Eugene Gaona Lava Entertainment, Black Pearl, BP, Spice, Alive Scam Artist, Deceptive Business Practice, Con Artist, Theif El Paso , Texas
Gene Gaona is the most unprofessional "businessman" I have ever had the displeasure of encountering. His employees are subject to weekly "meetings" where he bashes other club owners, his staff, and makes incentive and sexually inappropriate jokes about his staff and others. The man is an egomaniac and needs someone to constantly stroke his ego and listen to his lies about all the money he's got connections to, and who about all the influential people he knows. It's all BS, many of the people he name drops wouldn't get within earshot of this walking liability.
He's in the business of churning out poorly executed nightclubs that are blatant ripoffs of other clubs right down the street from his own, done on a shoestring budget. As a former employee it was nearly impossible to get a paycheck on time and usually required that you drive to meet him somewhere far out of the way and listen to an hour of his hot air before finally getting paid - I'm talking every other week.
Local nightlife industry: most of you know to steer clear from this man. To those who don't know how this jerk operates find out for yourself: you will eventually get burned. If you decide to quit he will stop payment on any checks he's written you around that time and subsequently ignore any calls or texts made to try to collect. I've worked with many many people in the nightlife industry and the majority of them have been a joy. This idiot is the sour apple that gives nightlife in El Paso a bad wrap. Stay away from him, don't support his venues, and hopefully he'll just go away! Hopefully he pays me first though...