A Week In Business

A Week In Business
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Development Breaks Ground

OCEAN VIEW, Del. – Millville By The Sea, the 3,000-home master planned community located four miles from Bethany Beach, in Millville, Del. officially broke ground on lot 99 on Tuesday.

Kylie Wilgus, the first homeowner at Millville By The Sea, attended along with members of the development team, Gulfstream Homes and local officials.

With almost 800 acres and over 3,000 homes, Millville by the Sea will become Delaware¹s largest new home community. Plans call for a town center with retail and office, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis, water park, lakes, fitness center, spa and miles of walking and biking trails.

Company Earns Award

BERLIN – Century Martial Art Supply presented Kim and Jim Heaney, instructors/owners of Chesapeake Martial Arts, with the Mark of Excellence Award at a recent Martial Arts SuperShow held in Orlando, Fla.

Century gives the annual Mark of Excellence Award to its most loyal customers in recognition of the outstanding contributions these martial arts schools make in their community. Each recipient earns the award through their dedication and ongoing efforts to help their students achieve their full potential both as martial artists and as individuals.

“We are honored that Century has recognized our school for our commitment to the martial arts,” said Heaney. “The true test of any instructor is the impact made on students’ lives and it is incredibly rewarding to receive such positive feedback from the industry.” 

Turtle’s Program Honored

BERLIN – The Greene Turtle Sports Bar and Grill’s “Funds for Friends” program was selected by the National Restaurant Association as the Maryland State Winner for the Restaurant Neighbor Award.

“Funds for Friends”, the fundraising partnership between an individual The Greene Turtle restaurant and a selected community partner, was created by The Greene Turtle Franchising Corporation President and C.E.O. Michael Sanford to raise funds for local community programs.

According to the National Restaurant Association website, the Restaurant Neighbor Award showcases the philanthropic nature of the foodservice industry by recognizing restaurants that “show tremendous dedication to community outreach”.

Since its inception in 2005, The Greene Turtle locations have combined to donate over $150,000 back to communities through “Funds for Friends”.

 “Whether sponsoring the local little league team or hosting a fundraiser for a national non-profit organization like American Cancer Society, The Greene Turtle strives to be involved in every town and community we call home,” said Sanford.

In the program, non-profit organizations reserve a selected Tuesday to host their personal “Funds for Friends” event. The organization is then allowed to decorate the restaurant, recruit members, friends and family of their organization to attend and in return, The Greene Turtle donates 10 percent of the entire day’s receipts to the specific organization.

Since 2005, the Greene Turtle has added 11 new restaurants including units at BWI and the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. By the end of 2008, there will be at least 20 stores.

This growth has not gone unnoticed as the company has recently been ranked nationally in two separate publications tracking growth of the franchise restaurant business.

It was first ranked eighth in the United States and Canada by RestaurantChains.net in their April 2008 publication of fastest growing restaurant concepts with fewer than 50 units.

Then in July, Restaurant Business and MonkeyDish.com ranked The Greene Turtle 22nd in the Top-50 fastest growing restaurant franchises in the United States.

“We have carefully built The Greene Turtle brand here in our home state of Maryland over the last few years,” says Sanford. “We also now have an investor which allows us to further build our support systems, and this will fuel our growth across the Mid- Atlantic region”.

Realtor Awards Announced

BERLIN – The Coastal Delmarva Chapter Women’s Council of Realtors® handed out its annual awards at the chapter’s crab feast held at the Crab Alley in West Ocean City.

Recognized for their dedication to the community through their extensive involvement in various volunteer committees, local Realtors® associations and the local Women’s Council Chapter were Realtor of the Year Pam Wadler of the Shamrock Realty Group and Affiliate of the Year Sareana Engelgau, lender with Home Mortgage Services.

The chapter has been active in the community and has donated regularly to programs such as Worcester GOLD, Believe in Tomorrow and has an annual Scholarship Program to raise scholarship funds awarded Worcester County graduating seniors.

Promotion At Firm

SALISBURY – James R. Thomas, Jr., PE, President & CEO of George, Miles & Buhr, LLC, has announced the promotion of Katie Sapna to the position of Human Resources Generalist in the Human Resources Department in recognition of her expanding duties and achievement of the PHR credential.

In her position, Sapna reports to Human Resource Director Beverly Thomas and is responsible for a variety of human resources functions for the firm, including recruitment, retention, training and development, employee relations and human resources administration.

Sapna joined GMB in June 2004 as a marketing coordinator and later assumed the role of human resources specialist along with her marketing duties.

SELBYVILLE, Del. — NVHomes, one of the nation’s top luxury homebuilders, will celebrate the opening of its new home sales office at Bayside with a grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 30 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. NVHomes’ sales center is located in Bayside’s Route 54 Welcome Center, four miles west of Fenwick Island.

Carl M. Freeman Companies, the developer of Bayside, recently finalized an agreement with Reston, Va.-based NVHomes to sell and build single family homes and villas in its resort waterfront golf community.

“With our reputation for developing award-winning communities and NVHomes’ reputation for building luxury homes of unrivaled quality, Bayside will continue as a thriving community. People will choose to live here because of the variety of homestyles, the abundance of amenities and the diversity of lifestyles,” said Tom Halverstadt, senior vice president of Carl M. Freeman Companies.

The grand opening will give prospective homebuyers the opportunity to see the homes NVHomes designed specifically for Bayside.

“We are excited about the homes we’re building at Bayside,” said Todd Hickman, NVHomes division manager and vice president. “The exterior design of the homes we’re offering will be unique to the Bayside community.” 

Bayside is located on 867 acres along the Assawoman Bay. The community offers an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, outdoor pool, tennis courts, fitness facility, whirlpool, access to kayaking, canoeing and more. A 48,000-square-foot Harris Teeter supermarket opened in the community last winter and future plans call for a village center with restaurants, movie theatre and performing arts center, and shops.

Tax School Offered

BERLIN – Jackson Hewitt Tax Service is offering tax education via home computer with an online version of its popular Basic Income Tax Course at taxschool.com.

Anyone who is interested in increasing their tax preparation knowledge can easily get started with just a computer and an Internet connection, said Jennifer Lynch, owner of Salisbury’s Jackson Hewitt Tax Service.

“We are aware that scheduled tax school classes may not be convenient for all who desire to attend our annual tax school,” said Lynch. “Online tax school provides the best of both worlds with 24-hour access that allows students to choose when to log-in to learn and complete assignments, coupled with on-site assistance and support from a local office.”

The online course provides an introduction to income tax preparation and teaches the skills needed to complete an individual income tax return. It’s divided into three sections and covers a range of topics including basic tax information, such as filing status, credits, deductions and IRS e-file, and more complex issues, such as interest, dividends, capital gains, IRAs, depreciation, Schedule Es and basis of property.

Call 410-641-2223 to learn about enrolling in the online courses.