Wynn Las Vegas Opens on Strip
The $2.7 billion Wynn Las Vegas resort casino opened on the Strip April 28, featuring a manmade mountain, a three-acre lake with fountains and waterfalls, and a 2,087-seat water-based theater with a pool that transforms to a stage. The 50-story tower also includes upscale retail shops and businesses, including a Ferrari-Maserati dealership and 18 restaurants and bars. With 2,716 rooms, accommodations range from standard 620-square-foot hotel rooms to six 7,000-square-foot, private-entry villas. The hotel overlooks the former Desert Inn golf course, which has been redesigned by Tom Fazio.
Nevada Tourism Presents Awards for Excellence
At the 15th annual Rural Roundup conference, the Nevada Commission on Tourism presented awards for exceptional efforts to promote tourism. The winners were: Dr. Elizabeth Tom of Elko, who produces a newsletter for Cowboy Country Territory and serves as tourism liaison for the Elko Chamber of Commerce; Leah Brady of Elko, co-director of the Shoshonean Reunion V gathering of tribe members;Nancy Marcellus of Lawry’s the Prime Rib restaurant in Las Vegas, for dedication to media relations; Andrea Robb-Bradick, owner of the Jim Butler Motel in Tonopah, for her work to establish Monte Cristo Castle state park in Esmeralda County; Rick Gray of the Fallon Convention and Visitors Authority for developing a regional bird-watching marketing campaign; the Regional Marketing Committee of Reno and Lake Tahoe for bringing additional air service into Reno/Tahoe International Airport; the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for its advertising campaign, “What Happens Here Stays Here.”
LMG Breaks Ground on New Las Vegas Facility
LMG, Inc., a national provider of video, audio and lighting support, recently broke ground on a 64,000-square-foot, $5 million facility to enable it to expand its Las Vegas operations. The new building on five acres near I-215 and I-15 will be completed and ready for move-in by November of this year. LMG has provided presentation services to some of the world’s largest conventions and meetings, including nationally televised events, Fortune 500 business presentations and live entertainment venues.
FedEx Ground Expands in Southern Nevada
FedEx Ground, the small-package ground delivery unit of FedEx Corp., recently broke ground for a distribution center in Henderson to serve Southern Nevada. The new 130,000-square-foot distribution center on an 11-acre site will be a consolidation of current FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery operations in Las Vegas and will more than double the size of the two existing facilities. The new distribution center, which will open in the fall of 2005, is expected to create more than 100 positions over the next five years, adding to the current workforce of 240 employees and independent contractors at the existing FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery facilities in Las Vegas. Levine Properties and McNaughton Properties, both based in Charlotte, N.C., are the developers for the facility, which is being designed by Lee & Sakahara Architects and will be built by Martin-Harris Construction, both of Las Vegas.
Reno Named No. 1 City for Business
Reno is the nation’s top city for doing business, according to Inc. Magazine’s annual ranking of the “Best Places for Doing Business in America.” Reno jumped from 13th in last year’s survey to the No. 1 slot in 2005. Las Vegas came in 14th. Inc. Magazine compiled the rankings by surveying data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 274 regions. The primary measurement was job growth, taking into account current-year growth, average annual growth over three years and job growth over the first half and second half of the last decade. The data reflected a range of industries including manufacturing, financial services, business and professional services, educational and health services, leisure and hospitality and government.
Caesars to Sell Reno Hilton
Caesars Entertainment, Inc. recently announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Reno Hilton casino resort to Grand Sierra Resort Corp. for approximately $150 million. Grand Sierra is a Nevada-based company formed by a group of developers and investors. It has announced plans to redevelop the property by adding a large indoor water park, condominiums and retail stores and by creating a “theme park” atmosphere.
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2005 after receiving the necessary state and federal regulatory approvals.