Diane Duffy and Scott Agran in the newly opened Lang Realty office
in the Plaza Del Mar shopping center in Manalapan.
Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
INSETS BELOW: Brock Rosayn (left); Phyllis Alexander (right)
By Christine Davis
Here’s the latest scoop on Lang Realty. When owner Scott Agran set up his new Manalapan office, he chose a really cool spot, right next to the Ice Cream Club in Plaza del Mar. The Manalapan branch of Lang Realty opened last month with 15 Realtors, including top-producer Diane Duffy, who left Illustrated Properties to join Lang.
She couldn’t be more excited about it (ice cream aside). She and Agran had been talking and negotiating since April, Duffy said. “I’ve had a successful career in real estate and have consistently been a top producer in Manalapan, Hypoluxo and the coastal area, but I wanted to take my business to the next level.”
Lang couldn’t have stepped up to the plate more, she said. “I’ll have a marketing person to work with me exclusively, as well as a part-time assistant and incredible advertising support.
“Scott really wants this office to work, and he’s going to throw his time, energy and money into making it work. It’s a whole new geographic focus for his company. Lang wanted me and I want to be a part of Lang’s expansion.”
In addition and most importantly, she said, with the help Lang offers her, she’s free to focus on listing and selling real estate and serving her clients.
Agran established Lang in 1989 with three sales associates, and the company has expanded to more than 380 agents. In addition to the Manalapan location, Lang has four offices in Boca Raton as well as offices in Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter and Port St. Lucie.
Last month, according to a report from the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches, Lang Realty ranked No. 1 in listings in the county.
The opening of the Manalapan office is part of Lang’s continuing expansion into the luxury market throughout the county. The new office is at 277A S. Ocean Blvd., in the Plaza del Mar shopping center. An opening celebration is scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13. RSVP to Sharon Tardonia at (561) 853-1100.
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The Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce’s second annual Delray Beach Wine & Seafood Festival is right around the corner. So, save room for a glass of wine that can be enjoyed with lobster rolls, Creole platter, coconut shrimp dinner, fried clams, Louisiana lobster puffs, conch ceviche, gazpacho, Maine lobster and lump crab fritters, fish tacos, scallops, crab cakes, mussels, and the list goes on. Better yet, diet before coming to this year’s festival.
Save these dates (and start salivating): 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 9 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 10, from, then head on over to the east end of Atlantic Avenue.
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Care to be dunked? Want to climb walls, bounce, quest for dragons, ride a mechanical bull? If not you, maybe your kids? You and they will not want to miss the Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Family Fun Day Harvest Hoedown from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m Nov. 9, at Intracoastal Park, 2240 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach.
More from Boynton Beach:
Last month, The Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce dedicated its lobby in honor of Ann Theiman Barrett, who founded the chamber in 1947 and continued to serve on its board until she was in her late 90s. She also is credited with bringing the first hardware store, KwikChek, the first bank, First Bank & Trust, and the first newspaper, Boynton Beach News, to Boynton Beach. Ginny and Robert Foot served at honorary chairwoman and chairman of the dedication.
Also last month, the city of Boynton Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency was awarded a Downtown Achievement Award by the International Downtown Association at its 2013 World Congress in recognition for the development of the Boynton Harbor Marina Project. A $4.5 million multiphase renovation, the CRA works to expand the scope of the marina from a fishing-and-boating facility to a pedestrian-friendly, downtown destination with dining, shopping business and entertainment attractions.
From Boca Raton:
The Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce’s newest program, the International Business Alliance, focuses on helping business owners succeed on a global scale. On the first Tuesday of the month starting Nov. 5, program host Lynn University will welcome up to 23 international business professionals and two international students for a lunch and facilitated roundtable discussion on topics such as breaking the culture barrier, networking in a global economy, immigration law and global trade. The cost to attend is $35 per person. Call (561) 395-4433, ext. 238.
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Harbour’s Edge, a not-for-profit lifestyle community for seniors in Delray Beach, gets noticed for what it does. It has received the Florida’s Gold Seal Award as well as a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
It already offers a full range of services and amenities that include a health club, swimming pool and hair salon, but now, with its health center’s recently completed $5 million renovation project, there’s an expanded physical and occupational therapy room, new spa, meditation rooms, a new front entrance, full-service kitchen, and expanded dining venue featuring a modern open concept.
“These renovations will allow us to provide even better health and wellness services, and also better lifestyle options for residents,” said Jennifer Stevens, the health center’s administrator.
In the coming months, renovation work will begin on other parts of the continuing care retirement community. The total project will exceed $20 million.
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In February, Dr. Robert Levy will join Boca Raton Regional Hospital as director for the organization’s new $42 million Marcus Neuroscience Institute. Levy is listed as one of the “Best Doctors in America” and in Marquis Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. Currently, he serves as professor and chairman of neurological surgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Jacksonville and co-director of the UF Health Jacksonville Neuroscience Institute.
Scheduled for completion in April, the institute was created through a core gift of $25 mil-lion initiated by Bernie and Billi Marcus. Bernie Marcus is chairman of the Marcus Foundation and co-founder and former CEO of Home Depot. The 56,000-square-foot facility will house a 22-bed neuro intensive care unit, with advanced technology that includes intra-operative MRI and CT scanners, Flash CT and a Biplane Angiography Suite. It will also have a clinical research component that will collaborate extensively with scientists at Florida Atlantic University.
In addition to a focus on neuro-oncology, the institute will emphasize programs for movement disorders, chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.
Around Palm Beach County: Be chauffeured by a pleasant driver, transport yourself in comfort and style, AND conserve energy, by using Metro Taxi of Palm Beach County. In October, its owner, Brock Rosayn, was awarded the title, the “2013 Taxicab Small Fleet Operator of the Year” by the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association. Ever since he and his wife, JoAnne, opened Metro Taxi of Palm Beach County, the business has been a family effort. Now their children work for the company, bringing with them a focus on fuel-efficient vehicles.
Rosayn believes in providing good service to his clients as well as offering them safe, clean, and aesthetically pleasing vehicles. “The community showed so much support when we introduced our first Prius hybrid to our fleet, and we want to continue to grow in that direction,” Rosayn said.
Rosayn’s unique family-run business and innovation toward fuel-efficiency are among the many reasons why the TLPA selected him as this year’s award recipient.
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And now, let’s do some shopping: Phyllis “Alex” Alexander, who owned the Delray Beach Antique Mall since 1999, has a new venture, A Delray Design, in Suite B5 in the 777 East Atlantic Plaza, Delray Beach. A globally inspired marketplace with an eclectic collection of mid-century modern and shabby-chic painted furniture, her shop also carries jewelry as well as local artists’ work.
The upstairs loft, Talin’s Tropical Studio, showcases artist Talin Lyman’s tropical printed fabrics and her painted furnishings. It also serves as Lyman’s workspace and classroom.
Christine Davis is a freelance writer. Send business news to her at cdavis9797@comcast.net.
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