Heading to Las Vegas for a week. Jeff Jonas is hosting a private concert event at Green Valley Ranch Station Thursday night. He bought the headbanging group RATT on silent auction at a charity event. You remember Jeff – he sold his counter-terrorism software company to IBM and used to host Las Vegas’ largest New Year’s Eve house party with 1,800 of his closest friends. I helped host the last three years. It was just about the toughest ticket in town!

Next week I am in Los Angeles to host a Godfather "Sit Down" in West Hollywood and to attend the Breeders Cup (World Championships of Horse Racing) with Sean Gerson . West Hollywood event is completely SOLD OUT, and the guest list is pretty spectacular. Truly appreciate all your support!!

The balance of November I will be in Las Vegas. The final Godfather "Sit Down" of the year is November 18. We have the largest Suite in Las Vegas, and 100 of the top casino executives in the world. Sponsored by Transact Technologies and Brocade, this is a special G2E event (world’s largest gaming show) for my clients. Completely SOLD OUT. Hallelujah!

On the executive recruiting front, here are my top priorities:

Casino President ($400,000)
Casino President ($300,000)
VP, Food & Beverage – Concept Experience ($200,000)
VP, Marketing – Casino ($300,000)
General Manager – Casino ($250,000, Midwest)
VP, Operations – Logistics, Europe ($200,000, International)
Director, Quality & Compliance – Six Sigma ($150,000, San Francisco)
Director, Systems Engineering ($115,000, Reno)

Sorry, no unsolicited resumes, all my work is 100% referral.  I have roughly 100 executives in my talent stable. If you are hiring, or know of a company that could use strong talent, PLEASE point them my way. It’s the holidays, so let’s change a few lives. As always, a portion of each placement will be donated to charity. For those that attended The BIG 80s Remix, we raised $75,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters. God bless you! 

And always remember, if God is for us, who can be against us!

Thank you to everyone that attended the Godfather “Sit Down” in San Francisco! It was a wonderful mixer with amazing executives, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Sooooooooo sorry about those that tried to cross the Bay Bridge and had to turn back due to the bridge closure. Thank you to Rick Baumgart/Dao Jensen of CommVault and Phil Rodas of Quest Software for sponsoring!

We had 50 of the most amazing people ever. I can’t run down all the guests that attended, but here are a few:

• Mike Faith (CEO, Headsets.com)
  
• Leslie Lambert (CISO, Sun Microsystems)
  
• Dean Lane (Office of the CIO)
  
• Danny Maco (CEO, HotShot Media)
  
• David Oxstein (Entrepreneur)
  
• Patricia Roller (Angel Investor)
  
• Doug Renert (Venture Capitalist, Entrepreneur)
  
• Max Rayner (CIO, TravelZoo)
  
• Tom Peck (CIO, Levi Strauss)
  
• David Sachs (Venture Capitalist)
  
• Michael Marquez (EVP, CBS Interactive)
  
• Indu Navar (CEO, Serus)
  
• Jonathan Lowenhar (CEO, Trooval)
  
• Kelli Richards (CEO, All Access Group)
  
• Kirk Reynolds (CEO, Kirk Reynolds PR)
  
• Alison Diboll (President, Diboll & Associates)
  
• William Dean Donavan (Managing Director, Columbia Equity Partners)
  

Terry Fator, winner of America’s Got Talent, is hosting a special benefit performance for The Arthritis Foundation on November 15 at 6:00 PM at the Mirage. All proceeds to The Arthritis Foundation. VIP tickets are $200, and include an after-show cocktail reception with Terry and Debi Fator. Call 367.1626. Regular tickets are available for $99 at the Mirage Box Office at 800.456.4564 x7735.

From a career opportunity perspective, here are my most pressing needs:

• Player Development – Asian Marketing ($300,000, International)
  
• General Manager – Casino ($250,000, Midwest, South)
  
• VP, IT Supply Chain ($225,000, Southern California)
  
• VP, Slots ($200,000, International)
  
• VP, Operations ($200,000, International)
  
• Director, Systems Engineering ($115,000, Reno)
  
• Director, Finance – Casino ($110,000, South)
  

And I will leave you with these two amusing videos. Remember, if God is for us, who can be against us!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v_IYA99iL0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzzMir7zbN4

Greetings from the Godfather of Las Vegas!  The Fall is my favorite time of year.  Triple digit temperatures of Las Vegas fade away and we move into the holiday season.  For the next two months I’ll be on the road before settling in for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

October 14 is a Godfather private mixer at the City Club in San Francisco.  This one is not sold out yet, however it is shaping up to be an excellent event.  Sponsored by Dao Jensen of CommVault and Phil Rodas of Quest Software.

I’ll be in Las Vegas for most of November.  The legendary Jeff Jonas is hosting a private concert event at Green Valley Ranch featuring 80s head bangers RATT.  Jeff used to host the largest New Year’s Eve house parties in Las Vegas – 1,800 people crammed into his Queensridge estate.

From Las Vegas, I’ll head to Los Angeles for the Breeders Cup (World Champioships of Horse Racing).  That means it’s time for another Godfather event at the House of Blues West Hollywood.  This one is completely SOLD OUT two months in advance.  Amazing guest list!  Event sponsored by Joe Preis of GCR and Brian Callahan of Markwood Capital.

G2E, the world’s largest gaming and casino show, hits Las Vegas during November.  Not sure if I’ll be speaking at the show, however I’m definitely hosting a private mixer for my clients.  Already have 20 casino executives from the Midwest and East Coast signed up.  We are kicking Barry Manilow out of his suite on the roof of the Las Vegas Hilton, and if you came to the last event up there…you know it will be a barn burner.  Event sponsored by Wade Harris of CommVault, Tracey Chernay of TransAct Technologies and Pat Murphy of Brocade.

On Sunday November 15 at 6:00 pm, Terry Fator will play a benefit performance for The Arthritis Foundation.  Tickets are $200 for VIP with a Terry Fator meet-and-greet (call 702-367-1626) or $150 for tickets only (Mirage box office).  If you have been meaning to catch this show, PLEASE make it this night.  All proceeds go to The Arthritis Foundation.

Job Market – Things have definitely settled out, however I don’t foresee discernible improvement in the job market for the next 15 months.  That stated, I have several great career opportunities available – Casino General Manager, VP of IT Supply Chain, VP of Player Development and VP Internal Audit.  For all my open positions, go to www.godfatherlv.com.

And as my friend Joel Osteen says, "God bless you!"

What a phenomenal two weeks in Las Vegas!  Met with 30 of my clients to get the latest on the economy and gaming industry.  Had dinner with Glenn Schaeffer, the former President of both Fontainebleau and Mandalay Resort Group.  Interviewed a few new candidates.

The two BIG events were September 11 and September 12.  The BIG 80s Remix, a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters, was held September 11 at LAVO inside the Palazzo.  Completely SOLD OUT!  We turned people away at the door.  My buddy Greg "The Greg Kihn Band" Kihn hosted.  Plenty of celebrities, furious bidding on silent auction, food and adult beverages…all for an amazing cause!

So my new buddy Corbin Bernsen (L.A. Law, Psyche) flew in from Hollywood to attend the charity events.  The night after BBBS, we participated in Jeans to Jewels for Opportunity Village at Frank Martin’s Bitter Root Ranch.  This is one of the BEST charity events in Las Vegas.  Western theme mixer at Frank’s goreous working horse ranch.

On the spur of the moment, Corbin donates lunch in Hollywood and some signed scripts.  They live auction the package and sold two for $4,000 each.  Wow!  Corbin is SUCH a rock star!

I cancelled the Dallas event September 30.  Chasing people around for their guest names was just WAY too much work.

San Francisco is a GO for October 14 at City Club.

West Hollywood is a GO for November 4 at House of Blues West Hollywood.

Las Vegas is a GO for November 18 on the roof of the Las Vegas Hilton.

I get 400+ emails and 50 phone calls every day.  Mostly candidates looking for career opportunities.  I respond to every single email and phone call personally.  You may think that is silly, however I feel it’s the right thing to do.

People that don’t call or email me back are a real hot button for me.  It’s disrespectful.  It says, "you are not important to me."  My philosophy is that you should never be so self-absorbed or self-serving that you stop caring about others.  If someone calls you, call them back.  If they are "asking" and you can’t help, a simple no thank you will work.  If you are invited to an event and commit – show up.

There is one exception to my "call everyone back" rule.  Once I say "no thank you", if you call me again, I won’t return the call.  I’m not in a position to say "no" two or three times.  Although you may not value my time, I do.

The one thing I do keep in mind is that there may be a legitimate reason for someone to not return my call.  At the top of that list are health issues and family emergencies.  When someone has a personal crisis, everything else is off the radar.  So before you go off the deep end, make sure there was not a legitimate reason for the lack of a return call.

A close companion to "not calling back" is "not showing up."  I recently hosted a CIO event where only 20 of the 35 confirmed attendees showed up.  Five of the "no shows" were unemployed.  Later the same people that flaked out on the event called to ask if I could represent them and find them a new CIO job.  I called them back right away with the answer – no thank you.  The Godfather says you can finish ahead of 90% of the masses if you just show up!

God Bless!

Back from a week in Del Mar. We ran a few horses, and came up with a second place finish with Launch the Bull. Big Mahogany runs this Sunday (August 9) and it just may be his day. Got to see many of my friends, including Howard Dinet, Chris McGivern and Rick Salinas. Del Mar is the best – good weather, good people, fast horses. Might sneak back for another week the end of August. I think, I hope, I pray.

On the job front, after a good May and June, the summer has tailed off. Stock market may be going up, however it is still a "bear" job market.

Here is the event schedule for the balance of 2009:

After the Finish Line – THANK YOU to Naresh, Brian, Jeffrey, Chris and Nathalie for attending this horse rescue event at Del Mar. Naresh ended up with Dancing With the Stars Tickets and Brian got a Foundation Room Membership. Truly appreciate your generosity!

The BIG 80s Remix – a Benefit for Big Brothers Big Sisters (September 11 at 5:30 pm at LAVO inside the Palazzo in Las Vegas) – Open to the public. You can buy two tickets in VIP with me for $1,000 or General Admission for $50 a ticket. This is the third quarter Las Vegas event. A rare, open to the public Godfather networking event. Buy tickets at www.bbbsn.org.

Jeans to Jewels (September 12 in Las Vegas) – Great charity event benefitting Opportunity Village. Western theme hoedown at Frank Martin’s Bitter Root Ranch. For more information, check out www.opportunityvillage.org. Giddyup!

House of Blues Dallas (tentative for September 30) – Wish I had more business in Dallas so I could host more events. But as my buddy Rudy always says, "NEVER quit!"
Special Concert Event – I have to be careful on this one because I believe it is still confidential. My old buddy Jeff Jonas bought out the Ovation Lounge at Green Valley Ranch Station for a concert event in October. As you may remember, Jonas used to throw the largest house party in Las Vegas on New Years’s Eve. Maybe 1,800 people. The last several years I helped host it. Jeff has given me 50 tickets to the concert event. More details forthcoming.

House of Blues West Hollywood (November 4 at 5:30 PM) – I will be in LA for Breeders Cup (World Championships of Horse Racing), so we’ll gather the usual suspects for a mixer in the TMZ.

Las Vegas Hilton (Rooftop Suite on November 18 at 5:30 PM) – Yes, we are kicking Barry Manilow out of his suite for a night. This one is private, invitation only for CLIENTS only. It’s G2E week, so all my big clients will be in Las Vegas. I will allow three sponsors to attend. Outside of that, no partners or friends.

Well, it is that time of year – Del Mar time.  I am on my way to Del Mar, where the turf meets the surf.  Attending "After the Finish Line", a horse rescue charity event and watching a few of our race horses run slowly in a circle.  Very slowly.

Really looking forward to the charity eventm which is being hosted at the Hilton Del Mar.  Thank you to Joe Preis, Mike Shustek, Naresh Lachmanda, Nathalie Ross and Howard Dinet for supporting this very worthy cause.  We have two tables, and some VERY interesting guests!  Trainers Kristen Mulhall, Brian Koriner and Michael Machowsky.  Jockeys Kayla Stra, Aaron Gryder and Joey Talamo.  Santa Anita marketing guru Chris Quinn.  Celebrities CC Perkinson and Joey Medina.  What a great crew!

Regardless of where our horses finish, we make up for it in fun, fun, fun.  And remember, the worst day at the track is better than the best day at the office!

God offers us opportunities.  I love that!  I love everthing about opportunities.  The opportunity to change your life.  The opportunity to bless others.  Today is the first day of the rest of your life!  The Lord also gives us free will.  We make our own choices and shape our own destiny.

I do my best to offer opportunities as well.  My business is connecting great talent with great companies.  In other words, I get people jobs.  Those are BIG opportunities!  I host private networking events – opportunities to meet the best people in America.  Most people won’t set down the TIVO and invest two hours in meeting new executives and entrepreneurs.  As my friend Wilson says, "they would not raise a lick at a snake if it was biting them in the butt." I’ll tell you this with all confidence; you will finish ahead of 90% of the people if you just show up.  Not showing up is a choice, and it eliminates 100% of the opportunities.

Finally, I host charity events and offer my friends the opportunity to get out and meet movers and shakers while concurrently giving back to charity and community.  Why?  Because, "to whom much is given, much is required."  Most people won’t attend and won’t donate a nickel. That is a choice as well.  Fortunately, I don’t have to be the judge – that is God’s job.  My role is just to offer opportunities.

Thank you to everyone that attended the Godfather “Sit Down” last night!  We had 85 of the most amazing people ever.  Pictures from the evening are available HERE.  Also, those same pictures will appear in my “Godfather’s Executive Brief” newsletter next month.  Where else can you find all these people in one room?

• Glenn Schaeffer (Mandalay Resort Group, Fontainebleau Resorts)
• Jon Wolfe (Binion Enterprises)
• Rich Baldwin (Tropicana Entertainment)
• Gregg Giuffria (Rock Star, Gaming Executive, Owner of Hard Rock Biloxi)
• Dan Stark (Boyd Gaming)
• Ken Ciancimino (Las Vegas Hilton)
• Mary Thomas, Jordan Clark, Brad Warga (Harrah’s Entertainment)
• Leslie Klinger (Venetian)
• Mark Brown (Zen Gaming)
• Gary Kapral (Bally Technologies)
• David Oxstein (Entrepreneur)
• Sanjiv Goyal (Entrepreneur)
• Steve Brockman (Builders Capital)
• Councilman Stavros Anthony
• Former Senator Sandra Tiffany
• Mike Flanagan and David Gurfein (American Heroes)
• Johnny Thompson (Elvis)
• Billy Taylor (R&B Recording Artist)
• Danny Seraphine (Rock Group Chicago)
• Kendall Tenney (TV News Anchor)
• Rudy (YES, that Rudy!)
• Steve Dacri (Magician)
• Karen Iglesias (Make-A-Wish)
• Erin Cornelius (Big Brothers Big Sisters)
• Steven Cantrell (Athletes for Life) 

• God.  First and foremost, I thank God for the opportunity to meet all of you.  I am exceedingly blessed!
• Wade Harris (CommVault), Darrel Kammeyer (Microstrategy), Chuck Halsey (Willis) and Pat Murphy (Brocade) – Thank you to our sponsors for making the event possible!
• Red Rock Resort – A flawless event in one of the most beautiful High Roller Suites in Las Vegas.  Thank you to Ronan O’Gorman, Melissa Tribus, Bob Tedesco and the Red Rock staff for a five star experience.
• Susan and Julie – Thank you to my wife and her Sister for helping with the drink tickets and hosting duties.
• The BEST Guests! – The value proposition for Godfather “Sit Downs” is the opportunity to meet the best people in Las Vegas – all in one place, all in one night.  Thanks to each of you for attending and bringing along so many great new people.

• THE BIG 80s Remix (September).  The next event will be a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Sponsored by The Sands Foundation and hosted by my friends Greg "The Greg Kihn Band" and Skip "Kool & the Gang" Martin.  You will receive invitations in the next two weeks.  General Admission tickets are $50.  Sponsorships are $1,000 to $5,000 and include adult beverages and VIP Seating.  Check out www.bbbsn.org, or contact me directly for sponsorship.
• House of Blues West Hollywood (November).  My last Hollywood event of the year will be November 4 at HOB West Hollywood.
• Las Vegas Hilton (November).  We had so much fun in the Elvis Suite last time, we’ll do it all again in November during G2E week.  This time we’ll give Barry Manilow the boot and use the "Conrad" Suite on the roof of the Hilton.  If you have not seen it – possibly the most gorgeous Suite in Las Vegas.

Until we meet again – remember, if God is for us, who can be against us!

Gearing up for 10 days in Las Vegas!  The Feature Event will be my private networking event on the roof of Red Rock Resort.  We have right around 100 executives, entrepreneurs and celebrities confirmed, and the venue is absolutely amazing!  This event SOLD OUT over a month ago.  Many of the city’s most recognizable executives and entrepreneurs are on the guest list.  In an important new development, I have secured the roof of the Las Vegas Hilton for a special G2E networking event for my clients and friends in November.  Outstanding!

On the job front, Las Vegas continues to make a comeback.  I have several casino GM positions, several sales positions and a stack of technology opportunities.  Click on "Career Opportunities" to see the entire list of openings.

 After six months of being low key to work on my executive placement business, I am back in the game with several charity events.  On July 30, After the Finish Line is hosting a horse rescue benefit at Hilton Del Mar.  I have two tables of friends, jockeys, trainers and celebrities.  On September 11 I will host The BIG 80s Remix, a benefit for Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Venue is LAVO inside the Palazzo in Las Vegas.  Check out www.bbbsn.org for tickets.  The following night (September 12) is Jeans to Jewels for Opportunity Village at Frank Martin’s gorgeous Bitter Root Ranch in Las Vegas.

And I am excited to announce that I will Chair Oscar Night America for The Arthritis Foundation in March 2010.  This is the official Academy Awards party benefitting The Arthritis Foundation.  We’ll warm up with a benefit show hosted by Terry Fator at The Mirage on November 15.  For more information, contact me directly at mwayman@godfatherlv.com