Freedom Tech Center
Freedom Tech Center is a 50-acre mixed-use development, master-planned by The Jay Odom Group under a long-term land lease with the US Air Force. The Jay Odom Group broke ground beginning the installation of the infrastructure for Freedom Tech Center in 2021. This project boasts 1,600 linear feet of frontage along Lewis Turner Parkway, one of the City of Fort Walton Beach’s major arteries, and will transform the north side of Fort Walton Beach into a bustling commerce center, bringing jobs, housing, hotel and meeting space accommodations, restaurants, Class A office space and a 4-acre recreational park to the local community.
The Jay Odom Group annexed this property into the City of Fort Walton Beach, securing City services for this development and generating tax revenue for the City. The City is excited to help bring this project to the community, and we are currently working with the City to secure all the entitlements for this development to include 312 luxury apartment homes and a 126-room Home2 Suites, for which The Jay Odom Group has already secured the franchise agreement with Hilton.
The Jay Odom Group is proud to bring this project to the community while working under the Enhanced Use Lease with the US Government to provide additional income to the Air Force in order to fund local AFB infrastructure. Freedom Tech Center is 5 miles from both Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field and is highly anticipated by military defense contractors and the community as a whole. The Jay Odom Group intends to install one of the State of Florida’s tallest flagpoles in the 4-acre park at Freedom Beacon as a beacon for our military, civilian base employees, and the local community and to inspire patriotism and pride while serving our community’s needs.
Home2 Suites
Holiday Inn Express & Suites
The Island Hotel & Resort
In 2017, The Jay Odom Group partnered in this iconic 330+ room Gulf-front resort. Built in 1966, and branded as a Ramada until the time of Odom’s entrance into ownership of the hotel, the hotel was in substantial disrepair and in need of management services in order for this property to reach its potential.
Set on a lushly landscaped 11+ acres of gorgeous Gulf-front property, boasting over 600’ of frontage along the Emerald Coast’s beautiful white-sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, Odom and his team set out to bring this property back to its former glory. They exceeded expectations in this endeavor with the tenacity, vision, and modern flair that Odom brings to all his projects.
Odom and his team directed and performed a major $20MM renovation while remaining open for business, to include a complete overhaul of every aspect of the hotel, from obtaining the financing to design, construction, procurement, new equipment and systems purchasing and installation, rebranding, and hiring and supplementation of professional management. Odom also renamed the resort to The Island Hotel & Resort.
After the renovations were completed, reservations and revenue were at an all-time high, and the hotel was sold in 2021 to a national reputable hospitality industry leader.
The Wharf 850 Restaurant & Marina
A local favorite under multiple past ownerships, this bayfront property in Niceville, Florida was purchased by The Jay Odom Group in 2015. The restaurant and marina located on Niceville’s famous Boggy Bayou were in need of visionary renovation and business savvy – needs tailored to Odom’s abilities.
Odom and his team transformed this property into a beautiful, inviting eatery with a successful dock slip rental business, regaining the title as a local favorite. With The Jay Odom Group’s determination, experience, and good old-fashioned elbow grease, this restaurant and dock were raised to Odom’s standards for first-class development, and in 2021, the property was a very attractive acquisition and sold to a restaurant investor.
Destin West RV Resort
The Jay Odom Group purchased, in 2017, this 54-site RV park property located on Okaloosa Island with 400’ of highway frontage and 400’ of waterfront in the rear of the property with a dock for RV guests’ use on beautiful Choctawhatchee Bay. In typical Jay Odom Group-style, the park was refurbished to provide maximum aesthetic and operational appeal for its RV guests. Prior to our purchase of this property, the reservation system was by phone call only. We completely rebuilt the park’s website to allow reservations via the website, and we significantly boosted the multi-media marketing of this property, substantially increasing its online presence with cross-channel marketing. This, along with the property upgrades, which included extending the dock, adding a fire pit, all new outdoor furniture and umbrellas, revamping the check-in facilities and guest store, replacement of the aging laundry facilities, upgrading of all systems and lushly landscaping the entire park, allowed this RV Resort to operate at its maximum potential. The Jay Odom Group sold this RV Resort in 2020.
Pigeon Forge RV Resort
The Jay Odom Group partnered in the purchase of an old RV park in the Smoky Mountains of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in 2019. This park is located on beautiful creek-front property in Pigeon Forge with a stunning Smoky Mountain backdrop. This park was extremely run-down with very low rental revenue from mainly a few long-term renters. With our recent very successful experience upgrading and marketing the Destin West RV Park, The Jay Odom Group was excited for the challenge to transform this TN park into a sought-after, thriving RV Resort. We did exactly that; we developed relationships with Pigeon Forge City officials and local contractors, and we performed a complete rebuild of this property to include the addition of more RV sites (including coveted creek-front sites), paving of all gravel roads, concrete pads at all sites, new underground power to every site, all new water and sewer, upgrade of all wiring and systems, an incredible Welcome building with the widely stocked camp store and Hunt Brothers Pizza with many other ‘on the go’ food and beverage options, multiple inviting areas for gathering including a community lodge with gas fire pit, game room, multiple covered porches, covered pavilion, and a kids playground. We also put in a brand-new bathhouse with private bathroom suites, new laundry facilities, all-new signage, and abundant landscaping throughout the park. We offer golf carts for daily rental which the guests love and provides additional revenue for the resort.
The crown jewel of our resort is our roadside zero-entry, heated, saltwater resort pool with a massive pool deck, a mushroom fountain, and an amazing triple twisting slide that really brings WOW-factor to our park for all guests and passers-by.
The Jay Odom Group developed the website for this resort (www.pigeonforgerv.com) as well as a phenomenal cross-channel marketing program. The upgrades were completed in 2021, and we have already exceeded expectations with bookings and revenue.
The Jay Odom Group team has just completed refurbishing and decking out 4 vintage campers that will be moved to the RV resort and available for reservations beginning in the Spring of 2022. These vintage campers have been hugely anticipated, and we expect high occupancy for these (no RV needed to stay at our fabulous resort!), bringing great additional revenue to the resort.
Island Time
The Jay Odom Group secured its interest in this great local hot spot with a long-term lease of the property from long-time local restauranteurs and remodelled the space for maximum use within the constraints of the lease. The Jay Odom Group leases out this restaurant and marina on Okaloosa Island’s beautiful Choctawhatchee Bay.
We are happy to welcome our newest tenant, Rick’s on the Island. Expanding their established local seafood restaurant success from a single location inland in Fort Walton Beach, Rick’s saw the potential of this property and Odom’s interest in the property as the perfect formula for success with a second location.
The Jay Odom Group expanded the existing marina on this site by permitting and constructing a 500’ long, 50-slip dock extension. This is a hugely popular location for water-sports rentals to our tourists and locals alike. Our water-sports tenants have enjoyed great success in this location, and we love to see their happy customers enjoying this area’s gorgeous natural resources.
Destin Jet
The Jay Odom Group built Destin Jet and operated its 5,500 square-foot facility, which also included 10 hangars totaling 40,000 square feet, from 2009 until 2016. Destin Jet was ranked among the world’s top 10 FBOs within 3 years of its opening in 2009. Six years later, it ranked #3 FBO in the Americas, and #1 FBO in small markets. By purchasing its competition in 2014, The Jay Odom Group added another 5,500 square-foot FBO and a 12,000 square-foot maintenance hangar to Destin Jet. The Jay Odom Group’s success in the Aviation Industry was achieved because the Destin Jet business model was based on operating as a hospitality business, rather than an aircraft business.
Starbucks
This well-known national chain was sought out by The Jay Odom Group for a standalone outparcel of its Uptown Station Shopping Center in the Uptown District of Fort Walton Beach, Florida. A lease was procured and The Jay Odom Group constructed the building from the ground up. Starbucks added mass appeal and synergy to the Uptown District and is well received by the community.
