South Coast Plaza Manager Leaving Post : Retail: Jim Henwood, who helped guide the Costa Mesa shopping center’s growth and image, will supervise the Fairplex compound in Pomona.

Longtime South Coast Plaza General Manager Jim Henwood is leaving the tony shopping center to become president and chief executive officer of the massive Fairplex compound in Pomona, Los Angeles County Fair Assn. officials said Wednesday.

Henwood, 49, has served as South Coast Plaza’s general manager since 1978 and is credited with helping to shape the upscale nature of the Costa Mesa center, which is one of the nation’s premier shopping meccas.

South Coast Plaza spokeswoman Suzanne Biallot said the center has yet to pick a successor. There has been speculation that Anton Segerstrom, general manager of the adjacent Crystal Court shopping mall and son of South Coast Plaza founder Henry Segerstrom, would replace Henwood, but South Coast officials declined to comment.

During Henwood’s tenure, the Segerstrom family’s multiuse development in Costa Mesa grew to incorporate more than 300 retail stores, as well as restaurants, office space and mixed-use buildings.

The local business community was surprised by Henwood’s decision to leave South Coast Plaza, said Ed Fawcett, executive director of the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce. He described Henwood, a former chamber president, as “a tremendous asset for Costa Mesa for the past 17 years.”

Shopping center insiders were buzzing about Henwood’s departure, but shoppers probably won’t notice changes after he leaves South Coast Plaza at the end of the month. “Jim undoubtedly left his imprint,” Fawcett said, “but the Segerstrom family controls the ship and guides the direction that it goes in. The family will continue to maintain its close involvement after Jim leaves.”

At Fairplex, Henwood will supervise a 489-acre facility that bills itself as the largest county fair in North America. The 68th edition of the fair that closed on Oct. 1 drew 1.4 million visitors. The year-round complex also hosts trade shows, consumer shows, sporting events and other recreational activities. It also includes a 247-room Sheraton hotel and food services.

“There’s a natural tie between what I want to do and where they want to take Fairplex,” Henwood said. “They’ve already got over 300 events a year there, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We’re going to grow it a whole lot more.”

Henwood’s move from shopping center to county fairground manager might seem incongruous, but observers agree that Henwood’s diverse business background matched the fair association’s needs.

“Fairplex is much more than just the Los Angeles County Fair,” said Fair Assn. Chairman James R. Kostoff, who noted that the Pomona site also includes horse racing, a child-development center, a sales pavilion, year-round satellite wagering, trade shows and an RV park.

“We are so diversified that we need to tie these things together, and Jim is fully capable of that,” Kostoff said. “Jim has proven his management skills. He has proven that he can come up with creative ideas and make them work.”

“I was very much content at South Coast,” Henwood said. “I probably could have been there very happily for the rest of my career. But when they came to talk to me about where they’re taking Fairplex, there were so many natural connections.”

Henwood will succeed Ralph M. Hinds, the former Fairplex president who died more than a year ago.