The Sales and Marketing Council (SMC), the marketing arm of the Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA), hosted its monthly breakfast at the University of North Florida on Friday and Jim Bailey, president and publisher of Bailey Publishing, was the guest speaker.

Jim, who recently announced he will run for mayor, focused on leadership, how past leaders of NEFBA and SMC have played a major role in building Jacksonville, and how these organizations have a strong link to Jacksonville’s economic chain.

SMC also recognized the area’s top sales agents and Realtors with the Laurel Awards for Top Producers and Million Dollar Circle Award winners. Congratulations to all winners and keep up the good work in 2010!

Were you at Friday’s SMC breakfast and awards? If so, let us know your thoughts below!

Do you want to know the hottest trends for your home in 2010?  Are you ready to throw out your outdated couch and lamp shade?  Take the advice of Jacksonville interior designer Judith Sisler Johnston, president of Sisler Johnston Interior Design and ASID Allied Member, and check out what’s hot and what’s not for 2010.

Colors. There is a revival in bright, primary colors for spring and interesting color combinations such as green, blue and orange, or red, brown, and blue combinations. Purple, in all its hues, is a favored choice in paint, upholstery and art. Animal prints are classic, and many are being introduced in non-traditional color ways.

Contrast. Accent pillows will feature ornamentation in stitching, beads and fringe, but the furnishings they sit on will have clean lines and natural fabric covers such as linen on refined, rustic wood pieces.

Natural and original. Permanent botanicals and greenery are moving toward the natural garden and spice variety instead of fussy, flowery designs. More people are purchasing original art as an investment instead of mass produced artwork.

With this new direction, several design trends appear to be on the way out in 2010, including:

Quantity over quality. There will be less furniture and fewer, well-placed accessories.

Anything too shiny. From fabrics to furniture pieces, the finish materials are losing their sheen in favor of more subdued matte finishes.

Formality. Formality is being replaced with comfortable, relaxed style. Larger McMansions are being replaced with smaller, more efficient homes that focus on family living areas.

Matching. Coordinated bedding ensembles have given way to the hotel bedding model, which features lots of white and neutrals with occasional color accents in shams and pillows.

To learn more about top interior design trends for 2010, visit www.sislerjohnston.com.

More than 2,000 new jobs were created in 2009, according to a recent update posted by Cornerstone, the economic development arm of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce. That’s in addition to 2,500 Navy jobs. And more good news appears to be in store for 2010.  JP Morgan Chase has recently added 900 local jobs to the local economy.

Also, Cecil Field Airport has been awarded a federal licensed to fly commercial space vehicles that could transport tourists, researchers and others beyond Earth’s atmosphere. JAA has worked for four years to get its commercial spaceport licensing and plans to offer Cecil Field’s 12,500-foot long runway to commercial space operators, including Virgin Galactic.

Boeing officially opened its new 125,000 square-foot structural repair facility at Cecil Commerce Center. With this expansion, Boeing will grow from 150 jobs to 210 jobs. The new facility will combine maintenance and repair along with technological advancements for Boeing planes.

The Hospital Corporation of America, which owns Memorial Hospital and Orange Park Medical Center, is moving ahead with plans to build a new $100 million hospital near Cecil Commerce Center. Plans include a three-story, 85-bed community hospital and a 200,000-square-foot medical office building. Construction will provide 250 people with jobs during the two-year building phase and about 800 positions will be needed for ongoing employment at the hospital.

2010 is off to a great start for Jacksonville’s economic development!

Good news for Jacksonville just keeps coming! According to the latest Quadrennial Defense Review, Mayport Naval Station will become the homeport for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier as soon as 2013 or 2014.

According to the mayor’s office, the carrier will strengthen Jacksonville’s position as one of the nation’s top military communities, employ an additional 3,200 service men and women and their families, and generate an economic impact of more than $500 million through the development and improvement of the existing port infrastructure.

In addition to the economic impact the carrier will have on Jacksonville’s economy is the opportunity to bring more Navy war ships to Mayport along with the carrier. If all goes as expected, the carrier is expected to be relocated to Mayport in 2013 or 2014.

More information about the carrier can be found at the City of Jacksonville’s website here. This is great news for Jacksonville, Mayport and all those who will benefit from the new nuclear-powered carrier!

Are you ready to experience the climb of your life in Jacksonville’s tallest building? If so, it’s time to join the American Lung Association this weekend as it hosts the 2010 Fight for Air Climb at the Bank of America Tower downtown, located at 50 N. Laura St.

The 42-story vertical challenge will support the important work the American Lung Association is doing in Florida and get us closer to a world without lung disease.

There is a $25 registration fee for the event and a $100 fundraising minimum is required to participate. All participants must be registered by Thursday, so this is your last change to support the cause! If you’re ready to climb for a good cause, call (904) 520-7119 or email hjpittman@lungfla.org to register today. Here’s to the climb of your life!

Those who enjoy the social networking sites will be happy to learn the Jacksonville Symphony Guild’s 2010 Designer Showhouse presented by Toll Brothers is now on Facebook and Twitter.

Become a fan of the 2010 Design Showhouse on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TollBrothersSymphonyShowhouse and follow it on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tollshowhouse.

The sites will provide fans and followers with instant access to the latest news and updates about the Showhouse, which is currently under construction at Coastal Oaks at Nocatee in Ponte Vedra.

Twitter offers a platform for the popular annual fundraiser to provide brief updates on new information such as where to purchase tickets, special event calendar dates, opportunities for drawings and details on voting for the Showhouse’s favorite room.

The fan page on Facebook will feature fun news stories, project updates, photos and an assortment of other 2010 Designer Showhouse related happenings. Become a Facebook fan today and post a hello on the Designer Showhouse’s wall.

The Designer Showhouse presented by Toll Brothers will feature the company’s luxurious Marquis home design and be open for public tours April 17 through May 9, 2010.

Ever wonder what to cook for game day? Well you can learn tonight at 6 p.m. as Whole Foods Market is hosting a Game Day Cooking Class & Beer Pairing. The culinary event will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.Terry Gaum, Florida Regional Seafood Coordinator, will lead the cooking class and share his incredible knowledge, techniques, and passion for seafood. In this class you will not only learn a ton about seafood; you will also get to taste Terry’s favorite game day recipes that pair great with beer!

The class begins at 6 pm and will be held in the Lifestyle Center of Whole Foods Market at 10601 San Jose Blvd. in Jacksonville. Register online at www.wholefoodsmarket.com and click on the store calendar or call (904) 288-1100. The cost is $20 per person with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation receiving 100% of the proceeds.

What’s in store for the 2010 homebuilding industry? According to Richard J. Dalton, president and CEO of Wellington Homes and a 30-year homebuilding industry veteran, the 2010 housing market will see many changes including more streamlined home designs, more open floor plans, and an increase in demand for new housing as the foreclosure and short sale markets dwindle.

According to a recent press release from the company, Dalton said builders are listening to buyers and creating homes that appeal to their desires. To provide these homes at lower costs, builders are beginning to streamline the designs to have simplified roof lines, functional layouts, and same sized windows throughout the home - all of which pass the cost savings along to the buyer. By simplifying the home’s design, builders are able to construct the homes faster and keep costs down while still including high-end items in the home like granite countertops and luxury bathrooms.

Dalton also predicts that the industry will see a continued absorption of foreclosures and short-sale inventory, which means an increase in demand for new housing. These predictions are backed by the latest statistics from Florida Realtors, which claim new home sales in Northeast Florida are up nearly 49 percent from the same time last year and pending sales were up 59 percent. More than 38 percent of the closed sales during this time were foreclosures or short sales.

We are excited to see how Dalton’s predictions play out in the year ahead. Do you have any thoughts of your own for the 2010 homebuilding industry? Let us know your thoughts below!�

Laterra Links is back and the community relaunched this week with an all-out Broadway and Bellinis event at its clubhouse in King and Bear at World Golf Village. The event was Laterra Links’ first since relaunching the community after Homes by Deltona took over ownership in late 2009. The new sales team was on-hand at the event to take guests on tours of the community and model homes.

Guests to the event had the chance to tour the community’s model homes and luxurious amenity center while snacking on heavy hors d’oeuvres and Bellinis. The designer-decorated model homes at Laterra Links, as with all coach homes at Laterra Links, feature Mediterranean architecture, great views of The King and The Bear golf course or surrounding lakes, and high-end finishes such as custom granite countertops and designer cabinetry.

The event took place in Laterra Links’ 7,000-square-foot clubhouse that overlooks the resort-style swimming pool and hot tub. The clubhouse comprises two buildings linked by a veranda and features a great room, full kitchen, game room, fully equipped fitness center and separate locker rooms.

More information about the Laterra Links and its homes is available online at www.laterralinks.com. We love to see the resurgence of communities in Northeast Florida - a positive sign of things to come!

According to Florida Realtors, Jacksonville’s single-family home sales were up 21 percent from 2008 to 2009, and condo sales increased by 38 percent. Throughout the state, existing home sales rose 31 percent and condo sales increased by 47 percent comparing 2008 stats to those of 2009.

Industry leaders are finding that the market is continuing the stabilize and will be key to the economic recovery. Seventeen of the state’s 20 metropolitan areas reported increased existing home sales and 18 have reported higher condo sales for more than a year. On a national level, home sales in 2009 rose for the first time in 4 years - up 4.9 percent. 

We’re on an upswing and it looks good.  Let’s keep it going, Jacksonville!