Kiemle and Hagood Company has been hired to lead a team of real estate professionals that includes a widely-known retail specialist to manage and lease tenant space at River Park Square, the developer of the retail center announced today.

Kiemle and Hagood has assembled an experienced retail leasing team of six brokers and a leasing manager to work with the River Park Square development team to bring occupancy of River Park Square to its capacity, said Tom Quigley, president and CEO of Kiemle and Hagood. River Park Square currently is 90 percent leased.

In addition, Susan Zimmerman, who exclusively represented the 350,000-square-foot Pacific Place in downtown Seattle on its initial leasing phase, joins the team from Insignia Kidder Mathews of Seattle.  Zimmerman, an Insignia Kidder Mathews vice president, has 18 years of commercial real estate experience and is considered one of the top retail leasing specialists in the northwest.

“We’re entering a new phase with new energy,” said Betsy Cowles, River Park Square, LLC president. “This team has the track record and enthusiasm to continue the momentum at River Park Square, and enhance and continue the renaissance already well underway downtown.”

River Park Square’s position as the centerpiece of the new downtown and the commitment of the shopping and entertainment center’s ownership to continued downtown revitalization made the project a good fit for Kiemle and Hagood, Quigley said. The center’s  unique collection of stores and shops, broad mix of dining choices and 20-screen theatre have made River Park Square a destination attraction and have energized the city’s downtown since it opened in August 1999, he said.

“River Park Square is succeeding at fulfilling its vision to revitalize downtown and attract new business investment to the urban core,” Quigley said. “Because of that, Spokane is a good place to do business.”

Kiemle and Hagood Co. is recognized as the region’s leader in full-service office, industrial, retail, multi-family and investment real estate.  Founded in 1971, the company has maintained a special passion for projects in Spokane’s downtown core.

Insignia Kidder Mathew’s Zimmerman has leased numerous shopping centers, including the retail space in Schnitzer’s Civica Office Commons project in downtown Bellevue.  Zimmerman’s other clients include the Olympic Four Seasons Hotel, the Joshua Green Corporation, Swedish Medical Center, the I. Magnin Building, U.S. Bank Centre and the Vance Corporation.

“River Park Square offers the highest quality retail experience in the Inland Northwest and is the centerpiece of Spokane’s new downtown,” Zimmerman said. “It offers fun and unique experiences for shopping, dining and entertainment that attract visitors from throughout the region.”

Both Kiemle & Hagood Co. and Zimmerman are members of the International Council of Shopping Centers and Washington Commercial Association of Realtors.