Celzo Has Formula For Central Bank's Commercial Loans

 I had the opportunity to meet with Larry Celzo, First Vice President and Lending Officer for the Northeast Florida market for Central Bank. Larry described himself as a quiet, shy underwriter when he began his financial career 19 years ago. But circumstances and experiences changed him to the point that today he has become an advisor and personal friend of the many of the top CEO’s, government leaders and even international personalities throughout Northeast Florida. Larry credits his change to 25 years of service in the United States Air Force and his work as an 8-year program chairman and then president of the Meninak Club of Jacksonville. In 2006, Larry was hired by a Tampa-based bank to set up a branch operation in Jacksonville, where he worked in personal banking, operations, HR, marketing and assisting in raising $60 million in capital to establish the branch. As a result, he has developed four major advantages he brings to commercial lending: 1) speed of closures; 2) avoiding or managing complications and complexities; 3) studying and overseeing the complete process; and 4) streamlining the process. As Central Bank’s Lending Officer, he provides commercial loan consulting as well as assistance with SBA 504 loans, concentrating in the North Florida market. He can be reached at 904-853-3255 or at LCelzo@CentralBankFL.com. He is pictured on the right with Les Loggins.

Hurlbut Purchases All American Curbing And Central Bank's Randall Arranges The Deal

 Congratulations to Bryan Hurlbut who recently acquired All American Curbing & Landscapes, a company that has been designing and installing residential curbing and landscape throughout Northeast Florida for over 20 years. Also, congratulations to Ed Randall, Central Bank’s Northeast Florida Market SBA/USDA Lender, for putting together the buyer and seller and for assistance with the SBA (7a) loan to acquire the company. Hurlbut was living in Maui and decided to sell his properties after the devastating fires in Hawaii. He wanted to buy a company in his home state of Florida. Randall was working with All American Curbing owner Ronnie Nichols at the time and suggested the two come together on a buyout deal so Nichols could retire. The deal and the SBA loan came together in January and now Hurlbut is on his way towards expanding the business. For more information about the company and photos of various curbing landscape designs, visit allamcurbing.com or call 904-213-8883. If your small business is looking for loan sources, you can contact Randall at erandall@centralbankfl.com or at 904-239-7534. In this “picnic with Les” photo, Bryan Hurlbut of All American Curbing is on the left and Ed Randall with Central Bank is on the right. 

Central Bank Makes Cover Story In Florida Banking Magazine

Congratulations to Central Bank for making the cover story of this month’s Florida Banking magazine. The Tampa headquartered community bank, with branches in St. Augustine, Winter Park and Suwanee, Georgia, was described as a thriving Minority Deposit Institution (MDI), providing banking services and loans for underserved communities. The article describes that the bank was founded by Raj Patel, Chairman of the Board, along with his brother Nilesh Patel, Executive Vice President, to serve the large Asian Indian population in the Tampa Bay area. At that time, there were no banks in Florida serving that community. Due to its efforts to reach out to various diverse communities, the bank has expanded its branches around Florida, and more recently to Georgia with over $300 million in assets to date. President and CEO John Thompson, a graduate of The Bolles School in Jacksonville, believes the bank’s success will continue into the future because his bank is growth and change oriented and they continue to invest in technology to meet customer expectations. Plus, they want to continue to emphasize their local roots and customer service. The executive team pictured on the cover of Florida Banking magazine includes (from left to right) David Edgar, Chief Financial Officer, Raj Patel, Founder and Chairman, John Thompson, President/CEO, and Nilesh Patel, Founder and Executive Vice President.

Director of U.S. Commercial Service Jorge Arce Is Great Resource For North Florida Businesses Wanting To Export

 I recently had lunch with a great gentleman I have done business with throughout the years when my marketing agency was doing international work. He is Jorge Arce, Director, U.S. Commercial Service (U.S. Department of Commerce) located in Jacksonville. For businesses in North Florida, Jorge is a terrific resource and he doesn’t cost your business a dime. If you’re interested in expanding your international business; diversifying your market; establishing a world class rated product or service; or competing or defending your business on the world stage, then Jorge can get you export ready. He reminded me that 96% of small businesses in the U.S. don’t export their products or services, missing a great opportunity. He said that of the 4% who do export, 70% of those businesses have less than 50 employees. So you don’t have to be large or just a manufacturer of products to benefit. Jorge says exporting helps avoids downtime during a fluctuation in the U.S. market and downtime for seasonal products. Part of Jorge’s success is that he works with 75 U.S. embassies throughout the world in addition to working with JAXPORT and the Chamber’s JAXUSA Partnership. He made a big difference in my company, an advertising agency, expanding our scope of work. You can contact him at 904-477-9485 or Jorge.Arce@trade.gov. He is on the right in this “Lunch with Les” photo.

Dirty Dough Cookie Franchise Opens First Store In North Florida Market

 Congratulations to Caleb and Jalen Hutchinson and Stu Music for opening the first Dirty Dough Cookie franchise in the North Florida market. Known for its two featured products – decadent, baked-inside-out cookies and Dirty sodas and shakes, customized with various exotic flavors, the franchise is expanding from the west to the east coast markets. Stu, a Jacksonville native, is experienced in food franchise as an owner of Firehouse Subs in Colorado. The Hutchinsons, who have experience in business marketing and restaurant management, moved from Arizona to open and run the North Florida store. Open only for 4 weeks, their favorite product, chocolate chip cookies, are selling out by 1 pm. Plus, the store has quickly become the late night place for deserts and treats. And the store is set up to offer cookies as corporate gifts. Ed Randall, the Northeast Florida Market SBA/USDA Lender for Central Bank was able to arrange the SBA loan that made the investment possible. Dirty Dough Cookies is located at 90 Durbin Pavilion Drive (off Racetrack Road) and is open 7 days a week. Dirty Dough Cookies is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturdays. They can be contacted at stjohns@dirtydoughfl.com or call 702-556-2804. In this photo, Les is joined by (from left to right) Caleb and Jalen Hutchinson and Stu Music.

Eddie Daivid Creates New Jacksonville Automotive Empire

 Look out Northeast Florida, there is a Jacksonville entrepreneur who is rapidly expanding his automotive empire. Eddie David, an eight year veteran in the automotive industry, took a break and traveled around the world for a year. Then he came back to Jacksonville and hit the automotive industry hard by bringing together several businesses that serve customers’ various automotive needs. His most recent acquisition was a 39 year-old, well respected body shop, he named San Marco Paint and Body. With help from broker Julie Brigman of Transworld Business Advisors and Ed Randall, Central Bank’s Northeast Florida Market SBA/USDA Lender, Eddie acquired the business and property in a two and a half month closing time. In just a few months, Eddie has doubled the number of cars serviced per month than the previous owners. In addition to body and paint work for individuals, commercial fleet companies and insurance carriers, he also performs complete auto restorations. But the body shop is only part of Eddie’s automotive business. He also owns a used car lot and the Arlington Goodyear Tire and Service Center. There’s no telling how far this young businessman is going to expand. The shop is located at 3463 St. Augustine Road, Jacksonville (904-398-1127; SanMarcoPaintBody.com). Eddie is on the right in this “Lunch with Les” photo. 

Ryan Maloney Joins Construction Litigation At Shutts & Bowen Law Firm

Congratulations to my Rotary buddy Ryan Maloney for joining the Jacksonville office of the Shutts & Bowen law firm as a partner. Ryan, who has been an attorney for over 20 years, will serve as a member of the firm’s Construction Litigation Practice Group. Ryan is a Florida Bar Certified Construction Law practitioner. Ryan tells me that he joined Shutts & Bowen because the firm has a large construction practice, represents construction clients throughout Florida and has more resources for handling construction work. The firm is headquartered in Miami with 8 offices throughout the state, including Jacksonville. In addition to construction work, Ryan will also represent businesses and individuals in business and contract disputes, governmental bid protests and real estate disputes. Knowing Ryan as I do, he takes on challenges with a very careful and strategic approach. Plus, he cares about people and our community, having served in Southside Rotary for 11 years. If you need to contact Ryan, you can reach him at 904-899-9954 or at rmaloney@shutts.com. Ryan is pictured on the left in this “Lunch with Les” photo.

 

Mary Fisher of Mary Fisher Design Retires

 Mary Fisher, one of my most favorite people in the advertising industry, is announcing her retirement as of April 1. With over 45 years in the business, Mary has worked for many of the top companies in Jacksonville and enjoyed working on a variety of fun and unusual projects. She just completed the sale of her company, the Fisher Agency, to her partner Erin Gordon. When I first met Mary, she was working for Lee Printing in 1979. She went on to head up design for several magazines, including Jacksonville Monthly and Jacksonville Magazine. She then founded her own agency, Mary Fisher Design (now Fisher Agency), for about 35 successful years. In addition to being very well liked by her advertising peers and competitors, she is also respected in the community, speaking before groups such as entrepreneurs at the University of North Florida and the Women’s Business Owners. In her appearances before these groups, she offered insights to starting and running a company with her most important messages being “always have an exit strategy when you start a business” and “be as prepared as possible for emergencies or unseen events.” While Mary will continue mentoring individuals and nonprofits, she is still on call to help Erin and the agency with any clients’ needs. Mary is pictured in this “Lunch with Les” photo at the Athenian Owl restaurant.

Strasser Brothers Purchase Lillian's Sports Bar

 Congratulations to Taylor, Ryan and Cliff Strasser for their recent purchase of Lillian’s Sports Bar & Grill. The three brothers grew up in the Ortega area always wanting to own the sports bar. The previous owners retired at the end of the year and the brothers were able to obtain it in January. Their friend, Aaron Kleist, and his lending partner, Ed Randall, both with Central Bank, helped them with an SBA loan, something they couldn’t get as a non-franchised restaurant from the larger banks. The three brothers have extensive experience in the food service business, each having their own Five Star Pizza franchise. With the three brothers now partners in the sports bar, they will be working together to maintain Lillian’s long proven reputation and to ensure the sports bar keeps running as usual, including using the food recipes from the previous owners. They will continue with full lunch and dinner entries, along with offering promotional events and live bands in their several dining rooms. Lilian’s is located at 5393 Roosevelt Boulevard (#6), just north of Jax Naval Air Station. Their dining rooms are available for parties and groups and can be reserved by calling (904) 388-4220 or visiting lillianssportsgrill.com. This “Lunch with Les” photo features the brothers (from left to right) Taylor, Cliff and Ryan with Les.

Stellar Growth Strategies Offer Outsourced VP Of Sales For North Florida Market

 Many small businesses in the North Florida market need help to push their company to that next level, but they don’t know what resources are available to help them achieve their sales goals. When it comes to creating a sales strategy, customizing a sales acceleration process, developing a hiring process, and implementing a CRM system or even more, that’s when you need to contact my friend Jen Cart. As owner of Stellar Growth Strategies and an Outsourced VP of Sales, Jen evaluates your business and can function as a sales architect (creating a sales framework), sales builder (performing the work for the company) or both the architect and builder. She is experienced in providing fractional help for any type of business that sells products or services for companies ranging from $2 – 100 million in sales. She offers a free Sales Agility Assessment prior to presenting a proposal so the business owner or president will know the scope of work needed and costs. If you could use a source to increase your sales, regardless of the number of sales people you have, I recommend Jen for her personalized, roll-up-your-sleeves method of sales guidance. Contact her at (904) 477-1229 or jcart@salesxceleration.com. Jen is pictured here in my “Lunch with Les” photo. 

New Peterbooke Store Opens In Northern St. Johns County

 Congratulations to my fellow Bolles graduate, Julie Reston and her husband Jared for opening the newest Peterbrooke Chocolate store in northern St. Johns County. Also a big thanks to Ed Randall and Aaron Kleist of Central Bank for helping the couple with an SBA loan after they were put through the hoops with 3 other banks. Julie is president of PFG Chocolate (named after her 3 sons) and had wanted to start her own business. The store has all of the high quality chocolate products Peterbrooke is known for, plus offering custom gifts for individuals and corporations. They even have gelato in the store. The Restons recently had their grand opening in the Silverleaf Shopping Plaza, located in a large new residential development in northern St. Johns County. The Silverleaf Peterbrooke is the 27^th franchise store to open. Julie has always wanted a family business in her local community where friends and neighbors could enjoy their products and services. Located at 70 Silver Forest Drive, they can be contacted at 904-342-2457 or silverleaf@peterbrooke.com. In this “Lunch with Les” photo taken at the grand opening (from left to right) is Les Loggins, Julie Reston, Jared Reston and COO of Peterbrooke Corporate, Jeff Smith.

Bee Friends Farm Is Leading The Beekeeping Industry In North Florida

 There is a lot of “buzz” around the Beekeeping business in North Florida, and the premier experts in the industry are Michael and Christie Leach, owners of Bee Friends Farm. At the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville, Michael talked, not only about his business operation, but also the need of maintaining healthy bee hives in our community and all over the world. Michael, who rents out his bees to farmers in California and Michigan, says that using bees for pollination will increase crop yields by at least 30%. Bee Friends Farm, which began in 2013, is involved in every aspect of beekeeping. In addition to commercial pollination (where they manage over 600 bee colonies), the company has a retail store at 1118 Edgewood Avenue South, offering bee-related gifts (various flavors of honey, beeswax candles, even honey recipes), beekeeping equipment, tours and beekeeping courses on their farm. In this “Lunch with Les” photo, Michael and Christie are shown here with a live bee box display they brought in for their Rotary presentation. For anything involving the bee industry and for honey oriented gifts, stop by the Edgewood store; visit BeeFriendsFarm.com; or email Michael@beefriendsfarm.com.

Jacksonville Business Community Loses Woman Business Pioneer Anne Renfroe

 I wanted to note the passing of one of the top women business pioneers in Jacksonville – Anne Renfroe. Anne was the owner of J.C. Renfroe & Sons, a manufacturer and marketer of industrial lifting products. She took over the business with very little knowledge of manufacturing when her husband, Charles, died. The business was not doing well but she identified and brought in top talent, expanded the product line and built the company into one of the top two clamp companies in the world. I had the honor to help her redirect the approach of her advertising, which resulted in changing the way industrial competitors and related companies advertise. She entered an almost totally dominated male industry and became so popular she was elected president of the national association, Associated Wire Rope Fabricators (AWRF). As one of my favorite advertising clients, I knew her as a very strong woman, who could bring out the best in people, and doing it with respect and total class. She was proud when the nation called on her company to provide products to move the Liberty Bell twice, build the St. Louis Gateway Arch and recover the Spaceship Challenger wreckage from the Atlantic Ocean. The Jacksonville business community and Downtown Rotary will miss this classy lady, Anne Renfroe, who was a business and civic inspiration to men and women alike.

Michael Hotaling Promoted To Managing Partner For Moody Williams Appraisal Group

 I want to congratulate my Rotary buddy Michael Hotaling for his promotion to managing partner of the Moody Williams Appraisal Group, based in Jacksonville. Knowing Michael as I do, he brings organization, attention to detail, creative approaches and people management skills to his job. While the company offers appraisal work involving commercial, residential, industrial, multifamily, and special use properties, including over 100 auto dealership evaluations, his firm is unique in that they offer full litigation support, including legal testimony supported by their analytical data for estate work, bankruptcies, eminent domain, divorce cases and cases involving damages to real estate. They can provide solutions to appraisal problems people don’t even realize they have, including tax appeals and appraisals for flood and property insurance. According to Michael, no two properties are the same and require different investigation and analysis to determine their value. He has plenty of appraisal experience, as a MAI Designated Member of the Appraisal Institute and holding licenses in Florida and Georgia. He has also provided testimony before various courts and governmental regulatory agencies. Michael can be contacted at Mhotaling@moodywilliams.com or visit the company’s website at www.moodywilliams.com. Michael is on the right in this “Lunch with Les” photo.

Central Bank Expands Into Atlanta Market

 Congratulations to Central Bank for their expansion into the North Atlanta Market with a new branch in Suwanee, Georgia. Central Bank, a community bank headquartered in Tampa, Florida, has branches in Winter Park and St. Augustine. John Thompson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Central Bank, who is also from Jacksonville, told me that his board studied the Suwanee area and found it to be a great candidate for a community bank. His bank started in North Tampa in 2007 as a community bank and they have continued that strategy throughout Florida with great success. With so many banks focused totally on expansion, many are leaving the customers behind when it comes to service. John’s strategy is to identify a specific area in need of community banking and then make sure his bank is a fit for the community. Central Bank Vice President Darryl Workman will serve as Branch Manager and Sagar Patel will be the Atlanta/Georgia Market President. As with each Central Bank branch, the Suwanee bank will offer personal banking services for both individual accounts and for local small businesses. Central Bank is a Member of FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender. For more information, visit CentralBankFL.com.

Langton Consulting Of Jacksonville Is Largest Grant Writing Firm in Florida

 At Robert Harris’ popular San Marco holiday party in December, I ran into Mike Langton who I haven’t seen in years. Lunching at what used to be the old Beach Road Chicken Dinner restaurant, I caught up with Mike, a former Florida State Legislator (1985-92). I was delighted to hear that over the years Mike has enjoyed success in the field of grant writing. His firm, Langton Consulting, is the oldest and largest grant writing firm in Florida. Just in the past 10 years, his firm has generated over one half billion dollars in grants for clients, who are mainly city and county governments. Plus, he just obtained a $51 million grant for a critical semiconductor plant for Osceola County. He also has obtained government grants for major corporations. While grant writing comprises most his business time, he also invests in real estate developments around the state, focusing on mix-use property in downtown locations. Mike and I became friends in the Jacksonville Jaycees, which was a tremendous civic and leadership organization at the time. Many of the city’s successful government and business leaders have come from that group. Mike was serving in Mayor Tanzler’s administration at the time, writing grants. Mike can be contacted at LangtonConsulting.com. Mike is on the right in this “Lunch with Les” photo.

Jacksonville Sees Major Change In Hospitality Industry With Pozin Retirement

 A major change took place in the hospitality industry in Jacksonville this past year. Long-time leader and spokesman for the industry, Fred Pozin, sold his Ramada Inn property to private investors and retired from the business. Operating the motel for almost 40 years, Fred has left a big void, having served as President of the Visitor’s Bureau and the Hotel Association, along with being a member of the Hospitality Association and the Tourist & Development Council. Fred is known as an innovator in the industry with his operational skills, plus bringing in a unique entertainment venue, the Comedy Zone, to his property. Fred reports that the industry has undergone major changes, particularly with online technology, where third party sources are handling bookings. And even the location of properties are not that critical, now with access to mobile apps and GPS. Fred was working 70+ hours a week, and now he doesn’t have the stress of complying with government regulations, making payroll, managing his 80 – 100 employee workforce or making every customer happy. While Fred is taking a break from work, still spending time with Rotary, his synagogue and politics, he is searching for new challenges. He welcomes people to contact him at pozinf@yahoo.com. Fred is on the left in this “Lunch with Les” photo.

Ed Randall Joins Central Bank As SBA/ USDA Lender

 I had the opportunity to meet up with Ed Randall, the new Senior Vice President for the Florida-Georgia market for the SBA/USDA Lending team for Central Bank. I have interviewed many SBA lenders and I found Ed very different due to his easy-going attitude and his past business experience. He has an entrepreneurial background having worked and started businesses in industries that include freight, automotive, medical and construction. He has gone through the complicated process of applying for government loans for his own businesses, one time being declined 9 times before obtaining his loan. He changed his career to finance, moving to Florida with Wachovia Small Business Capital in 2008. Since then he has helped set up SBA departments at three local banks. Having dealt with SBA applications personally and with Central Bank offering loan amounts lower than most banks, Ed is positioned to help small businesses in Florida get access to capital that they otherwise couldn’t obtain. If you need help guiding through the SBA loan process, Ed can be reached at 904-239-7534 or erandall@centralbankfl.com. Ed is on the right in this “Lunch with Les” photo.

Mayo Clinic Has A $2 Billion Annual Impact On Jacksonville

 At South Jax Rotary, we had the opportunity to hear an update about the expansion and advances at Mayo Clinic in Florida from Caroline Russell. Caroline is the Associate Administrator for the Department of Surgery, Surgical Specialities and the Department of Transplant at the Jacksonville campus. Mayo Clinic opened in Jacksonville in 1986 with 35 doctors and a staff of 145. The hospital currently has a staff of 8,506 including 1,184 physicians and is still growing. While people know the reputation of Mayo Clinic and the outstanding healthcare it offers the North Florida community, Caroline reports that the Jacksonville operation has an estimated economic impact of approximately $2B per year. This is an astounding asset for the city as it affects area employment, the need for suppliers and generating medical tourism services in our city. It also provides a business incubator through its Innovation Exchange that gathers healthcare entrepreneurs, startups and industry experts together to bring breakthrough innovations to market. Mayo Clinic has many great professionals, like Caroline, who can share more about Mayo Clinic offerings and resources. For more information, visit MayoClinic.org. Caroline is on the right in this “Lunch with Les” photo. 

Baker Design Build Is One Of The Top Contractors In Northeast Florida

 At our Rotary luncheon the other day, I was able to talk to fellow club member Tamara Baker about her very successful business, Baker Design Build. She is the owner of a company that provides engineering, design and construction services to federal, municipal, transportation, commercial and private business clients. While her firm mainly handles contracts $5 million and under, she does take on a few projects each year in the $5 – 15 million range. I asked her what sets her apart from her competition and she explained that she has the in-house capability of handling entire projects from start to finish. But also many large local contractors use her services because of her design/build versatility and she is also a rare source as a qualified minority contractor. About 90% of her work is in Northeast Florida with 10% taking her around the Southeast. Expertise in the various design/build disciplines, dependability and a proven track record of over 19 years has resulted in Tamara heading one of the most successful contracting companies in Jacksonville. Check out her website at bdbjax.com or you can contact her at (904) 356-8520 or tbaker@bdbjax.com. Tamara is on the left in this “Lunch with Les” photo.