BIZ BUZZ 6.20.2012


  • By
  • | 4:00 a.m. June 20, 2012
Divine Treasures owner Aimee Kirksey moved her store to 5 Utility Drive.
Divine Treasures owner Aimee Kirksey moved her store to 5 Utility Drive.
  • Palm Coast Observer
  • Business
  • Share

+ Waterstone Mortgage opens new office in Palm Coast 
Waterstone Mortgage Company has announced the opening of its new Palm Coast office, Waterstone Flagler, at 1 Florida Park Drive.

Mortage Banker Beth Allen, formerly of MetLife Mortgage office, was also recently named the seventh top producer for the month of April, out of Waterstone’s 225 total agents, in 31 states. Six of April’s leading agents work in Florida. 

Founded in 2000, Waterstone Mortgage is a Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac lender.

For more, call 445-3456, or visit www.waterstonemortgage.com/Beth-Allen. 

+ Charles Helm joins Alliance Financial Partners Inc.
Alliance Financial Partners Inc. has announced the addition of Charlie Helm as its newest staff consultant.

The company will also now have two Flagler locations: at 216 S. Third St., Flagler Beach, and 1 Florida Park Drive, Palm Coast.

Helm became a life-insurance agent in 1958. He opened his own company, Helm Financial, in 1985.

He also serves on many boards, served six years on the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce & Affiliates and is past president of the Estate Planning Council.

For more, call 569-0394.

+ Divine Treasures moves: Sunrise Plaza to Utility Drive
To celebrate its relocation to an expanded storefront, Divine Treasures Resale Boutique, the women’s and children’s consignment shop formerly in Sunrise Plaza on Florida Park Drive, held a grand reopening June 7, at 5 Utility Drive.

The new location is 2,000 square feet and, according to owner Aimee Kirksey, will allow the store to carry extra merchandise, including baby strollers, playpens and high chairs. 

+ Palm Coast Data signs Top 10 magazine publisher
Palm Coast Data has been awarded the subscription-fulfillment contract for SagaCity Media Inc., which publishes two of the nation’s Top 10 best-selling city magazines, Seattle Met and Portland Monthly.

As fulfillment provider, Palm Coast Data will handle front-end and transaction processing, email and telephone customer service.

Visit www.palmcoastdata.com.

+ Inkpal hires three, focuses on ‘green’ recycling practices
Online retailer of printer ink products, Inkpal.com, located at 14 Palm Harbor Village Way, has hired three new employees in Palm Coast.

“While business is starting to look up for the online store now,” said Martin Larsson, account manager, “the road to success has not always been easy for Inkpal.” 

Competing with larger office-supply stores, the company had to find ways to separate itself from the pack, Larsson added. First, it updated the facade of its store, facing Old Kings Road. Next came the green angle. 

“Remember all of those empty plastic ink cartridges you’ve pulled out of your printer over the years?” Larsson asked. “Most people don’t realize (they) can be refilled and safely reused. … Using remanufactured ink cartridges is not only cheaper, it’s also more environmentally-friendly.”

Recently, Inkpal was officially recognized as “a green business” by Green America. The company has also started petitions against ink waste on www.change.org.

Additionally, Inkpal has launched a new in-house cartridge donation program. Empty cartridges can be turned in for store credit.

Inkpal has been in business since 2008. Call 1-877-464-6572.

+ CBE appoints four new members: Hunt, Jiloty, List, Long
The Center for Business Excellence, which oversees the One-Stop Employment Centers of Flagler and Volusia Counties, recently appointment four new board members: Daniel Hunt, a business manager and DeBary City Councilman; James Jiloty, a health care employee relations specialist; Gary List, vice president of human resources for Palm Coast Data; and Aubrey Long, dean of Bethune-Cookman University.

For a list of the CBE’s full board membership, visit www.centerforbusinessexcellence.net.

PALM COAST BUSINESS ACTIVITY
According to Palm Coast’s Business Assistance Center, the following companies were issued business tax receipts between June 8 and June 15:

• Redbox Automated Retail is a movie vending machine at 5151 Belle Terre Parkway.
• Soil First Inc. is a home-based landscaping service.
• Green Butterfly Landscaping is a home-based landscaping service.
• Flagler Pressure Washing is a home-based handyman service.

CALLING ALL FARMERS
Starting this month, the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce & Affiliates will conduct a survey to learn more about local manufacturing and agricultural businesses.

According to chamber President Doug Baxter, the survey is an opportunity for local farming and manufacturing companies to discuss barriers to business growth and articulate their resource needs. The results are meant to provide insight into how many and what kind of items are produced in Flagler, and help local officials identify more effective strategies to support and expand these industries.

“Agriculture and manufacturing are fundamental contributors to Flagler’s economy, and for these industries to grow, we need to survey the key players,” Baxter said. “The first step in better serving these businesses is to ask who they are, what they make or grow, what issues they have and what they would call their competitive strengths.”

Survey participants will be asked a number of questions about their businesses, including what materials they purchase in large quantities, the industries they supply finished products to and the most important issues that affect their businesses.

All shared information will be confidential. 

“To truly drive local economic growth, it’s important that we have a better understanding of and appreciation for the industries that already exist in Flagler County,” said Barbara Revels, chairwoman the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners and the Economic Opportunity Advisory Council. “This survey will help identify new ways to support our manufacturing and agricultural communities, while giving us useful data that will improve how we target, attract and bring new industries to the area.”

The chamber plans to interview between 100 and 200 businesses before the end of July, with help from Center for Business Excellence volunteers. 

To participate in the survey, call 437-0106.

PALM COAST PERMITS
The following is an update for permit activity in the city from June 7 through June 13:
Total number of all permits issued: 115

Commercial permits issued:
• Auburn Homes Inc. was issued a $5,000 permit for interior renovations to Smiles Night Club, at 9 Palm Harbor Village Way.
• The city of Palm Coast was issued a $2,500 permit for interior renovations to its offices, at 160 Cypress Point Parkway.

Occupancy permits issued:
• ReMax Flagstaff Realty was issued an occupancy permit at 1 Hargrove Grade.
• 100 Plus Realty Group was issued an occupancy permit at 21 Old Kings Road.

Commercial certificates of occupancy issued:
• Elkins Construction was issued a $6 million permit for a two-story, 34,000-square-foot medical plaza at Cobblestone Village, at 120 Cypress Edge.

Residential permits issued:
• Hausen Properties was issued a $17,000 permit, for an addition to 84 Raintree Circle.
• Roman Building Contractors was issued a $14,200 permit, for interior renovations at 12 Point of Woods Drive.
• Ted & Bob’s Aluminum was issued an $11,000 permit, for an addition to 16 Riviera Estates Court.
• A&H Windows was issued an $11,000 permit, for an addition to 4 Ellsworth Drive.
• East Coast Aluminum was issued an $8,000 permit, for an addition to 11 Firethorn Lane.
• Roosevelt Expert was issued a $5,800 permit, for an addition 161 Beachway Drive.
• A Certified Screen was issued a $4,000 permit, for interior renovations to 18 Tanglewood Court.
• Budd Severino Advanced Home Exterior was issued a $1,500 permit, for an addition at 22 Pine Brook Drive.
• JEM Aluminum was issued a $1,200 permit, for interior renovations to 8 Lewis Place.
• JEM Aluminum was issued a $1,000 permit, for interior renovations to 4 Eastwood Drive.
• Andrew Miklos was issued a $600 permit, for interior renovations to 11 Ripple Drive.
Source: city of Palm Coast

— Email business stories and ideas to [email protected]

 

 

Latest News

×

Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning local news.