VEGAS INC Magazine - Latest Las Vegas business news, features and commentaries about gaming, tourism, real estate and more
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COVER STORY ELLIOT B. KARP President and CEO, Jewish Federation of Las Vegas WHERE WERE YOU? I was living in Cincinnati on September 11 and attending a very large funeral for a venerable member of the community who passed away the day before. My initial reaction, upon learning of the first jet crashing into the tower as I was entering the synagogue, was that this was not an accident and one of disbelief that our nation was under attack. If it could happen in New York City and Washington, DC, who would be next? Within minutes, however, I began to think about: 1) The safety of my wife and children; 2) the security of our Jewish community institutions; 3) the need to remain calm and level- headed; and 4) beginning to make plans for how our community would respond to meet the challenges of the crisis with care, compassion and service. HOW DID IT AFFECT US? I think our entire nation, not just American businesses, were affected by September 11. Clearly, we're much more attuned to issues of safety and security. We're much more patriotic; certainly more than I experienced as a child growing up in the 1960s. However, I'm concerned that on the tenth anniversary of September 11, we've become complacent about security and that the patriotism we experienced in the aftermath has diminished. After September 11, America came together…unified, caring, compassionate, understanding and prepared to do the hard work of healing our country. KEVIN KELLEY Chief Operating Officer, Station Casinos WHERE WERE YOU? I was standing in my kitchen at home when my mother-in-law called to tell us to turn on the TV. The first airplane had flown into the tower and at the time the world thought it was just an incredible, unfortunate accident. After the second plane flew into the other WTC tower and the Pentagon was hit, it was an overwhelming feeling of disbelief and the tough realization that our country experienced a terrorist attack. We were all shocked, stunned and dismayed at the gravity of the event. ROSSI RALENKOTTER President and CEO, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority WHERE WERE YOU? The day of the tragic events coincided with an LVCVA board meeting, so I was at the office preparing for that meeting when the events unfolded. Like everyone, I was shocked and saddened by the tragedy. HOW DID IT AFFECT US? The entire travel and tourism industry in the United States was affected by the events. Las Vegas felt the effects for several months. The LVCVA was at the forefront of helping the industry move forward. We conducted national research that indicated people wanted some reassurance they could resume their regular lives. We put together a campaign with the message that it was OK to travel and work toward recovery. 22 HOW DID IT AFFECT US? As the shock wore on that day at work, CEO Frank Fertitta immediately rallied the leadership team together to determine what we needed to do for our team members and thousands of our hotel guests as we had to react quickly to the travel implications of the halting of all air traffic. What was most important to Frank was to ensure that we preserve all our team members' jobs. We were among the few fortunate companies in Las Vegas that were to keep every team member employed, and thankfully the Las Vegas locals market recovered quickly. We learned tremendous lessons that served as a great learning experiences for how we can come together during challenging times. | 12 SEPTEMBER 2011 | STEVE MARCUS