Over the next few months Las Vegans will celebrate the 75th birthday of one of their favorite casinos, El Cortez. Today I want to take a moment to celebrate the 75th birthday of its owner, Kenny Epstein, a larger-than-life special friend.
About fifteen years ago I met Kenny, as well as his long-time partners Mike Nolan and Joe Woody, as part of a consulting assignment arranged through Dennis Conrad. At the time the three were managing the Plaza, El Cortez and other properties all owned by Jackie Gaughan. That was the beginning a sometimes challenging but always rewarding professional and personal relationship.
Consulting for Kenny Epstein is not always easy. He says what he thinks – at times quite loudly. But I had one advantage: Kenny’s personality is very similar to my late father’s, with whom I worked on a daily basis for twenty years. While some may see a tirade as a “my way or the highway” proposal, the actual intent can be the exact opposite. What Kenny really wants is a good give-and-take argument, or as my father would put it, “When I bellow, bellow back!” With Kenny, sometimes we end up going with my position, and many other times with Kenny’s, but I always learn something from him, because his strong opinions are based on a true appreciation for his customers, and are grounded in decades of experience.
Kenny’s loyalty is legendary, in big and small ways. Through his and his team’s energies, Jackie Gaughan, who Kenny first met when only a teenager, was able to live and play poker at El Cortez until the final days of his life. Another example: one day Kenny, discussing a new casino, said, “I see the construction when I drop off clothes to my dry cleaner next door.” When I asked why he uses a dry cleaner that is located neither near his home nor El Cortez, he replied, “They’re nice people and have been doing a good job for twenty years.”
Kenny frequently invites me to lunch. The best part is not the food (though the food is quite good at Siegel’s 1941) but re-discovering his encyclopedic mind, especially when it sneaks up on you. Kenny reads the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times every day, and several books a month, covering a wide variety of subjects. During one lunch I commented that I had a friend who was a Sufi (a minor Muslim sect) and Kenny asked, “what is the difference between that and Bahá’í?” Another time, at lunch with several other people, I mentioned dealing with Asperger’s Syndrome, and Kenny took the time to explain to the other guests what that was, as well as mentioning other people he knew who have Asperger’s – all in a very positive tone.
Over the years, as client, source of knowledge, and debate opponent, Kenny Epstein has become a close friend. A month or so ago he called me up to invite me to his weekly Friday night dinner at Seigal’s. I tried to beg off: “Kenny, I had some bad news about a family member today and I am really not in the best mood.” “But you never are in a good mood,” he replied. After bursting out laughing, I told him I would be there. Classic Epstein!
Happy Birthday, Kenny!
