Steve Wynn
Gaming mogul Stephen Wynn had a hand in shaping Las Vegas into today’s international pleasure hub. By sheer imagination, he spurred the city’s 1980s construction boom.
He did so as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Mirage Resorts for 27 years. In 1973, he began developing theme hotels and casinos, many of which now comprise the iconic Las Vegas Strip. He created The Mirage, Treasure Island, The Bellagio, and the Golden Nugget.
His empire extends outside Nevada. In Atlantic City, he created yet another Golden Nugget, and in Biloxi, Mississippi, the ostentatious Beau Rivage.
When MGM acquired Mirage Resorts in 2000, Steve Wynn moved on to become managing member of Valvino Lamore. Two years later, he transformed the company into Wynn Resorts.
As its chairman and CEO, Steve Wynn quickly recapitulated his earlier successes, building the gigantic Wynn Las Vegas resort along the Strip. It boasts of 2,716 rooms and suites as well as a 111,000-square foot casino. Its patrons also enjoy a 74,000-square foot shopping center, hidden behind the resort’s artificial hills.
Steve Wynn also expanded into Asia with Wynn Macau, a 205,000-square foot casino in China. Wynn Macau includes a 600-room hotel, plus a 46,000-square foot shopping center.
In December 2008, Steve Wynn opened yet another resort in America, called Encore.
Steve Wynn, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, has honorary degrees from the University of Nevada and Sierra Nevada College.
Outside his business commitments, he chairs the University of Utah’s Moran Eye Institute. He also sits on the boards of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the George Bush Presidential Library. He is likewise a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania. In 2000, he was designated vice-chairman of the Kennedy Center corporate fund board.