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JACKSONVILLE

Record & Observer Property tax rate in Duval unchanged

Small business owners offer insight into the impact of the cancellation of the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville. JACKSONVILLE

Record & Observer

DISAPPOINTMENT Record & Observer & RELIEF

City Council debates and rejects a ¼-mill increase. BY MIKE MENDENHALL

JACKSONVILLE

STAFF WRITER

JACKSONVILLE

The Jacksonville City Council voted 16-1 on July 29 to keep property tax rates flat in Duval County after a 90-minute debate led by Finance Committee Chair Matt Carlucci, who wanted to raise the city’s millage rate. The Council signed off on the tax rates Mayor Lenny Curry proposed July 15 in his $1.34 billion fiscal year 2020-21 budget. The rate remains unchanged at $11.4419 per every $1,000 of taxable property value. The tax rate for the Beaches was set at $8.1512 per every $1,000 of taxable value and the city of Baldwin at $9.6312 per every $1,000 of taxable value. Although the millage rate will stay the same, some Duval County property owners could see an increase in their bill because of increased property values. Jacksonville homeowners with a $150,000 home and a $50,000 state of Florida homestead exemption would pay about $1,144 in city taxes. The rate does not affect the Duval County Public Schools tax rate. The millage rate approved July 29 is preliminary. Council will set the permanent rate when it votes on the 2020-21 budget before Oct. 1. Council budget hearings begin in August. Carlucci’s floor amendment to raise the tax rate by ¼ mill failed in a 6-11 vote. His proposal was based on a recommendation from City Council Auditor Kim Taylor. “We are certainly in unprecedented times right now in forecasting revenues,” Taylor said.

Record & Observer Special to the Daily Record

John Montgomery and Mark Shine are the owners of Designed Events in Jacksonville. Shine says that while the company could have used the business from the Republican National Convention, he called its cancellation a “blessing in disguise.” BY KATIE GARWOOD STAFF WRITER

esigned Events owners Mark Shine and John Montgomery have not taken a paycheck from their business since April. So when the Republican National Convention announced it was coming to Jacksonville, the two hoped it would bring a boost to their event planning and catering business, which has received little work since the start of the pandemic. He had one party signed, which canceled July

8. That would have been for 300-400 Texas delegates. Shine said another series of three parties would have been for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, with 100 people each. When President Donald Trump canceled the RNC’s Jacksonville events July 23, potential vendors lost the opportunity to profit from them. Shine said he refunded the Texas group for the $25,000-$30,000 party. He had not signed a contract for McConnell’s parties. “I was disappointed because we don’t have a lot

What’s Trending: Kartouche building OK’d for demolition PAGE 2 The commercial real estate top sales of the week PAGE 5 People on the Move: Area hirings and promotions PAGE 7

INSIDE Mandarin Ramada General Manager Fred Pozin says cancellation of the Republican National Convention cost local hotels millions in revenue. Page 6

SEE RNC, PAGE 6

MMENDENHALL@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466

MATHIS REPORT

Snowbird Technologies consolidating in Deerwood Plus: Retail, development notes. PAGE 3 VOLUME 3, NO. 9 • ONE SECTION

WHAT’S TRENDING

JaxDailyRecord.com JACKSONVILLE DAILY RECORD / JACKSONVILLE RECORD & OBSERVER 2

JACKSONVILLE 30, 2020 DAILY RECORD / JACKSONVILLE RECORD & OBSERVER THURSDAY, JULY

Big news doesn’t break just on Thursday. Here’s a look at some of the top stories published over the past week online at JaxDailyRecord.com and in the Jacksonville Daily Record that you may have missed.

Daily Record JACKSONVILLE

DEVELOPMENT

Kartouche building OK’d for demoliton

Demolition work can begin onTO the REACH US HOW closed Kartouche nightclub building at 121 W.St. Forsyth St., Suite 150, Jacksonville, FL, 32202 618 W. Forsyth Downtown. Ben Pfotenhauer, contrac- Fax (904) 353-2628 Phone:owner (904)of356-2466, tor Elev8 Land Clearing & Demolition, jaxdailyrecord.com said July 24 the project could take a week. ABOUT US The city issued a permit July 23 for Jacksonville and Jacksonville Record & Observer are a division of Elev8 toDaily take Record down the 106-year-old Observer MediaatGroup File image structure a costInc. of $49,500. “A majority of that building is getting The Kartouche nightclub building at Established in 1912, the Financial now theSt. Jacksonville 618 W. Forsyth Downtown. Daily recycled,” Pfotenhauer said. News & Daily Record, Record,“There is published and isinthe Official Court Newspaper of the Circuit are lotMonday-Friday of old wood timbers Courtthat andbuilding publisher of are public notices in Duval County. that getting recycled,” permit application. he said. Elev8 also will work to recycle Jacksonville Record & Observer is a free weekly Previous businessfilings newspaper show available the site atinWest the bricks. Downtown and key business throughout Jacksonville. a and Broad streetsTo is find targeted TheJacksonville immediate plans after demoli-nodesForsyth location near you, visit jaxdailyrecord.com/rack-locations. for redevelopment for a Daily’s gas tion are to grade and sod the site, station and convenience store. according to a letter included with the Editorial content focuses on news and trends, with a concentration on development, real estate, construction, law, companies, economic and industry trends and how local and state government affects business. HEALTH CARE Publisher / Matt Walsh Director of Advertising / Jay Lesowitz mwalsh@jaxdailyrecord.com foot facility will house 56 beds, includAscension St. Vincent’s announced jlesowitz@jaxdailyrecord.com

ing eightCoordinator intensive care unitGildberg beds. July 24 that it /would a hospital in Advertising Publisher Emeritus Jamesbuild F. Bailey Jr. / Codi jbailey@jaxdailyrecord.com Ascension St. Vincent’s bought the Fountains North. adassist@jaxdailyrecord.com more than 33-acre site July 23 for mixed-use development is in Editor /The Karen Brune Mathis Legal Advertising Manager / Janet Mohr $17.95 million. St. Johns County at Interstate 95 and legal@jaxdailyrecord.com kmathis@jaxdailyrecord.com The hospital is expected to create County Road 210. Construction on the Managing Editor / Monty Zickuhr Legal Advertising Associate / Rhonda Fisher 600 jobs. hospital is expected to begin this fall mzickuhr@jaxdailyrecord.com rfisher@jaxdailyrecord.com and be completed in 2022. Associate Editor Legal Affairs / Max Marbut The $115 million, 150,000-squaremmarbut@jaxdailyrecord.com Staff Writer / Katie Garwood kgarwood@jaxdailyrecord.com

RETAIL

Staff Writer / Mike Mendenhall mmendenhall@jaxdailyrecord.com

A hospital executive said the cam-

Network Administrator / Erik Wagner pus could grow to up to 300 beds. webadmin@jaxdailyrecord.com Court Typeset / Paula Steiner admin@jaxdailyrecord.com Director of Circulation / Anne Shumate subscriptions@jaxdailyrecord.com

Jacksonville Beach Books-A-Million not closing

Staff Writer / Scott Sailer ssailer@jaxdailyrecord.com

Distribution / Tim Reagan Plaza after renewing its lease with SleiAfter hanging a giant “Store Closing” distribution@jaxdailyrecord.com Business Manager / Angie Campbell man Enterprises. banner above the entrance to its Jackacampbell@jaxdailyrecord.com

The company did not mention any sonville Beach store, Books-A-Million issues with lease negotiations as a announced July 24 it is keeping the reason for closing the store. store openPRESS at South Beach Parkway RELEASE/INQUIRY/REPRINTS

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Jacksonville Daily Record and Jacksonville Record & Observer are a division of Observer Media Group Inc. Established in 1912, the Financial News & Daily Record, now the Jacksonville Daily Record, is published Monday-Friday and is the Official Court Newspaper of the Circuit JACKSONVILLE Court and publisher of public notices in Duval County. Jacksonville Record & Observer is a free weekly business newspaper available in Downtown Jacksonville and key business nodes throughout Jacksonville. To find a location near you, visit jaxdailyrecord.com/rack-locations. Editorial content focuses on news and trends, with a concentration on development, real estate, construction, law, companies, economic and industry trends and how local and state government affects business.

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THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

RETAIL NOTES Gate Carwash to North Jacksonville: Woodland Signature LLC sold property July 1 to BFC Property Holdings Inc. for $1.24 million. BFC is Gate Petroleum Co.’s wholly owned subsidiary for Gate Express Carwash. The city is reviewing a construction permit for the 5,100-square-foot car wash, pay station and dumpster enclosure on 3.89 acres at 15765 Max Leggett Parkway, at southwest Main Street and Max Leggett Parkway, at an estimated cost of $300,000. A 1,378-squarefoot office building would be demolished. Gate said BFC stands for “Better, Faster, Cheaper.” East San Marco: The St. Johns River Water Management District issued a stormwater management permit June 16 for the proposed East San Marco shopping center to be anchored by Publix Super Markets Inc. on 3.25 acres at Atlantic Boulevard and Hendricks Avenue. Developer Regency Centers Corp. spokesman Eric Davidson said he had no update on the project. “This is all part of getting the site work permits as we continue to progress on the future of the property,” he said.

KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR

The manufacturer of air-conditioning units for the military plans to relocate to Deerwood Center by October. Snowbird Technologies Inc. intends to invest about $500,000 to relocate its Southside business to the Charleston Building in Deerwood Center. Owner and CEO Scott Morse said July 21 the company expects to move from Victor Street and operate at 7749 Bayberry Road in Deerwood Center by Oct. 1. It now operates in four buildings at 4874 Victor St. off Powers Avenue near Philips Highway, University Boulevard West and St. Augustine Road. “Basically, we are consolidating the four locations Morse into one so everything can be in one place,” Morse said. Deerwood Center is off Philips Highway and Baymeadows Way West. Snowbird Technologies makes air-conditioning units for the military that can withstand extreme weather conditions, long term and in all environments, such as heat, sand, dust, saltwater and fog. Morse expects $10 million in sales this year, up “significantly” from last year. The company also sells parts, which generates profits if U.S. Department of Defense contracts are slow. “There is no real way to pre-

THE MATHIS REPORT

Snowbird Technologies consolidating four sites

AutoZone at Dunn Village: The city issued a concurrency reservation certificate for AutoZone at Dunn Village at Dunn Avenue and New Kings Road. The 6,185-square-foot store is planned on 0.85 acres. Special to the Daily Record

Snowbird Technologies Inc. makes air-conditioning units that can withstand extreme weather conditions and temperatures as high as 135 degrees. The company employs about 20 people.

dict it, other than to get your equipment specified on more projects,” he said. Morse said Snowbird has “a very healthy spare parts business.” “Even if we are not building units, the company is profitable based on spare parts sale,” he said. Morse bought Snowbird, founded in 1992 in Jacksonville, in 2013. He said the move provides slightly more space and also a 22-foot dock-high ceiling that allows Snowbird to expand its product line. Snowbird employs about 20 people, of which 15 are production technicians who build the units. Snowbird buys the components and assembles and testes them in the Jacksonville facility. “Our units are deployed by every military service and they are deployed all around the world,” Morse said. He said thousands are used globally. Some products can withstand temperatures up to 135 degrees, according to the Snowbird website. The city is reviewing a permit application for G.F. Florida Operating Alpha Inc. to renovate about 38,000 square feet of space for Snowbird Technologies at a cost of $365,000. G.F. Florida Charleston LLC owns the building. Lane Architecture is the architect.

Morse said he was with an HVAC company in Chicago when he found that Snowbird was for sale. “I was looking for something like that to acquire. I became intrigued by it,” he said. He said he moved from Chicago to Jacksonville in 2013. He also bought Kansas City, Kansas-based Spicin Foods Inc., which makes sauces, salsas and drink mixes. The website says he began his career at GE Capital and subsequently held management and executive positions in other large lending institutions, including Bankers Trust and Bank One Corp. His bio says he held the position of head of Structured Finance for Standard Chartered Bank in London and has a background in operating middle-market companies and in corporate finance. He has been the president of two refrigeration component manufacturing firms, Henry Technologies and A-1 Components. The move to Deerwood Center is 4 miles south of the Victor Street location. “We’ve done very well, so it’s been very positive,” Morse said. KMATHIS@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MATHISKB (904) 356-2466

Scrubbles to Atlantic North: The city is reviewing a permit application for Atlantic North Scrubbles Express Wash LLC to build a 3,911-square-foot car wash at 11991 Atlantic Blvd. at northwest Atlantic and Kernan boulevards. The Angelo Group is the contractor for the $620,000 project. CVS in Arlington: The city issued a permit for Mirabelli Corp. of America to renovate the CVS Pharmacy at 3634 Rogero Road in Arlington at a cost of $173,737. At least five area CVS Pharmacy stores are in line for almost $1.4 million in upgrades. In addition to wall and floor finishes and millwork, work includes adding self-checkout units.

DEVELOPMENT NOTES UPS in Westside: The city issued a permit July 22 for Vanderlande Industries Inc. of Marietta, Georgia, to install a conveyor system at a cost of $15 million for United Parcel Service Inc. at 4420 Imeson Road in Westside Industrial Park. XPO Logistics to North Jacksonville: The city issued a permit July 22 for Haskew Company to build-out 41,600 square feet of space for XPO Logistics Inc. at a cost of $89,575 at International DC 5 in Jacksonville International Tradeport. The building is at 1594 Transport Court in North Jacksonville. Landlord Jackson-Shaw announced July 21 that XPO fills up the 93,600-square-foot Class A industrial building. Priority Tire leases 52,000 square feet. Terracon to former State Farm building: The city issued the permit for Holtsinger Construction Inc. to build-out 35,112 square feet of leased space for Terracon Consultants Inc. in the former State Farm Operations Center at 8001 Baymeadows Way at a cost of $909,363. Corporate spokesperson Brenda Kramer said July 8 that Terracon likely will move in the fourth quarter and consolidate two Jacksonville office locations. It will have 90 employees. Church of Eleven22 to North Jacksonville: The city is reviewing a permit application for Bradley Bowen Construction Inc. to renovate the former Food Lion grocery store in Oceanway Crossing at 418 Starratt Road in North Jacksonville for use by The Church of Eleven 22 at a cost of $3.5 million. The permit shows build-out of 37,125 square feet. Hyde Park Architects of Tampa is the architect. The church is working toward opening in late 2020 or early 2021.

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THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

JaxDailyRecord.com

THE BASCH REPORT

Black Knight continues acquisition trend

MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Mortgage technology company agrees to $1.8 billion deal for loan market firm. Black Knight Inc.’s former parent company, Fidelity National Financial Inc., is known for its deal-making with a long history of acquisitions beyond its main business of title insurance. As an independent company, Black Knight may be following a similar path, making deals beyond its main business of mortgage processing services. Black Knight on July 27 announced a $1.8 billion deal to buy Optimal Blue, a digital marketplace that connects lenders and investors in the secondary mortgage market. This follows Black Knight’s involvement last year in a $6.9 billion buyout of business data firm Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc. Black Knight was not the lead investor in that deal but after the acquisition, CEO Anthony Jabbour took on the additional role of chief executive of Dun & Bradstreet. Dun & Bradstreet went public July 1, which was 16 months after the buyout, and Jabbour remains CEO of both companies. It’s been a good investment for Black Knight, which continues to own 13% of Dun & Bradstreet’s stock after the initial public offering. One analyst last week said the market is undervaluing that stake. In an upgrade report on Black Knight, analyst Ryan Tomasello with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods said the company’s investment in Dun & Bradstreet is worth $1.4 billion, or about $7.50 per Black Knight share. He believes shareholders will see a direct benefit. “Following DNB’s successful July 1 IPO, we think it is likely that Black Knight will increase

File image

The Black Knight Inc. headquarters at 601 Riverside Ave.

the narrative around its stake in DNB with 2Q earnings,” Tomasello said in his report. “We believe a distribution of the shares to Black Knight shareholders is the most likely means of monetization,” he said. Tomasello upgraded Black Knight from “market perform” to “outperform” and raised his price target on the stock from $74 to $84, with the stock trading at $72.86 at the time of his July 24 report. In a follow-up report July 27, Tomasello said the Optimal Blue deal “seems an efficient use of excess capital” after Black Knight Tomasello raised an additional $484 million last month with a secondary stock sale. “While the deal valuation appears high and above Black Knight’s recent tuck-in acquisitions, we believe the company is paying up for a high quality, high-growth asset with attractive cross selling opportunities,” he said. Black Knight plans to combine Optimal Blue with a subsidiary called Compass Analytics into a new company that will be 60% owned by Black Knight. Cannae Holdings Inc., another company that was spun off from Fidelity, and private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners L.P. will be minority owners of the new entity. Black Knight said it will offer more details about the Opti-

mal Blue deal when it reports second-quarter earnings on Aug. 10.

Cannae CEO resigns from Black Knight board Regency Centers downgraded on Although they have separatmall uncertainty ed from Fidelity, Black Knight and Cannae retain many close ties. That includes the investment in Dun & Bradstreet, where Cannae was the lead investor in the deal. However, the two companies separated one tie last week when Cannae CEO Richard Massey resigned from Black Knight’s board of directors. Black Knight said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing the resignation was not due to a disagreement with the company, but it gave no other details.

Analyst expects good FIS news Fidelity National Information Services Inc., or FIS, reports its second-quarter earnings next week and at least one analyst is expecting good news. “The bottom line is that while better than expected results are widely anticipated at this point given stale Street models and better recovery, we think the magnitude of the upside as well as 3Q commentary could surprise positively,” Raymond James analyst John Davis said in a research report. “Additionally, we expect FIS and the group to outperform if spending growth reaccelerates in August after flattening out

Robert A. Cole

Stein Mart faces Nasdaq delisting With continued quarterly losses, Jacksonville-based Stein Mart Inc. said it received a letter from Nasdaq on July 20 that it is not in compliance

Tapestry CEO Zeitlin resigns The CEO of Coach brand parent company Tapestry Inc. resigned after less than a year on the job, amid reports the company is investigating allegations of personal misconduct. Jide Zeitlin was named CEO in September but resigned last week “for personal reasons,” the company said in a news release. It gave no other details but several news organizations said Tapestry was investigating allegations that Zeitlin posed as a photographer to lure a woman into a romantic relationship more than 10 years ago. “I felt compelled to resign today because I do not want to create a distraction for Tapestry, a company I care deeply about.” Zeitlin told The Wall Street Journal. Tapestry operates lifestyle brands Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman. The New York-based company handles all of Coach’s North American distribution though an 850,000-squarefoot facility at the Jacksonville International Tradeport in North Jacksonville. Tapestry named Chief Financial Officer Joanne Crevoiserat as interim CEO as it searches for a permanent replacement. MBASCH@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466

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Deutsche Bank analyst Derek Johnston downgraded Jacksonville-based Regency Centers Corp. ahead of its earnings report next week, saying there are “more unknowns than facts” for shopping centers. “The forward growth outlook, in our view, has been sacrificed in the near term as Regency prudently works toward mitigating the mid- to longer-term disruption caused by the pandemic, while protecting their industry-leading balance sheet and financial flexibility,” Johnston said in his July 27 report. “Despite above-average April and May (rent) collections of 68% and 58%, compliments of their 90% grocer/ mass merchandiser anchored shops, we are taking a more cautious posture as the company’s high-quality portfolio, balance sheet and liquidity collides with a lower growth trajectory going forward,” he said. Johnston downgraded Regency from “buy” to “hold.”

with minimum stockholders’ equity requirements. As a result, the struggling fashion retailer could be delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Markets, Stein Mart said in an SEC filing. After reporting a net loss of $65.7 million for the first quarter, Stein Mart reported a negative shareholders’ equity as of May 2. Nasdaq gave Stein Mart 45 days, until Sept. 3, to submit a plan to regain compliance with the minimum stockholders’ equity standard. Stein Mart already was facing the possibility of delisting because its stock price has been below the $1 minimum requirement since May 2019. The company has a deadline of Sept. 18 to lift the stock price above $1 to regain compliance with that standard.

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over the last month, as mask mandates result in the eventual decline in COVID-19 cases and Americans feel more comfortable going out again,” he said. That of course would be good news for everyone, not just FIS stockholders. Davis maintains a “strong buy” rating on FIS and increased his price target from $167 to $170, with the stock trading at $141.55 at the time of his July 20 report. “Simply put, we recommend investors add to positions ahead of 2Q results as the stock is too inexpensive and we expect shares to re-rate higher on the back of a better 2Q print coupled with a potential reacceleration in spending growth,” he said. Jacksonville-based FIS, like Black Knight and Las Vegasbased Cannae, also was spun off from Fidelity National Financial.

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THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

BY SCOTT SAILER • Staff Writer

Here are the top 10 commercial real estate sales in Northeast Florida, comprising Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties. The sales were recorded July 20-26.

File image

Cecil Commerce Center master developer Hillwood sold the Wayfair Inc. fulfillment center to investor Stockbridge Capital Group LLC for $75.48 million. The warehouse occupies about 80 acres at 13483 103rd St.

DUVAL

ST JOHNS

CLAY

$75,482,273

$15,400,000

$4,080,245

$3,060,000

$2,310,000

13483 103rd St., Jacksonville

6805 Southpoint Parkway, Jacksonville

8441 Philips Highway, Jacksonville

Brybar Drive, Saint Johns

Royal Pines Drive, Middleburg

Type: Wayfair warehouse Parcel size: 80.63 acres Building size: 1,010,100 square feet Buyer: Cecil Distribution Center LLC Seller: 103 BLDG A-B LLC

Type: Miller Electric Co. Parcel size: 16.97 acres Building size: 118,889 square feet Buyer: MECO Southpoint REI LLC Seller: ME Jacksonville FL Landlord LLC Previous sale: $8,995,000 in 2018

Type: RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. Parcel size: 4.48 acres Building size: 5,500 square feet Buyer: Accelerated Capital Growth LLC Seller: Bayrock Seven LLC Previous sale: $4,125,000 in 2017

Type: 46 residential lots in Twin Creeks Phases 2B and 2C Parcel size: Not available Buyer: LGI Homes Florida LLC Seller: Twin Creeks Ventures LLC

Type: Timberland Parcel size: Not available Buyer: Armstrong Development Inc. Seller: Armstrong Venture LLC

CLAY

DUVAL

$2,198,596

$2,049,630

$1,950,000

$1,401,120

$1,302,000

1341 Long Bay Road, Middleburg

7206 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville

Airport Center Drive East, Jacksonville

Wells Creek Parkway, Jacksonville

1286 Dunn Ave., Jacksonville

Type: Dollar General Parcel size: 2.04 acres Building size: 9,100 square feet Buyer: Middleburg LTDG LLC Seller: Concept Development Inc.

Type: Light Bulb Depot Parcel size: 2.01 acres Building size: Two buildings totaling 31,400 square feet Buyer: The Stacy Greethum Bell Trust Seller: Shining Star Trust Previous sale: $2,700,000 in 2009

Type: Undeveloped 139townhome property Parcel size: 16.99 acres Buyer: D.R. Horton Inc.– Jacksonville Seller: Jacksonville Transportation Authority Previous sale: $600,000 in 2002

Type: Undeveloped residential Parcel size: 154.56 acres Buyer: Wells Creek LLC Seller: Rasmus Holdings LLLP

Type: AutoZone Parcel size: 0.63 acres Building size: 7,360 square feet Buyer: Sagamore 1286 LLC Seller: TRC Dunn LLC

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Ramada GM: Local hotel revenue losses in the millions Fred Pozin also says the media attention could have hurt the city. BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Having the final four days of the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville Aug. 24-27 would have had an economic impact estimated as much as $100 million. One of the major beneficiaries of that injection of cash would have been the hotel industry. It’s a business sector that is essentially decimated by COVID-19 and the related self-isolation and social distancing. Losing the room nights associated with the delegates, law enforcement personnel, media representatives and others who would be in Jacksonville for the event and a few days before and after is considered by the industry to be a substantial loss. “You’re looking at some big money. My hotel alone would have done about $200,000 for the week,” said Fred Pozin, general manager of the Ramada Hotel & Conference Center in Mandarin. Pozin Visit Jacksonville, the destination marketing firm for Jacksonville and the Beaches, declined to provide an estimate of the total financial loss for hoteliers. “The convention hadn’t finalized all room blocks, so with unknown information we can’t run an economic impact calculation,” said spokeswoman Patty Winters in an email. Pozin is a former member of the Duval County Tourist Development Council and Visit Jacksonville’s board of directors. He said with only about 50% of Jacksonville’s hotel rooms occupied on average during the pandemic, at least 9,000 of the 18,000 rooms in the market would have been available for the convention. “Based on that number of rooms and the average rate, the hospitality industry lost between $15 million and $20 million,” he said. However, Pozin said in terms of what it will take for the local tourism market to recover after the pandemic, it could have been worse if the convention wasn’t canceled, considering the protests that were likely to accompany the event. It was planned at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and Downtown. “The national and international media attention would not have been good for the city. There would have been more coverage outside the arena than inside the arena and it wouldn’t be feel-good, chamber-ofcommerce coverage,” Pozin said. “Even though we all could have used a shot in the arm for our long-term recovery, it’s nice to not have that hanging over us.” MMARBUT@JAXDAILYRECORD.COM

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

JaxDailyRecord.com

RNC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

in August,” he said. “All of our weddings from August were moved to next year. We were counting on that financially to help us get out of the woods a little bit better.” While Shine said he was looking forward to the revenue the RNC would bring in, he was relieved it was canceled. “It’s disappointing to lose the money, but then the way the world is, especially now with COVID being so bad in Jacksonville and Florida, a lot of my people didn’t want to work,” he said. “That was sort of a blessing in disguise that they canceled. But I know a lot of people put time and effort into it.” Although Designed Events was on the RNC preferred vendor list, the bookings he had did not come from there. About 1,000 vendors were on the list. They ranged from hotels and restaurants to florists and car services. Vendors had to fill out an application to be placed on the preferred vendor list. On July 9, the host committee held a showcase for about 75 businesses to meet with members of the RNC Host Committee and various delegations. Bonnie’s Floral Designs was a preferred vendor and attended the RNC showcase. Owner Bonnie Arnold said she did not receive any business from the event as she hoped she and other small business owners would. “My business is still doing well but there are a lot of people, small businesses, that are really scared now,” she said. “They saw it as an opportunity to get them through.” Anita Comisky, owner of Amelia Toffee Company, said had the event happened, she would have provided toffee for guests’ welcome bags. She did not sign a contract and did not buy any extra supplies. She said all she lost was the time she spent at the RNC showcase. Although she won’t get any business from the RNC, the process was not a total loss. “From a standpoint of visibility, I don’t think it ever hurts,” she said. “We love getting our brand out there. We don’t like being associated with bad news when things don’t materialize. But it’s still PR and eyes on our product.” Jon Davis, owner and CEO of Sight & Sound Productions and Mugwump Productions, event planning and production companies, said he hoped the RNC would help the company through August, which historically is one of its slowest months. He did not sign any contracts for the event, but said he was in discussions with a few delegate groups when the convention was canceled. Those groups were hesitant to book until they were sure the event would proceed. Davis said he had been reaching out to event venues and groups to let them know they could host parties. He hoped the RNC would lift up everyone in the hospitality industry after being “one of the hardest hit” during the pandemic. “I was very sad that evening, I was really looking forward to it coming to town,”

File image

Anita Comisky, owner of Amelia Toffee Company, was invited to a showcase of vendors for the RNC. She says she never signed a contract to provide goods for the convention.

Davis said. “There are so many hotel friends of mine that are just trying to get their properties back up and running,” he said. “I still believe any time Jacksonville can be highlighted in the country, it’s a great day for Jacksonville. I’m kind of disappointed they couldn’t find a way to do it safely.” Comisky said that even if the RNC did happen, its economic impact would not have been as advertised, especially since the host committee announced attendance would be limited. The RNC Host Committee said in a news release that typical conventions can potentially “inject $100+ million into the local economy.” In a July 21 news conference, Mayor Lenny Curry said he expected the economic impact to be less than $100 million, but did not provide an estimate. The day before Trump canceled the Jacksonville events, Jacksonville 2020 Host Committee President Trent Morse told the Southside Business Men’s Club that he expected up to 10,000 delegates, alternates and guests to be in Northeast Florida for the convention, as well as additional law enforcement and sup-

porting vendors. “So we really see the $100 million economic impact,” he said. The local vendors aren’t so sure. “If you sit down and push the numbers, I don’t think it would have been as much of an increase as they originally thought,” Comisky said. The small business owners said they had a feeling the Jacksonville RNC events would be canceled, but decided to sign up for the vendor list anyway. Jacksonville was announced June 11 as a site for the events. Arnold said that given the brief time the city had to prepare, cancellation always was a possibility. “When things happen quickly and impulsively, they often don’t happen,” she said. Since the event was canceled, Comisky said she has not heard from the host committee. She sent the group “thank you” emails that went unacknowledged. “I never heard another word from anyone, and I’m surprised at that,” she said. “The word came from the president, OK, everyone pack up and go home.” KGARWOOD@JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466

Bonnie’s Floral Designs Owner Bonnie Arnold was a preferred vendor and attended the RNC showcase, but did not get any business from the event. File image

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JaxDailyRecord.com

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Promotions, hirings and happenings for business people in Northeast Florida. Send items to ssailer@jaxdailyrecord.com

Bennett

Diaz

Fletcher

Hoover

Josserand

Krechowski

Lewis

Owens

Pariani

Whittle

Reed

Allen

Rochino

Brown

Bailey

Crowley Maritime Corp. said Brett Bennett will join the company Aug. 3 as senior vice president and general manager of Crowley Logistics. Bennett comes to Crowley from Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions where he served as senior vice president and head of global terminals and stevedoring.

Barrows

Starnes

Lisa Diaz joined Shoreside Logistics as vice president of regulatory and compliance services. She previously was manager of Foreign Trade Zone No. 64 and Florida Sales with the Jacksonville Port Authority and manager of corporate performance and development with Corporate Traffic Logistics.

Jessie Ball duPont Foundation. Whittle recently co-founded Normal>Next, a network of C-level executives, entrepreneurs and technologists. He also recently co-founded The Future Proof Institute, which helps nonprofits, cities, universities and other public organizations reimagine their future.

Atlantic Logistics hired Kevin Fletcher as director of van services.

Crocker Partners announced: Hillary Reed was promoted from senior property manager to general manager, overseeing all Jacksonville assets. Monica Bowden was promoted from assistant property manager to property manager, responsible for management of Prominence Jacksonville. Chris Hammette was promoted from senior analyst to senior associate, responsible for acquisitions, asset management and dispositions for the North and Central Florida region. Also, it announced that Senior Property Manager Patricia Kinkopf, who has managed Flagler Center since 2008, retired.

Heritage Capital Group promoted Nick Hoover to analyst. He previously worked as a law clerk for DLT Law Group in Tampa. Dave Josserand joined Spark Inc. as chief strategic officer to generate business and agency development. Josserand was partner and division president at the Dalton Agency before retiring in 2017. The Urban Land Institute named Patrick Krechowski chair-elect of the ULI North Florida District Council. Krechowski is a partner with Balch & Bingham LLP. The institute provides global research and education focused on land use and real estate issues. Krechowski succeeds Tarik Bateh, JLL Capital Markets, as district council chair effective July 1, 2021, and will serve a two-year term. Terri Lewis was appointed chief human resources officer at One Call, which provides specialty network management services for the workers’ compensation industry. She was senior vice president of global human resources for Pontoon Solutions. Ulysses Owens Jr. joined the Florida Theatre board of directors. Owens is a musician, producer and an educator at The Juilliard School’s Jazz Studies Program. Frederick “Rick” Pariani Jr. joined the board of Memorial Park Association for a three-year term and will chair the Landscape and Grounds Committee. Pariani holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Georgia and retired from a 42year career in regional, national and international project design. Local projects include World Golf Village in St. Augustine. Dennis B. Whittle joined the board of the Jacksonville Historical Society. He relocated from Washington, D.C., in 2018, when his wife, Mari Kuraishi, accepted a position as the president of the

Naval Hospital Jacksonville announced staff changes: Capt. Teresa Allen joins as its commander, including the health clinics, and as commanding officer of Navy Medicine Readiness & Training Command Jacksonville. Allen was executive officer of Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. Capt. Duneley Rochino was promoted to the director for branch health clinics. Rochino was the associate director. Cmdr. Cecilia Brown was promoted to the director of Dental Services. Brown was acting director and is an oral surgeon. Command Master Chief Sean Bailey assumed the role of command master chief at the hospital and Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Jacksonville. Bailey was command master chief of Military Entrance and Processing Station New Orleans, Louisiana. Capt. David Barrows assumed the role of executive officer of Naval Hospital Jacksonville, including its five branch health clinics and Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Jacksonville in June. Barrows is secondin-command and is responsible for daily activity management. He was director of Navy Medicine’s Trauma Strategy Management Office and Clinical Communities. Lt. Cmdr. Hannah Starnes was promoted to director of mental health. Starnes previously was associate director.

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“One of the attractions for me to join the Observer Media Group’s advertising sales team … in a word … was opportunity. “I feel like an entrepreneur, because I control my own destiny. “I get a lot of great support from the leadership team to help me grow. “But it’s up to me to determine how successful I want to be. I am in charge of building my own business, of creating relationships with my customers and taking care of them, helping them grow their business and building a relationship of trust.

that challenge. It’s exciting.” Richeal Parisi Multimedia Advertising Executive Sarasota Observer

Be a part of our success. Join the Observer Media Group’s multimedia advertising team at the Jacksonville Daily Record.

Please send resume and cover letter to: Matt Walsh 121 W. Forsyth St., Suite 150 Jacksonville, Fla. 32202 jobs@yourobserver.com

JACKSONVILLE DAILY RECORD / JACKSONVILLE RECORD & OBSERVER

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

JaxDailyRecord.com

GUEST COMMENTARY

My view: The pandemic’s impact on Bono’s All smoke, no mirrors: an honest look inside the restaurant world. BY JOSH MARTINO PRESIDENT, BONO’S PIT BAR-B-Q

COVID-19 has taken its toll on many industries and has shown no mercy for the restaurant business. We have seen our dining rooms restricted to 10%, shut down completely, brought back to 25% and now at 50% capacity. We obviously have seen a sharp decline in our in-house business due to customer hesitancy and capacity restrictions, but we have seen an increase in our takeout, online, and thirdparty delivery business. Catering has seen the sharpest decline with many events and parties being canceled or postponed indefinitely. Sales fell significantly in March but have recovered since. We employ close to 900 people throughout all our restaurants and office. We furloughed most of our small office staff and most of our servers during the initial months when our dining rooms were shut down. Thankfully, we have been able to bring everyone back. We also suffered a devastating fire at our Town Center location in March, which displaced all the employees from that location. Plans to rebuild that location

are underway and we will come back better than before. The outpouring of generosity was awe-inspiring. Our partners at the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jumbo Shrimp, Icemen, Jacksonville University, University of North Florida and radio stations all put out media on our behalf helping to promote our takeout and delivery business during our time of need. Serving on the board of Feeding Northeast Florida, it became apparent there was a dire need to feed the elder community who were atrisk and unable to leave their homes as well as children who often rely on school lunches as their source of food who were now relying on at-home learning. We were able to create Project Share and through the generosity of organizations like the Chartrand Foundation, VyStar Credit Union, the Insetta family and many others, grants were procured to deliver food from the Food Bank to local restaurants. That food was then turned into tens of thousands of healthy meals for seniors, atrisk children and many others. Many restaurant employees were able to come back to work and receive a paycheck while producing life-saving meals for those in need. The soul and purpose of this project lifted our employees’ spirits during an otherwise stressful and anxiety-laden time. We were able to receive

Special to the Daily Record

From left, Bono’s Pit Bar-B-Q President Josh Martino with Bo Cherry, pit boss since 1988, and Wendell Taylor, general manager since 1991.

Paycheck Protection Program loans, as did many of our 16 franchise owners. We have 36 restaurants comprising 20 Bono’s, 15 Willie Jewell’s and one Aiken Fish House. Four Bono’s locations are owned by corporate partners. The health and wellness of our customers and staff are paramount and we have taken as many precautions as we can to ensure a safe and clean workplace. We take the temperature of every employee as they arrive for work; we mandate masks and gloves; use disposable menus only; increased the cleaning frequency of the dining room; installed plexiglass partitions; socially distanced our dining tables; and instituted mandatory protocols in the event an employee shows symptoms or tests positive. We have outside seating only at a

handful of our restaurants. All these protocols have made it difficult and awkward to achieve our normal expectation of hospitality, but we certainly are striving to do our best every day under the circumstances. Many guests appreciate the steps we have taken to ensure their safety. The restaurant experience is based exclusively on hospitality and making the guest feel welcome while providing them with the best culinary experience possible. Shared ownership develops when guests talk about a restaurant as if it’s theirs. They cannot wait to share it with friends, and what they’re really sharing, beyond the culinary experience, is the experience of feeling important and loved. Our online ordering and thirdparty delivery have been our

lifeline for the past few months. We are fortunate we have been set up for many years on these platforms and our staff has vast training in making that an outstanding experience for our customers. Our food travels well, making it an attractive option for those who have grown accustomed to takeout and delivery as their “restaurant experience.” We continue to innovate with better packaging, new menu offerings and a new design prototype we hope to unveil in 2021. We will be shrinking our dining room capacity significantly. We also will be improving our drive-thru design and overall exterior aesthetic. We feel that due to the “new normal” in the restaurant industry, these trends will continue to dominate for years to come. Thanks to the loyal and continued support of our customers, Bono’s will survive this strange and unusual time. We are now and always will be a work in progress. What happens next is up to all of us and I believe we are ready. JOSH MARTINO IS PRESIDENT AND LEGAL COUNSEL FOR JACKSONVILLE BONO’S PIT BAR-B-Q INC. AND WILLIE JEWELL’S OLD SCHOOL BAR-BQ INC. HE GRADUATED FROM VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY AND EARNED HIS J.D. FROM THE BENJAMIN N. CARDOZO SCHOOL OF LAW IN NEW YORK.

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