Kerkorian Kerkor

Kerkor Kerkorian (06.06.1917 years [Fresno])

Kirk brought his formula for success, which then often shared with the less wealthy compatriots. "I just do not try to clean of all the gnawed bones, - he explains. - Do not wait until the price reached the maximum. After all, they have a habit of suddenly falling. I make your move even then, when it seems to me a fair profit.

. First of all planes

. In the late 1940's the owner and pilot of small aircraft grade Cessna Kirk Kerkorian, and employs its scrap metal dealer Jerry Williams is often lost in the casinos of Las Vegas
. Once again, after losing vchistuyu, they took to the street. And then Kirk found in the pocket last $ 5. Jerry immediately offered to spend on breakfast, but Kerkorian did not like this idea. "Is it possible for that money to buy something worthwhile?" - He replied, returning to the casino and won the last $ 700.

Born Kerkor Kerkorian (Kerkor Kerkorian) June 6, 1917 in the town of Fresno, in the U.S. state of California. His parents, Aaron and Lily, moved to the United States shortly before fleeing from the Turkish genocide of Armenians in 1915. Kerkor, or Kirk, as everyone called him, was the youngest of four children Kerkorian. Aaron somehow making ends meet, being engaged in trade in fruit, while in 1921, America did not hit another economic downturn. Then, in order to live, Kerkorian moved to the big city of Los Angeles.

But even in a foreign country, Aaron and Lily raised offspring, as if they were still living in southern Armenia. "The family spoke to me only in Armenian, - later told Kirk. - English I was playing on the street ". Ibid children Kerkorian prepared for the American school: the elder brother Nish taught Kirk box. The lessons were not lost - when the younger Kerkorian was transferred to a class for troubled children, he was able to fend for themselves.

With 9 years Kirk began to bring home money, earning them at all, that knocked - from washing machines to drag furniture. After eighth grade, he generally left school to work, a car mechanic and boxing. Kirk discarded machines, bring them in relative order and sold, with each $ 5.10 of profit. But he saw his future in boxing. Kirk soon became a local champion in the welterweight among fans and earned the nickname Rifle right Kerkorian (something like "shooting right-Kerkorian).

. But somehow in 1939, when he was already thinking to move to the professionals and start earning a living in sports, it contracted to put a fireplace Ted O'Flaherty
. At work they are talking, and Ted Kirk suggested a ride on his double plane. A few days Kerkorian first took to the air, and already the next morning he returned to the airfield, to help prepare the aircraft. On his plans to become a professional boxer, he no longer remembered.

A year later, Kirk felt ready to study for a pilot and went to flight school one of the first women pilots Florence Barnes, nicknamed Pancho. Her school was located on the ranch "Happy Bottom" in the wilderness Modzhav, where is Shangri-Edwards. At the same time Florence had only taught future pilots, but also ruled that same ranch.

True, the money to pay tuition, the Kirk was not. Then he offered to work out their studies at the ranch. Barnes liked his proposal, and they struck a bargain. Now, between lessons piloting Kerkorian milked cows and cleaned the manure. And after six months was not only a licensed pilot, but also the place for an instructor in the school of Florence Barnes.

. Life as a game

. However, soon teaching Kirk heavily bored, and he found another job: distill produced in Canada bombers "Mosquito" in the British Isles
. Money paid for it are enormous - $ 1000 per flight (which roughly corresponds to the current $ 10 000). But the risk was also rather big. On average, only one of four flights ended successfully.

In practice, the pilots used the two routes. At first - with stops in Labrador, Greenland and Iceland - threatened aircraft icing. Snow-covered fields and forests along this route were just littered with wrecked aircraft. The second route ran directly across the Atlantic, where the pilots were caught casing air flow, called the "Icelandic wave". Here the danger was that the range "Moskvitov" is 1400 miles, and from the coast of Canada to Scotland, was about 2200 miles. And if the tail wind suddenly disappeared, the squadron was doomed to disappear in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

Under these conditions, pure luck to survive helped. And good luck Kerkorian has not changed. In May 1944, Kirk and the commander of his managers, John Vulridzh even beat the speed record crossing the Atlantic. Vulridzh flew to Scotland for 6 h 46 min, and Kerkorian - for 7 h 9 min. However, only a month flight nearly became the latest to Kirk. In mid-flight, the wind suddenly disappeared, and the chance to fly to the base were not very large. Kerkorian saved by incredible luck - when the fuel is almost finished and he went on the decline, at least to try to splash down, dead ahead was the airport of destination.

. In just two and a half years of service in the RAF Kirk has overtaken Europe in 33 sorties and amassed enough money to after the war to buy your own plane, a single-engine Cessna
. In it, he coached novice pilots and drove around the country all want to charter flights. So in July 1945 he first arrived in Las Vegas, gambling capital of the USA. "I was just stunned there has plagued revival - recalls Kerkorian. - In this small town I spent the best time in my life. "

Even Kirk began trading small planes, and his customers often are former pupils. For two years he earned enough in 1947 to buy a small charter airlines Los Angeles Air Service. Now Kirk often had to visit Las Vegas for the firm with clients. In 1940-1950-ies he played binge. Went down for the night in the casino $ 50 000-80 000 was for him a routine. Those years were a golden time for Kerkorian in his life: he was young, rich, and could meet with an impassive face as winnings and losses.

But gradually Kerkorian tired to play, and make their own company began to attract more. First, Kirk gave his airline's new and more sonorous name of Trans International Airlines. In 1965, he reincorporated her and held an initial public offering. Over the next three years, Trans International's stock price more than tripled, and in 1968 Kirk sold it to a larger airline TransAmerica. And in terms of the transaction was $ 104 million in cash and a large stake in TransAmerica worth about $ 85 million. Now, Kerkorian could fully devote himself to real estate investments in Las Vegas, and the new for him playing great deals fascinated him more.

. City in the desert

. Trading rapidly growing cost of land Las Vegas, Kerkorian tried it in 1962, buying about 8 hectares of land near the Strip (the area where the main hotels and casinos) for only $ 960 000
. The low price is simple: the ownership of the Strip Kerkorian separated narrow strip of land belonging to other owners. The bar was so narrow that no more or less useful structure on it was impossible to place. Kirk easily persuaded the owners to part with these useless parts of the total area of not more than half a hectare. After that, the price of land has increased many times. Just handing it out, for six years, Kerkorian has received $ 4 million, and sold in 1968, the entire land for the construction of a new casino - $ 5 million

. After that, Kirk brought his formula for success, which then often shared with the less wealthy compatriots
. "I just do not try to clean of all the gnawed bones, - he explains. - Do not wait until the price reached the maximum. After all, they have a habit of suddenly falling. I make your move even then, when it seems to me a fair profit.

Now, Kerkorian turned full swing. In 1967 he began to build in Las Vegas, the biggest hotel in town, buying the necessary land for $ 5 million. Many thought his project utopia. Hotel located in the side of the Strip and was simply immense: its 30 floors were to accommodate 1,512 rooms. All objections Kirk replied that it should be tested tactics: first, listening and asking questions, and then decides what to suggest instincts.

. A month before the opening of the hotel, called International Leisure ( "International leisure"), its shares were worth 10 times the original price
. However, Kerkorian still remained formidable debts, pay off that he was going, having an additional issue of shares of International Leisure. But the Securities Commission (SEC) Kerkorian accused of concealing part of the financial information and banned Issue. Kirk was in the unenviable position. To pay the debts, he was forced to sell half his shares in International Leisure holders chain Hilton. This transaction was very disadvantageous. For package that six months ago was worth $ 180 million, Kerkorian paid only $ 16.5 million. He also had to leave his home in Las Vegas, a private jet and yacht.

"I call it" keep open the emergency exit, "- remembers about the incident itself Kerkorian. - You can lose almost everything and start a new project ". To do this, Kerkorian was not required and year. In 1972, he began to build a new "largest hotel in the world."

Rich recluse

For all his successes Kirk was not impressed a successful businessman. He rarely appeared at meetings of boards of directors of their companies and never appears in public. Secular party, he prefers to communicate with their friends, who knows more than one decade. And those who know him are confident that Kirk gentle man and a wonderful conversationalist.

But this does not prevent him from being ruthless in cases. When, in 1969 Kirk bought the famous Hollywood film company Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), then immediately sold the entire studio props auction house for $ 1.5 million. Nevertheless, MGM turned to a sort of fiat Kerkorian dimes. During his life, he bought three times and three times sold this studio. The first time Kirk had sold MGM founder of CNN and the Goodwill Games, Ted Turner in 1986, which brought her back (except for film archives) in a year. In 1990, Kirk again sold MGM to the Italian speculator Giancarlo Pareto. And a year later returned it. And finally, last year the studio for $ 4.8 billion bought the Japanese firm Sony. Funny, but regardless of whether he sells or buys MGM, with each transaction Kerkorian is a few hundred million dollars richer.

. Six weeks later turns Kirk has 88 years, but he continues to do business and is quite happy
. Kerkorian lives in a luxurious residence in a suburb of Las Vegas, travels the world on your own jet DC-9 at the cost of $ 18 million, or 45-meter yacht. And his youngest daughter is six years. And the journalists' questions about himself just shrugs: "My case speak for themselves."

. Name of children

. The holding company Tracinda Corporation Kirk Kerkorian is named in honor of his two daughters from his second marriage - Tracy and Linda.

. The protagonist

. In the movie "Ocean's Eleven", filmed in 2001, the action takes place in a casino owned by Kirk Kerkorian "Bellagio"
. Owner allowed to shoot off fountains, close the main lobby, guest parking and botanical gardens.

. Significant contribution

. Donated Kerkorian in 2003 for the development of culture in Armenia $ 200 million is equal to about half the budget of the republic.