Marcus & Millichap Sells 112-Acre Manufactured Home Community in Foley, AL

FOLEY, AL – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has announced the sale of The Grove Mobile Home Community (top left photo) , a 112-acre manufactured home community property located in Foley, AL, according to Bryn D. Merrey, Regional Manager of the firm’s Tampa office.

The asset commanded a sales price of $3,342,458.

Dan Mulkey and Jon Harrison, vice president investments in the firm’s Tampa and San Diego offices, along with Edwin Greenhalgh, investment specialist in Marcus & Millichap’s Alabama office, had the exclusive listing to market the property on behalf of the seller, an Alabama-based limited liability company.

The buyer, a private investor, was secured and represented by Dan Mulkey. Matthew Fitzgerald,  Broker, assisted in closing this transaction.

“The buyers, a Florida family, have a lot of experience in marketing and filling new senior communities and feel confident they can continue the work started by the seller” says Mulkey.

The Grove Mobile Home Community is located at 8647 Arlington Drive in Foley, Alabama. This premier gated senior community (55+) has three planned phases totaling 425 sites.

The first phase (165 lots) is developed and operational. Amenities include a clubhouse, shuffleboard, library, pool and spa, RV and boat storage, walking/jogging path and a lush tree-lined 4.5 acre lake.

Press Contact: Bryn D. Merrey, Regional Manager, Tampa, (813) 387-4700

Cambridge Realty Capital Reports Processing 75 Loan Origination Requests Totaling $1.04B in 1st Quarter

CHICAGO, IL--Although the capital markets are hardly running on all cylinders, Cambridge Realty Capital Companies reports receiving 75 loan origination requests totaling $1.04 billion during the first quarter of 2010.

“That’s roughly the same number of loan requests we processed during the same quarter last year, but dollar volume for the period was down 14 percent from $1.19 billion in 2009,” said Chairman Jeffrey A. Davis (top right photo).

In March, Cambridge processed 25 loan requests totaling $282.9 million, compared with 23 loans totaling $442.4 million for the same month last year.

Davis points out that lenders close a relatively small percentage of loan requests received. But he thinks it’s useful to track this information as an indication of market direction.

“What the data is telling us is that loan origination requests are on pace with last year. However, on average, we’re looking at smaller transactions in 2010,” he noted.

Davis says this is further confirmed by a year-over-year comparison of the total number of beds/units included in the requests received. In 2010, the beds/units total for the quarter was 8,407, compared to 13,349 in 2009.

Davis says Cambridge has been privately owned since its founding in 1983 as a real estate investment banker specializing in commercial real estate properties. The company today has three distinctive business units: FHA-insured HUD loans, conventional financing, and investments and acquisitions.

Contact:  Evan Washington, Phone: (312) 521-7603, Fax: (312) 357-1611, E-Mail: ew@cambridgecap.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/CambridgeCap

D & A Building Services wins new Texas DOT contract in Paris, TX

LONGWOOD, FL — D & A Building Services Inc. was awarded a new contract for facility maintenance services by the Texas Department of Transportation Paris District.

Under its scope of services, D & A’s Dallas office is providing full-service janitorial, carpet cleaning, floor refinishing and window cleaning services for six, two-story buildings totaling 28,000-square-feet of space at the Paris District office complex located at 1365 North Main Street, Paris, Texas.

D & A Building Services Inc. is a privately owned facility maintenance provider founded in 1985. Headquartered in Longwood, Fla., full service offices are located in Jacksonville, Fla., Tampa, Fla., Kansas City, Mo., Madison, Wis., Dallas, Texas, and Detroit, Mich.

Services are provided by a staff of 650 to property managers, building owners, local and state governments, Federal agencies, and the military. The veteran-owned company is an Hispanic-Owned Business Enterprise, and a graduate of the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program. For additional information, please visit http://www.dabuildingservices.com/.

PR Contact: Elaine Ingra, (407) 384-1344 elainei@pr-works.com

HFF closes sale of Class A office building in Houston’s Energy Corridor

HOUSTON, TX – The Houston office of HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) has closed the sale of One Park 10 Plaza,  (top left photo) a 162,909-square-foot, Class A office building in Houston’s Energy Corridor submarket.

HFF senior managing director Dan Mille (middle right photo) r led the investment sales team, which included real estate analyst Trent Agnew, on behalf of the seller, Parkway Properties, Inc.

Beacon Investment Properties purchased the property for an undisclosed amount.

One Park 10 Plaza is located on 3.2 acres at 16225 Park Ten Place within the Park Ten Office Park. The 550-acre office park is situated in Houston’s Energy Corridor submarket on the north side of Interstate 10 between Highway 6 and Barker Cypress Road.

 The eight-story property is 93.7% leased to tenants including GGS Spectrum, Inc. and J. Connor Consulting. The property also includes a four-level, 560-space parking garage.

“One Park 10 Plaza is uniquely positioned as the best building of its age and size within a large-scale master-planned office park and as a result attracted a lot of interest from investors,” said Miller. “It’s very high historical occupancy was also reason for a high level of interest.”

Parkway Properties, Inc., a member of the S&P Small Cap 600 Index, is a self-administered real estate investment trust specializing in the operation, leasing, acquisition, and ownership of office properties. The company is geographically focused on the southeastern and southwestern United States and Chicago.

Parkway owns or has an interest in 64 office properties located in 11 states with an aggregate of approximately 13.2 million square feet of leasable space as of April 15, 2010. Included in the portfolio are 21 properties totaling 3.9 million square feet that are owned jointly with other investors, representing 29.3% of the portfolio.

 Fee-based real estate services are offered through the company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Parkway Realty Services, which also manages and/or leases approximately 2.8 million square feet for third-party owners as of April 15, 2010.

Beacon Investment Properties is a private equity real estate investment and property development group, based in Florida with additional offices in Houston.

Beacon has been a very active buyer in Houston recently having acquired close to 500,000 square feet of office product.

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 secures $2.1M refinancing for suburban Indianapolis office properties

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The Indianapolis office of HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.)  has secured a $2.1 million refinancing for Crosspoint Corner V & VI, adjacent suburban office properties totaling 27,965 square feet.

The properties are both 100% occupied and located in Fishers, Indiana, a “high-growth” suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Working on behalf of Shamrock Builders, HFF managing director Jon Everson (bottom left photo)  placed the non-recourse, fixed-rate loan with a correspondent life insurance company.

Loan proceeds were used to refinance the existing debt, which was approximately two years from maturity. The borrower had entered a flexible prepayment window and opted to manage their near term refinance and interest rate risk by refinancing early. The loan will be serviced by HFF.

Contacts:

Jonathan P. Everson, (317) 630-3191, HFF Managing Director, jeverson@hfflp.com
Kristen M. Murphy, (713) 852-3500, HFF Associate Director, Marketing, krmurphy@hfflp.com

Arbor Closes $1.95M Fannie Mae DUS® MAH Loan for Southside Apartments in Rocky Mount, NC

UNIONDALE, NY- - Arbor Commercial Funding, LLC (“Arbor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, announced the recent funding of a $1,950,000 loan under the Fannie Mae DUS® Multifamily Affordable Housing Section 8 100 percent Project-Based HAP Contract product line for the 50-unit complex known as Southside Apartments in Rocky Mount, NC.

The 10-year loan amortizes on a 30-year schedule and carries a note rate of 6.12 percent.

The loan was originated by John Edwards, (top right photo)  Vice President, in Arbor’s full-service Boston, MA lending office. “This financing represents our ongoing commitment to the Fannie Mae DUS® MAH program,” said Edwards. “In addition, we were pleased with the opportunity to work with a long-term client and look forward to working with the borrower on future financings.”

Contact:  kmaxey@arbor.com

Liberty Property Trust Receives Leed Gold Certification for Liberty Center at Monarch Lakes in Miramar, FL

MIRAMAR, FL -- Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY)  has earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its 110,000 square foot Liberty Center at Monarch Lakes building (top left photo)  in Miramar.

“Achieving LEED Gold certification for Liberty Center at Monarch Lakes is a great accomplishment for the entire project team,” said Andy Petry, (bottom right photo)  vice president at Liberty.

“From the initial concept of the project, we had the help and support from not only the City of Miramar who encouraged and promoted the development of sustainable buildings in their community, but also the architect and contractors.”

LEED is the USGBC’s leading measurement rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient, and highest performing buildings.

“Liberty Center at Monarch Lakes’ LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council.

 “The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before and Liberty Center at Monarch Lakes serves as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish.”

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

Liberty Ranks First in Environmental Policy Implementation and Measurement in International Study

TAMPA, FL–- Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY) has ranked first among US commercial real estate developers for its implementation and measurement of its sustainable property management policy. The international study – Environmental Performance: A Global Perspective on Commercial Real Estate Investors” – was completed by Maastricht University.

The Maastricht University study ranked the best performing publically held United States based commercial real estate companies in the areas of sustainable “Management & Policy” and “Implementation & Measurement” of environmental policy. Liberty ranked first in the category Implementation & Measurement of environmental policy – a full 13 points ahead of the closest competitor - and second in the area of Management & Policy.

“This survey demonstrates that Liberty’s commitment to integrating sustainable design and property management across our portfolio is a day-to-day reality – we ‘walk what we talk’,” said Marla Thalheimer, Liberty’s manager of sustainability. “The results of our efforts not only benefit our shared global environment, but our tenants as well.

General Inquiries:  Robert Goldschmidt, Liberty Property Trust, 813/889-3712

Media Contact:  Margo Hunt Winans, a.s.a.p.r., 757/404-8653

Barcelona Center in Jupiter, FL Gets $1.5M Loan

ORLANDO, FL— Thomas D. Wood and Company, a Strategic Alliance Mortgage LLC member, secured financing on April 19, 2010, in the amount of $1,500,000 for the Barcelona Center in Jupiter, Florida.

Jeff Schnupp, (top right photo)  Company Vice President, financed the Barcelona Center office building through Thomas D. Wood and Company’s correspondent relationship with Kansas City Life Insurance Company.

 The fixed-rate loan has an interest rate of 6.75%, based on a five-year term and a 15-year amortization. The loan-to-value is 45%. The 17,000 square-foot multi-tenant office was built in 2004 and is home to major tenant Siemens. The Barcelona Center is located at 1680 South Central Boulevard, Jupiter, Florida.

For further information, please contact:
Jeff Schnupp (407) 937-0470 jschnupp@tdwood.com
Jessica Kinnee (407) 937-0470 jkinnee@tdwood.com

Rets Associates Names Cheryl Thornburg Director in San Francisco Office

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF., April 26,2010 –RETS Associates (previously known as Real Estate Talent Solutions, Inc.), the premier commercial real estate recruitment and staffing firm on the West Coast, has named Cheryl Thornburg (top right photo)  as Director in its San Francisco office.

RETS Associates was founded in 2002 by Kent Elliott and Christopher Lee and later joined in 2008 by partner/principal Jana Turner, a former top executive at CB Richard Ellis.

Thornburg specializes in recruiting commercial real estate and financial services professionals in the Bay Area. She will be working in tandem with Diane Blake in RETS Associates’ Silicon Valley office to satisfy the needs of the firm’s growing client base in Northern California.

The addition of Thornburg comes only six months after the firm hired Brandi Newman as Managing Director for its Los Angeles office.

Contact: David Ebeling, Ebeling Communications, (949) 278-7851, david@ebelingcomm.com

NewMark Merrill Companies ramps up with new Property Management Contracts totaling 385,712 SF

WOODLAND HILLS, CA – NewMark Merrill Companies, a retail development and full-service property management firm, is proud to announce the addition of five new Property Management contracts totaling 385,712 square feet, as an addition to its expanding list of clients.

The shopping center contracts include: Capistrano Collection, Del Amo Plaza, Santa Maria Commons, Park Plaza on Maine and Lemon Creek Village.

Del Amo Plaza (top left photo) is located at 11877 Del Amo Blvd. in Cerritos, Calif.. Del Amo Plaza is a 58,126 square foot shopping center anchored by Starbucks and Bally’s Total Fitness.

Lemon Creek Village is located at 352 N. Lemon Ave. in Walnut, Calif.. This 31,793 square foot shopping center features a Vons Supermarket, Blockbuster and Well Fargo Bank.

Park Plaza on Maine Shopping Center is located at 14483 Ramona Blvd. in Baldwin Park, Calif.. This 154,219 square foot shopping center is anchored by Subway, El Pollo Loco and Albertsons.

Santa Maria Commons (lower left  photo) is located at 2401 S. Broadway Blvd. in Santa Maria, Calif.. Kohl’s and Rite Aid are the anchors of this 117,363 square foot Center.

Capistrano Collection is a 24,211 square foot center located at 27184 Ortega Hwy. in San Juan Capistrano, Calif..

“For over 25 years, NewMark Merrill Companies has prospered in good and tough markets by know how to operating centers for long-term value,” said Sandy Sigal, President and CEO of NewMark Merrill Companies.

 “Now, more than ever, NewMark’s integrated management, leasing, marketing and accounting expertise is helping those centers it owns and manages to outperform the market and put them in position to thrive.

" It is worth noting that our overall occupancy still exceeds 94% even in the toughest real estate market in decades.”

With a portfolio of more than 44 shopping centers that the company owns or manages, NewMark Merrill Companies has the unique ability to draw from its over 25 years of experience to provide a higher level of property management, development and asset management services for its clients.

NewMark Merrill Companies has ranked among the top 25 Largest Property Management Firms and Top 10 Largest Commercial Real Estate Developers from 2007-2010 by the LA Business Journal.

In addition to Woodland Hills, regional offices are located in Orange County, Ventura County, San Francisco, San Diego County, Colorado and Illinois. The company currently owns and/or operates 44 shopping centers in three different states representing over 6-million square feet and almost $1 billion in value. The Company owns LandMark Retail Group, a preferred developer for CVS Pharmacy which are developing new stores throughout California.

Contact: David Ebeling, Ebeling Communications, 949.278.7851, david@ebelingcomm.com

Condo Vultures Presents Sales Roundup in South Florida

W South Beach Sells 11 Condos At $1,649 Per Foot In Q1 2010

The W South Beach Residences condominium-hotel (top left photo) project is one of those project not experiencing a reduction in pricing from the downturn in the U.S. economy or even the dramatic crash of the South Florida housing market, according to a new report from CondoVultures.com.

Developers of the 20-story, oceanfront W South Beach project in trendy Miami Beach were able to sell 11 units in the condo-hotel for $15 million, or an average of $1,649 per square foot, in the first quarter of 2010, according to the report based on the Condo Vultures® Official Condo Buyers Guide To South Beach™.

"The W South Beach is commanding top dollar despite the economic challenges of our time," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures® LLC.

"Wealthy buyers whether they be successful business leaders, professional athletes, or celebrities are forging ahead to purchase new units in the W South Beach for nearly $2 million each. It is worth noting that several of these buyers had preconstruction contracts with 20 percent deposits dating back a few years.

"Not all of the transactions are new buyers but it is still impressive that the W South Beach developer has been able to sell this many units at this high of a price even in South Beach."

South Beach is the trendy neighborhood on the southern portion of the barrier island that attracts celebrities and athletes, jet setters and working class tourists alike who all come looking for the Miami Beach experience.

South Beach is defined as South Pointe Drive north to 24th Street, the Atlantic Ocean west to Biscayne Bay, according to the Condo Vultures® Official Condo Buyers Guide To South Beach™.

South Beach Pricing Remains High

As the W South Beach pricing remains high, the total number of sales are low at 2009 project.

With less than a dozen units transacted between January and March 2010, the W South Beach has now sold only 54 units, or 13 percent, out of a total of 408 units, according to the report.

The 54 units at the W South Beach to sell did so at an average of $1.7 million, or $1,1674 per square foot, putting the project in an exclusive category of only nine condominiums constructed since 2003 to sell at an average developer price of more than $1,000 per square foot.

The list of $1,000 per foot condos includes the Apogee, Continuum South Beach, and the De Soleil South Beach.

A project not on the$1,000-per square-foot list is the Setai condominium, (top right photo)  just down the block from the W South Beach. The Setai has sold for a average of $861 per square foot, according to the report.

South Beach New Condo Sales Slow To Trickle In Q1 2010

South Beach developers sold only 17 new condo units in the first quarter of 2010, down from 31 units in the first quarter of 2009 and 136 units in the first quarter of 2008, according to a new Condo Vultures® White Paper™.

The slow South Beach sales in the first quarter of 2010 are a stark contrast to the more than 720 units that transacted across Biscayne Bay in Greater Downtown Miami during the same January through March period, according to a recent CondoVultures.com report based on Miami-Dade County records.

The few buyers that did purchase new condos in the Miami Beach neighborhood of South Beach paid an average price of $1,364 per square foot in the first quarter of 2010, up from $803 per square foot a year earlier in the first quarter of 2009, according to the report based on the Condo Vultures® Official Condo Buyers Guide To South Beach™.

Many of the buyers had preconstruction contracts dating back a few years to the boom times, and faced losing a substantial portion of their 20 percent deposits if they failed to close on their units, according to the licensed Florida brokerage Condo Vultures® Realty.

Some four miles west across the MacArthur Causeway, the average sales price for a new condo in Greater Downtown Miami was $326 per square foot in the first quarter of 2010, according to a recently released Condo Vultures® White Paper™.

"Real estate sales today more than ever are a function of price," said Peter Zalewski, (middle left photo)  a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures® LLC.

 "Many people want to live or invest in the barrier island city of Miami Beach for the sand, glamour, and sex appeal, but an increasing number of investors and second-home buyers are seriously looking to Greater Downtown Miami as an alternative given the $1,000 per square foot pricing difference.

"South Beach will always be South Beach but the rich premium to own on the barrier island is turning out to be a tremendous selling point for developers peddling new condos on the mainland side of Biscayne Bay."



Future Of Trump Tower III Condo Project Finally Unveiled

For months, the South Florida real estate industry has speculated about the future of the completed but vacant 43-story oceanfront tower in Sunny Isles Beach presold as the Trump Tower III (lower right photo)  condominium.

Some industry watchers proposed that the 271-unit project would not become a condominium in the short term but instead be sold off to a Wall Street institutional fund that could operate the tower as a luxury rental project.

Once the market recovered, the speculation usually went, the units could be sold off by the bulk buyer to individual buyers at a premium compared to today's pricing.

The Trump Tower III project's future was finally determined on April 20 when the developer of record formally filed the declaration of condominium paperwork, clearing the way for individual unit sales to begin at Collins Avenue property in southern Sunny Isles Beach, according to a new report from CondoVultures.com.

"There are a lot of institutional funds that are disappointed that another entire tower got away," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures® LLC. "Numerous opportunity funds were pursuing this project as a bulk deal as it could have been purchased in its entirety. In the end, the project's future will be just as it was originally planned, a luxury condominium.

"The only real difference is, the pricing is going to be a lot less than what it originally started at back in the boom days."

Sunny Isles Beach, an oceanfront city east of Aventura in Northeast Miami-Dade County, is home to the second largest concentration of new condos to be built in South Florida during the go-go days of the last real estate boom, according to the licensed Florida brokerage Condo Vultures® Realty.

At the end of 2009, more than 24 percent of the 6,300 new condo units built or converted in the barrier island city of Sunny Isles Beach during the boom years in South Florida remained in the hands of developers, according to a recent CondoVultures.com report.

The Trump Tower III project - with 195 two-bedroom and 76 three-bedroom units - alone represented nearly 20 percent of the unsold Sunny Isles Beach inventory at the end of 2009, according to a recent Condo Vultures® White Paper™.

Trump Tower III is one of three luxury skyscrapers with a combined 813 units and 129 floors that together comprise the oceanfront complex named after famed New York real estate developer Donald Trump (lower right photo) as part of a licensing agreement.

As of Feb. 10, some 57 percent of the units in the Trump Towers were still in the hands of the developers, according to the Condo Vultures® Official Condo Buyers Guide To Sunny Isles Beach™.

At about that same time, Dezer Properties finalized an agreement to take control for the project from co-developer, the Related Group with Jorge Perez, (lower left photo) according to the Miami Herald.

Corporate records have since been filed with the Florida Secretary of State removing Perez and other Related Group executives from the official list of members, leaving the father-and-son team of Michael and Gil Dezer as sole owners.

The new condo documents for Trump Tower III - officially as TDR Tower III Condominium Association - names Bernard Diamond as the president.


Discounts Trigger 100 New Condo Sales In Sunny Isles Beach

Buyers purchased more than 100 new condominium units in Sunny Isles Beach in the first three months of 2010 as the average price tumbled 12 percent, or $70 per square foot, on a year-over-year basis, according to a new Condo Vultures® White Paper™.

Between January and March of this year, Sunny Isles Beach developers sold off units at an average price of $508 per square foot, down from $578 per square foot during the first quarter of 2009 and $652 per square foot in the first quarter of 2008, according to the report based on the Condo Vultures®Official Condo Buyers Guide To Sunny Isles Beach™.

The discounting helped developers in Sunny Isles Beach to outsell their counterparts in Miami Beach's South Beach neighborhood, where only 17 new condo units transacted but at an average price of more than $1,350 per square foot.

Greater Downtown Miami, by comparison, experienced nearly 720 sales at an average price of $326 per square foot, according to CondoVultures.com.

"The buying pool for new South Florida condos is proving to be extremely deep despite the fact that financing is difficult to obtain," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures® LLC.

"The trend continues to be strong sales at projects where the developers have discounted their prices deep enough to grab the attention of all-cash buyers.

"The unwillingness of South Beach developers to cut their prices on new units has worked to drive buyers to other areas such as Greater Downtown Miami and Sunny Isles Beach."

 
Contact: Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures®, 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com

Berger Commercial Realty Corp. Announces Three Multifamily Sales in Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. – Berger Commercial Realty Corp., a full service commercial real estate firm based in Fort Lauderdale and serving clients around the state of Florida, announced three multifamily property sales of former WAMU assets:

Address: 3901 N.E. 21 Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
Previous Sale: 7/15/2004 $800,000
Sold: $650,000
Sold Date: 3/19/2010
Units: 8
Seller: ECP Properties, Inc.
Buyer: Dagur Investments III, LLC

Address: 1131 N.E. 25 Ave., Pompano Beach, FL 33062
Previous Sale: 12/2006 $1,550,000
Sold: $650,000
Sold Date: 4/11/10
Units: 20
Seller: ECP Properties, Inc.
Buyer: C.U. Inc.

Address: 821 & 822 NW 7 Ave., Hallandale Beach, FL 33009
Previous Sale: 4/27/2006 $1,265,000
Sold: $360,000
Sold date: 4/14/2010
Units: 16
Seller: ECP Properties, Inc.
Buyer: TIJ Investments, LLC

Contact: Jane Grant, Pierson Grant Publications, (954) 776-1999 ext. 224, jgrant@piersongrant.com

Greenwood Partnership Alliance introduces five-year plan of work

GREENWOOD, SC--The Partnership for Tomorrow is a ten-month initiative to raise $4.5 million to implement the five-year strategic action plan known as The Partnership for Tomorrow Program of Work. The campaign's goal is to secure the necessary funding to underwrite specific programs that will have a lasting positive impact on the community and economic needs of Greenwood County.

Key focus areas for the Program of Work include: Business Retention and Expansion, Business Recruitment, Talent Recruitment and Retention (Workforce Development), Quality of Life (Community Development), and securing an endowed chair in partnership with Clemson University and the Greenwood Genetic Center.

Business Retention and Expansion: GPA will be the preferred partner for existing businesses and employers to create wealth and recruit and retain talent.

New Business Recruitment: With regional and state partners, GPA will execute a recruitment strategy to capitalize on the strengths of the Greenwood Community. The five year goal: create over 1,000 new jobs and $400,000,000 in new capital investment.

Talent Recruitment and Retention: GPA will be the collaborative focus point between the education sector and employers in Greenwood County. All efforts will be made to develop world class education and training systems to support employers and the citizens of Greenwood County.

Quality of Place (Community Development): Greenwood will continue to develop communities and neighborhoods that provide entertainment, shopping, quality healthcare, and world class education as well as employment to attract and retain both young professionals and retirees.

Greenwood Genetic Center / Endowed Chairs: GPA will partner with the Greenwood Genetic Center, the Genetic Endowment of South Carolina, and Clemson University to develop and market the Greenwood Research Park as the premiere location for bio sciences research, treatment, and commerce in North America.
 
Contact: Julie@partnershipalliance.com

2011 Hunter Hotel Investment Conference Set for March 6-8 in Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA--Officials of the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference announce that the 23rd annual event will be held March 6-8, 2011 at the Marriott Marquis Atlanta.

“We were pleasantly surprised that our 2010 attendance was essentially unchanged when compared to last year," .said Bob Hunter, (top right photo)  CEO of Hunter Realty and conference chair. 

"We see that as a strong signal that hotel owners and buyers, in spite of a difficult economy, wanted to gather together to discuss the current market conditions and hear the collective thoughts and ideas of their fellow owners, as well as to listen to knowledgeable industry experts,

 “Feedback from our 2010 conference in March indicated that recovery, hotel values, Special Servicers and financing were spot-on themes as the industry was bottoming out and showing its first signs of rebound. Based on recent industry trends, we are optimistic that our topics in 2011 will focus entirely on how to maximize the rebound effect.”

The three-day conference, one of the four major national hotel investment conferences, focuses primarily on hotel owners and their concerns. Feedback from the 2010 post-conference survey indicated that education and networking were the two most valuable take-aways for participants.

“We will hold our preliminary planning session May 18 and welcome ideas and suggestions from everyone in the industry,” Hunter said. Suggestions may be made on the conference website, http://www.hunterconference.com/,  or by contacting Bob Hunter or Nancy Petenbrink, conference coordinator, at 770-916-0300 or by email at nancy.petenbrink@hunterhotels.net.

The conference headquarters are located at 300 Galleria Parkway, S-620, Atlanta, GA 30339.

Contact: Jerry Daly, Chris Daly, Daly Gray Public Relations, (703) 435-6293

Interstate Hotels & Resorts Opens Renaissance Hotel in Moscow

ARLINGTON, VA—Interstate Hotels & Resorts, the United States’ largest independent hotel management company, has opened and is managing the 366-room Renaissance Moscow Monarch Centre (top left photo) in Russia’s capital city.

The new-build hotel, which includes Moscow’s largest dedicated conference center, is part of a mixed-use development built and owned by Monarch Open Joint Stock Company “Concern Monarch,” one of the largest construction companies in Moscow.

“Interstate has been an independent, third-party hotel operator and has pioneered the opening of a number of international brands in Russia,” said Kenneth W. McLaren, executive vice president of international operations at Interstate.

“We now operate seven properties in the country, as well as five additional hotels in Europe. We have established a rock solid growth platform based on strong local relationships and mutual respect.

" Those relationships, combined with our proven track record and knowledge of local markets, represent a significant competitive advantage for us. We continue to seek additional management opportunities in Europe for both branded and independent hotels.”

“The Renaissance Monarch Centre represents a major step forward in our international outreach to Europe,” said Thomas F. Hewitt  (bottom right photo), chairman and chief executive officer.

 “Interstate has operated hotels in Europe for over a decade and is committed to additional expansion throughout the European Union.

"Last week, we announced the formation of a strategic alliance with a European-based hotel asset management company to establish a platform that will allow us to accomplish that. We have aggressive growth plans and see significant opportunities ahead.”

 For more information about Interstate Hotels & Resorts, visit the company’s Web site: http://www.ihrco.com/

Contact:

Jerry Daly, Carol McCune, Media, Daly Gray, (703) 435-6293, jerry@dalygray.com
Carrie McIntyre, SVP, Treasurer, Interstate Hotels & Resorts, (703) 387-3320, carrie.mcintyre@ihrco.com

IDI Signs 126,256 SF with Hettich America in NE Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA – IDI, a leading full-service industrial real estate company, has signed a new lease with Hettich America in the northeast Atlanta market totaling 126,256 square feet.

 Hettich will occupy Building A at IDI’s Hamilton Mill Business Center (top left photo) , located at 4925 Hamilton Mill Road in Buford, Ga. beginning in June of this year.

Hettich, one of the leading global manufacturers of hardware for kitchen cabinets, residential furniture and appliances, will use the Gwinnett County location for storage, manufacturing and distribution of their products and also to house the company’s North American headquarters.

 The move represents a consolidation of the company’s existing headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga. and a separate manufacturing location in Baldwin, Ga. Hettich America operates as a subsidiary of the Hettich Group, a German-based company with annual sales of more than $700 million Euros.

IDI worked in partnership with the Gwinnett Chamber to bring Hettich to the county.

According to Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister (middle  right photo),  “Hettich brings the type of quality jobs and infrastructure to Gwinnett County that its leaders, Partnership Gwinnett and the Chamber work hard to attract.

" Companies like this help expand our global business reach, strengthen the County’s commercial tax base, and provide good jobs for our residents. I am proud to welcome Hettich to our community.”

Nathan Anderson of NAI Brannen/Goddard represented Hettich in the lease deal. Lisa Ward, (bottom left photo)  vice president of leasing in IDI’s Atlanta market office, represented IDI.

“Hettich chose the space at Hamilton Mill Business Center because of the Class A environment of the business park, its central location and convenience for their current employees,” said Ward. “With superior access to I-85 and I-985, we are confident they will be pleased with their choice.”

IDI-owned Hamilton Mill Business Center consists of seven buildings totaling 2.7 million square feet. Other notable tenants of the business park, which sits on 238 acres of land, include National Specialty Alloys (36,671 SF) and Ballistic Studios (20,893 SF). 25,314 square feet remains available for lease in Building A.

Contacts:

Kim Hardcastle, Jackson Spalding for IDI, 404-214-0693, khardcastle@jacksonspalding.com
Charlotte Marie Sturtz, Jackson Spalding for IDI, 404-214-3555, csturtz@jacksonspalding.com