Sam Cherry, CEO/Cherry Development
Where are you now? I’m still Downtown, the greatest neighborhood in the Valley. Still doing projects.
What’s been your biggest accomplishment since you were awarded? It’s a tie among a few things. We have two amazing children and we just broke ground last year on an apartment project named shareDowntown. It’s 63 residential units with retail on the ground floor in the heart of the Arts District.
What do you want to accomplish? I’m going to continue building in Downtown and do all I can to make sure Downtown goes in the right direction.
What is something you had to learn the hard way? I learned everything the hard way. That’s what happens when you don’t finish high school. Stay in school, kids.
What’s the best spot for a lunch meeting? I frequent all the Downtown spots: Goodwich, Esther’s Kitchen, Casa Don Juan, Oscar’s, Makers & Finders. Downtown is where all the action is, and I can walk to most of them.
Who is your business hero? Harris Rittoff. He’s been to every casino opening since the Flamingo and stays off everyone’s radar.
If you ran Las Vegas, what’s the first thing you would do? We have a lot of smart people working in the City of Las Vegas. I would continue to press hard on making sure the city is at the forefront of a smart, accessible and well-funded medical industry.
What’s the best advice you have to offer? Know your business in and out, every angle, every metric and everyone involved, and make sure you’re there.
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.