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A REAL BARGAIN — The Egyptian poinlings morning (he casino and Space
Center are confemporurg originals done In Ea; /pl on Papyrus leaves. Mlile
the beautiful. authentic Egyptian or! is appealing, llie om par! Is [he coal —
3150 to 3200 apiece.
what would later be known as the
second rung of his architectural
career. With Bumhleberry En-
terprises for little more than three
years. Lackey was instrumental in
building the Marie Calendar com-
petitor from four to 21 restaurants.
The next move was to Las Vegas:
tint as an independent architectural
consultant and then as a consultant
lor design reconstruction and
operating analyst to the Hacienda
Hotel and Casino -- sister hotel to
the Sahara. The Hacienda was then
transformed from the 570 room
hotel at the tar southern end of the
Strip to a complete resort boasting
an 11 story tower with 270 ad-
ditional rooms and suites and a
22.000 square foot convention center
decorated in the Spanish motif.
Unlike any project previously un-
dertaken by Lackey. the renovation
of the Hacienda was a springboard
for a whole new aspect of his career.
"I found I was in the hotel
business by accident rather than
design. " recalls Lackey. With no pun
intended. Lackey is truly in the
hotel design business that extends
far beyond his immediate projects.
"1 can see a lot of potential for the
property next to the Sahara parking
lot on Paradise. " states Lackey. His
ideas always flowing with limitless
possibilities. Lackey can envision a
group of lower-priced rooms being
built in that section with perhaps a
gondola to transport visitors from
the complex to the Sahara and the
Wet ‘n Wild Water Park planned as
the Sahara‘: closest neighbor. The
projected completion date for the
park development is May 1985.
“Families wonder what to do with
the kids? Well there is one answer. "
predicts Lackey. “The gondola
would be great. but no doubt ex-
tremely expensive. It the money is
there. i would like to seesomething
like that. "
The money just may be there
when it comes time to consider
developing the Paradise property. as
one of Lackey's primary goals is to
“be in the best position to help the
corporation — to completely turn
the Sahara around and be profitable
so as to enable continued
development.
"We are working on making more
and spending less. " stresses Lackey.
Casino promotions and a projected
race and sports book are current
creating a whole new look.
May 15-21. 1984 Las Vegas Today I3
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A CURIOUS RESEARCH STAFF — People were coming oul of lhe woodwork
lo oller suggestions concerning Eggplinn art. The helpful group included a
policeman who sculpted and a woman who Iruoeled Egypt The result is Illa!
llle Egyptian design: are all nullicnllcslcd.
Sahara projects being developed.
Operations have made steady im
provements throughout the year. he
pointed out. and the Sahara is ex-
pected to have a profitable summer.
ontinuous growth is the key to
maintaining Las Vegas success
alaccording to Lackey. The public
is becoming more aware of gaming
with the proliferation of lotteries he
adds. The current increase of
"discretionary funds" allows a freer
hand in gaming activities.
“it behooves every city to he as
complete as can he -— to be as much
to as many people as can he. " states
Lackey. While the current trend for
people is to specialize. a city should
have the tendency to get broader
and broader according to Lackey.
While a city should expand.
management should beware of
becoming too remote from the
operation. When it comes to running
an effective business. you have to
get into the “nuts" and “bolts"
according to Lackey. He learned
what he considers a valuable lesson
during his years with the Bum-
bleberry Restaurant chain.
“I traveled from Chicago to
Carmel (California) during the time
we were building the operation from
four to 21 restaurants. " he recalls. "I
worked 18 hours a day and
sometimes even ended up under a
refrigerator checking things out.
You learn not to get too far from an
operation that way. You really get
into the ‘nuts and bolts‘ of an
operation. You can't always make
the best judgments from afar. " he
continues.
- -ow as general manager. Lackey
! i has modified his ‘'do-it-yourself
‘ kit" philosophy and will no
longer find himself under a
refrigerator. but he is not willing to
delegate so much that he might lose
control of the operation for which he
is ultimately responsible.
“I won't lose control because I'm
not familiar with the department. "
stresses Lackey. Today he still
carries an eraser and a screwdriver
disguised as pocket pens at all
times. Convinced that “people who
don't make mistakes. don't do any
work. " Lackey is always prepared
for work. for inspiration. for
motivation or encouragement — he
is equipped to handle it all. because
“he is familiar with the depart-
msnt. "