CNL Financial Group (CNL), formerly Commercial Net Lease, is an

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures r ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

based private investment management and commercial real estate company. It was started in 1973 by James Seneff. The company has been a major player in efforts to redevelop Orlando's downtown. The original CNA tower (the Citrus Center) was downtown Orlando's first modern skyscraper when it was completed in 1971. A new CNL Tower was constructed on the east side of Orange Avenue. The company invests in and manages commercial real estate, runs

Real Estate Investment Trust A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a company that owns, and in most cases operates, income-producing real estate. REITs own many types of commercial real estate, including office and apartment buildings, warehouses, hospitals, shopping ce ...

s (REITs), and invests in private companies. The company's divisions include CNL Commercial Real Estate, CNL Securities Corp., CNL Growth Properties, CNL Healthcare Properties, Global Income Trust and Corporate Capital Trust. In 2013, ''Florida Trend'' ranked it as the state's 33rd largest private company.Mike Bosle
The Long View
July 2013 Florida Trend pages 58-62 It is frequently covered in the news media for its real estate transactions and has assets of approximately $25 billion.CNL contracts to buy Mt. Vernon Inn
Real estate July 7, 2013 By Mary Shanklin, Orlando Sentinel Seneff was inducted into the

Horatio Alger Association The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, that was founded in 1947 to honor the achievements of outstanding Americans who have succeeded in spite of adversity and to emphas ...

in 2010. In 2003, a division of the company bought five hotels with

Hilton Hotels Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton. The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...

for a combined $402 million. CNL sold its hotel holdings in 2007. CNL's REITs owned many major resorts and hotels such as

Darien Lake Six Flags Darien Lake is a 1,200-acre (4.86 km2) amusement park and resort located in Corfu, New York, off of Interstate 90 between Buffalo and Rochester. Six Flags Darien Lake features a theme park, water park, campground and lodging. ...

Frontier City Frontier City is a western-themed amusement park in Oklahoma City. It is owned by EPR and operated by Six Flags. The park originally opened in 1958. Frontier City is the third-oldest Six Flags park behind Six Flags New England and Six Flags Grea ...

Elitch Gardens Theme Park Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park is an amusement park in Denver, Colorado. It is owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and operated by Premier Parks, LLC. Distinctive for being located in a downtown area, it is open April through October. ...

Okemo Mountain Okemo Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in the town of Ludlow, Vermont, United States. The resort experienced 600,000 skier visits in 2009. Parents Magazine rated it the Top US Family Snow Resort. History Okemo was founded in 1955 b ...

, Sugarloaf ski resort, Jiminy Peak, and

Magic Springs and Crystal Falls Magic Springs Theme and Water Park, known as Magic Springs, is an amusement park and water park located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, about from Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock. A single price admission includes all day use of the rides and att ...

and Wild Waves Theme Park. CNL sold its theme parks and Northstar California ski resort to the

real estate investment trust A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a company that owns, and in most cases operates, income-producing real estate. REITs own many types of commercial real estate, including office and apartment buildings, warehouses, hospitals, shopping ce ...

EPR Properties EPR Properties, formerly Entertainment Properties Trust, is a real estate investment trust based in Kansas City, Missouri, that invests in amusement parks, movie theaters, ski resorts, and other entertainment properties. It owns 353 properties a ...

. The remaining ski resorts were sold to

Och-Ziff Capital Management Sculptor Capital Management (formerly Och-Ziff Capital Management Group) is an American global diversified alternative asset management firm. They are one of the largest institutional alternative asset managers in the world. The firm operates mu ...

. CNL founder James Seneff purchased a controlling stake in Alliance Bankshares, taking over the company and renaming it CNLBank. The bank was headquartered in the Citrus Center. Valley National Bank acquired CNLBank in 2015. In 2011, CNL launched CNL Properties Trust. Also in 2011, CNL joined with

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts KKR & Co. Inc., also known as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., is an American global investment company that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and, through its stra ...

to form an investment company for private corporate debt. Recently CNL sold the Mount Washington Hotel to Omni Mount Washington LLC in December 2015. CNL donated $10 million to help build the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

References

External links

Company Homepage
{{CNL attractions Financial services companies established in 1973 Financial services companies of the United States 1973 establishments in Florida American companies established in 1973

See also

References

External links