Josh Dean | GALLERY AT HARBORPLACE

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Josh Dean has been named general manager at The Gallery at Harborplace. Dean previously worked as assistant general manager at Water Tower Place, Northbrook Court and Oakbrook Center in Chicago, all of them, like the Gallery, owned by General Growth Properties. Before that he was a professional golfer, head coach of the golf program at Robert Morris University and a golf recruiting coach and accounting specialist at NCSA Athletic Recruiting. Dean received his B.S. in sports management from Miami University and his M.B.A. from the Robert Morris School of Management. His responsibilities will include leading the center in strategies focusing on community, retailers, employees, consumers, and shareholders; managing property budgets; identifying efficiencies and participating in sustainability initiatives; supporting execution of leasing, specialty leasing, development, and marketing activities; and overseeing tenant construction.

More about Josh Dean

Resides in: Chicago (home of parent company, General Growth Properties)

Education: Miami University, Oxford, Ohio (B.S.), Robert Morris University, Chicago (M.B.A.)

What changes have you seen over the last few years in managing shopping and dining locations of the size of the Gallery at Harborplace?

“Customer experience plays a larger role in the success of brick and mortar retail than it ever has before. The shopping center experience needs to be much more than the merchandise mix: It’s a feeling you get when you walk inside the building, from a greeting from the staff and patrons to the overall atmosphere.”

What did golf teach you that’s useful in your management role?

“Patience, honesty and persistence.”

Recent vacation:

California, with his wife. “We spent a week driving up and down the coast and stopping at all the beach towns.

Favorite movie:

“A documentary titled ‘So You’re Going Crazy’ that my sister, who is a filmmaker, created to raise awareness and bring to light the experiences of those suffering from mental health disorders.”

Favorite quotation:

“You either make dust, or eat dust.” — H. Jackson Brown Jr.