West’s Tallest Building, Wilshire Grand Center, Opens

The tallest tower in the West is officially open. Wilshire Grand Center, a 1,100-foot-tall, $1.35-billion skyscraper commemorated the moment with a festive party that was enlivened by a dramatic light show from the Half Dome-inspired crown’s LED lights that was visible for miles.

The 73-story building was developed by Hanjin International Corp., an affiliate of Korean Air, which also owns the property. The 2.1-million-square-foot development houses an 889-room InterContinental hotel, 365,141 square feet of office space and 45,100 square feet of retail and restaurant space, including five restaurants. Wilshire Grand Center is the the first new DTLA project with office space completed since 1992.

Yang Ho Cho, chairman of Korean Air, bought the property at Wilshire Blvd. and Figueroa street for $168 million in 1989 with his father, Choong Hoon Cho, the founder of the family’s Hanjin business empire.

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About Dennis Kaiser

Dennis Kaiser is Vice President of Public Relations and Communications for Connect Creative. Dennis is a communications leader with more than 40 years of experience including as a journalist and in corporate and agency marketing communications roles. He is responsible for Connect Creative’s agency client services and is involved in a range of initiatives ranging from public relations and content strategy, communications and message development, copywriting, media relations, social media and content marketing services. Prior to joining Connect Media in 2015, his most recent corporate communications roles involved leading a regional public relations effort across Southern California for CBRE, playing a key marketing role on JLL’s national retail team, and directing the global public relations effort at ValleyCrest (BrightView), the nation’s largest commercial landscape services company. He has worked on marketing communications assignments for such CRE companies as Blackstone/Equity Office, Carlyle, Caruso, Disney Resorts, GE Capital, Irvine Company, Hines, Howard Hughes Corp., Jeffries, Lennar, MGM, Marcus & Millichap, Prologis, Raleigh Studios, Simon, Starwood, Trammell Crow Company, Transamerica, UBS and Wynn Resorts. Dennis has also worked on communications and launch strategies for a number of consumer electronic, media and tech brands including SlingMedia, Channel Master, Deluxe Media Entertainment, BeIn Sports, EchoStar and Sprint. Dennis’s agency background included firms such as Off Madison Ave., Idea Hall and Macy + Associates. He has earned an outstanding reputation with organization leaders as a trusted advisor, strategic program implementer, consensus builder and exceptional collaborator. Dennis has developed and managed national communications programs for Fortune 500 companies to start-ups, both public and private. He’s successfully worked with journalists across the globe representing clients involved in major-breaking news stories, product launches, media tours, and company news announcements. Dennis has been involved in a host of charitable and community organizations including the American Cancer Society, Easter Seals, Boy Scouts, Chrysalis Foundation, Freedom For Life, HOLA, L.A.’s BEST, Reach Out and Read, Super Bowl Host Committee, and the Thunderbirds Charities.

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