TD Auto Finance is reviewing Jacksonville for expansion.
TD Auto Finance, part of TD Bank Group, has almost 200 employees at its existing Jacksonville offices in north Deerwood Park at 4600 Touchton Road.
“Jacksonville serves as one of our three key operational hubs and we are committed to growing our operations here over time,” said Brian Jantzi, manager of corporate communications and corporate and public affairs for TD Bank.
“The city is in a great location that helps us to recruit terrific people who help to grow our business,” he said.
The existing location uses about 29,000 square feet of space, he said. Sources who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak about a potential deal said TD Auto Finance is interested in at least 60,000 square feet of space and possibly up to 75,000 square feet.
Jantzi would not confirm a project size. He said some operational roles had been moved to Jacksonville this year.
“As for our building plans, we can confirm that we are looking at new facilities in Jacksonville and will be making a decision in the next six months,” he said.
TD Auto Finance has been in the Jacksonville area for more than 15 years, he said, having previously operated as Chrysler Financial.
TD Bank is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S. and offers retail, small business and commercial banking products and services to more than 6.5 million customers through more than 1,200 retail stores along the East Coast from Florida to Maine.
In June 2011, it launched TD Auto Finance as a new auto lending brand after buying Chrysler Financial that April.
The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Group and TD is the sixth-largest bank in North America by branches and serves more than 19 million customers.
TD Bank Group is based in Toronto. Its U.S. operations are based in New Jersey and the TD Finance Group operates among Farmington Hills, Mich., its main office, Dallas and Jacksonville.
Bishop Kenny remodeling press box, library
Bishop Kenny High School intends to undertake two projects at its St. Nicholas area riverfront campus at the football complex and the library.
Auld & White Constructors LLC will handle both. The campus is at 1055 Kingman Ave.
At the William Johnston Stadium, Bishop Kenny plans to rebuild the press box, concession stand and restrooms. A building-permit application shows a cost of $800,000 for the project as well as a demolition cost of $25,000.
The press box and existing restroom facilities at the stadium will be demolished at the end of the spring athletic season in May followed by construction of a new press box, twice the size. Bob West, director of athletics, said the new facility would “address all of the needs of football season and any other athletic events throughout the school year.”
The new restroom facility will be accessible for both football and baseball fans and a paved area between the football and baseball facilities will serve as a gathering place for spectators.
The existing Demetree Library will be renovated into a media center focused on technology. The project budget is $400,000.
Stacks of books and resource materials will be replaced with pods of tables and desks that can be reconfigured as needs change. Students will continue to have access to smaller, but newer, print collections, including reference, periodicals and popular fiction, along with the subscription databases and e-book collection.
Hammock Grove plans $4M upgrade
The Hammock Grove Condominium Association applied for $3.9 million in alterations and repairs to 29 buildings at 12301 Kernan Forest Blvd.
R.L. Haines Construction LLC is the contractor.
Greencore lands $4.8M renovation permit
Greencore USA, which promised to create 283 more jobs and invest $10 million in its North Jacksonville food preparation plant, landed a city permit Monday to renovate space at a project cost of $4.8 million.
City Council approved an incentives agreement March 25 for Greencore in return for the jobs and investment.
CMC Design-Build Construction Inc. is the contractor for the $4.8 million project, which encompasses 38,000 square feet at Greencore’s warehouse and production facility at 13949 Alvarez Road in the Jacksonville International Tradeport. The permit calls for removing existing slabs and walls for alterations
The company, which makes sandwiches and salads for the convenience and supermarket industries, has begun to recruit more than 200 employees. More specifically, it makes sushi, sandwiches, salads and other ready-to-eat and ready-to cook-entrees for retailers like 7-Eleven, Trader Joe’s and Publix Super Markets Inc.
The $296,500 incentives deal involves a $155,000 Recapture Enhanced Value grant paid out over seven years and $141,500 from the city’s Countywide Economic Development Fund.
Greencore USA is the domestic subsidiary of Ireland-based Greencore Group. It has 259 local employees, according to the project summary, and would add the new jobs by Dec. 31, 2015.
Servantage Dixie Sales opens in Westside
Servantage Dixie Sales has opened a new distribution center at Westside Industrial Park, where it leases 30,000 square feet of space at 7780-2 Westside Industrial Drive. Servantage will employ 10-12 people.
The company sells and services parts and accessories for most brands of outdoor power equipment and engines to thousands of certified service centers across the United States and Canada.
Servantage.net reports that Servantage Dixie Sales, established in 1914, “is an independent, full-service, value-added distributor of lawn and garden equipment that enhances end-user experiences with consumer products. “
Headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., Servantage Dixie Sales operates distribution centers in Greensboro, Memphis and Toronto, Canada, as well as two contact centers providing customer support in English, French and Spanish.
“While the Jacksonville industrial market continues to lag behind the major U.S. markets, it is showing signs of recovery,” said Peter Anderson, vice president of Pattillo Industrial Real Estate.
He said Servantage Dixie Sales will serve customers from South Florida to Chattanooga, Tenn., with next-day ground deliveries from the Westside Industrial Park location.
Pattillo Industrial Real Estate leases and sells property for use as manufacturing and distribution centers. It owns the largest portfolio of industrial property in Jacksonville with more than 7.5 million square feet of buildings and 1,500 acres, including 6 million square feet in Westside Industrial Park. Pattillo Industrial is based in Stone Mountain, Ga., and has owned property in Jacksonville for more than 40 years.
They were on target
Today’s Daily Record bears out what national site consultants told the JAXUSA Partnership on Friday. When asked which clients are active now, among those mentioned were food processing and production (Greencore) and logistics (Servantage). Asked about trends and headquarters moves, they talked about financial services (Adecco Group and Centene) and consolidation.
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