[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 89 (Thursday, June 24, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S7417]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S7417]]
                        TRIBUTE TO MANNY CORTEZ

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a man who has had a 
tremendous impact on southern Nevada, my good friend, Manny Cortez.
  I haven't known Manny for years; I have known him for decades. In the 
1970s, when I was in State government in Nevada, he was elected to the 
Clark County Commission. Since those days our paths have crossed many 
times. He has served on the board of governors of the University 
Medical Center, the Las Vegas Valley Water District, and other local 
agencies.
  For the past 21 years, he has been the driving force behind the Las 
Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority--first as a member of the board 
of directors, and for the last 13 years as President.
  It is no exaggeration to say that Manny Cortez is one of the 
visionaries who made Las Vegas what it is today--the convention and 
entertainment capital of the world.
  In 1991, the year he assumed the leadership of the Convention and 
Visitors Authority, we had about 21 million visitors in southern 
Nevada. This year we are on track to almost double that number, with 
more than 37 million visitors. This is due in no small part to the 
brilliant promotional campaigns of the Convention and Visitors 
Authority.
  Under Manny's watch at the LVCVA, our town has seen amazing changes. 
When he took the helm in 1991, the first of the new mega resorts, The 
Mirage, had just opened a few years earlier. We had about 73,000 hotel 
rooms in Las Vegas.
  Within the next few years we witnessed the completion of other major 
resorts, including the MGM Grand, Bellagio and Mandalay Bay. Today, we 
have 130,000 hotel rooms, along with three major convention centers.
  When our Nation was attacked by terrorists on 9/11, the tourism 
industry took a serious hit. But Manny didn't panic, and under his 
steady leadership, Las Vegas bounced back.
  Manny has been honored many times, by many groups. Travel Agent 
magazine named him as its Person of the Year in 1999, calling him ``one 
of the most astute marketers in the tourism industry.'' He was recently 
named to the U.S. Commerce Department's Travel and Tourism Advisory 
Board. But I think the recognition that means the most to Manny is the 
Clark County Elementary School that was named in his honor in 1999.
  Manny has also been a leader of the Hispanic community in Las Vegas. 
His prominence in the city has sent a clear message that in southern 
Nevada a person can go as far as their dreams and their talent will 
take them.
  Manny has lived in Las Vegas since 1944, when I was growing up down 
the road in Searchlight. I feel like I have known him all my life. So 
it is hard to believe he turned 65 a few months ago and that he is 
retiring at the end of this month.
  It is true, though. Manny is leaving the LVCVB, but he is leaving it 
in good hands. He recently said that his biggest challenge over the 
last few years has been to stay out of the way of the great team he has 
assembled, so they could do their jobs. That is the kind of attitude 
that has made Manny Cortez such a beloved figure in our community.
  I salute my old friend on his retirement, and I look forward to our 
paths crossing for many more years.

                          ____________________