Your Guide To The Delray Beach Boca Raton Lifestyle
Courtesy of Bruce Allen
Delray Beach native Bruce Allen sent us this photo of his grandfather’s store on Atlantic Avenue. Nothing like a bit of nostalgia.
Bruce tells us that the photo was taken January 1922 and that Sam Allen’s store was in the same building where Vince Canning’s shoe store is today.
Please send us some of more of these vintage photos of the area. They get Jeff all choked up.
Send pictures to dave@yourdelrayboca.com
Woodfield Country Club in Boca is getting a $23.7 million makeover.
Woodfield Country Club, one of the area’s premier residential communities with world-class resort amenities, has announced a $23.75 million renovation plan that will begin in 2015 and continue for approximately two-three years.
Architectural plans and timetables will be finalized this year with construction to begin in early 2015.
“We have been successful in bringing an attractive and affordable plan to the membership that will enhance the resort-style experience,” said Eben Molloy, General Manager of Woodfield Country Club.
“Maintaining our position as the premier family country club in the fiercely competitive local marketplace involves continually investing in our club and evolving to meet the needs of current and future members.”
Woodfield’s home sales have increased annually in recent years, a trend indicating that the community is meeting the needs of home buyers seeking year-round, family-oriented lifestyles, according to Molloy.
“Our ability to attract families and those seeking a vibrant lifestyle sets us apart from many other country club communities,” added Molloy. “The planned improvements are the direct result of input from our members. There is a combination of renovations that appeal to children as well as adults.
“This diversity is what has established Woodfield as the premier family country club in Boca Raton.”
The Long Range Plan was developed in 2011 after surveying members and ranking projects by importance. It was approved by the members in December 2013.
“Our goal was to get support from our members,” said Molloy. “We accomplished this by asking for their input and incorporating their suggestions into the plan. As a result, our members understand the financial aspects as well as the timeframes for this ambitious plan that will enhance the country club experience at Woodfield.”
The plan involves new and expanded card rooms, an interior design refresh in the main clubhouse and dining areas, along with an overhaul of the fitness, aquatics, poolside dining and child care areas. A major addition is a new building and play area for the exclusive use of younger members.
“So many of our members have children,” said Molloy. “We are improving an already outstanding and safe amenity for young children and teenagers.”
The outdoor playground and kids pools with such interactive features as splash pad and aquatic playground, will be centrally located in one area next to the new Kids Korner building. The Kids Korner building will include a child care area for younger children as well as a dedicated teen area with pool tables, video games, air hockey, and much more.
Other significant improvements include the addition of a lap pool, a zero entry resort-like swimming pool, and new a poolside dining venue. The renovation will also feature an expanded workout facility and larger high end salon. Additionally, the golf practice area will receive improvements such as an enhanced practice area and teaching facilities.
“Woodfield is a young, vibrant community,” added Molloy, “and it’s refreshing and encouraging to see that the members support a well-planned future for their club and are enthusiastic about re-investing in their community.”
About Woodfield Country Club
Woodfield Country Club is a family-oriented social and recreational full-service equity country club featuring a wide range of residential selections and world-class, resort-style amenities.
The country club features an 18-hole championship golf course, nationally recognized tennis program, a fitness and salon/spa complex, and an array of casual and fine dining opportunities.
For more information on Woodfield Country Club, visit www.woodfield.org or call 561-994-5203.
Good morning, www.yourdelrayboca.com readers.
We came across this rendering of Atlantic Avenue. Based on the style of cars, the image probably depicted a typical day, perhaps in the 1940s. Please send us some vintage pictures of Boca Raton and Delray Beach and we’ll post them on the site. Nothing like a little nostalgia for the area.
When Jeff saw this picture, a tear came to his eyes.
FAU event attracts serious young talent.
The best young scientific talent in South Florida will be in Boca Raton this weekend.
Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science will host its seventh annual southeast Florida regional competition for the Science Olympiad on Saturday, Feb. 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the science and engineering buildings and general classrooms, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus. A closing awards ceremony will begin at 4:15 p.m. on the administration building lawn.
More than 700 middle and high school students from 10 middle and 38 high schools from Palm Beach, Broward, Lee, Martin and Miami-Dade counties are scheduled to compete.
The events in the competition are developed and judged by FAU professors, as well as undergraduate and graduate students. A wide variety of topics in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines are covered, including anatomy, astronomy, water quality, entomology, math, simple and complex machines and more. Students work in teams of two or more in lab-based events conducting experiments, in knowledge-based events, in taking written tests on research materials, and in engineering-based events building devices that accomplish a task.
Science Olympiad is a national, nonprofit organization begun in 1984 by K-12 science teachers to improve the quality of science education and foster a love of science among students. Teams from all 50 states participate in the Science Olympiad, one of the premier science competitions in the nation. Students who win at the regional competitions advance to the state tournament, and those winners compete at the national tournament. The winners of the 2013 FAU regional competition were Boca Raton Community High School and Archimedean Middle Conservatory in Miami. Both schools, along with Archimedean Upper Conservatory, were finalists in the state competition and advanced to the national Science Olympiad competition in May 2013.
Sponsors for this year’s event include Mathnasium, the Stuyvesant High School Alumni Association of South Florida and PersonalLoans.com.
For more information, contact Paige Garrido at 561-297-4526 (office), 954-415-1268 (cell) or pgarrido@fau.edu, or visit: www.science.fau.edu/scienceolympiad/.
Careful planning is required to retire comfortably
By Steven Fenyves, Founder of Valued Wealth Management, Boca Raton
I know, I know. Many of you are saying “Who wants to live to be 100?” But some of you are thinking “100? I’m going to live to 120!”
Perhaps today more than ever before, retirees face an important question, “Do I have enough money to provide an income that can support me for the rest of my life?”
With improvements in healthcare, diet and exercise habits, Americans are generally living longer lives and enjoying more active and vibrant retirements. Earlier retirement has also become more common, resulting in many retirees facing the challenge of outliving their retirement assets.
The fact is that a man age 65 has a fifty percent chance of living to 85. Once he makes it to 85 he has a fifty percent chance of living to 92. For a woman the ages are 88 and 94; and for a 65 year old couple there is a 50% chance that one will live to 92 and at that point there is a fifty percent chance that he/she will live to 97!
Source: Annuity 2000 Mortality Table; Society of Actuaries
So how do you make your money last?
You start by imagining everything you want to do in retirement and the legacy you wish to leave behind (which is not necessarily financial). You prioritize those dreams, and you plan how to allocate your financial resources so that the next phase of your life is all about living it.
As much as our focus naturally goes to how we can ration the assets that we have or safely earning a better return on our investments, it is just as important, if not more important, to avoid two major retirement hazards.
Two Major Retirement Hazards
As healthcare costs continue to rise dramatically, employers are shifting more of the costs onto their employees. Many companies are also starting to drop retired workers from their health plans. Long-term health costs can be especially devastating to your retirement.
Once these potentially devastating possibilities are addressed, you can move on to the financial realities.
Not everyone has a pension that they can count on. Almost all of us receive, or will receive, Social Security. Social Security is a base to build upon, but how about the rest of your income needs? The assets from which you expect to create a stream of income during retirement face many risks, including risk from economic turmoil, interest rate uncertainty and market volatility. With interest rates near zero, there is a risk of eating through your principal simply because you need more to live on than your investment is earning. Because of these and other factors, it is vital to correctly position your assets into a series of investments that is designed to provide income that will last your lifetime.
In my practice, I don’t believe that any one type of investment is appropriate by itself. Just about every asset class (bonds, stocks, annuities, CDs, etc.) can benefit a portfolio if used properly. Each also has its own set of risks, including the possible loss of the principal amount invested. Bonds, whether they are government, corporate or municipal, have interest rate risk and reinvestment risk. Stocks (and stock mutual funds) subject your investment to the volatility that we’ve become all too familiar with. Annuities reduce or eliminate your access to your investment and CDs generally don’t even keep up with inflation (it’s what we can buy with our money that counts, not the dollar amount).
I don’t have a problem with any of these asset classes. I just don’t think it’s smart to have all of your money exposed to just one type of risk. It’s too risky! By appropriately diversifying among different asset classes, and therefore different types of risk, you can reduce the chances that any one event, shift in interest rates, or stock market decline will threaten your standard of living.
In my experience, the best way to provide you with both current and future income is a time-segmented and inflation-adjusted approach. This type of plan segments your investable assets into “buckets”. Each bucket is set up to provide income during a set period of time. The money that you will need in the short-term* is invested for safety and stability. This first bucket of money provides you with a stream of income during the first years of the plan. Each successive bucket is designed to grow over time with the goal of refilling the previous bucket as it gets depleted (in the case of the first bucket) or is used to refill the bucket in front of it. The earlier buckets should be larger and filled with more conservative investments. The buckets with a longer time horizon (10+ years) will be funded with a smaller initial investment and have the potential to grow. More or less money can be placed in investments with a fixed rate of return depending on your level of comfort and available assets.
Designing and executing any new plan requires knowledge and understanding of investments so it is usually wise to work with a qualified professional. Isn’t it worth the effort to know that you’ve done what you can to ensure that you can live to 90 or 100 without running out of money?
*The length of time that each segment is designed to provide for is dependent on your age, health and available assets.
Steven Fenyves is a Certified Financial Planner™ and the founder of Valued Wealth Management Inc. in Boca Raton, Florida. He is a registered representative with Securities America, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC and an investment advisor representative with Securities America Advisors, Inc. He can be reached at 561-392-4646 or at steven@valuedwealth.com.
Mr. Garlic, the one, the only Tom Johnston.
Well, you have a few significant choices for fun and entertainment this weekend.
So, rather than make a choice you might as well attend both and then plan to crash on the couch Sunday night.
Here goes…..
Garlic Fest
Delray Beach is hosting the 15th Annual “Best Stinkin’ Party in Town” at the Garlic Festival. No question, this is one of the best festivals in South Florida….as long as you go with other people who’ll be experiencing halitosis. It features all that is good about garlic with cooking classes, a Garlic Chef cooking competition, and such culinary delights as Garlic Ice Cream, Argentinean Garlic BBQ, and Garlic Fest Crab Cakes.
Just don’t breathe on anyone. You’ll see why it’s the “Best Stinkin’ Party in Town.”
What’s even better is that the event is a fund raising source for local non-profits that serve education and arts for youths.
The event runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all along Atlantic Avenue. For more info, visit https://dbgarlicfest.com/
We plan to be there to hear the B Street Band, a tribute to our favorite artist Bruce Springsteen and to hear a great U2 cover band,
“Cover your eyes and you’ll swear it’s Bono,” says Garlic Fest co-organizer Bern Ryan. We trust Bern. We really do.
Allianz in Boca
For your golf enthusiasts (moi!), The Allianz Championship, sponsored by Insperity, tees off Friday morning at the Broken Sound Old Course. It features some senior and PGA legends, including Nick Price, Rocco Mediate, Tom Lehman, Bernhard Langer, Fuzzy Zoeller, and many more.
Boca Raton Regional Hospital is the primary charity of the tournament. A total of 18 other organizations will also receive support.
For more information visit: www.allianzchampionship.com.
So…..what’s your choice? A “stinkin’” party or a golf tournament. We’re saying go to both. But if you attend the Garlic Festival first, stay with your friends and don’t breathe on anyone on the golf course.
Here’s a few more best bets.
Gift of Life’s 4th Annual 5K Walk for Life
Sunday, February 9, 2014, Palm Beach Plaza, Florida Atlantic University. Be there for a wonderful cause.
Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, Gift of Life is an internationally recognized bone marrow and blood stem cell registry. Through its life-saving work, Gift of Life is a world leader helping children and adults find the matches they need when they need them.
Gift of Life will hold its 4th Annual Walk for Life on Sunday, February 9, 2014. The Certified 5k walk/run is the only event in South Florida that is solely dedicated to raising awareness for bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants. Gift of Life uses funds raised at the Walk for Life to add new donors to the worldwide bone marrow registry. Registering one volunteer donor costs $60. It is the generosity of others that allows us to continue our lifesaving work.
Every donation brings us one step closer to our vision — a match, anytime, anywhere, for anyone.
To register visit: https://support.giftoflife.org/
Arts Garage show benefits Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
You don’t want to miss this benefit show Sunday night at 7 p.m.
This All star event to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society features 2013 winner for Best Tropical Latin Album Marlow Rosado, Vibraphone Virtuoso Drew Tucker and Saxophone All Star Jesse Jones Jr. Filling in the band is members of Marlows Band La Riquena and Nat Stolkes on Drums fresh off of his tour with Jon Secada.
Trust us, these musicians are top notch and so is the cause.
For tickets visit www.artsgarage.org
Dick Pollock has provided steady leadership at the YMCA
Dave Reeves recently caught up with Dick Pollock, President & CEO of the YMCA of South Palm Beach County. Dick discusses his long career as a “Y” executive, his travels, dancing acumen, and his golf game.
Dick, you’ve had a long and interesting career with the YMCA. How have you seen the organization change during your 40-plus years?
Like our nation, the Y has evolved over the years. Beginning as an institution for men and boys, today’s YMCA includes women and girls, families and seniors, and a membership that is wonderfully diverse. Programmatically, the Y maintains traditional programs such as wellness, sports, swimming and camping in state-of-the-art facilities. Additionally, the Y is a cause-driven organization devoted to strengthening communities through programs related to youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. New initiatives include diabetes prevention, drowning prevention, and education enrichment for our day campers and after-school kids.
We understand you’ve been with YMCAs in some interesting locales. Tell us a little bit about this.
I began my professional career in Youngstown, Ohio at the Y where I grew up learning to swim, playing basketball, and attending summer camp. After five years working in my hometown, I applied for a position in the International Division of the YMCA known as Young Professionals Abroad. I was accepted and assigned to manage a small hotel and conference center in Tiberias, Israel, a branch of the Jerusalem YMCA. During the course of my two years there I studied Hebrew and Arabic and travelled extensively throughout Israel, Egypt, and the Middle East. Since then I have held CEO positions in Plattsburgh and Albany, New York; Red Bank, New Jersey; and here in South Florida. Over the years I have had the good fortune to visit YMCAs in 20 different countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa, New Zealand, Europe, and the Middle East.
What Plans do you have for The YMCA of South Palm Beach County in terms of new programs, expansions, or new locations?
I mentioned program initiatives earlier. Right now our Y operates in two major facilities in Boca Raton and Boynton Beach. We also manage an employee wellness center and licensed child care at NCCI’s headquarters, and we operate an inter-generational child care program at the Volen Center. A natural next step for expansion would be in Delray Beach. We have had preliminary discussion with local officials and we feel confident that a Y or Y programs in Delray would be successful.
We recall that you reached a milestone by winning Boca’s Ballroom Battle, a local “dancing with the Stars” competition. Tell us about the challenge and what it was like to win.
I was privileged to take part in the George Snow Foundation’s Ballroom Battle along with seven other community minded competitors. We all practiced dance routines twice a week for the four months leading up the competition being led by the professional dancers from the local Fred Astaire studio. I’m the kind of guy who might try out a few moves at a wedding or gala but, believe me, the ballroom thing was a little out of my wheelhouse. My professional partner selected music from the dance scene in the movie “Pulp Fiction” where John Travolta dances with Uma Thurman. On the night of the event everyone performed their routines beautifully but the judges selected me as the winner of the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy for the best male competitor. The real winners were the kids who receive scholarship assistance from the Snow Foundation with money raised from this and other events.
We’ve heard through the grapevine that your golf game suffered while your dancing skills improved. Can you tell us about that phenomenon?
It’s true that, since my incursion into the world of ballroom dance, my golf handicap has ballooned from a 9 to an 18! While I can’t really attribute my slump to the cause-and-effect of dancing, I feel relatively certain that if I devoted two hours a week for lessons and practice for four months I could turn my game around.
Attention culture vultures
Well…downtown Boca seems to be bustling for all of you culture vultures….
Jeff says he can’t draw a straight line. Might be a destination this weekend.
No better example than this weekend’s fifth annual Boca Raton Fine Art Show featuring world-renowned artists from around the globe and top-notch local artists.
So, swing by 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 25 and 26 along Federal Highway, north of Palmetto Park Road, next to Sanborn Square. Admission is free.
There’s a wide range of art for purchase — glass, clay, wood, fiber, jewelry, sculpture, paintings, photography and metal. All work is original and personally handmade by the artist in the show, which includes pieces to fit every budget.
This juried show is ranked 68th nationally in the 2012 Art Fair Source Book.. About 125 artists participate each year and compete for awards.
The show will also feature the works submitted by children to its Budding Artist competition, sponsored by the nonprofit Institute for the Arts & Education.
For you aspiring artists, there will be demos of art techniques, live music and more will also be part of the show, which is aimed at art lovers of all ages. Kids who attend can even help paint a car with their hands, courtesy of JM Lexus.
For more information, call the event hotline at 941-755-3088, visit HotWorks.org or email info@HotWorks.org.
The upcoming Allianz Championship will benefit future business leaders in South Florida
There’s nothing like combining the great game of golf with social media. How?
Well, the organizers of the upcoming Allianz Championship at the Broken Sound Old Course has figured out how, and you can participate.
Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life) announced an exciting social media challenge that will take place during the 14th annual Allianz Championship, held Feb. 7-9 at the Old Course at Broken Sound in Boca Raton, Fla. Every tweet during the tournament with the hashtag #AllianzBirdies will generate a $1 donation, up to a total of $40,000, for Junior Achievement of South Florida, with Allianz Life already committing a minimum of $20,000 to the organization.
Throughout the three-day event, golf fans who attend the Allianz Championship or watch at home on the Golf Channel are encouraged to send tweets using #AllianzBirdies every time they witness a birdie from any of the legends of golf participating in the 2014 tournament.
Most of us can’t get a birdie, (Dave’s middle name is Bogey) but we can certainly “tweet” when we see one at the tournament.
“We’re excited to extend the charitable impact of this tournament to benefit the great work done by Junior Achievement in South Florida,” said Allianz Life Chief Marketing Officer Nancy Jones. “Allianz Life is passionate about supporting financial literacy, and we’re confident that the #AllianzBirdies Twitter Challenge will get people energized about the Allianz Championship and bring more attention to Junior Achievement and its goal of helping young people build their financial literacy skills.”
Allianz Life will share updates about the #AllianzBirdies Twitter Challenge throughout the Allianz Championship via its two Twitter handles: @AllianzLife, which focuses on financial literacy, education, corporate programs, and consumer engagement; and @AllianzLifeNews, which focuses on corporate announcements, company press releases and media relations.
Allianz Life partners with Junior Achievement because of its focus on improving financial literacy. During the past two years, Allianz Life has donated more than $215,000 to Junior Achievement both in South Florida and in Minnesota, where the company is based.
With 13 chapters in Florida, Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. The 2014 Allianz Championship is the first tournament of the early-season Florida swing for the Champions Tour. The Golf Channel will televise all three rounds with tournament proceeds donated to the Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
Dedicated to the community
The Interview: Randy Nobles Chairman of Boca Chamber
We recently caught up with Randy Nobles, who currently serves as the Chairman of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. Randy talked about many issues – the Boca Raton business community, his retirement from Comerica Bank, and his new position with an accounting firm based in Michigan which has opened an office in Boca Raton.
Randy, tell us a little bit about your role as Chairman of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce:
It is a great role that I am proud to serve in. To be the Chief Volunteer Officer of the one of the most prominent business groups in Palm Beach County gives me exposure and insight into a lot of the progressive things happening in our area. The Chamber has over 1,400 members and is not only doing a great job in traditional chamber areas such as networking activities and events, but also is doing a lot of things to better educate its members. It is also active on the public policy front, helping to ensure that a pro business stance is forefront with both issues and our elected officials. And don’t forget about the Golden Bell Education Foundation that has put over $1 million into area classrooms. All things considered, this is no ordinary chamber of commerce!!
What are your impressions of Boca’s business community and why it is considered a favorable landing spot for companies moving to Florida?
I always start with some of the no brainers; great year-round weather and no state income tax are 2 biggies…but those are not necessarily unique to Boca. Education is always top of mind, from our superior private school offerings, to the great strides our public schools have made (my kids are in Boca Middle and Boca High) to what we have to offer on the higher education front with 3 fantastic institutions. Health care is far superior with Boca Regional, West Boca and Delray Community all on the forefront. There are plenty of options when it comes to where to live — from one-of-a-kind ocean condos to sprawling homes in great communities in our western areas. Miles and miles of beautiful, undeveloped beaches and countless parks are a big plus as well. Having supportive organizations such as the Chamber and the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County helps set a pro-business climate. The list goes on……
Can you give us any insight regarding new companies, construction projects or any other news that may be of interest to our readers?
I don’t think you need to have any real insight here, just take a look around. Cranes are in the air all over downtown. There is a great vision for Arvida Park of Commerce with lots of things underway there, too. We’ve got Trader Joe’s coming and Office Depot staying. Jobs in the technology, health care and educational sectors continue to increase. Town Center Mall is thriving and continues to expand as are other retail areas and establishments. Business is good and getting better!
You had a distinguished banking career with Comerica for over 30 years. How is retirement? Any improvement in your golf game?
“Retirement” was interesting, while it lasted! As planned, I was successful in taking about 8 months off to relax and focus on my family, some home projects, and do some traveling. Having recently moved into a new house, we did some fairly major renovations, which felt good to get done. We also did some quality family traveling, highlighted by a trip to Hawaii. Aside from the Chamber, I am active on two other boards, the YMCA of South Palm Beach County and Hospice by the Sea, which also helped keep me busy. Bottom line, I had a lot of fun, got some things accomplished, gave back to the community but the time really flew by! And my golf game is “still lacking”!
We understand that you are working with Croskey Lanni, PC, a Michigan-based accounting firm as it opens a Boca Raton office. How is it going? And, what is appealing about Boca to the company owners?
Dave Croskey, the firm’s founder and managing partner, and I have been friends for 30 years. Through the efforts of Dave and others, the firm has built a solid client base in the Florida market over the years but the opening of an office will solidify our presence and allow us to grow at a heightened pace. What attracted me to the firm was simple: Values common to mine. Starting with the firm’s vision of “Embrace Extraordinary” and incorporating their values built around quality, integrity and respect made it a perfect fit. The value proposition is the starting point in appealing to Boca business owners. It is a given that we have strong competencies with respect to tax preparation and financial reporting, but the firm’s consultative and value-added approach sets us apart. Our focus is targeted at small to medium businesses and their owners with specialties in health care, non profits, material handling, real estate, charter schools, retail business and professionals. Feel free to give me a call to grab a cup of coffee—561-289-6281