Thursday, July 9, 2009

Mark One Capital Arranges $2.65M Loan for Columbia, SC Retail Center


COLUMBIA, S.C.– Mark One Capital has arranged a $2.65 million loan to refinance Polo Plaza, (top left photo) a 58,024-square foot retail center in Columbia.
Geoffrey Harris, a senior director in the firm’s Phoenix office, and Farhan Kabani, an associate director in the firm’s Dallas office, arranged the financing for the property, which is located at 9810 Notch Rd.

“Financing for retail properties is becoming increasingly difficult to structure in today’s marketplace,” says Kabani. “However, Mark One Capital was able to close the transaction with very aggressive terms.”

Financing for Polo Plaza was provided by a commercial bank at a five-year fixed rate of 6 percent with a 25-year amortization schedule. The loan-to-value was 63 percent.

Press Contact: Kathy Molitor, Mark One Capital, (925) 953-1704

Seasons 52 Announces Plan to Open New Restaurant in King of Prussia, PA

ORLANDO, July 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Seasons 52, the popular fresh grill and wine bar restaurant, has selected King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, as their next site for expansion.

Expected to open in spring 2010, the new restaurant will join the recently opened Seasons 52 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, as the company's second location in the greater Philadelphia market, increasing the total number of Seasons 52 restaurants to 10.

(Seasons52, Tampa, FL, top left photo)


Leading the strategic growth plan for Seasons 52 is company President Stephen Judge, who is focused on securing premium real estate locations to fuel the concept's expansion. "King of Prussia Mall is one of the premier super-regional shopping complexes in the country" Judge said. "Through the years it has kept itself fresh and exciting, with popular and upscale retailers that provide a lifestyle environment compatible with the Seasons 52 concept."


CONTACT: Rachel Summers, +1-215-875-4365 (direct), +1-215-545-6293(fax), rsummers@stargroup1.com

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Re/Max Partners With RealtyTrac

DENVER, CO, July 8, 2009 – RE/MAX International, Inc., announced that visitors to remax.com soon will be able to search more than 1.8 million REO properties in the U.S. via a strategic partnership with RealtyTrac (http://www.realtytrac.com/).

Through the partnership, RE/MAX Associates receive discounted subscription rates to RealtyTrac, the nation’s leading online foreclosure marketplace.

RE/MAX agents are uniquely qualified to manage foreclosures and distressed property as more RE/MAX Associates have earned the Certified Distressed Property Expert® (CDPE) designation than agents from any other national real estate network.

The CDPE training, through The Distressed Property Institute, gives RE/MAX agents the expertise to assist buyers and sellers of REO and distressed properties.

“The new partnership with RealtyTrac is about adapting to today’s real estate market,” said Kristi Graning, (top right photo) Senior Vice President, Information Technology and eBusiness for RE/MAX International.

“In addition to the training they’re receiving on distressed properties, RE/MAX Associates can leverage the RealtyTrac foreclosure information and inventory on remax.com to help their buyers and sellers make informed decisions.”

RealtyTrac averages approximately 3 million unique monthly visitors. Through the subscription, RE/MAX agents have access to foreclosure information — including properties in default, properties scheduled for public foreclosure auction and bank-owned properties — along with foreclosure loan information, tax assessment information, comprehensive lien and loan history and neighborhood home sale trends.

“We are very pleased to be working with one of the world’s leading real estate brands and are excited to be providing RE/MAX International with foreclosure data,” said Rick Sharga, (middle left photo) Senior Vice President for RealtyTrac.
“Together, we believe we can have a positive impact on the national housing market by providing RE/MAX Associates with vital information they can use to help their customers with foreclosures.”

For more information on RealtyTrac, visit http://www.realtytrac.com/.

For more information on RE/MAX International, or to search for property listings, visit http://www.remax.com/.

Contact: Tammy Chan Atomic PR, Direct: 212-699-364. 6Mobile: 408-802-8682, tammy@atomicpr.com

Marcus & Millichap Lists 2 Properties for Total $21.9M

Quarry Shopping Center, Fort Smith, AR, Listed for $11M

FORT SMITH, Ark., July 7, 2009 – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has the retained the exclusive listing for the 198,371-square foot Quarry Shopping Center (top right photo) in Fort Smith.

The listing price of $11 million represents $55 per square foot and an 8.01 percent cap rate.

Mac McCall, an associate vice president investments and a director of the firm’s National Retail Group in Atlanta, and C. J. Cropper, a retail investment specialist in Little Rock, are representing the seller, a Fort Smith-based private investment group.

“The Quarry Shopping Center is currently 97 percent occupied and includes a diverse mix of national and local retail tenants well-suited for the area,” says McCall. “The investment represents a rare opportunity to acquire a Wal-Mart-anchored property at only $55 per square foot.”
The property is located on 18.2 acres at 4900 Rogers Ave., across from the Central Mall, which is anchored by Dillard’s, JCPenney and Sears.

Seller Asks $10.9M for Metro North Office Building in North Glenn, CO



NORTHGLENN, Colo., July 7, 2009 – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has retained the exclusive listing for Metro North, (bottom left photo) a 86,044-square foot office building in Northglenn, a suburb of Denver.

The listing price of $10.9 million represents $127 per square foot.

Barry Higgins, vice president investments, and office and industrial property specialists Jon Hendrickson and Taylor Turano, al based in the firm’s Denver office, are representing the seller.
“Metro North is a high-identity property with excellent visibility from Interstate 25,” says Turano.

Located at 11990 Grant St. on 3.3 acres in Northglenn, the property is accessible from 120th Avenue, which is a major artery for the city with a traffic count of 61,040 vehicles per day.

Press Contact: Stacey Corso, Communications Department, (925) 953-1716

D & A Building Services secures new contract with Denton County, TX

LONGWOOD, Fla.— D & A Building Services Inc., a facility maintenance company, has secured a new contract with Denton County, Texas. D & A is providing window cleaning and pressure washing for the county administration building, the six-story Joseph A. Carroll Building located in the City of Denton.

A crew of four window cleaning specialist will be assigned to the project, according to D & A’s Dallas Branch Manager Antonio Espinel (top right photo)

D & A Building Services’ Dallas office, established in 2008 currently employs a staff of 15 cleaning specialists. D & A is a Minority Business Enterprise certified by the North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency, a member of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Hispanic Contractors Association of Dallas/Fort Worth.

The Company has offices in Longwood, Fla., Jacksonville, Fla., Tampa, Fla., Kansas City, Mo., Madison, Wis., Dallas, Texas, and Detroit, Mich. For additional information, please visit http://www.dabuildingservices.com/.
Contact: Elaine Ingra, PR WORKS!, PH: 407 384-1344,
elainei@pr-works.com, www.pr-works.com

Ardaman & Associates wins contract in Louisiana

ORLANDO, FL— Ardaman & Associates Inc., Orlando’s oldest geotechnical engineering firm, has been selected by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – East Board for an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide geotechnical engineering services.

The three-year contract has a maximum fee of $1 million per year. Ardaman’s New Orleans office will perform on this contract.


Ardaman & Associates Inc. is an engineering practice providing geotechnical, environmental, water resources and facilities engineering, and construction materials testing to public, industrial and private clients worldwide.

The Company is headquartered in Orlando with offices in Bartow, Cocoa, Fort Myers, Miami, Port St. Lucie, Sarasota, Tallahassee, Tampa, and West Palm Beach, Fla., and in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Monroe and Alexandria, La. Established in 1959, Ardaman employs a professional, support and field staff of 485. Please visit ardaman.com for more details about services and experience.

Contact: Elaine Ingra, PR WORKS!, PH: 407 384-1344,
elainei@pr-works.com, www.pr-works.com

Van Tilley promoted at Palmer Electric

WINTER PARK, FL– Van Tilley (top right photo) has been promoted to executive vice president at Palmer Electric Company in charge of all operating units consisting of commercial, service, residential, systems and multi-family divisions.

Tilley, who joined the 350-person electrical services company in 2002, most recently held the position of vice president - commercial division.

He remains on the board of directors for Palmer Electric, an employee owned company.

With 30 years of electrical contracting experience, Tilley’s education and trade training includes a four-year electrical apprenticeship program in Florida, construction management courses at Clemson University Business Management Academy, general studies at Jefferson Davis Community College, Biloxi, Miss., as well as the completion of numerous Fails Management seminars.

He currently serves on the board of directors of the Central Florida Chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors.


Contact: Elaine Ingra, PR WORKS!, PH: 407 384-1344, elainei@pr-works.com, www.pr-works.com

Chatham Financial Advises on $1.275B Bank of America Tower Financing

KENNETT SQUARE, PA – Chatham Financial has assisted The Durst Organization and Bank of America, joint venture partners in The Bank of America Tower (top left photo) at One Bryant Park, in closing the largest single asset first mortgage since the fall of 2007.

The $1.275 billion permanent financing of Bank of America Tower, a 2.4 million square foot, 54-story LEED Platinum certified office tower, which serves as New York headquarters for Bank of America, is a result of creativity and perseverance in this credit constrained market.

“Closing this transaction proves there is still money available for the best borrowers on the best assets.
" Getting a deal of this size done in today’s credit market is a testament to the relationships and stellar reputation of The Durst Organization, the strength of Bank of America as a tenant, and the unparalleled quality of this building,” Tony Talbert, Director, Chatham Financial.

Chatham acted as financial advisor to the partnership on a range of issues including loan structuring, lender solicitation, and interest rate hedging.

“Thank you to our lenders, partners and advisors for getting this deal done,” said Douglas Durst, (bottom right photo) Chairman of The Durst Organization.

“We are very proud of One Bryant Park; the building has proven to be a trailblazer. It’s the first LEED Platinum office tower in the United States.
"It was the largest skyscraper designed and built after September 11th, 2001 and now it’s the first building to get a large loan after the credit markets froze last year. We are hopeful that this financing will engender additional lending and get our city, state and nation’s economies back on track.”

Bank of America Tower is 98% occupied and includes Charlie Palmer’s Aureole Restaurant, and the restored and reconstructed Henry Miller Theater.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Thomas D. Wood & Co. Closes $5.55M Loan for Canadian Ferrari Dealership

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—July 7, 2009— Thomas D. Wood and Company, a Strategic Alliance Mortgage LLC member, secured construction financing on June 30, 2009, in the amount of $5,550,000 for Ross Motor Sports, (top right photo) a Ferrari dealership in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Patrick Madore, Company Vice President, financed the Ross Motor Sports through Thomas D. Wood and Company’s relationship with a Canadian bank.

The loan is floating at 350 over LIBOR, with a five-year term, based on a 20-year amortization. The loan-to-value is 55%, and loan-to-cost is 50%. The 26,506 square-foot Ferrari dealership will be built on 0.256 acres at 1898 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British Columbia.




For further information, please contact:
Patrick Madore, (954) 233-6024, pmadore@tdwood.com
Jessica Gurtowski, (407) 937-0470, jgurtowski@tdwood.com

Tenants Signing Shorter Leases for Office and Industrial Space

SANTA ANA, CA--Bob Bache, (top right photo) senior vice president and chief economist, Grubb Ellis Co., says the average terms of office and industrial leases signed in the second quarter were the shortest of the decade at 52.3 months for office leases and 43.4 months for industrial leases.

The recession and weak corporate profits are prompting many tenants to choose short-term extensions as their leases expire instead of new, five-year leases.

These tenants prefer the flexibility of a shorter commitment to the generous terms on offer by many landlords who would prefer to lock in tenants for longer periods.

Not all landlords favor five-year terms, however. Some think three years is the optimum length because they believe that rental rates will begin to rebound before the five-year terms are up, and they want to be in a position to raise rents as soon as market conditions permit.


Contact: Bob Bache, corporatecommunications@grubb-ellis.com, or to Janice McDill at 312.698.6707.

Four Points by Sheraton Kuching Celebrates Official Opening

KUCHING, Malaysia-- Four Points by Sheraton Kuching (top right photo) was officially declared open recently during a Grand Opening ceremony presided over by Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak (top left photo).

In conjunction with the Grand Opening, Four Points also set the record for the Tallest Cupcake Display in Malaysia, an attempt endorsed by The Malaysia Book of Records.

The record attempt was witnessed by the Prime Minister as well as Datuk Danny Ooi, Managing Director of The Malaysia Book of Records.

Four Points by Sheraton Kuching is located 2 kilometres from the Kuching International Airport and just 15 minutes from the heart of the city. The hotel, the city’s first International opening in almost 2 decades, will cater to both business and leisure travelers while also offering a complete range of meeting and banquet facilities.
"We’re extremely proud to be Starwood’s first Four Points in South East Asia,” said Giuseppe Ressa, General Manager of Four Points by Sheraton Kuching.

Developed and owned by Global Upline Sdn. Bhd., the 421-room Four Points by Sheraton Kuching combines modern architectural design with practical use of space.

“The simple functionality of our design allows us to introduce the Four Points’ honest, uncomplicated hospitality to a market that’s hungry for a new international hospitality brand,” said Bobby Ting, Owner’s Representative and Assistant Managing Director of Global Upline.

Four Points by Sheraton is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.


Contact: Hwee-Peng Yeo, Tel : +65 6335 4837; Cell : +65 9768 6087; +65 9248 0424. Fax : +65 6335 4820
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/;

Marcus & Millichap Sells 3-Star RV Resort in Anaheim, CA for $10M

ANAHEIM, CA – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has arranged the sale of Anaheim RV Village, (top left photo) a 293-site, three-star RV Resort in Anaheim.

The sales price of $10 million included the 1.66-acre commercial corner at the intersection of Ball Road and Harbor Boulevard.

The park sold at a land value of $20.94 per square foot and a cost per site of $31,083 net of the commercial land value.
Douglas Danny, vice president investments and a senior director of the firm’s National Manufactured Home Communities Group in San Diego, represented the seller, WB Parc Anaheim LLC. The buyer was represented by Don Nourse of CB Richard Ellis.

“Anaheim RV Village has tremendous cash flow potential with operational repositioning,” says Danny. “The existing RV resort rental business was systematically curtailed to facilitate redevelopment of the site into multi-residential use. The current RV park occupancy has been at 25 percent since May of 2007.

The new owner, The Mother Colony Group LLC, intends to focus on annual rentals,” adds Danny.

Anaheim RV Village is comprised of 9.27 acres containing 274 RV lots with drains, 19 campsites with a full amenity package and a signal-controlled commercial corner with two retail rental units.

The listing attracted multiple offers from both developers and operators. The property was widely marketed for 180 days and was in escrow for a total of 60 days. This was an all-cash transaction.

Press Contact: Stacey Corso, Communications Department, (925) 953-1716

Chick-Fil-A Leases Former Road House Grill for 25 Years

Orlando, Florida – July 7, 2009 – The Orlando office of CB Richard Ellis is pleased to announce, Jorge Rodriguez, CCIM, Senior Associate in Retail Properties, has secured a lease for the landlord Pineloch Management Company, at the former Road House Grill, located at Michigan and Orange Avenues. The 25-year lease is for a Chick-Fil-A store.

Currently, the Road House Grill building has been demolished and Chick-Fil-A is projecting an opening of mid-October 2009.

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

Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty to Host Auction of 27 Luxury Condominiums in Metro Orlando

ORLANDO, FL--- Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, partnering with Worldwide Auction Realty Services, will conduct an auction Saturday Aug. 1 to sell 27 remaining condominium, residences at Artisan Park, a luxury community of over 300 new condominium homes located at Celebration in Osceola County.

Roger Soderstrom, founder and owner of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, said the auction is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the Celebration Hotel.
(top right photo)

Condominiums to be auctioned were formerly listed for sale at prices ranging from $480,000 to $600,000. Suggested opening bids have been set at $95,000, Soderstrom said.

Many of the condominiums to be auctioned feature waterfront settings, Soderstrom said. Artisan Park features a community clubhouse with a swimming pool, cabana, restaurants and other amenities. A brochure can be downloaded and property photos viewed online by visiting http://www.auctionatcelebration.com/

Prospective bidders are being invited to register and participate in the auction in person at Artisan Park, by telephone at 800.327.1048, or World Wide Auction Realty Services will accept bids online at (http://www.auctionatcelebration.com/).


For more information, please contact:
Jon or Lori Chipps, World Wide Auction Realty Services 800.327.1048; http://www.stirlingsir.com/;

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407.644.4142

Lodgian Provides Further Update on Remaining Maturing Mortgage Debt

ATLANTA, Ga., July 7, 2009 – Lodgian, Inc. (NYSE Alternext US:LGN), one of the nation’s largest independent hotel owners and operators, today announced that the company has obtained an extension of the maturity date for the Merrill Lynch Fixed Rate Pool #3 (“Pool #3”).

As of July 1, 2009, the principal amount of Pool #3 was $45.7 million. The company and the special servicer for Pool #3 have entered into an extension agreement to extend the maturity date of this indebtedness until August 1, 2009. Given the extension of the maturity date, the company is not in default of the original loan. The company paid no extension fee in connection with this short-term extension.

The 30-day extension is intended to provide the parties an opportunity to reach an agreement on a longer-term maturity extension.

The company and the special servicer are currently negotiating a longer-term maturity extension for Pool #3; however, the company can provide no assurances that the parties will reach such an agreement.

In the event that the company is unable to achieve a long-term extension of Pool #3, the company expects that anticipated cash flow from the hotels securing Pool #3 may not be sufficient to meet the related debt service obligations and it may be necessary to transfer the properties securing this indebtedness to the lender in satisfaction of the company’s obligations.
Contact: Debi Ethridge, Vice President, Finance & Investor Relations, mailto:Relationsdethridge@lodgian.com(404) 365-2719