IMC Shuffles Management Team

January 27, 2015  by in Executive Changes, High Point, Industry, Las Vegas, Market   

Julie Messner has been promoted to senior vice president for furniture leasing in High Point, and Karen Olson has been promoted to senior vice president of marketing.

Other changes include promotions of Philip Knott to vice president of operations services; Renae Brown to director of strategy; Cassie Catania-Hsu to leasing director of gift + home; and Andy Maiden to director of internal communications.

“I’m pleased we’re moving forward by building the right organization and calibrating some key positions that will drive IMC’s long-term strategic goals,” said Bob Maricich, CEO of International Market Centers. “We’ve developed a strong talent pool internally that we can draw from to fill these new positions, with current employees who are well-prepared for their expanded roles. It’s gratifying to watch as we continue to create an organization of enduring value.” 

In her new position, Messner will be responsible for leading the furniture leasing team in High Point and acting as the senior leasing executive interfacing with many of IMC’s largest tenants. She will be responsible for managing 6.7 million square feet of space within 14 properties in High Point, including the recently acquired Commerce & Design http://commerceanddesign.com/ building. 

Olson will lead the development of all marketing strategies to align with corporate goals and objectives in her new position. She will be responsible for managing the marketing teams in both High Point and Las Vegas, including brand marketing, creative and digital media team, public relations, corporate communications, retail relations and call center functions. 

With Olson’s promotion, IMC has named Renee Loper-Boyd as the company’s vice president of marketing, succeeding Olson. Loper-Boyd brings more than 15 years’ of marketing experience to the position, with the last 10 spent in the home furnishing industry – including, most recently, as the vice president of marketing and business development at Bassett Furniture. Prior to Bassett, she was director of marketing and communications for aspenhome. Loper-Boyd reports to Olson and be responsible for marketing for both High Point and Las Vegas. 

Formerly director of operations for event programming, Knott is now responsible for centralizing all service standards, operations training and will continue to build on the IMC special events structure. Knott will now oversee operations services, special events and housekeeping for the Las Vegas and High Point campuses. 

As director of strategy, Brown continues her current duties from a marketing strategy standpoint and takes on the additional role of directly managing the publications and sponsorship functions of the company. In her new role, Brown is responsible for the profitability of IMC’s publication and sponsorship division, including setting overall direction for editorial, marketing, distribution and sales. 

Recognizing her role in supporting the launch of the tabletop and housewares categories as part of the three-year strategic plan for gift and home décor, Catania-Hsu has been promoted to leasing director for the category. She will play an integral role in the housewares launch on the 11th floor of Building C in Las Vegas and continues to report to Terence Morris in her new responsibility.

Moving from director of operations – development and communications to director of internal communications, Maiden will create and implement an internal communications strategy for IMC team members across both campuses. Managing the successful launch of MyIMC, the company’s internal communications tool, Maiden continues to guide internal communications across the organization so that team members are provided with timely and essential communication. Maiden reports to Carolyn Conley, IMC’s senior vice president of human resources.