Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Construction Under Way by Consolidated Contracting Services on new QueensCare Health Centers Site in East Los Angeles, CA

  
Rendering of planned QueensCare Health Center, 4816 East Third Street, Los Angeles, CA


SAN CLEMENTE, CA – (Oct. 28, 2013) – Consolidated Contracting Services, Inc., a leading Southern California commercial builder, has construction under way for a new 24,000-square-foot QueensCare Health Centers (QHC) facility in East Los Angeles, located at 4816 E. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, Calif. 90022.

Barbara B. Hines
The two-story, structural-steel building will encompass 38 medical exam rooms, nine dental operatories for adult and pediatric dentistry, three counseling rooms and two meeting rooms.

 It will also contain a 1,000-square-foot conference room that will serve as a venue for hosting health events and community meetings.  Construction is slated for completion in August 2014, and the health center will be open to serve patients in early 2015.

Situated on a one-acre lot accessed along East 3rd Street, the new health center will be serviced by the Metro Gold Line, which stops just north of the site.  The new facility will record more than 55,000 patient visits a year -- double the organization’s current capacity in East Los Angeles.

Consolidated Contracting demolished the existing church structure last month and is now working on site grading and installation of underground utilities. An official groundbreaking celebration was held on September 24th.

Joe Troya
“This is the first major capital development project in the nearly century-long history of QueensCare Health Centers’ operations,” stated Barbara B. Hines, President & CEO of QueensCare Health Centers.  “We are pleased to have Consolidated Contracting building the new center due to its experience in health center development and its team-oriented approach.”

Joe Troya, principal of Consolidated Contracting Services, is serving as project executive, with Stephen Viscioni as project superintendent, Rod Tower as project manager and James Dixon as project engineer.

RBB Architects, Inc., Los Angeles, is the project architect; KPFF Consulting Engineers, Los Angeles, is the civil engineer; N A Cohen Group, Encino, is the electrical engineer; and Applied Earth Sciences, Los Angeles, is the environmental engineer.  Carter Romanek Landscape Architects, Los Angeles, is the landscape architect.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Bonnie Kutch
Director
619-299-1010
Kutch & Company
6434 Caminito Listo | Suite B-100 | San Diego, California 92111

Morrison Commercial Real Estate Negotiates Sale of 6925 Lake Ellenor Drive in Orlando, FL for $2.625 Million


6925 Lake Ellinor Drive, Orlando, FL

ORLANDO, FL (October 29, 2013):  Morrison Commercial Real Estate, a full-service brokerage firm specializing in office and industrial in Central Florida, recently negotiated the sale of 6925 Lake Ellenor Drive located in Orlando, FL for $2,625,000.

Lisa Bailey
Lisa Bailey, Senior Vice President of Morrison Commercial Real Estate, negotiated the sale representing the Seller, Land O’Frost, headquartered in Lansing, IL.

 6925 Lake Ellenor Drive, a six-building flex property built in 1975, has a total of 109,344 square feet of office and warehouse space on 8.75 acres.

 The buyer was Max King Realty based in Orlando, FL.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

  Sarah Holodick
Phone: 407.440.6647

Palladium Building Sold in Orlando, FL


The Palladium building, 12124 High Tech Avenue, Orlando, FL

ORLANDO, FL, Oct. 29, 2013 -- CBRE, Inc. together with Ron Rogg is pleased to announce the sale of The Palladium building, a 71,812 square foot suburban office building located at 12124 High Tech Avenue, Orlando, near the University of Central Florida and the Central Florida Research Park.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Ronald J. Rogg, CCIM
Executive Vice President
+1 407 839 3194

Opportunity Fund Proposes New Boutique Condo Project In Miami Beach


Rendering of planned Ritz Carlton Residences Miami Beach

MIAMI, FL -- As the South Florida housing market increasingly rebounds from the real estate crash of 2007, an opportunity fund with ties to New York City is proposing a new seven-story condo project less than a mile away from the planned Ritz-Carlton Residences going up in the barrier island city of Miami Beach, according to a new report from CondoVultures.com.

Daniel Lebensohn
The boutique project's developer - an entity controlled by BH3 Development with Daniel Lebensohn - plans to build 65-units on a portion of a 2.3-acre site that currently houses Talmudic University in the 4000 block of Alton Road and the Julia Tuttle Causeway in Miami Beach, according to city of Miami Beach and Miami-Dade Property Appraiser records.

The Ritz-Carlon Residences Miami Beach is slated to be developed in the 4800 block of Alton Road in Miami Beach, according to South Florida Business Journal.

In Miami Beach, a combination of domestic and international developers - in unrelated projects - are now proposing to construct at least 20 new towers with more than 1,125 condo units in the barrier island city that is comprised of the neighborhoods of South Beach, Middle Beach, and North Beach as of October 23, 2013, according to the Preconstruction Condo Projects Database™ compiled by the licensed Florida brokerage CVR Realty™.

Talmudic University, Miami Beach, FL
Overall in South Florida, at least 173 new condo towers with more than 22,600 units are proposed, planned, under construction, or recently completed in the tricounty South Florida region of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach as of October 23, 2013, according to the Preconstruction Condo Projects Database™ compiled by the licensed Florida brokerage CVR Realty™.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Condo Vultures® LLC
225 Midtown Building
225 NE 34th St.
 Suite 209B,
Downtown Miami, Florida, 33137
 800-750-0517.


Monday, October 28, 2013

Taubman Asia Announces Ground-breaking of Hanam Union Square Shopping Center Site in Greater Seoul


Rendering of planned Hanam Union Square shopping center
Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea

HONG KONG, Oct. 28, 2013 – Taubman Asia, a subsidiary of U.S. mall REIT, Taubman Centers, Inc., today officially announced the groundbreaking of the Hanam Union Square shopping center, a 4.5 million square feet (430,000 sqm) GFA mall in Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.

Rene Tremblay
Taubman Asia and Shinsegae Group, Korea’s leading luxury department store retailer, are the joint investors in the project and are co-developing the site. Hanam Union Square is scheduled to open in the second half of 2016.

Taubman will provide development, leasing, operations and ongoing center management services. Taubman Asia will invest US$330 million in Hanam Union Square for a 30 percent interest in the US$1.1 billion project, demonstrating its commitment to the Korean retail industry and belief in its growth potential.

A ceremony was held at the property today, signifying construction getting underway. Guests of honor present included the Governor of Gyeonggi Province, Mr. Moon-su Kim; the Mayor of Hanam City, Mr. Kyo-beom Lee; National Assembly member, Mr. Hyunjae Le; the Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group, Mr. Yong-jin Chung, and Taubman Asia President, Mr. René Tremblay.

Moon-su Kim
“Taubman Asia is honored to have been chosen by Shinsegae as its retail partner for the development of Hanam Union Square,” said Mr. Tremblay. “We are proud to be part of the transformation of Hanam City into a premier shopping and entertainment destination for Koreans.

“This project provides us with a great opportunity to further leverage Taubman’s 60-plus year retail heritage, and bring a new level of world-class retail environment to the sophisticated Korean market.”

With a gross leasable area of approximately 1,700,000 square feet (157,000 sqm), Hanam Union Square is designed to be a unique, multi-level – three levels for retail, plus basement, deck and rooftop parking – lifestyle shopping mall with Shinsegae Department Store as the anchor tenant.

Yong-jin Chung

“We also anticipate there will be a significant number of high-end flagship stores, and feature leisure and entertainment facilities such as a hypermarket, cinema, spa, food and beverage and more,” Mr. Temblay said.

“When completed we expect the mall to contribute to the local economy by creating over 7,000 jobs.”

This type of regional mall is new to the Korean market, and will be among the largest in the country. With distinct areas being developed for families, teenagers, and Korea’s most discerning shoppers, Hanam Union Square will meet the wants and needs of a wide range of visitors.

IFC Seoul Mall
Mr. Yong-jin Chung said, "Through the strategic partnership with Taubman Asia, which has successful know-how in the development and management of lifestyle shopping mall complexes, we will create a landmark leading tourist business in the capital region."

Located in one of the most scenic areas of Greater Seoul, with tourist attractions nearby, Hanam Union Square will be directly connected to the seven-lane Misari Expressway, which is linked to the Greater Seoul freeway network.

In addition to Hanam Union Square in Greater Seoul, Taubman Asia’s portfolio also includes managing the operations of IFC Mall in Seoul, which was opened fully leased in August 2012, and two recently announced projects in Xi’an and Zhengzhou, China which are scheduled
to open in late 2015.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

 Pamela So 
Weber Shandwick,
Hong Kong
+852 2533 9916

Saturday, October 26, 2013

John Evans of Maury L. Carter & Associates Inc. Selected as Participant in Wedgworth Leadership Institute


John A. Evans
Orlando, FL - John Evans of  Orlando-based Maury L. Carter & Associates, Inc. has been selected as a participant in the Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources for Class IX.

The first seminar of the two-week program will take place in Gainesville during the week of November 11. The selected program participants have committed to 11 seminars, totaling 55 days in all, which
further develop their leadership capabilities in representing the agricultural industry.

 From a seminar in the Florida panhandle and a week in Miami to time spent in Washington D.C. and a three-week international trip, this program strives to broaden perspectives and build a network within the industry
and beyond.

 As a result, program graduates are able to address challenges of local, state, national, and global dimensions.

Dr. Hannah Carter
“The candidates selected for this program are already leaders in their respective industries,” said Dr. Hannah Carter, Director of the Wedgworth Leadership Institute.

 “Our goal is not to teach leadership, but rather, to give existing leaders an introduction to public policy and to create a networking system for participants to develop professionally and use their skills to address issues affecting Florida’s agriculture industry and natural resources.”

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

 Kristin Fortier
Maury L. Carter & Associates, Inc.
3333 S. Orange Avenue, Suite 200
Orlando, Florida 32806
407-421-0586 (c)
407-422-3144 (o)

Lodging Econometrics Announces its Fifth Anniversary Providing Global Development Intelligence



PORTSMOUTH, NH –Lodging Econometrics (LE), the leading lodging industry consulting partner for global real estate intelligence, announces its 5th Anniversary providing Hotel Development Intelligence globally.

Today, LE tracks Hotel Development and publishes a proprietary Forecast for New Hotel Openings for every region, country and market of the world.
  
The company, which started tracking the Development Pipeline in the United States in 1998, expanded its reach in 2008 and now offers its proprietary market intelligence worldwide to Franchise Companies, 

Ownership and Management Groups and Lodging Industry Vendors interested in increasing their market share anywhere in the world.

LE’s global team of Market Intelligence Specialists research and provide the most comprehensive hotel real estate intelligence available. It includes decision-maker contacts and is updated quarterly.

LE then delivers the intelligence to its clients in the form of a customized Business Development Program that identifies and presents every growth opportunity available that meets their unique specifications in any or all regions of the world. LE also offers a product line of individual regional, country and market development trend reports ideal for analysis and decision-making.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Jennifer McLynch
Lodging Econometrics
603-431-8740 ext. 16

CampusMBA Renamed MBA Education





Washington, DC – The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) announced that CampusMBA is changing to MBA Education, formally aligning itself with the new MBA brand.  

MBA Education is the education division of the association and enables companies the ability to increase their efficiency and productivity in order to stay competitive in the real estate finance industry.

David Stevens
 “MBA Education is a significant component of the MBA and has solidified our association’s position as experts and instructors in the mortgage finance industry,” said David Stevens, MBA president and CEO. 

“Aligning our educational division with our new brand reinforces our ability to speak with one voice. We look forward to continuing to lead the field with first-rate courses and products unmatched by any in the industry.”

Visit MBA Education at its new address: www.mbaeducation.org

 For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Rob Van Raaphorst
(202) 557-2799

Q3 2013 Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Bankers Originations Up 29 Percent from Q3 2012


 
WASHINGTON, DC – Commercial and multifamily mortgage origination volumes during the third quarter of 2013 were 29 percent higher than during the third quarter of 2012 and originations were essentially flat compared to second quarter of 2013, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Quarterly Survey of Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Bankers Originations.

Jamie Woodwell
“Commercial and multifamily real estate borrowing and lending continued at a moderate clip in the third quarter,” said Jamie Woodwell, MBA’s Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Research. 

“Mortgage origination volumes were essentially flat from the second quarter, but were up 29 percent from last year’s third quarter and are up 14 percent year-to-date.

“ Lending by life insurance companies remained near last quarter’s record pace, while lending for the GSEs dropped by more than a third.”

 For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Shawn Ryan
(202) 557-2727

Jameson Real Estate Celebrates 5th Anniversary with 400 Percent Growth in Sales Volume Since 2008


Chicago night skyline

Mike Sato
CHICAGO (October 24, 2013) – Leading real estate brokerage firm Jameson Real Estate, comprised of Jameson Sotheby's International Realty and Jameson Commercial, announced that the firm’s sales volume has grown by 400 percent since 2008. The firm is also on pace to have a record-setting 2013, topping its $1 billion in sales volume in 2012.

 “When Charley and Harry Huzenis invited Mike Sato and me to join the Jameson team five years ago, we were honored for the opportunity to build upon the firm’s 25-year-old reputation of integrity, innovation and results,” said Chris Feurer, chief executive officer at Jameson.

 “For this partnership to result in such exponential growth, despite enduring our generation’s worst recession, is testament to the tenacity of our leadership, our agents and our staff.”

Chris Feurer

Over the past several months, Jameson has continued to hire top-performing residential and commercial agents, increased marketing staff and grown its technology and infrastructure platforms.

 “Jameson’s sales volume for 2013 is expected to exceed $1.3 billion,” said Mike Sato, president at Jameson. “With 75 percent of our business in residential and 25 percent in commercial brokerage, our firm has a unique position in the Chicago market.

“We understand what’s required to meet this current level of market growth and Jameson’s increasing market share, but we don’t want to just meet it, we want to exceed it. But if you don’t give your agents the necessary tools, it’s unsustainable.”
Harry Huzenis

In October, Jameson launched a new marketing program to deliver tailored information to consumers based upon demographics, sophistication and neighborhood, through a variety of customizable digital and offline communication vehicles.

 “Because our agents live in the neighborhoods they serve, they truly know their clients’ lifestyles, needs and goals. An off-the-shelf approach contradicts the Jameson philosophy which recognizes each client, and every transaction, as unique,” said Feurer.

The messaging carried throughout the communications program is “Expect the Exceptional,” illustrating Jameson’s exceptional qualities, service and brand.

Charles Huzenis
 “Our clients have come to expect the exceptional, because that’s exactly what we deliver. This mantra applies to every aspect of our firm, in the way we communicate, service and sell,” said Feurer.

Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty currently has more than 250 agents with expertise in Chicago and the North Shore. With nearly 50 agents focusing exclusively in Chicago, Jameson Commercial holds a strong presence in the downtown and Lincoln Park markets. Both firms are headquartered in Chicago.

 For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Julie Liedtke, jliedtke@taylorjohnson.com, 312-267-4521
Kim Manning, kmanning@taylorjohnson.com, 312-267-4527


ZipRealty Launches Mobile CRM; Empowers Increased Agent Productivity

  


  
EMERYVILLE, CA– ZipRealty, Inc. (http://www.ziprealty.com) (NASDAQ: ZIPR), the nation’s most prominent online technology-powered residential real estate brokerage firm and real estate marketing solutions provider, released the mobile-optimized version of Zap, a custom-built, end-to-end customer relationship management solution (CRM) and dashboard that helps real estate agents close more transactions with a greater level of efficiency.

Because the Zap CRM is fully integrated with ZipRealty.com and ZipRealty’s award-winning mobile app, it gives agents real-time insights into their clients’ online home search activity, effectively showing agents which clients are “heating up”.

With the launch of mobile Zap, agents now have the power to see and respond to those clients from the palm of their hand, making them more efficient and effective than ever before.

 For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Stacey Corso
Public Relations Manager
ZipRealty, Inc.
Office: 510.735.2667
Cell: 415.672.6460
Follow us on Twitter: @ZipRealty

Atlantic Station in Atlanta, GA Unveils New Branding



  
ATLANTA, GA — On the heels of its incredibly successful turnaround, Atlantic Station today is unveiling new branding that reflects the property’s walkable Midtown location, welcoming atmosphere and creative-class vibe.

Mark Toro
  The overall look — a sharp design with red and charcoal palette — will show up in a new logo, photography and signage.

 “We wanted a new look to mark the successes we have enjoyed in the past two and a half years and to reflect the Midtown community that has helped us achieve so much,” said Mark Toro, managing partner at North American Properties (NAP).

 “Atlantic Station was struggling in 2010 when we took over, and now it is a vibrant place where people shop, dine, work, live and enjoy spending time.”

 In 2010, CBRE Global Investors and NAP took over an ailing Atlantic Station and implemented an aggressive strategy to turn around the property.

NAP began engaging the community through neighborhood meetings and an industry-leading social media program.


 A $2.5 million investment was made to improve parking and security. More than 200 events now are held annually to attract guests and potential retailers. Those events include the BB&T Atlanta Open and, most recently, Containment, Atlanta’s largest haunted attraction


 An aggressive re-tenanting strategy has led to more than 30 new retail leases including chef-driven restaurants, locally owned boutiques and first-to-market retailers.

The cumulative effect of the turnaround strategy has been a more-than-15 percent increase in sales property-wide. CBRE also has signed more than 20 new leases securing some of Atlanta’s most innovative office tenants, including Square, Pandora, Ogilvy & Mather and TapJoy.
  
 The new branding will start appearing on property signage and the MARTA shuttle this month.


For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Elizabeth Hagin
The Wilbert Group
404-748-1367 (O) 678-642-4301 (C)



Cuhaci & Peterson Architects Completes Design of a new LEED Certified Element hotel at Fashion Square Mall in Orlando, FL


Fashion Square Mall, Orlando, FL

ORLANDO, FL--- Cuhaci & Peterson Architects Engineers Planners, based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park, recently completed the design of a 151-room Element Hotel at Fashion Square Mall on E. Colonial Drive in Orlando.

Rendering Element Hotel
at Fashion Square Mall, Orlando, FL
Lonnie Peterson, chairman at Cuhaci & Peterson, said construction is expected to get underway on the hotel in early 2014.

The project will be LEED certified, and total construction cost is estimated at more than $10 million, Peterson said.

The design contract was awarded to Cuhaci & Peterson by Starwood Hotels & Resorts, the developer of Element.  

 For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

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


StoneGate Golf Club Demo Days Set in Kissimmee, FL


StoneGate Golf Club course at Solivita, Kissimmee, FL

Kissimmee, Fla. --- StoneGate Golf Club at Solivita in Kissimmee has announced its Winter 2013-2014 Golf Demo Days schedule.

Christopher Russell
 Christopher Russell, PGA, TPI, director of golf at Stonegate Golf Club at Solivita, said Demo Days is a chance for golfers to learn everything they want to know about the most popular clubs, balls, teaching aids and accessories in the $76 billion golf industry.

 Russell said StoneGate invited the most prominent manufacturers to make Golf Demo Day presentations, including Ping, Cleveland, Adams, Bridgestone and Callaway.

 Admission to Golf Demo Days at StoneGate Golf Club is free.

 For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

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


Valet Waste, LLC to Relocate Corporate Headquarters to Wells Fargo Center in Downtown Tampa, FL


Wells Fargo Center, Downtown Tampa, FL

Abbey Dohring
Tampa, FL– Valet Waste, LLC, the nation’s leading provider of doorstep trash and recycling collection services, announced the upcoming relocation of their corporate headquarters to Wells Fargo Center in downtown Tampa. 

 The firm, represented by co-brokers Mercedes Angell of Cushman & Wakefield and Abbey Dohring of The Dohring Group, leased 17,194 square feet.

 Valet Waste, LLC currently occupies three floors in another downtown Tampa location. 

Located near the Tampa Convention Center in downtown Tampa, the 22-story, 388,000 square foot Wells Fargo Center is one of Tampa’s premier Class A office buildings with unimpeded views of Hillsborough Bay, the Hillsborough River and the Downtown Tampa skyline. 

Mercedes Angell
“With our leases nearing expiration at our current location, we wanted to increase our efficiency and collaboration by consolidating all of our 40+ corporate employees onto one floor,” stated Bill Clarke, the company’s Chief Financial Officer.

 ValetWaste who began their search for a new headquarters location in July plans to occupy their new space in early December.  After visiting eight properties over the past few months, Valet Waste narrowed the list to three locations including Wells Fargo Center. 

“The Feldman Equities team headed by Larry Feldman was a pleasure to work with throughout the entire lease process,” according to Clarke.  “They met all of our search objectives with an aggressive and fair proposal.”

Larry Feldman
 Feldman Equities, LLC and Tower Realty Partners have secured 58,422 square feet of leases (over half of the vacant office space) at Wells Fargo Center in downtown Tampa since purchasing the Class A office building in January.

Anchored by Wells Fargo & Company, Phelps Dunbar and UBS, Wells Fargo Center is currently 87% leased with one of downtown Tampa’s most desirable full floor vacancies.

Bill Clarke
 Wells Fargo Center has recently undergone a multi-million dollar renovation involving the modernizing of the building systems and telecommunications infrastructure.  Renovations to the multi-tenant corridors are nearly complete.

  The corridor renovations include new lighting, new carpeting, and bathroom upgrades.  Also nearing completion are extensive upgrades to the building’s leasing amenities including a new restaurant, a high-end fitness center and a major upgrade to the parking building’s parking garage. 

Tenants will begin using the new facilities before year-end 2013.

 For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Bill Clarke
Chief Financial Officer
 ValetWaste
813-574-2587  
Direct: 813-279-2125

 Larry Feldman
CEO, Feldman Equities LLC

727-822-3395