COO of Melaver, Inc. to be keynote speaker at USC-Beaufort Sustainable Living Symposium

(BEAUFORT, SC) Colin Coyne, Chief Operating Officer of Melaver, Inc., will be the keynote speaker at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort’s Sustainable Living Symposium April 27.

The USCB Office of Community Outreach is presenting the symposium as part of its Coastal Life series. The symposium will be held at the USCB South Campus on Hwy 278 in Bluffton at 12:30 p.m. Friday, April 27. It is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Reservations are required; call (843) 208-8201.

“The mission of the Office of Community Outreach at USCB is to find ways to apply the intellectual resources of the university to issues and concerns of the community,” said C. Leary Bell, Ph. D., Associate Chancellor at USCB. “This symposium is a very good example of the university bringing experts on a topic of particular concern to the coastal region to share their expertise with the community.”

Coyne will speak about sustainability in a broader context than environmentally friendly, or “green” building.

“Sustainability begins and ends in the community fabric,” he said. “Frankly, without that community fabric what we’re doing is irrelevant. Sustainability isn’t just buildings or even the air we breathe it’s sustaining and nurturing that sense of community, and that’s why people should care about it. It’s protecting and nurturing the community fabric, the sense of oneness.”

Wayne Robertson, President of Energy Ace, Inc., and Monica Mastrianni, president of Greenline Architecture, will give an introduction to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and sustainable design. LEED is the
internationally-recognized standard for high performance, low water and energy use buildings awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Tommy Linstroth, Head of Sustainable Initiatives for Melaver, Inc., will present a commercial case study of Abercorn Common retail center in Savannah, the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the nation.

EcoManor’s Lead Designer and Project Manager, Rick Hatch, and Interior Designer, Jillian Cooke, will discuss residential luxury and sustainable design.

Landscape design and sustainable green development through intelligent design will be discussed by John R. Thomas and J. Edward Pinckney of Edward Pinckney Associates, Ltd.

Paul Wolff, Tybee City Councilman, will cover the governmental angle of sustainable design as he discusses the City of Tybee and alternative energy sources.

Allen Ward, President of Ward Edwards Engineering, will discuss sustainable land practices.

There will be information booths for the US Green Building Council and Georgia Tech’s Team DesignSolar Decathlon 2007.

Coyne serves as a critical member of Melaver, Inc.’s team-oriented Senior Management Group where he oversees all aspects of day-to-day operations of the firm, including development and portfolio management, while helping shape the guiding long-term business strategy. Extremely versatile in financial analysis,
complex transaction and entity structuring, investment relations, and marketing, Coyne has been the guiding force behind the company’s well-paced and well-coordinated growth. Coyne’s 20 years of experience with direct responsibility for over a billion dollars of real estate assets includes serving as a senior officer of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, during the time of Tanger’s IPO. While growing up in the U.S., Jamaica and Australia, Coyne returned stateside to receive a BS degree in Economics and Business Administration from Vanderbilt University and an MBA with Dean’s List honors from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Coyne has been a featured speaker at the annual U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild Conference, the CoreNET International Conference, Southface Energy Institute’s annual Greenprints Conference, the Southern Environmental Center’s Livable Cities Conference, and has most recently published articles on green
development in the Southface Journal; Environmental Construction & Design; and, EcoStructure magazine. He has served on the faculty of the International Council of Shopping Centers Shopping Center University and is a graduate of the
Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership’s Class of 2006.

Melaver Inc. is a third-generation, family business devoted to commercial real
estate: office, retail, showroom, and warehousing. Melaver was awarded the first
LEED certification in Savannah for their historical renovation of the Whitaker
Building, located on the corner of State Street and Whitaker Street, received
LEED CI (commercial interiors) certification for its corporate offices on Barnard Street.
www.melaver.com
Contact: (912) 236-0781

For more information about the USCB symposium go to http://www.uscb.edu or make
a reservation at (843) 208-8201.

(SAVANNAH, GA) The New South Café is proud to introduce the newest addition to their culinary team, Executive Chef Bryan Richard.

Chef Bryan comes to The New South Café from The Cobblestone Conch House located in down town Savannah. Prior to this, Chef Bryan worked at the well known Tangos restaurant on Tybee Island for four years.

Chef Bryan is a native of Pennsburg, Pennsylvania. He attended culinary school at The Restaurant School in Philadelphia. Shortly after his graduation in 1996 he took his first job as Chef at Valley Forge Brewing Company in Wayne, Pennsylvania where he worked for four years.

Chef Bryan is happy to join The New South Café family where he shares the kitchen with owner and President, Chef Matt Cohen and Vice President and Executive Chef Scott Gordon.

A fifth generation Savannah native, Chef Matt Cohen is a culinary expert who has worked in big name restaurants throughout New York and Atlanta. Chef Scott Gordon worked in Florida for the world famous Chef Norman Van Aken, founder of a visionary way of cooking known as “New World Cuisine,” for many years. Both are graduates of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, one of the top rated culinary schools in the world.

“It is a great opportunity for me to work with chefs of their caliber,” Chef Bryan said. “My experience has complimented their experience very nicely.”

According to Chef Matt, Bryan is a great asset to The New South Café. “Chef Bryan brings with him the rare combination of talent and brains, along with a very strong understanding of classical cooking techniques and principles,” he said. “We at The New South Cafe foster creativity, talent, and freedom of expression, and Bryan epitomizes these qualities.”

Founded in 2006, The New South Café offers comfort food gourmet style, matching your appetite for a new culinary experience with your hunger for the authentic food of the south. Chef Matt breaks the stigma commonly placed on southern style food, offering a young and fresh perspective on old southern favorites. Their menu showcases Georgia’s finest food ingredients, from wild shrimp to Vidalia onions.

The New South Café is open Tuesday through Saturday, serving lunch from 11 a.m. to
3 p.m. and dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The New South Café Express Café, a new addition to the restaurant, allows the guest to dine in and get out in about thirty minutes. Plates off of the express menu are $10 and include a biscuit and sweet tea. The New South Café offers upscale catering services available in-flight, for corporate events, conventions, executive lunches, private parties, weddings, receptions and bar mitzvahs. For more information on The New South Café, visit www.thenewsouthcafe.com or call 912-233-7558.

Children at Moses Jackson Center learning ballet, discipline

(SAVANNAH) – Gianna Nelson loves the arts, and once a week she gets to share that love with a group of kids at the Moses Jackson Center.

“They’re getting an opportunity to get exposed to the arts that they might not otherwise have,” said Nelson, who volunteers to teach the ballet class once a week. “It’s important for kids to be exposed to the arts,” she said.

An active community volunteer, Nelson started the ballet class this fall after teaching kids at the Moses Jackson Center other styles of dance for the year before that. She bought them some dance shoes and other essentials and has found some community support.

Sustainable property developer Melaver, Inc., which is leading the redevelopment of nearby Sustainable Fellwood, donated a ballet barre; the students had been using folding chairs. To the delight of the girls, the barre arrived via UPS during their recital Dec. 19 in the center’s cafetorium, just in time for Christmas and the New Year. Nelson’s students from the previous dance classes also sang “Hero” to her during the recital.

“I get an opportunity to do what I like best, which is teaching ballet,” Nelson said. “And I like to see young people learn, and to see they can do it, to see the expression on their faces when they realize they can do it. I find it very rewarding. The fact that they’ve enjoyed it means a lot to me.”

A Crime Analyst at the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department’s Analysis & Planning Unit, Nelson compiles, maintains and analyzes crime statistics for the local police department. She’s active in the Baldwin Park Neighborhood Association, having been treasurer and president. She also serves as a representative for Baldwin Park on Step Up Savannah’s Resident Team. From her own experience as a dance student, Nelson knows the lessons the kids are learning now will translate into life lessons.

“They’re learning self-discipline and paying attention to detail,” she said. “They’re starting to show a little more discipline. It gives them poise. It helps with their carriage and some of their self-image.”

“It’s giving them confidence,” Nelson said. “They’re stepping outside their normal boundaries and when they have a success it gives them confidence.”

Vivian Salley, youth supervisor for City of Savannah’s Leisure Services at the Moses Jackson Center, said the children are becoming well-rounded by being exposed to the arts. She’s also seen several children blossom in Nelson’s classes. Last year, one timid special needs boy started interacting more with other children after taking part in her classes. A young girl who was very timid and shy started feeling more confident and willing to take on challenges.

“It does so much for them,” Salley said. “It’s empowering the students in other areas of their lives. It’s also building their self-esteem, self-control and discipline. She wants to give back to the community. She’s very dedicated.”

“I know she’s tired because she’s coming from work, but she’s always bubbly, and they really respond to her.”

Melaver, Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned business based in Savannah, Georgia. The sustainable real estate developer currently has eight LEED certified projects in their portfolio and developed one of the first LEED certified buildings in the U.S. which is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Melaver Inc. also developed the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the country, Abercorn Common, including t he first LEED McDonald’s worldwide.
Contact: (912) 236-0781
www.melaver.com

PHOTOS:
From left to right
Brianna Fuelto
Nakira Greene
Steveysha Johnson

BIRMINGHAM, December 19, 2007 –  Sustainable real estate developer Melaver Inc. has purchased the office building at 2101 Highland Avenue in Birmingham’s Southside Business District, making this the third property in their Birmingham portfolio.

“We felt the 2101 Highlands building was an outstanding addition to our growing portfolio in Birmingham, and we see the southside as a vibrant and growing part of the Birmingham landscape.  Certainly, it represents an energizing cross-section of the Birmingham community. We’re excited to be a part of it, said Colin Coyne, COO of Melaver Inc.”

Current tenants in the Highland Avenue building include: AG Edwards, Anderson Pewitt & Associates, Blankenship & Seay Consulting Group, Inc., Brock  Investment Group, Business Interiors, Lusk, Lusk, Dowdy, and Caldwell, P.C., Medical Staffing Network, Inc., SPM, Inc., Stephen Bradley & Associates, LLC, Turner & Associates, LLP, Wettermark, Holland, an d Keith, LLC.

The Melaver Birmingham office located in One Federal Place, was recently recognized for achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Commercial Interiors (LEED CI) – the first LEED CI certification in the state of Alabama.  This 1,500 square foot office space has extensive features including daylighting, environmentally friendly low-emitting finishes such bamboo flooring, low VOC paints, sealants and adhesives, Energy Star appliances, and efficient fixtures that reduce water consumption over 30 percent.  An energy efficient copier that defaults to two sided copies and recycling stations help occupants incorporate reuse and recycling into their daily activities.

Melaver, Inc. is also redeveloping the Birmingham Federal Reserve building.  Located between 4th and 5th Avenues North and 18th Street, the $130 million project envisions a 235 room hotel, 150,000 square feet of AAA office space, restaurants, executive residences and a spa.  The project will seek LEED-Gold certification.

Melaver, Inc. is committed to sustainability - the triple-bottom line approach to economic performance, environmental impact, and social engagement with the community. They currently own and manage properties in Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah, Huntsville, and Birmingham, including the World Business Center at 500 Beacon Parkway. The Savannah-based company develops, acquires and renovates, manages, owns and brokers commercial and residential real estate throughout the Southeast .

Contact: (912) 236-0781 or (205) 583-9400
www.melaver.com
www.RethinkRebuildRenew.com

(Savannah Country Day School, Savannah, GA) Two Savannah Country Day sophomores took home top prizes in the 2007 Savannah Children’s Book Festival Young Writers’ Contest. In the ninth through twelfth grade category, Katie Kenreich and Lynah Stone took home the first and second place prizes respectively.

Sponsored by the Like Oak Public Libraries and the City of Savannah’s Department of Public Affairs, the contest was a salute to the centennial of Savannah’s historic Daffin Park. All entries focused on one of the following topics; the importance of parks and open space, reading in the park, or reflections of Daffin Park.

The contest was open to all area students. Katie and Lynah were awarded their prizes at a reception at the Bull Street Library on Thursday November 8th where they read their poems aloud to an audience of peers, parents, and writing instructors. Both winners were presented with gift certificates from Barnes & Noble.

Savannah Country Day School is a pre-k through twelve independent school that seeks to prepare students of academic and personal promise to meet with confidence, imagination, and integrity the challenges of college and of life. In partnership with supportive families, we strive to cultivate in each student the desire and the discipline to grow wise, to lead lives of personal honor, to appreciate beauty, to pursue physical well being, and to serve others with a generous and compassionate spirit. For more information about Savannah Country Day School, its mission, and its programs, please visit www.savcds.org.

(SAVANNAH, GA) Chef Matt Cohen, President and owner of The New South Café, raised over $12,000 in direct donations this year through his “Cooking for Charity” series. The New South Café fundraisers supported many local non-profit organizations such as Greenbriar Orphanage, A Working Woman in Need, Old Savannah City Mission and the local chapter of the USO.

Chef Matt is extremely passionate about giving back to the community. “The New South Cafe has been so blessed with the warm welcome the community has given to us that we feel it is not only our privilege, but also our responsibility to give back,” he said.

Furthermore, in the year of 2007 Chef Matt donated his time and talent for charity at many non-profit events around town, such as the March of Dimes fundraiser, the Second Harvest Chef’s Table, and Chocoholic Frolic, contributing over $30,000 through all of his charitable efforts.

“We are not interested in any accolades or recognition,” said Matt, “we just want to do the best that we can to help those that are less fortunate than we are, and to show everyone that the little guy can make a big difference.” Chef Matt hopes that this community-mindedness may inspire some of the bigger guys “to do a little more.”

A fifth generation Savannah native, Chef Matt Cohen is a culinary expert who has worked in big name restaurants throughout New York and Atlanta. His partner, Vice President and Executive Chef Scott Gordon, worked in Florida for the world famous Chef Norman Van Aken, founder of a visionary way of cooking known as “New World Cuisine,” for many years. Both are graduates of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, one of the top rated culinary schools in the world

Founded in 2006, The New South Café offers comfort food gourmet style, matching your appetite for a new culinary experience with your hunger for the authentic food of the south. Chef Matt prides himself in breaking the stigma commonly placed on southern style food, offering a young and fresh perspective on old southern favorites. Their menu showcases Georgia’s finest food ingredients, from wild shrimp to Vidalia onions.

The New South Café is open Tuesday through Saturday, serving lunch from 11 a.m. to3 p.m. and dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The New South Café Express Café, a new addition to the restaurant, allows the guest to dine in and get out in about thirty minutes. Plates off of the express menu are $10 and include a biscuit and sweet tea. The New South Café offers upscale catering services available in-flight, for corporate events, conventions, executive lunches, private parties, weddings, receptions and bar mitzvahs. For more information on The New South Café, visit www.thenewsouthcafe.com or call 912-233-7558.

(SAVANNAH) – Clegg Roberts has earned November 2007 Top Producer status for Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty.

Roberts, who specializes in commercial sales, has worked in the real estate field for 20 years and has spent 12 years becoming an expert in Savannah real estate.

“I believe one aspect of my background that holds me in good stead, especially when representing buyers, is that I have actually been an owner or investor in a number of both residential and commercial properties,” Roberts said.

“Whether it’s a single family fixer-upper, motel or apartment complex, there are any number of subtle pitfalls that can and will arise during a deal,” Roberts said. “A seasoned realtor with true hands-on experience with property analysis goes a long way towards ascertaining so much of the due diligence necessary to determine if a potential purchase is a deal or no deal. Merely pulling a listing off MLS and showing it to an investor does not qualify one as a real estate investment specialist. Nor does having multiple abbreviations after your name on a business card. If you take someone’s hard earned money and put it in real estate, you’d better be darn sure you know the market in general as well as the specifics of that purchase.”

Roberts has been with Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty for the past four years.  He is also involved in property development. Previously, he was a hotel-motel broker in the Florida Keys and operated resort properties there.

Roberts is studying for his Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation. He is a member of the Savannah Area Board of Realtors, Georgia Association of Realtors, and the National Association of Realtors.

Roberts is a member of Isle of Hope Episcopal Church and is a founding member of the Bonna Bella Yacht Club.

Known for its tradition of integrity, Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty specializes in residential and commercial properties in Savannah and the Low Country of Georgia and South Carolina. Founded in 1981, Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty is noted for outstanding service to its clients, thorough knowledge of Savannah and the South Carolina Low Country, and excellent staff, in addition to having one of the region’s top property management departments. The owners are natives of Savannah who have more than 60 years’ combined experience in real estate. The offices are located at 9, 13, and 17 West Charlton Street on Madison Square in Savannah and 6 Bruin Street in Bluffton, S.C.

For more information, call Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty at (912) 234-3323 or visit www.celiadunnsir.com. To contact the Bluffton office, call (843) 836-3900.

www.sugarmagnoliahomes.com

(RICHMOND HILL, GA) – Sugar Magnolia Homes, a Richmond Hill-based custom home building company, was named the second-fastest growing builder in the United States by a recent issue of The Builder Magazine, a nationally circulated publication aimed at builders.

The magazine compiled a list of 100 companies based on a three-year compound annual growth rate for revenue. Sugar Magnolia has realized incredible growth since the company started in 2004. Sugar Magnolia, which focuses on sustainable building practices, prides itself on cutting costs through heavy reuse and recycling of building materials.  Sugar Magnolia relies on energy-efficient appliances, and its building practices mean less is wasted. The homes prove more cost-efficient to build, and more affordable for homeowners.

The company’s growth came not only from its building techniques, but also due to the fact that Sugar Magnolia saw a downturn in the housing market last year and dramatically slowed new construction to alleviate some of its inventory.

In 2004, Sugar Magnolia’s first year of operation, the company had four closings and net revenue of $1 million. By 2006, the builder had upped its closings to 18 and $6 million. In 2007, Sugar Magnolia projects up to 30 closings and $12 million in revenue, a 100 percent increase over last year.

The Builder Magazine contacted Sugar Magnolia President Derek Pomerenck recently to interview him about the list, which included builders from across America.

Sugar Magnolia Homes has two homes completed in Midtown at White Oak Village, a development off Hwy 17 South in Richmond Hill. The homes were opened for a weekend in October for potential buyers to come in and see how the company’s practices make for a tighter, better-built home. Each of Sugar Magnolia’s Homes at Midtown at White Oak Village is Energy Star certified, which means the building process meets guidelines set by the EPA, providing a healthy, durable and energy efficient home. Some of the main features of Energy Star homes include energy-efficient appliances, lighting and windows, tankless water heaters and foam blown insulation. Sugar Magnolia also emphasizes maximum control of air flow, moisture and temperature. For every ten homes the company builds, enough energy is saved to light one additional home.

For more information, contact Sugar Magnolia Homes at (912) 756-4014, or visit www.savesomegreenbuildgreen.com.

Small Business Chamber’s New Board Plans for an Exciting 2008

(Savannah, GA) Savannah’s Small Business Chamber (SBC) will be rolling out some new and improved initiatives in the coming year, thanks to the fresh and innovative ideas of the current Board of Directors, elected this summer.

President of the SBC and owner of the local business Smart Feet, Carol Kirchner says that the Board has been exploring many ideas that they will be implementing in 2008 to make the SBC the nexus for all small business owners in the city.

“Many board members are bringing creative ideas to the table,” says Kirchner, “these perspectives have inspired some exciting changes and updates to SBC services and offerings. We are looking for ways to distinguish the SBC from other local organizations and to spotlight our members.”

Bunny Ware, Secretary of the SBC, is one of the new board members who have brought a spark to the organization, imparting a renewed energy and outlook onto the scene. Ware is very enthusiastic about being part of the growth and revitalization of the Small Business Chamber.

“I believe that small businesses in Savannah need an edge in order to compete head to head with big corporations that have access to large budgets and expense accounts,” says Ware. “For this reason, organizations such as Savannah’s Small Business Chamber are an important resource for the small business community.”

Ware is in charge of sales and marketing at The New South Café—a popular Savannah restaurant that serves gourmet southern cuisine and offers upscale catering services—where she is involved with everything from website and brochure creation to networking and promotion of the restaurant.

Ware says that after working in the corporate world for more than ten years, it is a pleasure to now be involved with a small company where she has a direct affect on the company’s growth and success. “It is very hands-on,” says Ware, “you can see the influence that your work has and that is very rewarding.”

Kirchner is enjoying the support she is receiving from Ware and others as she explores ways to expand SBC services to further serve the members of Savannah’s small business community.

Members of the SBC encompass almost every facet of service, products and support imaginable. The SBC provides information, education, and opportunities for networking to promote the success of member businesses and to support the small business community. The SBC holds meetings the second Tuesday of each month. For more information, check them out on the web at www.smallbusinesschamber.org.