News

New Duval Superintendent has plans to improve schools, develop marketing department [JBJ]

by Ashley Gurbal Kritzer : Reporter

Superintendent Nikolai Vitti's plan to improve Duval County schools has two parts: a focus on education, and a focus on putting the right spin on the situation.

The state of Jacksonville’s public school system is viewed by some as a deterrent to economic development, and the A-rated school system in neighboring St. Johns County is the primary driver of that area’s residential growth.

Vitti, who took the helm at Duval County Public Schools in fall 2012, spoke to commercial real estate trade group NAIOP of Northeast Florida on Wednesday and laid out his plans for the school district. He said he’ll focus on recruiting and retaining talented principals and teachers; creating a strategic plan to make the best use of the school’s resources; engaging parents; and developing “whole children.”
 

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2013 Member Kick Off Social

2013 was kicked off with a great time by many of our members and their guests at Maggiano's Little Italy at the Town Center on Wednesday, January 23rd.  Traci Jenks welcomed and thanked everyone for attending.  Members were asked to bring membership minded guest to introduce them the NEFL Chapter of NAIOP and to let them know the benefits of our association. 

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2012 Holiday Party and NAIOP End of the Year Wrap Up

NAIOP recently hosted its annual meeting and holiday party at Epping Forest Yacht Club, where members enjoyed music, drinks and hors d'oeuvres. During the annual meeting, the 2013 Board of Directors and Committee Chairs were installed, including incoming President Traci Jenks and President-Elect Wyman Duggan.
NAIOP of Northeast Florida’s 2012 President Gordon Steadman reviewed the chapter’s accomplishments during the past year, including:
• Hosting a luncheon for more than 150 guests featuring Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, whose talk focused on the importance of economic growth in our region, commercial spaceports and the Embraer deal, among other pertinent North Florida issues
• The Annual Awards & Celebration 2012, which honored professionals in the office, industrial and redevelopment sectors, highlighted emerging professional and presented awards for chapter merit, distinguished service and lifetime achievement
• Hosting the inaugural “Downtown Tour & Tasting,” to promote downtown development and generate interest in vacant office spaces available for lease or purchase
• Forming a new Policy Advisory Committee to help guide the city’s policies in hopes of stimulating Jacksonville’s economy and positive growth – the committee is studying such issues as DRIs, concurrency, the streamlining of the permitting process and tax structures
• Honoring major sponsors at a recognition event featuring keynote speaker William Hunt, 2012 national chairman of NAIOP and president and CEO of Elmhurst corporation, who shared his insight on the national commercial real estate market
• Co-hosting an Economic Development Forum with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) of North Florida focusing on the role and impact of sports and entertainment on the local economy
• Hosting the Year-End Economic Wrap-up Luncheon, which featured speaker Paul Mason of UNF’s Coggin College of Business discussing the health of Northeast Florida’s economy and the implications of the presidential election on its future
• Supporting local community organizations and non-profits including Daniel, Wounded Warrior Project, The Florida Ballet and Habijax through sponsorships and contributions of time, resources and funding.
“2012 has been a turning point year for our organization. We are very proud of those many members who have stepped forward as community leaders through involvement in events and their commitment to outreach and other initiatives such as our new policy committee,” said Steadman. “We look forward to continuing many of our efforts into 2013 and hope that even more members, businesses and community leaders will join with us.”
At a 2013 Strategy Session in November, executives and attendees set forth goals and strategies for the upcoming year. These include seeking continued opportunities to connect with the local decision-making process through the Policy Advisory committee, collaborating with DVI on downtown initiatives, focusing on the organization’s Developing Leaders group, and providing the general membership with increased lobbying and networking opportunities.
The first event of 2013 will feature guest speaker Dr. Nikolai Vitti, newly appointed Superintendent for Duval County Public Schools on Feb. 6.
 

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NAIOP OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA ANNOUNCES RESULTS FROM 2012 GOLF INVITATIONAL

NAIOP of Northeast Florida, the region’s commercial real estate authority and trade association, recently hosted its 2012 Golf Invitational at Jacksonville Golf & Country Club. The annual tournament, presented by Midtown Centre and Insurance Office of America, brought together the area’s brokers and commercial real estate professionals for a day of golfing and goodwill.

“Our invitational was a great success, with both teams and sponsorships selling out weeks before the event,” said John Fischer, 2012 Golf Tournament Committee Chair. “We are also pleased to announce that the event raised more than $800 for the Wounded Warrior Project.”

The day-long event included golf, games and prizes, as well as cart-side buffet and an awards dinner celebration where all winners were recognized. The 2012 tournament winners are:
• Broker Cup Winner and 1st Place Low Gross – Jeff Moore, Christian Harden, Keith Goldfaden, Sarah Bermudez
• 2nd Place Low Gross – Dave Auchter, Patrick Thornton, Brian Weber
• 1st Place Low Net – Lee Lewis, Elmer Bury, Phillip Parsons, Paul Scull
• 2nd Place Low Net – Clay Churchill, Kate Clifford, Derek Siewert, Chris Quevedo
• Longest Drive – Aaron Zarle and Kate Clifford
• Closet to the Pin – Derek Kettle
• Putting Contest – Bob Cord
 

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High-impact sports: City plans community economic study of Jaguars, The Players, more [Daily Record]

09/20/2012
by Karen Brune Mathis, Managing Editor

Citing sports’ $650 million annual economic impact on Charlotte, N.C., Jacksonville sports director Alan Verlander said Wednesday the City will launch a study to measure what football, golf, baseball, soccer and the other activities mean to Northeast Florida.
“We want to make it a true indicator of what sports can do for this community,” said Verlander, who was appointed in April as the City sports and entertainment executive director.

Verlander announced the study at a joint meeting of the NAIOP commercial real estate group and Urban Land Institute North Florida members. Almost 130 members of the groups attended the event at the Arena.

He said Charlotte’s study showed sports generated revenue not only for the events but also among retailers, hotels and other businesses.

“We’ll do a study like that,” he said.

Verlander joined Jacksonville Jaguars President Mark Lamping and The Players Championship Executive Director Matt Rapp to talk about the impact of sports on the area’s economic development.

Lamping said he and Jaguars owner Shad Khan will visit London next month and host a reception for businesses interested in Jacksonville. The Jaguars will play one home game in London each season for four years starting in 2013.

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NAIOP national chairman offers insight on Jacksonville [Jacksonville Business Journal]

The national chairman of NAIOP had been in Jacksonville for less than 24 hours when I sat down with him, but it was enough time for him to see the city and offer his insight.

NAIOP of Northeast Florida, a group of commercial real estate professionals, hosted Bill Hunt, NAIOP national chairman, at a private event at the Terrace Suites at EverBank Field on Thursday evening.

Hunt is president of The Elmhurst Group, a Pittsburgh-based commercial real estate firm with holdings of more than 2.5 million square feet of office, distribution, flex space and a hotel.

He’s traveled to several different cities during his term as NAIOP chairman and shared his perspective on Jacksonville’s opportunities. Learn More...

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NAIOP Member Social - CoWork Jax

On Thursday, March 22nd we had our 2nd social of the year, which was a huge success.  CoWork Jax sponsored this event at their offices downtown at 5 West Forsyth Steet on the second floor.  The food and spirits were delicious and the networking couldn't have been better.  Members had a great time catching up and enjoying the great office spaces of CoWork Jax. 

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NAIOP OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA 2012 ANNUAL AWARDS & CELEBRATION

NAIOP of Northeast Florida, the region’s commercial real estate authority and trade association, recently announced its annual award winners at the organization’s “Annual Awards & Celebration 2012.” Hosted at the Times-Union Center for Performing Arts, the event drew approximately 200 guests who enjoyed a cocktail reception, award presentation and dinner reception.
“The annual awards celebration is a time to honor the best of the best in commercial real estate around Northeast Florida,” said Gordon Steadman, 2012 NAIOP of Northeast Florida Chapter president. “This year, we had an exceptional group of talented professionals who deserved recognition among their peers for their work in the industry.”

The NAIOP annual award winners for 2011 included

--Office Broker of the Year – Oliver Barakat, CBRE
--Industrial Broker of the Year – Bryan Bartlett, Grubb & Ellis/Phoenix Realty Group
--Emerging Professional of the Year – Joe Ayers, CBRE 
--Chapter Merit Award - Erika Bjork, Colliers International
--Chapter Merit Award - Julie Bohn, Cantrell & Morgan, Inc.
--Chapter Merit Award - Tom Mundy, The Shopping Center Group
--Distinguished Service Award – Wyman Duggan, Rogers Towers Attorneys at Law
--Office Lease of the Year – EverBank, CBRE - Oliver Barakat & Grubb & Ellis - Jim Sebesta & Dana Canto
--Industrial Lease of the Year – IEM, Grubb & Ellis/Phoenix Realty – Aaron Zarle
--Industrial Project of the Year – SAFT America, JEDC
--Redevelopment Project of the Year – Laura Street Enhancement, JEDC
--The Klechak Award – Jim Bailey, Bailey Publishing & Communications
--Lifetime Achievement Award – William G. Evans

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NAIOP recaps achievements for 2011 [Daily Record]

NAIOP of Northeast Florida, a regional commercial real estate and trade association, recapped the year at the group’s recent holiday party at Epping Forest Yacht Club.

Karl Hanson, the 2011 president, reviewed its work:

• Launching a Downtown Revitalization Platform, which included strategies and tactics to improve the urban core’s landscape, infrastructure and economy.

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Huddle up: Networking abounds at EverBank Field [Jacksonville Business Journal]

The hottest scene to be seen at this week was hands down EverBank Field for the big Monday Night Football game.

Fans were out in full force tailgating before the game. Despite the Jacksonville Jaguars ’ loss to the San Diego Chargers , last week’s news of the team’s sale to Shahid Khan and the replacement of Coach Jack Del Rio by Mel Tucker as interim head coach added a sense of hope and excitement to the evening. Read More...