AMC Entertainment Inc. Gerardo "Gerry" Lopez is Chief Executive Officer and President of AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., Marquee Holdings Inc., and AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC). He has served as Chief Executive Officer and President since March 2009, when he was also elected to the Company's Board of Directors. Lopez is only the fourth CEO in the company's almost 90-year history.
Prior to joining AMC, Lopez served as executive vice president of Starbucks Coffee Company and president of its Global Consumer Products, Seattle's Best Coffee and Foodservice divisions. In these roles, Lopez led the strategy to support Starbucks' growth and expansion of consumer product offerings worldwide. As he describes it, Gerry was responsible for "extending the Starbucks Experience" and "taking care of the customer everywhere and anytime they are not in a Starbucks store."
Lopez's understanding of brands, guests and their experiences and interaction, combined with his ability to work collaboratively with various strategic partners were paramount in his decision to join AMC. He sees countless future opportunities for the exhibition business, and firmly believes AMC will play a leadership role in the entertainment arena. Lopez's management philosophy is simple: hire good people, agree on a direction, provide the tools and reward results. His mantra, as he puts it, is to "listen, learn, discuss, decide, execute, measure and ... repeat."
Lopez has been active on several public and private company boards, including TXU Corporation, Safeco Insurance and the supply chain startup SilkRoute Global. Additionally, he has recently been appointed to the board of the National Association of Theatre Owners; National CineMedia, Inc., (NASDAQ: NCMI) a cinema advertising company; Digital Cinema Implementation Partners, LLC., a partnership implementing digital cinema deployment in theatres; and Midland Empire Partners, LLC, organized to design, develop and own Kansas City venues the Midland by AMC and AMC Mainstreet in partnership with the Cordish Co. and Anschutz Entertainment Group. He was a member of the Cranbrook Institute of Science Board of Governors in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and has been recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the Top 100 Hispanic Business Leaders.
Lopez was previously part of the entertainment industry during 2000-2004, when he served as president at Handleman Entertainment Resources, which provided category management and pre-recorded music distribution services to Wal-Mart, Best Buy and other major retailers in the US and abroad. In his more than 25-year career he also has served in a variety of executive management positions with International Home Foods, Frito-Lay, Pepsi-Cola and the Procter & Gamble Company.
A native of Oriente, Cuba and a current resident of Kansas City, Missouri, Lopez earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration from George Washington University and his MBA from Harvard Business School. He and his wife, Elaine, have been married for 25 years and have two teenage sons. In their spare time, they enjoy golfing and sailing as a family; and on occasion his sons enjoy accompanying him to an action-packed movie.
AMC Entertainment Inc. Stephen Colanero is executive vice president and chief marketing officer for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC). He is responsible for AMC's marketing team and guides it to help develop, plan and execute marketing efforts on behalf of AMC's theatres and Web site, amctheatres.com.
Colanero began his AMC career in 2009 and has 20 years of experience in the marketing field, specifically in marketing strategy, branding and consumer entertainment. Most recently, he served as vice president of marketing at RadioShack Corporation. Prior to that, he was the senior vice president of retail bank marketing for Washington Mutual in Seattle. He also worked for Blockbuster Inc. for more than 10 years in a variety of marketing and strategic development roles, ending his career there as senior vice president of strategic marketing.
Stephen received an MBA in Marketing and Strategic Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Villanova University. He has been married for 17 years to his wife Breta, and has three children, Katie, Audrey and Mia.
AMC Entertainment Inc.Kevin M. Connor is senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC). Connor joined the company in 2002 as senior vice president, legal for AMC and American Multi-Cinema, Inc.
Prior to joining AMC, Connor was in private practice for 15 years with Seigfreid, Bingham, Levy, Selzer & Gee specializing in corporate, tax and real estate matters. In his role at AMC, he focuses primarily on corporate transactions and dispute resolution.
Connor graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1985 with a Bachelor's degree in English and history; received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1988; and earned an LLM in taxation from the University of MissouriKansas City in 1991.
Connor currently serves on the board of regents for the University of Kansas School of Law, as well as the board of directors for the Foundation for Inclusive Religious Education, Brookside (Mo.) Soccer and the Kansas City Downtown Council. In addition, he enjoys running, playing and coaching soccer and hockey, and playing tennis and platform tennis.
Connor lives in Kansas City, Mo. with his wife Anne, and their five children.
AMC Entertainment Inc.Mike Czinege is chief information officer for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC). He is responsible for AMC's technology and systems team and guides it to deliver quality technology initiatives.
Czinege began his AMC career in 2008 and has more than 30 years of experience in the technology and business consulting fields. Most recently, he served as chief information officer of Applebee's International, Inc. Prior to that, he was executive vice president of North American operations for Celerant Consulting and vice president of Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (CGEY). At CGEY, Czinege served as chief executive officer of the Telecommunications, Media and Network Outsourcing business. He has also held positions as a partner with Ernst & Young LLP where he serviced a number of large, multi-national clients, and as a partner at United Research, where he was responsible for its global consumer products and packaged goods practice.
He graduated from the University of Cincinnati with Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in business administration. He serves as a member of the Helzberg School of Management Advisory Board at Rockhurst University, while living in Kansas City, Mo., with his wife, Nancy, and children, Tyler, Megan and Todd.
Elizabeth Frank is senior vice president, strategy & strategic partnerships for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC), where she is responsible for the overall strategic framework and long-range vision for the company, and identifying and evaluating growth opportunities while working closely with the board of directors.
Frank began her AMC career in 2010 and has more than 15 years of experience strengthening developing and implementing growth strategies for organizations such as AmeriCares and Time Warner. Most recently as senior vice president, global programs for AmeriCares, she led the globalization of the organization's resource acquisition, enhanced operational effectiveness, and launched several strategic global health initiatives. Prior to AmeriCares, she was vice president, corporate strategic planning for Time Warner, and spent nine years at McKinsey & Company as a partner serving media and consumer clients.
Frank graduated from Lehigh University with a bachelor's degree in business administration and received her Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Global Health Council and volunteers as a USA swim official.
Frank lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and three children.
AMC Entertainment Inc.Samuel D. "Sonny" Gourley was appointed president of film programming for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC) in 2005. In his role, Gourley is responsible for all aspects of programming AMC's North American screens. In addition to overseeing the programming of movies, he negotiates film rental terms for each featured release and manages relationships with studios.
Gourley began his career with AMC in 1975 as assistant manager at AMC Woodhaven 4 near Philadelphia and, after one year, was promoted to general manager of the AMC East 5 theatre in Harrisburg, Penn. In 1979, he was named a film buyer for AMC's eastern division, and later became head film buyer for the company's south division in 1990. Five years later, Gourley became executive vice president, film marketing and director of national settlements. In this position he negotiated film rental payments and managed programming decisions for the chain's domestic screens.
Gourley currently serves on the advisory board of Tent 25 VarietyThe Children's Charity located in Los Angeles, as well as serving on the advisory board of the Will Rogers Foundation.
Gourley earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio). He and his wife, Abbie, live in Westlake Village, Calif. with their son, Andrew.
Robert J. Lenihan was appointed president of programming for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC) in 2009. Lenihan oversees all of AMC's programming efforts, as well as the company's Century City office in Los Angeles, Calif. In addition, he leads the programming team, which explores new ways of enhancing the company's leading position in movie marketing and expanded programming flexibility.
Lenihan has 33 years of experience in the industry beginning as a film booker for United Artists. Prior to joining AMC, he served as senior vice president of film at Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas, and previous roles have included senior vice president and head film buyer positions at Mann Theatres, Act III Theatres, Century Theatres and Sundance Cinemas. He also served as executive vice president at Loews Cineplex from 1998 to 2002, supervising film, marketing and real estate.
Lenihan is a 1976 graduate of Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. and currently resides in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
American Multi-Cinema, Inc.John D. McDonald is executive vice president, United States operations for American Multi-Cinema, Inc. (AMC). He has worked for AMC for 35 years and is responsible for overseeing all of the company's operations in the United States.
McDonald began his AMC career in 1975 as a film crew member. He was promoted to manager in 1976 and general manager in 1978. In 1983, he was promoted to the west division training director, and then he relocated to Florida to serve as operations manager for the southeast division in 1987. In 1992, McDonald relocated to Kansas City, Mo., to work in corporate operations. He was promoted to senior vice president, corporate operations in 1995 and to executive vice president of Unites States and Canada operations in 1998. He was named to his current position in 2009.
McDonald currently serves on the National Association Theatre Owners (NATO) advisory board and the NATO conventions task force. He attended California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, Calif. and lives in Leawood, Kan. with his wife, Sally, and their children, Michael, Nicholas, Elizabeth and Benjamin.
AMC Entertainment Inc.Mark A. McDonald is executive vice president, global development for AMC Entertainment Inc. He has worked for AMC for 32 years and oversees the company's development strategy and international business operations.
McDonald began his career with the company as a part-time manager at AMC Puente 6 in City of Industry, Calif. He advanced to assistant director of operations for the west region in 1987 and vice president of finance in 1993. In 1995, he moved to Tokyo, Japan, to oversee AMC's Asia venture as senior vice president, Asia and was promoted to executive vice president, international operations and film in 1998. During his career, McDonald has been involved with several innovative initiatives developed within the company, including the deployment of Self-Serve Box Office and Teleticketing systems in California during the late 1980s.
McDonald graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economic history in 1980 and from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a Master's degree in business administration in 1989.
He lives in Overland Park, Kan., with his wife Judy and their three children.
AMC Entertainment Inc.Craig R. Ramsey, executive vice president and chief financial officer of AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC), oversees all financial areas of the company, including accounting, information systems, asset/liability management and investor relations.
Ramsey began his career with AMC in 1995 as director of financial reporting. He was promoted to vice president, finance in January 1997, to senior vice president in August 1998 and to chief financial officer in February 2000. Ramsey is a certified public accountant. His professional affiliations include membership in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Financial Executives Institute and the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Ramsey graduated with distinction from the University of Kansas, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and business administration. He resides in the Kansas City area with his wife and four children.
AMC Entertainment Inc. Frank Rash is senior vice president, strategic partnerships for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC), where he oversees the creation of new revenue streams through development of strategic partnerships, and the company's digital cinema initiative and Internet ticketing strategy.
Rash began his career at AMC in 1986 as a manager and served in various operations capacities, including general manager, district manager and assistant division manager for the central division. Rash moved to the corporate office in 1994 and has served as vice president of real estate, senior vice president of real estate, senior vice president of strategic development and marketing and senior vice president strategic partnerships. During his career, he's been instrumental in multiple AMC initiatives and innovations, including the development of the company's partnership with Movietickets.com, National CineMedia, Inc., Digital Cinema Implementation Partners, LLC, Real D and IMAX.
Rash graduated from the University of South Dakota with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration in 1979 and a master's degree in business administration in 1980. He currently serves on the board of directors for MovieTickets.com, the board of directors for Digital Cinema Implementation Partners, LLC, and is also involved with the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO). His hobbies include distance running and going to the movies.
Rash lives in Leawood, Kan., with his wife, Nancy. They have two children, Katie, living in New York City, and Alex, attending college.
AMC Entertainment IncChristina A. Sternberg is senior vice president, domestic development for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC) where manages the real estate, design, construction, facilities and properties departments for the company.
Sternberg began her AMC career in 1998. Following a series of steady promotions, in 2002 she became vice president of design & development. In 2005, she was named vice president, design, construction and facilities and remained in this position until 2007 when she was promoted to senior vice president. She was named to her current position in 2009.
Prior to joining AMC, Sternberg worked as director of operations for Embassy Properties.
She is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and Urban Land Institute.
Sternberg graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California-Davis. She enjoys art and traveling while residing in Kansas City, Mo., with her husband, Michael Lawhead, and their children, Dianna, Truman and Vivian.
AMC Entertainment Inc.Keith P. Wiedenkeller is senior vice president and chief people officer for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC). In this position, Wiedenkeller is responsible for all aspects of human resources including recruitment, diversity, training, organizational development, compensation & benefits, recognition, community relations, internal communication and employee relations.
Wiedenkeller started in "the business" as an usher in 1975. He began his career with AMC as a manager in 1985 and, over the course of 10 years, worked his way up to training director and then regional operations manager. Wiedenkeller served as corporate human resources director for two years before becoming vice president of human resources and then promoted to senior vice president, human resources in 2002 before being named to his current position in 2009.
During his tenure at AMC, Wiedenkeller has been instrumental in developing and implementing a variety of associate programs, including the theatre staff and hourly manager health plans, a standardized performance management system, online associate engagement surveys, flextime, adoption benefits, domestic partner benefits, voluntary benefits, the AMC Learning Center (an online learning management system) and a real-time Total Rewards Web site for associates. His efforts earned the company three Kansas City Business Journal "Best Places to Work" awards in 2002 and 2003, as well as recognition in 2008 as "Best Large Employer" from the Missouri Governor's Council on Disability, and a "Best Companies to Work For" award from Ingram's magazine in 2010.
Wiedenkeller earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal arts from the University of MissouriKansas City and has his formal certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). He currently serves as a director on the state council of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), as well as president and founding member of the Business Leadership Network (BLN) of Greater Kansas City. His insights on human resources are featured regularly in his column, "The People Factor," in Film Journal International magazine. He is also a top-ranked speaker, presenting on HR topics at numerous local, state and national seminars and conferences.
Wiedenkeller resides in the Kansas City area with his wife of 26 years, with a daughter and a son in college.
AMC Entertainment Inc.Michael W. Zwonitzer is senior vice president of finance for AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC), where he oversees AMC's financial planning, research and analysis functions, as well as investor relations.
Zwonitzer began his AMC career in 1998 as manager of financial reporting. He became manager of finance in November 2000, was promoted to the director role in 2002 and then named vice president in September 2004 before advancing to his current position of senior vice president in 2009.
During his tenure, Zwonitzer has been involved in numerous financial initiatives, including acquisitions of the General Cinemas and Loews theatre chains as well as the company's transition from being publicly traded to privately held.
Zwonitzer graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Missouri in 1994. He is a member of Financial Executives International and lives in Kansas City, Missouri.