Editor's corner

We were fortunate to be able to publish the June-July issue of this eNewsletter early. Things haven't gone quite as well with this August-September issue. We're a little on the late side. For some reason, when it's summer vacation time, we always get swamped with work. This summer has been our busiest. But another way to look at things is that 1 early publication + 1 late publication averages out that we have been on time. One bonus of being a little late with this issue is that it has allowed us to make this our biggest issue ever. We have also increased the number of links where you can find additional information, including links to several videos.

Our work and projects have been evolving in a number of directions. One direction is with small cafes for at-home moms. Another is in eatertainment facilities, which we really see as the future for family entertainment centers. And on a larger scale, we are working on mixed-use projects, including retail-tainment malls and shopping centers, which allow me to combine my personal experience and expertise with shopping center and mall development with our expertise with family and children's entertainment and leisure projects. Before our company moved into the location-based family and children's leisure and educational fields, I spent about 15 years developing and managing shopping centers and malls. I am still a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, retain its designation of CSM (Certified Shopping Center Manager) and am a long-time member of the Urban Land Institute. We are also applying our expertise with the design of family and children's facilities to resorts.

You'll read about at-home moms' cafes, retail-tainment and eatertainment in a number of the articles in this issue. Two of our newest clients have been resorts. Information on them is at the end of the eNewsletter. In this issue, we're also taking a look at leisure time, the increasing competition for away-from-home entertainment and the newest themed restaurant concept, T-REX, plus much more.

We hope you enjoy this issue and maybe even learn something from it. And as always, we welcome your comments and suggestions.

Randy White
Editore-mail