Nevada, once defined only by its vast expanses of desert and the casinos of Las Vegas, has begun reframing itself as a major economic player on the West Coast. Businesses have begun expanding to Nevada, escaping the tight business regulations of their next-door neighbor, California. With companies like Tesla and Faraday Future opening factories, the budding tourism industry in Las Vegas, and a recovering housing market, Nevada is set to become one of the top-performing states in the country in terms of economic development.
Nevada Statistics
Area
109,781.18 sq mi1
Population
2,940,0582
GDP
$147.5 billion3
GDP per Capita
$43,637
US GDP per Capita
$49,8444
Unemployment Rate
4.9%5
Comparing to other states in the region, Nevada is not as productive in terms of GDP as California, Washington, Arizona or Colorado; but is significantly more productive than Utah and Idaho. The GDP of Nevada changed very little over the past 5 years, only changing by roughly 2% while states like Colorado and Utah saw changes closer to 4%. Despite this, the economy is considered to be doing very well.6
Nevada’s Industries7
Nevada’s Top 20 Companies8
Company
Industry
About
Contact
CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Public School District
The Clark County School District is the largest employer in Nevada with a diverse workforce of more than 40,000 employees.
The school district covers thousands of jobs from IT, Safety and Security, food service, transportation, education, administrative and more.
Dan Wray
Chief Technology Officer
wray@interact.ccsd.net
CLARK COUNTY
Local Government
The local municipal government employs approximately 8,750 people.
Wynn Las Vegas, often simply referred to as Wynn, is a luxury resort and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The US$2.7-billion resort covers 215 acres and is the world’s 7th largest hotel.
Tim Poster
Exec. VP, Strategy and Development
tim.poster@wynnlasvegas.com
BELLAGIO LLC
Hospitality
Bellagio is a resort, luxury hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International. Inspired by the Lake Como town of Bellagio in Italy, Bellagio is famed for its elegance. One of its most notable features is an 8-acre (3.2 ha) lake between the building and the Strip, which houses the Fountains of Bellagio, a large dancing water fountain synchronized to music.
Jon Wanamaker
Director of Brand Strategy
jwanamaker@bellagioresort.com
MGM GRAND HOTEL/CASINO
Hospitality
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip. The MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the United States with 5,124 rooms. It is also the third-largest hotel complex in the world by number of rooms and second-largest hotel resort complex in the United States. The property includes five outdoor pools, rivers, and waterfalls that cover 6.6 acres, a 380,000 sq ft convention center, the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and the Grand Spa. It also houses numerous shops, night clubs, restaurants and the largest casino in Clark County, which occupies 171,500 sq ft.
Gail Carmona
Executive Director Talent Acquisition and Organizational Development
gcarmona@mgmresorts.com
WASHOE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Public School District
The Washoe County School District (WCSD) is a public school district providing public education to students in Washoe County, Nevada. The Washoe County School District is the second largest school district in Nevada. The school district covers thousands of jobs from IT, Safety and Security, food service, transportation, education, administrative and more.
Salwa Zaki
Director of Development
szaki@washoeschools.net
MANDALAY BAY RESORT AND CASINO
Hospitality
Mandalay Bay is a 43-story luxury resort and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International.
Nadia Khan
VP of Brand Strategy
nkhan@mandalaybay.com
ARIA RESORT & CASINO LLC
Hospitality
Aria Resort and Casino is a luxury resort and casino, part of the CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip. The resort's 61 and 51-story towers contain a hotel with 4,004 guest rooms and suites, 16 restaurants, 10 bars and nightclubs, and a casino with 150,000 sq ft of gaming space. It also has a 215,000 sq ft pool area with 34 cabanas, an 80,000 sq ft salon and spa, a 300,000 sq ft convention center and a 1,800-seat theater. Among the most notable aspects of Aria is its incorporation of technology in the exterior and interior design of the hotel, specifically for the reduction of energy consumption. It is the largest hotel in the world to have earned LEED Gold certification. On account of its smart rooms which automatically adjust curtains, turn off unused lights and electronics, and regulate the temperature when a guest enters or leaves a room, Aria was described in Popular Mechanics as possibly "the most technologically advanced hotel ever built".
Bobby Acevedo
Director of Customer Development
bacevedo@aria.com
Randy Hedland
Vice President of Customer Development
rhedland@arialasvegas.com
THE VENETIAN/PALAZZO CASINO RESORT
Hospitality
The Venetian resort complex is (together with the adjacent Sands Expo Convention Center and The Palazzo Hotel and Casino Resort) the world's second-largest hotel, with 4,049 rooms, 3,068 suites ranging in price from $169 to $10,000 per night and a 120,000-square-foot casino.
Peter Aldrich
Senior Information Technology Director
pete.braitsch@venetian.com
CAESARS PALACE
Hospitality
Caesars Palace is one of the most prestigious casino hotels in the world and one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. As of July 2016, the hotel has 3,976 rooms and suites in six towers and a convention facility of over 300,000 square feet. The hotel has a large range of restaurants including several serving authentic Chinese cuisine to cater to wealthy East Asian gamblers. From the outset, Caesars Palace has been oriented towards attracting high rollers.
Chris Port
Global Head Development
cport@caesars.com
Kip Chiles
Director of Casino and Hotel Development
kchiles@caesars.com
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA LAS VEGAS
University
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is an American public research university in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada. UNLV offers more than 350 degrees to choose from in varying fields leading to bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, which are taught by approximately 850 faculty members. The university is classified a "research-intensive university". The William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration is annually ranked among the top hospitality programs in the United States due to the university's proximity to the Las Vegas Strip.
Heather Rappaport
Assistant Director, Sales and Business Operations
heather.rappaport@unlv.edu
LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE
Local Government
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (also known as the LVMPD or Metro) is a joint city-county police force for the City of Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada. It is headed by the Sheriff of Clark County, elected every four years. Metro is the largest law enforcement agency in the state of Nevada, and one of the largest police agencies in the United States.
Bill Sagel
Director of Information Technology
w5513s@lvmpd.com
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA RENO
University
The University of Nevada, Reno (also referred to as Nevada, the University of Nevada or UNR) is a public research university located in Reno, Nevada. The campus is home to the large-scale structures laboratory in the College of Engineering, which has put Nevada researchers at the forefront nationally in a wide range of civil engineering, earthquake and large-scale structures testing and modeling. The Nevada Terawatt Facility, located on a satellite campus of the university, includes a terawatt-level Z-pinch machine and terawatt-class high-intensity laser system – one of the most powerful such lasers on any college campus in the country. It is home to the School of Medicine, with campuses in both of Nevada's major urban centers, Las Vegas and Reno, and a health network that extends to much of rural Nevada.
Stefanie Givens
Assistant Director of Development
sgivens@unr.edu
THE MIRAGE CASINO-HOTEL LLC
Hospitality
The Mirage is a 3,044 room Polynesian-themed resort and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip. The resort was built by developer Steve Wynn and is currently owned and operated by MGM Resorts International.
Gail Carmona
Executive Director Talent Acquisition and Organizational Development
gcarmona@mgmresorts.com
THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS
Hospitality
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (commonly referred to simply as The Cosmopolitan or The Cosmo) is a luxury resort casino and hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The resort opened on December 15, 2010, and is located just south of the Bellagio on the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard. The $3.9 billion project features 2,995 rooms, a 110,000 sq ft casino, 300,000 sq ft of retail and restaurant space, a 40,000 sq ft spa and fitness facility, a 3,200-seat theater, and 150,000 sq ft of meeting and convention space.
Brian Benowitz
Senior VP of Operations
brian.benowitz@cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER OF SOUTH NEVADA
Healthcare
University Medical Center of Southern Nevada (UMCSN) is a non-profit government hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the only government run hospital owned and operated by the Clark County Commission.
Gene Kraus
Director of Information Technology
gene.kraus@umcsn.com
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO
Airline
Southwest Airlines Co. is a major U.S. airline, the world's largest low-cost carrier, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. They employ almost 4,000 in Nevada.
Grant Duffy
Project Manager – Portfolio and Projects
grant.duffy@wnco.com
ENCORE LAS VEGAS
Hospitality
Encore Las Vegas (also called Encore at Wynn Las Vegas; often just called Encore) is a luxury resort, casino and hotel located on the Las Vegas Strip.
Steve Clark
Director of Operations
sclark@encoreproductions.net
RENOWN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
Healthcare
Renown Regional Medical Center is part of Renown Health, a non-profit hospital in Reno, Nevada. It is Renown Health's flagship hospital and the region's only level II trauma center. Renown Regional facilitates the area's only dedicated children's hospital, Renown Children's Hospital.
Joel Muller
Vice President of Development
jmuller@renown.org
CITY OF LAS VEGAS
Local Government
The municipal government employs around 1,500 people.
Deborah Ackerman
Public Information Officer
dackerman@lasvegasnevada.gov
Nevada’s Successful Cities9
City
Population
Overview
Las Vegas
584,000
Las Vegas, in Nevada’s Mojave Desert, is a resort city famed for its vibrant nightlife, centered around 24-hour casinos and other entertainment options. Its main street and focal point is the Strip, just over 4 miles long. This boulevard is home to themed hotels with elaborate displays such as fountains synchronized to music as well as replicas of an Egyptian pyramid, the Venetian Grand Canal, and the Eiffel Tower. The major attractions in Las Vegas are the casinos and the hotels, although in recent years other new attractions have begun to emerge. Most casinos in the downtown area are located on the Fremont Street Experience, The Stratosphere being one of the exceptions. Fremont East, adjacent to the Fremont Street Experience, was granted variances to allow bars to be closer together, similar to the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, the goal being to attract a different demographic than the Strip attracts.
An effort has been made by city officials to diversify the economy by attracting health-related, high-tech and other commercial interests. No state tax for individuals or corporations, as well as a lack of other forms of business-related taxes, have aided the success of these efforts.
Henderson
258,000
Henderson, officially the City of Henderson, is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, about 16 miles southeast of Las Vegas. An increasing number of major shopping malls, movie theater complexes, restaurants and casino resorts offer residents a variety of choices for leisure time in Henderson. The city also sits a few miles southeast of Las Vegas and is not too far from the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. "Shakespeare in the Park" celebrated its tenth anniversary in 1996, a testament to Henderson's long-standing support for the arts and cultural programs. The city also boasts the largest recreational facility – the Multigenerational Facility at Liberty Pointe – in Nevada as well as Nevada's only scenic Bird Preserve. The city supports a variety of other cultural events as well, many of which are held at the outdoor amphitheater, the largest one of its kind in Nevada.
Reno
225,000
Reno is a city in the U.S. state of Nevada by the Sierra Nevadas and Lake Tahoe. Dubbed “The Biggest Little City in the World,” it's known for its casinos and its proximity to many ski resorts. Downtown’s National Automobile Museum showcases more than 200 vintage cars. The MidTown District is lined with shops and restaurants. North of downtown, Animal Ark is a sanctuary for rescued bears, cheetahs and other wildlife. Because of its location, Reno has traditionally drawn the majority of its California tourists and gamblers from the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento, while Las Vegas has historically served more tourists from Southern California and the Phoenix area. Several local large hotel casinos have shown significant growth and have moved gaming further away from the Virginia Street core. These larger hotel casinos are the Atlantis, the Peppermill and the Grand Sierra Resort. Reno is the location of the corporate headquarters for numerous companies, including Braeburn Capital, Hamilton, EE Technologies, and Port of Subs. International Game Technology, Bally Technologies and GameTech have development and manufacturing presence in Reno.
Recently, Reno has seen an influx of technology companies entering the area after the state placed increased focus on economic development after the recession. Tesla's Gigafactory, the largest building in the world, is currently under construction at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center. When finished, the Gigafactory will cover 5.8 million square feet. The arrival of several data centers at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center is further diversifying a region that used to be primarily known for distribution and logistics outside of gaming and tourism.
Switch's new SuperNAP campus at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center is shaping up to be the largest data center in the world once completed. Apple is expanding its data center at the adjacent Reno Technology Park as well as will build a warehouse on land in downtown Reno. Rackspace is also building a $422 million data center next to Apple. The greater Reno area also hosts distribution facilities for Amazon, Walmart, Petsmart and Zulily.
North Las Vegas
217,000
Last December, Hyperloop Technologies announced it would be setting up an open-air test track and testing facility on 50 acres at Apex for an estimated $117 million. The solar-powered Hyperloop is the brainchild of SpaceX founder Elon Musk. The high-speed transportation project could theoretically allow travel at speeds topping out at 760 mph, making a trip between Los Angeles and San Francisco a mere 35 minutes. Then, automaker Faraday Future announced it would be building a $1 billion factory at Apex. That infrastructure came in large part from a package of bills, amounting to $335 million in tax incentives and infrastructure improvements, passed at the Nevada Legislature Special Session. The company is set to have its electronic cars rolling off the assembly line by 2017. On the residential side, the development at the Villages at Tule Springs and Park Highlands has also awoken after almost a decade of economic recovery.
The Villages at Tule Springs is expected to have a $3.3 billion economic impact to the city, while Park Highlands West is estimated at more than $2 billion. The project is set to take 15 to 20 years to complete.
Boyd Gaming Corp. recently bought the Aliante and Cannery in North Las Vegas. The city has also attracted a number of restaurants and shops, including Cracker Barrel, which is set to open in July and provide 175 new jobs. A second location at the Silverton is expected to open around the same time.
Dignity Health’s St. Rose Dominican Hospital also recently announced its new location planned on the corner of Craig Road and Camino Al Norte. The North Las Vegas campus is set to include a comprehensive emergency department, in-patient wing, imaging and quick-access lab services.
Medical marijuana businesses have also set up shop in North Las Vegas due to the city ordinance passed in 2014 (in conjunction with Apex Industrial Park) that eliminates thousands of dollars in annual fees and caps the revenue fee at 2 percent for medical marijuana businesses.
Sparks
90,000
Sparks is in the same region as Reno, and enjoys the same businesses that Reno serves, such as Faraday Future, Tesla and more.
1 Nevada Land Area in Square Miles, Census, 2010; https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/LND110210/32
2 Population Estimates Nevada, Census, July 2016; https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045216/32,00#
3 Nevada Economic Analysis, Dept. of Commerce, March 2017; https://www.bea.gov/regional/bearfacts/pdf.cfm?fips=32000&areatype=STATE&geotype=3
4 US GDP per capita, World Bank, 2015; http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?locations=US
5 Unemployment Rate, Labor Statistics, March 2017; https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LASST320000000000005
6 GDP By State, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Feb 2017; https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/2017/pdf/qgsp0217.pdf
7 Wage and Salary Employment, Labor Statistics, April 2017; https://www.bls.gov/regions/west/nevada.htm
8 Nevada Largest Employers 2016, April 2016; http://azc.cc/1WhNDwL
9 Population Estimates Nevada Cities, Census, July 2016; https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk
