Sodexo announced on its Twitter account that Gerri Mason Hall, the company’s USA Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, was recognized by Savoy Magazine on its 2019 list of Most Influential Women in Corporate America.

The leading African American lifestyle and business publication, Savoy Magazine announced the 2019 listing of the Most Influential Women in Corporate America featuring Oprah Winfrey on the cover.

Savoy magazine released their 2019 Most Influential Women in Corporate America listing in their Summer edition. The full list can be viewed online at SavoyNetwork.com. The Savoy Most Influential Women in Corporate America feature is the definitive listing of African American Women achievers impacting corporate America.

With expertise in a range of industries, the Savoy 2019 Most Influential Women in Corporate America embody talent, leadership and grace while executing critical roles for some of the largest corporations in the world.

“We are proud to continue the legacy of our coverage of the Most Influential Women in Corporate America with the Summer 2019 edition. We’ve worked diligently through research and networking to assemble this prestigious listing that leads the industry in documenting women achieving professional success at the greatest heights of business,” said L.P. Green, II publisher of Savoy Magazine. “Savoy is proud to celebrate these African American executives, leading global corporations, impacting our communities, and our world in important ways.”

Spectra, providers of venue management to the St. Charles (MO) Convention Center, has named Kathleen McAlpine as General Manager at the award-winning facility.

McAlpine is a dedicated management professional with more than 30 years of experience leading organizations in developing high performing customer service cultures. She is an industry veteran and has served in a variety of roles including, venue management, customer service, leadership development, team asset management, economic development, emergency management, community services program planning, and many parks and recreation functions.

McAlpine earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Texas A&M University where she also studied Political Science. She earned her Master’s in Public Administration from Arizona State University.

Her venue management leadership experience includes the St. Charles Convention Center, the Las Cruces Convention Center, the Port St. Lucie, Civic Center, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ, and the Phoenix Convention Center where she developed, implemented, and managed the convention center’s customer service and organizational development programs.

The executive team at the Convention Center is enthusiastic about their new addition to the team saying, “We are excited to welcome Kathleen to St. Charles and look forward to learning from her. Her reputation in the industry and expertise in client and customer service will serve as a catalyst for taking the Convention Center to the next level.”

To the victor go the spoils!

Scotiabank Arena, home to the NBA champion Toronto Raptors, is set to undergo a multimillion dollar “reimagination” to improve the fan experience.

Michael Friisdahl, president and chief executive of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the 19,800-capacity arena, said the championship success is “motivating” them to “keep improving the experience.”

Home also to the NHL Maple Leafs, Scotiabank Arena held a record number of events in 2018 with more than 110 live shows over and above NHL and NBA games.

“We’ve got to keep getting better, we’ve got to keep improving the experience,” Friisdahl told the Canadian Press new agency. “We won a championship – we’ve won four championships in the last three years. That, if anything, motivates us to do even more. Eventually when it’s all said and done, you will notice that everything will have be touched in one way or another to improve the overall (fan) experience.”

Friisdahl says MLSE’s investment is to ensure the arena is both a “gathering place” for fans but also a destination in the city.

A pedestrian bridge that will connect a new second floor to the galleria on the north side of the arena is currently under construction. Improvements to the galleria are scheduled to be complete in the next 12 months, and is part of a larger plan that will take four to five years.

The arena also has plans to install a new video board, which is 40 per cent bigger than its current screen. Scotiabank Arena will also add smaller video screens added near the west entrance of the galleria. The arena is getting new digital Scotiabank signage that can light up in different colors.

“We’re going to step that up another notch. There isn’t a stitch that isn’t being retouched in here,” Friisdahl said.

Banc of California Stadium announced that the world-class sport and entertainment venue has received LEED Gold Certification for its green building practices, commitment to environmental responsibility and overall sustainability. LAFC worked with Gensler during the design process to ensure that sustainable elements of the project were prioritized and retained to achieve this result.

“We are honored to receive the prestigious LEED Gold Certification seal from USGBC,” said LAFC President and Owner Tom Penn. “From the very beginning of this project, we were committed to building an environmentally-friendly stadium, using minimal resources with no environmental impacts. We are proud to be recognized for creating a responsible, sustainable and highly efficient venue in the heart of Los Angeles.”

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for recognizing best-in-class building strategies and practices in green building. Below is a list of notable sustainable accomplishments Banc of California Stadium received from USGBC:

The stadium project diverted over 97% of total construction and demolition debris, equating to 28,906 tons diverted from the landfill.

The building design consisted of 15% recycled materials; 10% sourced locally.

Low emitting materials were used for adhesives, sealants, paints and coatings.

All flooring was Greenguard certified; composite wood products were urea-formaldehyde free.

Design included increased numbers of thermal zones to allow for maximizing controllability and individual user comfort.

Ventilation rates were increased 30 percent to provide enhanced interior air quality and improved cognitive function.

The stadium is 100 percent smoke-free.

Mechanical conditioning refrigerants with low global warming potential were used.

Project reduced energy consumption by 30 percent.

Project reduced water consumption by 40 percent, equating to a savings of over 770,000 gallons of water annually.

Roof design mitigated heat island effect.

Catchment basins were designed to capture and treat rainwater for optimized stormwater management.

LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. Available for virtually all building, community and home project types, LEED provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement.

Las Vegas-based travel company Allegiant has secured naming rights to the new stadium being built in the city for soon-to-move Oakland Raiders.

The team is still some one year away from relocating from the Bay Area to Vegas, but the deal gives the team the opportunity to market even better the venue and ballclub.

“We’re thrilled that our future home will be known as Allegiant Stadium,” Raiders President Marc Badain commented on the team’s website. “As the hometown airline, Allegiant is the perfect partner to showcase the incredible support we continue to receive from the Southern Nevada community. We are grateful to all involved who worked diligently to make Allegiant Stadium a reality.”

As with all naming rights deals, look for Allegiant to be prominent throughout the 1.75 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art domed stadium. Both the Raiders and Allegiant will have their name attached to a number of high-profile events set to come at the stadium, which will serve as the site of the Las Vegas Bowl in 2020 and beyond and will host the 2020 and 2021 Pac-12 Football Championship Game.

The team was approved to move in March 2017 and will featured on the upcoming Hard Knocks program that each year follows a different NFL team throughout training camp.