Lennar Sets - Zero Says A Lot - Buyer Incentive Weekend of April 18-19 in the Central Florida Region

Lennar Sets - Zero Says A Lot - Buyer Incentive Weekend of April 18-19 in the Central Florida Region: Zero Money Down and Zero Closing Costs or Zero Interest Payments for up to Six Months

ORLANDO, Fla. - Lennar’s Central Florida Division has a big offer for Central Florida families who might be in the market for a new home.

Mark Metheny, president of Lennar’s Central Florida Division, said the “Zero Says a Lot” incentive is available in all 31 Lennar communities in Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Polk, Osceola, Orange, Lake, Seminole and Brevard counties during the weekend of April 18-19.

“Select new homes sold during the weekend of April 18-19 will require zero money down and zero closing costs or zero interest payments for up to six months,” Metheny said.

For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Hill, Sales and Marketing Administrator – Central Florida, 407 654-4862 x113, Elizabeth.Hill@lennar.com
Paul V. Brooks, Lennar Director of Sales & Marketing-Central Florida, 407-654-4862, Paul.Brooks@lennar.com
Mark Metheny, Lennar Division President-Central Florida, 813-769-5277, Mark.Metheny@Lennar.com
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142, lvershelco@aol.com

Grubb & Ellis|Commercial Florida Vice President David Calcanis named ONE OF THE top TWO land brokers in 2008

Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida Vice President David Calcanis named ONE OF THE top TWO land brokers in 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. – David Calcanis, vice president of land services at Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida in Orlando, which is associated with 130 Grubb & Ellis offices worldwide, was recently named as one of the top two land sales brokers in 2008 at the “Best of the Best” awards banquet sponsored by the NAIOP’s Central Florida chapter.

Calcanis, who has been with Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida for five years, sold properties valued at more than $25 million last year.

NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, is the leading organization for developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial and mixed-use real estate, comprising 18,000 members in North America. For more information, visit naiop.org.

For more information, contact:
David Calcanis, Vice President Land Serivces, Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida, 407-481-5247
Jeff Sweeney, Grubb & EllisCommercial Florida, 407-481-5378, jsweeney@commercialfl.com
Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142, lvershelco@aol.com

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 40 brokers divided among its Orlando, Melbourne and Tampa offices to serve the entire mid-Florida marketplace.

About Grubb & Ellis:
Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE) is one of the largest and most respected commercial real estate services and investment companies. With more than 130 owned and affiliate offices worldwide, Grubb & Ellis offers property owners, corporate occupants and investors comprehensive integrated real estate solutions, including transaction, management, consulting and investment advisory services supported by proprietary market research and extensive local market expertise.

Grubb & Ellis and its subsidiaries are leading sponsors of real estate investment programs that provide individuals and institutions the opportunity to invest in a broad range of real estate investment vehicles, including tax-deferred 1031 tenant-in-common (TIC) exchanges; public non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate investment funds. As of Sept. 30, 2008, more than $3.8 billion in investor equity has been raised for these investment programs. The company and its subsidiaries currently manage a growing portfolio of more than 225 million square feet of real estate. In 2007, Grubb & Ellis was selected from among 15,000 vendors as Microsoft Corporation's Vendor of the Year. For more information regarding Grubb & Ellis Company, please visit http://www.grubb-ellis.com/.

ICI Homes’ Energy-Efficient Emerald Model Home at Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club Wins Coveted Laurel Award

ICI Homes’ Energy-Efficient Emerald Model Home at Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club Wins Coveted Laurel Award

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA) in Jacksonville looked south this year to bestow its coveted Laurel Award, presented by the NEFBA’s Sales and Marketing Council (SMC) for the best examples of new home marketing and merchandising.

Rosemary Messina, vice president of sales and marketing at ICI Homes in Daytona Beach, said the award-winning 4,900 square foot Emerald model home at Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club in Ormond Beach---ranked as one of the most energy efficient homes in Florida---won the SMC’s Laurel Award this year for Best Interior Merchandising in a Detached Home priced at more than $1 million.

The Emerald model home is ICI Homes’ most award-winning model home and the home builder’s most popular visitor destination, Messina said.

Designed and built to ICI Homes’ rigorous EFACTOR standards for energy efficiency and environmental quality, the Emerald model home has been lauded by environmentalists, builders and planners and has logged more than 13,000 model home visits over the past year---a record for ICI Homes.

Sisler Johnston Interior Design of Jacksonville submitted the Emerald model home for consideration in this year’s Laurel Awards, Messina said. Sisler Johnston designed the interiors and merchandising theme in the two-story, three bedroom luxury home.

“It is very unusual for a home builders association to present an award outside its market area,” Messina said. “But then again, the Emerald model home is a very unusual luxury home. We are delighted at the recognition,” she said.

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.

For more information, contact:
Lisa A. Egle, Marketing Manager ICI Homes, 386-236-4273, legle@icihomes.com
Rosemary Messina, VP Sales & Marketing ICI Homes, 386-236-4231, rmessina@icihomes.com
Judith Lawrence, VP Customer Relations ICI Homes, 386-236-4150 JLawrence@icihomes.com
Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142, lvershelco@aol.com

Mattamy Homes in Charlotte Earns Two Gold, One Silver Award at Regional MAME Awards

Mattamy Homes in Charlotte Earns Two Gold, One Silver Award at Regional MAME Awards

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Mattamy Homes Charlotte division won two Gold, and one Silver award during the recent regional MAME Awards sponsored by the Home Builders Association.

Laura Bailey, vice president of sales and marketing for Mattamy Homes USA, said Mattamy Homes in Charlotte won Gold MAME Awards for Marketing Brochure of the Year and Interior Merchandising of the Year for model homes valued at from $200,000 to $350,000.

Mattamy Homes won a Silver MAME Award for its new home design center, Bailey added.
MAME---which stands for Major Achievements in Marketing Excellence---single out the best examples of marketing by home builders.

Mattamy Homes ranks as Canada’s largest home builder, with annual revenues in excess of $1 billion. Mattamy Homes USA operates divisions in Charlotte, Jacksonville, Orlando, Minneapolis and Phoenix.

For more information please contact:
Marie Lorimer, Marketing Manager, Mattamy Homes-Charlotte, 704-375-9373
Laura Bailey, VP of Sales and Marketing, Mattamy Homes-USA, 407-599-9994
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142

Winter Springs Technology Firm Offers Sound Answer to Outsourcing Call Center Projects, Programs

Winter Springs Technology Firm Offers Sound Answer to Outsourcing Call Center Projects, Programs

WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. - Datanautix, Inc., a Winter Springs technology firm, has developed a viable alternative for companies considering outsourcing call center operations to places like India and the Philippines.

Sanjay Patel, president of Datanautix, Inc., said his firm’s Intelligent Interaction Analytics v4 (IIA 4.0) software can streamline call center operations and reduce call center costs by as much as 20 to 30 percent.

“That’s equivalent to the savings companies seek when they offshore their call center operations,” Patel said.

Patel, a leading developer of interaction analytics technologies to optimize customer experiences in large-scale contact center environments, said Datanautix software could help stem the tide of offshore outsourcing that is affecting the national economy.

“We recognize the need for American companies to reduce costs and to provide satisfactory customer contact services,” Patel said. “We have developed a way to achieve this goal without transferring operations to low-cost call centers overseas,” he said.

Datanautix is a client company of the University of Central Florida’s Seminole County Incubator site at 1511 E. S.R. 434 in Winter Springs.

For more information, contact:
Sanjay Patel, Founder & President, Datanautix, 407-349-5330, sanjay@datanautix.com
Esther Vargas-Davis, Site Manager, UCF Incubator-Seminole County, 407-278-4881
Tom O’Neal, Ph.D., Executive Director, UCF Business Incubation Program, 407-882-1102
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142

About Datanautix:
Datanautix Inc. specializes in helping companies drive key business process improvements in the contact center/customer management market. The Datanautix Intelligent Interaction Analytics and “active listening” approach not only improves on traditional QA and CSAT measurement challenges, but goes beyond the ‘traditional’ to uncover customer expectations to help drive process changes to improve customer loyalty and operating efficiencies. Typical results from Datanautix’ business process reengineering deployment yield 20-30 percent in savings while driving overall customer satisfaction scores up by 10-20 percent. For more information, please visit http://www.datanautix.com/.

About the UCF Incubation Program:
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Incubation Program has helped more than 100 emerging companies (including nearly 70 current clients) create over $500 million in annual revenue and more than 900 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, and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information, please visit http://www.incubator.ucf.edu/.

ICI Homes to Host Second Annual Invitational Golf Tournament for Realtors on April 24 at Plantation Bay Golf and Country Club

ICI Homes to Host Second Annual Invitational Golf Tournament for Realtors on April 24 at Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - ICI Homes will host the Second Annual Invitational Golf Tournament for Volusia and Flagler County Realtors April 24 at Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club, located off I-95 Exit 278 at Old Dixie Highway in Ormond Beach.

Rosemary Messina, vice president of sales and marketing at ICI Homes in Daytona Beach, said Realtors who wish to participate should contact Sally Dreisbach at Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club, 386-437-4164. Space is limited.

“Area Realtors need a break and the golf invitational is the perfect choice, including golf, tennis or lounging by the pool,” Messina said.

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
Sally Dreisbach, Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club, 386-437-4164
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.

University of Central Florida Business Incubator Hosts Round Table for Entrepreneurs, Small Business Principals

University of Central Florida Business Incubator Hosts Round Table for Entrepreneurs, Small Business Principals

WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. - The University of Central Florida Business Incubator in Winter Springs is hosting the Entrepreneur Round Table to help entrepreneurs and small business owners learn how to respond to startup and organizational challenges with sustainable solutions.

Esther Vargas-Davis, site manager at the UCF Business Incubator in Winter Springs, said the Entrepreneur Round Table is a collaborative effort organized by Chad Eaves, president of Eaves Consulting in Oviedo.

The Entrepreneur Round Table is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, admission is free and open to small business owners and entrepreneurs in the Winter Springs and Oviedo areas. The Round Table, which will include dinner, will be held at the Incubator’s offices at 1511 E. S.R. 434, off Hwy. 417 in Winter Springs.

“The Entrepreneur Round Table is a chance for small business entrepreneurs to engage in dialogue about their experience as small business owners, discuss challenges they are facing and gain new perspectives on developing sustainable solutions,” said Vargas-Davis. “It’s an open forum, and participants collaborate in developing solutions,” she said.

“Through the Entrepreneur Round Table, we bring together businesses that are just beginning with ones that have been operating for over ten years in different industries,” said Eaves. “This Round Table provides an open forum with diverse perspectives and experiences that support peer mentoring, targeted troubleshooting, and ultimately helps foster the entrepreneurial spirit in Oviedo and Winter Springs.

“By connecting as small businesses owners and leaders, we can help our community grow competitively and strategically,” Eaves added. “This has been a great partnering effort between Eaves Consulting, the UCF Business Incubation Program, the City of Winter Springs, the Oviedo-Winter Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Seminole Community College SBDC.”

The Entrepreneur Round Table meets monthly every last Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Winter Springs Incubator. See http://entrepreneurroundtable.ning.com/ for more information.

The UCF Business Incubation Program in Winter Springs is a partnership between UCF, Seminole County Government, the City of Winter Springs and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.

For more information, contact:
Esther Vargas-Davis, Site Manager, UCF Incubator-Seminole County, 407-278-4881
Tom O’Neal, Ph.D., Executive Director, UCF Business Incubation Program, 407-882-1102
Chad Eaves, President, Eaves Consulting, Inc., 321-244-1788
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142

About the UCF Incubation Program:
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Incubation Program has helped more than 100 emerging companies (including nearly 70 current clients) create over $500 million in annual revenue and more than 900 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, and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information, please visit http://www.incubator.ucf.edu/.

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.

MENTOR ABI to Host Grand Opening of CCS ORLANDO AT AVALON PARK facility for Brain and Spinal Cord Patients April 22

MENTOR ABI to Host Grand Opening of CCS ORLANDO AT AVALON PARK facility for Brain and Spinal Cord Patients April 22 at Keith A. Ewing Medical Office Building in Downtown Avalon Park

ORLANDO, Fla. - MENTOR ABI will host the grand opening of their new rehabilitation and treatment facility, CCS ORLANDO AT AVALON PARK, for brain and spinal cord patients on April 22 in the Keith A. Ewing Medical Office Building in downtown Avalon Park.

Stephanie Hodson, marketing coordinator at Avalon Park Group, said the grand opening event is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. on April 22, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m.

MENTOR ABI leased 16,881 square feet of medical office space on the first floor of the Keith A. Ewing Medical Office Building in downtown Avalon Park.

For more information about this release, contact:
Stephanie Hodson, Marketing Coordinator, Avalon Park Group, 407-658-6565
Beat Kahli, Owner/Founder, Avalon Park Group, 407-658-6565
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142

Three Brokers at Crossman and Company Lauded Among Top Ten Retail Producers in Nine-County Central Florida Region

Three Brokers at Crossman & Company Lauded Among Top Ten Retail Producers in Nine-County Central Florida Region

ORLANDO, Fla. - Three commercial real estate brokers at Crossman & Company, which ranks as one of region’s top retail leasing and property management firms, were named among the Top Ten producers in the nine-county Central Florida region in 2008.

John Crossman, CCIM, president of Crossman & Company, said retail brokers Courtney Potter-Kowalchuk, Scott Renick and Geno Jarquin were recognized among the Top Ten retail brokers in Central Florida during the Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors (CFCAR) Hallmark Awards banquet recently.

Kowalchuk, who joined Crossman & Company in 2006, logged retail lease transactions that totaled nearly 172,000 square feet valued at more than $16,305,800.00 in 2008.

Renick, who has been with Crossman & Company for eight years and serves as principal leasing agent at The Villages in Sumter, Lake and Marion counties, reported lease agreements that totaled 125,859 square feet and valued at $17,815,817.00 in 2008.

Jarquin, who joined Crossman & Company in 2006, last year reported retail lease agreements that totaled more than 57,640 square feet, worth more than $8,426,757.00.

“Courtney Potter-Kowalchuk, Scott Renick and Geno Jarquin are three of the brightest and most energetic commercial leasing agents in Florida and I’m delighted they were recognized for their talents,” said Crossman.

For more information 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.