CFCAR Seeks Sponsors for 2010 Real Estate Outlook Conference on Jan. 27

ORLANDO, Fla. --- The Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors (CFCAR) is seeking sponsors for the 2010 Real Estate Outlook conference, scheduled for Wednesday Jan. 27 at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Orlando.

G. Geoffrey Longstaff, (top right photo) chairman of Mercantile Capital Corporation, one of the largest providers of U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 loans in the nation will be a featured panelist at 2010 Real Estate Outlook.

Dr. Sean Snaith (top left photo)  of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Competitiveness will be the keynote speaker.

The panel discussion on financial trends will include moderator David Patten of Commercial Mortgage Advisors, Longstaff, Susan G. Hostettler of CNL Bank Central Florida, and Andy Johnson of RBC Bank.

Another panel discussion that includes the region’s top commercial real estate brokers will include moderator Robin Webb  (middle  right photo) of Coldwell Banker Commercial, John Crossman (bottom right photo) of Crossman & Company, David Murphy of CB Richard Ellis, Jay Ballard of Cushman & Wakefield, and Greg Morrison (bottom left photo) of Morrison Commercial Real Estate.

 Registration for the conference will start at 7 a.m. Breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m. and the program will start at 8:30 a.m. at the Marriott located at 400 W. Livingston St.

Sponsorship opportunities include event sponsorship, table sponsorship and program advertising opportunities.
 
Mercantile Capital Corporation ranks as one of the most active providers of SBA 504 loans nationwide, providing owners of small and mid-sized businesses the option to own commercial property with up to 90 percent loan-to-cost financing. Visit www.504Experts.com or www.504blog.com for more information.

For more information, please contact:

Geof Longstaff, Chairman Mercantile Capital Corporation, 407-786-5040 glongstaff@mercantilecc.com
 Dale Donovan, VP Sponsorships, CFCAR 407-491-0005; ddonovan@realvest.com
Steve Neveleff, President CFCAR 407-767-6475; sneveleff@stewartrealtyadvisors.com
 Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com

All-Time Attendance High at CFCAR Event

ORLANDO, FL-- The Central Florida Commercial Association of REALTORS® Presidents’ Council Commercial Real Estate Forum Leadership Luncheon recently took place with record attendance by participating associations.

The luncheon – sponsored by Holland & Knight LLP – was held in an effort to unify the voice of the commercial real estate industry. It addressed issues facing practitioners in today’s marketplace.

The mission of the Presidents’ Council is to convene the leadership of Central Florida’s real estate related associations, thereby creating a forum for the facilitation of local, state and national action that positively affects the smart growth of the region, as well as the sharing of resources and ideas that will allow member associations to become more efficient and effective in accomplishing their goals.

Over 50 business leaders representing 28 commercial real estate organizations and associations came together at this luncheon to discuss business interests that could affect the fabric of Florida’s business climate. Issues such as Hometown Democracy, encroaching property rights issues and rising government relations were lively topics for the panelists and speakers.

Presentations were given on the second phase of Hometown Democracy’s effort to stymie developers and overburden local governments. This broad-based business meeting showed the interests – and emotion – this topic can generate.

Mark Wilson, (photo at left) President & CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, spoke to attendees and stated that even though Hometown Democracy failed to obtain the necessary signatures to place the amendment on the November ballot, supporters will continue with the process in hopes of making it on the 2010 ballot.

Ryan Houck, Executive Director of Floridians for Smarter Growth and the point person in defeating the amendment, said, “Hometown Democracy isn’t smart or slow growth. It is no growth at all.” While speaking, Houck stressed that vigilance and focus is important in not becoming complacent about the issue. He stated, “Hometown Democracy is bad for hometowns and worse for democracy.”

Don Madden, (photo at right) Director of Organizational Development for the Coalition for Property Rights, spoke on their efforts to educate the public and elected officials on the importance of property rights. This concept has steadily eroded since the founding fathers incorporation of it as a basis for our political and economic system.

The association’s website is http://www.presidentscouncilfl.com/ or more information can be found at http://www.cfcar.net/.

For more information on CFCAR, please visit http://www.cfcar.net/

or call 407-816-7368.

CONTACT:

Jaclyn Whiddon
Blue Sky Partners, Inc.
407-948-9172
JWhiddon@BlueSkyPartners.com

David Patten Named Mortgage Broker of the Year

ORLANDO, FL-The Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors has named David J. Patten (photo at right) Mortgage Broker of the Year for 2007.

Patten is a commercial mortgage banking veteran with over 30 years of experience. He has managed the origination, closing and servicing of more than $2 billion in commercial mortgage loans, with more than 40 life insurance companies, Wall Street conduits, banks and other institutional investors.

He hold the Certified Mortgage Banker-Masters designation (CMB) from the MBA of America. Patten is also the chairman and founder of CFCAR's President's Council Commercial Real Estate Forum which links the many different commercial real estate organizations in Central Florida.