by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
The new Prudential Network Realty’s Atlantic Beach office combines the charm of old Atlantic Beach architecture on the outside, new eye-catching architectural features on the inside and state-of-the-art technology throughout the office.
As you enter the building, the first thing you notice are the recessed ceilings and interesting lighting.
“The recessed ceilings are more contemporary,” 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 late November.
The building was a Famous Amos restaurant and an eyesore in Atlantic Beach for a long time. Prudential purchased the building, gutted it and added a second level and a good amount of charm.
The office space also houses Gibraltar Title and Gibraltar Mortgage.
“So, we are completely full service,” said Budnick.
The office previously was in the shopping center next to the building, but they ran out of room.
The new building is 5,200 square feet, quite an upgrade of the space of 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 Budnick. “We love Atlantic Beach. We’ve done exceedingly well here but, because we’ve grown so rapidly, we really needed a larger space that was updated to better to serve our customers.”
The new office has 46 agents but can hold about 60 to 65 comfortably. Budnick said they are looking for new agents.
The second floor is going to be leased out by a tenant, but the name of the tenant isn’t being released.
The building was renovated by Claddagh Constructors, Inc.
“They’ve done a beautiful job,” she said. “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, providing 44 spaces. Budnick said already the idea of foot traffic has 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.
“The one thing we are really excited about is our new flat screen television in our conference room,” said Budnick. “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, plug in 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 office for top producers.
Budnick was been the broker/manager of the office 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 very 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.