LuxeLV: Tell us about Adam Sperling.
Sperling: I grew up in a small town in northern New York, right on the border of Canada.  I went to school in central New York at Ithaca College, which is where my journey with professional golf started.  The 2003 PGA Championship was in Rochester and needed interns.  I connected with the PGA TOUR staff and began working throughout my college years for both organizations – the PGA of America and the PGA TOUR.  In 2005 an opportunity arose at PGA TOUR headquarters at Ponte Vedra Beach, so I took that job and worked for two and a half years with the TOUR within their Championship Management Division, which owns and operates about a dozen events on the TOUR.  I traveled 150 to 200 days a year managing events for the TOUR, but I really had the desire to stay in one location and see the charitable efforts go to work in the community.  I ended up pursuing an opportunity with the Monterey Peninsula Foundation at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. I spent two and a half years there getting involved in every facet of the business and was able to learn how to build a year-round event, as opposed to hopping from town-to-town. That prepared me to come to Las Vegas in 2009 and assume the overall responsibilities for the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

LuxeLV: Let’s talk about the tournament. It kicked off in 1983. Were the Shriners associated with it at the start?
Sperling: No. They were the beneficiary in the 2007 event, and took Title Sponsorship over from Frys.com in time for the 2008 event. There has been some title sponsor turnover within the event. The Shriners and Justin brought some stability at a time when the economic climate for continuing the event was in jeopardy.  In 2008, the Shriners and Justin Timberlake entered into a five-year agreement to act as Title Sponsor and Tournament Host.

Justin, among all of his other talents, is an incredible golfer.  He’s passionate about the game.  He owns and renovated a course in the Memphis area. He has a passion for the history of golf as it relates to celebrity performers and entertainers. My understanding is that he had an interest in getting involved with professional golf at the same time as the Shriners Hospitals for Children, and through the auspices of the PGA TOUR those parties were brought together. It’s been a great relationship for both parties.

LuxeLV: Tell us about the basic dynamics of the event. What happens during the week?
Sperling: Last year, our slogan was “More than just a golf tournament.” That meant that the event represented more than just the golf, and to a larger extent, what our goals are as both an event and an organization.  This year, the event runs from September 29th through October 8th.  When the PGA TOUR players tee it up, we’ll have 132 participants battling for $4.5 million. But throughout the week, in order to embrace and engage the community and support the event, we needed to create entry points into the tournament to benefit the community-at-large.  Some of those touch points are created specifically for charitable purposes and connections.  Others are geared toward providing funding for a number of local agencies.  Within the last three years we’ve developed about a dozen events that now have an impact on our local community.

LuxeLV: Examples?
Sperling: We’ve developed ticket programs for our schools and non-profits.  Schools can sell tickets to our events and retain 100% of the proceeds.  Non-profits can sell tickets and retain 100% of the proceeds, with the additional opportunity to reach spectators by hosting an event on the course during the tournament.  We developed a Walk-A-Thon in partnership with the Las Vegas-based Goodie Two Shoes Foundation that’s raised close to $30,000.  The beneficiaries are children who have never owned a properly-fitting pair of shoes.  Goodie Two Shoes outfits approximately 10,000 children a year with brand new shoes. We operate a dental clinic for children who don’t own toothbrushes.  Each year, a group, TeamSmile, out of Kansas City provides about a quarter million dollars worth of dental services to over 200 under-served children in the Las Vegas community.  We’ve partnered with the Charlie Hoffman Foundation on our Monday Pro-Am.  In the last two years, we’ve raised over $175,000 for five local charities. We have the non-profit Survival School conducted by The Luxury Marketing Council.  This past year, we held a Women’s Day luncheon that raised over $50,000 for the hospital.  We develop programming that’s close to the community’s core and what they care about.  It allows us to enhance our charitable footprint.  But it’s also about creating new ways to get the community involved.

LuxeLV: How many people come through for the week?
Sperling: This past year a little over 40,000.

LuxeLV: What’s the size of operating budget?
Sperling: About $9 million

LuxeLV: You’ve featured prominent players.  You’ve had Tiger Woods and Greg Norman.  Who’s big this year?
Sperling: It’s a little early to decide who is coming this year.  We’re hoping to host a FedEx Cup event next year, so we’re really looking at using this year as a springboard for our future.  We’ll be taking a much stronger approach at trying to get some past champions to come support the event, for example, Jim Furyk, the only multiple-time winner of this event. He won his first tournament here.  Davis Love III  won here.  Rickie Fowler made his professional PGA TOUR debut here.  Nick Watney has played here and has been a great supporter.  We expect Kevin Na to return.  There’s Jonathan Byrd, who won two years ago in historic fashion with that hole-in-hole during the playoff.  And Martin Laird, who won his first event here two years ago. Obviously being in a Fall Series there are some players who you don’t see, but we anticipate a really strong field and some compelling golf.

LuxeLV: Does Justin play?
Sperling: He plays on Wednesday in the Pro-Am.

LuxeLV: Anything special that you’ve got planned for 2012?
Sperling: Our slogan for 2012 is “Join The Celebration” as we’re celebrating 30 years of PGA TOUR golf in Las Vegas and 90 years of care by Shriners Hospitals for Children. For instance, we are partnering with the Southern Nevada Golf Hall of Fame to hold their 2012 induction ceremony.  We’re doing a retrospective on 30 years of the tournament’s history and looking within that 30-year historical perspective at creating a Champions dinner where we can honor past champions.

LuxeLV: Who owns the course?
Sperling: The PGA TOUR owns this course and manages the staff of the TPC Summerlin – they’re all PGA TOUR employees.

LuxeLV: In terms of past tournaments, have there been memorable moments?
Sperling: Jonathan Byrd on the fourth playoff hole with a hole-in-one on a par 3…had never before happened on the PGA TOUR. Tiger Woods’ first PGA TOUR win was at this tournament. Chip Beck had a 59, which was the second 59 in the history of the PGA TOUR.  There have only been five.  The first $1,000,000 purse was here in Las Vegas.

LuxeLV: What support do you need from the community?
Sperling: We’d like attendance this year to exceed 50,000.  We continue to grow… 12,500 in 2008; 15,000 in 2009; 20,000 in 2010; 40,000 last year. I’d like to grow our tournament revenue (hospitality packages, Pro-Am spots, tickets, etc.) by 50% or more.

LuxeLV: What’s the operating structure of the Tournament organization?
Sperling: We are Shriners Hospitals for Children, dba Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. We have an agreement with TPC to use their course and we have an agreement with the PGA TOUR to host a competitive event.

LuxeLV: So, you’re a 501(c) (3)?
Sperling: Correct.  There are 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children and 193 Shrine Temples. Each of those groups has its own Board of Directors, which in turn, are responsible to a 21 person Board of Trustees. One of the Board of Trustees members is the Chair of the Golf Committee, and I report to him.

LuxeLV: Final question.  What impact will you experience if the tournament is included in the FedEx Cup schedule?
Sperling: If we’re included in the FedEx Cup schedule, I imagine we would see some increased attendance, which would affect all of our spectator related operations.  Certainly our national coverage within the golf world would grow – which would translate into additional coverage for the city of Las Vegas.  The purse will increase – it’s always good to having a growing jackpot in this city.

To read the full article by Melinda Sheckells, click here

Fogo de Chão guests can expect a prix fixe culinary journey that allows patrons to sample more than 15 mouth-watering cuts of meat, a 30 item salad bar and an array of traditional Brazilian sides.

One of the most popular cuts of meat served at Fogo de Chão is the house specialty picanha, a prime cut of top sirloin seasoned with sea salt or garlic and roasted slowly to create succulent taste and texture. Also popular are the two filet mignon cuts of tenderloin, both seasoned to perfection, one served wrapped in bacon.

While the meats are the main focus of Fogo de Chão’s menu, the restaurant is also known for its gourmet salad and sides bar featuring more than 30 items such as smoked salmon, sun-dried tomatoes, hearts of palm, tabbouleh salad, jumbo asparagus, cured meats, artisan breads and imported cheeses.

The restaurant boasts a drink menu featuring authentic Brazilian beverages like The Caipirinha, made from cachaça, a distinctly Brazilian liquor as well as an award-winning wine list that includes more than 200 labels.  To complete the dining experience, Fogo de Chão’s decadent dessert menu includes the restaurant’s signature Papaya Cream, made with fresh papaya, vanilla ice cream and Crème de Cassis liqueur as well as South American Flan, Crème Brule, Turtle Cheesecake, Molten Chocolate Cake and Key Lime Pie.

At Fogo de Chão guests dictate both the pace and the portions of their dining experience. Once seated, each guest receives a small double-sided disc, which signals to the gaucho chefs, “more food, please!”by presenting the green side up or,”I’m on a break now!” by presenting the red side up. This service concept is called espeto corrido, which translates from Portuguese to “continuous service.”

Fogo de Chão was founded in 1979 in Porto Alegre, Brazil and expanded into the U.S. in 1997. Las Vegas is the 17th U.S. location and will boast the largest grill of any of the Fogo restaurants in the states.  Fogo Las Vegas is more than 14,000 square feet and offers nine private and semi-private dining rooms, making it a perfect venue for weddings, conventions and special events. The private dining spaces are fully equipped with presentation screens and projectors, which make this an ideal venue for meetings.  The prominent feature of the building is the cobalt blue tile tower with its visible open flame rotisserie, a signature design element that is a staple at Fogo restaurants.  The rotisserie showcases the gaucho culinary tradition of grilling meats. The walls will be dressed with large colorful murals depicting scenes of the gaucho culture and lifestyle.  A glass enclosed wine cellar and black walnut wine rack displays the award-winning selection of wines.

Contact for event arrangements, contact Chef Marcio Bonfada at 702-431-4500
www.fogo.com

One of Nevada’s largest, most respected and trusted independent jewelers – MJ Christensen – has been selected as the premier retail partner for the Las Vegas Cut® Diamonds in Nevada, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
MJ Christensen owners Cliff and Darlene Miller lead an approachable, professional and insightful team of diamond and jewelry sales representatives in their two locations off The Strip. MJ Christensen uniquely caters to the most discerning residents of the Las Vegas Valley seeking quality jewelry, including diamonds of distinction, purchased for beauty and value, love and legacy.

The Las Vegas Cut® Diamonds are now part of their selective diamond inventory effective today.
Kimberlight Brands – creators of this newly branded diamond – chose MJ Christensen as its premier retail partner because of the company’s integrity and service.
“Their reputation, authenticity and appreciation for superlative design drew us to MJ Christensen,” says Las Vegas Cut® Diamond representative Margaret DeYoung. “Cliff Miller, along with his wife and business partner Darlene lead a devoted team of gemstone and jewelry professionals who know diamonds and are uniquely positioned to help buyers in Nevada purchase wisely. We are delighted to include the Las Vegas Cut® in their offer.”
MJ Christensen was drawn to the Las Vegas Cut® because these diamonds are not only among the world’s most powerful performers – playing with light unlike any on the market – but because these are diamonds with a story.

“Diamonds and Las Vegas – two of our greatest loves – mirror one another,” says Cliff Miller. “Our city and these diamonds are all about light. They play and perform with it like no other in their class. Both are glamorous, create and capture memories, and emerge from nature’s most rugged and mysterious places to – in a word – thrill people.”
While the Las Vegas Cut® is new on the market, the idea of branding a diamond cut with a destination has been successfully done before. The highly coveted Dubai Cut diamond (with 99 facets) has been on the market in the Middle East for many years, capturing the essence of the Dubai experience in diamonds.

“The time is right for Las Vegas’ story to be told in diamonds. And fittingly, the design chosen to reflect our city features 111 facets that are artfully configured, cut and polished to deliver extraordinary light performance, fire and brilliance like very few other diamonds I have seen,’” he says.
The diamond craft reaches a pinnacle with the Las Vegas Cut. It more than triples the cutting complexity of a traditional round brilliant diamond and requires the highest skill level, attention to detail and professional discipline conceivable in the craft to master the perfection of a Las Vegas Cut®.
These key factors drew Miller’s trained eye to this stone and the business opportunity.

“All of us at MJ Christensen are excited to be the first and only place in Nevada and the United States to acquire this newly patented diamond design with its staggering 111 facets cut to perfection,” he says. “An added layer of interest and confidence is that these diamonds each come with certification from Las Vegas based AGS Laboratories.”

Each stone is graded by AGS Laboratories, among the best known and well respected diamond grading resources in the world. An acclaimed innovator because of its extensive research and development devoted to diamond cut is based in Las Vegas and will grade each Las Vegas Cut® diamond against its most stringent standards for quality and overall performance.

Sophisticated technological advances in the diamond design craft – when paired with masterful, experienced diamond cutting and polishing expertise – delivers sparkling results previously unimaginable. This is changing the nature of the diamond business and vaulting the offers now available for buyers. With nearly double the number of facets found in a traditional diamond, the Las Vegas Cut® attains breathtaking results. Perfectly suited to larger stones, Las Vegas Cut® diamonds are available in the range of one carat and greater. Initially, the diamonds will be sold loose through limited release exclusively at MJ Christensen in the Las Vegas Valley.

About Kimberlight Brands, Inc.
Kimberlight Brands is a privately held, North American company that offers exquisite, top-quality gems. Its foray release is the patented Las Vegas Cut® diamond design which attains pure luminosity. Kimberlight spotlights the importance of cut and craft in diamonds.
kimberlight.com

About the Las Vegas Cut®
True pioneers in the diamond world have stretched the potential of technology and design to achieve the Las Vegas Cut®. With distinction through careful provenance, meticulous light performance measures and rare, natural beauty, the Las Vegas Cut® performs to the level of the world’s best diamonds.
lasvegascut.com

About MJ Christensen
Las Vegas has trusted the MJ Christensen family since 1939. As Nevada’s largest diamond retailer, MJ Christensen offers the highest quality certified diamonds, engagement rings and fine jewelry. The Consumer Research Institute has recognized MJ Christensen Diamonds as one of “America’s Top Engagement and Wedding Ring Stores,” the people of Las Vegas voted MJ Christensen “The Best of Las Vegas 2011” in its category, and TheKnot.com recognizes the retailer in its 2011 and 2012 “Best of Weddings” category. The company is fully committed to a future grounded in unquestioned ethics in business led by Cliff Miller and wife and business partner Darlene. MJ Christensen is a member of the American Gem Society, an organization that holds fine jewelers accountable to a set of standards so high that less than five percent of all jewelry stores in the United States qualify as members.
mjchristensen.com

Watch World Market Center featured on Channel 8

Please Join InsideStyle in celebrating and recreating the history of 1119 South Main St.  on November 10 at 6pm for their Grand Opening.

GRAND OPENING – “ART IN ALL FORMS”

• When:  Thursday, November 10 at 6:00 PM
• Where: Our permanent home
  1119 S Main Street
  Las Vegas, NV 89104

RSVP: rsvp@insidestylehome.com or call 702-399-1100

In 2010, many global financial markets performed well, albeit growing at more modest rates than the sharp rebounds seen in 2009 after 2008’s staggering losses. The number of HNWIs and their wealth also grew moderately, with HNWIs remaining more conservative than before the crisis but willing to be opportunistic in seeking yield. The global economy returned to growth, driven by strong activity in emerging economies, most notably fast-growing Asia-Pacific nations such as China and India.

To read the full report, click here

How to Capitalize on the Momentum of Change

Global wealth climbed by 8.0 percent in 2010 to $121.8 trillion, or about $20 trillion above where it stood during the depths of the financial crisis. the rate of growth has slowed since the sharp turn-around in 2009 and was below the pace set during the precrisis boom–from year-end 2002 through 2007–when wealth grew at a compound annual rate of nearly 11 percent. Still, the outlook remains upbeat. Global wealth is expected to increase at an annual rate of nearly 6 percent over the next several years, with exceptional growth in emerging markets.

To read the full report, click here

TWO WEEKEND MATINEES!

Sunday May 15 1pm | Sunday May 22 1pm

TICKETS $20 & $40 Viva ELVIS^™ Theater

PHOTO-BY-JERRY-METELLUS-PHOTOGRAPHY-INC

Now in its fourth year, this critically-acclaimed production has created an avenue of growth for local artists while providing Las Vegas with a dynamic dance experience that has garnered rave reviews and sold-out houses.

Bring your friends to this one-of-a-kind production held for the first time at the Viva ELVIS^™ Theater at ARIA Resort & Casino.

Your $40 premium ticket purchase provides you with preferred seating (when available)

and helps provide a special matinee performance for students in Clark County.

CALL TODAY FOR TICKETS

(702) 531-3800

Call center hours 6am to 11pm

Order online Nevadaballet.org

or in person at all MGM Resorts Property Box Offices