GC Garcia, Inc., a Nevada-based land planning and development services firm, is celebrating its 25th anniversary, joining an exclusive list of companies who have reached this milestone. Founded by George Garcia, the company is well-established and respected within southern Nevada’s local government and agency circles while recognized as a leader in government and neighborhood relations, entitlements, due diligence, development coordination, permitting and business licensing.
Garcia, along with Director of Planning Melissa Eure, look back at how the company and the industry have progressed over the last 25 years.
Q: How has the company evolved over the past 25 years?
Eure: The company started with George renting space from another company, with me and the other company’s bookkeeper providing part-time assistance. Now, we have grown to six employees, including one in Utah. George started with a focus on planning and zoning entitlements in Henderson and Clark County, but we now also operate across North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Mohave County, Nye County, Mesquite, Boulder City, and Salt Lake City. We’ve also broadened our scope of services to also include business licensing, specializing in privileged licenses (like liquor, marijuana), redevelopment projects, building permit expediting and expert witness reports/testimony.
Garcia: The expansion of the company has created prosperity by providing high-level service with integrity, while furthering the future of the community, clients, and company. We boast a diversity of projects, from gaming to charter schools; from c-stores and taverns to places of worship; from hotels to housing; and from industrial parks to shopping centers. We represent small entrepreneurs, and large local, regional, national, and international businesses. Our footprint in so many areas demonstrates how the core competencies of the firm create value and success for its clients, which are the keys to growth and prosperity.
Q: What are your thoughts on how the Nevada real estate, construction and development industries have changed/evolved?
Garcia: Real estate development is constantly adapting and evolving, yet at the same time, some themes or principles remain the same. The changes are largely due to technology, demographics and lifestyle, business needs, as well as lending/investment requirements. Layer on regulatory requirements of government from all levels, and the complexity grows.
Eure: 25 years ago, southern Nevada was still mostly vacant land. The city of Henderson was just beginning to grow and Las Vegas was not yet the Las Vegas of Oscar and Carolyn Goodman fame. While we still have a lot of vacant land, now much of it is located at the edges of the existing cities or in open pockets in the middle of developed property. Back then it was easier to buy land, prices weren’t as high, and you didn’t have as many neighbors around that were potential stakeholders. The visions of what southern Nevada would look like was still in flux and there was more room for changes that would potentially create a stronger community.
Today, those visions from developers are more solidified and many have become reality. In addition, changes to southern Nevada’s infrastructure and roadways has made land that previously couldn’t be developed because of cost, now within reach for many larger developers. The type of projects has changed as well. Gone are the days of large malls and numerous commercial centers as retailers like Amazon and Wal-Mart move their businesses online. Now, the hot product is industrial buildings and warehouses capable of holding the millions of items sold online.
Garcia: What remains constant is deep technical knowledge, skilled and dedicated employees, creativity, and building and maintaining relationships at every level. These will never change and continue to provide the “secret recipe” for the future.
Q: What are some key projects that GC Garcia has been involved?
Garcia: As mentioned before, GC Garcia has been involved in a diverse group of projects, including the Galleria at Sunset, The Reserve Hotel & Casino (now Fiesta Henderson), Carmine’s at the Forum Shops, Virgil’s Real BBQ at The Linq Hotel & Casino, M&M’s Las Vegas and the Coca-Cola Store on the Strip, and multiple Nevada-style taverns, like PT’s Pub, Timber’s and Dotty’s.
We’ve also worked with Goodwill of Southern Nevada locations, Coral Academy of Science, Pinecrest Charter School, and CDW and Lamb Boulevard interchange, both in North Las Vegas.
Q: What are your future goals for GC Garcia?
Eure: To expand our services throughout the southwest. As always, our goal is to help bridge the gap between the public and private sector for land development to help build strong, healthy communities.
For more information on GC Garcia, Inc., please visit www.GCGarciainc.com.
