Paul Musco gave up his table at Il Barone Tuesday. To Jim Jalet. Jalet was a hotel-management major at UNLV, not too long after Bugsy ran the town. He’s been an exec for MGM Grand, pre- and post-fire, ran the last Mob-owned Strip casino, The Aladdin … after he helped open Walt Disney World.
And for 40 years he’s parlayed experience, contacts and a “keeper” persona into JNR Corp., Irvine-based designer of convention and employee-incentive programs.125 employees, $45 million in sales and surely a large “key-man” insurance policy.
“What’s a ballpark valuation on your business Jim, neighborhood?”
“I can’t answer that? I’m the business.”
Jalet ran a Vegas casino-hotel when entertainers were the thing.
I hit him with my go-to trivia question.
“Only man to have the No. 1 album, TV show and film at the same time?”
“Dean Martin,” Jalet interjects.
“Matt Helm, Dean Martin Show and Everybody Loves Somebody. Knocked Beatles out of No. 1.”
Dino’s his fave.
“Isn’t a person who met Dean Martin didn’t say he was the classiest guy.”
“They pick Hope for the October (1971) opening of Walt Disney World,” recalled Jalet. “I see him in the hotel lobby an hour before noon, the ceremony. Doesn’t have a ride. My wife pulls up in our ’57 Desoto, you know, fuzzy dice. I said, Mr. Hope, we can get you pretty close.”
“‘Don’t see a lot of these on the road,’” Hope says, riding shotgun.
“He makes the ceremony. Six years later, he plays the Aladdin, I say, Mr. Hope, doubt you remember me. He cuts me off. ‘57 Desoto.’”
Thanks for the table, Mr. Musco …
Cylance Inc. $120 million VC raise led by Blackstone tops in awhile here, boosts Stuart McClure’s cybersecurity firm well beyond unicorn status … and boosts OC growth-stagers, which enter Q3 with but two IPOs on the year, Evolus and Hancock Jaffe. Reported VC funding also off since start of year …
UCI rowers in England this week … Henley Royal Regatta on Thames River, World Series of Rowing. UCI last competed at Henley in 1979. International event established in 1839 replete with dress codes. Former UCLA rower and Broadcom co-founder Henry Nicholas III has donated over $1.3 million in the past 20 years to build the now-stellar UCI program.
