Mr. Ruvo is well known in the Las Vegas community for his ongoing support of charitable organizations, many of which focus on education and children. UNLVino, another of Mr. Ruvo’s endeavors and one of the largest wine-tasting events in Nevada, donates all of its proceeds to scholarship funds for students in the College of Hotel Administration.
In 1994, after the loss of his father, Lou Ruvo, to Alzheimer’s disease, Larry Ruvo made it his mission to make a positive impact and, hopefully, cure the devastating diseases of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, MSA, multiple sclerosis, and other neurodegenerative disorders. Mr. Ruvo worked tirelessly to establish a cognitive disease center, which ultimately led to the founding of The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute. The institute is unique in its bold mission: to establish the international gold standard in the treatment of patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s, while also supporting their caregivers.
The founding of Keep Memory Alive and its partnership with the esteemed Cleveland Clinic will forever change medical history in Nevada and around the world. The over hundred-million-dollar building, designed by internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry, is home to the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health has become the global epicenter for research into these debilitating diseases, hosting numerous international symposiums and seminars, producing influential white papers, and making significant strides toward finding cures for these brain disorders.
Professional and Community Involvement:
- Trustee, Cleveland Clinic Board
- Founding Member, Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Nevada Chapter
- Former Member, World Presidents’ Organization
- Founding Member, Council for a Better Nevada
- Founding Member, Nevada Tourism Alliance
- Advisory Committee Member, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
- Trustee, UNLV Foundation Board
- Member, Bluecoats of Nevada (an organization supporting families of firemen and police officers killed in the line of duty)
- Board Member, Nevada Ballet Dance Theatre
- Board Member, American Gaming Association (AGA)
- Nevada Co-chair, George W. Bush Presidential Center
- Bailli, Chaine des Rotisseurs, Las Vegas
Awards:
- Lifetime Leadership Award, Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (April 2016)
- Caesars Community Hero Award, Caesar’s Foundation (April 2016)
- Inductee, Nevada Business Hall of Fame (February 2013)
- Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans (April 2013)
- Angel Awards Humanitarian of the Year, In Business magazine (2010)
- Woodrow Wilson Award (2009)
- Distinguished Nevadan Award, Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents (2009)
- Most Influential Businessmen of Southern Nevada (2004 & 2009)
- Governor’s Philanthropist of the Year Award (2007)
- Honored by the United States Congress on several occasions
- Knighted into the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
- Man of the Year, Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA)
- Man of the Year, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Man of the Year, Food & Beverage Directors’ Association
- Community Leadership Award, Points of Light Foundation
- President’s Medal, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Inductee, Gaming Hall of Fame (2005)
- Education Hero Award, Public Education Foundation (2005)
- Altruistic Award, The Meadows School
- Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Touro University Nevada (2017)