Derek Stevens

Derek Stevens (born September 17, 1967) is an American businessman who owns several hotel-casinos in downtown Las Vegas. Stevens, along with his brother Greg, purchased the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino in 2008, followed in 2011 by Fitzgeralds, which they renamed as The D Las Vegas. He also owned the Las Vegas 51s baseball team from 2008 to 2013, and built the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center in 2014.

Stevens and his brother purchased the Las Vegas Club in 2015, and the Mermaids Casino a year later, demolishing both to build the Circa Resort & Casino. Stevens also launched Circa Sports, a chain of sportsbooks. Since the 1990s, he has also served as the CEO of Cold Heading Company, a manufacturer of auto parts that his grandfather started, based in his home state of Michigan.

Early life and education Stevens was born on September 17, 1967, in Detroit, Michigan. His grandfather, Rene DeSeranno, started Cold Heading Company, an auto-parts manufacturer, in Warren, Michigan in 1952. He has a younger brother, Greg Stevens. The family lived in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and Stevens attended Grosse Pointe South High School, where he played baseball and some football.

In 1990, Stevens graduated from University of Michigan, located in the city of Ann Arbor. He initially studied to be an engineer, but decided he wanted to be in business instead, after spending time in Ann Arbor.

Career Stevens' first job was working for three years as a valet along the Detroit River. as well as conventions. It also purchased a manufacturer of fasteners in 1999. Stevens, through his company Desert Rock Enterprises, owned more than 1 million shares in the Strip resort. He invested in Las Vegas because Nevada has no state income tax. purchased the Las Vegas 51s baseball team in 2008. He owned it through Stevens Baseball Group, of which he was the chief executive. He sold the team four years later to a group that included Howard Hughes Corporation.

Although downtown Las Vegas is overshadowed by the Las Vegas Strip, Stevens believed that downtown hotel-casinos presented less expensive opportunities for a hotel revival of the area. In addition, Stevens did not have adequate financing to fully enter the Las Vegas Strip market. Derek Stevens serves as the public face for their projects. It took Stevens 18 months to receive a gaming license, and the Great Recession occurred as the brothers entered the gaming industry, although this would provide further opportunities for them because of reduced land values. The Riviera filed for bankruptcy in 2010, and Stevens became one of its owners upon reorganization of the resort. a reference to Derek's nickname "D". In 2013, he purchased the former Clark County Courthouse nearby, and demolished it to build the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, which opened a year later. In 2014, Stevens became the first Las Vegas hotel-casino owner to accept bitcoin, although the currency is only used for non-gaming purchases.

In 2015, the Stevens brothers purchased the Las Vegas Club in downtown and eventually announced plans to build a new resort in its place. In 2016, they purchased the adjacent Mermaids Casino and Glitter Gulch strip club, both of which were demolished along with the Las Vegas Club. The Stevens had the Circa Resort & Casino built on the property, opening it in late 2020. Circa was the biggest project of Stevens' career. which expanded to Colorado in 2020. He is also known for placing high bets on sports games, and for his marketing promotions. In 2020, he gave away 1,700 free airplane tickets to Las Vegas to help the city's economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of 2020, Stevens remains as CEO of Cold Heading Company, in addition to overseeing his casinos. who he met during first grade. In the 2010s, the couple lived in Birmingham, Michigan, but made frequent visits to Las Vegas.

Stevens has made frequent financial contributions to both Democratic and Republican candidates. He contributed $5,000 to Democrat Steve Sisolak and $10,000 to Republican Adam Laxalt during their 2018 bids for Nevada governor. Two years later, Stevens contributed an additional $10,000 to Governor Sisolak. In 2021, Stevens was seen as a potential Republican contender to face off against Sisolak in the 2022 Nevada gubernatorial election.