The Genesis USA Team

ENTERTAINMENT

Genesis USA Development, LLCGenesis USA Development, LLCSweetwater was conceived and is to be developed by Genesis USA Development, LLC. By implementing a “controlled planning philosophy," Genesis is able to provide the continuity necessary to ensure the utmost confidence in the end use of the development. Genesis was formed exclusively for this development, and strategically created to accomplish the unique goals of Sweetwater. Genesis brings together the best that the world has to offer in tenants, construction and finance, made possible through our strategic partnership alliances. In addition to the expected amenities of a state-of-the-art lifestyle center, Sweetwater will also feature a major emphasis on entertainment. From a state-of-the-art performance venue to an outdoor amphitheater, the entertainment Sweetwater will bring to Decatur will be heavily influenced by our partner, acclaimed booking agent John Huie.

John Huie – Partner, Genesis USA Development LLC
John began his career in Macon, GA at The Paragon Agency. In 1978 he caught the end of the Southern rock era, booking the Charlie Daniels Band, The Allman Brothers and many others. After a year, he moved to NYC and opened Frontier Booking International with Ian Copeland and was instrumental in breaking artists such as The Police, The GoGo’s and Joan Jett.

In 1984, John left F.B.I. and created his own agency, H-1. His client list was very diverse, ranging from Joan Jett to Steel Pulse. He was, however, most noted for his work in the Contemporary Christian music industry crossing over to a broader mass market with clients Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith.

In 1987, International Creative Management, one of the largest talent agencies, purchased his company and moved him to Los Angeles to head the West Coast Contemporary Music Department. After five years in LA, he left ICM motivated by a desire to move back to the south and set down “roots” for his family. He moved to Nashville to join Creative Artists Agency, the top talent agency in the world, to open the company’s first satellite office. His client list has grown to include Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Sugarland and many others.

In 1999, John won the Grammy Award in the “Country/Bluegrass/Gospel Album Of The Year” category for his participation as a producer of the soundtrack to the Robert Duvall film, The Apostle. John has been honored by his industry peers by being selected Pollstar Magazine’s Third Coast Agent of the Year in 1992, 1993, 2002, 2004 and 2007.
www.caatouring.com

Gary Glover – President, Genesis USA Development LLC
Gary Glover, Partner, has an extensive background in magazine publishing and entertainment production as owner of The Glover Group, Inc. The Glover Group publishes seven arts and entertainment magazines, including Nashville Symphony, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera, Great Performances at Vanderbilt, and The Tennessee Repertory Theater Magazines, plus a newsstand magazine titled: Nashville Arts & Entertainment Magazine. The Glover Group also represents major celebrities and national corporations, developing sponsor relationships and other opportunities.

Some of The Glover Group’s accomplishments and Gary’s career highlights include:

  • 1974 Career beginnings at the metropolitan publication, “Nashville Magazine”
  • 1979 Joined the commercial jingle production company, Hummingbird Productions. As president, he expanded offices to Chicago and New York, and established Hummingbird as one of the top ten jingle companies in the country
  • 1990 Worked with Target Stores to create an album promoting the Kids for Saving Earth organization, culminating in a presentation at the United Nations on Earth Day
  • Created sponsorship relationship between Amy Grant and Target, which spanned 10 years
  • 1992 Began 5-year relationship with the Christian Music Dove Awards Show, syndicating and selling sponsorships
  • Purchased the Performing Arts Magazines in Nashville, which lead to the formation of The Glover Group Inc. as a holding company for magazine publishing, sponsorship sales, management and celebrity endorsements
  • Some of the high-profile artists working with Gary and The Glover Group include: Bill Cosby, Dana Carvey, Sinbad, and Jay Leno
www.glovergroupinc.com

RETAIL

TRANSWESTERN
Steve Williamson, Senior Vice President of Retail Services, will be the retail development principal for Sweetwater, in association with Genesis USA. Transwestern is one of the top ten retail development companies in America. Focused on creating value for every Genesis project, Transwestern utilizes a unique business model that combines fully integrated services and operates through six lines of business: Research, Development, Investment Services, Agency Leasing, Tenant Advisory, Property and Facilities Management.

In late 2007, Transwestern had 33 active projects, and over $1B of development projects in the pipeline. For the year they completed 302 investment sales and finance transactions, totaling approximately $5B.
www.Transwestern.net

Steve Williamson is an extremely knowledgeable and respected expert in virtually every facet of real estate development. His 33+ years of experience include well over $1.2 Billion in real estate development, leasing and sales. Steve is responsible for the region’s efforts in retail lease negotiations representation, site selection, development site sales and shopping center investment sales. He oversees the identification and acquisition of retail development sites, retail marketing and leasing, and dispositions of raw land and improved properties.

Steve has researched the North Alabama market, and is very familiar with the retail climate in the Decatur area. He has personally made a number of visits with City and Chamber officials in Decatur. As part of Genesis’ Integrated Marketing Plan (see The Genesis Process), Steve and Transwestern will feature Sweetwater at its booth in Las Vegas at the ICSC convention in May, 2008.
Steve Williamson, Transwestern

Greg Lutz is President of Midtown Niki Development Partners ( www.MidtownNiki.com/mngdev ), a turn-key development services company with multiple offices nationally. With background in Real Estate Construction and Development for a 500 store franchise, and then for an 850 store franchise, Greg has developed over 300 retail projects in 35 states. Project types and diversity are extensive, including retail stores, restaurants, banks, luxury condominiums, and complete lifestyle centers.

The Genesis relationship with Greg goes back over 20 years, and he has contributed to the Genesis due diligence effort for Sweetwater. Specializing in “pad ready” development, Greg has developed a track record that demonstrates a true understanding and ability to successfully select prime real estate and develop both ground-up and retrofit projects. His knowledge and expertise enables Midtown Niki to provide preferred developer, turnkey services.

Augmenting the efforts of Transwestern and Steve Williamson with Midtown Niki and Greg Lutz represents a prestigious and powerful retail development component.
Greg Lutz-Midtown Niki

Midtown Niki – Retail Projects: (partial list)

  • The Onyx - Condominium Development, Las Vegas, NV
  • The Heights of West Covina
    33-acre center anchored by both Home Depot and Target and boasts additional tenants such as PetSmart, Staples, Starbuck's, Wells Fargo, Ruby Tuesday's and Payless Shoe Source. The Heights . . illustrates the advantages of a strong relationship between a developer and a proactive equity partner such as MNG.
  • Maui Grille in Surprise, AZ
  • Marriott Residence Inn - Westlake, CA
  • MNG closes on package of over 15 Fazoli's restaurants

MEDICAL

Elmer Ellis is president and CEO of East Texas Medical Center, a $2 billion institution of 11 hospitals and numerous other medical facilities. In 40 years with ETMC, Mr. Ellis has transformed it from a single, not-for-profit hospital into a regional healthcare powerhouse.

The ETMC system includes 42 clinics, home health services in 40 counties and 14 rehabilitation centers, nine of which feature Olympic Center fitness facilities. The system employs over 7,000 employees with a payroll of $407 million. It also operates HealthFirst Third-Party Administrators, a managed care and insurance company.

Many honors have been bestowed on Elmer Ellis during his 44 years in the health care industry, but one of the most prestigious is the recently bestowed Collier Award for Distinguished Health Care Administration, the Texas Hospital Association's highest honor.

As a medical developer, Mr. Ellis is one of the most revered visionaries in the industry, and the success of his career affirms his development insight. As a consultant, Mr. Ellis represents the vanguard of the healthcare profession.
www.ETMC.org

ASSOCIATES

Ken Calvert, Vice President, Site Development & Construction, is a distinguished professional engineer with over 40 years experience in engineering, land management and field construction for a very successful oil and gas operation. Ken has also served as Planning & Zoning Chairman for over 20 years, and is widely respected for extensive knowledge and meticulous detail concerning surveying, engineering, construction, and all matters technical.

Tom Koehler, Vice President, Finance & Legal, was a successful Investment Professional for many years before translating his finance and legal talents into real estate development acumen. Specific expertise includes client relations, budget analysis, politics, public relations, and administration. Tom has remarkable abilities to match client needs with appropriate solution vehicles.

Buddy Siebenlist, II , Vice President, Acquisition & Development, has 20+ years of professional success in architecture, engineering, administration, construction, and development. Seeing “the big picture” quickly and easily, specific expertise includes strategic planning, project prioritization and diverse problem-solving. As principal of an architectural & construction management practice, Buddy is a licensed architect and builder in 14 states.

Cindy Brinker, daughter of Norman Brinker, the legendary founder of Brinker International and one of the most successful restaurant developers ever (Chili's, Romano's Macaroni Grill, On The Border, Maggiano's, Corner Bakery, Rockfish, et al), is one of the most respected Advertising/PR experts in America. As president of Levenson-Brinker, Ms. Brinker-Simmons is considered a specialist in media campaign execution, utilizing creativity and an extensive special events background to create multiple opportunities for client visibility.
www.LevensonBrinkerPR.com

Barney Lovelace is managing partner for his law firm Harris, Caddell & Shanks, PC. Practice areas include: Economic Development and Financing, Real Estate, Banking, Commercial Transactions and Governmental Affairs. A resolute problem-solver, Barney has a reputation for bringing projects to fruition.
Barney Lovelace – Harris-Caddell

Blake McAnally is president of Pugh, Wright and Associates, Inc., a leading engineering firm in the AL-TN region. With over 20 years of success in high-profile public and private development projects, Blake is one of the most respected civil engineering and land surveying professionals. An impressive client list includes the City of Decatur and many other cities and economic development authorities, NASA, Boeing, Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, Chili’s, Starbucks, University of Alabama, and of course Genesis USA.
www.PughWright.com

James Keppel is a Senior Associate with LRK Architects, a national design firm with multiple locations. He is an award-winning designer, specializing in environmental design, retail design, event design, and brand development and strategy. James is a Sustaining Member of the Urban Land Institute, among many other professional associations, and he leads LRK in finalizing the remaining design phases.
www.LRK.com

Gresham, Smith and Partners is a multi-discipline design and engineering firm with a track record of class-A developments. Ed Owens, the Principal of Planning and Urban Design at GS&P, led the due diligence efforts in access, engineering, and master planning for Sweetwater.
www.GSPnet.com

George P. Bush is an attorney and real estate developer with obvious political dimension. The son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and nephew of President George W. Bush, George practiced corporate law at the prestigious Akin Gump firm in Dallas before making the transition to real estate development in 2005. A friend and ally to the Genesis Team for many years, George represented Genesis in the negotiation and purchase contract for the Sweetwater property.

Edsel Charles built over $100,000,000 of new single-family homes before founding MarketGraphics, Inc. in 1988. MG is now the largest new home market research company in the country, consulting to 9 of the top 10 residential builders in America. Edsel has also received numerous national and international awards and recognition.
www.MGResearch.net (website in revision)

Tom McArthur, Jr. is a very successful commercial real estate broker and appraiser with McArthur Sanders Real Estate, Inc. in Nashville. Identifying pertinent market trends, and then applying extensive real estate experience results in very valuable insight to the Team.
www.McArthurSanders.com

Ed Starkie has over 25 years experience in real estate research and financial consultation. He has three awards from the American Planning Association in main streets and downtown revitalization, and he co-authored the EPA guidelines promoting Smart Growth. With an MS in Real Estate Development from MIT, Ed is also panel member of the Urban Land Institute.
www.UrbanAdvisors.com