As we reflect on 30 years in the transportation business, it’s exciting to see how our clients and projects have shaped us into the company we are today. A case in point: The Mills Corporation and its numerous projects focused on large-scale outlet shopping malls. In the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s regional outlet shopping was new and significantly changed the way people thought about buying goods.
In 1994 Terry Miller joined Marty Wells at Wells + Associates and became a Partner in 1997. He was confident that his skills and his current retail clients would keep him busy … and did they ever. Under his direction, W+A’s involvement in retail outlet malls grew by leaps and bounds. We quickly learned to understand the new shopper experience and found ways to overcome challenges related to access, circulation, signage, and parking.
W+A’s involvement in retail outlet malls grew by leaps and bounds. We quickly learned to understand the new shopper experience and found ways to overcome challenges related to access, circulation, signage, and parking.
In the end, W+A went on to design more than a dozen of the largest, most prominent retail outlet malls for Mills Corporation, including Gurnee Mills in Illinois, The Block in Orange, California, Grapevine Mills in Texas, and Potomac Mills in Virginia, among many others.
“We were fortunate to work on these innovative new retail malls and we excelled at getting up to speed and meeting the expectations of our clients,” said Terry Miller.
“These long-term, highly successful projects established W+A solidly in the industry.”
More than the project work itself, the lifelong friendships and memories that were made had a lasting impact on W+A staff and its leadership. “These projects, and so many others, taught us how to take care of our client, understand their business, and push ourselves to be the best,” said Miller.
“Looking back at all the mementos we’ve received from our clients—including a really cool golden record from Opry Mills— makes me proud to have been a part of this exciting venture in establishing regional retail outlet malls throughout the United States.”
