One of the greatest pleasures in life is to love what you do, and I am fortunate to fall into this category. Working all of my adult life in this complex, exciting and niche industry of ours called ‘gaming and hospitality’ has been a fantastic ride. From my early days as a trusted adviser to the properties, I worked for them through the top firm in the world for attestation, law and consulting and later through my own boutique firm focusing on finance, operations and technology. I’ve even been honored performing work for the White House along this journey.
It was in my early days – when Las Vegas and Atlantic City were ‘gaming’ and tribal was simply an emerging market – that I realized just how much our industry needed research and resources. When I created Gaming & Leisure in 2000, it was for one product only: the first management periodical for owners and operators in our industry. Gaming and Hospitality until that point had always been a subset of Travel, Transportation and Leisure; and that lacked in specificity for leaders to make solid decisions, view apples to apples information and look at their organization as a whole. Many years ago my friend Monika Nerger, Global CIO for Mandarin Oriental, stated that G&L had become the “defacto standard” in the industry. That was quite possibly one of the best compliments that I’d ever received.
Fast forward to today and Gaming & Leisure has become such a large organization that supports our industry in so many ways. All of our products and offerings allow our properties to stay updated on all aspects of their business be it granularly or comparative quick metrics and that allow our business partners to ‘be where they are’ and thus reach their universe of potential through any medium they choose. And, most importantly, G&L richly connects industry influencers and thought leaders throughout the year. Case in point, the G&L Roundtable started as my board meeting and has now grown into the top private forum in our industry in North America. In addition, I’m absolutely honored to host the Annual Gaming & Hospitality industry Awards each year which are the only awards open worldwide with no fee to enter and voted on by the property executives who comprise the G&L Board and Roundtable Colleagues.
The G&L Community is one of the most powerful groups in our industry today. But this is certainly not just due to me at this stage in our growth. All that we are, all that we do and continue to do, is possible due to the commitment, passion and, yes love, for this industry that our Board, Business Partners, Roundtable Colleagues, Contributors and Readers share. This global G&L Community continues to enrich each of us and our industry in all that they do and for them, I am ever so grateful.
Thank you for welcoming G&L into your lives each and every year and giving us the great privilege to serve you.