Influential Real Estate Leaders Present NAIOP National Site Selector Symposium on Central Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Longtime regional real estate industry icon George Livingston, chairman of NAI Realvest, and John Crossman, president of Crossman & Company, are among the influential real estate leaders presenting a site selection luncheon symposium in Orlando. The event, hosted by the Orlando Chapter of NAIOP, is scheduled for Thursday, March 20 at Orlando’s Citrus Club, 255 S. Orange Ave. on the 18th Floor. Titled “National Site Selectors' Perspective on Central Florida,” the symposium will open for registration at 11:30 a.m., with luncheon and the panel discussion from noon to 1 p.m. NAIOP president Crossman will kick off the event and Ron Starner, executive vice president of Site Selection Magazine, will moderate the panel discussion with participants Livingston, John F. Krug, principal and senior consultant at Truth IC, LLC and Holly Wiedman, executive vice president of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission. The panel will present perspectives on corporate site selection in Florida and Central Florida including key decision-making factors in relocation/expansion, leveraging effective community strategies and what to expect in the coming years. The symposium is sponsored by NAI Realvest, Professional Service Industries, Inc. and the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission. Admission to the event costs $40 for NAIOP members and $65 for non-members. For further information, contact NAIOP executive director Shannon Monteleone (407) 227-7461.

Lennar Homes Opens New Sophia Model at Millbrook at Fiddler’s Creek in Naples

NAPLES, Fla. --- Lennar Homes recently opened the three-bedroom Sophia model home at Millbrook at Fiddler’s Creek, the private residential golf course community located off U.S. 41 halfway between Naples and Marco Island. Dave Meyers, director of sales and marketing for Lennar Homes in southwest Florida, said the Sophia model offers 2,032 square feet of living space with three bedrooms, two baths and a den that can also serve as a fourth bedroom. The Sophia ranks as one of Lennar’s most popular floor plans, Meyers said. Its open concept design has an island kitchen that flows into the living room and dining room. Priced from $377,990, the Sophia model at Millbrook at Fiddler’s Creek features an optional pool and spa, outdoor kitchen and pine ceilings on the rear patio, Meyers said. New Homes in Millbrook at Fiddler’s Creek come with the Lennar’s “Everything’s Included” pledge: upgraded features, appointments, appliances and finishes all included in the one “Everything’s Included” price. Fiddler’s Creek features a spectacular 18-hole championship golf course and community clubhouse with state-of-the-art fitness center and aerobics studio, a swimming pool, tennis courts, walking trails, ponds and conservation areas throughout. Located 15 minutes from downtown Naples, the community is convenient to some of the finest shopping, dining and beaches in the area and 15 minutes from the acclaimed Marco Island.

Stirling Sotheby's International Realty Negotiates $2.59 Million Land Sale North of Heathrow

Lake Mary, Fla. – Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty recently negotiated the sale of two prime residential parcels of land totaling 15.91 acres located just north of Heathrow on Orange Blvd. and S. Lake Sylvan Drive for $2,593,330 or $163,000 per acre. Roger Soderstrom, owner and founder of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, said Ingrid Cameron, luxury marketing specialist in the firm’s Heathrow Marketing Center, negotiated the transaction representing both seller and buyer. The property was purchased by Orlando-based Park Square Homes who plans to develop 38 luxury single-family homes on the site. Soderstrom said the proposed community will offer gas which is an excellent selling feature in today’s market. “Good residential development sites are difficult to locate in this region and in strong demand,” said Soderstrom.

UCF Business Incubation Program Offers "Soft Landing" Appeal to Small Businesses That Want to Make a Splash in Central Florida

ORLANDO, Fla., … The UCF Business Incubation Program has discovered an important new small business niche in local economic development that could prove more valuable than huge tax incentives to lure major employers to the area. Gordon Hogan, director of the UCF Business Incubation Program, calls the appeal “soft landing.” The target is small businesses from outside the region that want to explore opportunities in the area without making a huge investment for permanent space. Hogan said the UCF Business Incubation Program has already recruited five businesses from Ireland, the U.K. and South America and Hogan hopes to have from 20 to 30 companies with Central Florida “soft landing” on their agenda. UCF recently completed a video that explains what the incubator has to offer at facilities in Orlando, Winter Springs, Apopka, Kissimmee, St. Cloud and Daytona Beach--short-term, office space with flexible lease and support services to help introduce the business to the Central Florida and U.S. markets.

DiVosta Homes starts construction of two new model homes at Cove at Waterway Village in Vero Beach with six new floor plans

Vero Beach, Fla. --- DiVosta Homes has started construction of two new model homes and introduced six new floor plans at Cove at Waterway Village, an intimate community of 80 exceptional homes located on Kings Highway and 53rd St. in Vero Beach. Scott Mairn, vice president of sales and marketing for DiVosta Homes in the south Florida region, said both new models in DiVosta’s newest Vero Beach community will open by mid-summer. The Martin Ray model at Cove at Waterway Village is priced from $233,990 with 1,968 square feet of living space, two bedrooms and two baths and a two-care garage. The Martin Ray features a flex room and an optional upstairs loft. The Pinnacle model offers three bedrooms and three baths in 2,488 square feet and also includes a flex room and an optional upstairs loft, all priced from $264,990 with garage space for two cars and a golf cart. Among the amenities at Cove at Waterway Village are a community swimming pool and cabana and a bocce ball court.

Hold-Thyssen negotiates new lease with E-Cig Depot at Enterprise Plaza in Orange City

WINTER PARK, Fla. --- Hold-Thyssen, Inc., a commercial property firm based in Winter Park, recently negotiated a three-year retail lease agreement at Enterprise Plaza, 2499 Enterprise Rd. in Orange City. Darby Hold, lease consultant for Hold-Thyssen, negotiated the transaction on behalf of the Landlord, Florida Premier Group, Inc., based in Rochester, Mich. The E-Cig Depot, Inc. leased Suite K with 1,054 square feet at the shopping center and joins existing tenants Sherwin Williams, Beauty Alliance and Arby’s. The tenant was not represented in the transaction. Hold-Thyssen, Inc. provides commercial property and leasing and management services to institutional and private investor clients nationwide. The 40-year old firm’s current portfolio includes more that 100 commercial properties throughout the United States.

Ryland Homes Opens New Phase at Carolina Park community in Mount Pleasant

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Ryland Homes has opened a new phase at Carolina Park, located off Carolina Park Blvd. and Hwy. 17 North in Mount Pleasant. There are 50 new homesites that are at least 60' wide, some a quarter acre or larger in size, available in the new phase for new three and four bedroom homes with two, three, and three-and-a-half baths. “Ryland is seeing increased demand and sales are picking up in the Mt. Pleasant market,” said Gayle Jinks, vice president of sales and marketing for Ryland Homes in the Charleston-Myrtle Beach region. Ryland offers six floor plans in one and two-story designs at Carolina Park ranging from 2,072 to 2,964 base square feet, priced from the mid-$300s. Ryland has two decorated model homes open daily for touring at Carolina Park -- the two-story Coosaw model with four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths in 3,206 square feet of living space with a detached two-car garage priced from $405,000; and the two-story Thompson, with 2,446 square feet of living space, three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths with bonus room and a detached two-car garage. The Thompson floor plan, which features a downstairs master bedroom, is priced from $373,000. Altogether Ryland Homes is building 112 new luxury homes in Carolina Park, with Townhomes planned in the near future. Carolina Park features a Junior Olympic-size pool, tennis courts, a playground and walking and biking trails.

Rhodes+Brito Architects Awarded Contract to Design Two New Elementary Schools in Apopka

ORLANDO, Fla., --- Rhodes+Brito Architects based in Orlando recently were awarded contracts from Orange County Schools to design new facilities for two elementary schools in Apopka. Ruffin Rhodes, co-founder and partner at Rhodes+Brito, said the firm will design $13 million worth of new facilities to replace Clay Springs Elementary School, which accommodates 830 students. Under terms of the second contract, Rhodes+Brito will design $12 million worth of new facilities to replace Lovell Elementary School. Rhodes said both schools will be completed in 2015. Rhodes+Brito, which opened in Orlando in 1996, currently employs a staff of 20, including eight registered architects. The firm has exceptional experience providing architectural services to municipal government agencies.

DRW Life Skills Institute to offer Two-Day Course on Emotional Intelligence March 22-23

Kissimmee, Fla. --- DRW Life Skills Institute in Kissimmee will offer a two-day beginners workshop on emotional intelligence and critical communications skills March 22-23 at the Institute, headquartered on the fourth floor of the UCF Business Incubator facility at 111 E. Monument Ave. in Kissimmee. Dr. Wanda Bonet-Gascot PhD, President, Life Coach and Project Manager at the DRW Life Skills Institute, said the workshop is titled Emotional Intelligence: Listening to Myself. “Emotional intelligence is a set of skills that influence self-perception, the way we express ourselves, performance and even how we socialize and relate in our work, family, and community,” Dr. Bonet-Gascot explained. “The workshop is designed to help participants improve critical communication skills and start learning how Life Skills can dramatically improve their lives, their families, and their careers,” she said. Tuition for the workshop is $595.00. For additional details, visit www.drwinstitute.org.

Hold-Thyssen Real Estate Services Adds Property Management Assignments that Total 250,000 Square Feet in Florida

Winter Park, Fla. --- Hold-Thyssen Real Estate Services, a commercial property firm based in Winter Park with offices in Tampa and Nashville, added more than 250,000 square feet of commercial properties to its Florida property management portfolio over the past 60 days. R. Anthony Fisher, vice president of Hold-Thyssen Real Estate Services, said the firm manages more than three million square feet of commercial space. Fisher said the new assignments include 46,000 square feet of space in Winter Haven, 25,000 square feet in Sunrise, 21,500 in Vero Beach, 47,000 in Jupiter and 110,000 square feet in Plantation. All of the most recent assignments are REO bank-owned properties or properties in receivership, Fisher said. Hold-Thyssen provides commercial property and leasing and management services to institutional and private investor clients nationwide. The 40-year old firm’s current portfolio includes more that 100 commercial properties throughout the United States.