William Grenewald Joins Las Vegas Design Center as General Manager

Furniture World News

Las Vegas Design Center at World Market Center, located at 495 South Grand Central Parkway, is the first of its kind, year-round, to-the-trade design resource in Las Vegas. Featuring 400,000 square feet of the newest products, trends and styles in furniture, lighting, floral, accessories, rugs and wall décor, Las Vegas Design Center consists of 70 showrooms that are located on the first and second floors of Buildings A and B. With the opening of Building C in July 2008, an additional 500,000 square feet of showroom space will bring Las Vegas Design Center to a total of 1 million square feet serving both the residential and hospitality design industries. According to Harvey Dondero, CEO of World Market Center, Grenewald brings a unique combination of skills in strategic planning and creative problem solving, plus strength in administration, budget oversight, public relations, leasing, sales and marketing, to his new position. “Las Vegas Design Center is a growing resource and Bill’s background will be a huge asset to its continued growth,” Dondero said. With over 25 years experience in the home furnishings field, Grenewald has a wealth of experience in design-related marketing and leasing with a broad perspective. A native of Texas and a graduate of Tulane, Grenewald has spent most of his business career in fields related to interior design and the products that designers use. Before joining World Market Center, Grenewald was vice president and general manager of MDS Group Publishing, a full service advertising agency, publishing and marketing consulting firm in Miami, specializing in home furnishings. Also in Florida, Grenewald was involved in the pre-construction leasing and opening of the new International Design Center in Naples, Fla. He has been involved in many show house and design exhibitions both in the US and abroad, including the launch of the first Casa Decor in Miami in 2006. A pioneer in the art furniture field in New York City in the 1980s, Grenewald was executive vice president and general manager of Arc International, a cutting edge furniture manufacturer producing pieces by such international artists as Marisol, Wendell Castle, Lynda Benglis, and Robert Mapplethorpe. He was instrumental in the development and opening of the Gallery of Applied Arts on 57th Street. Later, he served as director of marketing and home furnishing licensing for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, where he oversaw the book publishing division, Preservation Press, as well as the museum shops. As vice president of marketing for Beacon Hill/Robert Allen showrooms, he oversaw the re-merchandising and re-branding of 22 trade-only showrooms in the U.S. and Canada. As vice president of marketing and sales for the design center division of Merchandise Mart Properties, he oversaw all marketing and pr for The Merchandise Mart / Chicago, the Washington Design Center, and the D&D and A&D Buildings in New York City, and was an integral part of the leasing team. He conceptualized, created, and managed several outstanding design trade shows, including Decorex USA, Chicago Design Show, Chicago Antiques and Fine Art Show and the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. The Summer Las Vegas Market will take place July 30-August 3, 2007 at World Market Center’s Buildings A and B, the Pavilions; the temporaries will be featured at Sands Expo & Convention Center opening on Tuesday, July 31.