Nick LeMasters: the general of Cherry Creek Mall.

• Author: Estrella, Joe
• Position: Executive Edge

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A TYPICAL DAY

at the Cherry Creek Mall Just ask General Manager Nick LeMasters, who oversees day-to-day operations at one of the nation's busiest shapping centers.

Usually in the office by 7 a.m., LeMasters begins his day by communicating with his bosses at The Taubman Co. headquarters outside of Detroit. After that, there is no telling what the day will bring.

It can mean everything from meeting with representatives from major chains like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, to offering marketing, merchandising and competitive advice to one of the small retailers that make up the bulk of the mall's 160 tenants.

His advice is usually well received.

"Before I got into property management, I was involved in retail," LeMasters said. "I think it gives me a certain credibility, because our people know I've walked in their moccasins."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

There's also the job of overseeing Cherry Creek's community outreach efforts, including its involvement in the annual Race For The Cure, or The Mask Project, which has raised some $2 million for Hospice of Denver by displaying and selling masks created by local, national and international celebrities.

There's also the unexpected. Like mobilizing cleanup efforts after a broken water pipe flooded 10 upper-level stores, or arranging to haul off tons of snow after last March's blizzard closed the mall for three days and left people stranded on the property.

It's a lot of work, but you can't argue with results.

Under LeMasters, Cherry Creek remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Rocky Mountain region, drawing enough consumer traffic from Colorado and surrounding states to finish in the top 1 percent in gross sales among the nation's 3,000 regional shopping centers.

"This is a mall where you can get products that aren't available...