First and foremost, our prayers are with those that were affected by the tornado.

Our colt Backbackbackgone is running Saturday January 24 at Gulfstream in Miami, and the Godfather is heading down to head up the cheering section.  You will never guess who is joing me at Gulfstream.  I’ll give you a hint – he was a Daydream Believer.  The Godfather will wave at you from the Winner’s Circle.

On the event front, The Godfather’s "Sit Down" at the House of Blues Dallas this week is SOLD OUT.  In February, I’ll host events at the House of Blues West Hollywood and City Club San Francisco.  The next two Las Vegas based events are at the Las Vegas Hilton in April and Red Rock Resort in June.

On the job front, congratulations to Brandon Mikkelsen (Fontainebleau Resorts) and Brian Strickland (Worlddoc).  I have several other candidates close to job offers, so with God’s grace, hope to get a few more outstanding executives back in the game this quarter.

Finally, on the charity front we have several wonderful events coming up.  The Arthritis Foundation will host Oscar Night America on February 22 at Rain inside the Palms Las Vegas.  This is the Official Academy Awards party.  For tickets, contact The Godfather at mwayman@godfatherlv.com.  Three Square is hosting DISH on April 3 at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve.  For more information go to www.threesquare.org.  Make a Wish will have their annual gala May 9 at Planet Hollywood.  Check out snv.wish.org.

We certainly started the year off right when Backbackbackgone ran them off their feet in the Golden Bear Stakes at Golden Gate Fields.  Winner winner chicken dinner!  Next up is the Sunshine Millions January 24 at Gulfstream.  The Godfather will be in the house – any excuse for a trip to Miami in January.  Congratulations to my friends Mike Shustek, Don Stanley and Dawn Mellen on their recent horse racing wins as well.

I will be in Las Vegas for two weeks during January visiting clients and friends.  Job market continues to be thin, however I am laser focused on putting good people back to work in 2009.  For all the latest job openings, click on "The Foundation".  Congratulations to my latest executive placements – Brian Strickland at Worlddoc and Brandon Mikkelsen at Fontainebleau Resorts.  We have two more executives close to an offer, so I hope to have more good news shortly!

The Godfather event series kicks off in January at the House of Blues Dallas.  This event is SOLD OUT.  Next up will be House of Blues West Hollywood and City Club San Francisco in February.  There is a tentative event for CIOs in Las Vegas during February, and a locked in Las Vegas event for March (Verona Suite at the Las Vegas Hilton….Nice!).

Here’s wishing for a rising stock market and falling gasoline prices in 2009!

That’s odd…Las Vegas is getting more snow than Lone Grove!  Two storms blew through Las Vegas the last week and dropped five inches of snow in the Summerlin area.  Very cool!

Many people have asked me for the main differences between Las Vegas, Nevada and Lone Grove, Oklahoma.  So here we go:

In Las Vegas you try not to get run over in the heavy rush hour traffic.  In Lone Grove you try not get over by the deer.

In Las Vegas you go shopping at one of several malls.  In Lone Grove, you drive an hour to Oklahoma City or Dallas.

In Las Vegas you get 1/10th of an acre with your house.  In Lone Grove you can’t have a house with less than five acres.

In Las Vegas you say "Happy Holidays!".  In Lone Grove you say "Merry Christmas!".

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

The Godfather of Las Vegas – Live from Lone Grove, Oklahoma 

Happy holidays from the Godfather of Las Vegas, live from Lone Grove, Oklahoma! Just a quick note to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season. I hope 2009 is your best year ever! Here are my three New Year’s resolutions:

Greetings from the Godfather!  Spent most of November in Las Vegas attending the Big Brothers Big Sisters Gala and Opportunity Village Camelot.  Also attended G2E (gaming show) and caught up with dozens of clients and friends.

This week I am in San Diego to host a "Sit Down" (private networking event) at the Barona and attend a good friend’s 50th Birthday bash.  Thereafter, I’ll be relaxing in Oklahoma with family for the holidays.

Backbackbackgone runs Sunday at Hollywood in the Prevue Stakes.  He is undefeated, and with no speed in the race, we’ll be out winging.  Trainer Peter Miller has him on edge, so we hope to stay an undefeated 4/4.

Job market is soft, however I picked up about 10 new job opportunities in November. I will post them on "The Foundation" portion of this web site over the weekend.

Have a wonderful holiday season and God bless!

Our two year old colt Backbackbackgone remained undefeated by winning the Jack Goodman Stakes at Santa Anita yesterday.  He is now a perfect 3 for 3, including two stakes wins.  This time around he beat three very nice horses.  The rail horse was undefeated (trained by Carla Gaines and working a hole in the wind), the five horse was rumored to be something special (and turned out to be!) and the six horse (Bob Baffert touted him before the race) just ran in a grade one stakes race at Belmont.

BBBG broke in front and set leisurely fractions of 22.3 and 45.  As they approached the turn, the rail horse (#1) snuck by him on the inside and took the lead.  Jockey Rafeal Bejarano was cool as a cucumber and kept BBBG nice and relaxed.  When they straightened away in the stretch Bejarano asked the question…and BBBG gave him the answer!  He sprinted by the rail horse and accelerated to the sixteenth pole.  The 5 horse came flying up the outside (outside closers were winning all day), but BBBG just kept digging deeper and deeper.  GM Sean Gerson knew it was going to be close.  Team member Rich Siegel yelled, "you gotta believe!"  At my ranch in Oklahoma I was on my feet shouting "don’t you let him get by you buddy – bring him home Rafeal!"  At Santa Anita a crowd of Gerson Racing team members were screaming and yelling their lungs out. 

BBBG and Rafeal Bejarano refused to let the 5 horse get by and won by a nose in 108.4.  Wow!  That is race horse time, and he showed real professionalism by keeping his cool, disposing of the rail horse, then holding off a late closer on a day when late closers were winning every race.  For once I’m going to agree with Sean – there were some VERY nice horses in this race.  There is no telling how good BBBG is.  For today, he is undefeated, and there is no doubt he is 100% runner.  Congratulations to GM Sean Gerson (www.gersonracing.com), trainer Peter Miller, jockey Rafeal Bejarno and all the Gerson Racing faithful.

Speaking of Sean Gerson, I’ll be flying out to LA/OC this week to join him for the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita.   We’ll start the festivities with a private party at the House of Blues West Hollywood, then motor over to Santa Anita for the World Championships of Horse Racing Friday and Saturday.  It is sure to beat the heck out of last years event at Monmouth where we endured sub-arctic temperatures and freezing rain to support our filly Set Play.  By the way, Set Play finished her career with a fifth place finish in the Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland yesterday.  She is retiring to be a Mama.  She gave us many thrills, including a win in the grade one Del Mar Debutante and we wish her all the best!

I’ll post my Breeders Cup picks here on Wednesday or Thursday of next week.

High school football, cooling temperatures and Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner.  Fall is the best season of the year!  For those of us here in Lone Grove, Oklahoma that means snow is on the way.  Love Las Vegas – but the change of seasons in Lone Grove is refreshing.

Susan and I had a whirlwind week in Las Vegas.  Hosted 50 of my clients and friends at Stephen Crystal’s VOX Wine Lounge.  Clint Holmes stopped by.  Gavin Isaacs of Bally Technologies, Scot Campbell of MGM Mirage and Phyllis Gilland of American Casinos were there.  You could not miss Skip Martin of Kool & the Gang and R&B artist B. Taylor.  One of the best groups ever!

The following night Susan, Mom and I attended Cher at Caesar’s Palace.  Sensory overload.  Amazing show, and I appreciate Vicki Stringham putting us right up front.  Great seats.   Finished up the week by hosting 50 technology executives at The Stirling Club.  No sales people, no consultants, no getting gang tackled to buy software – just an opportunity to meet 50 of the best technology executives in Las Vegas.  Thank you to Kathleen Gustafson at The Stirling Club for all her help and to every single attendee for showing up.

We’ll spend most of November in Las Vegas so we can attend the Big Brothers Big Sisters Gala at Wynn Las Vegas and Opportunity Village Camelot.  Great organizations that need our support.  If you have interest in attending, contact me at mwayman@godfatherlv.com.  To whom much is given, much is expected.

I don’t have to tell you…the job market is less than optimal.  Highest unemployment rate in twenty years.  Las Vegas is taking the worst of it.  The good news is that 2009 looks much better.  By the second quarter, I believe we’ll see an uptick in both hiring and real estate prices.  Meanwhile, I have 100 resumes for every available job.  As the Godfather has trumpeted from the highest mountains, "dig the well before you need a drink" and "build your bridge before you need to cross."

Backbackbackgone, our Kentucky Derby horse, runs October 18 at Santa Anita.  Coincidentally, our filly Set Play makes her last start ever in the Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland on the same day.  Thereafter she retires to be a broodmare.  I will be in Los Angeles with my good friend Sean Gerson during October to host an event at House of Blues West Hollywood and attend the Breeders Cup World Championships of Horse Racing.

That is the latest from Lonesome Grove, Oklahoma.  Happy Holidays!

This week the Lone Grove High football team played Tishimingo on the road.  The family loaded up (Karen, Marisa, Emily and myself) for the scenic drive from Lone(some) Grove to Tishimingo.  Small town, small crowd..  Lone Grove ran the first play from scrimmage in for a touchdown.  Would they win big like the previous week’s 38-12 smasher?  Uh, no.  Lone Grove trailed 46-14 in the third quarter when we packed it up and made the trek home.  Tishimingo players looked like a collection of Oklahoma University starters and NFL candidates.  As my buddy Mike Shustek would say, "we’ll get ’em next time."

Susan and I will be in Las Vegas this week for several events.  First up, we’ll host a Wine Tasting for clients and friends at Stephen Crysal’s VOX Wine Lounge.  On Saturday we have a table for Jeans to Jewels, the wonderful charity event supporting Opportunity Village.  "Mom" is flying in, so Sunday we’ll have some fun at the Cher show at Caesar’s Palace.  We’ll finish the trip with a Technology Mixer at the Stirling Club that is SOLD OUT.

In October I’ll host an event at the House of Blues West Hollywood.  I’m in town with my buddy Sean Gerson for Breeders Cup.  In November, the event at Barona Valley Ranch Resort in San Diego is "on".  We have the Private VIP Gaming Parlor.  Nice!  Mike Shustek’s birthday party is that weekend inDel Mar.  I think I need an energy drink (no alcohol please).

Susan has her hands full with contractors and vendors.  Locksmith?  Check.  Air conditioning guy?  Check.  It’s been a parade of contractors at our Lone Grove, Oklahoma property, but I believe we are getting towards the end.  For those with an interest, the two and three pound bass we stocked in the pond are getting huge.  When Susan goes out there to feed the deer and fish, it’s a stampede of bass and bluegill to the dock area.

I’m Chairman of the upcoming Big Brothers Big Sisters Gala at Wynn Las Vegas.  This is a wonderful organization doing wonderful work.  If you have interest in sponsorship, tickets or donating a silent auction item, I can be reached at mwayman@godfatherl.com.  May the Lord bless you richly for your generosity!