C&W office team of Solik-Owens announces 3 deals for America’s Capital Partners totaling 34,000 sf

ORLANDO, FL–Cushman & Wakefield’s (C&W) Orlando office team of Richard Solik (top right photo) and Betsy Owens announced three lease transactions for America’s Capital Partners last month in the Orlando MSA.

• Sedgwick Claims Management Services renewed and expanded their lease for a total of 30,000 sf in the Primera V building (bottom left photo) in Lake Mary;

• Provident Funding Associates renewed their lease for 2,089 sf at 500 Winderley Place in Maitland;

• Dyne-A-Mark Corporation renewed their 1,242 sf lease at 2400 Maitland Center.

Contact: Brook Hines, Tel: 407-541-4401, brook.hines@cushwake.com,

http://www.cushwake.com/

Liberty Property Trust Receives Two Prestigious Awards from NAIOP Northeast Florida Chapter

Jacksonville Office Receives ‘Developer of the Year’ and ‘Sustainable Project of the Year’ Honors

JACKSONVILLE, FL - Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY), the real estate investment trust that owns and manages nearly 2.5 million square feet of office and industrial properties in Jacksonville, has received two awards from the Northeast Florida Chapter of National Association of Industrial Office Properties (NAIOP).

The awards, presented to Liberty for its Butler Plaza III LEED® registered building, (top left photo) were received for Developer of the Year and Sustainable Project of the Year.

“To receive ‘developer of the year’ and ‘sustainable project of the year’ honors by NAIOP, the leading trade association for developers, owners, investors and other professionals in the commercial real estate arena, is an exceptional honor,” said Mike Heise, (middle right photo) vice president and city manager, Liberty Property Trust.

Located at 4875 Belfort Road, Butler Plaza III is an 80,000 square foot building that was designed to receive LEED Silver certification (certification is expected at anytime).

The building officially opened last year in July, and in October the company announced that it had leased 98% of the building.

Liberty has since moved its Jacksonville headquarters to the brand new state-of-the-art building and the company has built-out its corporate office space to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Gold CI (Commercial Interiors) certification.

Butler Plaza III marks the company’s second sustainable development project in Jacksonville and the company's sixth sustainable building to open in the state.

Contacts:

General Inquiries: Mike Heise, Liberty Property Trust, 904/296-1776
Media Contact: Margo Hunt Winans, a.s.a.p.r., 757/404-8653

LIBERTY PROPERTY TRUST RENEWS TWO TENANTS AT BOCA COLONNADE

BOCA RATON, FL - Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY), the real estate investment trust that owns and manages nearly two million square feet of office and industrial properties in South Florida, has renewed leases with two tenants in its Boca Raton portfolio.

Campus Management Corporation has renewed a long-term lease for 53,619 square feet in the Boca Colonnade building, (bottom right photo) located at 777 Yamato Road.

The company has been a Liberty tenant since 2002. Greg Katz with Studley represented Campus Management Corporation in the transaction.

Also renewing in the Boca Colonnade building is Verizon Wireless Personal Communications LP. The company has renewed its lease for 25,262 square feet and has been a long-time tenant with Liberty since 1995. Keith Edelman and Scott Goldstein with Jones Lang LaSalle represented Verizon Wireless in the transaction.

Contacts:

General Inquiries: Andy Petry, Liberty Property Trust, 561/999-0310
Media Contact: Margo Hunt Winans, a.s.a.p.r., 757/404-8653

Schlage Lock Site Named Best Land Deal of the Year in San Francisco

San Francisco Land Use Lawyer, David Cincotta of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro LLP, Plays Key Role in Transfer of 12.3 Acres of Brownfield

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Business Wire))--Demolition and remediation activities began this week on the long dormant brownfield in San Francisco known as the Schlage Lock industrial site.

Land use lawyer David Cincotta (middle left photo) of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro LLP, represented Universal Paragon Corp. (UPC) in the real estate transaction, obtaining approvals that cleared the way for development.

The San Francisco Business Times recently named the Schlage Lock site -- part of UPC's 20-acre, $500 million Brisbane Baylands development project -- the Best Land Deal of the Year for 2008.

Ingersoll-Rand, the longtime owner of the Schlage Lock Co. factory that existed on the site, transferred the property to UPC and, in exchange, UPC dropped its decade-old $100 million lawsuit alleging that the Schlage operations had polluted the groundwater at UPC’s adjacent parcel.

UPC also agreed to pay a portion of the $25 million cleanup of the site.

During the transaction, Cincotta worked closely with UPC to pull the numerous parties and the various legal components together.

The complex deal involved settling the lawsuit, indemnifying parties from claims of future environmental liability, obtaining fixed cost contracts for remediation and securing environmental liability insurance.

On the drawing board for Brisbane Baylands are 1,250 housing units (with 25% set aside as affordable); 100,000 square feet of retail, including a supermarket; and 3 parks.

UPC also plans to convert the existing historic Schlage Lock Co. office building, which is currently boarded up, into community space and offices.

San Francisco Business Times reporter J.K. Dineen quoted UPC's General Manager Steven Hanson as saying, “It's a fantastic opportunity for the property, which has been standing unused for ten years, to get a new lease on life."

About JMBM

Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro LLP is a full-service law firm committed to providing clients with outstanding results.

The Firm's Government, Land Use, Environment and Energy (GLUEE) Department comprises more than 25 lawyers. Many of them, including Cincotta, are former city planners and administrators of public agencies.

The GLUEE team regularly represents developers and property owners in land use and environmental issues before the full range of local and California government and legislative bodies, as well as in the courts.

From offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orange County, JMBM serves clients' needs worldwide.

About Universal Paragon Corp.

Universal Paragon Corporation is a leading real estate design and development firm based in San Francisco, creating sustainable, livable and thriving projects that balance economic value and environmental sensitivity.

UPC partners with local communities to build a range of residential, commercial, hotel and mixed-use projects that reflect local values and serve local needs.

Contact: Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro LLP, David Cincotta, 415-984-9687. dcincotta@jmbm.com

NAI Realvest Negotiates lease agreements totaling more than 12,000 SF at CommerCenters in Orlando, Winter Garden, Sanford

ORLANDO, FL- Michael Heidrich, (top right photo) principal at NAI Realvest, recentlynegotiated four lease agreements for a total of 12,200 square feet of industrial space at CommerCenters in Orlando, Winter Garden and Sanford.

In Orlando, Heidrich negotiated the sublease of suites 310 and 315 with 4,382 square feet at Goldenrod CommerCenter, 1476 N. Goldenrod Rd. representing Small Bay Partners, the sublessor. The sublessee/tenant is Issac Vasquez of Winter Park.

At the same location, Heidrich negotiated a lease for 2,191 square feet representing the landlord, COP-Goldenrod, LLC. The new tenant is Islamic Society of Central Florida, Inc. of Orlando.

Heidrich negotiated a new lease for 1,875 square feet in suite 290 at CarterCommerCenter, 902 Carter Rd. in Winter Garden representing landlord COP-Carter LLC of Maitland. Liberty Diagnostics LLC of Winter Garden is the tenant.

At Monroe CommerCenter South (bottom left photo) in Sanford, Heidrich negotiated renewal of thesublease of 3,750 square feet at 4153 Flex Court representing The Girard Companies, LLC, sublessor.

Sanford-based Total Medical Solutions is the sublessee.

For more information, please contact:

Michael Heidrich, Principal, NAI Realvest 407-875-9989, mheidrich@realvest.com

Janice Paiano, Director of Marketing, NAI Realvest, 407-875-9989, jpaiano@realvest.com

Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142, lvershelco@aol.com

Industry Veteran Janine Watson Returns to Grubb & Ellis’ San Francisco Office

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE), a leading real estate services and investment firm, today announced that industry veteran Janine Watson, (top right photo) SIOR, has returned to the company’s San Francisco office, where she began her commercial real estate career in the mid-1980s.

Watson will serve as vice president and specialize in tenant representation and office leasing.

“Janine is a highly qualified individual who has extensive experience in all sectors of the commercial real estate market,” said Mark Geisreiter, executive vice president and regional managing director of Grubb & Ellis’ San Francisco Bay Area operations.

“She has represented clients in leasing, buying, developing and selling buildings, as well as partnered with brokers in other states to arrange new facilities for local clients.

"She is a very knowledgeable individual and we are fortunate to have her on board.”

Watson joins Grubb & Ellis from Pacific Union/GMAC Commercial Brokerage in San Francisco, where she served as director, responsible for tenant representation. She also served as a leasing agent for Cushman & Wakefield.

Watson is LEED™ accredited and a member of SIOR. She holds an M.A. from University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Contact: Julia McCartney, Phone: 714.975.2230. Email: julia.mccartney@grubb-ellis.com

Grubb & Ellis Promotes Mark Kowal to Vice President, Project Management Group

SOUTHFIELD, MI– Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE), a leading real estate services and investment firm, announced today that Mark Kowal (bottom left photo) has been promoted to vice president, Project Management Group, from senior project manager.

“With his commitment to providing value and contributing to our clients’ bottom line, Mark has been a driving force behind expanding the services we can provide,” said Fred Liesveld, executive vice president and managing director of Grubb & Ellis’ Southfield office.

“As more and more companies seek to benefit from ‘one-stop shopping’ for real estate services, the benefits of having one of the best project management teams in town supporting our brokerage professionals is immeasurable.”

An 18-year veteran of the commercial real estate business, Kowal’s, expertise includes large corporate turn-key projects, tenant improvement and specialty construction.

Since joining Grubb & Ellis in 2007, he has overseen the construction of ITC’s 188,000-square-foot corporate headquarters building in Novi, and he is currently managing the retail rebranding for more than 40 locations nationally for AAA.

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

Former Merchant Returns to Pinecrest in S. FLorida With Original Restaurant Concept

MIAMI BEACH, FL– Terranova Corporation is adding unique local flavor to the tenant lineup at Suniland Shopping Center, (top right photo) bringing a former merchant with a new restaurant concept back to the Pinecrest area.

Cine-It Burger and Grill, an independently owned, casual restaurant serving homemade burgers and other favorites, opened a new 2,517-square foot restaurant at 11421 South Dixie Highway, at the Suniland Shopping Center on April 9.

Meals at Cine-It will be served in a fun setting in which big-screen TVs will play memorable scenes from movie favorites, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “I’ll be back” scene in The Terminator and Clint Eastwood’s “Go ahead, make my day” scene in Sudden Impact.

“We are particularly delighted with this new tenant because he brings a fun, original and personal touch to the all-American burger meal, and I think the center’s customers are going to love it,” said Terranova executive vice president Mindy McIlroy, who represented the landlord in the lease.

“This is an experienced merchant who has served this market before and knows well what people like and need when they come to eat at Suniland.”

Cine-It Burger and Grill is owned by Jesse Vazquez, a veteran of the fast food industry in South Florida.

Vazquez worked for years in the McDonald’s chain, before owning the Chicken Kitchen franchise at Suniland.

The Chicken Kitchen still operates at Suniland, while Vazquez moved on to conceive and launch his own venture, resulting in the creation of Cine-It Burger & Grill.

He chose to open it in his former stumping ground.

“I couldn’t think of a better place to open my restaurant,” Vazquez said. “This is a great center and a great market, and I look forward to serving the many people who come to Suniland for lunch and dinner.”



Contact: Karen LaFleur, klafleur@terranovacorp.com

Arbor Closes $4.25M Fannie Mae DUS® Loan on University Apartments in East Lansing, MI

UNIONDALE, NY– Arbor Commercial Funding, LLC (“Arbor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, announced the recent funding of a $4,250,000 loan under the Fannie Mae DUS® product line for the 122-unit complex known as University Apartments in East Lansing, MI.

The 10-year loan amortizes on a 30-year schedule and carries a note rate of 6.10 percent.


The loan was originated by Michael Jehle, (top right photo) Midwest Regional Director, in Arbor’s full-service Bloomfield Hills, MI lending office.

“The subject loan is secured by three non-contiguous properties all owned by the same borrowing entity,” said Jehle. “Arbor was successful in paying off the existing indebtedness and providing cash out for this repeat client.



Contact: Ingrid Principe, Iprincipe@arbor.com

GVA Advantis Closes 2 Industrial Leases Totaling 270,000 SF in NC and VA

U.S. COAST GUARD MOVES INTO 102,000 SF AT FORMER WAL-MART LOCATION
IN ELIZABETH CITY, NC

NORFOLK, VA – GVA Advantis announces the lease of 102,000 SF to the U.S. Coast Guard at the Port Elizabeth Shopping Center (top right photo) in Elizabeth City, NC.

John Wessling, associate and Bill Overman, CCIM, senior director with GVA Advantis, represented the landlord, BH Properties.

“It is gratifying working with a company whose representatives consistently practice integrity and reliability. GVA Advantis is professional, honest, fair, and very responsive.” says Laurette Tulley of the U.S. Coast Guard Civil Engineering Unit.The space was formerly occupied by Wal-Mart and will now be used for storage of aircraft parts.

DIAMOND HILL PLYWOOD TAKES 150,000 SF IN DOSWELL, VA

NORFOLK, VA – (April 2009) – GVA Advantis announces Diamond Hill Plywood Company, Inc. has leased 150,000 SF of warehouse/distribution space at 17320 Washington Highway in Doswell, Virginia. (bottom left photo)

Stephanie Sanker, CCIM, SIOR, senior director and Clay Culbreth, CCIM, SIOR, senior director, with GVA Advantis-Norfolk, represented the tenant and Porter Realty represented the landlord.

Diamond Hill Plywood was established over 60 years ago, establishing itself as a major wholesale distributor of building material and construction products to the retail and industrial market segments.

The company, with a network of 9 sales and distribution centers in Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee and the Carolinas (and a reload center), serves a customer base throughout the Southeastern states.The tenant has consolidated their Richmond and Chesapeake, VA operations into this location.

Contact: Susan Childress, Regional Director of Marketing, Advantis Real Estate Services Co.,
757.213.8217. schildress@gvaadvantis.com

http://www.gvaadvantis.com/