Courtesy of Wyld Oaks
Key Points
- Taylor Edwards was named chief operating officer of Wyld Oaks, a mixed-use development spanning 215 acres in Apopka.
- Edwards aims to tighten operational coordination, keep infrastructure on schedule, and build internal capacity for various development components.
- Wyld Oaks plans include 300,000 square feet for retail and restaurants, two hotels, and about 6,000 residential units.
Upcoming mixed-use development Wyld Oaks recently named Taylor Edwards as its new chief operating officer.
“Taylor joined the firm just weeks after we signed a contract for the first 200-acre centerpiece of the assemblage that today is Wyld Oaks,” said Joseph Beninati, founder of Wyld Oaks, in a July 13 news release. “During the nearly five years since, he has earned the COO title with results-oriented accomplishments. Taylor has grown from what began as a financial role at the outset to an executive who is now trusted by all our subject-matter experts, including legal, financial, design, civil engineering, construction, leasing, and sales.”
The release lists three “immediate priorities” for Edwards in his new role: “tightening operational coordination across Wyld Oaks’ growing network,” “keeping the infrastructure backbone on schedule,” and “building the internal organizational capacity to meet the distinct demands of the retail, restaurant, multifamily, hotel, office, and medical components coming to life across the site.”
“It’s been a pretty seamless transition,” Edwards said in a Tuesday interview with The Apopka Chief. “The responsibilities themselves have not changed a whole lot with the announcement, but over the years, I have grown into the role and picked up responsibilities along the way.”
Edwards expects that Wyld Oaks will benefit Apopka by bringing new retail and other service options to the city and by focusing on vertical development “to provide a lot of the much-needed housing without sprawling across the ecologically sensitive land that still remains in the area.”
“At the end of the day, we are trying to make Wyld Oaks a part of what makes Apopka the most desirable place for families and businesses to plant their roots,” Edwards said. “It will be a genuine town center that keeps Apopka’s jobs and daily life right here at home. We’rehoping to make this a destination for many years to come.”
Wyld Oaks will span 215 acres near the intersection of West Kelly Park Road and Golden Gem Road. The development plan includes approximately 300,000 square feet reserved for restaurant and retail partners, two hotel sites, and approximately 6,000 residential units, among other features.