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Author: masterleader

01 Jul

Posted at 03:40h in Magazine Article

Ambitious downtown Santa Ana building projects are only part of Michael Harrah’s story Called Santa Ana’s patron saint of the arts, Mike Harrah is more than his gruff exterior would suggest.  Opening the OC Pavilion Performing Arts Center in 2005 at a cost of $28 million, Harrah has transformed a former bank building into a state of the art music venue that’s showcased such talent as Kenny G, Earth Wind and Fire, and Leann Rimes.  Just above the music venue is Ambrosia, a fine dining restaurant the was first opened in the late 1960s on Balboa Peninsula. While Harrah has worked to make downtown Santa Ana arts and entertainment friendly, perhaps his most “saintly” act was his 5-month restoration of a vacant building in order for the Orange County High School of the Arts to keep its charter and open on time.  Since the OCHSA’s move from its Los Alamitos location to downtown Santa Ana, Harrah has given the school $1.8 million of his own money and renovated the adjoining building, a former Christian Science church, into a 206-seat performance hall.  Harrah is a self-proclaimed “ultimate-risk taker” and the largest tenant improvement contractor in Orange County, but he says it’s never been about the money.  He enjoys knowing that he’ll be able to look back and see he gave back to...

01 Jul

Posted at 03:36h in Uncategorized

Developer Michael Harrah’s Pinnacle Condominium project helped Ledcor – US Pacific Construction Inc. Make Building Industry’s Hawaii’s Top 25 Contractors List.  Coming in at number 15, Ledcor – US Pacific Construction Inc. broke ground on the Pinnacle and far exceeded revenue increases—coming in at a 75% increase in revenue over the previous years, as opposed to the expected 25%. Read More in the July 2006 Building Industry...

01 Jun

Posted at 03:41h in Magazine Article

Blessing & Celebration Mark the Start of Construction The highly regarded Hawaiian reverend, Kahu Kaleo Patterson, offered a traditional Hawaii blessing at the May groundbreaking ceremony of The Pinnacle Honolulu.  The Pinnacle has been featured on KHON-TV, Hawaii’s top rated television station and the nation’s highest rate Fox affiliate.  Veteran reporter Leslie Wilcox began with the phrase, “Walk to work” and proceeded to describe the prime location and luxury that supersedes other nearby condominium developments.  Instead of “squeezing out more units,” developer Mike Harrah chose to build only 39 spacious and executive units.  Harrah described his work, “My plan and my scope of work that I’ve built in the past is high-end luxury.  So in this case, we’re not looking to have a bunch of small pigeon-hole type condominiums.”   The Pinnacle promises to be a spectacular transformation of an empty parking lot into a skyline jewel....

01 Jun

Posted at 03:28h in Magazine Article

The sweet taste of downtown Santa Ana’s comeback begins with Ambrosia According to Dining Out magazine, “Before its recent facelift, downtown Santa Ana would not have conjured any associations with ambrosia, the mythical food of the deities purported to render immortality to those who consumed it. These days, the nectar of the gods and the rebirth of downtown Santa Ana go hand in hand.” This article charts the history of the restaurant Ambrosia, beginning with its 1970’s incarnation of the Balboa Peninsula.  Now, Mike Harrah has reopened the restaurant in downtown Santa Ana as part of his OC Pavilion Performing Arts Theater.  Since its humble beginnings in a beach cottage, Ambrosia has come a long way.  Today, guests are treated to a magnificent dining venue run by Executive Chef Jean Marie Josselin, owner of restaurant 808 in Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas.  Flawless team service, live jazz and art reminiscent of the art deco era all serve to enhance the extraordinary dining experience.  Ambrosia respects the fine-dining philosophy if a past era and provides cuisine worthy of any five-star palate. Read More in the Summer 2006 Dining Out Magazine...

05 Oct

Posted at 03:45h in Magazine Article

Mike Harrah and his crew live by the motto. “no compromise.”   In this article, Jeff Cushing describes the many aspects of Harrah’s storied career.  From bringing the London Bridge across the Atlantic then reassembling it in the middle of the Arizona desert to flying his attack helicopter in the movies to developing a major resort property in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Harrah has always believed, “Yeah, I can do that.  He’s infused this attitude into his crew and cross-trained as many people as possible.  He believes this keeps good people from being idle but more importantly, it increases productivity, keeps down costs, improves profit margins and speeds up completion dates.  It’s a win-win proposition for any developer, particularly for Harrah. Read More in ATSC’s Newport Coast Concours d’Elegance ...

01 Jul

Posted at 04:32h in Magazine Article

Mike Harrah is unapologetic about his life, “I work hard and I play hard.”  Turing his $800,000 profit on a spec home into a company that employs nearly 680 people in four states, Harrah has earned every right to play. Speed boat racing brought Mike Harrah to Lake Havasu, where he now owns the London Bridge and English Village attractions and built the Queens Bay Hotel, a country club, golf course, and shopping mall to complement it. Harrah is also developing resorts in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.  At 36, Harrah considers himself far from retiring and is a self-proclaimed “workaholic.” Harrah says, “I’m not a dreamer, but I want to see all this work last, for myself, and most importantly, for everyone on the Harrah team, forever.” Read More in the July 1987 Business to Business Magazine...