Alex Garden
Alex Garden is the CEO of Vancouver-based game developer Relic Entertainment, which he co-founded with Luke Moloney in 1997. In February 2005, he founded the company iVALET Systems Inc. to develop an advanced parking system. In July 2005, he co-founded Klei Entertainment, a Vancouver-based video game development studio, with Jamie Cheng. On November 3, 2006, Alex Garden joined Nexon to run Nexon's North American game development studio, Nexon Publishing North America. In October, 2009, Alex Garden joined Microsoft to work in their games division, Microsoft Game Studios. On April 23, 2014, Zynga announced that Alex Garden was hired to become President of Zynga Studios with a start date of May 5, 2014. On 13 April 2016 Alex Garden returned to Relic Entertainment as CEO. In 2016 Garden founded Zume Pizza.
Empire Resorts
Empire Resorts was founded in 2003 through a consolidation of Alpha Hospitality and Catskill Development LLC, a company that had purchased the Monticello Raceway in 1996. The consolidation was carried out by Robert A. Berman, who in the previous year had been offered control as CEO of Alpha Hospitality by Stanley Tollman.
In 2003, Berman restructured Alpha Hospitality after principal shareholders of the Bryanston Group (Alpha Hopitality’s controlling shareholder) were indicted on tax-related charges. Berman restored financial stability by selling off non-essential gaming assets and merging the company with Catskill Development LLC, which led to the creation of Empire Resorts that same year. During this time Berman also arranged for Empire Resorts to sell common stock through Jefferies Group.
In 2003 Empire Resorts became a NASDAQ Global Market company, trading under the ticker symbol "NYNY." In 2004 Empire Resorts entered into an agreement to purchase the Concord Resort Hotel from Louis R. Cappelli. The transaction was later modified by Kien Huat Realty, which gave way to the $1.5 billion resort project currently financed and under construction by Empire Resorts. The project is located on the site of Adelaar, a resort developed by Entertainment Properties Trust within the Concord Resort Hotel. The entertainment complex will include an 80,000 sq. ft. casino, multiple hotel properties, waterparks, and a retail village, dining and entertainment areas. The project is expected to be concluded by 2018.
In 2009, Kien Huat Realty invested a further $55 million in new equity capital, which represented just below 50% of the voting power of Empire Resorts. Kien Huat is an investment branch of the Genting Group, a large leisure and gambling conglomerate founded by Malaysian entrepreneur Lim Goh Tong. Kien Huat, which had previously financed the startup of Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel in New York, was fronted by CEO Lim Kok Thay (Lim Goh Tong’s son).
In 2010 the Genting Group won a bid to build a racino similar to what it owned in Monticello at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York City. In December 2015, Empire Resorts received a full gaming license for Montreign Resort Casino in New York. On February 2016, Kien Huat Realty purchased $290 million worth of shares, giving the firm 88.7% ownership of Empire Resorts.
Empire Resorts currently owns and manages several subsidiaries in the hospitality and gaming industries. The company owns and operates Monticello Raceway and casino in New York through its subsidiary, Monticello Raceway Management, Inc. The 230-acre (93 ha) property is located approximately 90 miles northwest of New York City. The complex offers over 1,110 VGMs, with over 40 electronic table game positions, over 1,000 video lottery terminal slot machines, electronic table games, and one of the largest all-weather harness horse racing tracks in the nation.