WILDLIGHT, FL – May 10, 2016 – Raydient Places + Properties today announced that Rayonier Inc. will locate its corporate headquarters in a new office building to be constructed in Wildlight, Florida. With the move, Rayonier will become the first company to locate in the new community now under development about 20 miles north of Jacksonville near the interchange of Interstate 95 and Florida State Road A1A. The announcement builds on recent news that “A” rated and designated “Academically High-Performing” Nassau County School District has started construction on the Wildlight Elementary School. Both the new school and the office building are scheduled to open in the second half of 2017 along with other foundational elements of the new community.
Rayonier Inc. is a leading timberland real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, leases or manages approximately 2.7 million acres of timberlands located in the U.S. South, U.S. Pacific Northwest and New Zealand. The company started 90 years ago in western Washington and relocated its headquarters to Jacksonville from Stamford, Connecticut in 2000. Raydient Places + Properties, a professional real estate services firm and a Rayonier subsidiary, will manage the construction of the new 55,000 square foot building for Rayonier.
“Following the spinoff of our manufacturing business in 2014, we became a more focused company and realized our current office space footprint was simply not very efficient,” said David L. Nunes, president and chief executive officer of Rayonier Inc. “So we undertook a process to explore alternatives and determined the best one was to consolidate at Wildlight. The move allows us to remain centered in Northeast Florida and consolidate our operations by bringing together about 145 employees currently divided across three leased spaces in Fernandina Beach and downtown Jacksonville.”
“Rayonier’s new headquarters will be located in the heart of the Wildlight Village,” said Chris Corr, president of Raydient Places + Properties, the developer of Wildlight. “Currently under development, the village core will bring together a number of neighborhood commercial uses in a small, natural and playful environment. The design is inspired by a standard that we call ‘Florida Lowcountry’ and intended to reflect the character, culture and pattern of living of traditional coastal towns throughout the Lowcountry region,” continued Corr. “The Rayonier building echoes the historic shed-style vernacular of Florida Lowcountry and will be intentionally modest but modern including natural materials that blend seamlessly into its nature-rich setting.”
“Rayonier choosing to locate its headquarters at Wildlight in Nassau County is a major regional development for Northeast Florida,” said Jerry Mallot, president of the JAXUSA Partnership, the economic development organization serving seven Northeast Florida counties. “This location will anchor an outstanding new Nassau County development where Rayonier is making a major strategic investment.”
“We view the Wildlight development as a game-changer in our strategy to diversify the economy of Nassau County,” said Pat Edwards, Nassau County Commissioner, District 3. “It provides a location with higher quality infrastructure and schools in a community that will be a great place to live. It has all of the key ingredients needed to attract other quality companies to Nassau County.”
Laura DiBella, executive director of the Nassau County Economic Development Board added, “We are working closely with Raydient Places + Properties and other stakeholders to recruit high-quality employers that create jobs and diversify our economy. There’s an opportunity now to get in on the ground floor of this new development and the high level of interest we are receiving is very encouraging. We welcome Rayonier and expect future announcements soon.”
Key Facts:
- Rayonier Inc. corporate headquarters
- New 55,000 square foot office building
- Architects: Polk, Stanley, Wilcox
- General Contractor: Danis Construction
- Project Manager: Raydient Places + Properties
- First headquarters building announced in Wildlight, Florida
- Timing: currently under construction, to be complete the second half of 2017
About Wildlight
Wildlight is envisioned as a planned new-town inspired by a character, culture and pattern of living that we call “Florida Lowcountry,” where play is a part of every day and the natural world is a natural part of life. The plan for Wildlight includes a mix of bungalows, cottages, apartments and townhomes together with shops and restaurants, parks, gardens and playgrounds, a new elementary school, and a system of trails and pathways intended to make it healthy and walkable and connect it all together. Our plan is flexible and currently designed for about 1,000 homes across about 260 acres plus nearly 350 acres of permanently preserved open space. Wildlight will offer comfortable and friendly Florida Lowcountry living 20 miles north of Jacksonville, just east of Interstate 95 on A1A, with easy access to both Amelia Island and the Jacksonville International Airport. Wildlight is being created by Raydient Places + Properties, a subsidiary of Rayonier. For more information please visit www.wildlight.com.
About Rayonier Inc.
Rayonier has owned and cared for thousands of acres of forestlands in Northeast Florida and across the United States for nearly 100 years. A recognized land, ecological and conservation manager, Rayonier is a leading timber REIT with assets located in some of the most productive softwood timber growing regions in the United States and New Zealand. Rayonier owns, leases or manages approximately 2.7 million acres of timberlands located in the U.S. South, U.S. Pacific Northwest and New Zealand. More information is available at www.rayonier.com.
Wildlight Elementary School Scheduled to Open August 2017
FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla., March 03, 2016 – Designed to foster discovery and learning, the Nassau County School Board is excited to announce it will hold a celebratory groundbreaking on its newest elementary school on March 28. Wildlight Elementary School is a kindergarten through fifth grade school located within the new Wildlight community, one mile north of the intersection of State Road 200/A1A and William Burgess Boulevard.
Modeled after the Hilliard Elementary School Campus, Wildlight Elementary will boast state-of-the-art technology and equipment, with pilot programs that will be designed to help improve education across the school district.
“This is truly an exciting day for Nassau County as this public-private partnership really becomes visual,” said Superintendent Dr. John Ruis. “Wildlight Elementary School will be a top-rate, high-quality facility for learning and educating. Its location is key, as East Nassau County is experiencing exciting growth. Wildlight will be the perfect setting to educate Nassau County’s future leaders, as well as a model for future opportunity.”
Nassau County is home to some of the highest-rated schools in Northeast Florida, with eight of the 12 schools receiving an “A” rating for the 2015 school year. The Florida Department of Education also awarded the Nassau County School District with an “A” rating. The district has held an “A” rating for 12 of the last 13 years.
Wildlight Elementary received its name because of the dedication the school will have toward promoting curiosity, imagination and possibility through the wildlight of potential that sparkles brightly within the heart and mind of every child. The school will be a treasured part of the new Wildlight community. The school is expected to open fall of 2017.