Zappos, Downtown Project & City of Las Vegas Create Memorial Fund to Honor Tony Hsieh
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Dot-com visionary Tony Hsieh is widely revered for his mission to bring happiness to people everywhere. And now the former Zappos CEO, who died tragically last month at the age 46, will continue to contribute to his community, thanks to a new project by the City of Las Vegas, Zappos.com and the Downtown Project.
The three parties have announced the creation of the Tony Hsieh Memorial Fund, which will honor the late entrepreneur and further his efforts to support the city he loved.
Richard Hsieh, Tony’s father, gave his blessing to the initiative and its goals. “Over the past weeks the City of Las Vegas, DTP and Zappos have been overwhelmed by the messages, love and support received in the wake of Tony’s passing,” he said in a statement. “The outpouring of requests from individuals and businesses Tony had an impact on asking how they can contribute to celebrating Tony’s life and legacy has been sincerely moving.”
And true to Tony Hsieh’s egalitarian leadership approach, the project is currently crowd-sourcing ideas from the community about how the fund can best celebrate his legacy. Members of the public can get information about how to submit their ideas through the “Tony Memorial” page hosted on the Zappos.com website.
The page also provides details on how to contribute to the Tony Hsieh Memorial Fund through the Moonridge Foundation.
All suggestions about the fund will be reviewed by the steering committee (made up of representatives from Zappos, DTP and the City of Las Vegas).
Hsieh was fiercely dedicated to his adopted home. In 2013, he relocated his successful e-commerce company from Henderson, Nev., to Downtown Las Vegas, as part of his vision to revitalize the blighted area. He further committed his own money to create the Downtown Project, a $350 million development enterprise that has invested in real estate in the Fremont East/East Village districts and also supported small businesses and arts, culture and educational organizations; and fueled startups through the Vegas-TechFund.
Last month, the city showed its own affection for the business luminary. A five-minute tribute to Hsieh was displayed on the canopy of the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas, featuring pictures of the entrepreneur set to Eric Clapton’s song “Tears in Heaven.” The Resorts World Las Vegas hotel and the Golden Gate hotel-casino also orchestrated similar tributes.
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