The new chief business development officer for the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance says Southern Nevada is well on its way to becoming a regional hub for burgeoning companies.
“If we’re successful, we’ll be thought of as the preferred destination for doing business in the Southwest U.S. within the industries we’re trying to grow here,” said Bill Arent, 51, who started in the position last month after working 25 years for the City of Las Vegas, much of it in economic development. “If we’re thought of that way, I know we can turn the corner, and I don’t think it will take 25 or 30 years.”
Target industries for the LVGEA—a public-private organization that helps attract businesses to the region—including advanced manufacturing, information technology, cybersecurity, renewable energy, transportation and logistics, and robotics.
The organization’s mission is to attract high-paying jobs to the greater Las Vegas region.
In his new role, Arent oversees the LVGEA’s business development team. He is tasked with using his relationship-building skills to help bolster the area’s reputation as a business hub.
While Las Vegas is an established tourist town, many economic strategists have pointed out the importance of the region to diversify economically.
“We’re looking at a five-to-seven-year time frame for where we’re going to be much more competitive,” Arent said. “We want to be a benchmark city that other peer cities point to.”
When it comes to recruiting, Arent said, he and his team will be aggressive and look regionally and nationally for companies that could be good fits.
“Certainly, we want to build on our gaming and hospitality base,” Arent said. “We also want to attract other industries. Because of our location and our business-friendly tax environment, we’ve been getting a lot of distribution companies and logistics companies. We want to attract more of those high-value, high-wage companies.”
Haas Automation, a California machine-making company that has invested heavily in a new Henderson campus, has been viewed as a success story in efforts to diversify the region’s economy.
The company’s under-construction facility in west Henderson represents the type of noncasino employer that Arent and his team would like to continue to attract.
Recently, it was announced that two companies— Kodiak Trucking and manufacturing firm Wilen Vegas—plan to add a combined 275 jobs in the Las Vegas area over the next two years.
Wilen is expanding an existing manufacturing facility, while Kodiak plans to relocate its corporate headquarters to North Las Vegas.
The LVGEA provided support for both initiatives, according to the organization.
Arent also pointed to recent news that a company called Redwood Materials, a lithium battery recycling firm based in Carson City, received more than $100 million in tax abatements from the state after it announced a $1.1 billion capital investment. Redwood plans to build a facility in Storey County.
“That’s a major industry that is located throughout Nevada,” Arent said. “We have a lot of battery manufacturing in Southern Nevada, which has been here for a while, so we want to attract businesses that support supply chains in that industry and other businesses.”
Arent said economic diversification is vital as the area continues to mature.
“It’s imperative,” he said. “If we have higher incomes in the region, there’s more spending in the local economy, and those gaming and hospitality companies are better supported by the base of people living here. It’s good for everyone in our community.”
Arent made the jump to the LVGEA, in large part because of the organization’s leadership, he said. In February, it announced former Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada CEO Tina Quigley as its president and CEO.
When Quigley hired Arent, she referred to him as “the perfect fit to lead the next iteration of the LVGEA’s business development efforts.”
Betsy Fretwell, an executive at Switch and chairwoman of the LVGEA’s board of directors, also spoke highly of him.
“Thanks to Bill’s many years of leadership in economic development for the city of Las Vegas, he has developed robust relationships with the region’s stakeholders, local municipalities and the business community,” Fretwell said.
Arent earned a master’s degree in public administration from UNLV, an institution he said will play a large role in helping to attract businesses and people to Las Vegas.
“My wife has her bachelor’s from UNLV, and my oldest daughter is now a freshman at UNLV,” Arent said. “Look, with UNLV, we have a Tier One research university, which is huge. I see it as my job and my agency’s job to make sure those graduates coming out of UNLV have good jobs here so they don’t have to leave the market. I love this community, and I’m excited to continue to help move this community forward.”
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