SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate hosted the 4th annual I-4 Commercial Corridor Conference earlier this month at Florida Polytechnic University. The event featured expert speakers in local, regional and state economics and development.
The brokerage also announced a new affiliation with the SVN Shared Value Network®, a globally recognized commercial real estate brand with over 200 offices worldwide, and its SVN Florida team with offices statewide. Additionally, the company has joined forces with Saunders Real Estate to become one brokerage, SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate.
The I-4 Corridor’s demographic and economic growth characteristics are among the leading in the nation. Gary M. Ralston, CCIM, SIOR, managing director and broker of SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate opened the event with an overview of the region’s demographic strength.
Ralston noted that:
The I-4 Corridor is the demographic center of Florida.
- The region comprises 30% of Florida’s population and represents 36% of the state’s growth.
- By the end of next year, the I-4 Corridor’s population will be over 6.7 million which is larger than Miami and Atlanta and about the same size as Houston.
- Only New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas have larger populations than the I-4 Corridor.
- SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate focuses on Polk, Osceola and Lake counties, the three fastest-growing counties in the I-4 Corridor.
- Polk, Osceola, and Lake counties comprise 22% of the region’s population and 37% of its growth.
Over 250 real estate agents, investors, and business professionals attended to learn the latest news and trends associated with the I-4 Corridor, including insights and analysis from top market experts. Dr. Randy K. Avent, president of Florida Polytechnic University, was the featured luncheon keynote speaker. He spoke of the university’s role in creating the high-tech workforce needed to ensure the area’s economic future.
Taking advantage of the university’s classroom setting, the conference offered 10 interactive breakout sessions led by 37 panelist experts.
The sessions included specialized discussions on various topics including:
- Airports & Economic Impact
- Entertainment
- I-4 Plans & Brightline
- Land
- Opportunity Zones
- Commercial Lending
- FDOT/Suntrax Update
- Industrial
- Power Companies
- Single-Family Residential Portfolio Investment
Dr. Randy K. Avent, president of Florida Polytechnic University, addressed conference attendees.
The panel experts included:
Airports & Economic Impact
- Eugene B. Conrad III, Lakeland Linder Regional Airport
- Eric Crump (moderator), Polk State College
- Major General H.D. “Jake” Polumbo, USAF (Ret.), Two Blue Aces Consulting
Entertainment
- R. Todd Dantzler, CCIM (moderator), SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate
- Paul Granville, Lakeland Ice Arena
- David Johnson, Merlin Entertainment
I-4 Plans & Brightline
Bob O’Malley of Virgin Train USA/Brightline, provided updates about the company’s expansion to Orlando and Tampa.
- Laura Kinsler (moderator), GrowthSpotter
- Bob O’Malley, Brightline
- Kati Sherrard, P.E., Florida Department of Transportation – District One
Land Panel
- Richard Dempsey, ALC, SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate
- Trevor Hall, Colliers International
- Ryan Sampson, ALC, CCIM, Eshenbaugh Land Company
- Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM (moderator), SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate
Opportunity Zones
- Thomas Ablum, Ablum Brown & Company
- Tyler Davis, CPA, SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate
- Roman Petra, Esq., CCIM, CRE (moderator), Nelson Mullins
Commercial Lending
- Eric Ammon, CCIM (moderator), SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate
- James P. Citrano, Jr., BB&T
- Chris Cucci, CenterState
- Jason Daniel, Citizens Bank & Trust
- Bob Hernandez, NorthMarq Capital
- David J. Houston, Bank of Central Florida
FDOT/Suntrax Update
- Melony Bell (moderator), Florida House District 056
- Kelda Senior, Florida Department of Transportation / Turnpike
- Rahul Razdan, Ph.D., Florida Polytechnic University
Industrial
- Brandon Clark, The Ruthvens
- Brendon Dedekind, CCIM, Prologis
- David Hungerford (moderator), SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate
- Austin Jones, Blue Steel Development
Power Companies
- Sherry Ambrose, FPL Energy Services, Inc.
- Marc Hoenstine, Duke Energy
- Sean Malott, Central Florida Development Council
- Nick Plott, TECO Peoples Gas
To learn more about the I-4 Commercial Corridor Conference visit i4commercial.com.
Source: SRD Commercial
