- May 5, 2024
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The building at 801 W. Granada has been refurbished and modernized inside and out. Photo by Wayne Grant
The building at 801 W. Granada had become run-down. Photo by Wayne Grant
Dawn Beazlie, chief operating officer, and John Hamlin, president, settle into their new headquarters. Photo by Wayne Grant
The office space features an open design with glass walls. Photo by Wayne Grant
Those travelling Granada Boulevard may have noticed a “new” building. But it’s not actually new; the 27,000-square-foot building at 801 W. Granada Blvd., west of the Nova Road intersection, has been completely refurbished by owner John Hamlin, who operates his marketing company, Hamlin and Associates, in the building.
“I love this little city,” he said. “I made a promise I would take the ugliest building in town and make it the prettiest.”
The old building was taken down to the concrete and steel and rebuilt with a sleek, modern design.
Hamlin said the city was strict with regulations, but that’s how he wants them to be.
City staff helped him understand what he needed to do to comply. Other cites, Hamlin said, would just give you the list of rules.
“They realized it’s my headquarters and I want it to be beautiful,” he said. “They were not easy, but they were fair.”
He said his contractor, RLH Construction LLC, of Oviedo, was great to work with because they took such a positive attitude in the remodeling process.
The building gives him plenty of room to grow, and he’s on a hiring surge right now. He plans to fill the now empty second floor with new employees. The first floor will eventually be an exercise facility complete with showers.
KEY TO SUCCESS
Hamlin said the secret to his marketing success is that his advertising pieces talk to people intelligently.
He also has an attitude of helping his customers and employees succeed.
“I never made more money in my life than when I quit trying to make money,” he said. “If I help others succeed, then my success is a foregone conclusion."
The biggest feature of the interior is the open work space. The offices and meeting room along one wall have glass walls, which tie into Hamlin’s stress on transparency.
The openness creates the environment he seeks for his company. Everything employees do and say is out in the open, and employees can share ideas.
“It’s a design that creates a really cool culture,” he said.
MORE REFURBISHMENT
Hamlin likes his location on Granada Boulevard and said the city has done a great job with the medians and signage at the city limits. It has encouraged investment by business and helped create a vibrant boulevard with new commercial development, he said. He said he likes the way the neighborhoods are nestled away from the activity.
Steven Spraker, Ormond Beach planning director, said the restoration of the Hamlin building was an extraordinary effort in saving a building.
“They took out the guts of the building and rebuilt it,” he said.
Spraker points to other refurbishment projects in the city, such as the gas station at the corner of Granada Boulevard and Williamson Avenue that will be replaced with a Chase Bank and the Food Lion on East Granada Boulevard that will become a Lucky’s Market. On State A1A, the owners of the former Stacey’s Buffet have a site plan and permit to convert it to a retail building.
In the downtown area, there are financial incentives available for building improvement.
Hopefully, property owners will be able to invest in buildings like the Hamlin building, he said, or demolish and replace when necessary.
“I never made more money in my life than when I quit trying to make money”
JOHN HAMLIN, owner, Hamlin and Associates
