Michelle Massaro, Director of Brand Marketing, Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino
Where were you when you received your 40 Under 40 award? I was at Westgate as director of advertising and special events.
What have you learned the hard way? In a city filled with entertainment, understanding your audience is the one factor you always have to keep in mind. My career started in the Mirage Resorts family, and every property was different. You can never walk in with a cookie cutter; you have to understand who your audience is and create what is going to appeal to them.
What’s your favorite spot for a lunch meeting? The classic Las Vegas setting at Sid’s Cafe is my No. 1 pick. The executive chef, Bruno Morabito, is always whipping up magic in his kitchen. Plus, there’s no better place to have a meeting but in your own home. I take pride in the guest experience we live by at Westgate.
Who is your business hero? Brenda Decker with Golden Gaming. She is one of the smartest women in gaming and marketing, and she has a way of building teams and making you understand how important you are from every level. Making decisions that are best for the company and thinking about all factors is something Decker taught me early on.
If you ran Las Vegas, what’s the first thing you would do? Just because we live in a desert, doesn’t mean things can’t grow here. I would bring in farming. Our soil is untouched farmland.
What’s the best advice you have to offer? Laugh! It’s important to have a good time every day.
Farhan Naqvi
Farhan Naqvi, President, Naqvi Injury Law
Where were you when you received your 40 Under 40 award? I was a little-known attorney who was lucky to have found a few amazing employees (my wife included) who believed in me, brought amazing energy to work, and believed that if you provide amazing service, the clients will come.
Where are you now? We are a much larger law firm that still treats every employee and client like family and maximizes their settlements using cutting-edge technology. Our law firm has evolved from just being a law firm to being trendsetters and huge contributors to causes that we believe in.
What’s been your biggest accomplishment since you were awarded? Even though we are so much bigger, we are fortunate to have attracted new employees who match our core values and treat our clients like family.
What do you want to accomplish? To continue to set new standards for quality legal representation that always centers on gaining Las Vegans access to the legal justice system; to make our community safer by holding those that cut corners accountable; and to continue to grow, so long as we never sacrifice that personalized service that got us here in the first place.
What did you learn the hard way? People are always going to emulate you. Look at this as a compliment and never give it another thought, as overthinking what others are doing takes away the laser focus that is needed to be a quality lawyer. I’ve learned not to care as much about what others are doing and to focus on being the best I can.