Nassau County to Benefit from Relocation

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