Centennial Announces Leadership Transition

DALLAS – November 4, 2024 – Centennial, a retail real estate owner and operator with a national portfolio of shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use destinations as well as a full-service property management platform serving third-party owners (www.centennialrec.com), announced today it has appointed Paul Kurzawa to serve as president, effective immediately.

Kurzawa is an experienced real estate and entertainment executive with more than 25 years of international multi-asset and multi-discipline expertise in the commercial real estate and entertainment industries. He has worked for some of the most distinguished global real estate and entertainment companies in the world, including The Blackstone Group, Equity Office Properties, DreamWorks Animation, Westfield Corporation, Lend Lease Corporation, General Property Trust and Caruso.

“Paul has deep industry experience – both mall and open-air – from his 20+ years with Caruso, Westfield, URW, and most recently, as Chief Operating Officer of CenterCal. He also has excellent industry relationships and a wealth of operations expertise, making him the right choice to lead Centennial forward,” says Steven Levin, founder and chief executive officer of Centennial.

“I am honored to have been chosen to lead this incredible organization as it embraces its next chapter of growth. Centennial has become a market leader and has already done things no one thought possible, and I look forward to continuing that trend, creating value and distinct experiences for our partners, clients, tenants and the communities we serve,” says Kurzawa.

Kurzawa succeeds Whitney Livingston, who announced she will take on the role of Chief Operating Officer with the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

“Whitney has been instrumental in helping us acquire, transform and create some of the most dynamic destinations in retail real estate,” Levin says. “She has grown our portfolio, elevated our talent pool, and bolstered profits for our own organization as well as those we manage for others. While Whitney will be sorely missed, we know she will be a wonderful asset to ICSC. We look forward to Paul’s tremendous new leadership at the helm of Centennial and to the many ways he will use his own unique vision and experience to propel Centennial forward as one of the most notable rising stars in this industry.”

About Centennial Centennial is a retail real estate investment firm with a national portfolio of shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use destinations as well as a full-service property management platform serving third-party owners. With over 300 employees nationwide, the company now operates 23 million square feet of mixed-use destinations in 17 states. Since 1997, Centennial has played a pivotal role in shaping the evolution of American retail by creating a superior multi-faceted shopping experience with properties that serve not only as a place of commerce, but as a place of community. For more information, visit CentennialREC.com.  

Media Contacts: 

Deborah Blackford 
Blackford & Associates 
blkfrdpr@gmail.com  
714-280-8765 
 
Karen Franse 
Blackford & Associates 
karenfranse@gmail.com 
386-649-1887 
 
Carmen Herlihy 
Blackford & Associates 
cherlihypr@gmail.com 
646-770-2623