From his new office in downtown Avalon Park, Frank Silverman is surrounded by the sights and sounds of construction. There’s the laying of the foundation for the 45,000-square-foot Keith A. Ewing Medical Office Building, a three-story professional office building going up right next door, 11 live/work units taking shape in a row and the just-opened Fairwinds Credit Union.
While many projects in other parts of the city have been hit hard by the economic downturn, there is no evidence of a slowdown in Avalon Park, where the skyline seemingly changes daily and construction dust is a fact of life. For Silverman, no respite can be found even inside his own building, which he is developing with partner Mike Metzger.
But they aren’t complaining. The new two-story, 21,000-square-foot Shoppes and Offices at Avalon Park, is still a work in progress. While the downstairs tenants — Trustco Bank, Pizza Hut, Academic Achievers and their own business, Championship Martial Arts — are quietly ensconced and operating in their new surroundings, the upstairs is abuzz with contractors and craftsmen busily finishing out the office space.
“It’s going to be great when it’s done,” Silverman said. In fact, it already is exemplary. The building, which features specially designed brick, extra high ceilings and an upscale carpet/tile mix, has received an Orange County Design Excellence Award. By June 1, Silverman expects all work to be finished and new tenants open for business.
The tenant mix includes an architect, accountant, marketing firm, mental health therapist and an embroidering company, with more to come. Silverman said available office space, from 139 square feet up to 2,500 square feet, is ideally suited for a small-business owner that doesn’t want the high rents or long commute associated with downtown Orlando.
The office suites are particularly attractive to a small business, Silverman said. For as little as $600 per month, tenants receive a self-contained office, including electricity and Internet service, as well as access to a large conference room. “It’s a very nice professional look,” he said. “Most of our tenants are local to Avalon Park. Some are starting up a new business or ready to move out of their home or opening up a second office,” he said.
“We’d love to see a law firm and a doctor or dentist come in here.” Indeed, Silverman and Metzger view the Avalon Park location as a huge asset for their latest development venture. Their firm, Vision Development and Management, oversees about 100,000 square feet of commercial space throughout Orlando. But Avalon Park has its own unique setting. “It’s a really nice community,” said Metzger, who also lives in Avalon Park.
“Everything you need is right here.” Silverman also lauded Avalon Associates for their help in making the project successful, from assisting with the design of the building to helping meet site requirements. “They really helped us through the whole process,” said Silverman, a Lake Nona resident. “It’s really an honor to be a part of what Avalon Park is creating here. It has that real nice live, learn, work and play feel.”
Ross Halle, Avalon Associates town planning vice president, said the community is glad to welcome Silverman and Metzger to the town center. But it took years of discussions to find the right project. For example, one hurdle that had to be overcome was the scale of the project. Vision Development and Management mostly has experience building one-story retail strip malls.
Avalon Associates, however, wanted a two-story building that would include office space on the second floor. In the end, they were able to reach agreement on a project that would work for all concerned. Halle recalled that a walking tour of the Avalon Park town center was instrumental in helping to move the project forward.
“We were able to offer the downtown experience of walking from one office building to another, to show them what type of architecture fits in with Avalon Park, rather than having to drive around to different sites,” Halle said. “The new building is in line with the intent of the Avalon Park town center. We were able to show them what Avalon Park is all about.” And there will be plenty more to show in the future.
Halle said that when all the construction now underway on this central block is completed, it will amount to just one-third of the total commercial district planned for Avalon Park. From rivals to partners From the offices Vision Development and Management, Silverman and Metzger discuss every detail of their new building, as well as other projects in the works. But it wasn’t always so easygoing between the two partners.
For 15 years the two were rivals, each owning three martial arts school within three miles of one another. Silverman’s Central Florida Championship Karate and Metzger’s Internal Power Martial Arts were the dominant programs in East Orlando. But the competitiveness wasn’t limited to the mats. Not always on speaking terms, the two businessmen aggressively sought the hearts and minds of karate kids throughout the area.
At one point they almost put their martial arts skills into practice when they both vied for the same Avalon Park storefront to open a new school. But eventually, they reached a truce and, last year, merged their schools. Today, Championship Martial Arts has 10 locations, with almost 50 employees teaching 2,000 students, and is a longtime Partner in Education with Orange and Seminole county schools.
“Our partnership developed over a long time and years of research and analysis. But once we saw our partnership work well on the development side, we decided to merge our schools,” Metzger said. “We felt we could benefit our mutual businesses and our students. It’s absolutely proven to be a smart move.”
As for their earlier acrimony, the dust has settled. And soon, the construction dust that swirls around them will also become a thing of the past.
