Wynn Las Vegas Magazine by MODERN LUXURY

Wynn - 2012 - Issue 2 - Fall

Wynn Magazine - Las Vegas

Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/81170

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 121 of 123

WYNN WRITINGS BOARDWALK EMPERORS Here, author Skip Bronson talks about the lessons learned in that battle and why Las Vegas ultimately emerged as the victor. BY LAURIE BROOKINS A new book explores one of gaming's biggest tug-of-war stories. L as Vegas unquestionably ranks as the epicenter of gaming and entertainment in the US, but from 1995 to 2000, a potential rival was in the making 2,500 miles to the east: Atlantic City. That was when several A-list players—Steve Wynn chief among them—embarked on a high-stakes battle over one tract of land, a story that would become the stuff of legends in casino-devel- opment circles. This summer, one man at the center of it all, real estate-developer-turned-author Richard D. "Skip" Bronson, released a book that details Wynn's five-year struggle to bring his megaresort vision to New Jersey, with opposition from local politicians and fellow titans such as Donald Trump. On a recent visit to Wynn, Bronson talked about how The War at the Shore: Donald Trump, Steve Wynn, and the Epic Battle to Save Atlantic City (Overland Press, $26) came together, and why you don't need to be a casino developer to relate to the war at the shore. WYNN: What similarities have you seen between Steve Wynn and Donald Trump? SKIP BRONSON: They're both very hard-charging; each will fight to the death for something he believes in. But they have a very different way of presenting themselves: Donald is obviously very public and has lent his name to everything from ties to mattresses; Steve has stayed in his own area of expertise. You won't find a Wynn wristwatch, but nobody builds a resort better. I also think for Donald, bigger is better; for Steve, better is better. You don't pull any punches in the book; did you have any concerns about the reaction from those involved? I showed it to Steve and Donald, and I told them, "If you find anything objec- tionable, I won't change it, but the book will never see the light of day, because my relationship with you is more important to me than the book." They both respected that, plus the book was vetted and re-vetted. When you're doing nonfiction that involves high-profile people, you'd better get it right. The development at the center of the book never came to pass because of lack of agreement among the various parties; with that in mind, what lessons do you feel readers can take from the book? I think they'll understand the complexities of putting a deal of this mag- nitude together. One interesting thing that's come out of this is so many people have said, "You know, something really similar happened to me," but they're talking about their dry-cleaning business. Ultimately, you have to have three things when you embark on any project that's important to you: You have to have a perfect strategy, you have to have an unrelenting work ethic, and then you have to have a little luck. 120 WYNN In the dozen years since, Steve Wynn has proven that he didn't need Atlantic City to continue his vision. What do you think lies at the heart of what he brings to a resort? First and foremost, he's an optimist, and he's always looking ahead. Part of the Steve Wynn magic is that getting people to say "Wow" is way more important to him than money. And he leads by example in terms of inspir- ing people to do their absolute best to make that happen. But it's the subtle things that make Steve so fantastic. If he's contemplating a chair for some aspect of the property, he'll have it in his office for days, and every once in a while, he'll sit in the chair to test it out. But that's just a small part of his perfectionist nature. Other people will say, "Yeah, it's okay," or "It's not bad, it's fine," but those conclusions just aren't in his wheelhouse. And from there, it just boils down to one word: passion. ■ Skip Bronson PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEVERLY POPPE

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Wynn Las Vegas Magazine by MODERN LUXURY - Wynn - 2012 - Issue 2 - Fall