Thursday, January 30, 2014

Happy Chinese New Year



          From Your Friends at C.T. Hsu + Associates, Orlando, FL
  

Aretha Franklin
ORLANDO, FL -- Chinese New Year is the most important of all traditional Chinese holidays. It is often called the Lunar New Year because it is determined by the lunar calendar and falls anywhere between late January and mid February.

This year, it falls on January 31, 2014.

The origins of this holiday date back to 2600 B.C. when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac based on ancient legend.

Sandra Day O'Connor
When Lord Buddha summoned all animals to bid him farewell before he departed the Earth, only twelve animals came.

 As a reward, he named a year after each one and proclaimed that people born in each animals' year would possess some of that animals personality.

 2014 is the Year of the Horse,and is considered a fortunate year that brings luck and opportunities according to the Chinese Zodiac.

 Horses are bright, cheerful, energetic, popular, independent, and fun loving. Horses have a carefree nature and need ample room for self expression.

 People born in Horse years (1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002) find people and crowds exciting and love parties, and there keen judgment and natural intuition often help them make the right decisions throughout their life.

Paul McCartney
Some famous people born under the sign include: Rembrandt van Rijn, Harrison Ford, Aretha Franklin, Sandra Day O'Conner, President Theodore Roosevelt, Sir Isaac Newton, Denzel Washington, John Travolta, Jin-Hsiao Hsu, and Paul McCartney.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

(Architects)
 820 Irma Avenue,
Orlando, FL 32803  /
 407 423 0098  /

 Fax 407 423 4793

$14.9 Million Apartment Complex Trades Hands in Nevada


Woodside Village Apartments, 4800 Kietzke Lane, Reno, NV

Kenneth N. Blomsterberg

RENO, NV, Jan. 30, 2014 – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has arranged the sale of Woodside Village Apartments, a 250-unit garden-style property apartment property in Reno, Nev. The asset sold for $14,900,000, which represents a cap rate of 6.82 percent.

            Kenneth N. Blomsterberg, first vice president investments in Marcus & Millichap’s Reno office, had the exclusive listing to market the property on behalf of the seller, a Reno-based limited liability company. Blomsterberg also advised the buyer, a limited liability company based in the Bay Area.

            “Woodside Village Apartments is stabilized asset in a supply-constrained rental market that provides the new owner with an excellent opportunity to enhance value through interior and exterior upgrades,” says Blomsterberg.

            The 201,880-square-foot property is situated on more than 10 acres in a park-like setting at 4800 Kietzke Lane in Reno, Nev.

             Woodside Village Apartments was built in 1976 and has been well maintained by the previous owner for nearly 10 years.

            The property consists of 120 one-bedroom/one-bath units, 72 two-bedroom/one-bath apartments, 40 two-bedroom/two-bath units and 18 three-bedroom/two-bath apartments. Community amenities include a clubhouse, fitness center, swimming pool and tennis court.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

 Gina Relva
Public Relations Manager
(925) 953-1716

123-Room Hampton Inn in Austin, TX Sold by Marcus & Millichap


Hampton Inn, 4141 Governors Row, Austin, TX

Allen Miller
AUSTIN, TX – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has arranged the sale of a six-story 123-room Hampton Inn hotel in Austin, Texas. The terms of the sale were not released.

            Allan Miller, an associate vice president investments in Marcus & Millichap’s San Antonio office, Chris Gomes, a senior associate in Dallas and Jake Gaddy, an associate in Austin, represented the seller, a joint venture between a California family trust and a Texas-based private investor.

David Greenberg, a vice president investments in the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office, advised the buyer, Moody National REIT 1 Inc.

Chris Gomes
            “Assets like this Hampton Inn rarely become available in Austin,” says Miller. “This is a premier franchise in one of the fastest-growing cities and hotel markets in the country,”

            “The hotel’s 10-year franchise was renewed with Hilton Hotels & Resorts in July 2012,” adds Greenberg.

            The property is located at 4141 Governors Row in Austin off the intersection of Interstate 35 and Texas State Highway 71, six miles from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Jake Gaddy
The location is five minutes south of downtown Austin, near the city’s premier nightclub district and 10 miles from a new Formula One racetrack.

            The hotel was built in 1997 and extensively renovated in 2012. It features an eclectic lobby/common area. Amenities include a 430-square-foot meeting room, a business center and an outdoor swimming pool.

            Together, Miller, Gomes, Gaddy and Greenberg sold 27 hotels in 2013 valued at $169 million. Located in seven states: Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, South Carolina and New Mexico.

The assets included full-service, select-service and extended-stay hotels; brands including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Best Western, Choice Hotels International and Wyndham Worldwide; and boutique and independent hotels. 

David Greenberg
            “We expect 2014 to be a record year for hotel transactions,” concludes Greenberg, “With our unique value proposition, Marcus & Millichap will undoubtedly continue to be the dominant hotel broker in the nation.”

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

 Gina Relva
Public Relations Manager
(925) 953-1716

Seattle’s Historic Pioneer Building Sold by Marcus & Millichap for $12.3 Million


Pioneer Building, northeast corner of First Avenue and James Street at 606 1st Ave.
in Seattle’s Pioneer Square District.

Vincent Schwab
SEATTLE, WA – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has arranged the sale of the historic Pioneer Building in downtown Seattle. The $12,343,658 sales price equates to $205 per square foot.

                Vincent Schwab, a senior vice president investments, and Jon Holmquist, a vice president investments, both in Marcus & Millichap’s San Francisco office, along with Christopher Secreto, an associate vice president investments in the firm’s Seattle office, represented the buyer and seller.

Christopher Secreto
                Raymond Allen, a director in MMCC’s Seattle office, arranged $8.64 million in CMBS financing for the transaction.

                “The Pioneer Building is a Seattle landmark with a long history,” says Schwab. “It also has a fantastic downtown location just six blocks from CenturyLink Field, home of the National Football League’s Seattle Seahawks and eight blocks from Safeco Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners.”

                “Family-owned for more than 32 years, the Pioneer’s Building’s original details have been highlighted and preserved wherever possible,” adds Secreto.

Jon Holmquist
                The 89,335-square-foot Pioneer Building was built in 1892 on the northeast corner of First Avenue and James Street at 606 1st Ave. in Seattle’s Pioneer Square District. Pioneer Square, which dates back to 1852, was Seattle’s original downtown.

                “We are seeing a significant increase in the amount of office and industrial transactions lately,” says Allen. “The Pioneer Building is one of many turn-of-the-century buildings and the second office/mixed-use building that MMCC has financed this year.”

                The 10-year CMBS loan is fixed at 4.89 percent and amortizes over 30 years. The LTV is 70 percent.

Raymond Allen
                The Pioneer Building consists of six stories of office and retail and a basement. Romanesque vertical pilasters highlight the Victorian era-influenced facades and entablatures and Romanesque Revival elements are manifest in the round arches over groups of windows and the arched main entrance and corner entrance.

                The property has received numerous upgrades over the years, including a seismic retrofit in 1974, a new roof in 2001, a complete overhaul of the ventilation and air systems and a meticulous major restoration and refinishing of much of the interior and exterior stone and woodwork.

 For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Gina Relva
Public Relations Manager

(925) 953-1716

C.E. Floyd Celebrates America’s First Ever Trappist Brewery


Spencer Brewer, the first Trappist Brewery ever constructed in the United Stateson the grounds of St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, MA
(Photo by Nick Hiller)

BEDFORD, MA – C.E. Floyd is celebrating the completion of the first Trappist Brewery ever constructed in the United States.

The opening of this state-of-the-art facility signals a new era in the American beer industry, as Spencer Brewery begins distributing limited quantities of its much-anticipated Spencer Trappist Ale to stores last week. 


Brother Daniel inspecting the boil at the newly built Spencer Brewery on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Abbey. (Photo by Nick Hiller)

C.E Floyd Company, Inc., a Bedford-based general contractor, overcame numerous challenges while building this complex brewery, from the time ground was broken in September, 2012 to brewing the first batch of ale 14-months later.

The brewery is located on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, MA.

The client, St. Joseph’s Abbey, tapped the general contractor to build and manage the process equipment installation of what is now a magnificent and historic brewery.

Chris Floyd
The need to support a simple monastic lifestyle is what led St. Joseph’s Abby to move forward with constructing the 36,000 square-foot brewery modeled after facilities in Europe.

Members of the St. Joseph’s monastery toured several other Trappist breweries in the world, located in Belgium, Holland and Austria, to help shape their vision for creating a first-of-its-kind facility in America after these breweries.

In accordance with the International Trappist Association, all beers bearing their label must be brewed in the confines of a monastery, produced in keeping with the practices of a monastic life, and be sold for the sole purpose of supporting maintenance of the monastery and its charities.

Trappist beers have a reputation of being some the most renowned in the world. 

“To have the opportunity to be a part of an historic project that is unprecedented in the United States was incredibly exciting for C.E. Floyd,” said C.E. Floyd Vice President Chris Floyd. “Our client was seeking a product that reflects their lifestyle—both excellent and simple—and we are very proud of the results.”

C.E. Floyd has constructed hundreds of buildings throughout their nearly 25-year history including many in the commercial and hospitality sectors. 

The company delivers the highest quality building at the best value without compromising the integrity of the design. C.E. Floyd also takes pride in outstanding communications with their clients. 

St. Joseph's Abbey, Spencer, MA
The Spencer Brewery project was a unique challenge for the general contracting and construction management firm. The end result was an advanced micro-brewery with automated control systems designed for high quality output.  The brewery has the capacity to generate 40,000 barrels per year.

“For starters, the coordination that was needed was extensive between the brew house manufacturer in Germany and the bottling line in Italy, to ensure that the equipment was laid out and installed to a very specific standard using very tight tolerances,” said C.E. Floyd Senior Project Manager Chris Merrick.

Building Information Modeling (BIM), a 3-D computer modeling system, was utilized to coordinate the building and brewing equipment layout.

Spencer Trappist Ale display line
Eight fermentation tanks are housed in the brewery which also features stainless steel process piping, fully vitrified octagonal tiles in the brewing area that provide a connection to the European roots of the brewery, and a removable curtain-wall system and removable roof panel to allow for future equipment replacement and expansion.

“We partnered with LLT Architects and Kellar Associates to deliver an interior that reflects the simplicity of the monastic life at the abbey in an understated but timeless design, while incorporating high-quality and long lasting materials,” said Chris Floyd.

Another challenge given the remote location of the brewery was to develop a new public water supply system to meet domestic, process and fire suppression requirements. This included the installation of a 90,000 gallon underground water storage tank system.

Spencer Preserves
Construction was completed in late 2013 and the brewing process began shortly after that time.

 Last week a limited amount of the bottled product began to arrive in Massachusetts retail stores and keg barrels are anticipated to arrive in local taverns in late February or early March..

“It is rewarding to see the vision of our client become a reality through the product launch, especially knowing how hard the entire project team worked to deliver this unprecedented project,” said Chris Floyd. “We are very appreciative of the opportunity to have constructed this brewery and wish St. Joseph’s Abbey the very best.”

For over 60 years, the monks at St. Joseph’s Abbey have cooked and packed jams and jellies at the monastery under the Trappist Preserves label. This business allowed them to support themselves, while providing wholesome monastic work and charitable assistance to the poorer communities and persons in need.

Trappist communities observe the counsel of the Rule of St. Benedict, a 6th century guide for monastic life, that stresses the importance of ora et labora or “pray and work.” Monks are encouraged to be self-supportive and offer charitable assistance to others by producing and selling goods to the public.

C.E. Floyd takes pride in delivering quality buildings with exemplary customer service.

Charles Floyd, President and CEO,
 C.E. Floyd Co. Inc.
While hired to construct buildings, they do so much more than that. C.E. Floyd aspires to form a true partnership with both the owner and architect on every project in order to provide the highest quality building at the best value without surrendering the integrity of the design.

 In order to not only meet but to exceed the expectations of both owner and architect, C.E. Floyd needs to understand their needs and desires. Listening and communicating effectively are essential to achieving this goal.

For more information on Spencer Trappist Ale or St. Joseph’s Abbey please email Mary Jeffcoat at mjeffcoat@spencerbrewery.com



For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:



Matthew Watkins
President | Watkins Strategies
83 Fairoaks Lane
Cohasset, MA 02025
617-571-4582



          

Former Inland Executive Steve Sanders Joins Plaza Advisors in Tampa, FL


Jim Michalak
TAMPA, FL -- Plaza Advisors, a real estate investment sales firm specializing in the marketing and sale of shopping centers in the Southeast, has announced that Steve Sanders has joined the firm.

Mr. Sanders previously worked for Inland Real Estate for 20 years where he was Senior Vice-President of Acquisitions and President of Inland Southeast Property Management Company and directly acquired over $3.5 Billion of shopping centers and single-tenant properties on behalf of Inland-sponsored real estate investment trusts.

Sanders was also a Managing Director of Woolbright Development in Boca Raton, Florida where he was responsible for acquiring shopping centers on Florida’s west coast.

“It’s great to have Steve working with Plaza Advisors and bringing with him such a depth of experience in the shopping center industry.” commented Jim Michalak, President and founder of Plaza Advisors.

 “The key to success in our industry is personal relationships and trade area product knowledge. I don’t know many people with Steve’s ability to maintain relationships with a great deal of professional and personal respect among his peers.” added Michalak.

 Mr. Sanders will concentrate on business development in the marketing and sale of retail assets with Plaza Advisors.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Jim Michalak