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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
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This One Is All About Henry

Not many individuals can provide the spark for an entire column. Not many of them can turn dirt into gold, either—which brings us to the recently deceased Henry Segerstrom … We’ll start with a view from Rick Reiff, who first came to OC as editor of this publication, intrigued in part by a market where the retail atmosphere mattered so much that the daily newspaper made shopping centers a regular beat. His tenure lasted about 10 years and coincided with South Coast Plaza’s arrival as a global destination for luxury retail. So there was plenty of food for thought to go with the dinner fare on the night after Segestrom died, which found Reiff, now our editor-at-large, and his wife, Mary Ann Brown, having dinner at South Coast Plaza before a performance of “Carmen” at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. “It was a moment,” Reiff says, “to once more take in the splendor of tony shops and restaurants, three glittering performance venues, the glowing Serra sculpture, the striking office towers, even the vacant lot where more will come. We reflected—as I’m sure many others did—on how this world-class complex exists in Orange County because of the vision and resolve of a man who had just passed away” … Reiff reports that Pacific Symphony Conductor Carl St. Clair let his baton do the talking, dedicating the evening’s program to the memory of Segerstrom. He said the music itself would “speak the unspeakable”—and it did, according to Reiff … Want to know more about that vacant lot where more will come? Check Mark Mueller’s page 1 piece on the latest from the Orange County Museum of Art … Many of you will recognize Jim Flanigan’s name from his years as a business writer for the L.A. Times. Others might recall him from Forbes, or even the old New York Herald Tribune. Turns out Flanigan also has something in common with Segerstrom besides writing a biography of the legend—and contributing the insightful piece you’ll find on the front page of this issue. He spent some time at the International Herald Tribune in Paris early in his career, drinking in a scene known well by Segerstrom, who married his first wife, Yvonne, in the City of Lights with an assist from the de Gaulle family, as Flanigan reports this week … You can turn to Mediha DiMartino’s page 1 story to learn about some of Segerstrom’s other dealings in Paris, where he broke the mold by taking stakes in several giants of fashion as he pushed South Coast Plaza toward what it is today … Segerstrom decided to go big back when OC had plenty of room to grow at the prod of someone with a genius for creative commerce on a grand scale. It’s worth noting that last week ended with another OC retail impresario—Shaheen Sadeghi, whose skills play out on a smaller scale and first came forth at the LAB Anti-Mall just down Bristol Street from South Coast Plaza—was featured in the Wall Street Journal’s Mansion section. The write-up described the “spare style” and “neutral palette” he and his wife, Linda, have brought to their 6,800-square-foot home in Laguna Beach. Seems Sadeghi has an appreciation for luxury that might compare with Segerstrom’s on one count. His garage has a “gleaming” 1954 Austin Healey among its fleet of nine vintage cars … Expect insights on Sadeghi’s strategic thinking and style when he gives the keynote at the Business Journal’s Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards on March 18.

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