IMC Announces Management Changes

Furniture World News Desk on 1/27/2015

International Market Centers (IMC) announced a series of management changes across various departments within the company today. Julie Messner has been promoted to Senior Vice President for Furniture Leasing –High Point and Karen Olson has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Marketing. Additional changes at the management level include the promotions of Philip Knott to Vice President of Operations Services; Renae Brown to Director of Strategy; Cassie Catania-Hsu to Leasing Director, 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,” says Bob Maricich, Chief Executive Officer 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.”

As Senior Vice President for Leasing – High Point, 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 building.

Olson will lead the development of all marketing strategies to align with corporate goals and objectives in her new role as Senior Vice President of Marketing. 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 Karen Olson’s promotion, IMC has hired Renee Loper-Boyd as the company’s new Vice President of Marketing, to backfill Olson’s previous role. Loper-Boyd brings more than 15 years’ of marketing experience to her new role, 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 will report to Olson and be responsible for marketing for both High Point and Las Vegas.

Formerly Director of Operations for Event Programming, Knott has been elevated to the position of Vice President of Operations Services and will become 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 both the Las Vegas and High Point campuses.

Promoted from Manager to Director of Strategy, Brown will continue her current duties from a marketing strategy standpoint and take on the additional role of directly managing the publications and sponsorship functions of the company. In her new role, Brown will be 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, Cassie 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 continue 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 will continue to guide internal communications across the organization so that Team Members are provided with timely and essential communication. Maiden will report to IMC’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Carolyn Conley.

About International Market Centers, L.P.: International Market Centers, L.P. (IMC) is the world’s largest operator of premier showroom space for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. IMC owns and operates 11.7 million square feet of world-class exhibition space in High Point, N.C. and Las Vegas, including the 14 primary buildings at the High Point Market. In addition, IMC operates the Las Vegas Design Center, a year-round resource open to both the design trade and consumers with more than 40 showrooms and hundreds of designer brands. IMC’s mission is to build and operate an innovative, sustainable, profitable and scalable platform for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. For more information, visit www.imcenters.com.