Sale of seven-property Houston retail portfolio closed by HFF

HOUSTON, TX, Dec. 8, 2008 – The Houston office of HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) announced today that it closed the sale of a seven-property strip retail portfolio totaling 213,685 square feet in the greater Houston, Texas metropolitan area.

The HFF investment sales team was led by senior managing director Rusty Tamlyn (top right photo) and associate director Mike Parker, (top left photo) who marketed the portfolio on behalf of the seller.

Houston Joint Properties, LTD., a partnership of Houston-based Satya, Inc., purchased the properties free and clear of debt for an undisclosed amount. As part of the arrangement, the same buyer will also purchase an eighth property, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2009.

Satya, Inc. will manage all eight properties, and leasing will be handled by Josh Jacobs (bottom right) with Page Partners, also based in Houston.

HFF (NYSE: HF) operates out of 18 offices nationwide and is a leading provider of commercial real estate and capital markets services to the U.S. commercial real estate industry.

HFF offers clients a fully integrated national capital markets platform including debt placement, investment sales, structured finance, private equity, note sales and note sale advisory services and commercial loan servicing. http://www.hfflp.com/.

Contacts:

James R. Tamlyn, HFF Senior Managing Director, (713) 852-3500, rtamlyn@hfflp.com

Michael L. Parker, HFF Associate Director, (713) 852-3500, mparker@hfflp.com

Myra F. Moren, HFF Director, Marketing(713) 852-3500, mmoren@hfflp.com

Grubb & Ellis Represents Landlord in 96,000-SFLease to Huntington Bank in Cleveland

CLEVELAND, OH, Dec. 8, 2008– Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE), a leading real estate services and investment firm, today announced it represented Harbor Group International in the lease of 96,000 square feet of office space at 200 Public Square (top right photo) in downtown Cleveland to Huntington Bank.

Alex Jelepis, senior vice president, Office Group, facilitated the lease, which has a term of 20 years.

Huntington will occupy the sixth and seventh floors of the 45-story tower, which will serve as its regional headquarters, plus a portion of the 11th floor and street-level retail space.

“With various mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcies, this building has seen a turnover of over 500,000 square feet since the year 2000,” said Jelepis. “The fact that the building is now 90 percent leased shows how strong a product the building is.”

Originally built in 1985 as the corporate headquarters for Standard Oil of Ohio, 200 Public Square was renamed the BP America Tower in 1987 when British Petroleum purchased the remaining 45 percent of Sohio and merged its North American holdings to form BP America, Inc.


Jelepis has been the building’s exclusive leasing agent since 1996, when it was acquired by Equity Office Properties. He brokered the sale of building to Harbor Group in 2005 for $142 million and has handled the leasing for them since then.

Contact: Erin Mays, Phone: 312.698.6735. Email: erin.mays@grubb-ellis.com

CBRE Orlando's James Campbell Wins Leed Accreditation

ORLANDO, FL – The Orlando office of CB Richard Ellis announces LEED Accreditation for James Campbell, (top right photo) Senior Project Manager.

Mr. Campbell is involved in all aspects of development for commercial ground-up and interior construction. His role manages due diligence, design, budgeting, scheduling, construction, relocation and tracking for his clients.

With his in depth knowledge of preconstruction, construction management, program management, and strategic planning, He serves as the single point of contact and accountability as the representative on behalf of his clients, executing successful projects through out Florida.

CBRE has taken a proactive role in guiding landlords through the LEED Existing Building (EB) program and incorporating LEED for Commercial Interiors (CI) into tenant build out scopes.

Contact: Angelique Greven, 407.839.3158, angelique.greven@cbre.com

HFF secures $7.4M joint venture equity for Stonemar Properties LLC purchase of Connecticut retail center

FLORHAM PARK, NJ – The New Jersey office of HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) announced today that it has arranged joint venture equity on behalf of Stonemar Properties, LLC for their acquisition of Milford Plaza, (top right photo) a 180,051-square-foot, grocery-anchored retail center in Milford, Connecticut.

HFF director John Taylor and associate director Michael Lachs exclusively represented Stonemar Properties, LLC in the transaction that secured a private New York metropolitan area-based fund to provide the initial $7.4 million in joint venture equity.

Situated on a 16-acre site at 143-211 Cherry Street in Milford, Milford Plaza is located along the Interstate 95 corridor approximately eight miles west of New Haven. The property was redeveloped from 1994 to 2006 and is currently 89% leased to tenants including ShopRite Supermarket (anchor tenant), Bob’s Stores (co-anchor) and Blockbuster.

“Stonemar recognized the opportunities presented with approximately 30,000 square feet of vacant contiguous space at the center of the property,” said Taylor.

Headquartered in New York, Stonemar Properties, LLC is a real estate investment and acquisitions firm focused on acquiring strategically located shopping centers in expanding secondary U.S. markets.

HFF (NYSE: HF) operates out of 18 offices nationwide and is a leading provider of commercial real estate and capital markets services to the U.S. commercial real estate industry.

HFF offers clients a fully integrated national capital markets platform including debt placement, investment sales, structured finance, private equity, note sales and note sale advisory services and commercial loan servicing. http://www.hfflp.com/.

Contacts:

John N. Taylor, HFF Director, (973) 549-2000, jtaylor@hfflp.com

Myra. F. Moren, HFF Director, Marketing, (713) 852-3500, mmoren@hfflp.com

HFF secures $11.2M refinancing for Chino, CA senior housing community

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles office of HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) announced today that it has secured an $11.2 million refinancing for Hillsborough Village, (top right photo) a 196-unit senior housing community in Chino, California.

Working on behalf of Komar Investments, HFF placed the six-year, 5.82% fixed-rate loan with Wachovia Multifamily Capital, Inc. – FNMA. Komar Investments, LLC is a privately-held company engaged in a wide variety of investments.

Hillsborough Village is located at 11902 Central Avenue one half mile north of the Pomona Freeway in Chino, approximately 30 miles east of Los Angeles. Situated on a 5.8-acre site, the property has three residential buildings with 100 one-bedroom, 95 two-bedroom and one three-bedroom unit. Community amenities include a clubhouse, pool and spa.

Contacts:
Paul C. Brindley, HFF Senior Managing Director, (310) 407-2100, pbrindley@hfflp.com

Myra F. Moren, HFF Director, Marketing, (713) 852-3500, mmoren@hfflp.com

Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. Names Larry Curry Senior Director of Tampa, FL Office

TAMPA, FL – Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation (MMMC) has named Larry Curry (top left photo) a senior director of the firm’s Tampa office, according to William E. Hughes, (bottom right photo) senior vice president and managing director of MMCC.

Curry is responsible for originating loans in the company’s Tampa office, where he specializes in structuring debt and equity transactions across all major property types.

Curry has more than 28 years of commercial finance experience. Throughout structured and arranged more than $1.6 billion of capital for more than 200 real estate transactions. Prior to joining MMCC, Curry was the director of the Capital Markets Unit for Cohen Financial. Prior to that, Curry was with BancBoston Mortgage Co. and Travelers Real Estate Investment Management.

“Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp.’s reputation as a leader in the commercial real estate capital lending arena, coupled with its national platform of resources, attracted me to the firm,” explains Curry. “The firm is uniquely positioned to provide competitive loan products even as the capital markets continue to tighten.”

Curry received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Florida at Gainesville. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, the National Multi-Housing Council and the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Press Contact: Kathy Molitor, Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation, (925) 953-1704

Clancy & Theys Picks Up Two Awards for Special Projects

ORLANDO, FL – The Orlando-based Florida Division of Clancy & Theys Construction Company, one of America’s leading contractors, received a prestigious ABC Eagle Award in the 2008 ABC Excellence in Construction Awards Competition for its renovation work at the Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld,(top left photo) Orlando (Commercial, $5 to $10 Million Category).

The project consisted of the demolition and renovation of the entrance, lobby, atrium, restaurant, sports bar and the addition of a fitness center, game room, Starbucks, emergency generator and media bars, all over an eleven-month period.

The company also received Awards of Merit for the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority Administration and Operations Center (Commercial, $20 to $50 Million Category) and the City of Lake Mary Events Center (Commercial, $5 to $10 Million Category).

Contact: Kenneth H. Cristol 407-774-2515

MSI Wins ABC Eagle Award

ORLANDO, FL – Orlando-based Mechanical Services, Inc. (MSI), an EMCOR company, received a prestigious ABC Eagle Award in the 2008 ABC Excellence in Construction Awards Competition for its heating, ventilating and air-conditioning work at Florida Hospital Altamonte’s Patient Services Expansion ($5 to $10 Million Category).

MSI’s scope of work at the new 6-story patient tower and Emergency Department/ICU also included an expanded chiller and boiler plant and state-of-the-art air handling and control systems. Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC, Lake Mary, served as general contractor. The awards were formally presented by the Central Florida chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors at its annual awards banquet on October 4 at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate.


Contact: Kenneth H. Cristol 407-774-2515

Tilt-Con Completes JA World Project in Coconut Creek, FL

COCONUT CREEK, FL – Tilt-Con Corporation, Tamarac, completed Junior Achievement’s new 59,500-square-foot JA World at The Huizenga Center for Free Enterprise in Coconut Creek, FL.

Selected for the project by Stiles Corporation, Fort Lauderdale, Tilt-Con utilized its economical system for tilt-up concrete walls. Ranked as the nation’s largest tilt-up concrete constructor by Engineering News-Record magazine, Tilt-Con’s scope of work included foundations, slab-on-grade and tilt-up concrete wall panels.

The project was designed by Hirsch Architects, Inc., Boca Raton. Tilt-Con’s South Florida office is located at 10601 State Street, Suite 10, Tamarac, phone 1-800-446-8458.

Contact: Kenneth H. Cristol 407-774-2515

Orlando Airport Picks Johnson-Laux for Vertical Construction Work

ORLANDO, FL – Orlando-based Johnson-Laux Construction was selected to provide Continuing Vertical Construction Services for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA), announced Johnson-Laux President and LEED Accredited Professional Kevin Johnson.

The scope of work includes general site construction, design-build, foundation, structural masonry, electrical, plumbing, mechanical finishes, painting, roofing, furnishing and other vertical construction work.

Contact: Kenneth H. Cristol 407-774-2515.