Irwin Molasky, one of Nevada's most notable developers, Claudine Williams, a highly respected business executive and entrepreneur, and the late Howard Hughes, world-renowned philanthropist and businessman, have been named as the 2003 inductees for the Nevada Business Hall of Fame.
A dinner event to honor the inductees is scheduled for Feb. 20 at the MGM Grand Conference Center. The event is being presented by UNLV's College of Business in association with Deloitte & Touche.
UNLV's College of Business created the Nevada Business Hall of Fame to honor top business leaders who have significantly contributed to the economic prosperity of Nevada and brought positive recognition to the state.
"We are honored to induct these individuals into the Nevada Business Hall of Fame," said Richard Flaherty, dean of the College of Business. "Their numerous business and philanthropic contributions have been invaluable to making Nevada such a great place to live and work."
Bill Hartman, managing partner of Deloitte & Touche's Nevada practice, said, "It is a privilege to join with UNLV's College of Business in honoring these three visionary leaders. Rarely does one have the opportunity to commend the achievements and civic contributions of such an accomplished group of people."
Steve Comer, who recently joined Deloitte & Touche as a partner, added, "I am pleased that Deloitte is supporting the continuation of this important event."
The inductees include the following:
Irwin Molasky
Las Vegas would not be the city it is today were it not for Irwin Molasky. As chairman of the Paradise Development Company since 1951, he has been responsible for much of the city's skyline and continues to set the trend with his current projects. Molasky has developed numerous buildings and institutions that have contributed significantly to the state of Nevada and its people. Among his most notable developments are the first private hospital in Nevada (Sunrise), the first master-planned community (Paradise Palms), the first golf course community, the first high-rise building in downtown Las Vegas (Bank of America Plaza), and the state's first enclosed shopping mall (the Boulevard Mall). His most recent development, Park Towers, has been named one of the best luxury condominium buildings in the country. Active in the community and numerous philanthropic organizations, Molasky played a pivotal role in the early development of UNLV through the donation of 45 acres at Flamingo and Maryland Parkway. He is a founding trustee of the UNLV Foundation.
Claudine Williams
A respected member of Nevada's business community for the past 40 years, Williams paved the way for women in the gaming industry. She was the first woman elected chairman of the board of a bank in the state of Nevada and the first woman inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame. In 1965, Williams and her late husband, Shelby, purchased and renovated the Silver Slipper Casino and operated it until its sale to Howard Hughes in 1969. They completed construction and opened the Holiday Casino in 1973. After a long illness, Mr. Williams passed away in 1977. Claudine became president and general manager and continued to expand the business until its sale to Harrah's in 1983. She became chairman of the board of Harrah's Las Vegas and remains part of the Harrah's family. She is chairman of the board of Nevada Commerce Bank, a commissioner on the Nevada State Commission on Tourism, and serves on the government affairs committee and the board of advisors of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. Williams is a founding member and past chairman of the UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees and a dedicated supporter of numerous charitable and educational organizations through the Williams Foundation.
Howard Hughes
A world-renowned philanthropist and businessman, Hughes helped make Las Vegas the world-class entertainment, commercial, industrial, and residential city it is today. Credited by many for pulling Las Vegas out of the economic slump of the mid-1960s, Hughes had a lifelong affinity for Nevada. After moving to Las Vegas in 1966, Hughes pioneered the era of corporate ownership of hotels and casinos in Las Vegas with his purchase of the Desert Inn and seven other hotels in Las Vegas and Reno. His impressive real estate holdings in Southern Nevada provided the cornerstone for the phenomenal level of growth and development that continues today. Of the 49,000 acres of land owned by Hughes at the time of his death in 1976, nearly half has been developed as Summerlin, named for Hughes' grandmother, Jean Amelia Summerlin. Ranked as America's best-selling master-planned community nine of the past 10 years, Summerlin was recently named Urban Land Institute's 2002 New Community of the Year.
Molasky, Williams, and Hughes were selected for induction into the Nevada Business Hall of Fame by members of the College of Business Executive Advisory Board, which includes senior Nevada business leaders from a variety of industries.
Last year, William "Si" Redd, E. Parry Thomas, and Stephen A. Wynn comprised the inaugural group of inductees into the Hall of Fame.
The Feb. 20 Nevada Business Hall of Fame dinner will include a reception and dinner. Tickets for the event are $175. Corporations or individuals may purchase tables for $1,500 each. Advance tickets may now be purchased by calling UNLV's College of Business at 895-3362.
For additional information about the Nevada Business Hall of Fame, call Darin Hollingsworth, director of development at UNLV's College of Business, at (702) 895-3362.
Deloitte & Touche, one of the nation's leading professional services firms, provides accounting, assurance and advisory, tax, and management consulting services through almost 34,000 people in more than 100 U.S. cities. With offices in Las Vegas and Reno, the Nevada practice of Deloitte & Touche is the largest public accounting firm in the state, serving 13 of Nevada's 15 top companies.
