ABOUT SPACE
About Space: Saturday, June 21, 2008

Comments 0

Published: June 21, 2008

Church fair offers lessons for homeowners

St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 5700 N Kelley Ave., will play host to the fourth free City-wide Faith-Based Homeownership Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 28.

The fair is intended for first-time home buyers from all ethnic backgrounds, as well as existing homeowners.

Information booth and workshop topics will include Oklahoma City's strong housing market as compared to national trends, avoiding foreclosure, enhancing home resale values, "moving up” in the housing market, home equity loans, refinancing, reverse mortgages and avoiding housing scams and other questionable practices.

"We're delighted and excited that this year's event will be the first major program to take place in our new 17,000-square-foot classroom space and conference center, and once again we invite pastors and congregations of all denominations to participate with us in this faith-based effort,” said Dr. Major Jemison, senior pastor.

Exhibit space and sponsorships are still available; for more information, call Marsha Beatty at 478-1116.

Donation to nonprofit allows it to keep offices

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has been a First National Center tenant for more than a decade, and a donation from the building's owners, represented by Milbank Real Estate, will allow the foundation to keep its space.

First National Center owners agreed to a contribution, in the form of a rent-credit, amounting to nearly $27,500 per year — the difference between the foundation's budget allotment for rent and the market rate.

"We love being in the First National Center, and we love our office space,” said Emily Stratton, executive director of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. "We are pleased with the new owners and Milbank Real Estate and are excited about their plans for the building.”

The foundation is a non-profit, charitable organization founded by former U.S. Sen. David Boren in 1985 to recognize and encourage academic excellence in Oklahoma's public schools.

Express, Claimetrics sharing new space

Express Employment Professionals and Claimetrics, two Oklahoma City companies that have worked closely together for the past four years, recently moved into a new 90,000-square-foot office building at 9701 N Boardwalk Blvd. in Oklahoma City.

The three-story, $14 million building, just south of Northwest Expressway between County Line and Council roads, houses one floor of offices per company, a computer bunker, an employee break room with two full kitchens and an employee fitness facility, among other amenities. The companies worked with Richard R. Brown Associates architects and Wynn Construction on the project.

"In the past five years, Express has doubled in size,” said Robert A. Funk, Express chairman and chief executive, "Our ongoing relationship with Claimetrics makes sharing this new building a win-win for both companies.”

Claimetrics, formerly Hallmark Management, was formed in 2004 as an Express affiliate to provide workers' compensation services.

"This space gives us more room to grow our client base and company,” said Marshall Snipes, chief executive of Claimetrics. "With our current forecasted growth, Claimetrics will hire about 100 new employees per year for the next decade.”

Indian Health Service gets a new building

The Indian Health Service has moved into its new office building at 701 Market Drive in Market Center, Precor-Ruffin's office park north of NE 122 just east of Broadway Extension.

The agency left 5 Corporate Plaza on NW 56, where it scattered over three floors. The new two-story office building has 52,000 square feet and cost about $7.5 million dollars. The federal government will lease the building from Precor-Ruffin.

The Indian Health Service's Oklahoma City office operates service units in Ada, Claremore, Clinton, Lawton, Pawnee, Shawnee, Tahlequah, Talihina, Wewoka, Haskell, Holton, Kan., and Eagle Pass, Texas.