Business Briefs

+ Lake Club model honored at Parade of Homes
The kitchen and master suite of The Alezio, a London Bay Homes’ model inside the Matera neighborhood of
The Lake Club in Lakewood Ranch, both earned awards at the 2013 Parade of Homes.

At the Feb. 23 to March 10 event, which showcased homes in Manatee and Sarasota counties, The Alezioalso was named “best floor plan.”

The model’s kitchen, painted yellow with wood flooring and white cabinets, earned the Parade of Homes’ Best Kitchen Award in its price range.

The Alezio’s master suite, which features a canopy bed and large bathroom, won the parade’s Best Master Suite Award.

The Alezio model — one of five floor plans at Matera that can be customized — also has an optional second-floor bedroom and a summer kitchen.

The floor plan can be built with two to four bedrooms, two-and-a-half to four-and-a-half bathrooms and 3,105 to almost 4,000 square feet of living space.

The Alezio is priced at $1.35 million.

+ Neal Communities tops sales record
Neal Communities broke its own record in March.

The Lakewood Ranch builder sold 91 homes last month, topping the 81 homes it sold in February.

“This has been an unprecedented sales season,” said David Hunihan, director of sales for Neal Communities. “There are three factors fueling our sales success right now: great value, low mortgage rates and our large variety of inventory to suit varied needs in the current market.”

To keep up with supply and demand in the local market, Neal Communities has been increasing pricing across several communities.

The March sales were spread out over 13 neighborhoods from Parrish to Englewood.

Highlight sales include 21 sales at Central Park at Lakewood Ranch and six sales in Belleisle in Lakewood Ranch’s Country Club East.

+ Chamber gives awards in local health care
Local health care will be in the spotlight at Manatee Chamber of Commerce’s Champions of Health-care Awards celebration April 25.

The awards recognize individuals, institutions and programs that have especially impacted the community.
Six awards will be presented at a special breakfast event from 7:45 to 9:30 a.m., at the Polo Grill & Bar in Lakewood Ranch.

Table sponsorships are available for $400, and individual tickets are $35. Interested parties can reserve a spot at www.ManateeChamber.com or by calling Jacki Dezelski at 941-748-4842, Ext. 131.
Finalists are as follows:

Physician: Dr. Kevin Boyer, of Pinnacle Medical Group; Dr. Peter Mattina, Dermatology; and Dr. Andre Renard, University Plastic Surgeons.

Nurse: Terry Doire, Blake Medical Center; Patty Madsen, Blake Medical Center; and Kathryn Vejins, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.

Allied Health Professional: Ray Fusco, Manatee County Rural Health Services; Diane Lehman, Blake Medical Center; and Anita Weaver, State College of Florida.

Individual of Merit: Graham Berquist, volunteer; Dr. Richard Conard; Mary Ruiz, Manatee Glens; and Steven Tinsworth.

Institution/Program: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM); Manatee Glens; and We Care Manatee.

Innovation/Research: The Roskamp Institute; Dr. E. J. Sanchez, of Cardiovascular and Vein Center of Florida; and TAVR Program, of Blake Medical Center.