Amy MacLaren is a senior retail real estate strategist with more than three decades of experience specializing in the intersection of retail, mixed-use development, and destination placemaking. As Senior Vice President at Foundry Commercial, she advises developers, ownership groups, and brands on leasing strategy, merchandising, and experiential retail environments that create high-performing destinations and drive long-term asset value. Her work sits at the intersection of retail strategy, experiential placemaking, and destination district development.

Known for her strategic approach to tenant curation and experiential retail programming, Amy’s work
increasingly focuses on sports-anchored and entertainment-driven mixed-use districts. She currently
leads leasing and merchandising strategy for The Kroenke Group’s new Los Angeles Rams practice
facility and mixed-use development at Warner Center, helping shape the retail vision and execution for
a next-generation sports and entertainment district.

Amy also plays a key leadership role in the retail curation and strategic positioning of MidCity District in
Huntsville, Alabama — a $2 billion, 140-acre mixed-use development recognized as a leading example of
music- and experience-driven placemaking in the Southeast. Her work aligns national retail, food and
beverage, and experiential uses with the project’s broader economic development vision, helping create
a cohesive district identity that supports both daily community engagement and large-scale
entertainment programming.
Her perspective is shaped by experience on both the ownership and advisory sides of retail
development. Earlier in her career, Amy held leasing and merchandising leadership roles with major
retail owners and developers including General Growth Properties (GGP), Federal Realty Investment
Trust, PREIT, Lerner Enterprises, and Poag & McEwen (now Poag), where she developed a deep
understanding of tenant curation, merchandising strategy, and destination retail environments.
That experience informs the strategic advisory work she provides today. Amy approaches retail
development through the lens of district identity and long-term positioning, helping developers shape
the ecosystem that defines a successful place. Her work extends beyond traditional leasing to focus on
the elements that determine how a project ultimately performs — including trade area positioning,
brand alignment, merchandising sequencing, co-tenancy logic, and experiential programming. This
approach allows her to help define the identity and market positioning of a district before a single
tenant is signed, aligning the brand mix and guest experience with the broader vision of the
development. The lease ultimately formalizes the strategy, but the real work lies in shaping the
ecosystem that makes a place successful.

Industry Affiliations
Amy is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), where she holds the
Senior Certified Leasing Specialist designation (CLS, CRX). She has served on the Urban Land Institute
Retail Silver Council and is actively engaged with the ICSC Foundation and its mentorship program,
supporting the development of future industry leaders.