Larry Ruvo, Senior Managing Director, Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada

After meeting Larry Ruvo, you walk away with the type of upbeat feeling only a favorite uncle can instill. It’s part of the charm of this senior managing director of Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada, and partners in the largest liquor distributorship in the nation.

From busboys to restaurant owners to the president of the United States, Ruvo treats everyone he meets with equal respect, sincere warmth and the utmost hospitality.

"I started out as a busboy at age 14 at the Venetian Ristorante, which was the most successful place in town," Ruvo recalls. "My parents, Lou and Angie Ruvo, opened the Venetian Italian restaurant back in 1955 and it became a local landmark for 43 years."

In the early years, Ruvo worked his way through the food and beverage industry as a busboy and waiter at the Sahara, a night manager at Caesars Palace and later the Frontier and as the general manager of the Playboy Club in Los Angeles, all before his mid-20s.

In 1969, Steve Wynn hired Ruvo to run Wynn Distributing, his liquor distribution business, which later became Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada. Wynn left the liquor business to focus on his main passion, casinos.

"Building the business did not happen overnight," says Ruvo. "In 1969, we were the smallest distributor, No. 10 out of 10. What we did differently is we had a belief the wine business was going to become very important and we started providing outstanding education to the wait staff, the bar-tenders the restaurant owners, and we all grew. We treated everyone as our friends, not just our clients."

Today, Southern Wine and Spirits houses their ultra-modern, 425,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art ware-house and office complex which keeps the beer, wine and liquor flowing 24/7 to quench the huge Las Vegas thirst. Over 40,000 cases are shipped daily.

"Sadly, I later lost my dad to Alzheim-er’s. He had been in the restaurant business in Las Vegas for 43 years," says Ruvo proudly. "We had a dinner one night at my good friend Wolfgang Puck’s Spago with a group of friends who wanted to make a toast to my father Lou’s life. Most didn’t know what Alzheimer’s was. We raised a lot of money and decided we would all help fight this disease."

Each year, the leaders of Las Vegas, including Donna and Bobby Baldwin, celebrate "Keep Memory Alive" and raise millions of dollars to increase awareness and battle Alzheimer’s. In May 2004, Camille and Larry Ruvo, the Baldwins and the world’s greatest chefs threw one of the most elaborate parties and honored Wolfgang Puck for his many years of contributions to Alzheimer’s. These resources will help to build the Lou Ruvo Alzheimer’s Center, designed by world-renowned architect, Frank Gehry in the memory of Larry’s father.

Another great community event Ruvo helped start is the ongoing UNLVino "Take a Sip for Scholarship" wine tasting. It is the biggest one-day wine tasting event in the country. Recently celebrating its 31st anniversary, with over 10,000 attendees, over 600 UNLV students helped orchestrate their tast-ings by more than 125 suppliers, 325 wineries and 700 wines. "One of my greatest joys is meeting UNLVino scholarship recipients around the world," beams Ruvo appreciatively. "I’ve sort of lived this Dr. Seuss life," laughs Ruvo. "Find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life and I’m living this magnificent life, with the all-around best of spirits."

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