Posts Tagged ‘Industry’

MulvannyG2 Architecture Attracts Four Industry Leaders to its Bellevue Headquarters

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013


Bellevue, WA (PRWEB) April 19, 2013

Bellevue, WA (April 18, 2013) MulvannyG2 Architecture announces the addition of four industry leaders to its Bellevue headquarters: Stan Laegreid, MJ Munsell, Michael Lee, and Carolyn Jones. Collectively, these four new hires add a major component to the firms roster of world-class retail, mixed-use, commercial, and interior design expertise. Their addition further solidifies MulvannyG2s reputation for design excellence and first-class client service, making the firm a desirable destination for the industrys best and brightest.

Adding these four talented and versatile experts to our firm is a big win for us and for our clients, said Mitchell Smith, CEO of MulvannyG2. Their arrival complements our existing expertise while elevating the level of service we can provide as we continue to expand into new markets and regions. These individuals are also enthusiastic about mentoring our junior staff, so their impact will be felt at all levels of the firm.

Stan Laegreid, AIA, Senior Principal. With more than 30 years of design experience in retail and mixed-use developments around the world, Stan is a true industry leader. Recognized by peers and clients alike as one of the most respected and educated professionals in international design, he has brought some of the worlds biggest commercial projects to fruition with design widely regarded as iconic and inspiring.

Stan will fill the role of International Commercial Design Leader in MulvannyG2s Bellevue office. In that position he will be responsible for setting and delivering design expectations for the market including level of talent, expertise, client management, quality goals, and innovation, as well as market design specifics and best practices for design firm wide.

Most recently, he was a Principal and Design Leader in Callisons Commercial studio while also working at times with the Stores Studio, including numerous Nordstrom store designs. Along with his interest and involvement in the domestic market, his extensive global travel over the last 20 years has afforded him a rare level of expertise in nearly every major international market.

Stans retail design career began on the design team of the original Bellevue Square in Bellevue, Wash., one of the most profitable retail centers in the U.S. with more than 16 million visitors a year. Other notable mixed-use experience includes his work on one of the nations largest mixed-use projects, City Creek Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, which consists of 800,000 SF of retail, 700,000 SF of offices, 300,000 SF of residential space, a pedestrian skybridge, and sustainable features including a retractable glass roof and a creek that runs through the site.

Previously Stan worked for Moore Ruble Yudell in Santa Monica and Charles Kober Associates in both Seattle and Los Angeles. Stan received his Bachelors degree from the University of Washington, and attended the Seattle University MBA program and the UCLA Graduate School of Architecture.

MJ Munsell, IIDA, Principal. MJ has more than 30 years of experience in retail strategy, design, and management. The recipient of the 2012 IIDA Professional Member Honor Award for being on the forefront of retail design, she is an in-demand speaker and widely regarded as an industry authority.

As MulvannyG2s new Retail Design Leader, she will be based in the Bellevue office and will focus on retail market strategy, thought leadership, and overall design excellence firm wide. She will also deepen MulvannyG2s current retail client relationships and use her vast experience and connections to establish new clients for the firm.

Prior to joining MulvannyG2, MJ was Principal-in-Charge, Global Retail Practice at Callison where she managed a staff of 200 and was responsible for growing their business, leading strategy, and developing the next generation of leadership. While at Callison, MJ also worked on and eventually led the Nordstrom account for more than 20 years, working with such major brands as Harrods, Chicos, Ben Bridge, Harvey Nichols, Kohls, Ann Taylor, Trish McEvoy, The Tyra Banks Company, and others.

Previously, MJ worked with the Limited, Inc. as a store designer and planner in developing their retail brand experience including transforming the then-emerging Victorias Secret brand into a global presence. She also worked at the Design Collective Incorporated and BOHM-NBBJ.

MJ holds a Bachelor of Science from Miami University in Ohio, and has served on the IIDA Advocates Board, NASFM Advisory Board, and the VM+SD Advisory Board.

Carolyn Jones, AIA, NCARB, LEED BD+C, Principal. Carolyn has 20 years of experience in retail design and architecture. She has diverse strategic leadership experience on project types ranging from department stores to new prototype concept development and multi-location rollout programs.

Carolyn fills the newly created position of Retail Practice Leader in the Bellevue office and is responsible for increasing efficiencies and further refining best practices in her market firm wide. She excels at developing client relationships and will use her deep understanding of retail business strategies, store planning, and visual merchandising to bring new clients to the firm. Carolyn embodies the concept of collaborative leadership and teambuilding, and is focused on the development, growth, and success of others through mentoring and coaching.

Prior to joining MulvannyG2, Carolyn worked at Callison for 13 years where she most recently served as the Principal-in-Charge of the Nordstrom account, focusing on bringing together the design, technical, and financial aspects of projects to ensure successful outcomes. She also served on the leadership team of Principals for Callisons Global Retail Studio. In addition to the Nordstrom account, she also worked on national retail store programs for such clients as Coldwater Creek, GUESS? Retail, Inc., and Gap, Inc.

Before joining Callison in 1999, Carolyn worked at Becker Architects in Kirkland, Wash., and Cardwell/Thomas & Associates, Architects and Stuart Silk Architects, both based in Seattle.

Carolyn received her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame.

Michael Lee, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Principal. Michael has more than 20 years of architectural design experience in the commercial mixed-use market, both domestic and abroad. His expertise in master planning and concept design and development covers large, upscale mixed-use projects in the urban environment, as well as outdoor lifestyle and town center developments. He excels in establishing a strong design concept that blends function, aesthetics, and business considerations to reach a projects full potential.

As the Commercial Studio Design Leader in MulvannyG2s Bellevue office, Michael will help develop and mentor the commercial mixed-use team while supporting expansion in the mixed-use development market by establishing new client relationships.

Previously, Michael was a Design Principal at Callison and was responsible for leading multiple domestic and international mixed-use projects spanning from the Bravern and University Village in Washington to the De Yan and Hopson International Plaza mixed-use projects in China. Prior to Callison, Michael worked at Sienna Architecture in Portland, Ore., and Seattle.

He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Houston and is a member of the Urban Land Institute and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

About MulvannyG2 Architecture

MulvannyG2 Architecture designs retail, mixed-use, and corporate offices and interiors for clients and brands of global significance. MulvannyG2 is among the worlds 40 largest architecture firms and consistently ranks as one of the worlds top three retail designers.

Founded in 1971, the firm employs a staff o

RenovationReady

Thursday, January 24th, 2013


Centennial, CO (PRWEB) January 11, 2013

RenovationReady

The Timeshare Industry Celebrates Veterans Day Honoring All Military That Serve Our Country

Monday, November 12th, 2012


WASHINGTON (PRWEB) November 09, 2012

On this important day for all American veterans, the American Resort Development Association(ARDA) extends its thanks to the brave men and women that serve our country. Many ARDA members actively support veterans initiatives throughout the year, and ARDA applauds their efforts.

Protecting our country is an important job that too often gets taken for granted, says Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of ARDA. On this special day set aside for those who have served and who currently serve, we want to honor this special group of people.

Heres a sampling of how ARDA members honor our veterans:

Wyndham Vacation Ownership (WVO) proudly supports military reservists across the company and recently received the Above and Beyond Award for their efforts from the Missouri Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee (ESGR), an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense. The award honors WVO as an employer who provides exceptional support for military employees by exceeding the legal requirements for granting leave. The nomination for this award came directly from a WVO employee who is in the National Guard. WVO held her position while she was deployed with her platoon serving our country for 12 months.

For the second consecutive year, Interval Internationals Miami-based employees raised nearly $ 4,000 through a series of bake sales to benefit the Operation Any Soldier program.

Four Treats for Troops events, held at Intervals corporate headquarters and member-services center, generated funds used to ship custom care packages year-round to wounded and deployed service members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Intervals employee-driven support of Operation Any Soldier enhances its vacation program for military families with Steel Magnolias, a nonprofit founded by Interval member Deborah Powers-Holloway and her husband Milton. Since 2010, more than 250 travel certificates have been awarded for seven-day stays at Interval member resorts.

Intervals London-based staff manages a similar vacation program in partnership with Help for Heroes, a charity that provides recovery services across the U.K. for military members and their families who have experienced life-changing injuries or illness. Interval will also be donating weeks to the Resort Development Organisation (RDO), the trade association for vacation ownership across Europe, for the Give Us Time program that supports British forces in Afghanistan.

Grand Pacific Resort Management, located in north San Diego County, includes the Orange County resort San Clemente Cove in its family of 15 resorts. Bob Crittenden, a current owner at Carlsbad Seapointe Resort is one of the driving forces behind a non-profit organization called San Clemente Military Family Outreach, which provides emergency and morale services to the 1000+ families who are stationed in the north Camp Pendleton Marine and Navy base area. Each year this organization raises thousands of dollars for meaningful support of military families. These funds go to emergency car repairs, baby showers, school supplies, and a 1,000 turkey dinner giveaway which provides turkey and all the fixins for military families to enjoy in the privacy of their own homes. The primary fundraising vehicle for these activities is a yearly variety show. Grand Pacific Resort Management supports Military Family Outreach by donating weeks of ResorTime.com timeshare inventory to be auctioned off to raise funds.

RCIs Armed Forces Vacation Club

Unemployment Rates in the Construction Industry Lowest Since 2008, Construction Connection Works to Keep Them Low

Thursday, September 13th, 2012


Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 13, 2012

Construction Connection announces new positions available across the industry in hopes of putting people back to work. Recent reports from the US Department of Labor show the unemployment rate in the construction industry is the lowest it has been since 2008.

One year ago, rates hovered around 14%, but the most recent reports show unemployment among construction workers at 11.3% today. Still significantly higher than the national 8.1% unemployment rate, professionals across the industry hope to see a continued decline in the number of skilled laborers out of work. While economists debate the cause for the decline, job-matching company Construction Connection is recruiting employers to post jobs and hire qualified workers.

This [decrease] is largely due to former construction workers moving to other industries or leaving the workforce all together, says Chief Economist of the Associated Builders and Contractors Anirban Basu. What many of these workers may not realize, though, is that construction jobs are on the rise.

In August, 1,000 new jobs were created in the construction industry. Economists at Fannie Mae told Realtor.com, A shrinking inventory of for-sale homes on the market has also lead to a gradual pickup in homebuilding in many housing markets. This means that residential construction jobs are being created, and workers do not need to look outside of their industry for employment. Experienced and skilled laborers only need to know where to look to find these jobs.

ConstructionConnection.com is a revolutionary website that matches industry professionals to jobs for which they are best suited. Many workers in the construction industry may not know how to market themselves in order to find a job that matches their specific skill-set, thus making it very difficult to find appropriate jobs. Construction Connection has many new resources and tools to help.

Construction Connection uses a patent-pending matching system that focuses on particular skills. Employers can post a job at no charge for an electrician, a project manager or any other position in construction, architecture, engineering, property management or real estate development, and the matching system finds the candidates whose skills and experience have prepared them for the position. Only qualified candidates then apply.

As a veteran of the construction industry myself, it was very important to us that Construction Connection make it easy for workers to find jobs that actually suited their skills, said Kent Leighton, one of the founders of the website. This was also the idea behind Construction Connections support system for employers. They can call or go online to chat with a CC team member who will guide them through the process of posting a job for free.

Though critics of the slow growth say that the industry is not producing enough jobs, Leighton and his partners agree while remaining optimistic. He says, We have new employers signing up every day ready to post positions on the site. Its exciting when we hear back from them, and they tell us about their success filling a job using ConstructionConnection.com.

While Construction Connection may not be able to solve the US economic problems, they are doing their part to put people back to work. Employers and potential employees have access not only to each other and the CC support staff, but also the Construction Connection Partners, other businesses whose relevant services are accessible through the website. Their partners include engineering firms, manufacturers, lawyers and other professionals who act as resources for all of the sites members. Leighton and his partners hope that by creating constructionconnection.com, the unemployment rate of industry professionals will continue to decrease.

Construction Connection was created out of a need for a more effective and streamlined way for construction industry professionals to get matched with the right industry jobs and with the right industry opportunities. The partners of Construction Connection, both industry professionals themselves, listened to both company and individuals dissatisfaction with the traditional job boards, the paid resume blasts, the overpriced resume services and overall lack of sympathy toward the individual candidate. We also listened to the dissatisfaction from companies who post jobs only to get many irrelevant results or having to purchase high priced ads to showcase their company. Construction Connection is a patent-pending, one-of-a- kind profile creating / match-making system. The system delivers effective results. Construction Connection saves you time, money and aggravation by matching people to people, people to companies, companies to people, and company to company.