Collectively, Thomas Consultants' senior management team has decades of experience in market research, real estate development strategy and urban planning.
Ian F. Thomas is Chairman of Thomas Consultants Inc., a firm which specializes in the planning and development of large scale retail projects.
Formed in 1979, Thomas Consultants operates three offices in Vancouver, Seoul and Brisbane.
The firm has undertaken major projects in over 50 countries where it acts for some of the largest developers and retailers in the world. As development strategists, the firm prides itself on the 'bricks and mortar' that result from its planning programs. Thomas Consultants' success is based on its mandate of "making projects work". From pragmatic research dovetailed into working with the world's leading architects, it has manifested in many award winning centers.
Retail today is about lifestyle. It's not just the pursuit of shopping, but the whole manifestation of lifestyle - entertainment, recreation, leisure, dining and drinking. Layer that with on-site residences, office employees and hotel guests and appeal is even further rounded out with places that go 24/7 - lifestyle places that you naturally gravitate to today.
Mr. Thomas is sought around the world for speaking engagements together with interviews by all aspects of the media - Television, radio, newspaper, and magazines on retail/shopping center issues.
A graduate of York University (Toronto, Canada) and a Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Thomas has authored award winning articles for such organizations such as Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C. His article "New Thinking for Regional Shopping Centers" won Urban Land's Award for best article.
Mr. Thomas sits on the Board of Trustees of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) in New York. He also sits on their Foundation Board. In addition, he is the Chairman of ICSC's International Design & Development Awards program. In 1989 he started the "Whistler Winter Conference", which today attracts over 3,000 delegates. In 2002, he also initiated "The Leading Edge" Conference in Vail, Colorado now called REvent. Finally, he is the recipient of ICSC's newest professional designation - Certified Development, Design and Construction Professional.
In terms of other board positions, Mr. Thomas has served as Director of Coast Appliances Ltd, Downtown Parking Corporation; CityXpress.com; Urban Development Institute; Vancouver Opera and Future Shop.
Michael Penalosa is the Managing Principal at Thomas Consultants and has been with the firm for 13 years. Michael is responsible for the firm's new business development, office operations and project management.
For long term success, the modern shopping centre can no longer be single-purpose. It must integrate a variety of leisure and commercial functions that not only weaves in the community fabric, but also serve as a place for social interaction and congregation.
Michael has participated in a wide range of real estate development projects throughout North America and Asia, and has been part of the leading edge in defining successful approaches for creating viable mixed-use projects. He has participated in over 300 development assignments involving downtown revitalization, Main Street retail development, mixed-use town center planning, resort village planning, entertainment centers and mall redevelopment strategies.
In addition, Michael actively participates on a variety of organizational boards with the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the British Columbia Shopping Center Association (BCSCA), promoting their educational events and conferences. Michael graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia (British Columbia, Canada) with a focus on urban planning and land economics.
Jeff Greig has rich and extensive international experience in urban planning, both in the public and private sectors. Jeff gained valuable knowledge in land use planning, development facilitation, planning policy and place making while working for Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority, before joining Singapore-based Surbana International Consultants as its Director of Business and Project Operations.
Retail is most often at the core of our urban experiences; it is the common thread that weaves through our participation in everyday civic life and adds excitement, vitality and memory to other urban elements such as architecture, design, public spaces, events, arts and entertainment.
With Surbana, Jeff oversaw the operations of its representative office in Qatar, managed numerous large scale master planning projects, and was responsible for significantly growing Surbana's business and presence in the Middle East market.
Jeff is a graduate of the University of British Columbia in Urban Geography, and is a member of both the Canadian Institute of Planners and Singapore Institute of Planners.
In his capacity as Director of Projects and Business Development for Thomas Consultants, Jeff works with Thomas Consultants' principals to enhance its international project portfolio, forge effective partnerships with key players in the retail development sector, as well as take a leading role in project execution and client management.
Mr. Don Jeong is President & CEO of Thomas Consultants Korea Inc. (based in Seoul). Mr. Jeong has been involved with major real estate development projects in Korea and many other countries for more than 20 years.
Understanding the cultural nuances of international markets is critical when recommending the project positioning and retail program. Simply transplanting a well-known retail brand or concept into a foreign market may not necessarily work - proper research and analysis is necessary to maximize the acceptance of the brand or concept. As specialists in Korea, we truly understand and apply this factor of 'compatibility' in our analysis process.
Mr. Jeong began his career with D.I. Shin International, a Hawaiian architectural design firm, as an architect and assumed his first business leadership position as CEO with Triangolo Business Group in the United States.
Before his position at Thomas Consultants, Mr. Jeong had been exposed to multiple businesses during his career back in Korea with major companies such as Samsung, Media Valley, Centum City, MJ Think and De Partners where most of his works had been focused on real estate development strategy planning.
He has been actively involved with mega-scale urban development projects initiated by central and local Korean governments. He is also well-known for his extensive expertise in resort development.
He has a clear principle of how our projects are handled and decisions are made, that is, a market-oriented way of thinking in careful consideration of end-usersŐ needs, not following suit of conventional practices typified by the "construction first" policy neglecting the demand market. He always urges his team to present a strategic methodology that formulates the new paradigm reflecting the shift in the development market from the supplier dominance to the consumer ascendancy.
Mr. Jeong graduated from Pratt Institute in the United States with BFA and earned an MBA in Marketing from Korea University.
Geoff Coghlin is a Director of Foresight Partners, based in Brisbane, Australia. He has more than 25 years of experience in market analysis and strategic planning in retail, commercial, tourism, residential development throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia and North America.
Recent projects include assessment of opportunities for retail centres and precincts; retail site location analysis, strategies for new town centres, analysis of most productive uses for a variety of major development sites, store network strategies and assessment of potential for retail, accomodation and recreation facilities serving both resident and visitor markets. He has given evidence before the Queensland Planning and Environment court, the NSW Land and Environment Court and the New Zealand Environment Court.
Geoff has a BSc from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from the University of British Columbia. He is a past Chairman of the Gold Coast (Australia) chapter of the Property Council of Australia.
Mike McCracken has more than 25 years consulting experience and is a Director of Brisbane-based Foresight Partners. Foresight Partners provides market advice and research in the areas of retail, commercial, industrial and residential development throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Mike has led or participated in well over 500 projects for private and public sector clients, including market feasibility and economic impact assessments of retail centres on behalf of developers and investors, the preparation of center network strategies for city planners, store location strategies and advice for retail chains and industrial land demand investigations for state and local governments.
Mike graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts (Geography) from the University of Colorado, with a focus on urban economics and retail location. For a number of years, he co-lectured a course in Urban Form and Structure for third and fourth year students at the University of Queensland