CUZ Cousins Properties Inc

Specialty Retail Center Opens October 19 With 13-Year Industry Leader In Charge Of Tennessee's Largest Open-Air Shopping Center Pete McClure is no stranger to retailers, restaurants and shoppers - having spent the vast majority of his management level career at traditional indoor malls in Tennessee, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. But when comparing his indoor retail years to his upcoming assignment as the General Manager for The Avenue Carriage Crossing - the open-air lifestyle center developed by partners Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ) and Jim Wilson & Associates, Inc. (JW&A) - McClure explains that "It's sort of like taking the top down on a convertible car, because The Avenue concept is an innovative breath of fresh air in retailing and consumer preference." The October 19 grand opening of the 786,000-square-foot specialty retail center in Collierville will be the largest center of its kind in Tennessee, and will feature 100 of the best names in shopping and dining when fully built out. "The Avenue is fully loaded with great offerings and will feature something special for every member of the family," McClure added. McClure moved to Collierville in June of this year from Jackson, Tennessee, where he was General Manager of Old Hickory Mall. Since his arrival, he's not only been about readying the 96-acre site, but he's also set out to cultivate progressive business relationships and chart a civic path into the community where he now lives and works. McClure already represents The Avenue Carriage Crossing on both the Collierville and Germantown chambers of commerce, and was recently selected by Collierville Mayor Linda Kerley to serve on The Mayor's Advisory Board. A native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, McClure is a Certified Shopping Center Manager by the International Council of Shopping Centers, and a B.A. graduate from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Public Relations and Mass Communications. Formerly, he's served as General Manager and Marketing Manager at Randolph Mall in Asheboro, North Carolina, Assistant General Manager at Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Assistant General Manager at Lancaster, Pennsylvania's Tanger Outlet Center, and worked for Concept 100 Real Estate, Inc. as a Commercial Realtor Associate, also in Lancaster. The Avenue Carriage Crossing will be the largest Avenue in the Cousins Properties' portfolio and is being developed jointly with venture partner Jim Wilson & Associates, a privately held real estate development company based in Montgomery, Alabama. In addition to General Manager McClure, The Avenue Carriage Crossing's team includes Cousins' Vice President of Development Lou Conti, Construction Manager Mike Davis, Director of Tenant Coordination Luis Ruiz, Tenant Coordinator Mike Moyer, and from JW&A, Vice President of Development Will Wilson, Vice President of Construction Mike Bannon and Tenant Coordinator Eric Hunter. Leasing responsibilities are shared between the partners, with Vice President of Leasing Darryl Bonner and Director of Leasing Charlie Quisenberry representing Cousins, and Leasing Representative David Wills for JW&A. Additionally, Cousins' Vice President of Retail Marketing Angie Leccese and JW&A's Kay Yarbrough lead the center's marketing programs. The Avenue Carriage Crossing will offer a unique shopping experience with some 100 retail stores and restaurants at full build-out, a children's park, and landscaped common areas with attractive pedestrian walkways, fountains and bronze statues. A culmination of function and art, The Avenue's concept caters to busy family schedules by offering great shopping and dining options in a convenient and relaxed setting. The Avenue concept was introduced by Cousins Properties in 1998 and combines premier national retailers, select local merchants and specialty restaurants in an attractive, pedestrian-friendly, open-air setting and has been extremely well received by the consumer and the retailer alike. About Cousins Properties Incorporated: Cousins Properties Incorporated, headquartered in Atlanta, has extensive experience in the real estate industry including the development, acquisition, financing, management and leasing of properties. The property types that Cousins actively invests in include office, multi-family, retail, medical office, industrial and land development projects. The Company's portfolio consists of interests in 7.5 million square feet of office and medical office space, 646 for-sale multi-family residential units, 3.8 million square feet of retail space, 4 million square feet of industrial space, over 3,300 acres of strategically located land tracts for sale or future development, and significant land holdings for development of single-family residential communities. Cousins also provides leasing and management services to third-party investors; its client-services portfolio comprises 11.2 million square feet of office space. Cousins is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust (REIT) that has been public since 1962 and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CUZ." For more information on the Company, please visit Cousins' Web site at www.cousinsproperties.com. About Jim Wilson & Associates, Inc: Jim Wilson & Associates, Inc. (JW&A) headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama is a privately owned real estate company specializing in leasing, management, development, asset management and construction management. Since its founding in 1975 by Jim Wilson, Jr., JW&A has developed and managed over 21 million square feet of retail space in nine southern states including such premier properties as the Riverchase Galleria in Birmingham, Alabama and EastChase in Montgomery, Alabama. Through Wilson Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of JW&A, the company also owns and manages office buildings, The Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham, Wynlakes Golf and Country Club in Montgomery and Big 10 Tire Stores located throughout the southeast. www.jwamalls.com