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| By Joseph Barrios, The Arizona Daily
Star, Tucson Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jun. 24, 2006 - A former top executive of Club Med resorts has been hired as CEO of Miraval, Life in Balance as the Tucson wellness resort company continues an expansion into other areas of the country. John Vanderslice is in the process of moving to Tucson and will be taking over day-to-day operations of Miraval, said Barbara MacDonald, a Miraval spokeswoman. Vanderslice recently served as president and CEO of Club Med for the company's Americas region, where he supervised six national and international business offices and resorts in the Caribbean, Bahamas, Mexico, Brazil and the United States. Vanderslice was also a senior vice president at Triarc Companies, whose subsidiaries include Arby's and T.J. Cinnamons. Vanderslice also worked for Kraft Foods, "managing several cereal and beverage brands," according to a press release. Both Miraval and health-and-wellness resort rival Canyon Ranch are in the midst of expanding their brands into retail products and residential developments. Miraval is investing $37 million into upgrading 102 existing casita-style guest rooms, adding 30 one-bedroom "villas" and 20 two-bedroom villas -- residences with small kitchens designed for part-time occupancy. In May of last year, Miraval scrapped plans for a second resort on Maui. Vanderslice's hire isn't the first time Miraval drew from Club Med talent. In November, Revolution Resorts, a subsidiary of Revolution LLC and parent company of Miraval, announced Philippe Bourguignon, former chairman of Aegis Media France and CEO of Euro Disney and Club Med, would become vice chairman. Revolution LLC was launched last year by AOL co-founder Steve Case. Over the next 10 years, the company is looking to open wellness centers that offer Miraval programs in cities across America. ----- Copyright (c) 2006, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. NYSE:TRY, NYSE:KFT, Euronext:12587, |