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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – In a ceremonial groundbreaking today, Marshall University marked the official start of construction on its new $56 million school of pharmacy academic building and graduate student housing complex on the Fairfield Campus of the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.

The new academic building, which will be located at the corner of Hal Greer Blvd. and Charleston Ave., will house research, instructional, communal and administrative areas. The graduate housing project, located adjacent to the Erma Ora Byrd Clinical Center, will feature 200 units for apartment-style living and will accommodate pharmacy and medical students as well as resident physicians.

Marshall University President Jerome A. Gilbert said at the ceremony, “We will change our students’ lives through these new facilities. We will enhance their learning experiences and prepare them for successful careers in health care. We will provide comfortable, affordable living accommodations that are specially designed for the needs of graduate students and their families.

“And I stand here today to tell you that construction of this new pharmacy facility and graduate student housing complex also will be a turning point in the revitalization of this neighborhood and this community. We can leverage this project, along with the resources of our existing health sciences campus and Cabell Huntington-Hospital, to reimagine what the Hal Greer Boulevard Corridor can be.”

In one of her first public events since taking the school of pharmacy deanship in May, Dr. Gayle Brazeau said she is indebted to those before her who have worked diligently to bring the new school of pharmacy to fruition.

“Visionaries like Dr. Stephen Kopp, interim president Gary White, inaugural dean Dr. Kevin Yingling and interim dean Brian Gallagher, as well as school of medicine dean Dr. Joe Shapiro and President Gilbert have all spent countless hours plotting the course for the growth of our programs,” Brazeau said. “I’m very happy to join the Marshall family at this pivotal point in its history.”

Dean Joseph Shapiro of the school of medicine commented that the move toward a more cohesive health sciences campus will not only benefit students, but boost the university’s research component as well.

“Team science and collaboration are cornerstones in the research world,” Shapiro said. “The move to geographically anchor our schools of medicine and pharmacy in the same area is incredibly beneficial for our programs. Simply put, the move will streamline our operations and collaboration will run smoother.”

The new facilities celebrated today are the result of a public-private partnership between the university and private investment firm Signet LLC. Signet is managing the financing, design and construction of the project, which will be funded primarily through proceeds from the housing complex.

Anthony Manna, chairman of Signet LLC, said, “We are truly delighted to have this opportunity to partner with such a prestigious institution as Marshall in order to bring transformation to their life sciences campus and Huntington. These projects represent the best of what a public-private partnership should be, and we are excited to help the university achieve its goal and vision.”

The architects are Edward Tucker Architects Inc. of Huntington and Perkins + Will of Atlanta. The construction firm is PJ Dick.

The new complex is expected to be completed in August 2019, in time for the fall semester.

 

Read the original press release here.

As principal and chairman at Signet LLC, Anthony Manna owns 27 companies and has a wealth of experience making deals to buy, sell and build successful businesses. But to this day, the most significant transaction of his career remains his effort to bring minor league baseball to the city of Akron.

“That deal put me on the map in Northeast Ohio,” Manna says. “When I completed that deal, I remember a guy told me, ‘Your whole life is going to change because of this deal and the notoriety that comes with it.’ He was absolutely right about that.”

On April 10, 1997, the Canton-Akron Indians became the Akron Aeros and played their first game at Canal Park. Manna played a lead role in relocating the Indians’ Double-A affiliate and getting the new ballpark constructed in downtown Akron. Now known as the Akron RubberDucks, the team has become a must-see summer entertainment option for baseball fans across Northeast Ohio.

The biggest challenge in making Akron baseball a reality was that Manna had to chart his own course to get a deal done.

“It was having the initiative to go out and do it when no one else that I dealt with had any experience developing a stadium,” Manna says. “You learn quickly that it’s a team approach. No one person is more important than the other. I learned valuable lessons about the teamwork that was needed to get that transaction done.”

As Manna was bringing baseball to Akron, he was also building Signet, which he founded in 1995. The company has done about $4.5 billion in total real estate development and currently has more than $400 million in assets under management. Dealmaking has played a key role in all his business endeavors.

“I love the competition,” Manna says of dealmaking. “I love the fact that you get in and meet unbelievably great people, people who want to achieve the same things. You’re constantly trying and it’s the challenge, the competition of it. Sometimes it’s a turnaround situation or sometimes you’re just trying to grow the organization. It’s a lot of fun.”

We spoke with Manna about his approach to dealmaking, the team he’s built to vet and often take the lead on potential opportunities and the key role that pillow talk can play in the success or failure of a business transaction.

Dealmaking 101

Be upfront about your interest level in a potential deal. My standard line is if I get the information that I’m looking for, I will give you a yes or no answer of our interest within seven to 10 business days. That way, the other side doesn’t have to waste time if we don’t have an interest. If we do have an interest, we can get further information and go through the due diligence process. We’re always in a state of readiness and trying to filter out the opportunities we’re not interested in as quickly as possible so we can focus on the ones we want to take a deeper look at.

There is the old saying that culture eats strategy for lunch. But you can’t have a culture unless you’re communicating. Jack Welch would always say that in his 20 years at GE, he only had six initiatives. He spent the rest of his time communicating those initiatives. We’re constantly working at an organizational level on culture, but primarily through communication.

At the individual level, you’re constantly looking for competence and character that can support long-term investments. I’ve always said competence is relatively easy to find, but character can be very difficult to find. If you can find it, your long-term investment is probably in pretty good hands. My day-to-day activity is really focused on those types of things as we’re going through the process. The last piece is continuously talking to people in our network as deals come in. We’re not only looking for M&A deals, but we also look for real estate deals from the development side. We’re constantly looking at what’s out there and whether there is a fit.

Know what you want in a deal

In the deal where we brought minor league baseball to Akron, I always tell the story that the owner wanted to move the team to Worcester, Massachusetts. At the time, I was 33. I flew down to his home on my own and said I wanted to bring the team from Canton to Akron. We sat there for several hours where he told me what he wanted. Then he said, ‘OK, Tony. What do you want?’ I said there were three things I wanted. First, I wanted to develop the stadium. We talked about all that included and we worked it out. He asked, ‘What’s the second thing?’ I said, ‘You were going to have 24 suites. I’m going to add a 25th suite that I’m going to build myself to have for life.’ He said, ‘OK, what’s the third thing?’ I said, ‘I’m also a father. If any of my kids want to work at the stadium during the summer, you have to give them a job.’ So that was actually written in our contract.

Build a strong team

My partners Ken Krismanth, Mark Corr and John Helline are very good at doing deals. Several of the deals, once they get going, I’ll turn it over to them and frankly, I don’t have to have much involvement at all. What I’m going to be focusing in on are deals that we’re just getting started on, maybe some difficult situations where we have to start deciding are we going to go after this or aren’t we?

Turnover is the most expensive thing you can have in business. Many of the guys in our company have been with me 20 or more years. I believe that driven, smart people do not want to be managed. You have to give them the highway and make sure they follow the highway, but you have to find people who are driven. I like people who are respectfully candid. You want to have people who can express their opinions about the direction we’re going on a particular deal and can make sure that everybody can think through it.

The best way to make sure you have a long-term commitment is to have employees eventually become partners in the deals. As an example, we’ve had several businesses we’ve owned for 15 or 20 years. The management team, we have them invested in the deal. If they don’t have the money, we loan them the money to get in. People move up and become shareholders. I think that’s an incredible way to have long-term value add.

The Last Word

We own 27 companies and 12 of them have been startups. We were doing this one particular startup where we were searching for a CEO to run it. I was in China and I got a call from Ken Krismanth, who is now our CEO. He thought he had found a guy to run the business. I said, ‘That’s great. When I come back to Akron, give me a couple days and then have him fly in from Washington, D.C. Make sure he brings his wife.’ He says, ‘His wife?’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’ We sat down and I didn’t even bother talking to him. I just talked to his wife. I said, ‘You’re probably wondering why you’re here. It’s because you’re the key to getting this deal done.

‘I believe the most powerful talk in all of business, and the most dangerous, is pillow talk. If every night, you’re chirping in your husband’s ear that you shouldn’t have done that deal with Tony Manna, when the going gets tough with this startup, and believe me, the going will get tough, he’s going to quit. Now is your chance to sit through the entire day. If at the end of the day, you think I’m a jerk and you don’t think your husband should do this deal, I’ll be the first one to tell your husband we’re not doing the deal.’ The company has been very successful. In the early going, when it was really tough, she was the one who kept him together. I learned very quickly that business is a family affair.

Read the original article on Smart Business

Read the original article on Business in Greater Gainesville.

Nine finalist startups pitched their business plans to a panel of judges in the heart of Gainesville’s innovation district at the first Startup Challenge on Feb. 20.

Each team had four minutes on the floor to sell its idea to a panel of judges that included experienced entrepreneurs from the Brennan, Manna and Diamond Law Firm, Signet and Elite Parking Services of America. The teams competed for the opportunity to win the first-place prize of $10,000. GuestBox, founded by Shuchi Vyas, won first-place. GuestBox is a subscription box service that helps vacation rental and Airbnb hosts as well as hotels welcome their guests with warmth and hospitality. Filled with luxury essentials like toiletries and skin care items as well as high-end extras, each box is intended to enhance the guest experience by adding a personal connection between guest and host.

Born from her experience as an Airbnb host and frequent traveler, Vyas wanted to create a unique welcome that reincorporates human connections into the digitalized industry, she said.

“I come from a culture of hospitality — my roots are Indian, and in India, hospitality is very high quality,” she said. “There is a saying in Sanskrit, ‘Atithi Devo Bhava,’ which means, ‘A guest is like a god.’ So, the way you treat a guest is the same way you would treat a god if they came into your home. And as I think more about this industry and how we can provide a high-quality experience, GuestBox is a great solution for both.”

The Startup Challenge prize money will help Vyas grow GuestBox, by allowing her to expand further into the market.

“We were looking for a company that really has an idea that we believe can really make it to market — something that’s cutting edge and is unique,” Apolito said. “We saw how GuestBox can fit into hotel and Airbnb-type markets and sell its product.”

In partnership with the Startup Challenge, Signet and BMD plan to provide business expertise and legal counsel to help the startups get started on the right foot.

Anthony Manna, Signet founder, principal and chairman, opened the event with words of advice from his own entrepreneurial success: “It’s not enough to work for it. It’s not enough to be smart. You have to have a plan that someone’s going to buy into.”

Signet, a global private investment firm that began as a startup, now invests in over 25 companies, 12 of which were also startups.

“It’s really important to identify that talent in up-and-coming companies in the beginning before other companies do, so that we can really try to help them,” said Alessandro A. Apolito, a partner at BMD who sat on the panel.

BehaviorMe, a company developing immersive virtual reality simulations for behavioral specialists to use as a tool to expand skill sets of individuals with autism spectrum disorder, took second place winning $2,500. Outsider Technologies LLC came in third, winning $1,000.

The Startup Challenge organizers developed the competition to bring the local entrepreneurial community together.

“We really wanted everyone to have that creative and authentic experience,” said Stephen Zaremba, a student at UF and co-organizer of the event. “Hopefully, we’ll have a great turnout next year with more conversations and more fantastic entrepreneurial networking.

During the sixth annual Lake Nona Impact Forum today, Tavistock Development Company announced the creation of an innovative wellness, performance and medically integrated fitness facility in partnership with Signet, LLC. and its subsidiary Integrated Wellness Partners (IWP).

Situated within Lake Nona, the world’s most sophisticated wellness community as noted by the Global Wellness Institute, the new 110,000+-square-foot center will be located across the street from Lake Nona Medical City in the second phase of development of the Lake Nona Town Center, Lake Nona’s premier entertainment, dining and shopping district.

The new wellness campus will be one of the most comprehensive in the region, offering a broad array of health and wellbeing programs and services for the entire community, for Lake Nona residents, families, employees, recreational fitness and sports enthusiasts, as well as elite athletes. Memberships will be available, though rates have not yet been established.

The facility will take a personalized approach to each member. The staffing model, intake process and the technology provided to each member is a tailored plan, which is updated in real time and based on the member results.

“The creation of this world-class facility in Lake Nona is yet another example of how we are building out one of the most unique and comprehensive wellness communities in the country,” said Gloria Caulfield, executive director of the Lake Nona Institute. “This best-in-class collaboration with Signet and IWP will create an incredible regional asset, offering world-class programs and services across the entire spectrum of health and wellbeing. No matter where you are on your personal wellbeing journey, this new campus will offer something to help get you to that next step.”

Jim Ellis, managing director of IWP, describes the Lake Nona Wellness Center as the next evolution in health and wellness—with a community-based, scientific and medically integrated approach to combat deteriorating health and skyrocketing costs of health care.

“The only solution to overcoming the national health care crisis is prevention, that comes ultimately through lifestyle change,” said Ellis. “The overwhelming evidence shows that we need to deliver impactful solutions that create community environments where, increasingly, the default choices for individuals, families and employees are healthy choices. The Lake Nona Wellness Center delivers on the vision and promise made by Tavistock to the entire Lake Nona community to offer its membership a healthy, happy lifestyle. This will then have a ripple effect on not only the Lake Nona community but many others for years to come as Lake Nona becomes a health and wellness flagship model for the country and around the world.”

The Lake Nona Wellness Center will offer a medically-based fitness center, sports performance training center, physician offices, community education spaces, and community-based programming, which extends well beyond the walls of the brick and mortar facility. Its programming and features are designed to create and nurture an “ecosystem of wellness” that encompasses individuals, families, businesses and institutions, all supported by the medically-integrated health and wellness center platform, which serves as the hub for the model.

The facility will seamlessly integrate state-of-the-art physical resources, experts in preventive health, wellness and medicine, as well as a commitment to advancing the understanding of the science around health and wellness promotion, offering the Lake Nona community: 

•     Health and fitness opportunities for all ages and levels of fitness
•     A Sport Performance Institute geared toward improving athletic performance for all ages and abilities
•     Medical services and educational programming offered by clinical and wellness partners based in the facility, creating employee wellness programming, sports performance training, and other onsite activities that create a “bridge” to the facility

The fitness center will also feature first-class equipment and on-demand fitness by Lake Nona partner Technogym, who aligned with Lake Nona to create the first seamlessly connected fitness ecosystem in the U.S. Physical amenities of the new wellness center will include:

•     Childcare facilities with outdoor play
•     Daylighted public concourse
•     Indoor/Outdoor Demonstration Kitchen
•     Indoor Climbing Wall
•     Indoor and Outdoor Pools
•     Outdoor classroom
•     Outdoor training turf
•     Sports Performance area with 40 Yard Sprint Track
•     Wellness Plaza
•     Zen Garden

The Lake Nona Wellness Center will be located within the Lake Nona Town Center, a 100-acre anchor and regional destination for the large-scale, master-designed Lake Nona community and the greater Orlando region. At full build out, the Town Center will feature more than 4 million square feet. Its first phase opened in January 2016 with an 85,000-square-foot office building, two award-winning hotels (a Marriott Residence Inn and Courtyard by Marriott), 16,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and a multi-level parking structure. The five-story, central parking structure features two visual and interactive landmarks, the six-story Beacon and the Code Wall.

Lake Nona is one of the fastest growing communities in the nation with a thriving health and life sciences cluster, and sports and performance district that serves as home of the USTA National Campus, the world’s largest tennis facility and KPMG’s new training and innovation facility.

ABOUT LAKE NONA 
Orlando’s Lake Nona is one of the fastest-growing communities in America with more than 10 million square feet of world-class residential and commercial facilities. Adjacent to Orlando International Airport, the large-scale, master-designed community is home to thoughtfully designed neighborhoods, world-class education facilities, a Health & Life Sciences Cluster, a Sports & Performance District highlighted by USTA’s New Home of American Tennis – the largest tennis facility in the world, diverse work spaces, recreational facilities, retail centers, and entertainment venues encompassing the best Orlando has to offer with all the conveniences of a dynamic, vibrant community. Driven by a long-term vision, Lake Nona is committed to building an innovative community that inspires human potential whilst being focused on sustainable design, healthy living, and groundbreaking gigabit fiber optic technology. A smart and connected community, Lake Nona is wired for the future, providing a no-limits foundation for individuals and companies to thrive. For more information, visit http://www.lakenona.com

ABOUT TAVISTOCK DEVELOPMENT CO. 
Tavistock Development Company is a diversified real estate firm owned by Tavistock Group specializing in planning, design, finance, construction and development of groundbreaking projects. Tavistock Development Company’s real estate portfolio is highlighted by the 17-square-mile, master-planned community Lake Nona in Orlando, Florida, as well as The Green at Lakewood Ranch, Pier Sixty-Six Hotel and Marina, Sunbridge and The Grove in Windermere. For more information, visit http://www.tavistockdevelopment.com

ABOUT INTEGRATED WELLNESS PARTNERS 
Integrated Wellness Partners (IWP) is the leading provider of comprehensive health and wellness services, offering creative solutions for your development, finance, and health and wellness center management challenges. With decades of experience and national accolades operating and managing health and wellness facilities across the country, the IWP team offers collective expertise and intellectual capital to the national health and wellness marketplace. For more information, visit http://www.Integrated-Wellness-Partners.com

ABOUT SIGNET, LLC 
Signet brings an innovative, unconventional approach to global investment that embodies creativity and forward thinking to achieve long-term success. With leadership and expertise in the areas of project structuring, capital formation, operational investment and management, we tailor strategy and resources to meet each unique opportunity. Boundless in ideas and tactics, Signet has spent 20+ years crafting collaborative partnerships that advance initiatives in real estate, diversified manufacturing, health and wellness, emerging technologies, investment banking and finance. For more information, visit https://www.signetllc.com

Read the original article on PR Web.

Read the original article on The Gainesville Sun.

The innovation of Gainesville startups was on competitive display Tuesday night as entrepreneurs pitched companies as varied as the developing virtual reality to help autistic kids, artificial intelligence processing and guest boxes for hotels and Airbnb properties in vying for prize money.

Startup Challenge 18 drew entries from nine Florida counties, with Alachua County among them. The process began four months ago at the University of Florida’s Infinity Hall, which is designed to foster student collaboration. It was sponsored by Signet, a global investment firm, and the BMD law firm.

It culminated Tuesday night at the Hippodrome Theatre with nine finalists making their pitches to a panel of judges. But first came some encouragement from one of the judges, Signet Chairman Anthony Manna.

“It’s not enough to work hard. It’s not enough to be smart. You have to have a plan that someone is going to buy into,” Manna said. “The point is, that everybody in this room can be an entrepreneur … Don’t ever let anybody tell you you can’t do it.”

The finalists, who were mentored during the challenge by other business leaders, had only a few minutes to make their sell with the hope of earning money to grow their companies.

BehaviorMe, for instance, is developing virtual reality simulations of everyday actions such as crossing a street that therapists can use to aid autistic children.

“BehaviorMe is the science of human behavior meeting the technology of virtual reality. We are providing therapists with the tool needed to teach life experiences,” said co-founder Andy Chavez, who earned a master’s in entrepreneurship from UF. “We have a wait-list of individuals and clinics who want to try out our virtual reality. But we are also doing some on our own.”

Several other finalists were health-related. NiekAab Desal, also based in Gainesville, develops water purification technology. Precision One Health provides platforms with medical information for patients and doctors.

Others focused helping companies find ways to boost their business earnings.

GuestBox makes gift boxes with high-end food, toiletries and pet items tailored to individual hotels, Airbnbs and other hospitality businesses to give to their customers. Ideally, the result will be better reviews on websites and through word of mouth, boosting the customer base.

“It’s for guests to enjoy during their stay or to take back home with them,” said GuestBox founder Shuchi Vyas. “Our brand is to bring luxury, convenience and value. Our logo has been designed to create warmth and elegance.”

The pitches were made to a theater full of budding business people, many of whom were UF students. Startup Challenge is one of several events in Gainesville aimed at fostering young companies that were created here.

Signet’s 2018 Start-Up Challenge – Gainesville Showcases Budding Entrepreneurs in Inaugural Event
Read the original Press Release on PR Web

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (PRWEB) March 15, 2018

The inaugural Startup Challenge, the largest startup event in North Florida, brought together for the first time the brightest minds from across nine counties to collaborate and compete in a business start-up pitch competition for the opportunity to receive a grand prize of $10,000 and potential funding from program sponsor Signet, LLC.

The idea for Startup Challenge was born out of a collaboration between Signet, LLC,, the business law firm of Brennan, Manna & Diamond and Launchpad. The Signet team strategically chose Gainesville as its inaugural location based on the firm’s history in the local area and throughout north Florida. Additionally, Signet’s real estate arm, Signet Real Estate Group, developed and owns Infinity Hall at Innovation Square through a partnership with the University of Florida, which serves as a living learning community for UF’s entrepreneurial-focus students. This community houses several innovative and entrepreneurial programs from UF as well as Signet-sponsored incubator, Launchpad.

“Over the past few years, our partners at Launchpad have built solid relationships with the local startup community and have helped many new companies succeed. With Signet’s approach to company investment and growth, Startup Challenge was the ideal platform to showcase the area’s newest ideas and to seek future partnership opportunities,” says Signet CEO Kenneth Krismanth.

Startup Challenge is one of several events and organizations in Gainesville aimed at fostering business growth and collaboration for entrepreneurs and start-up companies that were created locally. The final pitches were made on February 20th in front of a packed house at the Hippodrome Theatre to a group of business people and budding entrepreneurs, many of whom were UF students.

Among the panel of judges responsible to award cash prizes were members of Signet’s leadership team, including Chairman Anthony Manna, CEO Kenneth Krismanth, Jason Perry, President of Signet Real Estate, and Dane Grey, President of Elite Parking.

Anthony Manna shared a few words of advice and encouragement with the event contestants. “It’s not enough to work hard,” said Manna. “It’s not enough to be smart. You have to have a plan that someone is going to buy into,” Manna said. “Everybody in this room can be an entrepreneur. Don’t ever let anybody tell you can’t do it.”

Shuchi Vyas, entrepreneur and founder of GuestBox, was selected as the first-place winner. Shuchi developed GuestBox, a company geared towards providing high-end food, toiletries and skincare items tailored to individual hotels, Airbnb and other hospitality businesses. GuestBox was born out of Signet’s own Launchpad, a business incubator located on the ground floor of Infinity Hall.

Second place and winner of $2,500 was awarded to BehaviorMe, a virtual reality simulation of everyday actions that therapists can use to aid autistic children. A $1,000 student prize was awarded to peer to peer textbook marketplace company Outsider Technologies.

In addition to the cash prizes, Signet will provide Vyas’ GuestBox with the opportunity for funding and consultation from its executives. Signet hopes to geographically expand the Startup Challenge into new markets as the contest continues to grow.

About Startup Challenge
The Startup Challenge brings together the brightest minds from across Gainesville, Jacksonville, and more to collaborate and compete for cash prizes and bragging rights as North Florida’s best startup. Learn more at startupchallenge.org.

About Signet, LLC.
Signet brings an innovative, unconventional approach to global investment that embodies creativity and forward thinking to achieve long-term success. With leadership and expertise in the areas of project structuring, capital formation, operational investment and management, we tailor strategy and resources to meet each unique opportunity. Boundless in ideas and tactics, Signet has spent 20+ years crafting collaborative partnerships that advance initiatives in real estate, diversified manufacturing, health and wellness, emerging technologies, investment banking and finance. Learn more at signetllc.com.

Read the original article published in Smart Business Magazine’s January, 2018 digital edition here.

Private equity firms often get a bad rap. They can be characterized as cold-blooded, willing to eviscerate an acquired company and sell off its parts, scorching the community in the process.

That’s not the case at Signet LLC., a firm founded in 1995 by Anthony Manna. His preference is to build companies up.

“It was definitely more my personality,” says Manna, chairman and principal of Signet. “I used to watch guys when I first started practicing law rip companies apart. Candidly speaking, I’m sure some of those guys made a lot of money, but I’m not sure that the so-called shareholders really came out. In fact, my argument was they did not. I believe you should try to build something up and not destroy it.”

Signet’s approach has led to a reputation of goodwill, which in turn has amassed a currency of its own.

“There’s absolutely no question about it,” Manna says. “The longer people see over time that you continue to have that, that currency gets stronger.”

“We’re selling ourselves and we’re selling a philosophy,” says Ken Krismanth, Signet’s CEO and principal. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to be at the table. We’re not a commodity investor. We’re not just capital. It’s more than that.”

The firm has three basic platforms: operations, real estate and capital investments. It conducts business internationally and has a presence in seven states and Washington D.C. It has done about $4.5 billion dollars in total real estate development over the life of the company, currently has $400 million in assets under management, owns 25 companies and has about 700 employees.

With its diverse, evolving approach and balance of business, Signet needed to consolidate its image and worked to determine the best way to represent itself over the course of many months.

“We travel all over the world. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking to venture capital or PE firms or just family wealth offices. Everybody who looks at us goes, ‘you guys are different,’” Manna says.

Projecting balance

Signet began 2017 with an effort to hone its image so that the areas of business in which Signet is involved became clearer to the market.

“It’s a kind of repositioning of our company,” says Joel Maas, Signet’s director of marketing. “In this private investment model, because we were so interlocked with the development, because that’s such a core part of our business for so many years, we wanted to extract that and set up Signet LLC as the private investment mother ship company. Not to diminish the real estate, but just to treat it like the other platforms and other portfolio companies, we had to go through this major repositioning.”

The firm’s marketing materials and website had leaned too heavily on its real estate business. And before that, Signet was seen as more of an operating company. So, it sought a better balance in the way it articulates its position and objectives.

“We’ve always been a company that has invested in other operating companies or enterprises that has brought capital resources to the table and also has been involved in the development of the real estate side,” Krismanth says. “To the market, though, most people, if they had to define us, they would define us as a real estate company. So, we felt the need to sit down and say that in a better fashion. It’s not like those activities were all new. It was just a fact that at the end of the day, we needed to balance that messaging.”

Signet made a concerted effort to balance its portfolio to be better diversified. The 25 companies in its portfolio are grouped within 10 separate platforms based in part on scope and what they produce. Signet also acquires technology startups that it can commercialize.

In addition, the firm is the parent of Signet Developments, Signet Capital Advisors and Signet Healthcare Partners, using the Signet name to help each market themselves. Those businesses are set up as separate operating enterprises that each handle their own day-to-day operations. However, Signet President, COO and Principal Mark Corr says the firm is not a passive investor.

“We are actively involved, whether that’s through capital resources, whether that’s through management, whether that’s through networking or distribution,” Corr says, adding that much of its time is spent nurturing management in those operations.

Unique approach

Signet differentiates itself from other similar firms with what it calls a solution-monitored approach to every deal.
“What we like to do is find value propositions out there and ‘Signetize’ them by infusing marketing and strategy and refreshed capital, and just a whole different level of energy to create another chapter or a new direction for that company,” Corr says.

The idea is to deploy its resources to help drive value, whether it’s through better management, creative capital, help from an existing network, a better strategy or simply new energy. The company unleashes its assets to resolve the issues of the companies in its portfolio and help them realize success.

Corr says the firm looks specifically for opportunities that demonstrate that there’s tremendous growth potential and specialized niche markets, regardless of the field. That means looking ahead to see where the market is moving and what the regulatory issues are, what’s coming down the path, and be in a position to take advantage of those opportunities.

Leadership uses the term triangulate, which references the three of them, each with different personalities and different skill sets, looking at a deal from different angles. That, Corr says, gives them a thorough picture of an opportunity and what the future holds, where the opportunities might be and how to put together the right team to foster and execute on a deal.

The approach has led to an average of 25 percent growth each year since Signet’s inception. That type of growth takes constant investment in people to maintain it, which puts the focus on what Manna calls intellectual capital.

“You need a great team,” Manna says “Ken and Mark have been involved with Signet for almost 20 years. Through their expertise and in the type of character they have, people want to come and be part of Signet.”

Fostering culture

As the company continues to add key people, it has shifted from hiring generalists to hiring specialists.
“I focus on the intellectual capital aspect of it and that gets down to finding people who have the competence and the character because we’re big on having people come in and stay with us. That’s very important to help us grow,” Manna says.

Krismanth adds that, given the company’s structure, it’s not just about the Signet mother ship providing employees or expertise. It’s also about connecting each of their resources, contacts or particular industry knowledge to the others.
“Getting those companies to work together, those managers to work together as much as possible is the most power, hopefully, of the value that we could bring to the table in those industries,” Krismanth says.

To do that, Signet holds regular board meetings across the entire portfolio a couple times a year and has learned how to better structure those meeting agendas to be most productive and drill down into the actual meaningful issues so meeting time is used efficiently.

When it comes to startups and new acquisitions, conference calls are regular and in-person visits are frequent. Otherwise, the communication frequency is based on need — ranging from monthly to weekly and from an hour to two hours.

“When you buy a company, you want to provide it with strategic direction and the resources to help them get to where they want to go,” Manna says. “Then pretty much you’ve got to get the hell out of the way. When there’s a situation, startups and so forth that require much more intense communication, you do it very frequently. But once they get going you have got to step back, let them breathe a little bit, and go out and carry out the plans.”

Bound by nothing

Manna says one of the benefits of Signet’s continued growth is that its comparative strength enables the company to transact more strategically today and look down the road to how an opportunity can be made to grow. When the company started, its lack of money meant it had to take whatever deal could be had just to stay in business.
Moving forward, he wants Signet to maintain its entrepreneurial spirit and not get complacent.

“We want to go out there and take some risks. We want to get out there and make things happen,” Manna says.

“We are bound by nothing in terms of the opportunities that come to us because we are generalists and have a diverse background in so many different areas,” Corr says. “We can look at pretty much darned near anything and be able to size it up and determine if it’s something that we can bring some value to and it fulfills the ongoing mission of this organization.”

 

Signet Real Estate Group has announced that Jason Perry has been promoted to President of Signet Real Estate Group’s development and project management divisions. Perry’s former role was Senior V.P. and Managing Director of Signet Development.

Signet Real Estate Group, a national firm with total development in excess of $4.5 billion and property management of more than 1.2 million square feet, maintains two corporate offices in Akron, Ohio, and Jacksonville, Florida, with executives also working out of Atlanta, Cleveland, and Gainesville. Signet primarily serves the higher education, healthcare and public-private partnership markets. Perry spearheads growth for the firm while working out of the Jacksonville office.

“Jason Perry is very deserving of his promotion to President of Real Estate Development,” says Anthony (Tony) Manna, Chairman of parent company Signet LLC. “He has been a strong part of our real estate growth and has shown consistent leadership since joining the company,” says Manna.

The change for Perry was announced following Signet Real Estate’s successful brand launch last week, and reflects an exciting growth period for the company.

With its launch, Signet Real Estate Group now goes to market with a new approach that consolidates all real estate activities of Signet LLC. Under the new brand architecture, Signet Real Estate Group functions as a cohesive, full-service real estate development, project management and property management platform.

Perry, who joined Signet in 2009, has more than nineteen years of real estate development experience including healthcare, higher education, innovation districts, proton cancer treatment centers and industrial projects.

“It is truly an honor to be entrusted as President of Signet’s Real Estate Development Group,” says Perry. “And it’s very exciting that this change is happening for me at the same time as the brand launch of our newly consolidated real estate platform. We look forward building upon our momentum and growth as a strategic real estate brand,” says Perry.

Read the original Press Release on PRWeb.

Ohio-based private investment company, Signet LLC, has launched phase two of their overall brand strategy initiative with the launch of Signet Real Estate Group.

Building on the success of their comprehensive corporate brand repositioning late last year, Ohio-based private investment company Signet LLC has launched phase two of their overall brand strategy initiative with the launch of Signet Real Estate Group.

The brand launch reorganizes and repositions Signet’s real estate ventures into one cohesive real estate platform. The new platform, which includes all of the firm’s real estate related functions; including development, property management, project management, brokerage and advisory, and capital markets; allows Signet to better serve the needs of their clients. The consolidation also creates efficiencies and improves team interaction among the various disciplines and geographic locations in order to leverage expertise and resources across the organization.

Signet Real Estate Group, a national firm with total development in excess of $4.5 billion and property management of more than 1.2 million square feet, maintains corporate offices in Akron, Ohio, and Jacksonville, Florida, with executives also working out of Atlanta, Cleveland, and Gainesville. Signet primarily serves the higher education, healthcare and public-private partnership markets.

“We are delighted to announce the launch of Signet Real Estate Group, which is the culmination of the efforts of many in our organization,” says Anthony (Tony) Manna, Chairman of Signet LLC. “Our real estate resources are now fully aligned to not only build upon our past successes, but to also reach new heights as a unified real estate team.”

Jason Perry, former Senior V.P. and Managing Director of Signet Development, has been elevated to lead the platform’s strategic and operational initiatives as President of Signet’s real estate development and project management groups out of Jacksonville, while Alan Gribble, President of Signet’s property management division, continues to lead the property management operations out of the Akron office.

“We are very excited about the consolidation of real estate services into one unified platform,” says Mark Corr, President and COO of Signet LLC. “This will allow us to provide an enhanced client experience while offering a value-driven hand-off of property management opportunities from the projects our development team members are engaged with,” says Corr.

Kenneth Krismanth, Signet LLC’s CEO, sees the consolidation as an opportunity to better deliver value to Signet’s partner clients. “With a mission to create value for our client partners by delivering customized, integrated real estate development, finance and property management solutions, Signet Real Estate Group now has the foundation in place to double development volume within five years,” says Krismanth.

The real estate group is well on its way to achieving that goal, with several large projects either coming to completion or being announced in recent months, including: 

• Lobo Rainforest at Innovate ABQ – In partnership with the University of New Mexico, Lobo Rainforest is a six-story, 158,000-square foot mixed-use innovation hub featuring housing for UNM’s Innovation Academy over educational space and offices for Sandia National Laboratories, Air Force Research Laboratory, Cecchi Venture Lab and General Atomics. This $35 million project also serves as the anchor for the Innovate ABQ district and houses UNM’s technology transfer office STC.UNM.
• Emory Proton Therapy Center – The 112,500-square foot facility, located adjacent to Emory University Hospital in Midtown Atlanta, is the first of its kind in Georgia to offer this state-of-the-art cancer treatment technology. This $300 million project represents the third proton therapy center project managed by Signet and is scheduled to treat patients in late 2018.
• Deacon Place – Deacon Place is a luxury student housing community adjacent to Wake Forrest University in Winston Salem, NC, designed specifically for upperclassmen and graduate students. This $26 million, 328-bed project was completed in the fall of 2017.
• The Village of St. Edward – The Village of St. Edward expands their footprint to Wadsworth, OH, with a $21.6 million, 106-bed senior living facility as the demand for quality senior care begins to grow.
• MetroHealth System – MetroHealth System’s $1 billion campus transformation, including a new 270-bed hospital is slated to replace its aging patient towers in Cleveland, OH. Signet Real Estate, as part of a national project delivery team, will spend the next year in pre-construction planning for the campus transformation project.

As a part of the strategic rebranding process, Signet has unveiled a new brand identity for its real estate group including a new company logo and website under the SignetRE.com domain.

Click through to read the article published on Crain’s Cleveland Business.

Read this article on Crain’s Cleveland Business.

Investment and development firm Signet LLC says it’s looking to grow its specialty manufacturing investments, and its latest move allows it to do just that.

Signet has acquired Blue Grass Chemical Specialties in New Albany, Ind., for an undisclosed amount, the Akron-based firm announced in a news release on Monday, Oct. 23.

Blue Grass is a contract chemical manufacturer and toll producer of custom products, plus it makes some of its own branded offerings. In its 27,144-square-foot manufacturing facility, the company makes chemicals used in agricultural processes, waste water treatment and nuclear waste irradiation, the release stated.

“We are delighted to add Blue Grass Chemical Specialties to our growing portfolio of manufacturing investments,” Anthony Manna, Signet chairman, said in a statement. “We are actively pursuing specialty manufacturing opportunities in high-growth markets and Blue Grass fits this profile to a tee. We are excited to engage with their executives to add value through our vast corporate resources, which we foresee, in time, will boost revenue and take their business to the next level.”

Like at Signet’s other portfolio companies — which range from book binding and publishing businesses to a corrosion-control polymer maker — the Blue Grass management team will remain in place while Signet executives work with them to revamp the company’s strategy, including branding, officials said.

Signet will look for ways to grow the company and its market potential, plus it plans “operational enhancements and new plant investment” for Blue Grass. A Signet spokesman couldn’t provide additional details about those plans.

“Blue Grass is a successful, mature company with a stable book of business,” Signet president and chief operating office Mark Corr said in the release. “We see a great opportunity for us to build on their strong foundation through investments in brand positioning and awareness in the marketplace, while also supporting strategic enhancements to their infrastructure, manufacturing and business processes.”

Blue Grass, founded in 1969, specializes in the production of metal nitrates, principally ferric nitrate. The company employs 17.

Read the original press release on PRWeb.