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Talk of the bay

Shopping center developer expands to Middle Atlantic

By MARK ALBRIGHT
Published July 25, 2005

Sembler Co., a prominent St. Petersburg shopping center developer, is opening a branch office in suburban Washington, D.C., this fall to begin doing retail deals in the Middle Atlantic states.

The move comes a decade after Sembler opened a branch in Atlanta. Today that office has a staff of 30. About half of the more than $300-million in projects Sembler has under construction are in Georgia.

Perhaps best known locally for BayWalk, Centro Ybor and the redevelopment of Clearwater Mall, Sembler also has been a major developer for centers anchored by Home Depot, Lowe's, Target and Publix. Sembler also has an office in Puerto Rico.

In Atlanta the company has built some high-profile mixed-use redevelopment projects that blend apartments, condos, office space and two-story discount stores linked by parking garages.

Sembler hired Steve Warfield, an independent Atlanta broker who spent 14 years developing space for Costco Wholesale Clubs, to head the Middle Atlantic operation.

"It's a natural extension of what we did in Atlanta," said Craig Sher, president and chief executive officer of the closely held company founded and controlled by Mel Sembler, a major GOP fundraiser who was named U.S. ambassador to Italy by President Bush and before that U.S. ambassador to Australia by the first President Bush.

[Last modified July 22, 2005, 22:51:03]