Lewisville, Texas-based Caliber Collision, which calls itself the largest collision-repair company in the country, intends to open six Jacksonville locations by the end of the year.
Caliber Collision Centers filed for business licenses for two locations and a third is under concurrency review.
The first two are at 13051 Beach Blvd. and 8320 Dames Point Crossing Blvd N., Building 100. The third is planned along Golden Wings Road in the Timuquana Commerce Center, across Roosevelt Boulevard from Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
Caliber Collision Vice President of Operations Carl Deaton said the Beach Boulevard location would open this month. The location formerly was an American Carstar Auto Body Repair Experts.
The Dames Point Crossing center in Arlington should open about Jan. 25, he said. “It was a vacant building. We are helping develop the area,” Deaton said.
He said the locations average 17,000 to 20,000 square feet and employ 17 to 20 people.
A concurrency application filed with the city shows an almost 17,000-square-foot Caliber Collision on 2.36 acres at 7208-7216 Golden Wings Road.
Deaton said that location would open late this year, probably in the fourth quarter, pending permitting. Caliber Collision is building that location.
The company operates 353 repair centers in 13 states. The closest of its 20 Florida locations is in Palm Coast.
Deaton said the company is entering the Jacksonville market because there is a demand for high-performing collision repair centers.
Deaton said Caliber Collision started in the Florida market in September 2014.
“I can say it’s a big investment,” he said of the company’s expansion plans.
Deaton said Caliber Collision operates 20 centers in Florida and plans to increase that by at least 75 percent in 2016, which means another 15 locations.
“We’re going to have a very big focus on Jacksonville,” he said, declining to say how many new centers will open in Northeast Florida in addition to the first six, citing competitive reasons.
In addition to the first three, “there are plenty more in the pipeline,” he said.
Caliber Collision is a privately held company and owns its centers.
Memorial buys former golf center for ER
Memorial Healthcare Group Inc. bought the former Mandarin Mill Family Golf Center for $2 million to build a free-standing emergency room and has applied for a building permit for the $5 million construction project.
Memorial bought the almost 2.6-acre site at 10910 San Jose Blvd. on Dec. 17 from Mandarin Family Golf Center Inc. The site is at southwest San Jose Boulevard and Interstate 295.
Memorial Hospital announced the next day it would break ground on a 10,000-square-foot emergency facility early this year for a fall completion.
The 24-hour center will be a full-service emergency department with advanced imaging and laboratory services and will serve adults and children.
It will be Memorial Hospital’s third free-standing emergency department and its fourth ER, including its main campus at 3625 University Blvd. S.
Memorial’s first free-standing emergency room opened in October 2012 in Julington Creek, followed by the second in July 2014 at 11850 Atlantic Blvd.
Memorial has filed plans with the city and the St. Johns River Water Management District for the project.
Plans show the former Mandarin Mill is closed and the structure, batting cages and other functions will be removed. The proposed medical clinic is shown at 10,820 square feet with 44 parking spaces.
Littlejohn Engineering Associates of Orlando is the civil engineer, Hereford Dooley Architects of Nashville is the architect, and the building-permit application shows that Charles Perry Partners Inc. is the contractor.
Noodles & Company opening Town Center location
Noodles & Company, the Broomfield, Colo.-based chain that offers noodle dishes, sandwiches, salads and soups, intends to open by April in part of the former Crispers restaurant at St. Johns Town Center.
The city is reviewing a permit application for a $115,000 build-out of 2,700 square feet for Noodles & Co. at 4624 Town Crossing Drive, No. 113. No contractor is specified.
Noodles & Co. began in 1995. Its menu includes Penne Rosa, Japanese Pan Noodles, The Med Salad, Thai Curry Soup, Spaghetti & Meatballs, Pad Thai and its most popular item, Wisconsin Mac & Cheese, among its 25 customizable noodle bowls and other items. It also serves beer and wine.
As of Sept. 29, it had 488 locations in 35 states, the District of Columbia and one Canadian province.
Franchise owner Leigh Lommen said his franchise agreement calls for him to open 11 restaurants in Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties. He hopes to open a second one at Beach and Hodges boulevards.
His operating partner is Jennifer Drysdale.
Lommen said the company looks for sites based on traffic count, visibility, good co-tenants and a retail draw, like a Target store.
He also would operate in a free-standing building if he could find the right land and location.
The stores are about 3,000 square feet in size. Lommen intends to hire up to 30 part- and full-time employees per store.
Noodles & Co. is open at 11 a.m. daily and closes at 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday-Sunday.
From Wisconsin, Lommen said he moved to Jacksonville more than four years ago. He has been in money management and commuted to the Columbia Business School in New York for its executive program.
His wife, Dr. Dawn Francis, practices at Mayo Clinic Florida.
His father and brother own 57 McDonald’s restaurants in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.
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