Havensight Mall on St. Thomas might be gaining a new character with more nightlife and a new hotel.
To guide the developments, Jahmed Mills has been hired as the director of retail, dining, and entertainment and property manager for the mall. He starts June 3.
According to a press release from the Government Employees’ Retirement System, which owns the mall, Mills will be its first full-time, permanent manager of Havensight Mall.
GERS acquired the Havensight Mall property from the West Indian Company in 1993. WICO managed the property until April 2020, when GERS assumed direct management.
GERS Administrator Angel Dawson, who announced the appointment last week, said the appointment is timely “as GERS is in the process of broadening Havensight Mall’s business model and appeal beyond retail, with an increased emphasis on dining and entertainment.”
Dawson thanked Roy Moorehead, who has been acting property manager since January and will now be assistant director of retail, dining, and entertainment, in addition to his primary role as Havensight’s chief security officer. GERS has before the Senate a proposal to give some of its security officers peace officer status because of more nightlife activities. Several senators are against the proposal.
Dawson also mentioned the five-story, 126-room, 71,040-square-foot hotel contributing to Havensight’s new character. Construction of the hotel, which includes in-house power production, is moving forward, and its expected completion date is April 1, 2025.
Mills has worked at the Marriott Corporation. He was general manager at French Leave Resort in Eleuthera, Bahamas, and at Point Pleasant Resort on St. Thomas.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and financial management and a master’s in business administration from the University of the Virgin Islands. He was credit manager at Frenchman’s Reef and Morning Star Beach Resort on St. Thomas and is currently the owner of Mills Enterprise on St. Thomas.
“Together with our Haven Development partner, which is constructing a new Hampton by Hilton Hotel at the 14-acre Havensight property, and our professional consultants who spent decades working with the Walt Disney Corporation, Mr. Mills will take the lead in transforming this valuable, historic investment by the GERS into a thriving experience-driven destination that will delight our local population and visitors alike for decades to come,” the press release stated.
