As the new director of development for Caruso Affiliated Holdings, John Murphy will be bringing a little showtime to shopping.

Murphy is responsible for overseeing development of The Grove at Farmers Market, a 640,000-square-foot open-air retail development set to open March 15, 2002.

“I’m the guy who brings everybody together,” said Murphy, who most recently served as a senior project integrator for Walt Disney Imagineering. “Usually there’s a visionary who says what they want to do, but somebody has to manage the different teams involved that’s me.”

Johnson said that, at present, the company is working to integrate the show elements of the Grove with the property’s architecture. “Right now we’re at a critical point,” he said. “For instance, the trolley that we’re building (which will run between the Grove and it’s historic neighbor), it’s a ride system, so it needs to be integrated and coordinated; it has to look beautiful, work well and be safe. We’re also working with the lakes and the background music.”

Though leaving Disney was certainly a big move, Johnson said he welcomes the change and had been eager to participate in retail projects.

“Retail projects directly affect the community that you live in. When you build something, it can either give to the community or take away from it,” he said. “(At the Grove), people can come and actually use the space, and they’re not going to be inundated by retail, but it’s there.”

Johnson also seems to enjoy working for a smaller organization.

“It’s more hands-on in terms of the creative process,” said Johnson. “Disney is a matrix organization; at Caruso, I have direct contact with the owner.”

But that’s not to say they’re not keeping him busy.

“I plan to work with the Glendale (Town Center) project and Playa Vista. There’s enough work for the next dozen years,” he said.

Conor Dougherty

Accounting & Consulting

Jennie Bordeaux has been promoted to director in the legal services group of RBZ LLP in Los Angeles. In her new post, Bordeaux will be responsible for providing accounting, tax and strategic business consulting services to law firm clients at RBZ. Her areas of focus will be personal and business tax planning, administrative and management systems, as well as financial analysis. Bordeaux was most recently manager of the firm’s accounting and managing department.

Advertising & P.R.

Ron Rawson has joined Wilkin Design Group Inc., an advertising and marketing company in Claremont, as director of business development. He will be launching a new effort to position the company as a full-service strategic marketing firm through direct sales and marketing, including direct mail, personal and account sales and advertising. Rawson was most recently a partner with NexDance Business Consultants in Newport Beach.

Architecture

Linda J. Krueger and Jerry Gelsomino have joined Gensler, an architecture and interior design firm in Los Angeles, to lead the office’s growing retail practice. Krueger will focus on design and team building for retail clients. Gelsomino will bring branding tools and techniques to all Gensler practice areas, including retail. Prior to joining Gensler, Krueger and Gelsomino were principals of Krueger Design Group, where they provided store interior design, space planning, fixture design, lighting, merchandise presentation planning and graphic communication services to a diverse roster of clients including Millers Outpost/Anchor Blue, The Hollywood Bowl and MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.

Banking & Finance

Laura Cloherty has been promoted to vice president at WesCorp, the nation’s largest corporate credit union. She is based in San Dimas and manages the financial reporting and accounting operations for the $13 billion corporation, as well as the budget and analysis areas. Cloherty has been WesCorp’s controller since she joined WesCorp in July 1999.

John S. Johnson has been appointed vice president and branch manager of Fidelity Investments’ Glendale Investor Center. In this position, Johnson oversees a staff of more than eight financial representatives that help local investors plan for retirement, the purchase of a new home, college expenses and many other financial needs. He has been with the company since 1992.

Jeffrey Smith has been promoted to executive vice president at City National Bank in Los Angeles. Smith is the manager of City National’s Westside commercial banking region, overseeing two private banking groups and one commercial banking group. He was most recently a senior vice president.

Entertainment

Greg Foster has joined IMAX Corp. as president, filmed entertainment, a newly created post. He is based in Santa Monica and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s filmed entertainment activities including creative development, production and business affairs, in addition to having a hands-on role in the marketing and distribution of the large-format motion pictures produced under the IMAX banner.

Michael Lynne has been named co-chairman and co-chief executive of New Line Cinema in Los Angeles. He most recently served as president and chief operating officer, a position he held since 1990. The company also announced that it has extended long-term contracts to its senior management team and adopted a new operational hierarchy. Rolf Mittweg, Toby Emmerich and Steve Abramson will assume operational control of the company’s three divisions.

Mittweg will now serve as president and chief operating officer of worldwide distribution and marketing. He will oversee both the distribution and marketing divisions, as well as New Line Home Video, New Line Television and the studio’s business affairs unit. Emmerich will preside over the studio’s creative content as president of New Line Productions. Chief Financial Officer Steve Abramson will oversee finance and accounting, human resources, information technology and New Line’s long-term strategic planning and business development unit.

Julie McLaughlin has joined Lakeshore International, the arm of Lakeshore Entertainment that sells films produced by Lakeshore Entertainment. She is based in Los Angeles and is responsible for managing the Lakeshore television sales division, which consists of evaluating potential co-production and joint venture opportunities, acquiring TV series and TV movies and increasing Lakeshore’s television presence. Most recently, McLaughlin was the director of international television and home video sales at NBC Enterprises.

Chistoph Pachler and Tim Ordaz have been named to key management positions at Mixed Signals Technologies, an interactive TV technologies services and content development company in Culver City. Pachler has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer, responsible for overseeing all financial operations. He was most recently with Viant Corp. Ordaz will be directing all strategic efforts for MST’s expanding product line. He joins the company from Intertainer, where he was a lead product manager. Both Pachler and Ordaz will maintain full responsibility for the day-to-day running of their respective departments.

Ileen Reich has been named senior vice president, publicity at Columbia TriStar Worldwide Marketing. She is based in Culver City and will be responsible for overseeing publicity campaigns for films. Reich was most recently vice president, national publicity-West Coast, for New Line Cinema.

Clark Woods, John Hersker and Mark Mulcahy have each been named to new positions in the domestic distribution division of Paramount Pictures. Woods has been named executive vice president, general sales manager, moving up from his former position as senior vice president, general sales manager. Hersker now assumes the post of senior vice president, assistant sales manager, with responsibilities for the theatrical licensing of all Paramount films in the North American market. Mulcahy, who has been promoted to vice president, exhibitor services, oversees Paramount’s in-theater marketing activities, developing concepts and activities to define a portion of the theater lobby for Paramount and its theatrical properties.

Law

Robert W. Fischer has joined the Los Angeles office of the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP. As a partner, his practice will continue to focus on commercial litigation including securities, real estate and insurance matters, as well as general business counseling. Prior to joining the firm, Fischer was a partner with Dewey Ballantine LLP.

New Media

William A. Seagrave has assumed the role of chief executive at Fasturn Inc., a direct-procurement solutions provider for manufacturers of made-to-order goods in Los Angeles. For the last two years, Seagrave served as president of D2K Inc., a next generation IT infrastructure company, where he rebuilt the model and direction of the 3-year-old technology startup.

Rick Ulmer, Alan Brannan and Jon Frojen have all joined the executive management team at Torrance-based ePolicy Inc., an Internet-based provider of insurance for small businesses and professionals. As senior vice president of sales, Ulmer will direct ePolicy’s sales efforts for enablement technology, co-brokering alliances and trade associations. Before joining ePolicy, he was president of MMI Agency, a sales and distribution subsidiary of the MMI Cos. Inc. Brannan joins the company as senior vice president, business operations. Previously, he was the general manager for the Progressive Cos., where he managed the New York/New Jersey insurance business unit. Frojen, who joins as vice president and chief financial officer, was most recently senior vice president and chief financial officer for Netgateway Inc.

Real Estate

Mary A. Marx has joined Cushman & Wakefield’s commercial real estate management business in Los Angeles. She will direct the firm’s property management, facilities management, project management and agency leasing teams in Southern California. Marx joins the company from Transwestern Commercial Services, where as executive vice president she directed the operation and management of a 28 million-square-foot portfolio.

Retail

Louis A. Amen has been re-elected to a one-year term as chairman of the board of Western Grocers Inc., the largest retailer-owned wholesale grocery cooperative in the western United States. Amen has served as chairman since Unified Western Grocers Inc. was formed on Sept. 29, 1999, the result of the merger of Certified Grocers of California Ltd. and United Grocers Inc. Prior to the merger, Amen served as chairman of the board at Certified.