Lowe’s opens in St. Augustine
County officials marked the opening of Lowe’s in St. Augustine Aug. 18 with a ceremonial “board cutting” attended by St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Shaver and Board of County Commissioners Chair Jeb Smith.
In addition to creating approximately 180 local jobs, Smith said, the new store is making maximum use of a prime commercial location on US1.
“Not only will the store contribute significantly to the local economy and tax base,” he said, “it is also an aesthetically pleasing upgrade that will raise the architectural bar in one of St. Johns County’s most-visited retail corridors.”
The county’s public-private partnership with Lowe’s also helped fund the new county Health and Human Services building, Smith added.
“We look forward to continuing working with Lowe’s well into the future, as they have already proven to be a good corporate partner for St. Johns County.”
Nopetro opens CNG fueling facility in St. Johns County
Compressed natural gas (CNG) infrastructure provider Nopetro opened a new CNG fueling facility at the St. Johns County Public Works facility in St. Augustine last week.
The two-acre facility – which will serve both county-owned commercial vehicles and the general public – features a four-lane fueling station capable of being expanded to six lanes as well as two dual-hose dispensers with the capacity to distribute more than 12 gallons per minute.
As part of a public-private partnership with St. Johns County, Nopetro paid for the construction of the facility and will oversee its operation and maintenance. In addition, the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization provided St. Johns County with $732,000 toward the cost of retrofitting approximately 130 CNG fleet vehicles. According to county officials, switching from diesel to CNG is expected to reduce emissions significantly while saving more than $6 million over the next 20 years.
“We are excited about our public-private partnership with Nopetro,” St. Johns County Public Works Director Neal Shinkre said. “The (agreement) provides county taxpayers the opportunity to save money without having to make the large infrastructure investments that would normally be required in similar size projects.”
New World Golf Village retail center seeks professional tenants
As construction nears completion of the new Lion Gate One retail center in World Golf Village, developers are seeking professional services tenants to lease its six units.
Located off International Golf Parkway at 533 W. Twincourt Trail, the 10,100-square foot single-story building is situated on a lake and features a 44-space parking lot. The six available suites range from 1,486 to 2,150 square feet.
“Our new building provides businesses the opportunity to benefit and serve a flourishing residential community,” Lion Gate One CEO E. Dayan Sandler said. “The space is optimal for professional services looking to capitalize on the continued growth of World Golf Village, all while enjoying a stunning, serene lakefront office environment.” The new retail space is similar in design to Lion Gate One’s adjacent retail center at 559 W. Twincourt Trail. That building’s tenants include LifeSounds Hearing Aids, Coldwell Banker, Allstate Insurance, Tarantola Dentistry, Affordable Braces, McGreevy NeuroHealth, International Golf Realty and Baptist Primary Care.
“This community continues to expand, and new residents need medical offices such as dermatology and optometry clinics, and other professional services close to home,” Sandler said. “There’s even the opportunity for focused retail, such as gift shops. The potential client base for this new space is extremely promising.”
For leasing information, contact Sandler at (904) 412-6040.
FirstAtlantic declares quarterly dividend
FirstAtlantic Financial Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: FFHD), the holding company for FirstAtlantic Bank, has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $.03 per share on the company’s common stock. This is the third consecutive quarterly dividend to be paid in 2016.
The dividend will be payable to shareholders of record as of Sept. 14, 2016 and will be paid on or about Oct. 4.
“We are pleased to be able to continue sharing the financial success of FirstAtlantic with our shareholders through the payment of dividends,” said Mitchell W. Hunt, Jr., president & chief executive officer. “We believe the ability to return value to our shareholders is an indication of the company’s financial strength and our positive outlook for the future.”
Fulcrum Partners sponsors ministry outreach to Malawi
Fulcrum Partners recently sponsored the Love Malawi” Festival, a collaborative project of Andrew Palau and the Luis Palau Association.
For more than a month, ministry workers and volunteers served within Malawi communities, organizing music and sports entertainment, networking opportunities to grow local businesses and prayer along with the distribution of eyeglasses, shoes and other needed items. Events were hosted in five of the country’s largest cities as well as the Dzaleka refugee camp.
Fulcrum Partners – an executive benefits consultancy – has offices in 12 U.S. cities, including Ponte Vedra.
