PRINCIPALS
Lawrence Shen, CFA
Lawrence Shen, CFA is a co-founder of C3 Gaming, and also the Founder and Principal of Advantage Partners Consulting.
Lawrence has been a PhD researcher, a formidable poker player, and an executive in the gaming industry. Before founding C3 and APC, Lawrence was the Senior Manager of Strategic Finance & Business Analysis at Caesars Entertainment where he is in charge of conducting market sizing of every new development opportunity worldwide and forecasting negative impacts to every affected property due to new competitors or legislative changes.
His past achievements include:
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Spearheaded multiple development projects and license biddings in North America, Asia, and Europe with demand sizing, build optimization, site selection, and financial forecasts, including Caesars Entertainment's successful pursuit of the first gaming license in the state of Virginia
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Developed 35+ state-of-the-art gravity models to assist acquisition and divestiture of regional casinos, and provided competitive impacts forecast to operators due to new supply or legislative changes. Clients include chain casino operators, VLT route operators, Native American tribes, racetracks, hotel developers, and prestigious private equity funds
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Consulted 10+ casino and racetrack operators in negotiations with regulators on legislative changes, license extensions, and integrated casino resort biddings. Past projects include cost-benefit analysis of riverboat to land conversions, and proposing mitigating measures to Indiana Gaming Control Board in response to new openings
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Conducted deep-dive research projects requiring advanced analytical skills, including optimizing shuttle bus routes and schedules, identifying the most valuable patrons for junket programs, quantifying the revenue lift with different designs of reward clubs
In finance, Lawrence managed the enterprise long-term planning cash flow model, which is used to perform scenario analyses for operating projections, acquisitions & divestitures, and capital structural changes at the requests of the C-Suite and the Board of Directors. Lawrence worked closely with Accounting, Treasury, and Investor Relations on quarterly earnings and cash flow alignment, EBITDA adjustments, cost savings calculation, rent and lease monitoring, and tracking of debt covenant ratios. In M&A, Lawrence participated in the sale of the Rio Hotel and Casino and the acquisition of Centaur Holdings. Lawrence also led attempted acquisition of multiple VLT route operators in Illinois, and multiple casinos in Louisiana, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania.
Lawrence is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and earned a Master of Science Degree from Duke University while pursuing a PhD Degree in Engineering.
Gerard Parisi
Gerard Parisi is a co-founder and Principal at C3 Gaming. Mr. Parisi’s consulting experience spans nearly a decade in the gaming and hospitality industry. His experience and knowledge includes nearly all markets in the United States and Canada as well as Asia. Mr. Parisi has visited and evaluated over 200 casinos and resorts globally while completing over 60 robust forecasting models, various economic impact studies, and numerous special projects for clients.
Prior to entering the gaming and hospitality consulting arena, Mr. Parisi succeeded in the wealth management and financial advisory practices at KeyBank and UBS Financial Services while holding multiple NASD/FINRA licenses. Gerard then transitioned to the equity research community as a financial analyst covering industrial machinery and technology companies.
Gerard’s appreciation for the hospitality industry stems from performing several functions early on in both the golf club and food & beverage industries. This ground-up and wide-ranging experience allowed Mr. Parisi to gain first-hand knowledge into how important the guest experience is to achieving revenue goals.
Mr. Parisi is a 2004 graduate of The Max M. Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University where he earned his B.S.B.A. in finance and minor in accounting.