John Chipman
Founding Partner
Chipman Adams Architects
Chipman began creating a new direction for his father's interior design firm in 1979 when he joined the small Chicago practice. Building upon an existing base of regional Main Street clients, Chipman led the firm into a position of national recognition. Along with speaking appearances and writing for trade publications, he authored a nationally distributed retail planning workbook. At his father's retirement in 1984, Chipman redirected his firm's focus as he used computer technology to keep up with the unprecedented expansion of corporate retail clients. The firm expanded its portfolio with award-winning commissions, laying the foundation for success in hospitality and restaurant design. The firm practices throughout the U.S. and Canada with offices in Los Angeles and New York.
Janet Martin
President
Communication Arts
Martin is president of the Boulder-based design firm founded by Henry Beer and Richard Foy in 1973. After receiving a B.A. in Art History, magna cum laude, from Colorado College, she attended graduate school at the University of Colorado, and later earned her MBA from the University of Denver. Martin served as chair of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce Board in 2003. She also serves on the Design Futures Council, Board of Advisors. She was inducted into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame in 2005. She serves on the board of the Colorado Ski Museum Boulder Community Hospital, Women's Foundation of Colorado and other organizations. She is a member of ICSC, ULI, the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Society for Environmental Graphic Design.
Luigi Franceshina
Vice President and Director of Retail Design
HOK
With more than 15 years of retail and branding experience, Franceschina is responsible for project direction and design management. He works closely with HOK's international, commercial and interiors groups on retail, hospitality, corporate and mixed-use projects domestically and overseas. Prior to joining HOK Chicago, Franceschina was senior design manager for Starbucks Coffee Co. Franceschina also served as retail studio director at Gensler in Chicago where he led project teams on assignments including Barney's New York (in Chicago), Gap and Apple. He earned his Master's at the University of Michigan and his Bachelor's at the University of Illinois. He maintains memberships with the Retail Design Institute, ICSC, U.S. Green Building Council and the AIA.
Margaret “Midge” McCauley
Director
Downtown Works
With her team at Downtown Works, McCauley creates and implements sustainable retail strategies that turn decaying urban zones into vibrant, vital downtowns. She has been at the forefront of the metropolitan retail industry since her days working with real estate visionary Jim Rouse. McCauley's method combines quantitative data, such as demographics and psychographics, with rigorous qualitative observation. She has helped cities such as Austin, St. Louis, Manhattan, Santa Fe, Philadelphia, and Nashville successfully transform downtowns into dynamic environments. McCauley serves on the Board of the International Downtown Association and of the Woodrow Wilson House presidential museum. She is chair of AIA's Retail and Entertainment Knowledge Community Advisory Group.
Kiku Obata
President & Creative Director
Kiku Obata & Company
Obata founded her firm in 1977. She leads the firm in its philosophy to create real, unique, beautiful and compelling brands, experiences and places by combining research, analysis, brand positioning and development, graphics, architecture, lighting and interiors. The firm works nationally and internationally undertaking many complex and collaborative projects including Madrid Xanadu, Madrid, Spain; Carmel City Center, Carmel, Ind.; Busch Stadium, St. Louis; Coors Field, Denver and many others. She is a member of the Retail and Entertainment Knowledge Community for AIA, a former board member for the Society for Environmental Graphic Design, and is a member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, ICSC, and Institute of Store Planners.
James Paresi
Principal
Paresi Design/Studio
With more than 20 years experience in architecture, urban design and master planning experience, Paresi has built a strong portfolio of unique and workable design solutions for a number of diverse planning efforts, including downtown and urban in-fill revitalization strategies, regional mall renovations and redevelopment schemes, high-density mixed-use developments and residential communities, themed casino and resort design, and large scale land planning, urban design and neighborhood-specific planning assignments. Paresi's design expertise is utilized by a roster of developers, municipalities and institutional clients on projects throughout the United States, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Paresi attended Pratt Institute and is a member of ICSC and ULI.
Robin Novak
Director, Interior Design, Specialty Brands
FRCH Design Worldwide
Novak is an interior design director within the FRCH specialty retail studio responsible for the all aspects of the client process. From strategy through conceptual design and documentation, Novak's role covers both creative development and tactical execution working in partnership with implementation and resource design partners throughout the firm. Novak's professional experiences include Tiffany & Co., Neutrogena, Luxottica, Aveda, Nike, O'Boticario, Volkswagen, Procter & Gamble, BlackBerry, Apple, J. Crew, WH Smith, UltraFemme, Mandalay Bay, Mercedes Benz, and Timberland. Novak is also LEED accredited.
Terry Shook
Founding Partner & Principal
Shook Kelley
In serving as principal-in-charge, Shook runs a multi-million-dollar New Urban planning and design group with an emphasis on retail and Main Street development, and has been recognized as a vanguard in the movement to return meaning to the urban environment. An annual lecturer at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, Shook also serves on the board of the College of Architecture at UNC-Charlotte. He is the past president of the Charlotte Chapter of the AIA, and a member of the International Downtown Association and ULI. Shook served as president of Berryhill Preservation Society, a non-profit revolving fund that saves and renovates historic houses in Charlotte's Fourth Ward. He is currently president of Charlotte Trolley Inc., dedicated to reviving vintage street car service.