ZZZ - GMG - VEGAS INC 2011-2014

D E C E M B E R 1 6 , 2 0 1 3 / Y O U R b u s i n e s s - t o - b u s i n e s s w e e k ly SPECIAL FOCUS THE YEAR IN REVIEW This month, VEGAS INC looks back at the news of 2013 and ahead to 2014. IS HENDERSON'S Financial boon part of Larger boondoggle? By Tovin Lapan staff writer steve marcus NEW BEGINNING: Zappos employee Ana Santiago catches confetti Sept. 9 during an opening ceremony for the shoe seller at its new headquarters in the old City Hall building downtown. The company set a record for having the largest number of people — 1,577 — cut a grand opening ribbon at the same time. What a year The top 10 business stories of 2013 A By VEGAS INC Staff Strip giant struggled with finances, while a long-stalled resort project got new life. ¶ A favorite local eatery faced its greatest challenge, while new restaurants downtown broke ground. ¶ The real estate market boomed, while high-priced trans- portation projects stalled. ¶ 2013 was nothing if not eventful. ¶ Here is a look at some of the top business stories of the year: Resorts World Las Vegas There appears to be new hope for the site of the planned Echelon. Years after the recession derailed Boyd Gaming's plans to build a resort at the site of the former Stardust, a Malaysian gaming powerhouse announced plans to build a 3,500room Chinese-themed resort there with a 175,000-squarefoot casino. The Genting Group expects to spend $2 billion to $7 billion on Resorts World Las Vegas. Boyd had begun building the Echelon, which was to be a $4-billion, four-hotel, 5,300-room resort similar to MGM's CityCenter, but plans stalled when the economy derailed. The project sat mothballed for several years. Boyd sold the 20131216_VI01_F.indd 1 87-acre site to Genting for $350 million in March. Genting plans to go all out on the project, erecting a replica of the Great Wall of China and building a public display for pandas. Construction crews are expected to break ground in 2014, and official say the resort will open in 2016. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Genting owns casinos in Malaysia, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the Bahamas. In Singapore, it operates Resorts World Sentosa, one of two casinos approved by the country's government. Because Genting is not licensed in Nevada, the company will have to apply with state gaming regulators, a process that could take more than a year. see TOP STORIES, page 14 Until he was detained, Martin Martinez, an immigrant from El Salvador who entered the United States illegally in 2006, never saw himself or his family as a burden on U.S. taxpayers. But that all changed. Martinez went to a Metro Police station March 27 with his wife and son for what he thought would be the first step toward legalizing his residency. He left hours later in the back of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle headed for the Henderson Detention Center. And he has been staring down deportation and separation from his family ever since. "I work and I pay taxes. I care for my family," Martinez said. "Then, when I start to try to legalize my status, I'm detained. So I'm not working, and meanwhile the government is paying to lock me up. Now, if they deport me, who will take care of my wife and son, who are U.S. citizens? They'll be public charges. It makes no sense." A growing chorus of immigrant advocates agree. With Congress considering sweeping immigration reform measures, advocates are calling for a halt to deportations and alternatives to detention that are less costly and more humane. see DETAINEES,page 16 INSIDE TODAY WINNING FORMULA | P. 6 Las Vegas casino moguls export their best ideas to resorts in Macau TRASH TALK | P. 7 Single-stream recycling is on tap for more than 200,000 valley residents THE LIST | P. 21 Nonprofit organizations, by revenue 12/12/13 3:57:14 PM

• Cover