Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/704472
68 S C T / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 N E W S M A K E R S O ne could say that though Michael Romstad never sought the mall industry as a career, the mall industry sought and found him. Romstad, who assumed the role of senior vice president of property management for Simon's Mills platform in Janu- ary, originally sought a position in corporate security after graduating from college. But when he was offered the position of security director at Bannister Mall, he jumped at it. The general manager at the center mentored Romstad and encour- aged him to think beyond security. "He exposed me to all the different facets of running a shopping center," Romstad recalled. "He equated the posi- tion to running a city." And Romstad began to see what he meant. "The job involved all sorts of different components — from working with the retailer and tenants to help them grow their business, to dealing with construction issues, to growing market shares." Romstad was hooked. "I loved the idea that no day was ever the same," he said. To learn the ropes, he sat in on business meetings, signed up for ICSC management courses and took on various tasks. He was promoted by the mall's owner, Kan- sas City, Mo.–based Copaken, White & Blitt (since renamed Copaken Brooks) to area security director overseeing a few of the firm's centers. After 10 years with Copaken, White & Blitt, where he eventually became mall manager, Romstad joined Si- mon, in 1997, as an area mall manager working on renovation projects at two Simon malls in Nebraska: Crossroads Mall, in Mills' new property management SVP, Michael Romstad, is cool in a crisis By Rebecca Meiser UNEXPECTED CHALLENGES E X ECU T I V E M O V E RS A ND S H A K E RS M ACY 's lo n gt i M e C eo M A k es w AY for t he ne x t gener A tion 69 i C s C honors 12 glob A l V o lun t eers w ho did t heir rese A r C h 70 f eder A l re A lt Y, M c w hin ne Y A nd stil es h AV e A dded to t heir t e A M s 70