Chinese New Year Noted by Orlando Architect C.T. Hsu + Associates

Happy Chinese New Year

From Your Friends at C.T. Hsu + Associates, Orlando, FL

新年快樂

Chinese New Year is the most important of all traditional Chinese holidays.  It is often is called the Lunar New Year because it is determined by the lunar calendar and falls anywhere between late January and mid February.  This year, it falls on February 3, 2011. 

The origins of this holiday date back to 2600 B.C. when the Emperor Huang Ti (top right photo)  introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac based on ancient legend.

 When Lord Buddha summoned all animals to bid him farewell before he departed the Earth, only twelve animals came.  As a reward, he named a year after each one and proclaimed that people born in each animals' year would possess some of that animals personality.

 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, and is often noted as the happiest sign of the Zodiac.  Rabbits are creative, compassionate, and sensitive.  

People born in Rabbit years (1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999) are friendly, outgoing and prefer the company of others. They also prefer to avoid conflict. 

Some famous people born under the sign of the Rabbit include Walt Whitman, Marie Curie, Hu Shee, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Napoleon Buonaparte, and Albert Einstein (lower left photo).

 Contact: C.T. Hsu + Associates, P.A, 820 Irma Avenue · Orlando, FL 32803 · 407 423 0098 · Fax 407 423 4793, www.CTHSU.com

Chatham Lodging Trust Announces Proposed Public Offering of Four Million Common Shares

 

PALM BEACH, FL,  Feb. 2, 2011 - Chatham Lodging Trust (NYSE: CLDT), a hotel real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on upscale extended-stay hotels and premium-branded select-service hotels, today announced that it is commencing an underwritten public offering of four million common shares.

  The company expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 600,000 additional common shares to cover overallotments, if any.

  

The company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to repay debt under its secured revolving credit facility, to acquire additional hotels, including the previously announced hotel in Pittsburgh, Pa. and for general business purposes.

A registration statement relating to these common shares has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective.  These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. 

This announcement shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the company's common shares, nor shall there be any sale of these common shares or a solicitation of an offer to buy these common shares in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state.

Barclays Capital and UBS Investment Bank are acting as the joint book-running managers for the offering. 

FBR Capital Markets is acting as the joint lead manager and Morgan Keegan, Credit Agricole CIB, Piper Jaffray, Stifel Nicolaus Weisel and JMP Securities are acting as co-managers. 

A copy of the prospectus can be obtained by contacting Barclays Capital, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Ave., Edgewood, N.Y. 11717, telephone (888) 603-5847 or by e-mail at barclaysprospectus@broadridge.com, or UBS Securities LLC, Prospectus Department, 299 Park Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10171 or by telephone at (888) 827-7275.

 The prospectus may also be obtained by contacting any of the other underwriters listed above.

Contact:    

Jerry Daly, Carol McCune, Daly Gray Public Relations, (Media), (703) 435-6293,  jerry@dalygray.com

Dennis Craven, Chief Financial Officer, (Company), (561) 227-1386,                

dcraven@cl-trust.com



NAI Realvest Negotiates New and Renewal Leases totaling 5,500 SF in Apopka, FL and Orlando

 ORLANDO, FL – NAI Realvest recently negotiated two lease agreements for industrial space that totals 5,500 square feet in Orlando and Apopka. 

 Michael Heidrich (top right photo), principal at NAI Realvest, brokered the transactions on behalf of the landlords. 

 At the Mackin Commerce Center in Apopka, Heidrich negotiated a new lease with Doormax, Inc. and Wesley J. Aksell for 1,500 square feet at Suite B-4, 2312 Clark Street.  Orlando-based Mackin Commerce Center Ltd. is the landlord.

 Heidrich also negotiated a renewal agreement with Class A Carpets, Inc. at Goldenrod CommerCenter.  The tenant renewed its lease early, extending for two more years the occupancy of suites 110 and 115 with 4,000 square feet at 1460 N. Goldenrod Rd.   COP-Goldenrod, LLC of Maitland is the landlord.

For more information, please contact

Michael Heidrich, Principal, NAI Realvest 407-875-9989 or mheidrich@realvest.com

 Patrick Mahoney, President, NAI Realvest 407-875-9989 pmahoney@realvest.com

 Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com

Easton Lynd Management Purchases $62 Million Worth of Notes on Pool of Distressed Properties

MIAMI, FL (Feb.  2, 2011) — Easton Lynd Management, a commercial real estate investment and management entity tied to The Lynd Company of San Antonio, has made a major investment in a pool of distressed real estate assets scattered throughout the United States.

 The company purchased $62 million worth of notes on 14 office, industrial and retail properties in Florida, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Maine, and Washington D.C.

The total amount of space is 1.3 million square feet.  The seller is an undisclosed special servicing agent assigned to handle disposition of the distressed assets. Some of the notes are associated with properties owned by the lender, while the balance is connected to properties still going through the foreclosure process.

 “We have a big appetite for this type of product and another $100 million dollars of equity available to invest,” said A. David Lynd (top right photo), president of Easton Lynd.

 “We are actively looking for more opportunities that make sense. Once lenders and their servicers decide to sell they are looking for serious buyers who bring certainty of close.  Our ability to close all cash in a very condensed time frame makes us a good fit for anyone looking to divest of these kinds of troubled assets.” 

 Easton Lynd’s Senior Vice President Zac Gruber (middle left photo) said this transaction plays to the strength of the company.

 “Our ability to work out problems at both the loan and property level by utilizing our management experience allows us to create value for each investment. This skill set is what gives us a competitive advantage in this arena.”

 This is Easton Lynd’s first major bulk purchase of distressed assets. With the transaction, Easton Lynd now owns and manages approximately 12 million square feet of commercial real estate throughout the United States.

 “We believe it’s the right time to be buying assets at this point in the cycle, said Albert Couto, COO of The Easton Group, a co-owner of Easton Lynd, along with The Lynd Company.  “We will continue to be active in this space as opportunities present themselves.”

Couto pointed out that the $62 million note purchase is the fourth major acquisition that The Easton Group has been involved with in the past 90 days.

Media Contact:

Todd Templin, Boardroom Communications, 954-370-8999 or 954-290-0810

ttemplin@boardroompr.com

Easton Lynd Management LLC Contact: A. David Lynd, President, 210-364-3964, alynd@thelyndco.com

Investment sales team joins HFF San Francisco

 SAN FRANCISCO, CA – HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) announced today that the highly-regarded investment sales team of Steven Golubchik (top right photo) and Nicholas Bicardo (middle left photo) has joined the firm’s San Francisco office.

  The two brokers will focus on capital markets transactions in the office, industrial and retail sectors throughout Northern California.

Steven Golubchik, who was a vice president and senior member of Grubb & Ellis’s Capital Markets Group, joins HFF as a director and will focus on the disposition of office and industrial assets in Northern California and throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Nicholas Bicardo, who was a vice president and senior member of Grubb & Ellis’s Capital Markets Group, joins HFF as a director and will focus on the disposition of retail properties throughout the Pacific Northwest with a primary focus on Northern California.

During the course of their career, Mr. Golubchik and Mr. Bicardo have been involved in more than $1.5 billion in investment sales transactions nationally including multi-market portfolios as well as single-asset sales of Class A, B, and C properties.  In the last 18 months at Grubb & Ellis, they closed more than $170 million in transactions with a focus on value-add repositioning plays.

“The addition of Steven and Nicholas continues HFF’s goal to expand our west coast presence.  In the past two years, we’ve grown our investment sales group tremendously with the addition of individuals and teams within the Los Angeles, Orange County and San Francisco offices,” said Michael Leggett (lower right photo), senior managing director and co-office head of HFF San Francisco.

Contacts:                 

Michael Leggett, HFF Senior Managing Director, (415) 276-6300 mleggett@hfflp.com

Gerry Rohm, HFF Senior Managing Director, (415) 276-6300, grohm@hfflp.com

 Kristen Murphy, HFF Associate Director, Marketing, (713) 852-3500,    

krmurphy@hfflp.com

HEI Hotels & Resorts Promotes Four General Managers at East Coast Hotels

 NORWALK, Ct., Feb. 2, 2011—Officials of HEI Hotels & Resorts (HEI), the nation’s fastest growing private owner/operator of hotel real estate, today named new general managers at four of its properties in Virginia and Pennsylvania.  All four were promoted from other HEI hotels. 

The newly named general managers are:  Julie Cashin, Sheraton Crystal City Hotel (middle  left photo), 1800 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Va.; Bob Krol, The Westin Philadelphia, (middle right photo) 99 South 17th Street at Liberty Place; Ryan McCarthy, Embassy Suites Tysons Corner (lower  left hotel), 8517 Leesburg Pike, Vienna Va.; and David Fabian, Embassy Suites Philadelphia – City Center (lower right photo), 1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. 

“These promotions clearly demonstrate the strength and depth of our internal talent pool,” said Ted Darnall  (top right photo), chief operating officer of HEI.

 “We devote a lot of time and resources to attracting and retaining the most talented professionals in our industry.  We have implemented a series of programs that encourage career development in terms of education and leadership responsibilities.  David, Julie, Bob and Ryan have been with the company for some time, and these promotions acknowledge their individual records of achievement and allow them to take their talents to the next level.”   

About the General Managers:

·         Julie Cashin—Cashin joined HEI in 2008 as director of operations at Le Méridien Cambridge, Mass., and was later promoted to general manager of the Embassy Suites Tysons Corner in Virginia.  Previously, she was general manager of the Embassy Suites in Williamsburg, Pa., for Winegardner & Hammons, Inc.    Earlier, she served as assistant manager of Humewood Castle in Kiltegan, Ireland.  She has a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.  She will report to Brian Mayer, senior vice president of operations, Region 2.

·         Bob Krol—Krol joined HEI as general manager of the Embassy Suites Philadelphia in 2007 from Interstate Hotels & Resorts, where he served as general manager of the Embassy Suites Philadelphia Airport.  Prior to that he was general manager of the Four Points by Sheraton.  In addition, he was rooms division manager and director of sales for the Sheraton University City, for Carnival Hotels.  Krol went to Fairleigh Dickinson University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.  He will report to Michael Miner, senior vice president of operations, Region 1.

·         Ryan McCarthy—Prior to joining HEI in 2009 as assistant general manager of the Embassy Suites Tysons Corner, he was assistant general manager and director of food & beverage at the Embassy Suites Lexington for Winegardner & Hammons, Inc.  Earlier in his career, he was general manager of Fiorella’s Italian Restaurant, where he oversaw front and back of house operations, and  comedy club supervisor and beverage controller for The Doubletree Hotel-Lowell, Mass.  He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts.  McCarthy will report to Brian Mayer.

·         David Fabian—Fabian was vice president of revenue management with HEI before becoming a hotel manager of the Embassy Suites Orlando Downtown, in Florida, in 2007.  Prior to HEI, he was vice president of revenue management for Wyndham Worldwide Hotel Group.  Previously, he was director of sales and marketing for the Westin Stamford, in Conn., for Merritt Hospitality.  Also, Fabian was regional director of revenue management, mid-Atlantic region for Starwood Hotels and Resorts.  He graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management.  He will report to Michael Miner.

Media Contact: Chris Daly, media (703) 435-6293 chris@dalygray.com