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7A WOMEN TO WATCH Ana Marie Mormando A Vice President of Food and Beverage Bellagio Resort na Marie Mormando arrived in Las Vegas four and a half years ago and has grown to love it. That's is why she's so fervent in her desire to see it prosper in 2012. The week leading up to and including New Years was an "amaz- ing one for Las Vegas," she recalls. "I hope we can continue to be at the forefront of great destinations and the culinary business that we have brought into this city. I think we'll be OK." During the months to come, Mormando will be responsible for creating new jobs at Bellagio with the opening of new lounges and the reconfi guration of several food-and-beverage outlets. Her col- laborative style and business acu- men, said a colleague, are exactly what's needed to ensure that these new businesses are successfully launched. Mormando will not only look to excel in the running of her busi- ness—she oversees 19 restaurants, six bars and lounges, catering and banquets with 175,000 square feet of convention space and in-room dining for 3,900 rooms—but in the looking after of her people. "We have a heavy responsibility in terms of maintaining job securi- ty for our people," she notes. "Keep- ing them engaged and involved— and making sure they feel good about what they are doing so that the hospitality industry continues to thrive here—are important." Mormando calls for optimism in the face of many less-than-rosy eco- nomic projections. "I think that we weathered the worst. The economic downturn has really proved that we can be nimble, and that we've been able to be properly reactive in bad times. But I do think we need to remain optimistic. If we don't, then why would people want to come to Las Vegas? We want to offer a little respite from the times of worries that everyone can have from else- where." Indeed, she suggests, the econo- my "continues to be the great chal- lenge for all of us. In our industry the commodity prices continue to effect us. I think that's one of the biggest challenges that we're gong to have, to maintain the price struc- ture that everyone has become so accustomed to. Cost containment will be a big challenge." —Howard Riell Elizabeth Muto Executive Director Epicurean Charitable Foundation appreciating her good fortune has also had a hand in her decisions to help those in need. For Muto, now 31, so many S things could have gone very wrong for her as a child. Abandoned in the Reno-Tahoe National Airport as a newborn, Muto was found and adopted. She went on to eventually become Miss Nevada and dedicat- ed her rein to bettering the lives of troubled Nevada youth. She became involved with Boys Town Nevada, which services thou- sands of neglected youth and their families every year, channeling them to counseling, education and other treatments needed to change their lives for the better. From 2004 to 2009, she served as director of development for the state chapter and also moved up to a national director of special projects. In 2003, she helped develop H.E.L.P. (Heal, Evaluate, Love and Progress), a program that has been adopted by numerous agen- cies around that country. H.E.L.P. encourages children or young adults to accept and better under- stand their past experiences, ulti- mately using them as a strength to do good things in the future. "It really just tells kids that you don't have to be a perfect person on this perfect path to make a dif- ference," she added. "It was what I ome people are just wired to be givers. That's probably the case for Elizabeth Muto. But always wanted to hear when I was young." In 2009, Muto took her lead- ership skills to a new arena. The Epicurean Charitable Foundation awards new scholarships every year to those choosing to go into the hospitality fi eld. Mentorship also comes with that money in hopes of assuring career success after a student's college years are completed. As the executive direc- tor, Muto oversees operations and is also aiming to make the founda- tion's annual fundraiser, M.E.N.U. 2012, more successful than ever. On a more humble note, she and her fi ancé recently took it upon themselves to distribute food and hand warmers to the downtown homeless population. Her goal after initiating the effowrt this Christ- mas season is to simply "double the number of people we serve every year." For Muto, it's another example of how one idea and small gesture can probably be a life-changer for others. —Brian Sodoma