Jeff Lamkin, CEO of the Atlanta-based Sea Oats Group, recently won a 2008 Top 25 Entrepreneurs Award from Catalyst Magazine. Lamkin cites the success of his current real estate development project Cinnamon Shore, the first New Urbanism community on Texas’s Coastal Bend, for winning the award.

Although many developers are struggling in the failing real estate market, Lamkin is enjoying a steady rise of success at Cinnamon Shore. Sales in the beach community have more than doubled over the past year. Lamkin, an Alpharetta resident, attributes this growth to undiscovered beaches, accessibility and affordability. He says of Cinnamon Shore, “Lot prices here start at $125,000, and home prices start in the high $300,000’s, which is a bargain among comparable offerings in Florida and California.”

The Sea Oats Group and Cinnamon Shore are just two of Lamkin’s accomplishments since he began his career 16 years ago. Lamkin is a serial entrepreneur and success enabler who possesses a passion for business and serves as a catalyst for growing companies. After running three other successful businesses, in addition to his position at Sea Oats Group, he currently serves as Chairman/CEO of simplifyMD Instant Digital Chart Room, on the Board of Advisors for Insight Sourcing and as investor in PetDoc.com and Influent Corporation.
 

Released each year, Catalyst's Top 25 Entrepreneurs recognizes those who are leading Atlanta's small-to-mid-sized business community. After conducting field interviews, reviewing financial data and compiling evaluation results, the selection team considered four equally weighted factors to rank this year's honorees: growth, profitability, sustainability and entrepreneurship.

Sea Oats Group (www.seaoatsgroup.com) is an investment group focused on real estate, especially early-cycle coastal resort development, and private equity. The company plans to launch Skipperling, located on the Boliver Peninsula, in 2009. The company is also planning a third project, on South Padre Island, to launch in 2010.
Located near Port Aransas (“the fishing capital of Texas”) and a new Arnold Palmer-signature Links golf course, Cinnamon Shore (www.cinnamonshore.com) features 1,200 feet of beachfront on Mustang Island, Texas, a Gulf Coast barrier island located 30 minutes from Corpus Christi. When complete, the community will comprise approximately 250 homes and condominiums, a town center with shops, restaurants, hotel and office space; numerous parks and recreational amenities; and a traditional grid of pedestrian-friendly streets that interconnect the entire community.