Enterprising Investor
9 years ago
The St. Joe Company Reports Third Quarter 2015 Results and Announces Additional Authority for Repurchases of Shares of Its Common Stock (11/05/14)
WATERSOUND, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE) (the “Company”) today announced Net Income for the third quarter of 2015 of $2.8 million, or $0.03 per share, compared with Net Loss of $(0.1) million, or $(0.00) per share, for the third quarter of 2014. For the nine months ended September 30, 2015, the Company reported Net Income of $0.8 million, or $0.01 per share compared to Net Income of $417.6 million, or $4.52 per share for the same period last year. The 2014 earnings included the Company’s AgReserves and RiverTown transactions.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2015, the Company repurchased a total of 16,982,739 shares of its common stock outstanding. This amount included 16,348,143 shares of its common stock acquired pursuant to a tender offer at a purchase price of $18.00 per share, for a total purchase price of $294.3 million. The tender offer was announced on August 21, 2015 and expired on September 22, 2015. In addition, prior to the commencement of the tender offer, the Company purchased 634,596 shares of its common stock under its Stock Repurchase Program at a weighted average purchase price of $16.03 in open market transactions. As of September 30, 2015, the Company had approximately 75.3 million shares outstanding.
The Company’s Board of Directors recently approved an additional amount of $200 million for the repurchase of its outstanding common stock under the Company’s Stock Repurchase Program. As a result, the Company currently has a total of $205.7 million available for share repurchases. The Company may repurchase its stock in open market purchases pursuant to Rule 10b-18, in privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. The timing and amount of any additional shares to be repurchased will depend upon a variety of factors, including market and business conditions, applicable legal requirements and other factors. Repurchases may be commenced or suspended at any time or from time to time without prior notice. The Stock Repurchase Program will continue until otherwise modified or terminated by the Company’s Board of Directors at any time in its sole discretion.
Third Quarter 2015 update includes:
• Total revenue for the quarter was $27.8 million as compared to $24.0 million in the third quarter of 2014. The Company experienced increases in real estate sales, resorts and leisure revenues, leasing revenues and timber sales.
• Real estate sales increased to $4.9 million in the third quarter of 2015 as compared to $3.9 million in the third quarter of 2014.
• Resorts and leisure revenue increased approximately $1.6 million, or 10%, during the three months ended September 30, 2015, as compared to the third quarter of 2014. The increase was primarily due to higher membership revenue, additional nights rented, higher average rates in vacation rental programs and ancillary receipts.
• Leasing operations increased $0.4 million during the third quarter of 2015, as compared to the third quarter of 2014. The increase was primarily related to the increase in lease revenue at Pier Park North.
• Timber sales increased to $1.9 million during the third quarter of 2015 as compared to $1.1 million in the third quarter of 2014 due to tons sold. Tons sold were approximately 109,000 during the third quarter of 2015 as compared to approximately 76,000 tons during the third quarter of 2014. Gross margins increased during the third quarter of 2015 to 89%, as compared to 82% during the third quarter of 2014.
• Investment income and realized gains from the Company’s available-for-sale securities for the third quarter of 2015 was $7.0 million as compared to $1.0 million during the third quarter of 2014. Approximately $5.3 million in gains related to a sale of corporate debt securities.
• As of September 30, 2015, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and investments of $409.9 million, as compared to $671.4 million as of December 31, 2014. The decrease was related to the $304.9 million of cash used for the stock repurchases.
Jeffrey C. Keil, the Company’s President and Interim Chief Executive Officer said, “We are pleased with the result of the repurchase programs and the Board’s decision to increase the authority by $200 million.” Mr. Keil added, “We are committed to maintaining a healthy balance sheet as we continue to pursue value creation for our shareholders.”
[tables deleted]
Additional Information and Where to Find It
Additional information with respect to the Company’s results for the third quarter of 2015 will be available in a Form 10-Q that will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Important Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company’s expectations regarding its financial position and its pursuit of value creation for its shareholders, as well as its plans with respect to share repurchases. The Company wishes to caution readers that certain important factors may have affected and could in the future affect the Company’s actual results and could cause the Company’s actual results for subsequent periods to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement made by or on behalf of the Company, including (1) changes in the Company’s strategic objectives and its ability to implement such strategic objectives; (2) economic or other conditions that affect the future prospects for the Southeastern region of the United States and the demand for the Company’s products, including a slowing of the population growth in Florida, inflation, or unemployment rates or declines in consumer confidence or the demand for, or the prices of, housing; (3) any potential negative impact of the Company’s longer-term property development strategy, including losses and negative cash flows for an extended period of time if the Company continues with the self-development of recently granted entitlements; (4) the impact of natural or man-made disasters or weather conditions, including hurricanes and other severe weather conditions, on the Company’s business; (5) the Company’s ability to capitalize on its leasing operations in the Pier Park North joint venture; (6) the Company’s ability to capitalize on opportunities relating to its mixed use and active adult communities, including its ability to successfully and timely obtain land-use entitlements and construction financing, maintain compliance with state law requirements and address issues that arise in connection with the use and development of its land, including the permits required for the mixed use and active adult communities; (7) the impact of market volatility on the value of the Company’s investments, including potential unrealized losses or the realization of losses on its investments; (8) the Company’s use of its share repurchase authorization and its ability to carry out the Stock Repurchase Program in accordance with applicable securities laws; (9) the Company’s ability to realize the anticipated benefits of its Stock Repurchase Program; and (10) the Company’s ability to effectively deploy and invest its assets, including available-for-sale securities; as well as, the cautionary statements and risk factor disclosures contained in the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on February 26, 2015 as updated by subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Qs and other current report filings.
About The St. Joe Company
The St. Joe Company together with its consolidated subsidiaries is a real estate company concentrated primarily between Tallahassee and Destin, Florida. More information about the Company can be found on its website at www.joe.com.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151105006825/en/St.-Joe-Company-Reports-Quarter-2015-Results
Enterprising Investor
9 years ago
The St. Joe Company Announces Tender Offer for Shares of Its Common Stock (8/21/15)
WATERSOUND, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE) announced today that on August 24, 2015 it will commence a tender offer to purchase up to 16,666,666 shares of its outstanding common stock at a price of $18.00 per share. In connection with authorizing the tender offer, the Company’s board of directors has increased the authority under the Company’s stock repurchase program to $300 million (including previously unused authority of $93.6 million), substantially all of which would be used if the tender offer is fully subscribed.
The tender offer will be made upon the terms and subject to the conditions described in the Company’s Offer to Purchase to be dated August 24, 2015, and will expire at 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on September 22, 2015, unless extended by the Company. Tenders of shares must be made on or prior to the expiration of the tender offer and may be withdrawn at any time prior to the expiration of the tender offer, in each case, in accordance with the procedures described in the tender offer materials. If more than 16,666,666 shares are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, the Company will purchase shares from all tendering shareholders on a pro rata basis as specified in the Offer to Purchase, subject to the “odd lot” and conditional tender provisions described in the Offer to Purchase.
The tender offer will be subject to a number of terms and conditions, but will not be conditioned on receipt of financing. The Company expects to fund share purchases in the tender offer from current assets, including a portion of the cash proceeds the Company received from the AgReserves and RiverTown sales. After the expiration of the tender offer, shareholders whose shares are purchased in the tender offer will be paid the purchase price in cash, less any applicable withholding taxes and without interest.
Specific instructions and a complete explanation of the terms and conditions of the tender offer will be contained in the Offer to Purchase and related materials that will be sent to shareholders beginning on August 24, 2015.
D.F. King & Co., Inc. will serve as information agent for the tender offer, and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC will serve as the depositary for the tender offer.
The Company’s board of directors has approved the tender offer. However, none of the Company or its board of directors, the information agent or the depositary in connection with the tender offer, is making any recommendation to shareholders as to whether to tender or refrain from tendering shares in the tender offer. Shareholders should carefully evaluate all information in the Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal, should consult with their own financial and tax advisors, and should make their own decisions about whether to tender shares, and, if so, how many shares to tender.
Tender Offer Statement
The tender offer described herein has not yet commenced. This release is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell any shares of the Company’s common stock. The solicitation and offer to buy the Company’s common stock will only be made pursuant to the Offer to Purchase, letter of transmittal and related materials being sent to the Company’s shareholders. Shareholders should read those materials carefully prior to making any decision with respect to the offer because they will contain important information, including the various terms and conditions of the tender offer. Shareholders will be able to obtain copies of the Offer to Purchase, letter of transmittal and related materials that will be filed by the Company with the SEC through the SEC’s internet address at www.sec.gov without charge when these documents become available. Shareholders and investors may also obtain a copy of these documents, as well as any other documents the Company has filed with the SEC, without charge, from the Company or at the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website: ir.joe.com or by calling D.F. King & Co., Inc., the information agent for the tender offer, at (800) 330-5897 (Toll Free) or (212) 269-5550 (Collect).
Important Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may include forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company’s ability to commence and complete the tender offer, the number of shares the Company will be able to purchase in the tender offer and the ability to achieve the benefits contemplated by the tender offer. The statements made by the Company are based upon management's current expectations and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include market conditions and other factors beyond the Company's control and the risk factors and other cautionary statements described in the Company's filings with the SEC, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 27, 2015 as updated by subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Qs and other current report filings.
About The St. Joe Company
The St. Joe Company together with its consolidated subsidiaries is a real estate development and operating company with real estate assets and operations currently concentrated primarily between Tallahassee and Destin, Florida. The Company uses these assets in its residential or commercial real estate developments, resorts and leisure operations, leasing operations or its forestry operations. More information about the Company can be found on its website at www.joe.com.
© 2015, The St. Joe Company. "St. Joe®", "JOE®", the "Taking Flight" Design®, "St. Joe (and Taking Flight Design)®" are registered service marks of The St. Joe Company.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150821005730/en/St.-Joe-Company-Announces-Tender-Offer-Shares#.VdgKdmY8LCQ
Enterprising Investor
9 years ago
The St. Joe Company Reports Second Quarter 2015 Results (8/06/15)
WATERSOUND, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE) (the “Company”) today announced Net Loss for the second quarter of 2015 of ($0.2) million, or $0.00 per share, compared with Net Income of $14.6 million, or $0.16 per share, for the second quarter of 2014. The RiverTown sale accounted for $43.6 million of revenue and $26.0 million of Net Income in the second quarter of 2014. On June 30, 2015, the Company received the remaining portion of the $19.6 million purchase money note related to the RiverTown sale.
For the six months ended June 30, 2015, the Company reported Net Loss of $(2.0) million, or $(0.02) per share compared to Net Income of $417.6 million, or $4.52 per share for the same period last year. The 2014 earnings include the Company’s AgReserves and RiverTown transactions.
As previously announced, the second quarter results include certain amounts related to the ongoing SEC investigation. The second quarter accrual of $7.4 million includes a reserve of $3.5 million established for potential settlement costs and $3.9 million related to legal expenses for which the Company has received a reservation of rights from the insurer.
Second Quarter 2015 update includes:
• Total revenue for the quarter was $37.8 million as compared to $24.6 million, excluding the $43.6 million RiverTown Sale, in the second quarter of 2014.
• Excluding the RiverTown sale in 2014, real estate sales increased from $5.3 million in the second quarter of 2014 to $14.0 million in the second quarter of 2015. While residential real estate revenue decreased from $4.2 million in the second quarter of 2014 to $4.0 million in the second quarter of 2015, gross margins increased from 40.5% for the three months ended June 30, 2014 to 52.5% in for the three months ended June 30, 2015. The increase in gross margin is primarily related to sales mix and lot price increases. Commercial real estate sales increased from $1.0 million in the second quarter of 2014 to $4.7 million in the second quarter of 2015. The majority of the revenue in the quarter is related to a 6.5 acre non-strategic land parcel sale. In addition, the Company completed a $5.3 million rural land transaction.
• Resorts and leisure revenue increased $2.8 million, or 17%, during the three months ended June 30, 2015, as compared to the second quarter of 2014. The increase was primarily due to additional homes in the Company’s vacation rental business and increased membership revenues since the launch of St. Joe Club & Resorts in 2014.
• Leasing operations increased $0.5 million, or 29%, during the second quarter of 2015, as compared to the second quarter of 2014. The increase is primarily related to the increase in lease revenue in the Pier Park North joint venture.
• Timber sales increased to $2.3 million during the second quarter of 2015 as compared to $1.1 million in the second quarter of 2014 due to tons delivered. Tons delivered were approximately 125,000 during the second quarter of 2015 as compared to approximately 60,000 tons during the second quarter of 2014. Gross margins increased during the second quarter of 2015 to 87%, as compared to 82% during the second quarter of 2014.
• Investment income from the Company’s available-for-sale securities for the second quarter of 2015 was $2.8 million as compared to $1.6 million during the second quarter of 2014.
• As of June 30, 2015, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and investments of $713.5 million, as compared to $671.4 million as of December 31, 2014.
Jeffrey C. Keil, the Company’s President and Interim Chief Executive Officer, said “We are pleased to have the Bay-Walton County Sector Plan adopted with overwhelming support.” Mr. Keil added, “We are in position to offer a way of life that will appeal to people considering Florida for retirement. It’s a really significant opportunity for St. Joe.”
[tables deleted]
Additional Information and Where to Find It
Additional information with respect to the Company’s results for the second quarter of 2015 will be available in a Form 10-Q that will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Important Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company’s expectations regarding the Company’s business strategy and future operations. The Company wishes to caution readers that certain important factors may have affected and could in the future affect the Company’s actual results and could cause the Company’s actual results for subsequent periods to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement made by or on behalf of the Company, including (1) changes in the Company’s strategic objectives, including any such changes implemented as a result of the Company’s planned CEO search; (2) economic or other conditions that affect the future prospects for the Southeastern region of the United States and the demand for the Company’s products, including a slowing of the population growth in Florida, inflation, or unemployment rates or declines in consumer confidence or the demand for, or the prices of, housing; (3) pending or future regulatory or legislative actions, accounting changes or litigation that could adversely affect the Company; (4) the impact of natural or man-made disasters or weather conditions, including hurricanes and other severe weather conditions, on the Company’s business; (5) changes in the Company’s customer base and the mix of homesites available for sale in its residential real estate; (6) changes in the cyclical nature of the Company’s real estate operations; (6) the Company’s ability to capitalize on its leasing operations in the Pier Park North joint venture; (7) the Company’s ability to effectively execute its strategy in its resorts and leisure operations; (8) the Company’s ability to capitalize on opportunities relating to its planned mixed use and active adult communities, including its ability to successfully and timely obtain land-use entitlements and construction financing, and address issues that arise in connection with the use and development of its land, including the permits required for the launch of its planned mixed use and active adult communities; (9) the realization of any unrealized losses related to the Company’s investments, including any potential further downturns in the Company’s corporate debt securities or any other of its investments; and (10) the Company’s ability to effectively deploy and invest its assets, including available-for-sale securities; as well as, the cautionary statements and risk factor disclosures contained in the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on February 26, 2015 as updated by subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Qs and other current report filings.
About The St. Joe Company
The St. Joe Company together with its consolidated subsidiaries is a real estate development and operating company with real estate assets and operations currently concentrated primarily between Tallahassee and Destin, Florida. The Company uses these assets in its residential or commercial real estate developments, resorts and leisure operations, leasing operations or its forestry operations. More information about the Company can be found on its website at www.joe.com.
© 2015, The St. Joe Company. “St. Joe®”, “JOE®”, the “Taking Flight” Design®, “St. Joe (and Taking Flight Design)®” are registered service marks of The St. Joe Company.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150806006283/en/St.-Joe-Company-Reports-Quarter-2015-Results#.VcPbQyHbKUk
Enterprising Investor
13 years ago
JOE Leases 20 Acres of Land to Eastern Shipbuilding Group to Expand Shipbuilding Operations into Gulf County (2/21/12)
WATERSOUND, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE) today announced that it will lease 20 acres of its former paper mill site in Port St. Joe (Gulf County), Florida, to Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) of Panama City, Florida. ESG plans to expand its existing shipbuilding, vessel construction and repair and industrial steel fabrication operations to Port St. Joe. ESG will continue its operations in Panama City and Allanton. ESG’s Port St. Joe facility is immediately adjacent to one of only 14 state-authorized deep water ports in Florida. The Port St. Joe facility will enable ESG to meet its current and emerging contracts for vessel manufacturing requirements and has the potential to create many new jobs in Port St. Joe. In order to perform these contracts, ESG is already in the process of hiring 500 new employees who will join ESG’s current workforce.
“The hard and diligent work of our current workforce has earned Eastern Shipbuilding Group the manufacturing contracts that necessitate our expansion to Port St. Joe,” said Brian D’Isernia, President of Eastern Shipbuilding Group. “Eastern Shipbuilding Group remains committed to manufacturing the highest quality vessels our customers demand in a global market. I appreciate the assistance of Gulf County Commissioner Warren Yeager and Port Authority Chairman Joanna White whose tireless efforts led to our expansion to Gulf County.”
Governor Rick Scott added, “Congratulations to Eastern Shipbuilding Group and The St. Joe Company on their combined efforts and confidence in taking this bold step which solidifies new opportunities for our State’s economy, and specifically, our citizens across the Panhandle. Efforts like this are part of the success we are seeing in Florida to create a business climate that creates jobs, and I commend Eastern Shipbuilding’s commitment to our great State.”
“Eastern Shipbuilding’s expansion to Port St. Joe is great news for Florida,” said Senator Bill Nelson.
“Eastern Shipbuilding’s growth is continued evidence of the growth of our State’s diverse economy,” stated State Representative Marti Coley. “Brian D’Isernia’s vision and leadership for Eastern Shipbuilding will create opportunities for Eastern’s suppliers and vendors to grow their workforce as well. The expansion of Eastern Shipbuilding Group has the potential to put a lot of people back to work.”
“The community has been determined to create jobs and this achievement enables us to build a critical mass of industrial suppliers and vendors with an expanded and experienced labor force who can help attract other industrial tenants to our Port,” commented State Representative Jimmy Patronis. “This primes the pump for the growth of Eastern Shipbuilding and other potential Port tenants from around the world. We are fortunate that our available facilities in Port St. Joe were a perfect fit for a company of the magnitude and stature of Eastern Shipbuilding Group.”
State Senator Bill Montford said, “This is wonderful news for the people of Gulf County and all of North Florida. This is a very important step in the rebuilding of the economy, in our area, that will pay dividends for many years to come. It is an excellent example of interested parties coming together for the purpose of doing what is practical and right.”
“For over 30 years, Eastern Shipbuilding Group has produced specialized vessels for their customers around the world,” commented Congressman Steve Southerland. “There is no finer operation or harder working group of men and women than those at Eastern Shipbuilding Group. Congratulations to Gulf County on this significant achievement which brings the old mill site back to life and with it, the spirit of many residents who have longed for activity such as this.”
Gulf County Commission Chairman Warren Yeager stated, “The significance of this announcement cannot be overstated for the future of our county and the aspirations of generations of local residents who are excited to put their pride and reputation into specialized vessels that will travel around the world. This excites every man, woman and child in our county. We are all thankful for the blessings this announcement represents.”
“The expansion of Eastern Shipbuilding Group into Port St. Joe has the potential to provide the opportunity for many people to get back to work,” stated Mayor Mel Magidson of Port St. Joe. “We have weathered some difficult economic storms over time and this gives us a platform to stabilize our economy and begin attracting other businesses. On behalf of the City Commission and the citizens of Port St. Joe, I cannot express enough appreciation to Eastern Shipbuilding Group and Brian D’Isernia for believing in Port St. Joe, for investing in our community and for enabling us to once again see a bright future.”
St. Joe has been working with the Port St. Joe Port Authority to reposition this area for port-related industrial and commercial activities. St. Joe’s former paper mill site is approximately 180 acres in size and offers approximately 2,000 linear feet of bulkhead, which has the potential to be expanded. The Port and Eastern Shipbuilding Group’s Port St Joe facility is also adjacent to a federally-authorized turning basin and navigational channel.
St. Joe also owns about 4,700 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to the site, with more than three miles of frontage along the Gulf County Canal, which connects the Gulf of Mexico to Florida’s intracoastal waterway. Additionally, Eastern’s Port St. Joe facility has access to nearly 80 miles of St. Joe Company-owned railway that links Port St. Joe to other railway systems, connecting to numerous other U.S. cities, including Atlanta, New York and Chicago.
“We are pleased to welcome Eastern Shipbuilding Group to Port St. Joe and Gulf County and see this as a first step to maximizing this region’s potential for port-related industrial and commercial activities,” says Park Brady, Chief Executive Officer for The St. Joe Company. “With the Governor’s commitment to job creation, the expansion of the Panama Canal in 2014 and this area’s assets, we will continue working to attract more port-related businesses.”
Last month, The St. Joe Company and the Port St. Joe Port Authority executed a Memorandum of Understanding to partner and collaborate on port-related economic development initiatives.
“The day has finally arrived where jobs, good jobs have returned to Gulf County and the alliance between the Port Authority and The St. Joe Company is bearing fruit – it’s a win, win for everyone,” commented Johanna White, Chairman of the Port St. Joe Port Authority. “We are fortunate that our available facilities in Port St Joe were a perfect fit for a company of the magnitude and stature of Eastern Shipbuilding Group.”
About St. Joe
The St. Joe Company is a Florida-based real estate developer and manager. The Company owns approximately 573,000 acres of land concentrated primarily in Northwest Florida and has significant residential and commercial land-use entitlements in hand or in process. The majority of land not under development is used for the growing and selling of timber or is available for sale. The Company also owns various commercial, resort and club properties. More information about the Company can be found on its website at www.joe.com.
About Eastern Shipbuilding Group
Eastern Shipbuilding Group is a shipbuilding and marine repair company specializing in commercial steel and aluminum vessel construction and repair. Eastern also engages in industrial steel fabrication. Eastern Shipbuilding Group has become one of today's leading innovators in marine construction and repair, with three modern shipbuilding yards located in Bay County, Florida.
Over the years, Eastern Shipbuilding Group has positioned itself for longevity in the shipbuilding industry and marketplace by constructing a wide variety of vessels. This diversity continues to bolster Eastern Shipbuilding Group's market share and facilitates its reputation of building a varied collection of top-quality vessels. More information about the ESG can be found on its website at www.easternshipbuilding.com.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120221007014/en/St.-Joe-Company-Leases-20-Acres-Land
Seminole Red
13 years ago
Company History:
The St. Joe Company is one of the largest real estate operating companies in the Southeast. It is also the largest private landowner in Florida, with more than 1.1 million acres located across the Panhandle and along the state's eastern coast. Using its massive land holdings, the company develops both residential and commercial properties. Its majority-owned residential development subsidiary, Arvida Company L.P., builds planned residential, retirement, and resort communities. The St. Joe Commercial Group is the company's commercial development subsidiary, which builds corporate office space. Both Arvida and The St. Joe Commercial Group also have real estate brokerage components. The brokerage services arm of Arvida is Arvida Realty Services, the fifth-largest real estate brokerage firm in the nation. The Commercial Group's real estate services component is Advantis. Advantis provides brokerage, corporate real estate financial management, representation services, and tenant construction through more than 500 agents. St. Joe is also a major owner of rail, timber, and sugar assets which it is currently in the process of selling off in order to focus on real estate development.
St. Joe Beginnings: A Family Rebel and a Fortune in Real Estate
The St. Joe Company can trace its roots back to the duPonts, one of America's legendary entrepreneurial families. The duPonts built their fortune by manufacturing and marketing explosives, such as gunpowder, dynamite, and nitroglycerine, before diversifying into paints, plastics, and dyes. The St. Joe Company was founded by a rebellious family member, Alfred Irenee duPont, who decided to take his money out of the family business and put it elsewhere. Having started as a laborer in the duPont gunpowder-manufacturing company, Alfred eventually became the company's president. A colorful character and a nonconformist, he had a propensity for unconventional behavior. In 1921 the 57-year-old Alfred married a woman who was in her mid-thirties, scandalizing the staid Delaware society and causing something of an uproar.
In 1926 he again startled both his peers and his family by leaving Delaware altogether. The reason behind his sudden departure was his cousin, Pierre duPont. Pierre, who had just become Delaware's tax commissioner, intended to make the wealthy pay more in taxes. Alfred, who couldn't tolerate the thought of Pierre going over his personal finances, was determined to move his money matters safely out of his cousin's grasp. Taking his young wife, Jessie Ball, and his assets, duPont went south to Jacksonville, Florida.
Florida was just then in the throes of economic collapse. A hurricane had wreaked havoc on the Miami area, and real estate prices were spiraling downward. DuPont took advantage of the depressed market, buying up large tracts of land for just a few dollars per acre. His long-range goal was to open a paper company.
Shortly after he moved to Florida, duPont commissioned his wife's brother, Edward Ball, to locate and acquire good investment properties. Ball moved aggressively, purchasing hundreds of thousands of acres of land, as well as various banks and companies that had fallen into financial trouble. In 1933 a single transaction added 240,000 acres in northwest Florida to the duPont holdings. This particular transaction included two railroads, some phone companies, a land development company, a port terminal, and a sawmill. It also included almost the entire the gulf town of Port St. Joe.
1935--97: Sleepy Years
DuPont died in 1935, leaving the majority of his assets in a trust for his wife and appointing Edward Ball as head of his business conglomerate. His longstanding dream of opening a paper mill was finally realized when the executors of his estate formed the St. Joe Paper Company in Port St. Joe, Florida, in the late 1930s. Ball continued to aggressively add to the company's holdings, purchasing a number of corrugated cardboard box plants, a sugar company, and a controlling interest in the Florida East Coast Railway Company, which ran from Jacksonville to Key West. In addition, Ball kept building St. Joe's already-impressive land holdings. Beginning in the 1940s, the company began purchasing large tracts of timberland and using the timber to provide the pulp for paper products. By the 1970s, St. Joe's pulp and paper operation was one of the largest in the nation.
Ball ran St. Joe Paper until his death in 1981, and amassed enough real estate during his tenure to make the company the largest private landowner in Florida. Upon Ball's death, control of St. Joe remained with the Alfred I. duPont Testamentary Trust, which owned well over half of the company. The trust's beneficiary was the Nemours Foundation, an organization that operated children's clinics throughout Florida and Delaware, and a children's hospital in Wilmington, Delaware.
The 15 years following Ball's death were relatively uneventful. The managers who followed him did little with St. Joe's enormous land holdings, its various businesses, or its cash reserves. Although the company was profitable, it was far from being as profitable as it could be, and in the early 1990s, representatives of the duPont trust, Florida officials, and outside investors began to demand that the company produce more income. In response, the highly diversified St. Joe began to narrow its focus. Determining that its greatest potential lay in its vast land holdings, the conglomerate began the process of remaking itself as a real estate company.
The first step in the transformation process was to begin selling off holdings that fell outside the realm of real estate development. In April 1996 the company sold the stock of its telecommunications company, St. Joe Communications, as well as its interests in three cellular limited partnerships. The next businesses on the block were the company's namesake, the Port St. Joe paper mill, and its cardboard container plants, which were sold in May 1996. With the divestiture of its paper operations, the St. Joe Paper Company changed its name to the St. Joe Corporation.
1997: Peter Rummell Takes the Helm
More significant than the change in name was a change in leadership. In January 1997, after a nationwide search, the St. Joe board appointed Peter S. Rummell as the company's new CEO. The 51-year-old Rummell was a seasoned real estate veteran. He had begun his real estate career in 1971, developing Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and Amelia Island, Florida, for the Sea Pines Company. In 1977 he took a managerial position with the Boca Raton-based Arvida Co., one of Florida's best-known residential community builders. He left Florida for New York in 1983, joining the Rockefeller Center Management Corp. Then, two years later, he became president of the Disney Development Company. At Disney, Rummell was charged with developing thousands of acres of land in Florida and elsewhere that were owned by the entertainment giant.
Rummell had plenty of raw material to work with in his new position at St. Joe. The company owned 1.1 million acres of land--located mostly in northwestern Florida--and had half of a billion dollars in cash and securities, with no debt. He also had plenty of autonomy: his mandate was simply to develop the company's land holdings in whatever ways he thought would improve earnings. Rummell recognized the unique nature of his new assignment. 'I don't know of anyone who has been given an almost $3 billion market capitalization, $500 million in cash, no debt, and almost six million feet of built and leased inventory, and been told to go make something happen,' he was quoted as saying in an April 1998 article in Fortune magazine.
One of Rummell's first moves was to replace most of the company's existing managers with a team of his own choosing. For his second-in-command, the company's president and chief operating officer, Rummell recruited Charles Ledsinger, Jr., the former CFO of Harrahs Entertainment. He also brought two former Disney execs on board as senior managers.
Rummell's strategy was to focus on all four segments of real estate: residential, commercial/industrial, resort, and entertainment. In his first year as CEO, he made headway in all four segments. Building up its commercial/industrial segment, the company formed a joint venture with the Orlando, Florida-based CNL Group, a large, privately held real estate finance and development company. The partnership was created to acquire commercial property and develop single and multi-tenant office buildings and industrial space in the central Florida area. The commercial group also purchased a one-third interest in the Miami-based Codina Group, Inc., a commercial/industrial developer in southern Florida. The company began planning new resorts for the state's Gulf Coast and purchased a golf course development company.
St. Joe Commercial also began planning for the development of several parcels of land that it owned through a 54 percent interest in Florida East Coast Industries (FECI). FECI and its subsidiaries, which owned and operated two railroads and more than 15,400 acres of undeveloped land, which was mostly located adjacent to the railroads. St. Joe planned to develop the FECI-owned land into office and industrial parks.
St. Joe's residential division also made an important move in 1997 by acquiring a 74 percent interest in the Arvida Company. In addition to being one of Rummell's former employers, Arvida was one of Florida's best-known residential community developers.
Rummell launched St. Joe's entertainment division by partnering with the National Football League to develop a chain of interactive entertainment centers for U.S. cities that had NFL franchises. The company also purchased a one-third interest in a Seattle-based company that produced interactive games for club settings.
While it was moving to establish itself as a real estate development power, St. Joe was also quietly disposing of holdings that no longer fit into its plan. Late in 1997, the company agreed to sell its sugar operation--a 50,000-acre sugarcane plantation in the Everglades&mdashø the federal government for $133.5 million. The company's decision to sell to the government stemmed, in part, from a desire to protect the Everglades from destruction.
1998--99: Rapid Growth
The rapid pace St. Joe set in 1997 only increased over the next two years, on all four of the company's identified real estate fronts. Progress was especially noteworthy in the area of residential community development. St. Joe targeted several thousand acres of its Panhandle land holdings for residential development, and initiated construction in 1998. Rather than build traditional subdivisions, the company opted to create master-planned communities&mdashtual small towns, complete with shopping, dining, and entertainment within walking distance of the homes. The planned community concept was a familiar one to Rummell, who had been a key player in the development of Disney's innovative planned community, Celebration, Florida.
Two of St. Joe's projects that best exemplified this mixed-use development approach were Seagrove, a development in Northwest Florida's Walton County, and Southwood, a town planned for a 3,000-acre tract of land outside Tallahassee. Seagrove, which was modeled after a neighboring community named Seaside, was to be a 498-acre development, with 1,140 housing units, a resort hotel, retail space, and a beach club. Plans for Southwood included areas designated for office, commercial, and institutional use, a golf course, several parks, and a town center, as well as low-, medium-, and high-density residential zones. By the end of 1997, St. Joe had 23 communities in various stages of planning and development, including Seagrove and Southwood.
The residential arm of St. Joe also made an important move that allowed it to broaden the range of real estate services it offered. In July 1998 the company purchased Prudential Florida Realty Services, the largest real estate brokerage, sales, and services company in Florida. Renamed Arvida Realty Services, the subsidiary began handling residential sales, title and mortgage services, rentals, and marketing for the company through its 80 offices in south and central Florida.
On the commercial/industrial side of the business, St. Joe spread its geographic reach to include the rapidly developing triangle extending between Miami, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. The company entered this new territory by means of a single acquisition: the Virginia-based Goodman Segar Hogan Hoffler, L.P., one of the Southeast's largest commercial real estate firms. The Goodman Segar purchase, which was completed in September 1998, gave St. Joe a presence in such major Southeastern cities as Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina; Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia; and Washington, D.C. The company also formed partnerships with two other out-of-state developers to develop commercial properties in Georgia and Texas.
In December 1998 St. Joe Commercial expanded again with the purchase of Florida Real Estate Advisors (FREA), a commercial real estate services company based in Tampa. The company combined its newly acquired Goodman Segar and FREA subsidiaries to form a commercial real estate services firm. The firm, christened Advantis, was one of the Southeast's largest, with more than 500 employees managing more than 30 million square feet of commercial and industrial space.
The company also looked for ways to improve profits from its transportation holdings. In early 1998 St. Joe's FECI subsidiary signed an agreement with Qwest, Inc., a fiber-optic company, to allow Qwest to install fiber-optic cable along FECI's railway tracks. It was speculated that contract could generate as much as $5 million in new revenue. FECI also began negotiations that would allow Amtrak to run passenger trains on its rails.
While ramping up its real estate business, St. Joe simultaneously prepared to shed another of its non-development-related assets. In March 1999 the company announced that it would sell up to 800,000 of its 1 million acres of timberland. To make the land a feasible purchase for more bidders, St. Joe planned to auction it off in 100,000-acre parcels instead of in its entirety.
Developing the Future
In Peter Rummell's first two years as CEO, St. Joe made enormous strides toward transforming itself. As of March 1999, St. Joe's residential division had 23 communities and resorts in various stages of planning and development, mostly located in northwest Florida. When fully built, the company's in-progress projects were expected to contain up to 19,500 housing and resort units.
St. Joe's commercial group, in part through Florida East Coast Industries, owned and managed more than six million square feet of rentable commercial and industrial space and had an additional 2.2 million square feet in planning and construction. The company planned to start work on yet another three million square feet of commercial space during the remainder of 1999.
In the summer of 1999, the company suspended its plans to auction off its forest holdings, citing a soft timber market as the reason. 'Market conditions have weakened since we initiated the timberland auction process largely due to mill closures, low pulp prices, and competition from three million acres of timberlands offered for sale across the region,' Rummell said in a July 22, 1999, press release. 'The economic cycles of the pulp and paper industry are well documented. St. Joe can and will be a disciplined seller in this highly cyclical marketplace.' The company anticipated resuming the auction process when market conditions improved.
Principal Subsidiaries:Arvida/JMB Partners, L.P. (26%); Arvida Realty Services; Codina Group, Inc. (33%); Deerfield Park, L.L.C. (61%); ENTROS, Inc. (44%); Florida East Coast Industries, Inc. (54%); St. Joe/Arvida Company, L.P. (74%); St. Joe/CNL Realty Group, Ltd. (50%); St. Joe Commercial Property Service, Inc.; St. Joe Timberland Company: WBP One, L.P. (50%).
Principal Competitors:Ampace Corporation; Bluegreen Corporation; CSX Corporation; Del Webb Corporation; Gables Residential Trust; Legend Properties, Inc.; Lennar Corporation; Norfolk Southern Corporation.
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