STEPHENS TO BECOME WEST PARK MANAGER

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Tony Stephens has been named manager at West Park Mall.

The promotion of Stephens, 41, retail coordinator for the mall since last October, was announced Friday. The mall is operated by May Centers Inc., headquartered in St. Louis.

Stephens will begin his new job Monday, becoming the fourth manager of the mall since its opening 10 years ago.

"I'm very pleased, excited by the change," he said. "To me, it's a supreme compliment to be chosen by May Centers to work here at the mall. I think I add a knowledge of retail (business) to the operation."

Stephens replaces Rollin Hunsicker, who was transferred to the St. Louis area April 1 to manage three properties for May Centers: the Alton Square Mall in Alton, Ill., and the Northland Shopping Center and Northland office building, both in Jennings.

Hunsicker will continue to spend time at the Cape Girardeau mall for the next few weeks during the transition period, Stephens said.

A Cape Girardeau resident since 1981, Stephens has been around the mall since then. "I was one of the original tenants here 10 years ago," he said.

He owned and operated Naturalizer Shoes at West Park Mall from 1981 to 1988. During part of that time, he also owned two other stores in the mall.

He subsequently served as publisher and general manager of the News Guardian newspaper here prior to returning to the mall as a retail coordinator.

Stephens said: "What I worked with primarily was temporary tenants and their sales, and leasing to them, and then many of the visual aspects of the mall."

He said he doesn't anticipate any major changes the operation of West Park Mall, which has 86 stores.

"I don't think we can anticipate any dramatic changes," he said. "I think the mall has been extremely well-run for 10 years. I think it will be business as usual."

Prior to moving to Cape Girardeau, Stephens worked for nine years in Illinois and Michigan as a sales and retail manager in the shoe business.

Stephens and his wife, Marni, have three children: Donovan, 19, Benji, 12, and Lauren, 10.