Business Briefs

+ Nelson Homes is a young company on the rise
A growing staff and expansion of office space has Nelson Homes Inc. experiencing its most successful year in its three-year history.

Nelson Homes Inc., an independently owned and operated Arthur Rutenberg Homes’ franchise, sold 15 homes in the first quarter of 2013.

“We are busier than ever,” said Derek Nelson, president of Nelson Homes Inc. “We sold 10 homes in March alone of this year and are on track to have our biggest and best year since we began operations in 2010.”

After the franchise opened in 2010, the company reported 12 total sales in 2011 and 33 sales in 2012.

This year, Nelson Homes Inc. expanded its Lakewood Ranch office space and is growing its staff to match.
It hired seven people near the end of 2012; three more came on in 2013. It expects to add more jobs over the next few months.

The company now has a 20-person staff.

Company highlights this year include the sales of three model homes — one in Country Club East, one in The Lake Club and another in The Concession.

Nelson Homes Inc. will begin construction on three new models this summer.

“Here at Arthur Rutenberg, we specialize in architectural detail and upscale features,” Nelson said. “Our new floor plans will highlight our specialties and really emphasize the Florida lifestyle of wide-open outdoor spaces that customers rave about in our homes.”

The average sales price at Nelson Homes is $711,253.

+ RE/MAX Alliance hires new agent
Realtor Kathy Carpenter recently joined the University Park office of RE/MAX Alliance Group.

She began her real-state career eight years ago in New Jersey and moved in 2011 to Bradenton.

Carpenter, who earned the New Jersey Association of Realtors Circle of Excellence Sales Award, graduated from the Katharine Gibbs School of Business in Boston.

RE/MAX’s University Park office is located at 5411 University Parkway, Sarasota.

+ Red Elephant restaurant closes
The Red Elephant Pizza and Grill, a specialty pizza restaurant in The Market at University Town Center, closed in early April.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t doing enough business to remain open,” the company wrote on its Facebook fan page. “We hope to open another restaurant in Sarasota some day.”

The restaurant featured a wide assortment of specialty pizzas, salads, sandwiches and burgers and fire-grilled entrées such as mahi-mahi and sirloin steak, among others.

Red Elephant’s offerings also included a game room filled with arcade-style games and a bar.

The Red Elephant Pizza and Grill is a chain restaurant based in Tallahassee; it started in 2006.

The University Park restaurant opened in 2010.