With retail on the upswing off of Routes 5 and 20 in Aurelius, the Fingerlakes Mall is making changes to management and staff.

Auburn native Diane Jurczak-Prue was recently promoted to mall general manager. She replaces Mark Singer, who spent about six months as general manager before leaving in August.

His predecessor, Gina Speno, was general manager from 1999 until the end of 2006. She is credited with helping lure Bass Pro Shops to the mall in 2004 and presiding over the retail revival that followed.

Speno resigned to take a comparable position with the Pyramid Mall in Ithaca earlier this year. Jurczak-Prue joined the mall staff as a property accountant just as things were turning around three years ago.

An accountant by trade with degrees from Cayuga Community and Le Moyne colleges, Jurczak-Prue got her first taste of a more retail-oriented position while serving a recent stint as acting manager. She's happy to stick with it.

"I love a challenge," Jurczak-Prue said. "I like to meet people."

The mall will be working to host more community events, she said. The most immediate priorities are attracting tenants and preparing the mall for the busy Christmas season.

An expanded full-time marketing position and addition of a near-exclusive leasing agent will help achieve those goals, Jurczak-Prue said, adding the mall already has a full slate of temporary kiosk tenants for the holiday season.

Fingerlakes Crossing, the mall's retail neighbor opposite Routes 5 and 20 is poised to make an impact this Christmas. The Crossing plans to have Circuit City and Buffalo Wild Wings franchises opening soon. Dick's Sporting Goods opened last month.

"I think it's really going to pull people to this end of town," Jurczak-Prue said. "I think we're going to have a great holiday season."