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But Jeff Odom feels at home in the job he assumed May 1, because it’s close to his wife’s relatives in Milwaukee, the community and mall are somewhat similar to the ones from his youth, and because he appreciates the outdoor activities and scenery that the greater La Crosse area offers.
Odom came to La Crosse from the Hamilton Place Mall in Chattanooga, Tenn., where he was marketing director for nearly five years.
The Alabama native celebrated his 41st birthday on Sunday. The youngest of three children, his father worked at a Reynolds Aluminum plant in Florence, Ala., and his mother was a homemaker. Odom got his first retail experience at age 12, working at his uncle’s three-aisle grocery store in Spruce Pine, Ala.
He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of North Alabama in Florence, and then worked in malls in Florence, Ala.; Heath, Ohio; Grand Junction, Colo.; for an Augusta, Ga., company that oversaw events for a few malls; and for the Chattanooga mall.
“It’s a healthy mall,” Odom said of Valley View Mall. “I was really impressed with the selection of stores here. We have a good retail mix, and it’s very vibrant.”
Since late 2003, the La Crosse mall has been owned by the Philadelphia company, Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust. Odom succeeded Bruce Johnson, who retired in October 2006 after being general manager ever since the mall opened in July 1980.
“Our focus is to continue to improve on the retail mix,” Odom said last week as Christmas shoppers moved through the mall. “We want to stay healthy and provide products that shoppers will want to buy.”
Since his arrival last spring, Yankee Candle and Katmandu Trading Co. have opened stores in the mall, and Nori Japan has become the mall food court’s fifth restaurant.
Odom said there is room for one or two more restaurants in the food court. “When I look at what we have, we probably need a Tex-Mex place or a sandwich shop,” he said of the food court.
He sometimes is involved in leasing mall spaces, but that’s mostly handled by leasing officials at his company’s headquarters or regional offices.
The mall has about 80 stores. “The size is pretty well where we need to be,” Odom said.
As the mall’s general manager, he said, “You deal with maintenance and operation issues. You also have a marketing focus and you’re dealing with people walking into the mall every day.” Odom said he enjoys interacting with people each day.
In his job, Odom said, “You’ve got to be out there knowing what’s going on.” He attends quarterly meetings for mall management officials and the mall’s store managers. And Odom walks through the mall, usually two or three times a day. He talks with about 10 store managers a day as he stops in stores along the way.
“We might talk about their business, how their sales are doing, operational issues, what consumers are doing — are they spending a lot or just looking?” Odom said.
During his walks, Odom also checks out the mall and makes sure it looks pleasant to shoppers.
He also takes calls and e-mails from the public, about such things as the mall’s gift card program, mall hours and Santa Claus’ hours during the Christmas season.
“It’s fun and challenging,” Odom said of his job. “Every day is different.”
As the year comes to an end, Odom said, “Traffic and sales have been trending up for the year at the mall. Sales are probably trending a little higher than traffic,” which Odom said indicates consumers are more willing to spend than they were a year ago.
“It’s been good,” Odom said of the Christmas shopping season. “We started out with a very good Thanksgiving weekend.”
But the snow and freezing rain that fell a week later, on Dec. 1, cut into traffic that weekend, Odom said. “Weather definitely affects shopping patterns in this area,” he added.
THE ODOM FILE
WHO: Jeff Odom.
JOB: Since May 1, general manager of Valley View Mall in La Crosse.
AGE: 41.
FAMILY: Odom and his wife, Jennifer, have three children — Andy, Nicky and Lindsay. Jennifer, a Milwaukee native, is busy looking after the kids at home.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of North Alabama in Florence.
