The George Harris, Jr. Economic Development awards recognize organizations that are making a positive impact on the economy through job growth or expansion across the county. Awarded for excellence in the promotion of free enterprise, community service, economic stability and quality growth, it is an honor for any company to be nominated.

The award, facilitated by the Central Florida Development Council, is awarded annually. Awards are presented in two categories:

• Success in Small Business – less than 100 employees
• Success in Large Business – more than 100 employees

The Lunz Group was among five local businesses nominated for the 2018 George Harris, Jr. Economic Development award for Success in Small Business. The winners will be announced at the CFDC Annual Meeting October 9, 2018.

In the article posted on August 2 in the Herald Tribune, Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute is opening its next office in Lakewood Ranch, east of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and north of SR 70.

The center is being designed by The Lunz Group and Optimal Outcomes team.

The article details that the 10,000 square foot, $16 million state-of-the-art facility is scheduled to open the summer of 2019. It will host more than 28 chemotherapy chairs, 10 examination rooms and a PET/CT unit within a fixed imaging suite.

Florida Cancer Specialists is the largest independent medical oncology and hematology practice in the US, specializing in providing world class cancer care in a community-based setting for its patients. The Lunz Group has completed more than 30 projects for Florida Cancer Specialists with Optimal Outcomes, including their Brandon campus.

To read more about the Lakewood Ranch facility, click here.

In the article published on July 12 in the Plant City Observer, The City Commission approved the cost estimate and center design for the new Plant City Community Center. This approval was also the kickoff for demolition of the existing building, which will begin in the next four weeks.

The approval authorizes City Manager Bill McDaniel and The Lunz Team to proceed with the final design of the project. Designs included 30,000 square-feet for community activities including indoor sports/multipurpose rooms, computer labs and craft rooms. The design will use elements like energy efficient lights and plumbing features as well as recyclable roofing materials and other construction materials to meet sustainability concerns.

Timothy Wagoner, our Celebration Studio Director was mentioned saying that the current budget does not allow for solar [panels] to be added to the site, but that it could be added at a later date to either the roof of the gymnasium or to an exterior location. New technology allows the solar to be attached to the roof without it piercing the material. Solar energy and sustainable building practices were a concern for some citizens during the unveiling meeting last month.

The approved budget was $4,500,000. Now with costs approved, plans will be finalized and brought back to the city commission. Once commissioners approve the plan, bids will begin being accepted from construction companies.

Recreation and Parks Director Jack Holland’s estimated opening date of July 9, 2019 is still on the table.

To read more about the new community center, read the article here.

The historic Auburndale City Hall is getting a facelift.

Story and photos featured in The Ledger.

Improvements are now in progress with scaffolding surrounding the building as the construction team completely remortars each each brick of Auburndale City Hall. Built in 1927, the building has served as a library, fire station and municipal courtroom. The Lunz Group is the architect for the project, providing assessment reports, construction bid assistance and construction administration for this project. Peachee Construction is completing the repairs.

Photo by Ernst Peters, The Ledger.

The iconic building was starting to show its age. Improvements were to include fixing the roof, replacing flashing and repairing any unassessed structural damage near the second-floor restrooms. Leftover budget would go toward repointing the exterior bricks, which involves digging out the old grout and re-mortaring it, a very labor-intensive process.

As work progressed, Hurricane Irma impacted the area, causing even more damage to the iconic building in downtown. In addition to the slated improvements, the City now was adding water damage, replacing the drainage system and additional roof upgrades. As work went on, more issues were discovered.

“Everywhere we worked, there was new challenge,” said Mike Feagle, Peachee Construction site supervisor in this article with The Ledger. But, he said, “I love to get creative. It’s a harder job but it’s always fun when you get to the top of the mountain.”

Photos by Ernst Peters, The Ledger. 

The Lunz Group was ranked among the Top Ten Largest Tampa Bay Architecture Firms in The Tampa Bay Business Journal‘s annual Book of Lists.

The list is created by rankings from local architects in Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties. The list is comprised of several factors including number of local architects and technical staff, annual revenue, amount of local active projects, total project value and year established. Local technical staff and local revenue served as primary and secondary tiebreakers.

The Lunz Group was the largest Polk County firm to make the list. The firm ranked #2 among firms from Pinellas County.

On May 16th, 2018, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) celebrated the groundbreaking of its newest facility, the Ocala Cancer Center.

The brand new facility is a design/build project between Optimal Outcomes and The Lunz Group. This is one of more than 20 projects completed for FCS by the design team. 

The facility will be the region’s first and only comprehensive cancer center. Patients will be able to receive a variety of services and treatments under one roof, including chemotherapy, radiation oncology, national clinical trials, radiology (PET/CT imaging), physician visits and laboratory services, providing unsurpassed convenience for cancer patients in Marion County. It will be located adjacent to the West Marion Community Hospital, just north for SR200.

The Ocala Cancer Center will be 21,000 SF and is expected to open in the summer of 2019.

Check out the video from the groundbreaking event:

In an article published June 5, 2018 on HouseBeautiful.com, Saint Leo University’s Residence Halls were ranked in the Top 10 College Dorm Rooms in the nation.

The Lunz Group designed the Residence Halls in 2012. The halls were designed around a central purpose: to serve as a gathering place for students, faculty and staff alike. The halls unified the campus as well as provided housing for approximately 340 students. The buildings were also designed to LEED Silver criteria, using rapidly renewable and locally sourced materials, energy efficiency, thermal controls and water conservation.

Residence Hall 5 is specifically mentioned in the article, which features several amenities including:

• A central courtyard for outdoor activities (like intramural sports or grilling)
• Residence life offices
• A theater
• Instructional space and lecture halls
• Fitness room
• Relaxation room (which includes nap pods)
• Gathering spaces
• Game room

There is even a 2,100-gallon aquarium featured in one of the main gathering spaces that was featured on Animal Planet’s reality-tv show Tanked.

The Lunz Group, along with the City of Plant City Commissioners, unveiled the conceptual designs for a new building that will replace the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center at a public input session on Jun 5.

The center, 1601 E Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., sustained significant damage during Hurricane Irma. The Lunz Group was awarded the project April 2018. Because of the expedited timeline of the project, The Lunz Team hit the ground running, presenting five concepts over the course of two meetings to the advisory group.

The Community Center Advisory Group, consisting of citizens chosen by Plant City commissioners, provided input on the initial design of the new facility. The Lunz Team worked with the advisory group to capture their vision for the facility, eventually landing on the latest design presented at the public input session.

The session was open to all interested citizens for input on the design of the community center, which The Lunz Group will work to incorporate into future plans for the facility.

A preview of the conceptual design for the new Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, designed by The Lunz Group, can be viewed below:

Photo Credit: The Ledger

In The Ledger article posted last Friday, Florida Southern announced the opening of Chris Bellotto Field at the recently-completed Barnett Field, designed by The Lunz Group. Pete Meyer, Florida Southern Athletic Director, had kind words for the design of the complex, stating “The quality of the facility assists in the recruitment of the top student athletes. We are a leader academically, and we want to continue to be a leader athletically. Now, when they walk on campus, they go, ‘Holy cow, this is amazing.’ And I don’t know that there’s a finer small college softball stadium in America.”

For more details on the ribbon cutting, pictures and more, visit TheLedger.com.

Photo Gallery: click here.