
Bringing the movie-going experience back to Hispanic communities became a mission for Moctesuma Esparza. Maya Cinemas is developing a chain of megaplex movie theatres, focusing on providing the highest quality movie-going experience in new and redevelopment market areas. Capitalizing on the expertise of its management team, the Company is developing movie theatres in locations with a strong Latino presence. In July 2005, the 14-screen, $21 million Maya Cinemas opened its doors in Salinas, California. It is the first of what Mr. Esparza, CEO of Maya Cinemas, hopes will eventually grow into 500 screens in 40 locations over five years. With Salinas up and running, Maya Cinemas has its sights set on Bakersfield, California; Santa Fe and Albuquerque in New Mexico; Chicago; Dallas; and the Bronx in New York.
Michael R.Mr. Craven is the co-CEO of Craven-Thompson Communications, a firm that invests in and provides consulting services to businesses operating in the media industry including The New York Times, Village Voice Media, and Traffic.Com. Previously, Mr. Craven was the co-founder and co-CEO of Liberty Broadcasting. Mr. Craven and James Thompson have served together as senior management and have been associated professionally in broadcasting for more than 30 years. Mr. Craven has supervised and managed prominent radio stations for Group W Radio Westinghouse (now CBS Radio), Metromedia Radio and Legacy Broadcasting. While at Group W, Mr. Craven supervised day-to-day operations for the Group’s East coast radio facilities. His responsibilities included stations in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dallas and Detroit. Combined revenues of stations under his management exceeded $140 million. Prior to joining Group W, Mr. Craven was a regional vice president for Legacy Broadcasting, responsible for stations in New York and Philadelphia. Each of these stations was selected as Rolling Stone Magazine’s “Station of the Year” under Mr. Craven’s management.
Charles “Chuck” Delgado is a founding member and has served as chairman of Alliance Management Systems, Inc. (AMS), a management services consulting firm with offices in Los Angeles, California and Washington D.C. The firm specializes in providing finance, management, information technology and medical staffing to the federal government and the Department of Homeland Security. Previously, Mr. Delgado was actively involved as a founder and executive officer of Laguna Foods, a major fast food franchise in Los Angeles, CA and Cardinal Management Associates which provided financial, business management and strategic planning to small- and medium-sized business clients. He has also served as a senior vice president of the National Economic Development Association (NEDA). Mr. Delgado currently serves as a director of Delgado Insurance & Financial Services, Inc. Mr. Delgado earned his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, where he was an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Management Fellow and he received a B.A. in Economics from California State University, Los Angeles, CA.
Dorene C. Dorene C. Dominguez is currently president of Vanir Group of Companies, Inc. Founded in 1964 by her beloved late father, H. Frank Dominguez, the Vanir Companies lead in the fields of real estate development, construction and construction management. Operating 16 offices throughout the United States, the Vanir Companies employs a growing staff of 400 talented architects, engineers, construction managers, developers, contractors and support staff. The Vanir Companies including Vanir Development Company, Inc., Vanir Construction Management, Inc. and Vanir Construction Company, Inc. have successfully completed over $8.5 billion in real estate developments, design-build lease and construction services. Ms. Dominguez is a former member of the Los Angeles Planning Commission and California State Board of Geology and Geophysics and currently holds leadership roles in several organizations such as New America Alliance, National Council of La Raza, Latin Business Association, Main Street, Inc., Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and HOPE - Hispanas Organized for Political Equality. Ms. Dominguez holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame.
MoctesumaMr. Esparza is the chairman and chief executive officer of Maya Cinemas North America, Inc., Maya Pictures, LLC and Maya Releasing, Inc. and is well known for his contributions to the movie industry. He has over 30 of experience in the motion picture industry and is considered a leading producer of Latino-themed entertainment. Mr. Esparza has served as founder, president and CEO of several media companies, including Esparza/Katz Productions, Saints & Sinners Film Development Co., and Buenavision Telecommunications, Inc., a cable television company with franchises in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles City and San Bernardino County, which was sold to Adelphia Communications in May 2001. Mr. Esparza was a founder of and has served on the Boards of The Robert Redford Sundance Institute and The UCLA Chicano Research Center as well as serving on the Boards of The Motion Picture Health and Welfare Foundation and the Museum of Latino American Art in Long Beach, California. In addition, he served as chairman and founder of New America Alliance and The National Latino Arts Education & Media Institute. Mr. Esparza was a founder of and is a current Board member of the National Latino Media Council and The National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) and serves as chair of the Board of the Latino Theatre Company, the Los Angeles Academy of Arts and Enterprise (a new charter school) and The Marathon Club. He also serves on the board of the California State University System and Claremont University Consortium.
Pierson M.Mr. Grieve joined Palladium in 1998 as operating partner and now serves as operating executive. Prior to joining Palladium, he served as the chairman and CEO of Ecolab Inc. During his 12 years as CEO, Ecolab grew from $438 million in sales to be a global leader with over $2 billion in sales. Prior to Ecolab, Mr. Grieve was the president and CEO of Questor Corp. and a senior executive with AP Parts Corp. Mr. Grieve is a director of MAIR Holdings, Inc. and the Bank of Naples. He has served as a director of Wells Fargo, US West, Meredith Corporation and the St. Paul Companies. He is past chairman of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, State of Minnesota, the Minnesota Business Partnership and the Guthrie Theater. Mr. Grieve earned his B.A. from Northwestern University in Business Administration.
Philip A.Mr. Jones is on the advisory boards of Pros Revenue Management, an inventory control company for broadcast, airlines and other industries, and CNX Media, a content provider for TV stations and the Internet. He is currently a partner in the residential development Tortuga Bay in San Jose on the Baja peninsula. He is a board member of BMI (music licensing) and was its chairman from 1997 to 2000. He also periodically serves as a music coordinator for Fox Television. Mr. Jones is president of Cabo Tres Music Publishing and is an aspiring songwriter. He retired from The Meredith Corporation in 1997 after 18 years. From 1989 to 1997 he was president of the broadcast group and in this capacity was responsible for acquisitions and directing the day-to-day operations of Meredith’s 11 television stations consisting of: CBS stations in Hartford, Phoenix, Kansas City and Flint/Saginaw; FOX stations in Orlando, Portland (OR.), Greenville (N.C.), Las Vegas, Ocala/Gainesville and Bend (OR.); and an NBC station in Nashville. Mr. Jones is a member of the International Radio & Television Society (IRTS). He is past joint board chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). He is a past chairman of the CBS Television Network Affiliates Advisory Board. He served on the board of directors of Television Operators Caucus (TOC), Maximum Services Television (MSTV), the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) and the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB).
RafaelMr. Kravec is the former founder, chairman and CEO of French Fragrances, Inc., a publicly-traded manufacturer and marketer of prestige fragrances and related skin treatment and cosmetic products principally for mass-market retailers and department stores. French Fragrances sourced approximately 235 fragrance brands through brand ownership, brand licensing and distribution arrangements, including Halston, Z-14, Grey Flannel, PS Fine Cologne for Men, Design, Casual and Wings by Giorgio Beverly Hills. Shortly following Mr. Kravec’s retirement from French Fragrances, the company purchased Elizabeth Arden’s fragrance, skin treatment and cosmetic brands and has operated as Elizabeth Arden, Inc. since the closing of the transaction. Prior to French Fragrances, Mr. Kravec served as president and chief executive officer of National Trading. Mr. Kravec serves as a member of the international board of the Peres Center for Peace.
Robert J.Mr. Lanigan is a co-founder of Palladium and now serves as an operating executive. Prior to Palladium, he was a special limited partner of Joseph Littlejohn & Levy responsible for monitoring the performance of the firm’s portfolio companies. Mr. Lanigan is currently chairman emeritus of Owens-Illinois Inc., where he was chairman and CEO before and after Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.’s acquisition in 1987. Mr. Lanigan served as a Director at Chrysler Corporation beginning in 1983. In 1998, Daimler-Benz merged with Chrysler Corporation and formed DaimlerChrysler AG. Following the merger with Daimler-Benz, Mr. Lanigan served on DaimlerChrysler’s Supervisory Board and Chairman’s Council until he retired in 2006. Additionally, Mr. Lanigan served on numerous public company boards including Dun & Bradstreet, IMS Health, Cognizant and Transocean.
Robert L.Robert Rewey is the former group vice president of Ford’s North American operations and global sales, marketing and customer services for all six brands. Mr. Rewey was president of Lincoln Mercury Division, the Ford Division, and group vice president of North American sales, marketing and customer service. He was responsible for initiating Ford’s global brand, motorsports and marketing executive development strategies. He also implemented company innovations in Six Sigma for sales and marketing, and developed short-term vehicle leasing. He served on the Board of Directors for Volvo Cars and Mazda Corporation. Mr. Rewey was a member of the Board of Visitors, Fuqua School, Duke University and the Dean’s Council, Fisher School of Business, Ohio State University. Mr. Rewey’s current Board memberships include Sonic Automotive, Speedway Motorsports, LoJack Corporation, Dealer Tire LLC and Palladium portfolio company Hilsinger Company.
FrankMr. Sanchez is the chairman and chief executive officer of the Sanchez Family Corporation, which owns and operates McDonald’s franchises in East and Downtown Los Angeles. He also serves on the McDonald’s Operators Association of Southern California and the Global Board of Trustees of the Ronald McDonald House Charities. In addition to his business activities, Mr. Sanchez is active in civic and charitable activities in the Los Angeles community, including serving as president of the Board of Harbor Commissioners overseeing the Port of Los Angeles, as well as serving on the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles Visitors and Convention Bureau, the Los Angeles Amateur Athletic Foundation, the Los Angeles Sports Council, and the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. He is also a founding board member of the New America Alliance and chairs its Wall Street Summit. Mr. Sanchez earned a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Ph.D. from George Washington University.
James B.Mr. Thompson is the co-CEO of Craven-Thompson Communications, a firm that invests in and provides consulting services to businesses operating in the media industry including The New York Times, Village Voice Media, and Traffic.Com. Previously, Mr. Thompson was the co-founder and co-CEO of Liberty Broadcasting. Mr. Thompson and Michael Craven have served together as senior management and have been associated professionally in broadcasting for more than 30 years. Prior to founding Liberty, Mr. Thompson was the president of Group W Radio — Westinghouse (now CBS Radio) from 1989 until 1993. Prior to Group W, he served as vice president and general manager of Group W’s TV station in Philadelphia. Mr. Thompson began his broadcasting career at Group W’s Baltimore television station. In 1990, he was named “Philadelphia’s Man of the Year” by the Philadelphia Ad Club. In 1991, he was named radio executive of the year by Pulse Magazine.
Delbert Q.Mr. Wilber serves as President/CEO of Celeritas Management. He is a senior executive with extensive experience in branding, marketing and sales management with major multinational corporations and organizations. Prior to the creation of Celeritas in September 2008, Mr. Wilber was President of MVPGROUP, a marketing agency he co-owned with The Martin Agency/Interpublic Group of Companies. Prior to that, he owned DelWilber+Associates, a worldwide sports and entertainment business that was sold to International Family Entertainment (Family Channel) in 1996. Mr. Wilber has provided brand-building consulting for companies in the United States and Canada. A former Big Ten quarterback at Purdue, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in the very first Major League Baseball Free Agent Draft. Mr. Wilber has also worked for Procter & Gamble, Wilson Sporting Goods and Spalding, where he served as Vice President Worldwide Tennis, working for Palladium Equity Partners Operating Executive Sandy Grieve. Mr. Wilber is a graduate of the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University. He has served on many advisory and corporate boards, including the Hilsinger Companies (when it was a Palladium Equity Partners portfolio business), eJets, Gobabies, Evite, the Major League Baseball Players Alumni, the Krannert School of Management, the President’s Council Purdue University and the LPGA Tournament Sponsors Association.
Complementing Palladium’s investment professionals is a network of operating executives who have hands-on experience running companies in a variety of industries and provide counsel to our portfolio companies’ senior management.