WEDNESDAY November 10, 2021 jaxdailyrecord.com • 35 cents
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
THE MATHIS REPORT
J&J Vision considering $200 million expansion
Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
Ballard Designs to lease space in The Markets at Town Center
The contact lens manufacturer is asking the city for a $7 million property tax incentive for an investment that would add 100 jobs.
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
BY MIKE MENDENHALL
KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
STAFF WRITER
JACKSONVILLE
The home-decor company intends to move from a nearby location to the new store after a multimilliondollar renovation. Ballard Designs signed a lease to convert the former Blackfinn Ameripub in The Markets at Town Center, relocating from an inline space at the nearby St. Johns Town Center. The Atlanta-based homedecor furnishings, design and accessories store intends to renovate the closed restaurant in 2022 and open in the first quarter of 2023. “The Jacksonville market has always been a very popular market for our guests. Now they’ll get to see even more product, in a new setting and still with our exceptional standards of excellence,” said Dominic Milanese Jr., senior director of retail for Ballard Designs. Milanese said Nov. 8 that Ballard Designs will move from about 9,000 square feet it leases at 10275 Buckhead Branch Drive, No. 101. The Blackfinn space at 4840 Big Island Drive will be renovated into a 12,000-square-foot store that will allow Ballard Designs to dedicate about 1,000 square feet to showcase its
Photos by Karen Brune Mathis
Ballard Designs said it signed a lease to renovate the closed Blackfinn Ameripub at 4840 Big Island Drive in The Markets at Town Center.
outdoor furniture and decor, he said. Milanese declined to disclose the renovation cost but said it would a multimillion-dollar project. The Shopping Center Group partner and Senior Vice President Stephanie McCullough and Vice President Kelly Pulignano represented The Markets at Town Center landlord, Hines, in the lease deal. Milanese said the Ballard Designs St. Johns Town Center store “has been a really great location.” He said the move will coincide with the lease expiration. “The existing store has been in the same space for close to 15 years,” he said. “Moving gives us the opportunity to show our product in a new way.” He said Ballard Designs will work with a new layout and fixtures “while staying relevant and sharing a more evolved space,
Ballard Designs opened at 10275 Buckhead Branch Drive in St. Johns Town Center about 15 years ago.
much like our clients do with their own homes.” Milanese said Ballard Designs started as a catalog company and created an online presence. It began expanding into stores about 15 years ago, and Jacksonville was one of its first. In 1997, it joined Cornerstone
Brands, which includes Frontgate, Garnet Hill and Grandin Road. In 2007, Cornerstone became part of Home Shopping Network Inc. In 2017, QVC bought Ballard, the sister brands and HSN and re-branded as SEE MATHIS, PAGE 2
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. is considering expanding its Jacksonville manufacturing capability with a $200 million capital investment that would add 100 jobs. A city Office of Economic Development project summary shows J&J Vision is asking for up to a $7 million property tax refund over 10 years to partially finance the expansion. The Mayor’s Budget Review Committee voted Nov. 8 to support a request from economic development officials to file legislation with City Council to approve the incentive. J&J Vision makes nearly 1.7 billion disposable contact lenses a year at the Jacksonville plant, which sits on almost 69 acres at 7500 Centurion Parkway in Deerwood Park. An online dashboard from JAXUSA Partnership, the economic development arm of JAX Chamber, says J&J Vision has 1,800 workers in Jacksonville. The Duval County Property Appraiser shows the company has about 1.058 million square feet of space on the site comprising corporate offices, a research and development laboratory, and SEE J&J VISION, PAGE 2
Pet Paradise CEO Acosta-Rua named to JAA board Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Pet Paradise President and CEO Fernando Acosta-Rua to the Jacksonville Aviation Authority board. Acosta-Rua is eligible to participate in the board’s scheduled Nov. 22 meeting. DeSantis announced the appointment Oct. 29. Jacksonville-based Pet Paradise says on its website that Acosta-Rua joined its board in 2005 after leading a group investing in the company. In 2007, he became the company’s chief operating officer before being promoted to CEO. Pet Paradise offers boarding, day camp, grooming and veterinary services with locations operating or under development in nine states.
VOLUME 108, NO. 252 • ONE SECTION