World Golf Village Developer Celebrates 20 Years of Developing Florida Communities
Davidson Development, developer of World Golf Village, is celebrating 20 years of developing some of Florida's leading communities.
St. Augustine, FL, July 16, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Davidson Development, Inc. is celebrating 20 years of changing the face of Northeast Florida. Under the leadership of company president and CEO Jim Davidson, the company is most recognized as master developer and the mastermind of World Golf Village, the 6,300-acre community that paved the way for high-quality growth in northwest St. Johns County. The community is home to the World Golf Hall of Fame and two championship golf courses.
With its location between the town of St. Augustine and the city of Jacksonville, many initially felt the community was situated “in the middle of nowhere.” Few would argue that point now, with an outgrowth of developments in the area including Palencia, Nocatee, Murabella, a host of commercial/retail developments and the diverse growth along the C.R. 210 corridor.
“I like to say that it took us ten years to become an overnight success,” says Jim Davidson, a former Arvida Corporation executive. “No one’s laughing any more. In all seriousness, we’ve been very blessed as a company to have had such a successful run over the last 20 years and we look forward to the next 20.”
World Golf Village’s sales center opened in 1998 and today the community has 3,465 homes and more than 11,000 residents. World Golf Village offers a variety of neighborhoods with homes priced from the low $100s to more than $2 million. When the community builds out, it will have 7,200 homes and more than 23,000 residents.
Davidson credits his partners for the company’s and community’s success. His team includes wife Sherry Davidson, vice president of Davidson Development, a former financial and tax expert who is also president of Davidson Realty, which specializes in World Golf Village and surrounding communities; Rick Pariani, vice president of design and development, a landscape architect who has served as a design team leader on projects such as Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta and numerous national and international residential, golf and resort communities; and Eduardo Gil, senior vice president and chief financial officer, who has held positions with Cobb Partners Development, Arvida Corp. and Arlen Realty Management Corp.
“Ed, Rick and Sherry are at the core of Davidson Development’s success. It has been a team effort from the get-go,” said Davidson.
World Golf Village features the Slammer & Squire golf course designed by Bobby Weed with Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen and the King & Bear golf course, the first and only design collaboration between Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Other amenities include the World Golf Hall of Fame and 300-seat World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX® Theater, the PGA TOUR Golf Academy, the PGA TOUR Spa Laterra, PGA TOUR Stop retail center and the flagship Murray Bros. Caddyshack® restaurant. Amenities for residents include the Neighborhoods Fitness Center, community parks and the Swim and Tennis Center.
The roots of World Golf Village trace back to 1987, when the PGA TOUR first entertained the idea of having its own Hall of Fame. At that time, the site consisted of potato fields, cow pastures and timber plantations. After several years of considering possible locations, the PGA TOUR was offered the St. Augustine property by William Dunavant Jr. of Memphis; the Cummer Land Trust, co-owners of the property and Jim Davidson.
Within a decade, the PGA of America, the LPGA, the United States Golf Association, Augusta National Golf Club, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews and dozens of international golf organizations joined the PGA TOUR in creating the World Golf Foundation, which initiated the development of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Development participants representing varied industries – from real estate and retail to restaurants and hotels – came on board, all with the shared vision of creating a world-class golf community and through their participation and investments along with the vision, persistence and leadership of Jim Davidson and Davidson Development, World Golf Village was born.
In 1998, Davidson brought in the internationally-respected investment company Hillman Properties of Pittsburgh as a major investor. Hillman first purchased all available residential properties, then followed soon after with the purchase of the commercial and mixed-use lands, thus positioning themselves as the major landowner. Hillman Properties contracted the Davidson Companies as their exclusive developer, responsible for continuing as the World Golf Village master developer and conducting all sales and marketing efforts.
From the community’s inception, developer Davidson was committed to preserving the area’s natural beauty, setting aside a full 45 percent of the development’s acreage for preservation. As a result, the community received the 2002 Envy Award from the Florida Association of Realtors for environmental excellence.
Jim Davidson was also named Developer of the Year by the Sales and Marketing Council of the Northeast Florida Builders Association. The Davidson Companies – which also includes Davidson Realty and Davidson Property Management – have also been named one of Northeast Florida’s Best Places to Work by the Jacksonville Business Journal for the past four years.
The Davidson Companies has received Good Neighbor Awards from Jacksonville Homebuyer magazine for four consecutive years, in addition to various awards from area community organizations.
For information on the Davidson Companies, call 904/940-5000 or visit www.DavidsonRealtyInc.com. For details on The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village, visit www.worldgolfrealestate.com. To view a video on the story of World Golf Village, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_B0jVO4cvA.
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With its location between the town of St. Augustine and the city of Jacksonville, many initially felt the community was situated “in the middle of nowhere.” Few would argue that point now, with an outgrowth of developments in the area including Palencia, Nocatee, Murabella, a host of commercial/retail developments and the diverse growth along the C.R. 210 corridor.
“I like to say that it took us ten years to become an overnight success,” says Jim Davidson, a former Arvida Corporation executive. “No one’s laughing any more. In all seriousness, we’ve been very blessed as a company to have had such a successful run over the last 20 years and we look forward to the next 20.”
World Golf Village’s sales center opened in 1998 and today the community has 3,465 homes and more than 11,000 residents. World Golf Village offers a variety of neighborhoods with homes priced from the low $100s to more than $2 million. When the community builds out, it will have 7,200 homes and more than 23,000 residents.
Davidson credits his partners for the company’s and community’s success. His team includes wife Sherry Davidson, vice president of Davidson Development, a former financial and tax expert who is also president of Davidson Realty, which specializes in World Golf Village and surrounding communities; Rick Pariani, vice president of design and development, a landscape architect who has served as a design team leader on projects such as Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta and numerous national and international residential, golf and resort communities; and Eduardo Gil, senior vice president and chief financial officer, who has held positions with Cobb Partners Development, Arvida Corp. and Arlen Realty Management Corp.
“Ed, Rick and Sherry are at the core of Davidson Development’s success. It has been a team effort from the get-go,” said Davidson.
World Golf Village features the Slammer & Squire golf course designed by Bobby Weed with Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen and the King & Bear golf course, the first and only design collaboration between Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Other amenities include the World Golf Hall of Fame and 300-seat World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX® Theater, the PGA TOUR Golf Academy, the PGA TOUR Spa Laterra, PGA TOUR Stop retail center and the flagship Murray Bros. Caddyshack® restaurant. Amenities for residents include the Neighborhoods Fitness Center, community parks and the Swim and Tennis Center.
The roots of World Golf Village trace back to 1987, when the PGA TOUR first entertained the idea of having its own Hall of Fame. At that time, the site consisted of potato fields, cow pastures and timber plantations. After several years of considering possible locations, the PGA TOUR was offered the St. Augustine property by William Dunavant Jr. of Memphis; the Cummer Land Trust, co-owners of the property and Jim Davidson.
Within a decade, the PGA of America, the LPGA, the United States Golf Association, Augusta National Golf Club, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews and dozens of international golf organizations joined the PGA TOUR in creating the World Golf Foundation, which initiated the development of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Development participants representing varied industries – from real estate and retail to restaurants and hotels – came on board, all with the shared vision of creating a world-class golf community and through their participation and investments along with the vision, persistence and leadership of Jim Davidson and Davidson Development, World Golf Village was born.
In 1998, Davidson brought in the internationally-respected investment company Hillman Properties of Pittsburgh as a major investor. Hillman first purchased all available residential properties, then followed soon after with the purchase of the commercial and mixed-use lands, thus positioning themselves as the major landowner. Hillman Properties contracted the Davidson Companies as their exclusive developer, responsible for continuing as the World Golf Village master developer and conducting all sales and marketing efforts.
From the community’s inception, developer Davidson was committed to preserving the area’s natural beauty, setting aside a full 45 percent of the development’s acreage for preservation. As a result, the community received the 2002 Envy Award from the Florida Association of Realtors for environmental excellence.
Jim Davidson was also named Developer of the Year by the Sales and Marketing Council of the Northeast Florida Builders Association. The Davidson Companies – which also includes Davidson Realty and Davidson Property Management – have also been named one of Northeast Florida’s Best Places to Work by the Jacksonville Business Journal for the past four years.
The Davidson Companies has received Good Neighbor Awards from Jacksonville Homebuyer magazine for four consecutive years, in addition to various awards from area community organizations.
For information on the Davidson Companies, call 904/940-5000 or visit www.DavidsonRealtyInc.com. For details on The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village, visit www.worldgolfrealestate.com. To view a video on the story of World Golf Village, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_B0jVO4cvA.
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Contact
Davidson Realty
Tina Kicklighter
(904) 940-5000
www.davidsonrealtyinc.com
Karen Palmer
Tina Kicklighter
(904) 940-5000
www.davidsonrealtyinc.com
Karen Palmer
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