Sunday, August 19, 2018

NAI Realvest Completes Three Lease Agreements with New Tenants Opening at Professional Offices in Longwood, FL


Chris Adams

ORLANDO, FL --- NAI Realvest Associate Chris Adams recently closed on three new multi-year leases for professional office space at 740 Florida Central Parkway in Longwood.  

     Adams negotiated the following leases on behalf of the landlord Centre Point Prop. LLC:  

Lake Mary Realty based in Winter Park leased Suite 1020 with 1,604 square feet; Longwood-based Resort Club Exchange, Inc. leased Suite 2004 with 916 square feet and Helpers in Heels, LLC leased Suite 1016 with 1,156 square feet. 

Helpers in Heels, a home care agency, was represented by Guy Willis of Boss Commercial Real Estate. 

 The three new tenants combined occupy a total of 3,676 rentable square feet.  

 For more information, please contact:

Beth Payan or Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications,
407-644-4142 or 407-461-3781 Lvershelco@aol.com 


HFF announces $71 million financing for acquisition and transformation of hotel in Eugene, OR



Hilton Eugene, Eugene, OR
Daniel Kaufman
CHICAGO, IL –– Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. (HFF) announces the $71 million financing for the acquisition and transformation of the Hilton Eugene to the Graduate Eugene in Eugene, Oregon, near the University of Oregon.

The HFF team worked on behalf of the borrower, AJ Capital Partners, to place the three-year, floating-rate loan with two one-year extension options with Starwood Property Trust. 

Loan proceeds will be used toward acquisition costs along with the transformation and rebranding of the hotel into Graduate Eugene, part of the Graduate Hotels®  collection. 

The hotel will remain open during the renovations, which will include a complete overhaul of all guestrooms, guestroom bathrooms, corridors, lobby and common areas.

Nicole Aguiar

Originally constructed in 1982, the hotel currently has 274 guestrooms and, with its access to the adjacent conference center, has 30,000 square feet of meeting and event space, making it the only hotel in the market that can accommodate large conferences, meetings and banquets.

Jeff Bucaro
Graduate Eugene will create a unique food and beverage space reflecting the local culture and cuisine, including a lobby cafĂ© and an indoor-outdoor beer garden that will complement and connect the hotel, conference center and adjacent Hult Center for the Performing Arts. 

 Situated at 66 East 6th Avenue, the hotel is in the heart of downtown Eugene and offers direct, walkable access to the Central Business District, PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center and University of Oregon campus.  

Graduate Eugene is 12 miles from the Eugene’s airport, provides quick access to Interstate 5 and is two blocks south of the Eugene Amtrak station.

The HFF debt placement team representing the borrower consisted of managing directors Danny Kaufman and Casey Davidson, senior director Jeff Bucaro and associate Nicole Aguiar.

“It has been a pleasure to work on this transaction with the team at AJ Capital,” Kauffman said.  “There was strong demand for the financing due to AJ’s commitment to the Graduate brand and their reputation as innovative hoteliers with exceptional expertise within the boutique hotel space.”

Casey Davidson
AJ Capital Partners, based in Chicago, is an accomplished team of hospitality and real estate investors whose innate passion is to create a one-of-a kind portfolio of timeless assets.

 The counter-culture investors acquire, design and develop transformative real estate throughout the United States. In fall 2014, AJ Capital Partners launched the Graduate Hotels® collection.

AJ Capital Partners continues to grow its portfolio of lodging investments, firmly establishing the group as visionary leaders in the lifestyle-driven investment industry. For more information on AJ Capital Partners, please visit www.ajcpt.com.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), an affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group, is the largest commercial mortgage real estate investment trust in the United States.
  
For more information, please contact:


KIMBERLY STEELE
HFF Digital Content/Public Relations Specialist
(713) 852-3420

OTL to Design and Construct First Retail Show Fountain in Mississippi


Rendering of planned retail show fountain in Renaissance at Colony Park, Jackson, MS
  • JACKSON, Miss., (Aug. 13, 2018) – Outside the Lines (OTL), a design-build construction company that specializes in creating one-of-a-kind water features, rockwork and themed environments, has announced the design and construction of a new show fountain that will serve as an entertainment hotspot and gathering space for the Renaissance at Colony Park retail development in the Ridgeland submarket of Jackson, Mississippi.
This will be the first retail show fountain of this magnitude in the state of Mississippi,” says J. Wickham Zimmerman, Chief Executive Officer of OTL. “The property co-owner and developer, The Mattiace Company, immediately recognized the value in elevating this project to a destination status. 
The property’s thoughtful design and careful tenant mix will be bolstered by our choreographed and engaging fountain, which will deliver a unique visual and concert-quality experience to attract both new and return guests.”
OTL is working directly for the developer and in close coordination with general contractor Brasfieldand Gorrie to bring Phase II of this development to life
J. Wickham Zimmerman
As the fountain designers, OTL is also working hand-in-hand with the project’s design team, site architects Wier Boerner Allin Architecture and their subconsultant, landscape architect Trent Rhodes, as well as the project’s architects, Dean & Dean/Associates Architects.
The show fountain, which will be the focal point in Phase II, will honor the state of Mississippi with a creative design twist.
Situated at the northwest corner of I-55 and Old Agency Road, Renaissance is located at 1000 Highland Colony Parkway in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Phase II of the project is expected to be complete in September 2019.  

For more information, please contact:


Alex Caswell / Jenn Quader
Brower Group
(949) 955-7940


Saturday, August 18, 2018

Meridian Capital Group Arranges $22 Million in Financing for the Flagler West Corporate Center in Miami, FL


Israel Schubert
 Iselin, NJ – Meridian Capital Group, America’s most active dealmaker, arranged $22 million in financing for the refinance of the Flagler West Corporate Center in Miami, FL on behalf of Allstate Florida Development, LLC.
The seven-year loan, provided by a New York-based balance sheet lender, features a rate of 4.75% and a 30-year amortization schedule.

Meridian Senior Managing Director, Israel Schubert, and Vice Presidents, Sol Spitzer and Scott Forbes, negotiated this transaction.

“We are very proud to have closed this transaction for this long-standing and well-respected client of the firm,” said Mr. Schubert. “Meridian leveraged our strong relationship with the lender to close this unique deal.

Allstate has invested significant capital into the property since they acquired it, and as a result it has become one of the most desirable buildings in the area. Many of the existing tenants have expanded and appreciate the dynamic ownership and building.”

Located at 8700 West Flagler Street in Miami, FL, Flagler West Corporate Center spans 147,000 square feet and consists of a four-story office building with onsite management and a coffee shop, a one-story retail building featuring tenants such as Panda Express, Di Papas Pizza, Stylish Nail Bar & Lounge, and Sprint, and a standalone CVS.

The property is in close proximity to key residential areas, including Kendall, Coral Gable, and Miami Lakes, and is located within minutes from Miami International Airport, State Road 836, and the Florida Turnpike.

Flagler West Corporate Center, Miami, FL
“It was a pleasure working with Allstate Florida Development, LLC on the refinancing of Flagler West Corporate Center,” said Mr. Forbes. “We worked seamlessly with the new and existing lenders to navigate many moving parts and satisfy the defeasance timeline. We are pleased to have been able to complete the transaction quickly and meet our client’s needs.”

“As clients of Meridian Capital Group since its inception, we couldn’t be more pleased with the loan outcome. Meridian and the lender teamed up to produce a loan that met and exceeded our expectations,” noted Mr. Harry Spitzer, Director at Allstate Florida Development, LLC.

“As we are expanding our market reach beyond our New York City origins into Florida and other markets, Meridian has been a true partner and we have been able to leverage their unique and real time analytics and understanding of various markets.”


For more information, please contact:


Hold-Thyssen Completes Five Multi-Year Leases Totaling 10,400+ SF on Dr. Phillips Boulevard in Southwest Orlando, FL


Darby Hold

WINTER PARK, FL --- Hold-Thyssen, Inc. a full service real estate services firm headquartered in Winter Park, recently negotiated five leases totaling 10,404 rentable square feet at Phillips Place, 7575 Dr. Phillips Blvd. in Southwest Orlando. 

  Darby Hold, transaction specialist for Hold-Thyssen, Inc. represented the landlord, Financial Way Realty, Inc. based in Cincinnati, Ohio.    

Tenants who completed new, expansion and/or renewal lease agreements include:

Philips Place, 7575 Dr. Phillips Boulevard,
Southwest Orlando, FL
·        Charis Counseling Center in Suite 365 with 1,388 square feet;
·        John E. Russi, CPA P.A., in Suite 320 with 1,670 square feet;
·        Wes Bal and Dwight Kleine, short sale specialists, Suites 240-245-266 with 5,706 square feet;
·        Latitude Promotions, Inc., PR firm in Suite 325 with 1,120 square feet; and
·        Fitzgibbon Alexander, Inc., business brokers, in Suite 135 with 520 square feet.

Kevin Hammond
Kevin Hammond of Cushman & Wakefield represented Charis Counseling opening a new office serving the Dr. Phillips area.

Hold-Thyssen, Inc. is the leasing and management representative for the 56,000 square foot Phillips Place office building, which is now 95 percent leased. 

Hold-Thyssen, Inc. provides commercial property brokerage and leasing and management services to institutional and private investor clients nationwide. 
                                                                                             
 The 40-year old firm’s current portfolio includes more that 100 commercial properties throughout the United States.

For more information, please contact:
                               
Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications
407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com


NAI Realvest Closes $3 Million+ Acquisition of New Smyrna Beach, FL Walgreens Store



 New Smyrna Beach, Fla. -- NAI Realvest recently negotiated the $3,073,000 sale of a 12, 973 square foot building occupied by a Walgreens store located on State Road A1A in New Smyrna Beach. 

Chris Adams, Associate at NAI Realvest, negotiated the purchase of the building built in 1993, representing Davenport-based Citrus Enterprises Inc.  a freight shipping and trucking company.  Buyer purchased the fully, long-term leased property to exercise a 1031 tax deferred exchange.  

Seller 800A1A Spiro Comitos was represented in the transaction by Mark Hollenbeck of Retail Net Real Estate.  

 For more information, please contact:

Chris Adams, Associate NAI Realvest, 407-875-9989 cadams@realvest.com

Robin L. Webb, CCIM, CHA, CHB, CRB, CPM, MRICS, Managing Director, NAI Realvest, 407-875-9989 Rwebb@realvest.com

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



Friday, August 17, 2018

Proper Title Welcomes Amanda Ley As Senior Escrow Officer



Amanda Ley
                                                                                      
CHICAGO, IL (Aug. 17, 2018) – Palatine, Ill.-based Proper Title, LLC, a full-service title insurance agency serving the residential and commercial real estate industries, announced it has hired Amanda Ley as senior escrow officer. 

“We are thrilled to have Amanda join the Proper Title team, as she is such a trusted expert in our industry,” said David Garside, executive vice president of title and escrow operations at Proper Title. “Amanda is known for her ability to handle complex transactions, making her a great fit for our goal to bring clients peace of mind at the closing table.”

Ley comes to Proper Title after nearly two decades with Chicago Title & Trust Company, where her work as an escrow officer earned her the Fidelity National Financial President’s Award seven times. She will be handling both commercial and residential transactions out of Proper Title’s Northbrook office.

“Having worked with the largest title insurance underwriter in the nation, I’ve been a part of almost every type of property transaction,” said Ley. “I’m excited and honored to work at Proper Title, which continues to add some of the industry’s top talent to its team.

David Garside
"And, of course, the opportunity to bring my expertise to a company that provides such a high level of customer service to its clients is also very rewarding to me on a professional level.”

Launched with just 27 employees in 2013, Proper Title has doubled its size and increased its transaction volume every year to become a major player in the title insurance business and the second-largest title insurance agency in the state.

 It recently earned the 2016 Award for Excellence from Fidelity National Title Group, Inc., a member of the Fidelity National Financial (NYSE: FNF) family of companies and the nation’s largest group of title companies and title insurance underwriters.

The award is given for meeting and exceeding specific title underwriting and settlement services criteria.

Proper Title is able to deliver an exceptional title experience throughout the Chicago area and the Midwest. For more information, visit 

For more information, please contact:

Traci Failla, tfailla@taylorjohnson.com, (312) 267-4516
Kim Manning, kmanning@taylorjohnson.com, (312) 267-4527


HFF announces $30.5 million refinancing for Kinzie Hotel in Chicago


Kinzie Hotel, 20 West Kinzie Street, Chicago, IL

 CHICAGO, IL –– Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. (HFF) announces the $30.5 million refinancing for Kinzie Hotel, a 215-room boutique hotel in the heart of Chicago’s River North submarket.

Daniel Kaufman
The HFF team worked on behalf of the borrower, Bixby Bridge Capital, LLC and Urbana Holdings, LLC (“Urbana”), to place the three-year, floating-rate loan with two 12-month extension options with Annaly Commercial Real Estate Group, Inc. 

 Loan proceeds were used to refinance the existing mortgage in conjunction with installing Urbana Varro as the new hotel management company.

Constructed in 2003 as an Amalfi Hotel, the property was renovated and transformed in 2014 into the Kinzie Hotel.  The hotel, which occupies the first six floors of a 385,000-square-foot, Class A office building, has its own lobby entrance and elevators on the first floor in addition to featuring the Double Cross Lounge, 24-hour fitness center and 2,300 square feet of meeting space. 

Nicole Aguiar

 Kinzie Hotel is at 20 West Kinzie Street in the heart of River North, which is a prominent business hub containing over 13.6 million square feet of office space, and steps from Michigan Avenue, positioning the hotel among upscale retailers, restaurants and offices. 

Jeff Bucaro
Additionally, the hotel is two blocks from the Magnificent Mile’s luxury boutiques, department stores and multi-story mega malls.

The HFF debt placement team representing the borrower consisted of managing director Danny Kaufman, senior director Jeff Bucaro and associate Nicole Aguiar.
  
For more information, please contact:

KIMBERLY STEELE
HFF Digital Content/Public Relations Specialist
(713) 852-3420