IMC Promotes 4 in Leasing

November 29, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on November 30, 2011

International Market Centers has promoted four members of its High Point and Las Vegas home furnishings showroom leasing teams.

Julie Messner, Craig Staack, Lee Hershberg and Margaret Powers were named vice presidents responsible for advancing new business opportunities for IMC's portfolio of properties while offering more value to its showroom partners.
 
Messner, a High Point native and formerly vice president of publication sales for the International Home Furnishings Center since 2008, is now vice president of business development and handles home furnishings leasing for IMC's High Point properties. Prior to joining the IHFC, Messner spent three years as director of leasing for MMPI High Point, responsible for leasing temporary showrooms in the Suites at Market Square and the Plaza Suites buildings. Messner, a graduate of High Point University and active on many community boards, also brings with her more than 10 years of furnishings retail sales experience.
 
Craig Staack, a senior level furniture executive with a successful 30-year track record in retail, management, product development and marketing, has been named vice president of business Development and handles home furnishings leasing for Las Vegas. Before joining World Market Center's leasing team in 2009, Staack owned and operated three furniture stores in Las Vegas. Previously, Staack served on the executive committee of a Fortune 500 company and held senior executive positions at three top retailers including Montgomery Ward, Heilig-Meyers and Homelife.
 
Messner and Staack report to Tom Mitchell, IMC president of home furnishings.
 
IMC also announced the promotion of Lee Hershberg to the position of vice president of home decor. Based in High Point, Hershberg most recently served as IHFC's vice president of accessory leasing since 2008, where he was responsible for the 100 percent occupancy rate for 560,000 square feet of space. Previously, Hershberg spent more than seven years at Nielsen Business Media (formerly VNU Expositions) in Atlanta as a sales executive for the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show, and ultimately was promoted to show director. 
 
In addition, Margaret Powers has been named vice president of tradeshow/Las Vegas and will oversee the sales and management of the Temporaries Division at Las Vegas Market. Powers is a 20-year veteran of the gift industry, holding top merchandising and corporate retail positions with Hallmark Cards, Enesco and Hershey. Before joining World Market Center as director of business development in 2008, she served as a director of leasing for Merchandise Mart Properties, handling exhibitor sales for LA Mart, 7W New York and The Chicago Market. 
 
Hershberg and Powers report to IMC's interim president of Gift+Home, Georgia Davis.
 
"We are confident in the track records of these key team members," said Tom Mitchell, IMC's President of Home Furnishings. "They represent some of the very best talent in the country and are incredibly in tune with the business, our industry and our customers. We believe in their abilities to lead IMC's leasing teams to success in both cities and nationally."

IMC's portfolio includes 11.5 million square feet in 18 showroom venues in High Point N.C. and Las Vegas.