The transition was announced Jan. 12. That’s when it was revealed that three firms from Great Neck, New York, had purchased the mall from J. Herzog & Sons, of Denver, Colorado. Those three firms are Namdar Realty Group, Mason Asset Management and CH Capital.

The price was not disclosed.

The purchase did not include the former Sears building on the south side of the mall. Although it is attached to the mall, it is a separate property owned by Blessing Enterprises LLC, of St. Charles, Missouri.

“Fort Dodge is a growing city and a good market,” said Elliott Nassim, the president of Mason Asset Management.

“With the mall centrally located in that market, there is good potential to develop the site,” he added.

At the same time the sale was announced, the new ownership group introduced Melissa Verschoor, who had been the mall’s marketing director, as its new general manager.

She replaced Larry Jessen, who had been the mall manager for about 37 years.

Verschoor had been the marketing director for about five years. But her connection to the mall started before she took that job. She first worked there as a security guard. Then she worked for seven years in the Sears store that was once one of the mall’s anchors.

The new ownership group has more than 100 malls and shopping centers across the country. Verschoor said the group specializes in redeveloping shopping centers.

No plans for Crossroads Mall have been announced by the group yet.

“There are great things coming,” Verschoor said. “I’m really excited about this.”

Crossroads Mall opened in 1967. Originally, it was not a completely enclosed building. A plan to enclose the corridors and create the building that exists today was announced in 1978 and was completed in July 1979.

The mall is now home to 37 stores. It did lose three tenants within the last year when JC Penney, Book World and Maurices closed.