USD Magazine, Summer 2004

Thar's when che fun really started. Breitling and Poster eventually bought out Fertitta and jumped on the Internet wave, riding ic wich skill and precision. Sure, now we all can say we know that crave! services and the Web are the perfect match. Bue they knew it chen, and Las Vegas Reservations Service evolved into Travelscape.com, one of che most successful travel services ever co hit che Web. Over their first six years rogecher, Breitling and Poster grew their business from a mod– est success into one with more than $100 million in annual sales. In 2000, they sold it co Expedia for upwards of $100 million. The business chat scarred with one hotel contract and one 800 number is now part of che largest provider of hotel rooms and vacations in the world. "Ic felt," Breitling says, "like che Internee was made just for us." At the same time, Fertitta was riding a wave of his own. He returned co Las Vegas after graduate school as president and CEO of Fertitta Enterprises, Inc., a private invesr– ment firm chat owns and manages real estate and ocher ventures. He made the Gordon Biersch purchase in 1995, and two years later became the company's president and CEO. Bue he always kepr an eye on the gaming side of his family's ventures, and in 2000 became president of Station Casinos. Once he moved co the gaming side, Fertitta and brother Frank charged forward . Spurred by a 1997 Nevada Senate bill limit– ing locations for casinos, the Ferciccas had purchased key pieces of property through the southern pare of the state. Their dozen existing casinos are within easy reach of 80 percent of the population, and cheir focus remains true co their father's idea of catering co local residents. ''.Ac the time we bought up all chis property, Wall Street thought we were crazy," says Fercicca, whose company will open

California and Michigan. "Bur we wanted co go out, plane our flags and build a brand. Now that we're moving forward, they're see– ing the vision." Keeping the vision in focus means that Fertitta is involved in every aspect of planning. "The best pare is the creative work," he says. "Developing and designing a property from the ground up is an amazing process, and we stay involved in every single detail, right down co the carpet and rile for the floors. " You might think chat the amount of work involved leaves little time for fun, but Fertitta manages co indulge a few, uh, hob– bies. Growing up in Las Vegas, a rown with– out professional spores teams, Ferriera became passionate about boxing. He served as a member of the Nevada Seate Athletic Commission from 1996 co 2000, and in 2001 he purchased che Ulcimace Fighting Championship, a no-holds-barred league chat suffered from a sagging reputation. "I met a couple of the fighters and saw chat they really are incredible athletes," Fertitta says. "I felt like I found a diamond in the rough. We changed the rules and pro– duction values, and got che spore sanctioned in Nevada and New Jersey." And now millions of people tune in on pay-per-view co catch the latest action. So does anything that Fertitta couches not turn co gold? "The successes are what you hear about, and of course they're what I like co talk about," he says with a laugh. "Bue ic's great co work in such fun businesses. " mr!®m! Ml~~®~®~ !'®~@~ nee che sale ofTravelscape co and wasn't necessarily looking co jump into any new ventures. That's when he got another call from his buddy. Poster had found what he believed was a dream opportunity - a chance for che duo co buy the Golden Nugget, one of che cities famed properties. Bue he couldn't - or maybe he just wouldn't - do ic without his partner. Expedia was complete, Breitling planned on having a little fun, coo,

Capitalizing on America's fascination with all things Vegas, Breitling and Poster can be seen on Fox's "The Casino," while Fertitta's Green Valley Ranch (right) is featured on Discovery Channel's "American Casino." I grew up in che business, and I couldn't wait co scare my career." Ic was Fercitta's love for Las Vegas chat first enticed Breitling co visit his hometown, back when both were at USD. The two met as Sigma Pi brothers and became roommates, and on a holiday trip back home, Fertitta convinced Breitling co come along. For che young guy who grew up in Burnsville, Minn., Sin City was like nothing he'd ever seen. And when Breitling met Fercitta's child– hood friend, Tim Poster, the deal was sealed. "The first time I met Tim, he walked into our dorm room at USD talking on one of chose early, suitcase-sized mobile phones," Breitling says. "He was non-stop energy, always talking about Las Vegas, and very entrepreneurial. The three of us became close friends, and now we're pretty much like brothers. " In most groups of friends, there's one insti– gator - you know, the guy who eggs the oth– ers into doing things they think are a little bit crazy. In chis trio, that role clearly belongs co Poster. Among the three, he was the one who got the ball rolling in 1990 when he started Las Vegas Reservations Service, which booked hotel rooms and travel packages co Vegas. Fertitta was an early investor, and Breitling joined che business three years later.

another new casino in 2006 and is partnering co build several gaming properties with Indian tribes in

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