PALM BEACH, Fla., March 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The renowned Palm Beach Ice Works (PBIW), an Olympic-style ice rink located in West Palm Beach, embarks on a new chapter. After 15 years of leadership, philanthropist Lori Alf has sold the Palm Beach Breakers youth hockey and ice-skating program to Larry Robbins and Longwood Hockey, while also leasing the Palm Beach Ice Works space. Under a comprehensive five-year lease agreement, Rob Laferriere, President of Longwood Hockey, assumes responsibility for overseeing all aspects of rink operations and the hockey program in tandem with the current leadership.
For the Alf family, Palm Beach Ice Works holds deep personal significance, which they built for their three children to pursue figure skating and hockey training. With their children now grown, the Alf family opted to list the property for sale and or lease with luxury real estate agents Senada Adžem and Paul Bergman of Douglas Elliman. Their priority was to find a suitable partner who would continue the family’s legacy in West Palm Beach. Ms. Alf and Mr. Robbins are dedicated to promoting the development of figure skating and hockey in Palm Beach. They see this transition as the beginning of a new era for PBIW, marked by a continued commitment to growth.
After over a year of searching, Longwood Hockey was identified as a perfect partner. Larry Robbins dedication and passion for both on-ice skills development and character building distinguished him as the ideal candidate to perpetuate and enhance the Alf family’s efforts in bringing the joy of figure skating and hockey to the Palm Beach community. Mr. Robbins brings an extensive coaching background spanning 18 years of coaching youth hockey at the North Jersey Avalanche, which flourished into the country’s leading Midget Hockey program. Larry’s teams reached nationals 11 times and produced 75 Division 1 College Hockey players in the past seven years alone. Recently, he has focused on coaching Mite hockey for children aged 8 and under, fostering an early passion and love for the game among the youngest participants.
In 2015, Larry acquired the USHL’s Chicago Steel and transformed the program into the nation’s premier junior hockey program, nurturing talents like Owen Powers, Adam Fantilli, and Macklin Celebrini, all former #1, #3, and projected #1 picks in three of the last four NHL drafts.
Beyond his achievements in business, Mr. Robbins is dedicated to philanthropic endeavors that prioritize educational excellence and character development, as evidenced by his support for organizations such as Hockey in Harlem and the Sled Rangers. In 2018 he was honored alongside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman by the Positive Coaching Alliance for their shared commitment to character development in both youth hockey and the broader community.
This transaction marks the beginning of Larry, Rob, and the Longwood team’s efforts to revolutionize hockey in South Florida, with plans to invest in additional facilities and recruit top-tier coaches to establish the state as a center for on-ice development excellence. In keeping with their consistent approach, they will be organizing free youth clinics later at PBIW in March, featuring prominent guest coaches as a welcoming gesture to the community.
About Douglas Elliman Inc.
Douglas Elliman Inc. (NYSE: DOUG, “Douglas Elliman”) owns Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC, which is one of the largest residential brokerage companies in the United States with operations in New York, Florida, California, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. In addition, Douglas Elliman sources, uses and invests in early-stage, disruptive property technology (“PropTech”) solutions and companies and provides other real estate services, including development marketing, property management and settlement and escrow services in select markets. Additional information concerning Douglas Elliman Realty is available on its website, www.elliman.com.
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