Why are businesses falling in love with Las Vegas?
Famed as the world’s entertainment capital, Las Vegas has for some time been carving itself a reputation as a serious center of commerce in the U.S.A. Located in Nevada, which in 2017 was voted the top state to do business within the Western U.S., Las Vegas has been luring both established tech companies and ambitious startups from a variety of industries to set down roots here. Making good on its promise to diversify its economy away from the gaming, tourism, and convention industry, Las Vegas today boasts over 1 million workers and some 56,000 employer businesses, of which some 245,800 workers are employed in the city’s core gaming and tourism industry.
Las Vegas: much more than slot machines and showgirls.
Since its inception in 2013, Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, along with other organizations, has been focused on Las Vegas’ economic diversification. Leveraging the business-friendliness of the state which has a very low-regulation environment, a streamlined licensing and approval processes, and a favorable tax environment for business and industry, the Alliance has set its sights on attracting businesses and talent from a number of target sectors including:
- Finance, Banking and Insurance
- Business Headquarters and Services
- Destination Healthcare and Medical Services
- Logistics, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management
- Emerging Technology
And their strategy is working, with many companies falling for the city’s charms including:
- e-Retail giant Zappos
- Airline Allegiant
- Rimini Street, provider of 3rd party software support for Oracle and SAP
- Datacenter leader Switch
- Content creation platform, Textbroker
And exciting startups including:
- Pigeonly, a new service that makes it quick and easy to communicate to incarcerated loved ones.
- Influential, the leading technology platform that connects brands with audiences via transparent data and machine learning.
- Software engineering pioneers, Eleks
Development and Revitalization
As well as financial and support incentives, Las Vegas is investing in its environment, local and business communities with programs such as the Downtown Project which has raised $350m towards the revitalization of parts of Downtown Las Vegas into “a hub of inspiration, entrepreneurial energy, creativity, innovation, prosperity, and discovery.”
Las Vegas has also established its Innovation District a center for testing groundbreaking technologies, such as self-driving vehicles, to encourage and attract tech companies of all kinds.
Moreover, The City of Las Vegas’ Economic and Urban Development Department is breathing new life into a number of the city’s unique districts including:
- Symphony Park, the center of Las Vegas art and culture,
- The Las Vegas Medical District, a collaborative effort between the city of Las Vegas and the downtown Las Vegas medical and health care community, and home to Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas, Desert Radiologists, University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Dental Medicine, and Valley Hospital Medical Center, and,
- Enterprise Park, a 75-acre mixed-use business park that offers many attractive features.
Energy, Community, and High Salaries Are Wins for Women Entrepreneurs
Vegas’ sense of community is one of the characteristics winning over female entrepreneurs, as came to light when Las Vegas was ranked second in Fundera’s 2020 survey of Best City for Women Entrepreneurs in the USA.
e-Commerce business owner, Kortney Olson talked of Las Vegas’ “energy and buzz,” before adding “Vegas cares. You come and you just get a sense that people are about the community and they want to help.”
Even more appealing, the survey found that women-owned businesses in Las Vegas, […] tend to earn about twice as much as male-owned businesses.”
Las Vegas Means Business
Las Vegas’ credentials as a tech hub have significantly grown over the last decade to make it an exciting, inclusive, and liberating place to do business. For business owners who want to enjoy the freedom of flexible working, SaGE Workspace offers virtual office services as well as high-quality, on-demand meeting and office space just 10 minutes from Las Vegas’ International Innovation Center and the Arts District. Check out www.sageworkspace.com for prices and availability.