Posted: | By Centennial

Centennial Prepares for 2021 Growth, Promotes Whitney Livingston to President and COO

Real Estate Investment Firm Onboards Three New Advisory Services Clients, Moves Full-Steam Ahead with Redevelopment Efforts at Multiple Centers

DALLAS – January 25, 2021 – Centennial, a real estate investment firm with a national portfolio of shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use destinations as well as a full-service advisory services platform (https://CentennialREC.com), announced today that it has promoted Whitney Livingston to President and COO as a strategic move to prepare for continued growth in 2021. The news comes on the heels of other important announcements, including onboarding three new projects within the company’s third-party property and asset management division, Centennial Advisory Services, which is now the management company of record for Dulles Town Center in Sterling, Virginia; Pacific City in Huntington Beach, California; and Green Tree Mall in Clarksville, Indiana. Centennial also recently announced partnership agreements for significant redevelopment projects at Hawthorn Mall and Fox Valley Mall, both in Illinois.

“Throughout the past year, Centennial has been keenly focused on identifying accretive initiatives to propel the long-term success of our firm. As we move into 2021 and beyond, we are committed to providing best-in-class service to our existing portfolio and to growing our operating and development business through strategic partnerships and disciplined acquisitions,” says Steven Levin, founder and CEO of Centennial. “Achieving these goals requires calculated organizational planning, and an acute focus on strong leadership. Whitney Livingston has made a significant impact on this firm since she joined us in 2018. Her superior ability to connect with people and to build and maintain meaningful relationships at every level makes her a leader people want to follow and do business with; these qualities combined with her strong business acumen and innovative foresight for Centennial’s future uniquely qualify her for her new role as president and COO.”

In her expanded role as company president, Livingston will be responsible for managing business operations, near- and long-term planning, and working closely with Levin as well as company executives and their teams to achieve Centennial’s vision. She will also continue to work closely with both executive and property teams to develop and execute operating, repositioning and redevelopment plans that create value for Centennial and its partners and clients.

“Centennial is one of the most innovative companies in this business, and I could not be more proud of the things we have accomplished and the opportunities that lie ahead,” Livingston says. “Despite the difficulties COVID has caused, through an incredible team effort, Centennial has not only survived, but thrived. This year, we are prepared to move full-steam ahead with significant redevelopment projects at three of our own centers – Hawthorn Mall, Fox Valley Mall and MainPlace Mall – as well as repositioning and growth-oriented projects for several advisory services clients who have entrusted their properties to Centennial as well. As we undertake these incredible next steps, I want to credit our stellar team for the roles that each person has played, and to express my enthusiasm and commitment to our company’s continued growth.”

2021 Redevelopment Efforts

  • Hawthorn Mall: Last month, Centennial announced it has partnered with Focus and Atlantic Residential to build a mixed-use project with 303 luxury apartment units and 55,000 square feet of Main Street retail on the property’s former Sears site. The news marks a significant forward step in the center’s plans for Hawthorn 2.0, a complete transformation of the Vernon Hills, Illinois-based shopping center that will create a modern and desirable mixed-use development combining the best retail, dining and entertainment with contemporary residential living. For downloadable renderings of the proposed “Hawthorn 2.0” changes, including the new luxury apartments, click here: http://ow.ly/MMGA30rhN4y.
  • Fox Valley Mall: Similarly, Centennial also announced last month that it has also partnered with Atlantic Residential and Focus to build a 304-unit luxury apartment project on Fox Valley Mall’s former Sears site, part of a larger “Fox Valley 2.0” initiative that will transform the Aurora, Illinois, shopping center into a more modern mixed-use live-work-play environment. For downloadable renderings of the proposed Fox Valley 2.0 changes, including the new luxury apartments, click here: http://ow.ly/l84K30ri9i3.
  • MainPlace Mall: While MainPlace has long been an iconic retail fashion destination in Southern California’s Orange County, Centennial’s planned mixed-use redevelopment will create a very different kind of experience for MainPlace Mall visitors tomorrow and well into the future. In addition to significant changes to the interior of the mall itself, the plan calls for a new hotel and residential developments that will serve nearby workers in retail, hospital and government positions, turning MainPlace into a master-planned day-to-night destination that will excite and entertain residents for generations to come.
     

New Third-Party Management Contracts

This unprecedented pandemic created an artificially expedited version of Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” theory within the retail real estate industry that only an experienced team, a stable omni-channel platform, and the capability to innovate swiftly and effectively could overcome. Already well positioned to address the obstacles COVID posed, Centennial launched Centennial Advisory Services, a division dedicated to delivering property management, leasing, marketing and development services on behalf of third-party shopping center owners and investors nationwide. Three of the division’s newest partnerships include:

  • Dulles Town Center: In November 2020, Centennial began providing a full spectrum of management, leasing, marketing and accounting services for Dulles Town Center, including the development of a value creation strategy with the potential for a future mixed-use redevelopment of the property. Learn more here: http://ow.ly/y2Mm30roUex.

  • Pacific City: Under the contract, which took effect January 11th, Centennial will provide Pacific City with a full spectrum of management, leasing, marketing and accounting services. Learn more here: http://ow.ly/5XbI30rtDUZ.

  • Green Tree Mall: In a similar agreement that began January 1st, Centennial will provide a full spectrum of management, leasing, marketing and accounting services for Green Tree Mall. Learn more here: http://ow.ly/sIce30rsmPX.


Other Innovative Firsts

Known for its creativity and thought leadership, Centennial has also achieved a number of first-to-market and other milestone achievements in recent months:


About Centennial

Centennial is a 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 delivered through Centennial Advisory Services, its third-party property and asset management division. Rooted in retail since 1997, Centennial is focused on shaping the evolution of American retail by creating a superior multi-faceted shopping experience through properties that serve not only as a place of commerce, but as a place of community. For more information, visit CentennialREC.com.

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Karen Franse
Blackford & Associates
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Carmen Herlihy
Blackford & Associates
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