ZZZ - GMG - VEGAS INC 2011-2014

March 4, 2013

VEGAS INC Magazine - Latest Las Vegas business news, features and commentaries about gaming, tourism, real estate and more

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4 0 U ND ER 4 0 2 01 3 6A Alissa Conte Age: 38 Director of Restaurant Operations TAO Group A fter earning a degree in hotel and restaurant management from Niagara University, native New Yorker Alissa Conte followed the path of many recent college graduates: She waited tables, eventually ascending to a management position with BR Guest restaurant group. Having developed a taste for the industry, she took a position at TAO Group���s flagship restaurant in New York City in 2003. Two years later, she relocated to Southern Nevada as part of the management team that opened TAO Asian Bistro, the company���s only local venue at the time. In 2009, Conte was promoted to director of restaurant operations for TAO Group, and now oversees the local venues of Tao Asian Bistro and LAVO Italian Restaurant ��� which rank among the highest-grossing independent restaurants in the country ��� and is also actively involved with Tao Beach and Marquee Dayclub. Conte oversees all aspects related to restaurant operations, ranging from food and beverage costs, hiring Jon Perry Age: 37 Senior Vice President/Partner Sting Alarm/Sting Surveillance J on Perry wasn���t always the kindest older brother. As a matter of fact, he was known to get into a few dust ups with his younger brother and some of his friends. One of those friends was Jonathan Fine, who today is his partner in a multi-million dollar security business, Sting Alarm and Surveillance. 1A 20130304_VI01_I.indd 6 and training, and ensuring that guests have a flawless dining experience. She also manages more than 400 employees and is responsible for the combined 1,500 average nightly covers. ���We���re known for our guest experience and pride ourselves on delivering excellent service,��� said Conte, adding that TAO has not been immune to the recession. ���In the last several years our biggest concern has been economy, so I���ve learned a lot about how to save money and be creative with money, and how to keep the staff fresh and motivated.��� Conte is an active leader in TAO Cares, the philanthropic component of TAO Group, which supports local, national and international organizations such as Three Square, AFAN and the Japan Society���s Earthquake Relief Fund. ���Danielle Birkin 4 0 U ND ER 4 0 2 01 3 ���I used to beat them up and mess with them a little. But we were all still really close friends,��� the Las Vegas native said with a laugh. Perry and Fine have expanded during the recession while bettering their security technology along the way, largely due to Perry���s expertise. Prior to joining Sting, Perry was the director of IT for a Las Vegas-based corporate event planning company. But the enticement of helping a new venture was too strong, especially since he could see industry movements to network-based offerings, an area where his knowledge was vast. Developing Sting���s technology through the years became equal parts obsession, hobby and mission. And it still drives Perry today, 10 years later, even though his responsibilities have shifted primarily to sales and business development. The company���s client list now includes major casinos, restaurants and nightclubs among many others. ���We���re still a small enough company where we can be very proactive for our customers and take care of what they need as we grow this business. ��� We value feedback, good and bad,��� he said. ���We definitely want to be a player on a national level and a household name in Las Vegas.��� Some local charities Perry and his Sting team support include: Keep Memory Alive, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and I Have a Dream Las Vegas. ���Brian Sodoma Geoffrey P. West 40 UNDER 40 2013 Age: 39 Senior Director-Investment Properties Cushman & Wakefield | Commerce W hat drives Geoffrey West? ���What drives you to do what you do, I think, is having a passion for it,��� he suggests. ���I know that sounds like kind of a stock answer.��� In West���s case, however, it isn���t. West is a seasoned commercial real estate professional with almost 14 years of commercial real estate brokerage experience and eight more of previous banking experience, including three in commercial real estate lending. He is acknowledged as one of the top commercial real estate brokers in Las Vegas, with more than $750 million in investment sale transactions of multi-family, office, industrial, and retail properties. He was originally recruited from CBRE, where he was a charter member and significant contributor nationally to the Private Capital Group for 12 years. In the time he has been with Cushman & Wakefield | Commerce, he has catapulted the firm���s traction in the investment sales market. During the portion of 2011 he spent at Cushman & Wakefield, he became a top producer for the Las Vegas office. Last year, he ranked first among his office���s 24 brokers. ���A lot of people get into the commercial real estate business purely for the money, because there is the potential for a lot of financial reward,��� West notes. ���But honestly, for me it was to have my expertise and my knowledge valued by sophisticated clients, successful property owners, and people at that level.��� The chance to flex his professional muscles ��� to do the very best job that can be done ��� may, West concedes, have proven at times ���detrimental as far as financial success. But I don���t necessarily treat a client or a property any differently whether it���s a $500,000 property or a $50 million property.��� ���Howard Riell 2/28/13 2:55:35 PM

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