In 1974, Ida Johnson moved to Las Vegas from Crossett, Arkansas, “a small municipality 3 miles from the Louisiana line,” astatine the behest of a relative who was already moving successful the Valley.
“He said, ‘The benignant of enactment you’re doing, you could marque 3 times arsenic overmuch wealth successful Las Vegas, truthful wherefore not springiness it a try?’ And I did,” Johnson says. “I enactment my savings together, due to the fact that I’m 1 of those radical who likes being capable to wage my way. I wanted to commencement caller and spot what the large metropolis was like.”
She spent a fewer years moving graveyard shifts astatine the now-shuttered Westward Ho Hotel and Casino until 1977, erstwhile she stumbled into a caller accidental to articulation the unit astatine an off-Strip spot that had conscionable been rebranded from The Casino to Bingo Palace. In 1983, it gained a much imperishable identity: Palace Station.
Today, Johnson is the longest-tenured squad subordinate there, wherever she has cooked for her chap employees successful the squad eating country for astir 50 years. In that span, she’s watched the company, Station Casinos, navigate spot acquisitions and closures, fiscal triumphs and lulls en way to gobbling up the off-Strip marketplace successful Las Vegas.
“It’s astir similar seeing your kids increasing up,” Johnson says of the bequest she’s softly helped build. “I’ve been capable to bash things with my kids, my grandkids and my large grandkids that I would ne'er get to bash had it not been for Station and my coworkers.”
Lorenzo Fertitta, left, and Frank Fertitta III astatine the groundbreaking for Aliante Station successful North Las Vegas, which opened successful 2008. The spot changed hands successful 2011 aft the company’s bankruptcy and is presently owned and operated by Boyd Gaming.
Photo by: Steve Marcus
The institution was the brainchild of laminitis Frank Fertitta Jr., who spent decades gathering it into an empire alongside his sons Frank III and Lorenzo. The adjacent successful the enactment is Frank Fertitta IV, who contiguous serves arsenic elder vice president of operations astatine Red Rock Resorts, Station Casinos’ genitor company. His transportation to Palace Station is fundamentally antithetic from Ida’s, but nary little fond.
“A batch of nights my ma would thrust maine and my sisters implicit to Palace Station to spell person meal astatine the Fisherman’s Broiler with my dad, who was ever precise adamant astir having household dinners unneurotic and ne'er truly missed one,” Fertitta IV says. “I retrieve going up to his bureau and doodling connected his whiteboard portion helium was connected telephone calls oregon taking meetings—a batch of good, blessed memories.”
As Station gears up to observe its 50th day connected July 1, it’s wide the company’s founding household and astir 9,700 squad members aren’t the lone ones with galore blessed memories from clip spent astatine its assorted casino and edifice properties. The organization’s uncanny quality to link with locals has made it 1 of the astir influential forces successful Las Vegas gaming.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF CASINO
After moving to Las Vegas from Texas successful 1960 astatine the property of 21, Frank Fertitta Jr. began his vocation arsenic a bellman astatine the Tropicana Hotel and Casino and proceeded to walk the adjacent 16 years cutting his teeth successful the manufacture arsenic a blackjack dealer, pit boss, and eventually, casino manager.
It was during the transitional decennary of the 1970s—as Las Vegas was shifting distant from its mob ties toward its firm era—when Fertitta came up with the conception of a casino that would cater chiefly to locals.
“He understood that erstwhile you worked connected the Strip each time long, you wanted to spell bent retired determination that wasn’t truly astir the radical that you conscionable spent your time serving,” Fertitta IV says. “I deliberation a batch of radical thought helium was crazy, and convey goodness it worked out. It was truly conscionable astir taking bully attraction of people—knowing their name, asking them astir their time and however their household is—and we bash our champion to support that today.”
Fertitta Jr. served arsenic president until 1993, erstwhile helium passed his enactment relation on to his sons, conscionable earlier the institution entered a accelerated enlargement phase. Boulder Station came on successful 1994, followed by the now-defunct Texas Station successful 1995, Sunset Station successful 1997, the acquisition of Santa Fe Station successful 2000 and the opening of Green Valley Ranch Resort successful 2001.
Frank Fertitta IV
Photo by: Courtesy
For Frank Fertitta IV, thing matched the standard of Red Rock Resort erstwhile it debuted successful 2006.
“I was a large skater kid backmost successful the day, and I retrieve gathering Tony Hawk that [opening] night, which I was beauteous excited about. And past the Sting concert, of course,” helium says. “Mostly, I retrieve however arrogant my gramps was of my dada and his member during that opening, and conscionable however large of a nighttime it was for my family.”
Although Frank Fertitta Jr. died successful 2009, his imaginativeness lives connected successful a institution that remains dedicated to maintaining the roots its patriarch planted.
“We telephone it the Cheers culture, wherever you travel successful and radical cognize your sanction and person a grin connected their face,”Fertitta IV says of the doctrine that has guided Station Casinos done 5 decades. “Even though the institution evolves successful presumption of the mode the buildings are built and the amenities we offer, the neighborhood-oriented, service-first civilization volition ever beryllium the same, and I deliberation that’s truly what [Fertitta Jr.] acceptable retired to bash originally.”
THE FERTITTA EDUCATION
Joining Frank Fertitta IV successful starring Station Casinos into the adjacent half-century is Jordan Seager, who got his commencement determination arsenic a 21-year-old intern successful 2007. California-born and Vegas-raised, helium enactment successful clip astatine astir each large Station spot earlier becoming Red Rock’s vice president and wide manager successful January.
Santa Fe Station’s 4949 Lounge
Photo by: Courtesy
“I thought I was going to spell into planetary trade, and I truly wanted to beryllium a lawyer. But erstwhile I was successful schoolhouse astatine UNLV, a buddy of excavation who got an internship with Station Casinos said, ‘Hey, it’s truly awesome, you should articulation it,’” Seager says. “I ended up interviewing for an internship close adjacent doorway to Red Rock, backmost erstwhile the firm offices were inactive nether construction. We were successful trailers successful a ungraded lot, and the [Downtown Summerlin] promenade didn’t beryllium yet.”
Seager showed committedness early, earning an connection to enactment connected arsenic an analyst. He worked successful different roles similar concern until 2013, erstwhile helium near for a caller occupation successful the San Francisco Bay country up of returning to Las Vegas to service arsenic wide manager of the Lucky Dragon Hotel done 2018. But some of those detours yet led him close backmost to the institution that offered him his archetypal shot.
“It wasn’t that thing was wrong. It was conscionable an accidental that came up that gave maine a caller position connected things,” Seager says of his clip away. “I wanted to travel back, and that wasn’t due to the fact that I didn’t person adjacent amended offers from different companies. It was due to the fact that I missed the day-to-day acquisition of moving astatine Stations.”
Another gully was the good, old-fashioned “Fertitta education.”
“The quality to spell from spot to spot and instrumentality connected an accidental that possibly you weren’t rather acceptable for is unsocial to this company. Everybody wants to turn successful their business, mostly speaking, but sometimes those opportunities don’t travel on due to the fact that you’re siloed into your small world,” Seager says. “At Station Casinos, there’s this uniqueness of not lone having a batch of properties, but besides a batch of antithetic types of businesses. There are truthful galore chances to say, hey, what are you bully at, and what bash you privation to leap into?”
He recalls a caller speech with a information serviceman who helium says had amassed millions of followers arsenic a societal media influencer earlier opting to physique a vocation with Stations.
“They privation to usage the cognition and relationships they’ve gained present to say, however bash I go a inferior host? How tin I leap into the butler world? How tin I get into the work portion of the industry? To me, that is what Station Casinos is each about,” Seager says. “There’s conscionable a portion to our concern wherever we’re each close, and that truly makes our day-to-day operating acquisition truthful overmuch fun.”
MARBLE AND SANDSTONE
Albie Colotto has officially served arsenic Station’s plan manager for a decade, but he’s really been shaping the portfolio for acold longer—helping mold the Mediterranean-inspired opulence of Green Valley Ranch and the lavish aura of Red Rock successful the aboriginal 2000s with the Friedmutter Group architectural firm.
Green Valley Ranch Resort
Photo by: Courtesy
“We truly see ourselves an amusement company,” Colotto says. “It’s an escape. We privation everyone to consciousness similar they’re connected abrogation each clip they travel to our properties.”
More recently, Colotto played a cardinal relation successful processing Station’s newest property, Durango Casino and Resort. When it opened successful December 2023, the “desert oasis” represented the sleek, modern comforts that looked to transportation implicit into Station’s future.
“When we did Durango, we truly wanted to research bringing the outdoors inside. And you could spot that with the ample windows and gardens close extracurricular of them, you truly consciousness similar you’re gaming successful a garden,” Colotto says.
It didn’t extremity there, however, arsenic Durango is inactive a enactment successful progress. In December, operation concluded connected a $120 cardinal south-end enlargement that added a caller bar, high-limit slot country and a 2,000-space parking garage. One period later, enactment began connected different $385 cardinal update to the northbound that volition bring a 36-lane bowling alley, luxury theater, expanded edifice offerings and amusement venues similar a country-themed unrecorded euphony abstraction called Moonshine Flats.
“We’re ever trying to marque our projects arsenic applicable arsenic possible, due to the fact that we don’t similar to remainder connected our laurels,” Colotto says. “We person a large project, and it’s been doing well, but we don’t conscionable accidental let’s conscionable constitute that 1 out. We privation to marque definite our properties are well-kept capable that they spell into that adjacent generation.”
The institution hasn’t been acrophobic to interruption a fewer unspoken rules on the way.
“Before, determination was an aged paradigm that you couldn’t person clocks successful casinos, and you couldn’t person daylight coming successful due to the fact that nary 1 wanted the radical to cognize if it was time oregon night,” Colotto says. “We embraced it. We’re like, we privation them to cognize that it’s agleam and sunny, and you announcement the quality arsenic you’re walking astir the casino. It’s each astir bridging the indoor and outdoor. We’re not acrophobic to blur that enactment anymore.”
Bel-Aire Lounge astatine Durango Casino & Resort
Photo by: Clint Jenkins / Courtesy
This strategy has bled into older properties similar Sunset Station, wherever the iconic Gaudi Bar closed successful January for a afloat translation earlier reopening successful May—honoring its archetypal Antoni Gaudí-inspired stained-glass architecture portion introducing a modern, high-energy feel. It’s portion of a $53 cardinal refresh that’s already underway, portion an further $87 cardinal was acceptable speech for different enhancements similar a caller steakhouse, high-limit array games room, a Stoney’s Rockin’ Country venue and Leticia’s Mexican Restaurant, among others.
“We ever accidental we person 1 ft successful the past and 1 successful the future. And with Sunset’s Gaudi Bar area, we person each that beauteous stained glass, but due to the fact that everything was truthful acheronian successful there, radical astir didn’t adjacent admit it,” Colotto says. “When we renovated, we said, let’s conscionable bash airy plaster astir it and enactment successful a modern bar. So, we kept the bones, and they play disconnected each different truly nicely. I was retired determination with our wide manager, and 3 radical came up to america saying, ‘I’m truthful gladsome you kept the stained glass. It’s truthful beautiful!’”
Other properties are experiencing a akin evolution. Green Valley Ranch has seen astir $200 cardinal reinvested into completed and ongoing renovations, portion different $56 cardinal has been committed for a 2nd signifier that includes a afloat refreshed casino level and caller eating and portion options.
Meanwhile, Red Rock besides added to its eating offerings successful May, erstwhile salient section favorites similar the style-mashing pizzeria Good Pie and viral smashburger spot With Love, Always, joined the fold.
“The archetypal period being unfastened wrong Red Rock has been thing we could person ne'er imagined. The enactment from the locals has been insane,” With Love, Always co-founder and Las Vegas autochthonal Drew Belcher says. “With Love, Always is our emotion missive to Las Vegas, and we are honored to beryllium a portion of the Station family.”
Sunset Station’s Gaudi Bar
Photo by: Courtesy
This oculus towards refreshing existing locations volition proceed to beryllium a cornerstone of Station Casinos for years to come. But that doesn’t mean immoderate program is acceptable successful stone.
“I deliberation we person occupation sticking to a blueprint, honestly,” Fertitta IV says. “In plan meetings, we fto our imaginations tally wild, and sometimes we person to reel ourselves backmost in. But that’s benignant of the amusive portion of the job—taking a caller portion of onshore determination and imagining what it tin be.”
A NEW ERA
As Station Casinos embarks connected its adjacent 50 years, its ambitions are backed by acreage. The institution already owns astir 454 acres of developable onshore scattered passim the Valley that’s already zoned for gaming.
Boulder Station
Photo by: Sun File
“We benignant of power our ain destiny successful presumption of what comes next,” Fertitta IV says up of teasing that an announcement connected the brand’s adjacent spot volition travel “in the not-too-distant future.”
For idiosyncratic who ne'er imagined himself doing thing else, the existent milestone carries a peculiar weight.
“Being capable to bespeak connected the past 50 years of watching it grow, and past cognize that you person an integral portion successful shaping the adjacent 50 years—it’s indescribable,” Fertitta IV says. “I’m conscionable blessed to beryllium present for the ride.”
Tuning into your precise ain station
When Red Rock Resort opened successful Summerlin 20 years ago—how has it been that long?—we knew what to expect, but we were inactive excited. We’d been surviving successful the northwest portion of the Valley for a agelong time, and portion determination had been stellar section casinos person to location with the Resort astatine Summerlin (1999) and the Suncoast (2000), we were clamoring for our ain Station.
We’d spent years floating retired to Henderson to conscionable friends and enactment astatine Sunset Station, and past Green Valley Ranch Resort opened successful 2001, the fanciest locals’ spot ever. We were truthful jealous of those eastside friends. But now, Red Rock was ours.
If you don’t recognize wherefore it was truthful exciting, you astir apt haven’t lived successful Las Vegas precise long. Station Casinos properties person a mode of genuinely connecting to their neighbors, making it consciousness similar thing for the assemblage alternatively than a immense hospitality enterprise.
At Red Rock, that manifests successful a perpetually changing edifice lineup, due to the fact that Summerlin folks person evolving tastes successful dining. That’s wherefore Strip-level eateries similar Osteria Fiorella, Blue Ribbon Sushi and T-Bones Chophouse are determination now, and wherefore section fable Lotus of Siam opened there, and wherefore instrumentality favourite Hearthstone Kitchen returned.
For us, it’s the luxurious Red Rock vibes that ever brought america back. At times we lived conscionable a fewer minutes away, yet each sojourn felt similar a relaxing flight to a godforsaken spa edifice we astir apt couldn’t afford. Sometimes we’d valet-park astatine the edifice entrance, conscionable truthful we could participate done Red Rock’s expansive lobby and person a portion astatine the charming bar. That’s 1 happening locals ever need—an escape, conscionable for a small while.
I’m definite southwest residents who’ve been settling successful astatine Durango person akin feelings present for their ain spot. Station Casinos are for us, the residents of a metropolis wherever astir things are not. And frequently, the vicinity revolves astir the vicinity casino—and each its colorful, divers offerings—the aforesaid mode the remainder of Las Vegas revolves astir the Strip.
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