Promotions & Awards
Marvin Traub Joins Palladium As
Retail Consultant
Marvin S. Traub, former chairman and CEO of
Bloomingdale's, joined The Palladium Company, a national developer of mixed-use and
entertainment-enhanced retail projects, as a consultant to its retail division.
Traub is initially consulting on Palladium's premiere New York City
development, The Palladium at Columbus Centre, the retail and destination restaurant part
of the 2.7-million sq.ft. entertainment, retail, hotel, office and residential development
at the Coliseum site that will serve as the world headquarters for Time Warner.
"Mr. Traub's extensive contacts within and knowledge of the retail
industry, both nationally and internationally, will contribute substantially to the
programming and development of the retail aspect of our project," says Kenneth A.
Himmel, president and CEO of The Palladium Company.
Traub's new duties will include assisting Palladium with the overall
retail strategy for the project, including consulting of the retail/tenant mix, planning
and design of the public spaces, as well as identifying and attracting appropriate luxury
retailers to the development.
"I am pleased to join Palladium on a consulting basis and hope to
contribute in program development and design, as well as reviewing marketing opportunities
for the retail entertainment and restaurant aspects of the project," says Traub.
"Having been in the retail business for almost 50 years, I can assist Palladium in
attracting a selection of the finest luxury department stores and retailers in the
world."
Highlighted by a six-story Galleria, Columbus Centre will feature
specialty retail and destination restaurants (450,000 leasable sq.ft); 325 luxury
condominium units (523,000 sq.ft.); a five-star luxury hotel with 313 rooms and a ballroom
and banquet facilities; and a 1,200-seat concert hall, Jazz@Lincoln Center. Headquarters
space for Time-Warner will also comprise state-of-the-art broadcasting facilities and
digital studios for CNN and NY1 for an aggregate of 750,000 sq. ft. Additionally, the
project will feature valet parking for approximately 300 vehicles.
Traub currently serves as the senior advisor to Financo, an investment
company. From Financo's New York headquarters, Traub continues in his capacity as
president of his marketing and consulting firm, Marvin Traub Associates, Inc. (MTA). He is
working with Coin, the largest retailer in Italy; Lanvin Paris, a division of L'Oreal;
Men's Health Magazine; and Prime Retail, a developer of factory outlet centers. He is
chairman of The Home Company, a new company formed to market upscale branded furniture in
factory outlet centers. He is also founder and chairman of the Johnnie Walker Collection,
a company that markets Johnnie Walker apparel and watches.
Prior to creating MTA, Traub was chairman and CEO of Bloomingdale's for
14 years, as well as vice chairman and director of Campeau Corporation and director of
Federated Department Stores. Including The Palladium at Columbus Centre, The Palladium
Company currently has more than $3 billion worth of entertainment-enhanced retail and
mixed-use developments in various stages of planning and construction across the country,
including: Palladium at City Place (West Palm Beach, Florida); Palladium Center (Bellevue,
Washington); Palladium at Kenmore Square (Boston); Palladium at Birmingham (Birmingham,
Michigan); and a soon-to-be-announced mixed-use project in Dallas, Texas.
For more information, contact: The Palladium Company, 212-521-6440.
Cafe Odyssey Wins Prestigious Thea Award
| Bloomington, Minnesota-based Cafe Odyssey (NASDAQ: CODY) will add to its growing list of awards when it receives the Themed Entertainment Association's Thea Award for outstanding achievement in the restaurant category. |
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Cafe Odyssey is one of 15 award
recipients, including Cirque du Soleil in the live show category, Disney's Animal Kingdom
in the park category, and the AquaMatrix, of Lisbon, Portugal, in the live event
spectacular category.
"We are awestruck to be in the company of these amazing themed
attractions," says John Pugh,Odyssey's vice president of development. "This
award is truly an honor for Cafe Odyssey and reflects the quality of the restaurant's
atmosphere."
Cafe Odyssey restaurants feature three distinct dining areas that
recreate with unique lighting, lifelike video projections, and distinctive audio tracks
the following exotic destinations: the African Serengeti Plains; the Incan Ruins of Machu
Picchu high in the Andes Mountains of Peru; and the Lost City of Atlantis. To enhance the
total experience, upon arrival each guest is given a"passport" that explains the
history, relevance, and sights of each dining area, as well as a card of simple phrases in
the native language of the destination.
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The restaurants also feature the Explorer's Club Bar, with a mammoth globe in which guests may sit. Extensive menu selections include indigenous world cuisine ranging from Asian to Southwestern and Caribbean to Cajun, as well as fusion items that blend international tastes. Each dining destination area features a different menu and different daily specials. |
The chain operates locations at Kenwood
Crossing in Cincinnati, Ohio; at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota; and at
Denver Pavilions in Denver, Colorado, which opened in March 1999. The Cincinnati location
has won the Taste of Cincinnati competition's "Award of Excellence" and
"Best Appetizer." The Bloomington restaurant just won the Diner's Choice
"Best Appetizer" at Taste of the Nation Minnesota and won in that competition
last year for "Best Entree." Cafe Odyssey President Ron Fuller says the company
is evaluating opportunities for expansion. For more information, contact John Pugh, vice
president of development, Cafe Odyssey, 612-837-9917.
Bruce Fabel Becomes Sega
GameWorks COO
Sega GameWorks, based in Universal City, California, promoted retail
veteran Bruce Fabel to the position of chief operating officer.
Fabel, who joined the company in May 1998 as senior vice president and
general manager, successfully spearheaded the repositioning of the GameWorks venues,
developing them into exciting, captivating entertainment destinations that appeal to a
broad and mixed audience that includes adults, families and teens.
| As he made the
announcement of Fabel's promotion, GameWorks President and CEO Michael Montgomery said,
"Bruce's innate leadership abilities have been critical to the growth of GameWorks.
Our expansion to a dozen sites, highlighted by the recent successful opening of GameWorks
in the Chicago area and Columbus, is an excellent example of Bruce's accomplishments and
exemplifies the impact he has made on the company. We will continue to look to Bruce's
drive and management skills in his new position as we enhance our current entertainment
products and build for the future. "In his new role, Fabel will be responsible for the overall day-to-day operations for GameWorks and GameWorks Studios in the United States and abroad. He will oversee new and existing venues, project operations and the various disciplines that comprise the guest experience. |
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Fabel will also play a key role monitoring guest needs and
maintaining the company's distinct identity as a world-class entertainment
destination.”
Prior to joining Sega GameWorks, Fabel served as the executive vice
president of global retail operations for Calvin Klein, Inc., where he was responsible for
all aspects of the global retail division, including merchandising, design, marketing,
finance and store operations. His talents also landed him at Nike, Inc., where he took
over Nike's retail operations, opening three of the company's seven NIKETOWN flagship
stores. He also negotiated additional domestic and international store leases, managed 34
Nike factory venues and the company's international Nike store operations. Fabel began his
tenure in the retail industry as vice president of global development for Warner Brothers
Studio Stores. Fabel was responsible for finalizing the Warner Brothers Studio Stores
concept and putting the retailer on the map with the opening of 111 stores.
For more information, contact Sega GameWorks, 818-866-9613.