[January 29, 2013]

MMPI Adds Eight Staff to Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center Team

Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI) announced earlier today the addition of eight team members in advance of the highly-anticipated July, 2013 opening of the Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center (Cleveland MMCC). MMPI has named Dick Anter, Barbara McBee, Dori Kish, Debbie Zunt, Brian Cook, and Harold Davis to its administrative team, joining Mike Mangan, Chief Engineer and Ron Willner, Director of Event Services, who joined the team in late November.

"The addition of top-quality, experienced staff members in sales and operations represents yet another significant step forward as Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center moves from construction into operational mode," said Jim Bennett, MMPI senior vice president. "This will be a first-class, state-of-the-art facility and the quality and depth of today's staff announcement represents the same elite level of service that we will provide to our customers on a daily basis. These eight staff members bring more than 175 years of collective experience in their respective fields."

Dick Anter assumes the newly-created role of Director of Finance and Administration, responsible for human resources, financial management, and the day-to-day fiscal operations of the facility. With more than 30 years of business and management experience, Anter is the former Mayor of Fairview Park and served as Downtown Development Director for the Cleveland Growth Association (now known as the Greater Cleveland Partnership).

Anter brings considerable management experience in business and government operations, special events management, facilities, human resources, food operations, purchasing, strategic planning, marketing and public relations. Anter has helped manage a $40 million family food distribution company, a $50 million propane distributor, a chain of Burger King Restaurants, several start up and turnaround business projects, and represented the U.S. State Department on a trade mission to China and Taiwan.

Barbara McBee joins the team as the Director of Operations and Programming, coordinating and overseeing the Medical Mart leasing and tenant build-out process, designing an operating system for the overall facility, creating and leading a governance system, orchestrating the grand opening celebrations, and operating the Medical Mart facility upon completion.

McBee brings more than 30 years of healthcare experience to her new position, including a 25-year career in the University Hospitals healthcare system. Prior to joining MMPI, McBee served for six years as the Vice President for System and Support Services at MetroHealth Hospital System, overseeing operating, revenue, and construction budgets and serving as senior leader for more than 1,200 employees in 12 departments.

During her career at University Hospitals, McBee spent five years at Bedford Medical Center, including two years as Director of Risk Management and Corporate Compliance following a three year stint as vice president. McBee administered risk and compliance programs and coordinated legal activities at Bedford, along with overseeing strategic planning, project management, and employee and manager development. She also served as Director of Nutrition, Materials Management, Information Services, Envirnmental Services, and Risk and Property Management, and Assistant Director of Nutrition services at the main campus.

Dori Kish will coordinate health industry meetings as sales manager for the Cleveland Convention Center, bringing more than 10 years of sales and business management experience, including Business Development Strategist at ECRM, Territory Manager for Maybelline Garnier, L'Oreal USA, Director of Sales at the Marriott Hotel in Independence, and sales positions with Richland Development and Paychex.

Kish also owns and operates her own business, Sun Spray Salon in suburban Avon and has served for the past two years in a highly-visible role as voluntary chair of the Cleveland Cares Medical Mission Fundraising Event for the Cleveland Clinic Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Institute.

Debbie Zunt also joins the Cleveland Convention Center sales team as the Director of Corporate Meetings & Events, bringing more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

Zunt joins MMPI after serving for the past three years as the National Sales Manager for the Cleveland-based Midwest office for Red Rock Resort/Green Valley Ranch Resort in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada. She also spent two years in Washington, D.C. as the National Account Executive for the East Coast Association market for the Greater Houston (Texas) Convention and Visitors Bureau.

A Cleveland native, Zunt began her hospitality career at the Wyndham Hotel at Playhouse Square as sales manager before moving to the Wyndham Northwest Chicago hotel in suburban Itasca, Illinois as Associate Director of Sales. From 2001-2008, Zunt worked in the hospitality industry in Las Vegas, first serving as National Sales Manager for the Venetian Resort, Hotel and Casino, and Senior National Sales Manager for Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Brian Cook brings more than 16 years of information technology experience to his newly-created role as Technology Manager, overseeing all infrastructures, technology, computer-based and audio/video systems for the facility. Cook spent three years as the Director of Event Technology at LaCentre Banquet and Conference Center in Westlake, managing telecommunications, computer software, internet, and internal data networks as well as the internal Wi-Fi system, digital signage, and all audio/video services.

Prior to joining LaCentre, Cook served in a similar role as Lead Event Technology Supervisor at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, along with his most recent position designing and selling audio/video, digital signage and broadcast solutions for Industrial Video in Strongsville. Cook was also Trade Show Operations Manager for getVAMP LLC, coordinating logistics and trade show operations in the beauty, art, and medical industries.

Harold Davis takes over the Events Manager position at Cleveland MMCC after serving in similar operations and management positions for the past 14 years at the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University. Davis will be responsible for back-of-house management and operation of all events in the facility, working with conference, trade show, and banquet clients.

During the past three years, Davis filled the role as Events Manager at Wolstein Center, coordinating all event-related details with clients, maintaining staff scheduling and payroll, organizing arena tours for prospective clients, and overseeing operations and housekeeping supervisors. He previously served for three and a half years as Event Coordinator at Wolstein Center, coordinating all operational set ups within the Arena and Conference Pavilion. He began his CSU career as Operations Supervisor at Wolstein from 2000-2006.

Mike Mangan assumed the role of Chief Engineer for Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center in November, 2012, joining MMPI with more than 30 years of experience in mechanical operations and construction project management. Mangan oversees the Engineering and Maintenance Departments and will be responsible for the daily operations and maintenance of the physical plant and for providing exhibitor utility services. Mangan spent the last seven years with Johnson Controls, Inc., serving for the past five years as the Operation and Maintenance Site Supervisor for the Key Bank Brooklyn Operations Center, overseeing operations for a nearly 600,000 square foot commercial banking operations center, along with a processing center and an aviation operations center.

Ron Willner joined the Cleveland MMCC team in late November as Director of Event Services, coordinating event production and management for the facility. He joined MMPI with nearly 25 years of experience at Cleveland State University in the event production and entertainment industry, including the operation and management of the new University Student Center, which included the scheduling of events for the University's nine colleges, student groups and external corporations and organizations. Willner was hired as the Event Services Manager when the new Convocation Center opened in 1991. Willner served as Director of Arena Administration under Centre Management from 1991 to 2000, Director of Operations and Event Management under SMG and moved up to Assistant General Manager in 2003 and General Manager in 2007.

Scheduled to open in July, 2013, the $465 million Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center is a 1 million square foot campus located in the heart of downtown Cleveland, the nation's medical capital. The Medical Mart is a four-story above-ground building with 100,000 square feet of state-of-the-art spaces on four themed floors. The Medical Mart will serve health and health care innovation, education, and commerce through state-of-the-art spaces, programs, and virtual offerings while building on and enhancing the rich heritage and distinctive capability of Northeast Ohio health care.

The one-million square foot campus integrates state-of-the-art permanent spaces in the 235,000 square foot medical mart with world-class trade show and conference facilities in the Cleveland Convention Center. The adjacent Cleveland Convention Center measures more than 750,000 square feet, including 225,000 gross square feet of Class A exhibit space, meaning 90 foot spacing between columns and 30-foot high ceilings.

The Cleveland Convention Center is divisible into three exhibition halls, one measuring more than 50,000 square feet and two larger exhibit halls measuring over 80,000 square feet apiece.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]