GLOBAL: Freeman, a global leader in events, has added Heather Kreager to its board of directors. Kreager is CEO of Sammons Enterprises, a privately owned, global holding company of financial services, real estate investment, infrastructure, and industrial equipment businesses. She has served on the executive committee and board since 2008. She also serves on the Board of Guggenheim Capital, an international financial services firm, and KDC, a leading developer of corporate build-to-suit office space and work, live, play developments. Kreager replaces Margot Carter as her term ends.
NATIONAL: Superfly X, a world leader in location-based entertainment known for its widely acclaimed attractions The FRIENDS™ Experience and The Office Experience, recently announced that it will spin off from parent company Superfly and adopt a new brand identity, Original X Productions (OGX). The new business model, with support from its lead investor, Virgo Investment Group, gives OGX the opportunity to accelerate its expansion and continue to produce high-quality, location-based entertainment across the globe under the leadership of new CEO Eric Stevens, alongside co-presidents Stacy Moscatelli and Steve Feener.
LOS ANGELES: Fairmont Century Plaza, a luxury landmark hotel in LA, has announced the appointment of Ron Pietruszka as executive chef—and he's no stranger to luxury resort kitchens. He's previously held executive culinary roles at The Carlyle, a Rosewood Hotel; The Ritz-Carlton Dubai; The Ritz-Carlton Osaka; and Regent Hotels & Resorts, among others. At The Ritz-Carlton Osaka, he oversaw the opening of French restaurant La Bae and Chinese restaurant Xiang Tao, both of which earned a Michelin Star during his tenure.
NEW ORLEANS: The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) has achieved its first LEED Gold certification. This makes the NOENMCC the largest LEED-certified project in Louisiana, the largest convention center project in the U.S. certified under LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance, and the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification under LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance. Earlier this year, the NOENMCC completed a $20.6 million project to reduce energy-related expenses and improve the overall visitor experience. In addition to an overhaul of the facility’s lighting and air conditioning systems, the upgrades included the installation of 87 water bottle filling stations and low-flow fixtures in 37 sets of restrooms.
NEW YORK: Harlem Restaurant Week will close its 13th season with "Harlem Restaurant Week: A Guide to the Best Food You've Never Had," from Nov. 1-15 across the neighborhood featuring up to 40 restaurants and bars. The event will offer a curated guide for residents and visitors to discover the many new eateries that have opened in the last two years, as well as highlight the innovation of Harlem's long-standing eateries, and the emerging restaurant row developing on East Harlem's Lexington Avenue.
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