Chris Ruffin Wichita Ks

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Published Date: 04 Aug, 2020 Updated date: 04 Aug, 2020

Among the aspiring entrepreneurs and business tycoons, Phil Ruffin is a popular name. The Texas-born businessman owns the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino and Circus Circus Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Dolphin provides quality residential roofing for your home. He was raised in Wichita, Kansas. He has four siblings: Elaine Ruffin Nemer, Roy Ruffin Jr., Pat Ruffin, and Pam Ruffin. In 1953, he graduated from Wichita North High School where he was a wrestling champion. He attended Washburn University for three years and Wichita State University but never got his degree. In 1972, Ruffin pioneered self.

Despite the string of failed marriages, Phil Ruffin has been able to conquer the business world with his hard work and dedication. He owns a number of enterprises including hotels, casinos, greyhound racing tracks, oil production, convenience stores, real estate, and the world’s largest manufacturer of hand trucks.

Phil Ruffin Bio & Family; Age, Facts, Ethnicity, Birthday

The American business conglomerate celebrates his birthday on 14 March. He is 85-year-old, born in 1935 in Potter County, Texas. Talking about his family, his father Roy J. Ruffin was a grocery store owner and his mother’s role as a homemaker. The business tycoon is of Lebanese descent and his family’s original surname is Rufan. Besides them, his other family member includes of his four siblings named Elaine Ruffin Nemer, Roy Ruffin Jr., Pat Ruffin, and Pam Ruffin.

Chris Ruffin Wichita Ks

Phil went to Wichita North High School to complete his graduation in 1953. Over there, he was a wrestling champion. Later, the businessman went to Wichita State University for three years, but never got any academic certification.

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Phil’s Business Ventures: Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, Circus Circus

Initially, Phil purchased the Crystal Palace resort in the Bahamas for &80 million. He later sold the resort and bagged $147 million to his name. Two year later, he bought the New Frontier Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, only to later sell it in 2007 for $1.2 billion.

The next casino on Phil’s sight was Treasure Island Hotel and Casino that he bought from MGM Mirage for $775 million in 2009. The casino with 2,664 rooms and 220 suites hosts among the regular table games, alsoVIP rooms and earns Phil nearly $400 million in revenue every year. This is the casino that took him from a multi-millionaire to a multi-billionaire.

This is indeed a great success story, but can you imagine what would happen if Phil invested as “little” as $10 million in online casinos around the same time at 2009? It is already known today that income from different online blackjack games across the world, can easily surpass the land based blackjack revenues and income. The best example for that of course, is now. The pandemic literally destroyed casinos like the one Phil owns and has made online gambling even stronger. Could he ride all the way to at least $10 billion if he invested also in online casinos? We’ll probably never know.

Furthermore, the 85-year-old businessman purchased the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino from MGM Resorts International for $825 million in December 2019.

His Relationship With Donald Trump, Other Business Works

Phil is a longtime friend and the business partner of the U.S. President, Donald Trump. Phil and Trump first met when Phil traveled to Trump Towers to talk about adding a Trump-branded hotel to his Treasure Island casino on the Las Vegas Strip in the early 2000s.

The Trump International Tower was built immediately adjacent to the Fashion Show Mall and it broke ground in July 2005. The tower opened in March 2008. Besides the business ventures, Trump has been a good friend of Phil as he was his best man at Phil’s third wedding in 2008. On the other hand, Phil was a huge supporter of Trump during his presidential campaign. Meahwhile, in August 2016, Trump borrowed his jet to visit Enrique Peña Nieto, the then-president of Mexico at the time.

Other than that, Phil’s Hotel Group owns and operates 13 major hotels. He also owns various commercial real estate holdings in Kansas and in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. Likewise, he also owns and operates Harper Trucks, the world’s largest manufacturer of hand trucks.

How Much Net Worth Does Phil Ruffin Have?

The 85-year-old has garnered a mammoth net worth of $2.3 billion. While his career into business that includes casinos, hotels, real estate, oil production and racing tracts, his compassion and utmost dedication is never less even at this age.

The business mogul back in 2019 became the 838thrichest person across the globe with a net worth of $3.1 billion as mentioned by Forbes.

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Married Life; Divorced Twice

Well, Phil is a twice divorced man. Firstly, he married Mary Louise Miller and they divorced later. Afterward, he married Lynne Ruffin and they had three children; a daughter named Michelle Ruffin-Stein and two sons; Chris Ruffin and Phil Ruffin Jr. His daughter Michelle runs the Wichita Marriott owned by him. Besides, she served as a member of Wichita Habitat for Humanity’s 2015 Board of Directors.

Meanwhile, his son Chris runs a luxurous hotel, Hyatt Regency Wichita; and his other son Phil Ruffin Jr. runs Harper Trucks Inc. a hand truck manufacturer. Phil and Lynne divorced later and she remarried R.T. Smith.

Who Is His Wife Now?

The business tycoon is currently married to former Miss Ukraine Oleksandra Nikolayenk, who is nearly 50 years his junior. Phil married Oleksandra at the age of 72 on 6 January 2008. The lavish wedding ceremony was held at Mar-a-Lago mansion at Palm Beach in Florida, owned by Donald Trump.

Oleksandra, aged 39 was born and raised in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. She is the winner of 13 beauty contests and holds 16 titles in total. The couple shares two children; a son named Richard William Ruffin (born April 2010) and a daughter Malena (born 2013).

Some Interesting Facts About Phil Ruffin

  • Phil appeared on the seventh season of GSN cash game poker show High Stakes Poker in 2011.
  • A resident of Wichita, Kansas, Ruffin now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
  • The attendees of Phil and Oleksandra’s wedding included singers, Celine Dion and Justin Timberlake.
  • His ex-wife Lynne died at the age of 75 on 4 November 2011.
Category: Biography

Phillip Gene 'Phil' Ruffin (born March 14, 1935) is an American businessman. His business interests lie largely in casinos, greyhound racing tracks, oil production, convenience stores, and real estate. Ruffin lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. On the Forbes 2017 list of the world's billionaires, he was ranked #814 with a net worth of US$2.6 billion.


Video Phil Ruffin


Early life and career

Ruffin was born in Potter County near Amarillo, Texas, the son of Blanche (née Cohlmia) and Roy J. Ruffin. He is of Lebanese descent (his family's surname was originally 'Rufan'). He was raised in Wichita, Kansas. He has four siblings: Elaine Ruffin Nemer, Roy Ruffin Jr., Pat Ruffin, and Pam Ruffin. In 1953, he graduated from Wichita North High School where he was a wrestling champion. He attended Washburn University for three years and Wichita State University but never got his degree.

In 1972, Ruffin pioneered self-serve gasoline in Kansas, creating a chain of 60 convenience stores in the Midwest. In 1987, he then used cash from the convenience stores to build his first hotel, a Marriott in Wichita. His businesses also included oil distribution and one of the country's largest manufacturers of hand trucks.

In 1994, Ruffin leased his convenience stores to Total, using the money to purchase more hotels. Then, in 1995, Ruffin acquired the Crystal Place casino resort in the Bahamas. Mortgaging the casino, Ruffin then purchased the New Frontier Hotel and Casino.


Maps Phil Ruffin


Personal life and political involvement

Ruffin's reputation is one of shying away from press coverage and publicity, so many details of his life are not well-documented. Ruffin is currently married to his third wife. His first wife was Mary Louise Miller, they were married and divorced. Second wife, Lynne Ruffin; they later divorced and she remarried. He has three children with his second wife Lynne: Michelle Ruffin-Stein runs the Wichita Marriott which he owns; his son Chris Ruffin runs Wichita Hyatt which he owns; and his son Phil Ruffin Jr. runs Harper Trucks Inc. a hand truck manufacturer. On January 6, 2008 the then-72-year-old Ruffin married the then-26-year-old supermodel and Miss Ukraine 2004 title holder Oleksandra Nikolayenko. They have two children: Richard William Ruffin (born April 2010) and daughter Malena (born 2013).

Ruffin appeared on the 7th season of GSN's High Stakes Poker.

Chris Ruffin Wichita Ks Obituaries

Ruffin is a longtime friend and business partner of Donald Trump, who was the best man at Ruffin's wedding in 2008. According to Trump, Ruffin accompanied him to Russia in 2013 during the former's ownership of the Miss Universe pageant . In 2015, Trump also mentioned Ruffin as a person that he would send as an envoy to China if elected president; Ruffin said later that the remark was a joke. Ruffin loaned Trump his personal 737 BBJ jet to fly to Mexico City to meet with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on August 31, 2016.

Ruffin gave $1 million in 2015 to the Make America Great Again PAC, a super PAC supporting Trump's campaign for the presidency. Ruffin's contribution made up more than half of all of the contributions received by the super PAC ($1.74 million). The super PAC shut down and refunded Ruffin's money after the Washington Post reported on its close association with Trump's campaign. At an event in January 2016, Trump praised Ruffin for making a $1 million donation to veterans' groups.



Businesses

New Frontier Hotel and Casino

Ruffin is best known for his purchase of the New Frontier Hotel and Casino, one of the Strip's venerable properties. When he bought the resort from Margaret Elardi and her family, it had been mired in a longtime, sometimes violent strike with the Culinary Workers Union, one of the most powerful unions in Las Vegas. Ruffin settled the strike very soon after his purchase in 1998. Soon after, the casino-hotel became known as the New Frontier.

Ruffin announced plans to demolish the New Frontier and replace it in 2005 with a new resort to be called The Montreaux, but the development never got off the ground.

Ruffin sold the New Frontier to El Ad Properties in 2007. The $1.2 billion sale price for the 36 acres (15 ha) property was the largest per-acre price in The Strip's history.

Treasure Island

MGM Mirage sold Treasure Island Hotel and Casino to Phil Ruffin. The negotiated price was $600 million in cash and $175 million in secured notes. Ruffin estimates that to build a casino like Treasure Island from the ground up would cost $2.7 billion. The Treasure Island is about 700 yards from the site of his former casino, the New Frontier. In calendar year 2008, Treasure Island reported $376M in revenue (down from $431M in 2007) and $101M in EBITDA. Ruffin expressed his lack of concern about buying a casino in a down market, because the TI will have very little debt. Ruffin took complete ownership of the hotel and casino resort in the early morning of March 20, 2009.

Trump International Tower

Ruffin's joint venture with friend Donald Trump involved a portion of the New Frontier land. The Trump International Hotel and Tower, built immediately adjacent to the Fashion Show Mall, broke ground in July 2005. The tower opened in March 2008, and plans for an identical second tower have been announced. Ruffin has half interest in the development, having contributed the land for his part of the deal.

Wichita Greyhound Park

Ruffin's company owns Wichita Greyhound Park. On August 7, 2007, Ruffin announced that he would close the track, after a referendum to allow slot machines or casino gambling as the track failed.

Convenience stores

Ruffin Companies' web site states that the company owns 61 convenience stores leased to Total and operated by Diamond Shamrock over a three-state area.

Lodging

Ruffin's Hotel Group division owns and operates 13 hotels under the Marriott Hotels, Fairfield Inn and Courtyard by Marriott brands in Oklahoma, Kansas, California, Texas and Alabama.

Chris Ruffin Wichita Ks Obituaries

Real estate

Ruffin owns various commercial real estate holdings in Kansas and in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area.

Manufacturing

Ruffin owns and operates Harper Trucks, the world's largest manufacturer of hand trucks and Angelus Manufacturing, a maker of steel hand trucks. In Dec. 2013 Ruffin purchased the assets of Torrance, CA based WelCom Products, makers of the Magna Cart line of folding hand trucks sold in major retailers across the US and over 25 countries worldwide.



References

Topeka Ks


Ruffin

External links

  • Harper Trucks official web site
  • Appearances on C-SPAN

Chris Ruffin Wichita Ks

Source of article : Wikipedia