders and one of the region’s largest community developers, recently opened a new model luxury home at Windsor Landing at Wyndham Lakes Estates, located off Town Center and Landstar Blvds. in southeast Orlando.

David Kohn, president of ABD Development Company, said the Riviera model home offers four bedrooms in 3,100 square feet of living space priced at $499,000.

Only 20 home sites remain for sale at Windsor Landing, Kohn said.

New three, four and five bedroom luxury homes at Windsor Landing at Wyndham Lakes Estates are priced from $349,000.

For more information contact:
David Kohn, President, ABD Development Company, 407-370-6400
Sofi Coffey, Marketing Manager ABD Development Company, 407-370-6400
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142

Crossman & Company Closes on Retail Leases in Central Florida that total more than 13,370 Square Feet

Crossman & Company Closes on Retail Leases in Central Florida that total more than 13,370 Square Feet

ORLANDO, Fla. - Crossman & Company, one of the largest property management and leasing firms in Central Florida, recently closed seven lease agreements in Orange, Lake and Volusia Counties totaling 13,373 square feet of retail space.

John Crossman, president of firm, said Leasing Associate Daniel Germano negotiated all seven lease agreements, representing the landlords.

The Payment Fighters is a new tenant that leased 4,773 square feet in Fashion Village, 3911 E. Colonial Drive in Orlando. F.F. Fashion Village Partnership is the landlord;

Happy Harmonies renewed its lease for 1,600 square feet at 1000 Lee Rd. in the Lee Road Shopping Center in Winter Park. Lee Road Partners is the landlord.

At the Eustis Square Shopping Center in Lake County Cyberlink Group Business Solutions leased 1,600 square feet at 253 W. Ardice Ave., El Korita Restaurant renewed its lease for 1,200 square feet at 256 W. Ardice Ave., and Jackson Hewitt renewed a lease for 1,000 square feet at 224 W. Ardice. The landlord at the center is Eustis Square One.

Hair Trek renewed a long term lease of 1,600 square feet at 2431 Enterprise Rd. and Forever Formal renewed its 1,600 square feet at 870 Saxon Blvd., both at Orange City Marketplace in west Volusia where Orange City Marketplace, LLC is the landlord;

For more information please contact:
Daniel Germano, Leasing Associate, Crossman & Company, 407-423-5400 or 407-581-6223

John Crossman, CCIM, President, Crossman & Company, 407-581-6218, jcrossman@crossmanco.com

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

About Crossman & Company:
Crossman & Company is one of the largest third-party retail leasing and management companies in Central Florida, based upon the total number of retail square footage. Founded in Orlando, Fla. in 1990, Crossman & Company is a full service commercial real estate firm that advises its clients in leasing, management, development and investment sales of retail and office properties. Please visit http://www.crossmanco.com/, or call 407-423-5400 for more information.

Avalon Park Seeks Sponsors for July 4 Community Festival with Night-Time Fireworks Exhibition

Avalon Park Seeks Sponsors for July 4 Community Festival with Night-Time Fireworks Exhibition

ORLANDO, Fla. - Avalon Park in east Orlando is seeking sponsors for a community festival and fireworks exhibition that is expected to draw upwards of 20,000 people to Avalon Park on July 4.

Stephanie Hodson, marketing coordinator at Avalon Park Group, said the community festival, scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday July 3, will host a wide variety of events and entertainment, including a hot dog eating contest, an apple pie bake-off and live music.

For more information contact:
Stephanie Hodson, Marketing Coordinator, Avalon Park Group, 407-658-6565Beat Kahli, Owner/Founder, Avalon Park Group, 407-658-6565

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

Central Florida District of Rotary Clubs to Continue Expansion, District Governor to Head Expansion Committee Next Year

Central Florida District of Rotary Clubs to Continue Expansion, District Governor to Head Expansion Committee Next Year

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Central Florida District of Rotary International will continue its efforts to expand next year even though District Governor Carlos Giraldo will step down in June when his one-year term expires.

Giraldo, who heads CRSHotels.com in Maitland, began his term as district governor with a call for major expansion in Central Florida and efforts to recruit new members from Central Florida’s Hispanic communities. Giraldo has agreed to head the Rotary International Central Florida District’s Club Extension Committee in 2009-2010.

Giraldo said five new Rotary International chapters will open within the next 12 months at Poinciana, the Four Corners area, South Orange County, Lake Nona, and Baldwin Park.

The Four Corners Rotary Club chapter will be chartered in about three weeks, Giraldo said.

“Rotary International offers a special opportunity for business leaders to play an active role in benefiting their communities in real ways that count,” Giraldo said. “That’s a real value for most people and our recruitment efforts are paying off handsomely,” he said.

For more information, please contact:
Carlos H. Giraldo, District Governor Rotary International, 407.376.5368, carlos@crshotels.com

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407.644.4142, lvershelco@aol.com

Upcoming Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty–HBA Worldwide Auction March 28

Two Luxury Homes in the Windermere Area could bring Million-Dollar Bids at Upcoming Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty–HBA Worldwide Auction March 28

ORLANDO, Fla. - Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty and the Home Builders Association of Mid Florida have joined forces to produce a unique event scheduled for March 28 in Orlando http://www.hbaauction.com/ – a worldwide auction of custom homes that could generate millions of dollars worth of sales from buyers all around the world.

Two Windermere-area properties slated for the auction block could bring bids of more than $1 million, said Roger Soderstrom, founder and principal of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty.

A 5,268 square foot luxury home at 9730 Lake Hugh Drive, (Photos, www.obeo.com/520337), in Gotha previously listed for sale at $1.65 million will be offered with a starting bid of $890,000, Soderstrom said.

The four-bedroom, five-and-one-half bath luxury home, built in 2007 with its own security gates, boasts a three-car garage and a master suite with its own morning bar, coffee maker and refrigerator, a home theater that rivals the local cineplex, a gourmet kitchen worthy of its own TV show and a resort-style swimming pool with a rock waterfall.

A lakefront estate home on Lake Hancock at 14616 Avenue of the Rushes, (Photos, www.obeo.com/523350), in Winter Garden will be offered with a starting bid of $788,000, Soderstrom said. The 4,340 square foot luxury home, recently listed for sale at $1.98 million, offers four bedrooms, four-and-one-half baths, a three-car garage and gourmet kitchen, along with a huge outdoor entertainment area with a swimming pool, two fountains and two-level terraced deck.

“There are several remarkable properties scheduled for auction and we anticipate the winning bids will represent both substantial bargains and high prices,” Soderstrom said.

“I can’t remember when we have had so many fabulous custom and estate homes for sale in a single auction,” he said.

Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty’s Worldwide Auction Group will accept bids online at http://www.auctionsbystirling.com/ or bidders can register to bid in person via telephone at 407-588-1260, Soderstrom said.

For more information contact:

Roger Soderstrom, Founder/Owner Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, 407-588-1260

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

Hal Warren elected Vice-Chairman of Orlando Historic Preservation Board

Hal Warren elected Vice-Chairman of Orlando Historic Preservation Board

ORLANDO, Fla. - Hal Warren, a veteran commercial broker in Central Florida and associate partner at Hendricks & Partners in Orlando, was recently elected vice-chairman of the Orlando Historic Preservation Board.

Warren was appointed to the Orlando Historic Preservation Board in December, 2007 by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

A graduate of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Warren earned his MBA Degree from the University of Central Florida. He has more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate, including positions as southeast acquisitions director for United Dominion Realty Trust, Inc. and senior director with Cushman & Wakefield's Apartment Brokerage Services.

Last year he joined Hendricks & Partners, the nation's largest private capital network of advisors and systems, as associate partner in the firm's southeast regional division headquartered in downtown Orlando.

"The Orlando Historic Preservation Board plays an important role in maintaining and protecting those elements of architecture and infrastructure that make Orlando a unique place with a vivid connection to its past," Warren said.

For more information, please contact:

Hal Warren, Associate Partner, Hendricks & Partners, 407-218-8881

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

Former Rotary International Director is Keynote Speaker at Central Florida Rotary District Conference April 27-May 4

Former Rotary International Director is Keynote Speaker at Central Florida Rotary District Conference April 27-May 4

ORLANDO, Fla. - Former Rotary International Director Don Mebus will serve as keynote speaker during Rotary International’s Central Florida District 6980 Annual Conference April 27 – May 4 in Orlando.

Carlos Giraldo, Central Florida district governor for Rotary International, said 2,300 Rotary International members representing 44 Rotary Clubs in the Orlando district are expected to participate in the conference, along with some 3,000 guests, sponsors and supporters.

Mebus, who joined Rotary International in 1974, is a third generation Rotary leader who divides his time between service at his local Rotary Club in Arlington, Texas and work on Rotary-sponsored school and health care clinics in the remote Moskita area of Honduras.

Mebus’ service work with Rotary International has included extended projects in Russia, India, Nepal and Germany.

“Don Mebus and his wife Carolyn represent the highest ideals of Rotary International’s service and community enrichment,” said Giraldo. “They have traveled the world, and they have contributed greatly to improving local communities and networks in order to make a better world. Thousands of Rotarians are engaged in this work all across the planet,” he said.

Orlando Rotary International District 6980 represents 44 Rotary Clubs with more than 2,300 members in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake and Sumter Counties. Its Annual Conference and Cruise will take place from Monday, Apr. 27 through Monday May 4.

For more information, please contact:

Carlos H. Giraldo, District Governor Rotary International 407.376.5368; carlos@crshotels.com

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan Larry Vershel Communications 407.644.4142; lvershelco@aol.com

Alfredo M. Gapuz, D.M.D. opens new offices at Stirling Place in Lake Mary to Provide Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry

Alfredo M. Gapuz, D.M.D. opens new offices at Stirling Place in Lake Mary to Provide Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry

LAKE MARY, Fla. - Alfredo M. Gapuz, Jr., D.M.D. has opened new offices to provide cosmetic and restorative dentistry at 737 Stirling Center Place, located off Rinehart Rd., south of SR 46A in Lake Mary.

Dr. Gapuz, who has practiced dentistry for 28 years, also has offices in the Hunter’s Creek area in southwest Orlando.

Dr. Gapuz recently completed an extensive course in Advanced Adhesive Aesthetic Dentistry at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies in Nevada. He earned his doctoral degree in dental medicine from De Ocampo Memorial College in the Philippines, formerly known as Philippine Dental College.

In addition, Dr. Gapuz recently completed specialized post-graduate training that included studies of headache diagnosis and acquired specialized computer-based instruments that enable precision studies of jaw function and related muscles.

“Many people don’t think to tell their dentist when they suffer from chronic headaches,” said Dr. Gapuz, “but such headaches can be triggered when the jaw and related muscles aren’t functioning properly. Our new instrumentation helps us to determine whether this is the case with simple, painless and non-invasive tests that can be performed right here in the office,” he said.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Alfredo M. Gapuz, D.M.D. or Virginia Grace Gapuz, Cosmetic & Restorative Dentistry of Lake Mary, P.L., 407-805-8808 or 407-902-3949; VGGaesthetics@aol.com;

Lynn Kellicut, Office Manager, Cosmetic & Restorative Dentistry of Lake Mary, P.L., 407-805-8808;

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

Lennar Forms Nine-County Central Florida Division with Offices in Tampa, Clermont

Lennar Forms Nine-County Central Florida Division with Offices in Tampa, Clermont

TAMPA, Fla. - Lennar, which ranks as one of Florida’s most active home builders, has merged its Tampa Bay and Orlando divisions to form a single nine-county Central Florida Division.

Mark Metheny, who has served as president of Lennar’s Tampa Bay division since 2006, has been appointed president of Lennar’s Central Florida Division.

Metheny, who joined Lennar in 2001, will oversee community development, new home design and construction and new home sales in 32 Lennar communities in Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Polk, Osceola, Orange, Lake, Seminole and Brevard counties.

In Tampa, Metheny oversaw one of Lennar’s most productive divisions nationwide.

“Lennar is meeting the challenge of today’s home building market and we will continue to press forward with a strategy that includes and intense focus on reducing costs and delivering the best valued homes in the market,” Metheny said.

The Central Florida Division will be headquartered at Lennar’s corporate offices on Westshore Blvd. in Tampa, with an Orlando-area office at 2955 Heritage Hills Blvd. in the Heritage Hills community off U.S. Highway 27 in Clermont.

Metheny has named several top Lennar executives to new positions with division and area-wide responsibilities.

Mike Southward, was named director of purchasing and Judd Tyler, was named controller for the Central Florida Division.

Robert Jesski, was named director of sales in Tampa and Paul Brooks, director of sales in the Orlando territory.

David Parker, Fiona DiDomenico and Karen Morgan were named vice presidents of sales.

Steve Smith and Wayne Broedel were named directors of construction.

Ben Gainer, Anthony DeSimone, Kevin Stream and Wes Stapp were named senior area construction managers in Tampa.

Joe Fulghum, director of customer relations and Jennifer Siemering, director of closings.

For information about this press release, please contact:

Mark Metheny, Division President Lennar Central Florida 888-317-7489 mark.metheny@lennar.com

Paul Brooks , Director of Sales & Marketing, Lennar Central Florida Division; 407-654-2735 paul.brooks@lennar.com;

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

Lake Nona area commercial development will play leading role in Central Florida’s economic recovery, says John Crossman, retail property expert

Lake Nona area commercial development will play leading role in Central Florida’s economic recovery, says John Crossman, retail property expert

ORLANDO, Fla. - Commercial development in the Lake Nona area will play a leading role in Central Florida’s economic recovery, says a prominent retail property broker who is a frequent lecturer in college and university real estate programs.

“Central Florida has long relied on its thriving tourism and services industries as our hedge against downturns in economic cycles,” said John Crossman, CCIM, president of Crossman & Company commercial real estate and one of the leading retail property brokers in the region.

“Commercial development in the Lake Nona area, which centers on medical research, health care and medical facilities, will change the face of Central Florida and add an enormous engine to our local economy,” Crossman said.

The University of Central Florida College of Medicine and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research facilities that are under development now provide a tremendous incentive for new and innovative development in the region that will include retail, restaurants, and a wide range of services, Crossman said.

“A decade ago the Central Florida job base was centered on the tourism corridor from International Drive to Disney and the U.S. 192 area,” said Crossman.

“Ten years from now we will have another job center that will be just as prominent, and it will focus on the Lake Nona area. The advantages in East Orlando will be that much of this new development is upscale, with higher technology and higher paying jobs,” Crossman said.

“Whether you are a Starbucks barista or a medical student about to launch your professional career, east Orlando in general and the Lake Nona area in particular are where you want to look,” Crossman said.

For more information please contact:

John Crossman, CCIM, President, Crossman & Company, 407-581-6218

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

About Crossman & Company

Crossman & Company is one of the largest third-party retail leasing and management companies in Central Florida, based upon the total number of retail square footage. Founded in Orlando, Fla. in 1990, Crossman & Company is a full service commercial real estate firm that advises its clients in leasing, management, development and investment sales of retail and office properties. Please visit http://www.crossmanco.com/, or call 407.423.5400 for more information.

NAI Realvest Negotiates New Industrial Lease for Arizona Iced Tea at Airport Commerce Center in Orlando

NAI Realvest Negotiates New Industrial Lease for Arizona Iced Tea at Airport Commerce Center in Orlando

MAITLAND, Fla. – NAI Realvest recently negotiated a new industrial lease of 4,000 square feet at 8350 Parkline Blvd. in the Airport Commerce Center off South Orange Ave. in Orlando.

Michael Heidrich, a principal in the firm, negotiated the lease representing the landlord, Columbus, Ohio-based Parkline Properties, LLC. The tenant, Arizona Beverage Company LLC of Lake Success, NY leased unit 14 at the industrial center for office, storage and distribution of its Arizona Iced Tea products.

Lee Zerivitz of Bishop Realty & Development represented the tenant.

For more information, contact:

Michael Heidrich, Principal, NAI Realvest 407-875-9989 mheidrich@realvest.com

Janice Paiano, Director of Marketing, NAI Realvest 407-875-9989 jpaiano@realvest.com

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

About NAI

RealvestNAI Realvest in Orlando, covering 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 http://www.nairealvest.com/.