40 Under 40 Alumni: Nelson L. Tressler and Eamon M. Springall

Nelson L. Tressler

Nelson L. Tressler

Executive Managing Director,

Newmark Knight Frank

Where were you when you received your 40 Under 40 award? It was 2009 and I was in my ninth year at Grubb & Ellis. In retrospect, I was a young professional, still honing my craft of brokerage in the commercial real estate business, building my expertise and perfecting my client service delivery.

What has been your biggest accomplishment since you were awarded? While I appreciate being named a top producer within the company or local market, and have achieved high placement on the volume of deals completed annually, I am most proud of my successes on behalf of my clients. For example, during the economic recession, I worked on several bank foreclosure deals that ultimately became solid investments.

What have you had to learn the hard way? I learned that real estate doesn’t always increase in value, despite the common perception. I entered commercial real estate in the late 1990s, during an extensive boom period. Making money in real estate seemed almost effortless and I remember thinking that real estate was the easiest thing in the world. Then, the great recession happened and Las Vegas was hit especially hard. Too many clients, who were deeply invested in the market and exposed when things turned south, lost everything. I came to understand the cyclical nature of the industry and economics.

What’s the best advice you have to offer? Be grateful for who you are and what you have. It can be challenging and easy to overlook amidst the pursuit of things, opportunities and money.

If you ran Las Vegas, what’s the first thing you would do? I would focus on diversifying our business community. Gaming and hospitality will always be Las Vegas’ core industries, but diversification would make our economy stronger and more resilient to economic fluctuations.

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Eamon Springall

Eamon M. Springall

Co-founder and president of Stitched Lifestyle

COO at Orgill/Singer & Associates Inc.

Where were you when you received your 40 Under 40 award? In 2007, I was 27. I sold a successful dot-com business in the late ’90s, then focused my attention on my mentor Bob Orgill’s insurance brokerage, Orgill Singer Insurance, where I had worked every year since I was 10. I got my insurance licenses, and within a few years became Orgill Singer’s top broker. I became the founding chairman of the Vegas Young Professionals, then started a professional networking company called the Executive Lounge.

Where are you now? I became an owner of Orgill Singer, which is now one of the largest insurance brokerages in Nevada. My partner Telly Eliades and I started a venture capital firm and invested in several projects, from health food cafés to restaurants, bars and technology. Most notably, in 2010 we founded Stitched, the men’s haberdashery at the Cosmopolitan. This year, we expanded Stitched to Miami and D.C., and have exciting opportunities in Manhattan, Southern California and Asia. I also founded a nonprofit club baseball organization with six teams that travel the country, a number of which are ranked top 10 nationally. I serve on the board of the Nevada Childhood Cancer foundation.

Biggest accomplishment since you were awarded? The opportunity to give back. We support more than 50 nonprofit and local community-based organizations every year — more than $100,000 annually.

What do you want to accomplish? Continue to grow my current portfolio of businesses so my children have a place to hone their creative talents, learn business operations and carry on a legacy of success and philanthropy.

Best advice? Learn as much as you can. Don’t be scared of hard work; make it scared of you. Always strive to give more than you take, because success without giving back is failure. The real money in Vegas is made before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m. In life and in business, choose your love and love your choice.

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