Prominent Players
Louis Novick Joins RKF’s Suburban Retail Group as Managing Director
Louis G. Novick, former managing director of retail services for CB Richard Ellis, joined Robert K. Futterman (RKF) as a managing director and will serve as RKF’s director of tenant representation for national retailers with interests in expanding in or to New York’s suburban markets, namely New Jersey, Long Island, Westchester County, and Connecticut.
During the last 15 years, Novick concluded nearly $300 million in aggregate retail rentals at CB Richard Ellis and Long Island-based Ripco Real Estate. At these firms, he was responsible for orchestrating expansion on behalf of a long list of national tenants including: AT&T, Chase Manhattan Bank, Leather Center, Jennifer Convertibles, CVS, Petco and others.
For more information, contact Louis Novick, RKF, 212-599-3744.
Divaris Real Estate Appointed
Exclusive Broker for R/C Theatres
Wayne Anderson, chairman/CEO of R/C Theaters, appointed Divaris Real Estate as its national real estate representative. Gerald Divaris, chairman/CEO of Divaris Real Estate, will coordinate R/C’s national expansion program. Divaris will hire subagents in various markets to assist with the program. Negotiations are already underway for locations in Florida, Maryland, New Jersey and Ohio.
For more information, contact Gerald S. Divaris, 757-497-2113.
LEDO Chosen to Develop
New Theme Park in Taiwan
Theme park and destination resort specialists LEDO International, Inc. will handle strategic business development services and establish the operating strategies for the owner of a new themed destination resort in Taichung, Taiwan.
The Yamay Resort is in its first stages of development and is shooting for a July 1, 2000 first-phase grand opening. The resort consists of a theme park, water, hotel and festival retail village.
LEDO principals will be the counterpart to Yue-Mei International Development Corp., Ltd. executive and key management. Services will focus on organizational development and providing guidance and direction in managing pre-opening milestones and key activities, as well as problem solving to maintain momentum and completion.
For more information, contact LEDO International, 949-719-3750.
Madison Marquette Realty Services Expands Presence With New Office
Greg Bergan |
Madison Marquette Realty Services has opened an Eastern regional office in Washington D.C. The expansion follows a year of growth for Madison Marquette Realty Services which includes its recent partnership with Madison Retail Group, a Washington, D.C.-based retail real estate services firm; the purchase of two California-based property management firms (Farallon Retail Services, Inc. and Hollis & Associates) bringing its management portfolio to more than 20 million sq.ft.; and the opening of a Western regional office in San Francisco, California. |
The company also appointed shopping center industry veteran Greg Bergan as senior vice president for the Eastern regional office. Bergan has more than 20 years of experience in the shopping center industry. Since 1995, he was director of national leasing for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to that, he held senior management positions with General Growth Management, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
For more information, contact Madison Marquette Realty Services, 760-862-1990.
David T. MacBlane to Head
New Mars E-Commerce Company
David T. MacBlane has been named president of Marmusic.com, a new e-commerce company launched by MARS The Musician’s Planet. MacBlane joined MARS the Musician’s Planet after four years with WPP Group USA, Inc., a privately -held $10-billion company that is the parent company of Ogilvy & Mather, J. Walter Thompson, Hill & Knowlton and more than 50 other marketing, advertising and public relations companies worldwide.
Marmusic.com will upgrade the existing MARS Web site to introduce a variety of electronic commerce capabilities. The Web site will offer product presentations, reviews, a repair directory, troubleshooting capabilities, a build-your-own-instrument feature and other musical needs.
MARS contracted with USWeb/CKS, a leading Internet professional services firm, to define and implement other innovative ways to interface with customers.
For more information, contact Mark Clark, vice president of marketing, 954-938-0526.
The Cordish Company Wins
Fourth ULI Award
The Urban Land Institute awarded The Cordish Company its fourth ULI Award for Excellence. The award was given to the company for Bayou Place in Houston, Texas, a 180,000-sq.ft. entertainment project that transformed the closed and empty Albert Thomas Convention Center. The project is anchored by the Angelika Film Center, an 8-screen, stadium seating, art film house and restaurant, and the Aerial Theater, a 3,000-seat live performance ven-ue. The project also contains a series of clubs and restaurants.
Bayou Place, Huston, Texas
ULI’s jury said it was most im-pressed with the fact that not only is Bayou Place itself a success, but dozens of new clubs and restaurants have been built nearby.
For more informtion, contact Blake Cordish, The Cordish Company,
410-752-5444.
Ron Bension appointed president
of Sega GameWorks
Leisure entertainment industry veteran Ron Bension has been named president and CEO of Sega GameWorks, the entertainment venture formed by Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks SKG, Universal Studios and Sega Enterprises.
Prior to serving as chairman and CEO at MCA/Universal Studios Recreation Group, Bension served as president and COO, overseeing the daily operations of both Universal Studios Hollywood and Florida and Yosemite Park & Curry Company. He began his career with MCA in 1971, which he left in 1997 in order to pursue entrepreneurial interests focusing on entertainment business and acquisitions.
Bension will spearhead the strategic direction of the company, creating entertainment destinations to lead the company into global expansion.
Steven Spielberg, who worked with Bension on several Universal projects says, “Ron’s incredible knowledge and hands-on experience as a leader in the global entertainment business make him perfect for GameWorks. It will be great to be back in business together.”
GameWorks has 12 locations and plans to open two new venues in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Irvine, California.
For more information, contact Ron Bension, president and CEO, Sega GameWorks, 818-777-4263.