by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
Prudential Network Realty opened its Atlantic Beach office last month, combining old Atlantic Beach architecture on the exterior and new eye-catching architectural features on the inside with state-of-the-art technology throughout the office.
The building was previously a Famous Amos restaurant. Prudential purchased the building, gutted it and added a second level.
The office space also houses Gibraltar Title and Gibraltar Mortgage. The second floor is going to be leased, but the name of the tenant hasn’t been released yet.
The Prudential offices were previously in North Beach Plaza, the shopping center just east of the new building, but they ran out of room. The new building is 5,200 square feet, an upgrade from the former space that was under 3,700 square feet.
“Our space before was separated into two spaces and this is much better usable space all under one roof,” said Christy Budnick, interim broker/manager of the office. “The architect, George Bull, has a great eye and wanted something that would catch your eye the minute you walk in the door.”
The move took place in early October and a grand opening is planned for later this month.
“We love Atlantic Beach,” said Budnick. “We’ve done exceedingly well here but, because we’ve grown so rapidly, we really needed a larger space that was updated to better serve our customers.”
The new office has 46 agents but can hold 60-65 comfortably and Budnick said Prudential is looking for new agents.
The building was renovated by Claddagh Constructors, Inc.
“They’ve done a beautiful job,” said Budnick. “It is all concrete block construction. George Bull was very instrumental in designing a lot of buildings in this area. His idea behind the building was to create something that really flows into old Atlantic Beach.
“We tried to mimic the color and architecture of buildings like Ragtime with the pavers out front. When we took out the sidewalk, we replaced it so it carries the theme from the triangle area. We were trying to tie it in so that the whole area has a certain feel to it.”
The new building has its own parking lot with 44 spaces. Budnick said the idea of foot traffic has already proven successful.
“The first day we were open and literally in the middle of moving furniture over here, we had two walk-ins,” she said. “It was really exciting because we were wondering how the foot traffic would be, given the space we were in compared to this. And the very first day we had a walk-in.”
Technology is a big improvement in their new building, according to Budnick.
“The one thing we are really excited about is our new flat screen television in our conference room,” she said. “Our agents are very excited to be able to give virtual tours and video tours to customers prior to going out and viewing the property. It helps buyers make a decision before they even get in the car.”
Also, the building is a “green” building with an advanced air conditioning system that regulates each room individually.
“Each room has a vent that opens and closes to adjust the temperature in every part of the building so that it is completely regulated,” said Budnick.
Prudential agents have to achieve a certain production level in order to earn a desk. This office created shared space so agents who have not earned a desk and personal assistants have a place to work.
With wireless high-speed Internet access throughout the office, agents or personal assistants can come in and pull up their filing cabinet on wheels to shared desk space, open their laptop and go right to work.
There’s a cubicle type area for those who have earned their desks, semi-private offices for the next level of production and private offices for top producers.
Budnick has been a broker/manager for Prudential for three years. Last year, she was promoted to executive vice president of the Residential Sales Division and went to the corporate side.
She returned earlier this year to manage the office when the broker/manager left the company and she was instrumental in the planning and execution of the new office. Budnick will be returning to corporate this month and Don Cline, formerly the broker/manager of the Fleming Island office, will take over.