ML - Vegas Magazine

2014 - Issue 3 - May/June 11th Anniversary

Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.

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ceiling. Is this an outdated conversation? Goodman: Except for salaries. That's still an issue today across the board, even if you own your own business. If you go into a male- dominated profession, you still are dealing more specifically with the salary differential. Lee: One thing [about this community] is its accessibility. It's not a blue-blood community, where it matters what your family's last name is. I moved here 20 years ago from Boston, grew up in Ohio, and I feel like I could walk into any room and have a voice in any conversation on any level. That is a great aspect of the power sharing in Las Vegas: You don't have to buy your way in; you can just show up. Morton: Since I've come here—and it's been about 10 years—I've felt the same way that Susie does. Las Vegas in many ways is the greatest city on earth, but it's still a ball of potential, so we're aspirational. You come with a job to do, and you're embraced because there's always more to get done. After-School All-Stars has a program called CEO, where children can visit CEOs' offices. This year the program is entirely populated by young women. And the girls see themselves as CEOs. They come in prepared and they ask the most intuitive questions. The funny thing is, last fall all the CEOs they were meeting with were men, so we sat down and said, "Wait a minute. Let's give them role models they can identify with." They just had a meeting with Alexandra Epstein [executive vice president and partner at El Cortez Hotel & Casino]. DIVERSIFYING THE ECONOMY AND EDUCATION We are the home to some big businesses— Zappos and Switch, for example—and we're looking for tax incentives for the film industry. Are we doing enough? Goodman: We have the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which has been trying to get direct flights to Las Vegas from other countries for a long time, at least 20 years. With the medical industry, we are trying to identify better health- care. Not only are we talking about the film industry and IT, but we now have a burgeoning fashion industry. Plus, we're bringing back the farming we used to have, and even hydroponics. Our nonprofits are getting stronger and stronger. Fretwell: We've got all of these cool things going on downtown, where you have these coworking spaces, and one person has a new idea for a business and they're sitting next to somebody who's working in the fashion industry, and all of a sudden this cross- pollination happens and something new gets designed out of it, and then the 3 -D printer gets involved and it's powered by Switch. Ruvo: Even in the healthcare industry, they want to come here. I can speak for Cleveland Clinic in that they have an interest in a much larger presence. Goodman: One thing to add is the cross- generational development of new business. The Symphony Park area appeals to all the genera- tions, so that's what makes it a fabulous time to come up with these new ideas that our entire state does look to. I mean, there's no state income tax, there's no corporate tax, there's no estate tax. How phenomenal! Not too many states can say that. Lee: I hate to be the Debbie Downer here, but I'm going to be. One out of 10 freshmen in high school will graduate with a postsecondary degree in 10 years, so until we as a state become serious about education, we're shooting ourselves in the foot with regard to economic diversification. We may attract with a quality tax system, but our ability to retain businesses and OPPOSITE PAGE: Punam Mathur. BELOW: Host venue Vintner Grill, sequestered as it is in an office park in Summerlin, is a favorite dining spot of Vegas's power brokers, with more than 400 wine selections, including bottles from some of the city's top wine-making sommeliers. vglasvegas.com VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 129 126-131_V_F_Roundtable_MAYJUNE_14.indd 129 4/21/14 5:14 PM

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