Published: April, 01 2002

Within a 15-minute drive of the new, European-style shopping village going up in Norcross are 358,000 people with an average household income of $92,566, said Ron Pfohl, managing partner of the Forum Development Group.

Demographics like that help explain why Gwinnett is home to three regional malls, and why Pfohl and partners Bill Brown and StanThomas are building more than 375,000 square feet of upscale retail space in their shadows, and to heck with a recession.

The 55-acre mixed-use development at Peachtree Parkway and Peachtree Corners Circle encompasses more than a half-million square feet of retail and office space. Carr-American opened a 90,000-square-foot office building in the development in February. WakeBeasley & Associates, architects for the Forum, are locating their own offices there.

The remainder of the space will be devoted to upscale apparel and home furnishing retail, specialty shops and restaurants, Pfohl said.

The Forum is the first of three signature-style developments the Smyrna-based limited partnership is building across the country. A second project is expected to open in Carlsbad, Calif., by the end of the year. The third, a joint venture between the Forum Development Group and Continental Developers of Columbus, Ohio, is under way in Charlotte.

The design of the Forum is reminiscent of a country village in Europe, a reflection of the developer's desire to offer something unique and distinctive in the area's retail market. Plenty of inspiration was also to be found in the surrounding communities, where elements of European-style architecture abound, Pfohl said.

Leases are fully executed in almost 80 percent of the development, which includes about 60 shops. Retail is expected to be 95 percent leased within nine months, the managing partner said. A handful of shops are already open, and the Forum will launch a grand opening week celebration May 2, Pfohl said.

The Forum Development Group LLC was established in mid-1998 to focus on specialty retail products like the Forum in Norcross, but its three partners aren't newcomers to commercial development. Pfohl was previously with Cousins Properties. Bill Brown is president of Merchants Resource Realty and StanThomas is founder and CEO of Thomas Enterprises, which has developed more than 15 million square feet of retail space in recent years, Pfohl said.

Adrenaline Inc., Atlanta-based advertising and design consultants, is representing the Forum.

Wolfvision, an Austrian company, recently relocated its U.S. headquarters from California to Norcross.

The company has leased 2,500 square feet of space and will employ 15 people in Norcross by the end of the year, spokesmen for the Georgia Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade said.

Wolfvision will eventually be involved in production at its Norcross site. The company builds live-camera systems, with images that can be displayed on TV monitors or projected onto a large screen using a video projector or data projector. For additional information, see the company's Web site at www.wolfvision.com.

The National Bank of Commerce will open one of its first metro Atlanta branches inside the new Wal-Mart Supercenter, 3245 Lawrenceville Suwanee Road in Suwanee on May 15.

The branch's grand opening will coincide with the opening of the Wal-Mart Supercenter. In celebration of the grand opening, NBC will offer free checking, no-closing-cost home equity loans, and -- through July 15 -- special rates on certificates of deposit and money market savings accounts. The bank also will hold a drawing for prizes, including a $500 shopping spree.

The branch will be NBC's first in-store location in Suwanee and its sixteenth in-store location in North Georgia. NBC is opening 30 additional branches in Kroger stores throughout metro Atlanta by the end of 2003.

The bank is part of $20 billion-asset National Commerce Financial Corp. (NYSE: NCF). It is based in Memphis with locations in nine states. NBC will locate its metro Atlanta branches in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Forsyth, Cherokee, Douglas, Fayette, Clayton, Henry, Rockdale and Walton counties. Consistent with its "hub-and-spoke" strategy, NBC will support its in-store branches with a smaller number of traditional brick and mortar facilities.

The Suwanee location will offer deposit accounts and loans, mortgages, investments, insurance and other financial services.

"Opening a branch inside a Wal-Mart store simply gives Suwanee shoppers more time," said Kimitia Hall, regional president for NCF in North Georgia.

The branch will be open six days a week, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Customers also can bank by using the on-site ATM, calling 1-888-622-2265, or going to www.nbcbank.com.

The Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council is seeking nominations for the Small Business of the Year Award.

The award will recognize an outstanding small business and Greater Hall Chamber member for 2001-02. A Chamber member may nominate his or her own business, or another member. The deadline for nominations is April 22.

The award winner will be announced at the Greater Hall Chamber's annual meeting and gala May 16 at Brenau University, and will be featured in the Chamber's Business Link newsletter.

Nominees must have operated for two years in Hall County; must be a member of the Greater Hall Chamber; show growth in sales, income and number of employees; offer innovative products or services; exhibit response to adversity; and have civic and community involvement. Businesses with 50 or fewer employees are eligible.

For a nomination form or additional details, call William Bagwell at the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, 770-532-6206.

Gwinnett Growth appears Mondays in the Gwinnett section of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Submit items, ask questions or make suggestions by mail: 6455 Best Friend Road, Norcross, GA 30071; by fax: 770-263-3011; by e-mail: melizabethneal@aol.com or by phone: 770-719-2394.

Photo: The finishing touches are going up at the Forum, a mixed-use development at Peachtree Parkway and Peachtree Corners Circle. The grand opening is planned in May. / KENT D. JOHNSON / Staff