Building Trends
November 2008
HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida
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I am a firm believer that Success is a Choice. Rick Pitino had a fantastic book by this title published eight years ago. Jose Silva and his Silva Method has taught millions that there is no limit to how far you can go; there is no limit to what you can do, because there is no limit to the power of your mind. Randy Pausch is world famous for his Last Lecture. One of the things he talks about in his Last Lecture is that you can choose to be a Tigger or an Eeyore. Randy was dying of cancer but stuck to his guns saying you have a choice in life, to focus on the positives or the negatives. Look, there are undeniable facts in our current industry. I can't spin the fact that the number of new homes that have been permitted in the last 12 months is significantly lower than what it was at the peak. I can't spin the fact that many of us have far less in our bank account or 401k than we did 12 months ago. I can't spin the fact that I can't hit a curveball. I can however choose to be a Tigger and focus on what I can control, what is good in my life and not be an Eeyore and focus on the negative.
I choose to look for the positives. You can choose to read the latest spin from the main street media like the Sun/Star Banner talking about houses being sold at a loss: click here. I choose to see that as a tremendous opportunity. It's a little amazing to me how badly something can be spinned and people believe it. If I were to go to Macy's and buy a Polo that is normally $60 and see it on sale for $40, I get excited. I don't ask what is wrong with the shirt, or if I should be looking at something else. I take advantage of the sale. It is the same thing with homes. Those who are suffering from a home going down in value are those who either have to or choose to realize a loss. Most don't have to. Today, homes are being built that are more efficient, more sturdy and more technologically advanced than ever before. So people can buy them or build them at a 20 percent discount. Great! I choose to focus on the positive. What do you choose?
For the 300+ in attendance at last weeks BANCF general membership meeting, you were privy to two bits of news: The first was a terrific honor, recognizing Breck Weingart of Charles Perry Construction for his tremendous contributions to the construction industry and honoring him as the latest inductee into the University of Florida's M.E. Rinker School of Building Construction Hall of Fame. Breck joins his mentor, Chuck Perry, who was inducted in 1983. Congratulations Breck! The other was the progress of the construction for The PACE School for Girls . The Pace School has scheduled tours this Wednesday and Thursday from noon until 1 p.m. Lunch will be served. Please come and see what the BANCF community project is all about and hear from the girls what a difference it makes in their lives to attend this school. Please RSVP to Susan Spain at 376-6372 or Kate Scott (PACE) at 374-8799. I also wanted to take a moment to remind our friends in Marion County about an issue being championed by Brad Dinkins of Bradford Homes. Brad is very concerned by an apparent rush to obligate $40 million annually in new tax dollars for the Munroe Regional Medical Center. We urge you in Marion County who will have to pay for this increase study it carefully. There are two meetings in Ocala this week that will go a long way in deciding this issue. The hospital Board of Trustees is meeting today at 5 p.m. in the hospital conference room, and the county commission is meeting tomorrow at 9 a.m. As Brad suggests, the hospital does tremendous work, but there should be much more discussion before dedicated so much money in taxpayer dollars. Finally, I want to share with you some information about a program called Home for Our Troops. This group raises money to build homes that would be accessible for returning service members who are injured in combat. These veterans sacrifice so much for our freedom. This is a small way in which we can say thanks. To learn more, click hereJake's Corner  Building Trends Magazine Our Premiere issue of Building Trends is out. Our website is now active. It is still being updated, but the current issue of Trends and the past issues of Edge have been added. The new location is www.buildingtrendsmagazine.com . You can view the current issue in a virtual magazine format here. Our cover story is on Lake City's Isaac Bratkovich and Isaac Construction. Jake Fuller dazzles once again with his cartoon. Our Association News covers events at BANCF, MCBIA and CCBA. We have embraced the changes requested from September's survey and have started adding trends to the issue. Our December issue is now in production. We feature Chris Luetgert and Luetgert Development. Chris is a third generation builder intimately involved in every project he works on. We are excited to share his story with you. We kick off 2009 with Bryan Zecher Construction. Building since 1992, Bryan is one of the premier builders in Columbia County, focusing on both residential and commercial construction. He is also scheduled to be the next president of the Columbia County Builders' Association.
Commercial Building Trends Magazine
The Fall 2008 issue of Commercial Building Trends, featuring Paradigm Properties is now in production. Collier Enterprises and Paradigm Properties have been constructing student apartment housing for numerous years. When you receive your copy, please let me know what you think about the new logo.
Kicking off 2009 with a bang, our Winter issue will feature Todd Duffy and ACA Construction Group, LLC. ACA Construction Group was founded in Marion County in 2001 when three of the oldest and well-respected commercial construction firms joined together.
HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida™
The October/November issue of HOME has been extremely well received. As was the case with previous issues, we are having trouble keeping them on the shelves. Our cover story for this issue is our SEC Champion Womens Soccer Coach, Becky Burleigh. This issue also includes the launch of our new chef's corner, fashion corner, travel corner and health and fitness corner. We also cover the 2008 Gainesville Chamber Business of the Year award reception. I think this is clearly our best issue to date.
The December/January issue of HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida is now in production. We are thrilled to feature Rod and DeeDee Smith on the cover. We have continued to expand on our community's premier lifestyle publication. The buzz surrounding HOME continues to grow. We are now in over 600 locations around town, clearly the largest in the area. Our mailing list has grown dramatically as well. We have received requests for subscriptions in the last few weeks from individuals in four different states that are relocating to our area. They have received the magazine when contacting either a local realtor, the Chamber or Shands, who all have us in their relocation/distribution packets. If you would like to reach the newcomers moving to our area or over 30,000 readers already here, please click here. If you would like to find out about subscribing to HOME, please click here. |
Local News  |
New County Commissioner Mike Amsden Talks About His Plans
The following is an abridged version of the Ocala Star Banner's conversation with the newest county commissioner, Mike Amsden.
Q. You spent (16) years on the Ocala City Council, then left public life for a few years. Why did you decide to come back?
A. I've sat out for three years, started watching a little bit of the news, picking up on some things in the community. And I just wanted to bring my leadership, my skills and my knowledge to the Board of County Commission to help build the foundation for the next generation.
Gainesville's New Guard
Gainesville has recently lost several of its long-time leaders - men and women who helped shape the landscape of their community on a variety of fronts. Amid memorial services where residents recalled the legacies of these individuals, The Gainesville Sun asks, who is the new guard? The answer elicits a somewhat diverse group of various ages and professions, but all with one thing in common, a love of Gainesville and the position to have an impact. Click Here>>
USO Singer Seeks Makeover for VFW Home
Entertainer Kaye Stevens has worked with performers including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Johnny Carson. She has performed on television and stage for audiences numbering in the millions. But one of her most important - and best remembered - performances may have been in a far away country with one of America's best loved entertainers, Bob Hope. The last time Doug Crawford saw Stevens was during the Christmas season of 1965, on an air base near Tan Son Nhut, Vietnam. He saw her again Saturday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Retirement Home in Fort McCoy. "American veterans are the largest family in the world," said Stevens, during a luncheon held at the facility to announce "Operation Big Cheer." Click Here>>
Bruce Sack was surprised when he was turned down by Bank of America for a loan to expand his mobile physical therapy business since he has good credit. But he found that M&S Bank and the U.S. Small Business Administration were willing to give him a $50,000 loan. Despite being told his credit was OK, he was initially turned down because he didn't have at least $250,000 in income from his business, New Day Wellness LLC. "I said, 'Gosh. If I was there, I wouldn't need your help.' " Click Here>>
City Commissioners Still Discussing UF Fire Services Fee
Gainesville city commissioners are still discussing the fire services fee that was voted down in July. The fire fee study identified that the city provides $2.9 million in fire services protection to the University of Florida. The tax exempt agency pays nothing for those services, but UF does provide some funding and resources through a cooperative agreement.
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Are We Immune?
According to Forbes magazine, Lake City is in good shape to weather the current economic crisis. Unfortunately, also according to the magazine, some of our neighbors can't make the same claim. In the most recent issue of Forbes, the magazine lists the most and least vulnerable towns in the United States. Using criteria that focuses on 141 micropolitan areas in the nation, Lake City ranks 95th out of the 141 - the higher the ranking, the better, Forbes explained.
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City Awards Contract to Fix Pipe Problem
By January, the city of Ocala could begin fixing the "monster pipe" problem that pollutes the Silver River. The city awarded the Ocala firm of GWP Construction Inc. a $1.3 million contract to build a new retention pond and expand and retrofit two existing ones to keep the storm water, oil and debris that washes off State Road 40 from dumping into Half Mile Creek. The creek empties into the Silver River. The contract price came in $2 million under the original $3.3 million estimate and $1.3 million under a revised estimate for the project's construction.
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GRU's New Solar Plan Hailed as a Bright Idea
Big names in Florida's solar energy industry met Monday morning at the Thomas Center to discuss a proposed incentive program from Gainesville Regional Utilities that is being touted as a revolutionary step in promoting renewable energy. "Gainesville has the opportunity to be a poster child not only for the county or the state but for the whole nation," said Mike Antheil, executive director of the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy. "They are at the edge of something that will be historic."
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Ballot Question Rejected by Voters
The straw ballot question to see whether people wanted to consolidate Lake City and Columbia County governments into one entity showed 13,005 people voting against it and 12,000 people voting for it, according to records. There are 25 voting precincts in Columbia County. Three of the 25 precincts showed a 50-50 split of voters in the "Yes-No" straw ballot. Precinct 2, with its polling place at Pine Grove Baptist Church had the closest difference - 249 "Yes" to 248 "No."
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Progress Energy Gets OK to Raise Average Bill by $16
The Florida Public Service Commission on Wednesday granted Progress Energy an increase in its average monthly rates to cover its increasing fuel expenses and make environmental improvements to its existing power plants. The request, which raises the average power customer's bill $15.87 a month, follows an earlier PSC meeting this fall when the five-member panel approved another Progress Energy hike of $11.42 to begin paying the cost of building its proposed Levy County nuclear power plant.
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Deal OK'd for 4-Lane Connector
After an eight-month delay, the Gainesville City Commission and Alachua County Commission have agreed on a route for a north-south connector between Butler Plaza and The Oaks Mall. "I don't want to continue meeting on this issue here," said County Commissioner Rodney Long. "I think I've been on this board eight years discussing this issue."
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Downtown Ocala Still Luring Employers
In a bleak economy, there are a few rays of hope shining on Ocala's downtown. A new employer, Maslow Insurance Agency, hopes to bring between 130 and 150 new jobs to Ocala in the next three years with the help of city, county and state incentives totaling $750,000. The average salary of those jobs is expected to be $61,802. The Ocala City Council and the Marion County Commission earlier this week each approved spending $75,000, which would be matched by a $600,000 Qualified Target Industry tax refund from the state. The city's share comes from the Economic Incentive Fund, which is funded by Ocala Electric Utility.
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BANCF Calendar of Events
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State News  |
FHBA CEO Paul Thompson Asks: Who's Going to Bail Out the Builders?
With all the news coming out of our nation's capital in recent weeks, I just have one question: who's going to bail out the builders? Let's see, we've taken care of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the tune of $100 billion each. We infused over $150 billion into insurance giant AIG. We saved the big investment banks on Wall Street. We've darn near nationalized the major commercial banks to the point where American Express decided it wanted to be one and promptly received $3.5 billion in federal assistance. And we're thinking about bailing out the big three automakers whose northern operations long ago sold their souls and their profits to the auto workers unions.
Is this a great country or what?
Property Insurers Face Low FundingFlorida property insurers are hoping they won't have to say "we told you so" before hurricane season ends officially Nov. 30. Because of the global financial meltdown, the state catastrophe fund would have trouble borrowing the final $10 billion to $15 billion of its $29 billion obligation to cover state and private insurers if a large storm hits, the fund's advisory council said. That would likely slow insurers' ability to pay claims to home and business owners. Click Here>> FPL to Seek Lower Rate Hikes as Fuel Costs Plunge
Florida Power & Light Co. expects to reduce the projected $6.2 billion in fuel costs it wanted to pass to customers next year. The amount it originally sought was based on oil and natural gas prices on Aug. 4. Since then, FPL's projected fuel costs have dropped by more than 10 percent, the state's largest utility reported Monday to the Florida Public Service Commission. Click Here>> Officials Agree to New Everglades Restoration DealGov. Charlie Crist says Florida water management officials have agreed to new terms for a historic Everglades restoration deal. During a press conference in Miami on Wednesday morning, Crist said the lower-cost deal, subject to approval by the South Florida Water Management District, includes a land only purchase of more than 180,000 acres at a purchase price of $1.34 billion. Click Here>> Agreement Reached on Cecil Field
The pace of development at Cecil Commerce Center may quicken now that two government entities have come to an agreement on how that development will progress. Both the City of Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Airport Authority (JAA) own thousands of acres of land at the former Cecil Field Naval Air Base. They have been negotiating ownership of the the 4,800 concurrency vehicle trips attached to the property rights given to both the City and the JAA by the Navy and how the property can be developed. Property is assessed a certain amount of vehicle trips that the infrastructure can support. Infrastructure improvements are required after a property is developed if that development creates more daily trips. Click Here>> Ga. governor Questions Fla. Argument in Water Wars
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue looks at his state's pristine coastline and then at the development Florida allows on its shores and said he wonders how Florida officials can preach about the environment. Talking about the long war about sharing water that flows down from Georgia, Perdue on Wednesday questioned some of Florida's arguments as it tries to get more water to cross its border. Click Here>> West Palm Outlines Stimulus Package
In a bid to boost the local economy, the city will speed the spending of $127 million budgeted for construction and other capital projects, Mayor Lois Frankel said Wednesday. Frankel announced the stimulus plan during a meeting at the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches. The mayor said she had considered reining in spending, but business leaders urged her to use the money to buoy the beleaguered construction industry. Click Here>>
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National News  |
Energy Efficiency Drives Home Building
First came the push for fuel-efficient cars. Are fuel-efficient houses next? As builders look for ways to move homes in a lousy market, they're increasingly taking their cue from automakers and turning toward energy efficiency as a selling tool. In Atlanta, builders are pushing what the head of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association calls "high-performance homes" that sip water and electricity like a Toyota Prius might sip gas. Click Here>> Big Banks Step Up Efforts to Modify Mortgages Major banks are stepping up their efforts to curtail losses from souring mortgages, with Citigroup Inc. becoming the latest institution to adopt initiatives aimed at helping at-risk borrowers remain in their homes. With defaults mounting, lenders including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. have become more aggressive about modifications to mortgage agreements. The government is also working on an ambitious plan to help around 3 million borrowers avoid foreclosure, but details have yet to be released. Click Here>> Paulson Says Troubled Assets will not be PurchasedTreasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Wednesday the $700 billion government rescue program will not be used to purchase troubled assets as originally planned. Paulson said the administration will continue to use $250 billion of the program to purchase stock in banks as a way to bolster their balance sheets and encourage them to resume more normal lending. He announced a new goal for the program to support financial markets, which supply consumer credit in such areas as credit card debt, auto loans and student loans. Click Here>> Government to Offer Help for Troubled HomeownersThe government and the mortgage industry are launching the most sweeping effort yet to help troubled homeowners by speeding up the process for renegotiating hundreds of thousands of delinquent loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which seized control of the two mortgage finance companies in September, announced the plan Tuesday along with other government and industry officials, including Hope Now, an alliance of mortgage companies organized by the Bush administration last year. Click Here>> House Hearing Spotlights Mortgage Rescue PlansRep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services, highlighted the need for a bailout program for troubled homeowners on Wednesday. But he stressed that not all borrowers should necessarily be rescued. "Diminishing foreclosures is an important part of getting out of this [financial crisis]," said Frank, D-Mass., in an opening statement at a Congressional hearing on bank rescue plans for homeowners facing foreclosure. Click Here>> Treasury Shifts Focus on $700 Billion Bailout
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson made a surprise announcement Wednesday that he'll shift from purchasing troubled assets under the $700 billion Wall Street rescue plan to instead work to shore up unregulated financial institutions that aren't banks but are vital to consumer lending. During negotiations on a bank rescue bill in late September and early October, Paulson argued that he needed broad authority to purchase distressed mortgages and other bad assets to clean up bank balance sheets and allow them to resume lending. Despite extensive misgivings, Congress created the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. Click Here>> Guidelines Make Mortgages Easier to Understand
Prospective home buyers would get a simpler way to understand often-confusing mortgage terms under new rules issued this morning by the federal government. The Department of Housing and Urban Development overhauled a 1974 law requiring lenders to give a so-called "good faith estimate" of mortgage costs, including lenders' payments to mortgage brokers. Click Here>> Green House Effect: Realtors Responding to Demand for Eco-Friendly HomesAt a time when the national housing market is singing the blues, real estate agents are going green. Homebuilders endorsed the green building concept years ago, and the commercial development industry has even gotten on the bandwagon, but home sales agents haven't been as quick to follow their lead. Click Here>> States Craft Plans to Stimulate Economy
States aren't waiting for help from Washington, D.C. to boost their economies. More than half a dozen have passed or proposed their own economic stimulus packages designed to reinvigorate local businesses with new construction, loans to hometown banks and other job-creating activities. The state efforts come as Congress considers a national economic stimulus package in the wake of the Wall Street collapse this fall. Among the options for Congress are extending unemployment benefits, sending more Medicaid money to states to boost the health care industry and launching a major new public works initiative. Click Here>> | |
Commercial News  |
Hampton's Moving In
What was once a parking lot in downtown Gainesville is now the shell of a Hampton Inn rising six stories above the plaza. Charles Reyner, the developer with South Carolina-based Windsor/Aughtry Co., said construction of the hotel is on track. "We're supposed to have the building topped off this month, and that generally puts us 6 months out from opening," said Reyner, forecasting a mid-June opening. "We're pushing to have the hotel in the Hilton reservation system before football season begins." Click Here>>
Ocala Builder and State-of-the-Art Facility Receive National Recognition from the NCBC in Washington, D.C.
Stentiford Construction Services, Inc. has won the prestigious Chairman Award, Division I - Institutional, for its entry, The Performing Arts Conservatory of Ocala, in the National Commercial Builders' Council 2009 Awards of Excellence competition. The project will be featured in Nation's Building News (NBN) online, distributed to over 215,000 members of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), as well as in the winter issue of Commercial Builder magazine, read by more than 10,000 commercial builders. The project will also be featured at the International Builders' Show, January 20 - 23, 2009 in Las Vegas.
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Green Plans in Blueprints of Retailers
In new Wal-Mart stores, the baseboards and moldings are made of plastic left over from diaper manufacturing. Chipotle, the burrito chain, has installed an energy-producing wind turbine outside a new store in the Chicago suburbs. And a Florida chain called Pizza Fusion reuses the draft from its ovens to heat water. Across the country, a race is under way among stores and fast-food restaurants to build environmentally friendly outlets, as a way to curry favor with consumers and to lower operating costs. Most chains are focusing on prototypes at the moment, but the trend could eventually change the look and function of thousands of stores.
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U.S. CAD Achieves Autodesk Premier Solutions Provider Status for Manufacturing Products
U.S. CAD, the largest Autodesk reseller in the Western United States and a leading provider of computer-aided design (CAD) services and products, announced today it has been designated an Autodesk Premier Solutions Provider (PSP) for Manufacturing, which covers the Mechanical and Electrical Design industries. With the addition of the PSP-Manufacturing designation, U.S. CAD has now earned a total of six PSP designations. PSP status is granted on an industry basis, and, in addition to Manufacturing, U.S. CAD has achieved this status in the areas of Building Architecture, Building Engineering, Civil Engineering, Geospatial, and State and Local Government.
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Green Hotel Goes Platinum
Now it's official: The Proximity Hotel is the American hospitality industry's most energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable building. With solar-powered water heaters, concrete made from recycled fly ash and elevators that generate electricity as they descend, the Proximity and its owner, Dennis Quaintance, became the first in their industry Monday to win platinum status from the nation's arbiter of environmental and energy efficiency, the U.S. Green Building Council.
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Construct Two Lands $4.7M Project
Construct Two Group has been awarded a $4.7 million construction management contract for the University of Florida Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center. According to a release, the contract is for overseeing construction of a 10,000-square-foot first floor of a planned two-story building at the university's Levin College of Law. The first floor includes a trial and appellate courtroom with features such as a judge's bench, attorneys' tables and a jury box and deliberation room.
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A Boston Green Party: Greenbuild Draws Near
With less than a week to go, the green building community has begun marshalling for Greenbuild, the colossal green building convention and trade show hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that begins Wednesday in Boston. As the first wave of attendees convenes for special forums and parties on Tuesday, more than 800 exhibitors -- a larger number than is expected at the International Council of Shopping Centers' global retail convention next year -- will assemble their booths that morning at the cavernous Boston Convention Center on the city's south waterfront, creating an exhibition floor that is twice as large as the one at last year's Greenbuild in Chicago.
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Upcoming Events
AGC of Greater Florida Calendar of Events
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2008-09 Residential Building Trends Media Kit
2008-09 Home: Living in the Heart of Florida Media Kit
Call today for 2008-09 media kits and editorial deadlines for Commercial Building Trends and the E-News Briefs. (352) 372-5854
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