Ten years ago, Premier Displays and Exhibits founder and CEO Chris Bullard concedes, he wouldn’t have considered moving his company’s headquarters to Las Vegas. But he says he has been impressed with the “can-do” attitude throughout this community, a critical asset for a business owner.
“I think a lot of people have the wrong impression of what Las Vegas is all about,” Bullard said. “There are so many opportunities in Las Vegas other than gambling. I think Las Vegas has really stepped up in the last 10 years. The city is clean, there’s some amazing new developments going up, and I think it’s a kinder environment.”
Bullard purchased land just north of Blue Diamond Road and South Jones Boulevard, and recently broke ground on a 100,000-square-foot office, production and storage facility. He said he hopes to have his company’s operations, now based in Cypress, California, up and running in Las Vegas before the end of the year.
Along with creating exhibits for conventions and trade shows, Premier Displays designs storefronts, corporate showrooms and exhibits for private events. The company already has a contract with the Vegas Golden Knights to create a broadcast space at City National Arena in Summerlin.
Bullard said the move to Las Vegas will put the company’s headquarters in position to host some of the biggest conventions and trade shows in the world such as CES, which draws more than 170,000 annually. Las Vegas also offers a better tax environment and a good quality of life for employees, he said.
“The people in Las Vegas are incredible, and the opportunities are incredible,” Bullard said. “With all the regulations and taxes in California, it’s causing me to not be competitive, and it’s a very competitive business that I’m in. The tax environment in Nevada is much, much better.”
Bullard has had a home in the Las Vegas Valley for the past five years and has been traveling back and forth between here and Orange County, California, he said. “Living in Las Vegas, you’re 30 minutes from [Lake Mead] and you’re 30 minutes from skiing at Mount Charleston. You can go hiking or biking at Red Rock Canyon. There’s so much to do; it’s an incredible place to live,” he said.
The new headquarters will employ about 50 people at an average wage of about $30 an hour, Bullard said. He plans to bring about a dozen workers to Las Vegas from Southern California, but says the rest of the positions will be filled here. The company received incentives to relocate from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
Premier Displays—which has worked on projects for such companies as Skechers, Under Armour and Nike—will keep a presence in California during a transition period but will eventually house all headquarters operations in Las Vegas.
The general contractor for the new Premier Displays headquarters will be local firm Modern Elements Construction.