Zapata Named COO at IM Centers

April 18, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on April 19, 2012

Pedro Zapata has joined International Market Centers as chief operating officer, a new position at the world's largest home furnishings showroom owner.

Zapata is responsible for integrating multiple functions, people and processes across 18 home furnishings showroom properties in Las Vegas and High Point. With almost 20 years of large scale real estate and hospitality operational management expertise, Zapata's career has focused on providing exceptional customer experience, along with unique experience scaling operations in rapid growth environments.

"Pedro has a stellar background in the high-end hospitality industry guided by his early experiences at Ritz Carlton and the Four Seasons," said IMC CEO Bob Maricich. "He has broad-based experiences running a vast array of geographically diverse properties and is a proven and skilled operations and facilities management leader. He has also directed the successful implementation of key business intelligence technology initiatives, which will be a critical underpinning of our newly integrated organization. Throughout his entire career, the consistency of Pedro's efforts has always been with a focus on providing guests exceptional experience, and we are fortunate to have these strengths at IMC."

Zapata joins IMC from Prometheus Group, where he served as vice president of operations and was responsible for the financial, operational, and overall business results of the company's portfolio of high-end multifamily properties. He was tasked with focusing all customer channels to maximize customer service, retention, and loyalty. He was responsible for supporting a total of 18,000 units in 70 communities, with a total of 10,000 leases per year.

Prior to Prometheus Group, Zapata was the vice president of operations for Exclusive Resorts, which grew its portfolio from 60 properties to 400 luxury vacation homes around the world in just over five years. Charged with overseeing the operation and service standards across 37 destinations--and the customer experience of 3,500 Exclusive Resorts members--Zapata oversaw a 1,000-person ground staff and the leadership team of more than 300 managers and directors.

Earlier in his career, Zapata held operations and management positions at Trump International, Bentley Group, Four Seasons Hotels and Ritz-Carlton. He holds a Bachelors degree in business administration from Universidad Catolica in Lima, Peru.

"I am honored to join IMC and I am very much looking forward in working together with all the ladies and gentlemen who make up this great company," Zapata said. "I am confident we will strive to align our daily efforts to exceed our customer's expectations and achieve our Company's goals."

Zapata reports to Maricich and is based in Las Vegas. Michelle Monteferrante, vice president of operations of World Market Center Las Vegas; and Mike Snider, vice president of operations in High Point, report to Zapata.