Rock 'N Roll
Irving Music Factory hires 2 familiar names from hospitality world
The Irving Music Factory at Las Colinas, the mixed-use entertainment and lifestyle center at the Las Colinas Urban Center, has hired two key staffers who will help define how the venue does business and how it relates to the rest of the world.
Industry veteran Tony Barraco has joined as general manager. Jon Paul "JP" Gomez will spearhead local branding and communications as director of marketing.
Noah Lazes, president of Ark Group, the North Carolina-based developer, says in a release that the duo bring "extensive industry experience and longstanding relationships" throughout North Texas.
"They are already bringing a great deal of energy to the project and are offering creative ideas that will benefit all our tenants," Lazes says.
Barraco has more than three decades of experience in restaurant operations, which will help build relationships with restaurant tenants. He'll also leverage his expertise to provide on-site management throughout the development.
"I've had the opportunity to travel around the country and experience various restaurants and entertainment concepts, and I’ve never seen anything like the Irving Music Factory at Las Colinas," Barraco says.
His background includes developing and implementing restaurant concepts, owning a local restaurant, and working for a national family entertainment center.
Barraco's family owns Prego Pasta House, one of the area's better Italian restaurants, with the original on Greenville Avenue, and a few efforts at expansion with smaller "express" branches that are now closed. He was also a manager at Rex's Seafood.
Gomez is an accomplished marketing professional with an entrepreneurial mind-set. His previous experience includes designing and implementing marketing strategies for Sundance Square in Fort Worth, giving him firsthand knowledge of how to create positive, widespread awareness for entertainment districts.
"Our goal is to create a destination where Irving residents and visitors from all over North Texas can enjoy fabulous food and great music," Gomez says.
The Irving Music Factory at Las Colinas is set to be completed in late fall. It'll be anchored by The Pavilion, an 8,000-seat indoor/outdoor amphitheater to be operated by Live Nation. Entertainment, retail, and restaurant options will include an Alamo Drafthouse and an office tower.