Thomas D. Wood Closes Three Florida Deals Valued at $3.8 Million

 MIAMI, FL, June 20, 2011— Thomas D. Wood and Company, a Strategic Alliance Mortgage LLC member, secured financing in the amount of $3,800,000 for Point East Office, the Residences at Grand, Canal and Linhart, and Dollar General.

Steve Wood (top right photo), Company Chief Operating Officer, along with Cooper Willis of Capital Advisors, secured financing for the Point East Office Complex in the amount of $1,515,000 through Thomas D. Wood and Company’s correspondent relationship with The Standard Life Insurance Company.

 The fully-amortizing, fixed-rate loan has a term of 15 years, based on an interest rate of 6.50%.  The loan-to-value is 57.3%.  The borrower refinanced the loan to secure a fixed-rate mortgage and pull out some equity.  The 35,039 square-foot office complex was built in 1983, 1984 and 2000, and is located at 1631, 1633 and 1637 E. Vine Street, Kissimmee, Florida.

Brad Cox (middle left photo), CCIM, CPM, Company Vice President, secured financing for the Residences at Grand, Canal and Linhart in the amount of $1,050,000 through Thomas D. Wood and Company’s correspondent relationship The Standard Life Insurance Company. 

The fixed-rate loan has a term of 20 years, based on a 25-year amortization and an interest rate of 6.75%.  The loan-to-value is 60%.  The borrower need to refinance a short-term loan as soon as possible. 

The 53-unit multi-family complex was built in 1959, 1973 and 1978, and completely remodeled in 2010.  The Residences at Grand, Canal and Linhart are located in Fort Myers, Florida.

Joe Dear (lower right photo), Company Vice President, secured financing for Dollar General in the amount of $1,235,000 through Thomas D. Wood and Company’s relationship with a regional  bank. 

The construction/mini-perm loan has a term of five years, based on a 25-year amortization.  The first six months are interest-only, and the interest rate is 30-day LIBOR + 3.25%, floor of 4.0%.  The loan-to-value is 75%, and loan-to-cost is 77%.  The 9,014 square-foot single-tenant retail store will be built on 1.45 acres in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The website may be accessed through www.tdwood.com

For further information, please contact:

Steve Wood, (305) 447-7820, swood@tdwood.com

Brad Cox, CCIM, CPM (941) 552-9731, bcox@tdwood.com

Joe Dear, (407) 937-0470, jdear@tdwood.com

Jessica Kinnee, (407) 937-0470, jkinnee@tdwood.com

       

Grubb & Ellis Promotes Jeffrey Barton, Richard Luciani and Elizabeth Moore to Vice President Status

  

 LAS VEGAS, NV (June 20, 2011) – Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE), a leading real estate services and investment firm, today announced that Jeffrey A. Barton (middle left photo) , Richard W. Luciani (lower right photo) and Elizabeth Moore (top right photo) have been promoted to vice president. 

 “Jeff, Richard and Elizabeth have worked tirelessly throughout their careers to foster long-term relationships with their clients,” said Joseph Kupiec, executive vice president and managing director of Grubb & Ellis’ Las Vegas office.

  “They demonstrate great leadership in the Las Vegas commercial real estate market and have been valuable contributors to our company as well as the industry.  They are very deserving of this promotion.”

 The team, which specializes in the sale and leasing of office and industrial properties, joined Grubb & Ellis in October 2007 from IPG Commercial Real Estate Services Inc. 

 Since then, they have been involved in more than 200 sale and lease transactions. 

A partial list of their clients includes Sun Life Financial, Guggenheim Partners, Zions First National Bank, The Walters Group, Rexford Industrial LLC, Helios LLC, CW Capital Asset Management LLC and Rialto Capital Advisors LLC. 

 Contact: Julia McCartney, Phone: 714.975.2230                                     

Email:  julia.mccartney@grubb-ellis.com

         

Sale of 6671 Southwest Freeway in Houston closed by HFF

 HOUSTON, TX – HFF announced today that it has closed the sale of 6671 Southwest Freeway (top left photo), an eight-story, 148,751-square-foot office building in Houston, Texas.

HFF represented the seller and procured the buyer, Fugro, Inc., which will occupy a portion of the building.  Purchase price is confidential.

6671 Southwest Freeway is located on a 2.15-acre site in southwest Houston with direct access to Highway 59 and Hillcroft Avenue.  The property was partially renovated in 2006 and features a four-story 433-space parking garage. 

The HFF investment sales team representing the seller was led by senior managing director Dan Miller (middle right photo) and real estate analyst Brad Elmore.  The buyer was represented by Bob Gulley with Moody Rambin Interests.

Fugro provides the people, equipment, expertise and technology that support the exploration, development, production and transportation of the world’s natural resources. 

Fugro also provides its clients with the technical data and information required to design, construct and maintain structures and infrastructure in a safe, reliable and efficient manner.

Contacts: 

H. Dan Miller, CCIM, SIOR,  HFF Senior Managing Director, (713) 852-3500   dmiller@hfflp.com                                                                                                                                          Kristen M. Murphy, HFF Associate Director, Marketing, (713) 852-3500

krmurphy@hfflp.com

              

HFF arranges $43 million financing for northern New Jersey retail center

  

 FLORHAM PARK, NJ – HFF announced today that it has arranged $43 million in financing for Boulder Run Shopping Center, a 175,524-square-foot, grocery-anchored shopping center in Wyckoff, New Jersey.

HFF worked on behalf of Hekemian & Company, Inc., to secure fixed-rate financing with Allstate Investments, LLC. 

Boulder Run Shopping Center is situated on 19 acres at the northwest corner of Franklin Avenue and Godwin Avenue in Wyckoff’s central business district.  Originally completed in 1965, the property recently underwent a complete renovation and expansion that includes a newly constructed Stop & Shop supermarket.  Other tenants at the shopping center include Marshalls, McDonald’s, and Starbucks. 

The HFF team representing Hekemian & Company, Inc. was led by senior managing director Thomas Didio (top right photo) and director Michael Klein (lower left photo).

 “We were thrilled to play a role in securing the permanent financing for such a core ‘Class A’ property,” said Didio.

Hekemian & Co. is a family-owned real estate management and development company that provides acquisitions and development services, commercial brokerage and leasing, property management and insurance services.

Contacts: 

Thomas R. Didio, HFF Senior Managing Director, (973) 549-2000 tdidio@hfflp.com

Michael S. Klein, HFF Director, (973) 549-2000, mklein@hfflp.com

Kristen M. Murphy, HFF Associate Director, Marketing, (713) 852-3500

krmurphy@hfflp.com

              

HFF arranges $61 million financing for The Shoppes at Chino Hills in Chino Hills, CA

IRVINE, CA – HFF announced today that it has arranged $61 million in financing for The Shoppes at Chino Hills (top left photo), a 388,000-square-foot, trophy lifestyle center located in Chino Hills, California.

HFF worked on behalf of Chino Hills Mall LLC to secure the 5.2 percent, 10-year fixed-rate loan through Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp.

 The investment group purchased the property all cash in June 2010, in a sale also arranged by HFF, with the intention of securing financing after initial stabilization and definition of the merchandising and marketing direction.

The Shoppes at Chino Hills was originally developed by Opus West in 2008.  Located at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Peyton Drive off the 71 Freeway in Chino Hills, The Shoppes at Chino Hills is part of a larger master-planned project that includes the Chino Hills Civic Center, Chino Hills City Hall, Chino Hills Police Station and the public library.

The 90% leased property was designed by Altoon + Porter architects and is anchored by Forever 21, H&M, Trader Joes, Banana Republic, Victoria's Secret and Barnes & Noble.

Tim Sotoodeh, managing director for The Shoppes at Chino Hills stated that, “We are pleased to be seeing sale increases and overall performance that far exceeded expectations.”

Sotoodeh added, “HFF understood the strengths of the project and Citigroup’s participation is a further endorsement.”

The HFF team representing the borrower included associate director Charles Halladay (middle right photo) and senior managing director Don Curtis (lower left photo).

Contacts: 

Charles Halladay, HFF Associate Director, (949) 253-8800,  challaday@hfflp.com

Judi Lapin, for The Shoppes at Chino Hills, Lapin Consulting Group, (949) 261-1177,  jlapin@lapincg.com

 Kristen M. Murphy, HFF Associate Director, Marketing, (713) 852-3500,

krmurphy@hfflp.com

                      

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HFF Austin hires Douglas Opalka as managing director

 AUSTIN, TX – HFF announced today that Douglas Opalka (top right photo) has joined the firm as a managing director in its Austin office.

Mr. Opalka will be in charge of the local debt placement team and will co-head the Austin office alongside Sean Sorrell.

 He has more than 12 years of experience in commercial real estate finance and joins HFF from Texas Realty Capital, where he was a partner and founding member.

 Prior to that, he worked at GMAC Commercial Mortgage, during which time he advanced in the company from ground-level analyst to full producer status.

  Mr. Opalka began his career as a real estate analyst at Archon Group | Goldman Sachs after graduating from The University of Texas at Austin with a BBA degree in Finance.  He is affiliated with The Real Estate Council of Austin, Urban Land Institute and the Mortgage Bankers Association.

 “We are excited to welcome Doug to the HFF team, where he will play an integral role in establishing and growing the debt placement group in the Austin office, which we opened in January of this year,” said Jody Thornton (lower left photo), executive managing director in HFF’s Dallas office..

“His deep relationships with life companies coupled with his broad range of experience across all property types will greatly enhance our debt placement platform in Texas and will help us better serve our clients in the Austin/San Antonio corridor.”

Contacts:  

Joe B. Thornton Jr., HFF Executive Managing Director, (214) 265-0880 jthornton@hfflp.com

Kristen M. Murphy, HFF Associate Director, Marketing, (713) 852-3500,

krmurphy@hfflp.com

                      

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Cuhaci & Peterson Architects Completing Design Work on North Hollywood, FL Shopping Center

ORLANDO, FL--- Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, LLC based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park, is completing design work on the renovation of a 15,000 square foot shopping center in North Hollywood, Fla.

Lonnie Peterson, chairman at Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, said the Broward County center is located at Sheridan Street and N. Dixie Highway in Hollywood.

The developer is M&P Shopping Centers out of Atlanta.

For more information, contact:  

Lonnie Peterson, Chairman Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, LLC, 407-661-9100;  

Jed Downs, President Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, LLC, 407-661-9100;  

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

  

McCarthy Building Companies Completes Construction of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Parking Structure and Life-Saving Helipad in Santa Clarita, CA

SANTA CLARITA, CA, (June 20, 2010) – McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., one of Southern California’s preeminent parking structure and hospital building contractors, recently completed construction of the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital parking structure and life-saving helipad (top left photo)

. Located on the hospital’s 1.9-acre site in Santa Clarita, Calif., the $10.1 million parking facility is the first major component of a 15-year master plan for the overall campus.

“The new parking structure will significantly improve parking conditions for hospital patients, visitors and staff,” said Roger E. Seaver, president and CEO of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital. 

“The return of the helipad will allow Henry Mayo to retain its designation as the only trauma center in the Santa Clarita Valley and will provide immediate and life-saving air transport to patients suffering traumatic injuries or illness—thereby giving the best possible chance for survival and recovery.”

McCarthy served as general contractor and SHP Project Development was the construction manager for the 244,135-square-foot structure which opened on May 2, 2011. 

The helipad is planned to open in June 2011 after inspection and approval from CalTrans. The six level parking structure, with one subterranean level, was constructed with post-tensioned, cast-in-place concrete decks and shear walls.

One of the parking structure’s three elevators was built to serve as a trauma elevator for the rooftop helipad. This temporary location for the helipad will service the existing trauma center until the permanent helipad is constructed as part of the new patient tower.

Designed by Irvine-based Choate Parking Consultants, the parking structure includes extensive landscape with more than 600 shrubs and plants, and 50 crape myrtle, sycamore and pine trees. Other features include pathways for pedestrians, landscaping and an architectural design which complements the surrounding buildings and community aesthetics.

“Construction of the new parking structure within a heavily trafficked area on an operational hospital campus offered logistical challenges,” said McCarthy project manager Bill Gray.

 “McCarthy used temporary road closures and barricades to allow activity to continue on the three surrounding sides and major thoroughfare. McCarthy also mitigated the impact of construction by scheduling construction deliveries during non-peak traffic hours, coordinating construction traffic operations with hospital facilities personnel and governing agencies, and scheduling offsite work that required lane closures at night.”

More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com

Contact: 

Laura Mickelson (LM Communications), (949) 453-0851

Susan Garritano (McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.), (314) 968-3300

Charles Dunn Company Completes 26,336-SF Office Lease Valued at $8 Million in Downtown Los Angeles

 LOS ANGELES, CA,  June 20, 2011 – Charles Dunn Company, one of the largest full-service regional real estate firms in the Western United States, has completed a 10-year, 26,336 square foot office lease valued at $8 million with California Community Foundation (CCF) and U.S. Bank.

Chris Runyen (top right photo) of Charles Dunn Company represented both the tenant and the landlord in the transaction. 

CCF, a philanthropic organization, relocated and expanded from 17,000 square feet at Union Bank Plaza and leased new expanded space that includes a 7,000 square foot conference center within Figueroa Courtyard.

 Figueroa Courtyard (lower left photo) is a five-building, 271,000 square foot low-rise office project located on four lushly landscaped acres in the only park-like office environment in Downtown Los Angeles.  The property features a full-service café, water features and abundant parking, and is located at Third Street and the 110 Freeway.

“CCF leased the former executive offices of California National Bank,” said Runyen. “This created a significant savings for both the tenant and the landlord, since the tenant was able to make use of the existing improvements and high-end finishes and furniture in the space.”

 CCF will join other prestigious non-profits currently located at the project, such as One Legacy, Associated Press, MPR and UCLA Extension.

 Contact: Darcie Giacchetto, D.G. Communications, Inc., 949.278.6224

www.calfund.org

www.charlesdunn.com