Capital Buzz: Eatery franchise, anyone?

-- Former AOL sports exec Jimmy Lynn is consulting for Under Armour.

-- D.C. mid-size private equity firm Acon Investments realized four times its investment on the sale of SAE Towers Partners, which builds giant utility towers. Acon was founded by Jon Ginns, Ken Brotman and Bernard Aronson.

-- The D.C. Financial Group, a district network office of the Washington Group of Northwestern Mutual, has moved into a new 6,539-square-foot space at 1801 K St. NW, which is more than twice the size of its previous office at 1825 K St. NW. The new digs house 13 financial reps, with room for another 15.

-- Gregory of "Meet the Press," former Digene chief executive Evan Jones and International Limousine President Richard Kane all stopped by Raul and Jean-Marie Fernandez's book party for former congressman Harold Ford.

BACK TO BUSINESS

Walker & Dunlop, the 73-year-old real estate firm that recently filed to sell stock to the public, held its annual soiree last week at the tony Metropolitan Club, hosted by chief executive Willy Walker.

The reception has become a local marker to the end of the summer and the start of the back-to-business season. In addition to the freshly sliced filet mignon sandwiches, Walker's affair had its mix of politicos (D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty), attorneys (New York law firm founder Joe Cassin), real estate mavens (Esko Korhonen, managing partner of Federal Capital Partners; Bob Tannenbaum, a principal at Lerner Enterprises) and financial types (Terry Beaty, portfolio manager at Brown Advisory; Mike Herrald, regional president of PNC).

Beaty said the topic on everyone's mind, aside from why Walker & Dunlop was going public (estate planning, dealing with lenders), was the local economy.

"People are feeling better," said Beaty, a longtime local wealth management adviser. "There is noticeably more activity out there. Deals are happening. Buildings are getting sold. Buildings are getting financed. And there is even some new private sector construction."

BASKETBALL DREAMS

Washington Caps and Verizon Center owner Ted Leonsis continues to look for ways to monetize his newly acquired Wizards. The latest? He's made room for eight more "owner's seats," also known as "dream seats," next to the team benches for $1,500 a game -- or $63,000 for the season.

The seats come with membership in an "ultra-private owners' club," free food and drinks, valet parking, access to post-game news conferences and a concierge service that, well, will get you just about anything you want.

The Wizards moved the team's radio broadcasting team into the stands and bought smaller, high-tech advertising boards courtside to make room for the expansion from eight seats last year to 16 now.