It's hard to have a high-quality product when you walk into 'ding, ding, ding' and there are people walking around in Hawaiian shirts with big plastic drink mugs." Ruffin appeared in an October 2004 episode of The Apprentice to sign a $300 million deal with Trump regarding the project. The project was referenced again in the show's second-season finale, when winner Kelly Perdew was offered a job at the property. Jack Wishna, who introduced Trump to Ruffin, was a minority partner in the project. In January 2005, the project was valued at $1 billion. Groundbreaking was initially scheduled for May 2005, with completion expected by the end of 2006. By May 2005, all of the tower's 1,282 condominium units had been reserved by prospective buyers. Trump and Ruffin held a groundbreaking ceremony for the project on July 12, 2005. The Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote that the event was "really a ribbon-cutting and photo opportunity". News programs such as Access Hollywood and Extra provided coverage of the event, which was attended by approximately 300 state and local government representatives, as well as Carolyn Goodman, showgirls, Steve Wynn and his wife Elaine Wynn, and Miss USA 2005 winner Chelsea Cooley. Condominium units went on sale the same day with the opening of a $3 million temporary sales center at the corner of South Las Vegas Boulevard and Fashion Show Drive, in front of the New Frontier. The building was , and featured a 10-foot replica of the tower. That month, an NBA team was in negotiations to purchase an entire floor of the tower, while Trump was considering an alternative version of The Apprentice that would involve the tower. Construction was expected to begin by the end of that summer, and was expected to last 24 to 30 months. Construction began in November 2005, when the building's foundation was poured. After the completion of a 36,000-square-foot recreational deck in March 2006, an average of 800 workers constructed one new floor for the tower approximately every six days. The tower was topped out on May 25, 2007. The project was constructed at a cost of $500 million, on of land that was part of the rear parking lot for the New Frontier. The project was designed by Bergman, Walls & Associates and built by Perini Building Company. Trump Hotel Las Vegas opened on March 31, 2008. An opening ceremony was held by Trump