REMINDER: November 2019 Houston Chapter Event
Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Time: 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Sponsor: Spencer Stuart
Guest Speaker: Tilman Fertitta,Chairman, CEO, and sole owner of Landry's, Inc.
Location: The Post Oak Hotel | 1600 West Loop South, Houston, TX 77027
TILMAN FERTITTA
Tilman
J. Fertitta, a Houston native, is an accomplished businessman and recognized as
a world leader in the dining, hospitality, entertainment and gaming industries
and is often referred to as “the world’s richest restaurateur.” Fertitta the
sole owner of Fertitta Entertainment which owns the restaurant giant Landry’s, the
Golden Nugget Casinos and Hotels and the NBA’s Houston Rockets.
Through
his restaurant and hospitality company Landry’s, Fertitta owns more than 600
properties in 36 states and in over 15 countries. He is also one of the largest employers in the
nation with more than 60,000 employees. His
restaurants include a signature collection of eateries, as well more than 60
different restaurant brands and award winning concepts. The Signature Group
includes some of the world’s premier fine dining concepts, such as Mastro’s
Steakhouse and Ocean Club, Morton’s The Steakhouse, The Oceanaire, Vic &
Anthony’s, Brenner’s Steakhouse, Grotto, Atlantic Grill, La Griglia and Willie
G’s, while the multi-unit restaurant brands include such well known favorites
as Chart House, Landry’s Seafood House, Rainforest Cafe, Saltgrass Steak House,
Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Mitchell’s Fish Market, Dos Caminos, Bill’s Bar
& Burger, Joe's Crab Shack and McCormick & Schmick’s. Additionally, Fertitta owns 50% of Catch Hospitality
– one of Los Angeles’ and New York’s most popular eateries, and is one of the
principal shareholders in the fast growing restaurant platform for online
ordering and secondary on-demand food delivery, Waitr.
He
also owns and operates numerous gaming, hospitality and entertainment venues,
including the iconic Golden Nugget Casino and Hotel brand, with 5 locations
throughout the United States, including Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada;
Atlantic City, New Jersey; Biloxi, Mississippi and Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Fertitta also launched into the online internet gaming world in the state of
New Jersey with GoldenNuggetCasino.com and
has been recognized as the top iGaming operator in the country, receiving the
top iGaming operator of the year award in 2016, 2017 and 2018. In the
Houston/Galveston area, he owns the award-winning San Luis Resort, The Westin
Houston Downtown and several other award-winning regional hotels. In March
2018, Fertitta opened the much anticipated Post Oak Hotel, the newest ultra-modern,
luxury destination located in Uptown Houston. His entertainment destinations
include the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, The Kemah Boardwalk,
Downtown Aquarium Denver and Houston and Tower of The Americas in San Antonio
which are all featured on the Forbes, Travel Channel and USA Today’s top five
lists of attractions.
In
October 2017, Fertitta purchased the NBA’s Houston Rockets for a record $2.2
Billion and is the sole owner of the team.
During the first year as an NBA owner, the Houston Rockets advanced to
the Western Conference Finals, set a record for the Most Wins in Franchise
History.
An
influential business figure, Fertitta stared in his own reality TV show on CNBC
called Billion Dollar Buyer. Fertitta first
debuted on the Forbes 400 list in 2012 and is frequently featured in the
nation’s top financial and industry publications. He is also a frequent guest
of prominent national business and sports programs on networks like CNBC, MSNBC,
Bloomberg, ESPN and Fox. He is considered one of the foremost authorities in
the restaurant, gaming, entertainment and hospitality industries and is slated
to release his first business book “Shut
up and Listen” with HarperCollins Publishers in fall of 2019.
Fertitta’s
many personal honors include - Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Ernst &
Young and induction into the Texas Business Hall of Fame as the second youngest
inductee. In 2012, he was named Amusement Today’s Person of the Year,
and in 2013, he was named Casino Journal’s Executive of the Year and is
one of Restaurant News’ top executive almost yearly. In honor of his contributions to the travel
and tourism industry in Texas, Fertitta was the recipient of the Texas Travel
Industry Association’s Heritage Award in 2016.
In 2018, Fertitta was named Restaurateur of the Year by the Greater
Houston Restaurant Association and named Executive of the Year by the Houston
Sports Authority.
Fertitta believes in
the importance of giving back to the community and devotes a substantial amount
of time to civic service and charitable organizations. He currently serves as
Chairman of the Board – Houston Police Foundation, Chairman of the Board -
Houston Children’s Charity and is currently serving his sixth year as Chairman
of the Board of Regents - University of Houston. In 2016, Fertitta contributed $20 million
dollars to fund the University of Houston Basketball team's arena to be named “the
Fertitta Center,” which opened in December 2018. He is on the Executive
Committee of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which is one of
the nation's largest charitable organizations. Additionally, Fertitta
serves on the boards of the Texas Heart Institute and Greater Houston
Partnership. He and his wife Paige live in Houston with their four children,
Michael, Patrick, Blayne and Blake.