Lee wins the floor as city's top speaker - and salesman

      Richard Lee has earned some colorful nicknames in the years he's delivered his upbeat updates on development in Las Vegas.
      "Entrepreneurial prognosticator" is a personal favorite, though he confesses he's not quite sure what it means. Lee now can add another title, as he has been selected as the Publisher's Pick for Best Public Speaker.
      "He's got his finger on the pulse better than anyone I know of here," said Hank Gordon, president of Laurich Properties Inc., the largest commercial real estate developer based in Las Vegas.
      Lee, 51, did not set out to be the guru of growth.
      As director of public relations for First American Title, part of his job is to drum up commercial real estate business. He recognized that public speaking provided an opportunity for him to get people's attention and build relationships.
      The Idaho native, who has lived in Las Vegas for 12 years, has built an "intense network" of local movers and shakers, regularly exchanging information on commercial and residential development.
      He packages and presents this information in frequent speeches to real estate groups, developers, investors and executives of local banks and financial organizations.
      "What I tell you is what's happening," said Lee, who characterizes his presentation as "an armchair tour of commercial and residential development in Las Vegas."
      Gordon said business people pay attention to Lee because his speeches are more than entertainment.
      Sure, Lee uses video, slides and other "bells and whistles." But he imparts information that can be put to use.
      "He's got a lot of facts," Gordon said.
      Gordon also admires the skill with which Lee presents those facts.
      Convinced a national chain was under-represented in the local market, Gordon wanted to travel to the company's headquarters to convince them they should expand their operations here. He decided he wouldn't be seen as the most objective messenger because, naturally, he wanted to build the new stores.
      So he turned to Lee, who agreed to deliver his presentation on the ongoing boom and the opportunities that exist here.
      That upbeat message forms the heart of Lee's public comments.
      "I get people excited about being here," he said. "We are in a bigger gold rush than California ever saw. It's been going on for 10 years and it is longer and stronger than anybody ever anticipated."
      Lee did not study to be a speaker, though some of his early experiences schooled him in the art form.
      He grew up in a church, where there were plenty of opportunities to speak. His father was a college professor and a fine orator. And Lee worked his way through college by playing in a band, growing ever more accustomed to performing in front of an audience.
      "It comes by practice. It comes by thinking about it. I've tried to perfect it and make it better," he said of the speaking style he describes as "excitedly optimistic."
      Still, he's still a little befuddled at his own success as a speaker.
      "It's like riding a bucking bronco. I don't know where it is going to go, but I'm smart enough to keep spurring it to keep it going," Lee said.
      Other names figured prominently when those in the know were asked to identify the top local speakers.
      More than one person mentioned Richard Moore, president of the Community College of Southern Nevada.
      Public relations executive Mike Ballard, who is program chairman for the Las Vegas Rotary Club, recalled the time Moore spoke at one of the group's regular meetings.
      Moore didn't dwell on finances, nor did he simply give an overview of campus happenings.
      Instead, he spoke about his vision for the college. He explained how this vision would be realized, and how it would benefit the entire community.
      "He communicated with us," Ballard said, adding the address was well-received. "He stopped and we stood."
      Clark County School Superintendent Brian Cram, himself a Rotarian, said Moore possesses the skills of a quality speaker.
      He knows his subject matter, and he sticks to it. Unlike some speechifiers who never met a tangent they didn't like, Moore hones in on what is important. And he does it with a passion that demands the attention of his audience.
      "He's a very dynamic speaker," Cram said.
      When it comes to top local speakers in the field of athletics, Toastmasters International veteran Bob Huddleston says former University of Nevada, Las Vegas, basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian is in a class by himself. "But he's gone," Huddleston notes with some sadness.
      He had no trouble pointing to a possible successor to Tarkanian, who now coaches at Fresno State.
      Huddleston, formerly the district governor for Toastmasters, said UNLV golf coach Dwaine Knight gives a fine speech. There's nothing fancy about his style, but his relaxed, conversational presentation reels you in.
      Others echoed Huddleston. Whether it was the time Knight caddied at the Masters, or the time the University of Texas unsuccessfully wooed him to lead its legendary program, those who have heard Knight speak could still recall stories that he told.
      "He is absolutely delightful. He's a fun guy," said Huddleston, who as past-president of the Las Vegas Kiwanis Club has heard his share of speeches.
      Charlie Barron -- tournament manager for the PGA Tour's Las Vegas Invitational and the Senior PGA Tour's Las Vegas Senior Classic -- said Knight has a natural way with a crowd.
      He's low-key and relies on his personal experiences. Yet he is not simply a stand-up comic. There is insight in his words.
      "He's got some great stories," Barron said.
      Knight said he didn't plan on doing a lot of public speaking when he came to UNLV from the University of New Mexico in November 1987.
      He came to realize, however, that he needed to spread the message if he was to build the program to the level he envisioned. So he went out and started telling people what it would take to have a nationally competitive golf team.
      "That's a big part of all my presentations."
      Attaining that level of competitiveness was no small task. Knight said the golf team had never participated in the NCAA Golf Championships, let alone won a national title. Moreover, its endowment was decidedly sub-par. In fact, it did not exist.
      Things have changed since the Knight era dawned at UNLV.
      In May 1998, the golf team won the national championship. And that endowment now stands at $3.5 million. "It was almost a meteoric rise," the 52-year-old Florida native said.
      Public speaking helped the program reach its goals. Nearly every major contributer to the endowment first approached Knight after hearing him speak.
      There are other payoffs. Knight said he enjoys speaking to youths on the importance of setting goals and cultivating a vision. "Athletics gives you the chance to present these things to young people," he said.
      Lately, more professional groups are asking him to speak. He's comfortable addressing these groups, having discovered there are significant parallels between success in the business world and success in other endeavors.
      Politics is one endeavor in which a way with words is considered an asset. Perhaps because politics in this state is a relatively closed process, there are no truly great orators among Nevada's leading political figures, said UNLV political scientist Tim Fackler.
      He said U.S. Sen Richard Bryan, who is retiring, and Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones, who also isn't seeking re-election, are among the most articulate. Each is quick on their feet, generally well-prepared and can engage an audience when necessary.
      "They are very adept at debate. That's something different than a talent for moving mass audiences," Fackler said.
      Huddleston said Bryan distinguishes himself from the remainder of the political crowd when it comes to public speaking. "He is far and away better than all of the rest of them," he said.
      He said Bryan sticks to Nevada issues and makes them real, telling his audience what his topic means for the people of this state.
      "He doesn't toot his own horn. He is just absolutely delightful to listen to," Huddleston said.