Daily Record Financial News &
TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017
Vol. 104, No. 041 • oNe SectioN
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
Library foundation director on a mission
‘One-man band’ sets fundraising goal of $1M
Marc Jernigan with Exit Real Estate Gallery will be installed Jan. 18 as president of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors. He got into real estate in 2000 after a road construction project killed business at his Orange Park restaurant.
Photos by Maggie FitzRoy
By Max Marbut Staff Writer
Channeling his inner Buffett New NEFAR president will focus on ‘Professionalism in Paradise’
By Maggie FitzRoy Contributing Writer
When he worked in retail management for Wal-Mart, Marc Jernigan loved his job. After moving to Jacksonville, he enjoyed owning and operating a restaurant. When he embarked on a real estate career, he fully embraced that, too. But real estate has never been just about selling houses for him. From the beginning, he’s volunteered for leadership positions with the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors, and through the years, worked his way up the chain of command. This year, he will serve as president, a voluntary position that will consume a lot of his time while he also continues to operate his full-time business as a Realtor with Exit Real Estate Gallery. And he is looking forward to it. He recently became team partners with Diane Cook, also a Realtor in Exit’s Orange
Park office, so he can better serve his customers while leading NEFAR’s 7,500 members into the future. “NEFAR is a well-oiled machine,” said Jernigan, 52, who will be installed Jan. 18. As a result, he doesn’t anticipate any serious issues. But he does have goals in mind and a theme for the year: “Professionalism in Paradise.” As a Jimmy Buffett fan, Jernigan said “paradise” describes the region. And he regards professionalism as a challenge for the entire industry.
Learning professionalism
In a recent National Association of Realtors “Danger Report,” professionalism was at the top of the list, he said. The problem is some agents are not trained properly or are not as conscientious as they should be. He believes better communication and common courtesy are key.
Jernigan with his business partner, Diane Cook, in December. She is 2017 president of Women’s Council of Realtors Jacksonville Network. Due to the nature of the industry, he said Realtors need to communicate with each other all the time, but many fall short. For example, when showing a home to a buyer, it is professional courtesy to get back to the listing agent to talk about how the showing went. Many don’t. In addition, some listing agents don’t respond promptly to a showing request, JERNIGAN CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
M. Jamie Self is a man on a mission. You could say he’s the man on the mission. The mission is to raise at least $1 million in the next 12 months for the Jacksonville Public Library Foundation He’s the man on the mission because he’s the executive director and the development director of the organization. He also answers the phone at the foundation’s office at the Main Library Downtown. “I’m the sole employee. You could say I’m a one-man band,” Self said. He works in conjunction with library administrators to identify potential benefactors and connect them with philanthropic opportunities. Donations benefit programs that are over and above the financial support the library receives each year from the city general fund. The 2016-17 budget for the 20 libraries in the system is $31.2 million. The foundation was established 30 years ago when a benefactor made a gift of about $1 million to the library, when there was really no system in place to accept and manage such a gift, Self said. With its 501c3 status, the foundation can go after Self grants the library, as part of the city government, might not be able to pursue. “Since the foundation is a private nonprofit, there’s no conflict with the city,” he said. Last year — Self’s first as director — he and the foundation’s board of directors raised about $210,000, of which $130,000 went to enhancing library programs and the balance for foundation operations. This year’s goal is to raise $1 million to support additional programs related to education and technology. One way that will happen is through the “High $5 for Kids” program that allows people to donate as little as $5 to help support library programs. LIBRARY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
The five-story Town Center One building is planned along Gate Parkway south of Butler Boulevard.
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$30M Town Center One to break ground in spring Groundbreaking is expected to start in late spring and be completed in summer 2018 on Town Center One, a $30 million office building. Developer VanTrust Real Estate Executive Vice President John Carey said no tenant has been signed but his group is working with several prospects for the Class A structure. Developer JO Town Center 160 LLC has submitted site plans to the city for the 164,111-squarefoot building on 10.51 acres along Gate Parkway.
Carey said the building will be five floors. The property is next to the FBI building. VanTrust Real Estate, through JO Town Center 160 LLC, bought the property Aug. 31 from members of the Skinner family for $4.58 million. VanTrust is based in Kansas
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City, Mo. Carey leads its regional office. He also is founding partner of Whitehall Realty Partners LLC. Carey said previously the 4 million square feet of office space in the Gate Parkway area submarket is more than 96 percent leased, indicating a demand for Town Center One.
Alyona’s Coffee opens today along Atlantic
A transformed car wash in MATHIS CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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