Leticia Wilson named marketing director

Ventura resident Leticia Wilson has been hired as the marketing director for Simi Valley Town Center, a 600,000-square-foot open-air shopping center.

Wilson is responsible for strategic development and implementation of marketing as well as promotional and public relations programs.

She has a background in retail management and shopping center marketing.

Prior to joining Forest City Enterprises, which owns and operates the center, Wilson was an independent consultant specializing in downtown revitalization marketing and civic engagement.

She has worked for the Esplanade Shopping Center in Oxnard, city of Ventura and Ventura Port District.

Wilson is a certified marketing director through the International Council of Shopping Centers. She also is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, with a degree in business merchandising.

Wilson received a commendation from the city of Oxnard in 1999 for the development and implementation of the "Shop Oxnard" campaign.

She also has been honored by the Southern California Marketing Directors Association for print advertisements and campaigns and for special event promotion and creativity.

Affinity Bank promotes Wagner

Oak View resident Terry Wagner has been promoted to regional loan manager for Affinity Bank's Ventura commercial loan office.

Wagner will handle construction, rehab and permanent loans for the bank's income property investor customers.

Wagner has more than 27 years of commercial and residential real estate experience. And she is proficient at generating and closing loans for the purchase, refinance and construction of a multitude of properties.

Affinity Bank is headquartered in Ventura. With assets of $1.2 billion, the bank specializes in permanent, rehab and construction loans on commercial and multifamily properties, as well as specialty financing for the healthcare industry. It also offers competitively priced business and personal banking services.

The bank has branch offices in Ventura, Camarillo, Irvine, San Francisco, San Mateo, Pacific Palisades and Encino. Real estate loan offices are in Ventura, San Diego, Costa Mesa, San Mateo, Pasadena, San Bernardino, Denver, Phoenix and Las Vegas, Nev.

Benshoof adds another partner

Weston Benshoof Rochefort Rubalcava MacCuish LLP, a mid-sized Los Angeles law firm, has announced that Andrew Begun has joined the firm's real estate and corporate practice groups as a partner.

Begun comes to Weston Benshoof from the law firm of Nevers, Palazzo, Maddux & Packard, and he will be based in Weston Benshoof's Ventura County office.

He will continue to concentrate his practice on real estate and financing transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, commercial and retail leasing, secured lending, bond financed affordable housing transactions, and structuring and formation of entities for clients.

Begun received a J.D. degree from George Washington School of Law and a bachelor's degree in sociology from UC Santa Barbara.