VEGAS INC Magazine - Latest Las Vegas business news, features and commentaries about gaming, tourism, real estate and more
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/93026
IN BUSINESS ENTREPREUNERISM CIGAR DOLLS ARE MORE THAN JUST EYE CANDY FOR PARTYGOERS By Conor Shine staff writer I n a dimly lit room 44 stories above the Strip on a recent Sunday night, employees from a computer technology company wander about, sipping cocktails, eating sushi rolls and enjoying breathtaking views of the valley. At a table tucked along the wall, Katrina Kelley pulls out a bag of Connecticut shade tobacco and positions a leaf on a circular stone tablet. She spritzes the leaf with water and begins shaping it using a chaveta, a blade used to cut tobacco. Next comes a bunch of packed tobacco, which she deftly be- gins rolling and pressing until a cigar takes shape. With a quick twist at the end, the cigar is done and placed on the table in front of her for passing guests to pick up and enjoy. Kelley is a professional torcedora, trained in the art of rolling cigars, but she looks nothing like the older men who traditionally have dominated the cigar-roll- ing profession. Dressed in a sleek, black cocktail dress, the 25-year- old entertains the party guests while she rolls, discuss- ing the different types of tobacco she uses and offer- ing tips on how to enjoy the cigars. "The Connecticut shade wrapper is very mild, very smooth," she says. "Many people prefer this, especially if they're a beginner." Kelley works for Cigar Dolls, a new company that's found a foothold in Las Vegas and throughout the country, providing attractive, young torcedoras to roll handmade cigars at corporate events and private par- ties. "What captures guests at a party is they've rarely experienced something like this live," said Mark Pav- lides, events manager and co-owner of Cigar Dolls. "The leaves, the technique, even the tools the rollers use are unique. You don't have to be a cigar smoker to appreciate it." Kelley, who is studying for a marketing degree at the College of Southern Nevada, said she typically works two to three events per week as a Cigar Doll. Most events last two hours, during which Kelley cranks out freshly rolled cigars at a rate of about one every three TOURISM SPIRIT AIRLINES BEATS EXPECTATIONS hile most airlines are cutting capacity to be- come more profitable, the fastest-growing airline at McCarran International Airport in the past year is expanding, and the strategy led to an 11.7 percent increase in third-quarter earnings. By Richard N. Velotta senior staff writer W Miramar, Fla.-based Spirit Airlines, which has an average 21 daily flights to and from Las Vegas, recently reported earnings of $30.9 million, or 43 cents a share, on revenue of $342.3 million for the quarter that ended Sept. 30. The performance beat Wall Street expectations of 35 cents a share. That compares with earnings of $27.7 million, or 38 cents a share, on revenue of $288.7 million for the same quarter a year earlier. | 12 NOVEMBER 2012 | Since early 2011, Spirit has expanded its Las Vegas presence with new flights and a crew base. While the growth pace has slowed here, the airline lately has been adding flights at Dallas-Fort Worth Inter- national Airport and recently announced a new base there. Spirit's dominant market is in South Florida and the Caribbean. Last month, Spirit added nonstop service between Las Vegas and Houston's George Bush Interconti- nental Airport, but it discontinued flights between Las Vegas and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. On the airline's conference call on earnings Oct. 31, Barry Biffle, Spirit's chief marketing offi- cer, said the withdrawal from the Las Vegas-Mesa SEE SPIRIT, PAGE 10 to talk with." minutes, although she can work faster if catering to a larger crowd. She picked up the craft while visiting her uncle, who owns a cigar shop in Nicaragua. "I was curious, so I spent a few weeks there helping out every day at the shop," Kelley said. Rolling requires nimble fingers, Kelley said, a skill she developed through years of playing the violin. Pavlides said Cigar Dolls looked for attractive, artic- ulate people with previous experience rolling tobacco when hiring torcedoras. The company does employ men, but torcedores are in far less demand than the women, he said. "The folks who have seen cigar rollers before are tired of the old guy rolling cigars," Pavlides said. "These women, they're intelligent, they're powerful, they have a unique talent. They're not just eye candy; they're fun Cigar Dolls was started in 2011 and now employs rollers across the country in places such as New York City, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles. Many of the rollers travel throughout the country and around the world to work events, with their expenses paid by Ci- gar Dolls. The cost for an event varies depending on the num- ber of cigars ordered, but smaller parties start at $1,000 with events of 100 to 200 people ranging above $10,000. "You get lots of flavor. You can taste that it's very dis- tinct from a convenience shop cigar," Kelley said of the cigars she rolls. "A lot of times at stores, you don't know how long it's been there. With ours, you're guaranteed it's fresh, that it won't fall apart on you and that you'll get the flavor you want from your cigar." GAMING 3 MORE ON TRACK FOR ONLINE POKER By Steve Green senior staff writer T hree more companies cleared the first step last month to participate in Nevada's emerging online poker industry. The State Gaming Control Board recommended licensure for MGM Resorts International as well as lesser-known companies Z4Poker LLC of Las Vegas and Cams LLC of Los Angeles. The applications advance to the Nevada Gaming Commission, where they'll be up for final approvals. MGM Resorts plans to put up a play-for-fun site in the coming months, executives said Oct. 31. This would SEE ONLINE POKER, PAGE 10 9 PERFORMANCE ART: David Mancusi, leſt, and Mark Yingling watch as Cigar Doll Katrina Kelley rolls cigars during a private party. STEVE MARCUS