BUSINESS OBSERVER

+ Builders begin construction of model in GreyHawk Landing
Construction crews are busy at GreyHawk Landing, in East Bradenton, as three area builders broke ground Feb. 20 on new models and inventory homes.

Homes by Towne, Ryland Homes and Sam Rodgers Homes are working in collaboration to build in the popular gated community.

“We are pleased to be part of this exciting opportunity and look forward to the continued growth of this exceptional neighborhood,” said Mark Davis, director of sales and marketing for Sam Rodgers Homes.

“I know that all of the builders involved are confident the time has come to continue the thoughtful development of GreyHawk Landing, and we’ve been especially encouraged by the positive response we’ve received from both residents and the community at large.”

Sam Rodgers Homes will offer four distinctive models in GreyHawk Landing, including the Cypress, Live Oak, Magnolia and Sequoia.

All feature three or four bedrooms, three-car garages and open floor plans, often with a den or bonus room.
Sizes range from 2,000 to 3,100 square feet, with prices starting from the mid $200,000s.

Homes by Towne will unveil eight new floor plans offering a variety of three-, four- and five-bedroom homes ranging from 2,300 to 3,444 square feet.           

Ryland Homes will offer GreyHawk buyers a choice of eight different floor plans — seven plans with four bedrooms and one with three bedrooms — ranging in size from 1,853 to 2,840 square feet.

The models will be open for the Parade of Homes, which runs Feb. 23 to March 10.

The roughly 950-acre GreyHawk Landing is located 3.5 miles east of I-75, off State Road 64.

+ First Watch grows in the Hoosier state
First Watch, the locally based breakfast- lunch-and-brunch chain, opened a new restaurant in the Indianapolis market today. 

The new location is in Carmel, Ind., and is also the third First Watch for both the Indianapolis market and the entire state, according to a release. First Watch opened its first location in the area in April 2012, followed by another one in August. Each restaurant has about 25 employees.

First Watch, which is 30 years old this year, recently moved its corporate headquarters from Lakewood Ranch to another east Manatee County office. The company, according to the release, has plans for at least five to seven more locations in the Indianapolis area.

“First Watch is committed to expanding rapidly in the Indianapolis market, illustrated by the opening of three new restaurants in just 10 months’ time,” Chief Marketing Officer Chris Tomasso says in the release. “This is a great area for us to grow and, of course, that wouldn’t be possible without all the loyal customers we’ve gained in such a short amount of time.”

+ Lee Wetherington Foundation hits $1 million in grants
The Lee Wetherington Foundation, a supporting organization of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, has recently surpassed the $1 million-mark for grants to local nonprofits.

Established Dec. 30, 2002, the foundation has supported causes ranging from helping at-risk children, education and the arts, to community planning, the environment and social services.

Since 2002, the Lee Wetherington Foundation of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County has invested a total of $1,044,100.51 in the community.

Nearly half of the funds granted by the Wetherington Foundation has been to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and Manatee counties.

The Boys & Girls Club on Fruitville Road, in Sarasota, features Lee Wetherington’s name.

Numerous other organizations in Sarasota and Manatee have also received significant financial support through the Lee Wetherington Foundation.

“I am proud to work with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County as a partner in providing support to several organizations that serve the people in our great community,” said Lee Wetherington. “This region has always supported my business endeavors, and it gives me great joy to, in turn, support the community that I love.”