Newsmakers—New Strategy Head for Arden’s Portfolio

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To spearhead its efforts to dispose of properties “outside of main target areas,” Arden Realty has named Howard S. Stern its new vice president of strategic planning.

Stern said he is working with asset management staff on the existing portfolio. “I am looking analyze the entire portfolio on an asset by asset basis,” he said.

Among the properties Arden has targeted for divestiture is a group of five office buildings in Temecula and the Hunter Business Center in Riverside. In the meantime, Stern said Arden will continue to look for opportunities in the “strong suburban sub-markets in Southern California,” such as West Los Angeles and the Conejo Valley.

He also will focus on the asset management of Arden’s portfolio of 140 office properties throughout Southern California.

Notable properties in that portfolio include the Westwood Center, the Howard Hughes Center, the World Savings Tower in Brentwood and the Imperial Bank Tower in San Diego.

A native Angeleno, Stern grew up in West L.A. After getting his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley in 1983, he returned to Los Angeles to pursue an MBA at USC. After graduating in 1987, he went to Gibraltar Savings in Beverly Hills as a high-yield bond analyst. When high-yield and junk bond opportunities bottomed out in the latter part of the 1980s, Stern made the move into the firm’s real estate asset management division.

He left Gibraltar to head up the real estate workout and disposition department at First Federal Bank of Santa Monica, joining Archon Group, a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs, in 1995. He ultimately rose to vice president there, responsible for management of an $800 million real estate and loan portfolio. Following Archon, Stern served a brief stint as a managing director for Granite Partners, a New York-based investment banking firm, before taking his new position. The 39 year-old is married with three children and lives in Calabasas.

Conor Dougherty


Advertising and P.R.

Lucy St. George has joined Inter/Media Advertising in Encino as executive vice president. She joins the company from Initiative Media North America, where she was executive vice president and managing director of the direct response division.

Mark A. Waronek has joined Cerrell Associates Inc., a public relations and public affairs firm in Los Angeles, as an account executive. He will be responsible for strengthening and increasing the firm’s local governmental affairs unit’s consulting presence in Los Angeles and the South Bay communities. Previously, Waronek was a project manager at Afriat Consulting Group.


Aerospace

Art Rosales has been named vice president of commercial programs at Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo. He will be responsible for executing all BSS commercial programs focusing on customer satisfaction, controlling profit/loss centers and implementing the market segment strategic plan. Previously, he was vice president and general manager for the Fixed Satellite Systems and the Broadcast Satellite Systems programs. Boeing Satellite Systems has also named John Konrad vice president of commercial marketing and sales. He will be responsible for leading the marketing and sales teams for commercial business development, which includes creating and/or identifying new business opportunities and alliances and working to maintain and expand market share with existing customers.


Architecture

Garine Gabrielian has been hired as an interior designer for the Woodland Hills office of Ware Malcomb, a full-service architectural firm specializing in planning, architecture and interior design services. She will be responsible for corporate client projects, with a focus on design development and project delivery.


Banking & Finance

Debbie Rosen has been named executive vice president of subprime lending for the wholesale lending division at Countrywide Home Loans. Rosen will head a management team responsible for the company’s subprime lending. She has more than 20 years of experience in financial services and had been president of Home Equity Services for Associates First Capital Corporation. Paul Abbamonto will oversee sales functions as the new division executive vice president of subprime production. He previously was president of Full Spectrum Lending, Countrywide’s retail subprime lending subsidiary. Rob Champion and Tom Wagner have been promoted from vice president to first vice president of subprime production for the western and eastern divisions, respectively. Mike Lamka has been named division executive vice president of subprime operations. His responsibilities include the development and execution of policies and procedures for processing, underwriting, funding and closing at the division’s subprime production centers. He had been division executive vice president of branch support since 1998.


Entertainment

Erin Gough and Jeff Ingold have both been promoted to vice president, current series programs at NBC in Burbank. Both had previously served as directors of current series programs.

Lynda Keeler has been named vice president, interactive services at Sony Corp. of America. Based in Los Angeles, she will be the main liaison between SCA and Yahoo. Keeler previously served as vice president and general manager of Columbia TriStar Interactive.

Steven Lewis has joined Diplomatic, a production company in Los Angeles, as senior vice president of production. He will be responsible for overseeing the company’s current productions that include “Two Minute Drill” for ESPN and the upcoming series “Ultimate Reality” for A & E;, “Smush” for USA Network and “The Runner” for ABC. Most recently, Lewis served as executive vice president at AntEye.com.

Kim R. Spenchian has been promoted to the newly created position of executive vice president and chief information officer, information services, at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. He will be responsible for overseeing all areas of information services worldwide. Spenchian has been with the company since 1995 and most recently served as vice president, information services.


High Tech

Donald G. DeBuck has been appointed corporate vice president and controller at Computer Sciences Corp. in El Segundo. He previously served as assistant corporate controller, a position he’s held since 1998.

Joseph Kim has been promoted to director of sales and marketing at NYKO Technologies, a manufacturer of portable game accessories in Los Angeles. Kim was formerly national accounts manager for the company.


Hospitality

Caroline Jones has been appointed to the newly created position of director of sales and marketing at Auberge Resorts. She is based in Santa Monica and will be responsible for all domestic and international sales, marketing and public relations efforts. Most recently she was vice president of sales and marketing for Palmilla, a luxury resort in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Misty Mackenzie has been named director of business travel sales at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel. She will be responsible for working with travel agencies and corporate travel managers to show the advantages of staying on the Club Floors at the hotel. Mackenzie previously served as the director of sales and marketing at the Marriott Residence Inn in Ontario.


New Media

Stephen Condon has been appointed senior vice president, chief marketing officer at Intertainer, an entertainment-on-demand broadband network in Culver City. He will be responsible for overseeing the customer acquisition and retention efforts and brand development. Condon previously held senior-level marketing positions with streaming media solutions providers INTERVU and GMV Network.


Real Estate

Derek S. Graham has joined Insignia/ESG’s West Los Angeles office as a managing director. He will be specializing in agency leasing, investment sales and tenant representation. Before joining the firm, Graham was with CB Richard Ellis.

Wallace Leifer has been named director at Kosmont Realty Corp. in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for the company’s marketing and corporate account development as well as contract negotiations and real estate transactions. Prior to joining KRC, Leifer was director of buildings and real estate for Pacific Enterprises/Southern California Gas Co. Also new to the company is Armando Aguirre, who has joined the company as a senior vice president. He will be responsible for leading and expanding the company’s retail real estate division. Aguirre was formerly with Grubb & Ellis.

Jeffrey J. Louks has been elected vice president of investments at Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage Company in Encino. He is responsible for consulting with tenants, developers and buying entities to help them develop long term investment strategies as well as execute specific transactions. Louks has been with the firm since 1987 and most recently served as senior investment associate.


Services

Richard A. Sperber has been promoted to president and chief operating officer at Environmental Industries Inc., a landscape contracting services company in Calabasas. Sperber was formerly president of Valley Crest, an EII subsidiary that focuses on landscape construction and site engineering. He succeeds his father and company founder, Burton S. Sperber. Filling Sperber’s position at Valley Crest is Thomas C. Donnelly, who has been named president and chief operating officer. Robert L. Crudup has also been promoted at another EII subsidiary, Valley Crest Tree Co., the company’s nursing division. He has been named president and chief operating officer and will be responsible for overseeing all company business including Environmental Landscape Products, Garden Art International, the company’s specimen division, and the company’s nursing operations. Crudup previously served as senior vice president. Succeeding Crudup is Vicki Povah Martinez. She will be responsible for all administrative functions of the company. Martinez previously served as corporate vice president.

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