A Washington-based gaming, sports and entertainment collectibles wholesaler could open a Jacksonville distribution center in Westside Industrial Park, according to building plans.
GTS Distribution, which is privately held, would open a 33,000-square-foot office and warehouse at 8291 Forshee Drive, according to a permit application.
Duckworth Construction Co. is the contractor for improvements of more than 3,000 square feet of offices and almost 30,000 square feet of warehouse space.
Adrian Sawczuk, vice president of operations in Atlanta for GTS, said as a private company, it does not comment about its operations.
GTS is based in Lynnwood, Wash., near Seattle, and has 10 distribution centers, according to its website, gtsdistribution.com.
The nearest to Jacksonville is in Orlando, which is one of four in the Eastern U.S. along with Atlanta, Boston and Allentown, Pa. The others are in Michigan, Arizona, California, Washington and Hawaii.
GTS calls itself a leading wholesale distributor of gaming, toys, sports and entertainment collectibles. It does not sell to the general public. Its customers are retail and specialty stores.
GTS Distribution was formed in 2005 upon the merger of Talkin’ Sports and Gamus Distribution. The building plans refer to the tenant as Gamus LLC.
Gamus Distribution began in 1976 as Georgia Music Inc., a family-owned business distributing trading cards, hobby supplies and sheet music that expanded to three Southeastern U.S. facilities.
Talkin’ Sports had five locations serving the West Coast.
GTS Distribution says it offers products in four major categories: trading cards, games, toys and hobby supplies.
At the same time, GTS Distribution will gain a neighbor.
GTS Distribution will occupy units A-C, while The Grimes Companies, based in Jacksonville, will move into 40,000 square feet in Units D-F at the building.
Grimes will relocate from about 30,000 square feet within Westside Industrial Park into the larger space. Grimes is a logistics and supply-chain management company.
International Management plans spec Flagler building
International Management Co. LLC, which recently began construction of a speculative office building in Nocatee, intends to build a spec structure in Flagler Center in South Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville-based company bought five acres in Flagler Center for construction of a high-end single-story office space aimed at professional businesses.
International Management Vice President Raja Saoud said the 51,000-square-foot project likely would be split among two single-story buildings. Construction should start in mid-2016 and marketing will start before that.
He said development could take 12-18 months.
Sauod said CBRE Inc. Senior Vice President Lou Nutter will serve as the tenant representative. Nutter also serves in that capacity for the Nocatee building.
Sauod said he would have a better idea of the phasing and investment costs after plans progress.
Through Oakridge Realty LLC, International Management bought the property Wednesday for almost $1.55 million from FDG Flagler Center Land LLC. The site is vacant land along Gran Bay Parkway.
Also on Wednesday, The Jacksonville Bank issued a $1.2 million mortgage to Oakridge Realty and San Jose Center Corp., both led by Edmond Saoud. He is manager of International Management Co. LLC and president of San Jose Center Corp.
Raja Saoud said Flagler Development represented the seller in the transaction and Perry Development Group represented International Management.
Saoud said the company has a few more projects in the works, but they remain in preliminary stages.
International Management Co. broke ground in mid-October for the speculative office building in Nocatee in St. Johns County. That $8.5 million, almost 63,000-square-foot, three-story structure should be completed in July.
Zisser Law moves to 121 Atlantic Place
Zisser Law PLLC relocated Downtown from the Wells Fargo Center to the top floor of the 121 Atlantic Place building at 121 W. Forsyth St.
Managing Partner Elliot Zisser said the firm left the 33rd floor of Wells Fargo Center after 19 years as its lease ended and the firm was downsizing.
It moved from about 7,000 square feet of space to 4,670 square feet on the 10th floor at 121 Atlantic Place.
Ross Crabtree and Jim Sebesta at Newmark Grubb Phoenix Realty Group represented the firm in the lease transaction. David Hillegas of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord.
The firm moved the last week of October and worked around a lack of phone and Internet access for the first two weeks by using cellphones as Internet hotspots.
The firm practices family and criminal law.
Barry Zisser, who recently turned 81, started the firm in 1963 and Elliot joined in 1971. Barry Zisser has become of counsel.
Elliot Zisser, 68, said starting anew past the normal retirement age “is kind of cool.” His succession plan is for his son, Jonathan, who has a partnership interest in the firm, to carry on the 52-year tradition “of the Zisser law office.”
“It is continuing something that has been part of the Jacksonville legal scene a long time,” he said.
Chapter 13 office moving to SunTrust Tower
The office of the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee will move Downtown from the BB&T Tower to the SunTrust Tower soon. Chapter 13 Trustee Douglas Neway said the office leases have confidentiality provisions, so he could not discuss details.
The office is part of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Middle District of Florida.
Traci Jenks at Cushman & Wakefield represented the SunTrust Tower owner in the deal. The Chapter 13 office was represented by the Avison Young commercial real estate office in Orlando.
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