I visited Vegas for the first time in 2005 and was excited to see the Strip and all of its magnificent splendor illuminated just the way it seems on TV. Many call it Sin City and I guess if you're into sinful things, you can find what you're looking for. In my case, Vegas is about architecture and business in precisely that order. I couldn't care less about a Black Jack table or high priced stiletto heel "room service" that's advertised all over the sidewalks. I'm perpetually inspired about the institution of Las Vegas. A nearly blind man who has no peripheral vision has enough sight to bring man, woman and child from all around the world unto a strip-a former watering hole-that's barely a few miles long and annually coaxes them into parting with enough money to place him on the billionaire list. I've heard it's a shame to have sight but no vision and if that's true Steve Wynn certainly doesn't have to be the least bit concerned.
From the dancing fountains of the Bellagio to the Cirque du Soleil of Treasure Island, Wynn has created a series of billion dollar master pieces that only few in modern times can rival. On my way to a V.I.P. reception at the Wynn Encore, I entered the hotel through the garage and immediately saw the light. Not the proverbial answer to world peace or solution to cleaning up the BP oil spill, but literally the light in the ceiling. It was a series of breath taking light fixtures which I would later come to know as the Upside Down Parasol Chandeliers. I'd never seen anything like it and knew instantly I had to have one...or two...or three. As I continued making my way toward the reception, I found another and another and another. I could hardly believe that as many times as I visited the Wynn hotel, I'd never noticed these fine pieces in slightly differing variations. These hotels are so meticulously designed that one could visit them ten times and still find ten things you never saw the first time.
I had to take a step back and realize that they didn't grow there through some magic seed. They were placed there by someone who made them. All I had to do was figure out who it was and I knew a simple phone call to the front desk wasn't going to make it happen. This is where picking up a pen and the uncanny ability to follow up comes into play. Regardless of what your task is or who you're trying to reach, people still read mail from foreign names whether it is electronic form or the old fashioned letter. Add in a little creativity and you can still go a long, long way while investing very little money.
Where many would have stopped and deemed the source of this light too much of a hassle to dig up, a slightly diligent effort can and usually does take you where you need to go. Not even two weeks later, I was one on one with the genius behind the whole concept. His name is Roger Thomas, chief designer and famed world class expert behind all the Wynn properties. Thomas is the son of Wynn's personal banker and seemingly the Wynn hotel portfolio is the only client Thomas ever needed. This story so reminds me of how Bill Gates got the hook up from his mom sitting on the board of the Red Cross next to IBM top brass that would give Microsoft the tropospheric lift it required to gain world dominance. I too, made my first million in earnings several years ago based off where my dad sat. When he wasn't driving 18 wheelers, he sat on the checkerboard, ironing board and the diving board so don't feel bad if your parents didn't run in high circles like mine. This is precisely why I tend to invite people with me into my circle of influence as you only have to make the right connection one time.
Thomas called me as I was leaving the White House and we had a delightful discussion. He told me he'd grant me all the access I needed to light the Chateau as long as I wasn't planning on putting any of the chandeliers in a hotel. The next thing I knew, I received a call from his people and we began to talk business on making the acquisition for light fixtures that took two years just to design. In our last conversation, we discussed a rendezvous in China. Wynn apparently liked the chandelier concept so much that they made it the basis of Encore's little sister, the Wynn Macau.
Since that one follow up by way of a quick letter, I've learned more about Wynn and Thomas than feeding money into a slot machine would have ever gotten me. I assure you that no signs I've ever seen in the Mirage ever gave me any guidance about the lighting in Shadow Creek, a top ranked golf course that Wynn built outside of the strip that hosts some of the most avid golf fans such as Michael Jordan. Thomas interior designed the Wynn's home there as well.
I think there are a lot of points that can be taken from this story, but the main one I hope to transfer is that of your ability to express yourself on paper. People who write clearly think clearly and clutter free thinking is one of the best assets your investment portfolio can have. Notice I never once said you have to use big words. If you can speak correct grammar and write how you speak as if you were sitting on a panel of distinguished guests (and the majority of you can), you are home free. From bachelor's degree to PhD, I hated every writing assignment but boy do I appreciate them now. The more I invest, the more I realize it's not always about what's in your wallet. As you can see, just picking up a pen or in our new day, a keyboard, can yield you an ROI that the late 90's dotcom boom can only dream about. Viva Las Vegas! By the way, this was written at a truck stop using WiFi access.
