Q+A: ROB McCOY:

Museum CEO: ‘We will never see another city built like this’

Rob McCoy stands among the felled giants of Las Vegas’ neon history at the Neon Boneyard.

Rob McCoy is CEO of the Neon Museum, which exhibits iconic signs of Las Vegas’ past. Among the treasures preserved there is the La Concha Motel’s distinctive shell-shaped lobby, which has been converted into a visitor center, as well as portions of the old Stardust sign and the Riviera stars. McCoy became CEO in May 2016 and has overseen a busy growth period for the museum.

Do you have any recent news you’d like to share?

There is so much going on here at the museum, it would make your head swim. We just bought the building next to our visitor center — it will be torn down and replaced with a special events area and additional neon signs. Our museum store is finally open and setting sales records on a weekly basis. And we are in the early stages of planning for an additional building that will give us our first indoor exhibit area space, along with a neon fabrication workshop where our visitors will be able to see first-hand how neon is made and lit.

What is the best business advice you’ve received?

Three simple rules learned over the course of my professional career from multiple individuals: Keep it simple; no hidden agendas; surround yourself with people better than you.

If you could change one thing about Southern Nevada, what would it be?

I wish it were hotter. OK, I’m kidding. But I do love the heat.

We need to stem the talent flow from Las Vegas and increase the talent flow into our city.

What’s the biggest issue facing Southern Nevada?

Balancing workforce needs with educational goals. We missed the boat a couple of decades ago by promising everyone a high-paying job upon completion of a four-year degree. It’s one of the single biggest drivers of student debt, and for so many it’s completely unnecessary. We must find a way to foster and fund vocational training.

What has been your most exciting professional project?

Taking the Neon Museum to the next level by planning and executing a 10-year master plan that furthers our reputation as the crown jewel of Las Vegas. Trust me, it doesn’t get any more exciting than this.

What’s your favorite place to have fun in Las Vegas?

How many golf courses are there here? Having been raised on a golf course from a young age, I can’t think of anything more fun than 18 holes with people you love.

Describe your management style.

Set the vision. Hire the right people. Get out of the way.

Where do you see your company in 10 years?

When people look at a photograph of Fremont Street prior to the canopy, most see Glitter Gulch, the brightest street in America. I see that too, but I also see the Louvre, the Sistine Chapel and the Getty Museum all rolled into one. We are that museum and I hope we will be even more so a decade from now.

If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

I’m a native Las Vegan. Many of my contemporaries graduated from high school here, went away to college and never came back. I came back. Some have asked me if I ever regretted spending my entire life in Southern Nevada. Never. I’ve been a witness to history. We will never see another city built like this one again in the United States. With that said, we all could use a beach occasionally. With a golf course next to it, of course.

Whom do you admire?

My wife, who passed away two years ago. She was my biggest supporter and an incredible role model as a mother and grandmother. Her last three months on this earth were not good ones. In fact, quite the opposite. And yet she faced her circumstances with quiet strength, resoluteness and with an incredible peace. Admiration doesn’t begin to express my gratitude and respect.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

It ain’t rocket science and yet people keep trying to make it that way. Everyone reading this knows exactly what I mean.

What is your funniest or most embarrassing work story?

We don’t have room here for the number of times I’ve embarrassed myself or fell off my chair laughing. But let me say it involves a television studio, a news anchor (me) and two live 500-pound Bengal tigers.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Patience. I wasn’t born with much and it seems to be getting worse with age.

What is something that people might not know about you?

I met Ronald Reagan, Cary Grant and Marilyn Chambers. That would be the Gipper, Archie Leach and the porn queen. Only in Las Vegas.

Anything else you want add?

Our lives are a compilation of the choices we make. Choose well and life will be good.

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