AdvertisementA ‘city as a start-up’Hsieh conceived of the Downtown Project at a time when he could have done anything with his life. In 2004, when Zappos was considering opening a new call center in Las Vegas, Hsieh instead decided to move the whole company there from San Francisco. While he continued to lead the company, he found a new target for his attention, and growing fortune, in downtown Las Vegas. “The doors seemed to pretty much always be open, both literally and figuratively — Tony was available,” said Rich Belsky, a Las Vegas entrepreneur whose start-up, Rolltech, was one of Vegas Tech Fund’s local investments. Steve Sisolak acknowledged Hsieh’s vast impact on his adopted city: “Tony Hsieh played a pivotal role in helping transform downtown Las Vegas.”Smith, the Las Vegas business development manager, said Hsieh was an unforgettable presence in the city.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 12, 2020 12:56 UTC