Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 3-15-16 Edition

Features
Housing Authority CEO Excited Over Planned Hotel, Residential Towers Coming To Encore
This is an aerial view of Encore.
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
The Tampa Housing Au- thority (THA) has announced that they expect to close a deal in the next two weeks in the sale of two parcels of land on the Encore site.
According to THA Chief Ex- ecutive Officer, Jerome Ryans, the two parcels, total- ing about three acres, are lo- cated on the east end of Cass Street, and will be sold to Pin- nacle Group Holdings for $7.4 million.
Tentative plans are to build a 20-story hotel with 253 rooms, and a 28-story residen- tial tower that will include re- tail stores on the first floor, parking and office space up to the 8th floor, and 400 housing units.
Pinnacle President, Frank DeBose, said the market will determine how many of the housing units will be condos or rental apartments.
Ryans said they’ve been working with Pinnacle for a while and he’s happy to do business with DeBose and Pinnacle.
“He reached out to us, and he’s agreed to purchase a cou- ple of lots at Encore. We’re looking to close in a couple of weeks.
“Frank is a visionary and we’re looking forward to work- ing with him on this huge proj- ect. I think what he’s proposing fits in well with what we’re try- ing to do at Encore.”
Ryans said the height of the two proposed structures is great, and will give residents a great view from their balconies.
“In today’s market, people are more into rental units in- stead of condos. I’m just happy to see more activity occurring on the property. This is what our vision has always been for Encore.
“We’ve had a lot of people come down and see what we’ve done, and everyone is excited and looking for more.”
Ryans said they’ve always gotten great support from elected officials, both locally and statewide.
“We are also in negotiations for a grocery store at Encore. We’re not ready to put a name out there yet, but we’re close to getting a deal done.”
Consulting Engineers Firm Celebrates 10th Year In Business
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
VoltAir Consulting Engi- neers, LLC, celebrated its 10th year last week, and according to their CEO, he sees nothing but growth ahead.
Julius Davis, who founded the company in 2006, said they are a mechanical, electrical, plumbing, security systems, and structural engi- neering company, and they al- most exclusively work on commercial projects.
Davis has more than two decades of experience as an engineer, and is well versed in all phases of electrical engi- neering design and analysis. That includes extensive expe- rience in exterior/interior lighting, power distribution, power generation, and spe- cialty systems.
Davis has a B.S. degree in electrical engineering, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration, both from the University of South Florida.
Davis said he has three of- fices (Tampa and Orlando, Florida, and Houston, Texas) and employs 35 people.
“Thanks to my staff, we’ll now be performing installa-
JULIUS D. DAVIS, CEO VoltAir Consulting
tions.
“I think the market is very
good for this company right now, especially with what’s going on in Tampa. There were some rough and tough times, but we prevailed and we’re growing.”
Davis said Tampa Interna- tional Airport was his first major client and they are look- ing to expand into the Chan- nelside area.
“We are actively trying to develop a relationship with Jeff Vinik’s group. There is a lot of potential on Channel- side, and with the projects going on there, I know VoltAir would be a great fit.”
Davis said for anyone in- terested in this career, he ad- vises them to get involved with architectural engineering com- panies, and see what they do.
“Tampa is enjoying a big growth spurt right now, and this is not the kind of job that keeps you nailed to a desk all day.
“Because the community has helped us be successful, we’re giving back through Habitat for Humanity and some fundraisers. My staff is very much involved in the con- struction phase of the homes, and I also want to work with the youth and let them see what we do.”
Davis said when he gradu- ated from college, his initial plan was to attend graduate school and pursue communi- cations.
“I realized as a young man that opportunities are in front of you all the time. All you have to do is open your eyes, and try to expose yourself to every facet of whatever you’re trying to do for the rest of your life.
Davis said having three of- fices keeps him traveling a lot, but he tries very hard to spend time on the weekends with his family.
PAGE 2 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016