Wynn surrounds himself with respected gaming managers

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 1998 | 11:43 a.m.

Mirage Resorts Chairman Steve Wynn is backed up by one of the best-respected management teams in the gaming industry.

"These guys are so good at what they do," said Andrew Zarnett, analyst at Ladenburg Thalmann & Co.

Besides Wynn, the top executives of Mirage Resorts and the Bellagio include:

--Daniel L. Lee, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Mirage Resorts Inc.

Dan Lee has had a long association with Wynn.

Through the 1980s and early 1990s, Lee worked as a securities analyst, first for Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc., and later for The First Boston Corp. Lee was part of the Drexel Burnham team that arranged much of the financing for the hotel and casino industries through the 1980s.

Lee played an instrumental role in Wynn's 1996 sale of the Golden Nugget Atlantic City to Bally's for $440 million.

Lee received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration in 1977. He worked briefly as an operations analyst for Hilton International, in Puerto Rico, before returning to Cornell to earn an MBA in 1980.

During his 10 years at Drexel Burnham and two years at First Boston, Lee was recognized several times in the Institutional Investor All-American analyst poll of investment brokerages.

Lee joined Mirage Resorts as senior vice president of finance and development in 1992. Later that year, he was promoted to chief financial officer and treasurer.

Lee is given a large amount of the credit for revamping Mirage's balance sheet. In 1992, the company was carrying $831 million of debt on equity of $554 million, and generating revenues of $920.6 million. By 1995, debt had dropped to $248 million, while equity had risen to $1.2 billion and revenues to $1.5 billion.

Debt has risen steeply over the past three years as Mirage has borrowed to build Bellagio.

--Punam Mathur, Director of Government Relations, Mirage Resorts Inc.

Punam Mathur has been Mirage Resorts' chief governmental lobbyist since moving to the company from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce in 1996.

Mathur lobbies at the city, county and state levels and oversees all other political activities. She played a central role in Wynn's failed attempt to get a tax break for his $300 million art collection.

Mirage resorts is one of the most politically active casino companies. Wynn is a frequent campaign contributor, conducts campaign polling, registers employees to vote and stages political rallies.

Mathur moved to Las Vegas from Vancouver, Canada, 16 years ago. She worked in tourism for several years before joining the Chamber of Commerce in 1990 as director of marketing.

She became the Chamber's director of governmental affairs in 1994.

--Robert H. Baldwin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bellagio.

Robert H. "Bobby" Baldwin began his career in the gaming industry in 1982 when he became a consultant at the downtown Golden Nugget.

After a succession of promotions at the Golden Nugget, he became president of the four-star property in 1984. In 1987, Baldwin was tapped to become president of the Mirage, Steve Wynn's then-planned entree to the Las Vegas Strip.

According to Mirage Resorts' official bio, Baldwin was instrumental in engineering Mirage's opening and in redefining the standards by which Las Vegas properties are judged. "The property flourished under his consistent leadership and produced record profits," says the bio.

Wynn has now tapped Baldwin to be president of Bellagio.

Baldwin is a former chairman of the board of the Nevada Resort Association and has served in various capacities with the Downtown Progress Association and with Las Vegas Events Inc.

In addition, Baldwin is an avid gambler. He won the World Series of Poker in 1978, and won a national bridge championship in 1996.

--John Strzemp, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Bellagio

Strzemp joins Bellagio from Mirage Resort's successful Treasure Island resort, where he has served as president since January 1997.

Strzemp went to college at the University of Illinois, were he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy in 1973. He began his career as a certified public accountant in Chicago.

He entered the gaming industry as Chief Accountant at the Flamingo Hilton, eventually moving up to assistant to the senior vice president of gaming operations at the Las Vegas Hilton. Strzemp later served as senior vice president of administration and finance at both the Aladdin hotel-casino and the Dunes hotel and country club.

Strzemp joined Mirage Resorts in 1989 as vice president of finance and administration at downtown's Golden Nugget. He remained at the Golden Nugget until November, 1992, when he moved over to become vice president and chief financial officer of Treasure Island.

Strzemp has been working on Bellagio's opening since March.

Like Baldwin, Strzemp also has a soft spot for poker. At the 1997 World Series of Poker, Strzemp surprised many by winning $245,000 before finally succumbing to former champion Stu Unger.

--Arthur Nathan, Vice President of Human Resources, Bellagio

Faced with the daunting task of recruiting 9,700 people to staff Bellagio is long-time Mirage executive Arthur "Arte" Nathan.

Nathan went to Cornell University, where he graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial and labor relations. He joined Mirage Resorts in 1983 as director of personnel and labor relations at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City.

In 1987, Nathan transferred to Las Vegas to become director of human resources at the Mirage hotel-casino. When the Mirage opened in 1989, he was promoted to vice president of human resources.

Nathan assisted with the 1993 opening of Treasure Island. In 1997, he was tapped to head human resources at Bellagio.

Nathan is widely recognized in human resources circles as a pioneer in the hiring of ex-felons, ex-gang members and welfare recipients to work in his resorts. He has been recognized by the Society for Human Resource Management for his efforts in this area.

Nathan chairs the Nevada Governor's Workforce Development Board and serves on the Foundation Board of the Society of Human Resources Management, the Board of Directors of the United Way of Southern Nevada, the Washington, D.C.-based Employment Policy Foundation and the Southern Nevada Culinary & Bartenders Training Trust.