Future alight with possibilities

Jim Murren

Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009 | 2 a.m.

In August, Brian Greenspun turns over his Where I Stand column to guest writers. Today’s columnist is Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Mirage.

I want to thank Brian Greenspun for the opportunity to share a few thoughts with our community at this very pivotal moment.

We certainly live in challenging times. The economies around the globe have spiraled into severe recessions. The U.S. economy has been battered by massive job loss, declining home values, reduced business production and a worn-out and stressed consumer. The financial markets practically ground to a halt last year. The economic crisis has been particularly cruel to Las Vegas, and the hospitality industry has borne the brunt of declining spending and travel. As I mentioned to our shareholders a few weeks ago — it’s been a hell of a year.

Through it all I believed in MGM’s ability to weather the financial and economic storm and deliver to our community a beacon of hope for a future of renewed prosperity in Las Vegas. We call that CityCenter.

To see CityCenter’s importance, one need only look in the faces of the 9,000 construction workers on the job site and think of their families. And, of course, there are the men and women who will fill the 12,000 jobs that so many unemployed Nevadans are counting on, not to mention the thousands of additional people who will be working at other companies because of CityCenter’s existence.

We’re proud of our ability to finance and develop this project, locking in its benefits for everyone. We know that despite weak numbers over the past year or so, Las Vegas will always have a place in the hearts of traveling Americans and visitors from around the world, and we see that recovery beginning soon.

Much in the way we worked to steer our company’s financial destiny, we as a community can work to steer our community’s place in the future.

So like many of you, when my wife, Heather, and I moved to Las Vegas more than a decade ago, we committed to making Las Vegas our home and becoming a part of this community. Although Nevada is a very different place from where we both grew up, it is now, as a result of everyone’s collective efforts, a very different and better place than what we found when we arrived.

Las Vegas has grown and grown up. Because we are a young community — the only truly large city in the U.S. founded in the 20th century — we have the opportunity to establish and further our own traditions. It is exciting to be a part of that.

Even during uncertain economic times, the spirit of community survives. Although we have all been affected, ours is a caring community and many companies and individuals still see fit to offer help to those in need. I’m proud to say that during our annual Voice Foundation campaign, MGM Mirage employees donated almost $5 million to causes in our community this year. That is a sign of true compassion and involvement.

Today, we continue to face new challenges. It is a fact that some of what we all took for granted may never come back. Some call it the new normal.

But I see reasons for optimism in our community.

We are taking new and successful steps toward teaching our children. Along with other businesses and individuals, our company supports several Clark County School District schools that have received the empowerment designation, allowing teachers and administrators greater latitude in meeting the specific needs of their students. With a small amount of additional funding and by partnering with local businesses, these schools are bringing up their numbers. More kids are passing and test scores are rising.

And Nevada is at the center of the movement to change the way the world gets its energy. This month Sen. Harry Reid convened the National Clean Energy Summit. In attendance were mayors, governors, U.S. senators, members of the president’s Cabinet, a former White House chief of staff, a former president and former vice president. It may well have been the largest gathering of political influence in Nevada in the past 25 years.

Many of these people toured sites where clean energy is being used in Las Vegas. That tour included a firsthand look at some of the energy-saving measures we have built into CityCenter. What we do in Nevada is not only being noticed, but we also are leading the industry and the world toward the future. We’re helping to create a new normal for our nation.

Hard times may have placed new pressures on some of our community’s cultural institutions, but the passion and the movement is still very much alive. Drive downtown and you’ll see that construction on the Smith Center for the Performing Arts is under way. Take a walk on the Strip in December and you’ll find CityCenter’s $40 million investment in a public art program for both locals and visitors to appreciate. And if you really want to see passion for the arts in its widest spectrum, come down to Main Street on any First Friday to experience the art and meet the artists who are making our community thrive.

Las Vegas is also a rising star in the field of medicine. My family is proud to have helped found the Nevada Cancer Institute. The work being done there is receiving international attention and acclaim. The addition of the Cleveland Clinic to the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is a quantum leap forward for medical research in our community.

I remember sitting in my office with a few creative, determined people and discussing the concept of CityCenter for the first time. We dreamed of an environment that would complement our suburban lifestyle and attract people from around the world and here at home to explore art, fine architecture and groundbreaking responsible development. Now we stand on the brink of its opening at a time when it can propel our community toward a brighter future. After two years of declining visitor volume, more visitors will come to Las Vegas in 2010, and it will be because of CityCenter.

Las Vegas is still the city where dreams are made real.