Events

Building collaborative relationships between design visionaries and construction teams was the fundamental theme underscoring the tips for success shared in the SPECS Planning & Design workshop session “Going from Prototype to Reality, Without Losing the Sizzle.”

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Food Marketing Institute on Monday selected nine finalists for the 12th annual Store Manager Awards competition, which identifies exceptional store managers who generate sales growth, provide great customer service, lead outstanding store teams and serve the community in unique ways. Among the nine, three winners will be named on May 1 in Dallas at the FMI2012 convention and retail trade show.

Solid-state lighting took center stage at the SPECS Sustainability session, “LEDs: Perception and Reality.”

Speaker Leigh Savage, national accounts manager, GE Lighting, debunked many of the myths that surround LED lighting. They included:

• LEDs produce no heat at all. FALSE

• LEDs are more efficient than any other light source. NOT NECESSARILY.

• LEDs are still too expensive to use in retail applications. FALSE

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores announced that its board of directors has nominated Marissa A. Mayer of Google Inc., for election as a new member of the company’s board at Walmart’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on June 1, 2012. If elected, Mayer would become the sixteenth member of the board.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The Walmart board of directors is poised for an infusion of fresh, and young, talent when shareholders vote to approve a slate of directors that includes Google’s VP of local and maps.

Relocating a business and a family from Memphis, Tenn., to St. Petersburg, Fla., is a short distance in miles, but for The Sembler Co., which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the journey has been much longer.

“We have developed 350 projects, including 125 or 130 shopping centers,” said Mel Sembler, recently named chairman emeritus. “It’s been an interesting career.”

2014 marked progress in new development, particularly on the outlet front

After nearly a decade of stalled growth in the shopping center industry, 2014 finally saw progress being made on the new development front. While it’s true that much of the ground-up construction was of the outlet center ilk, the value sector wasn’t the only new-build push.

Washington, D.C. -- Madison Marquette announced Thursday that two of its senior professionals, John-david Franklin (who will represent Pennsylvania, Delaware and Southern New Jersey) and Chuck Taylor (who will represent Florida), have been selected as State Directors by the International Council of Shopping Centers.

The volunteer positions are granted annually to industry leaders who are seen to display unique dedication to ICSC goals and mission.