Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
StumbleWith small booth, a new push to lure out-of-state companies
Matthew Schissler, chairman and CEO of Cord Blood America Inc., last fall moved the business to Las Vegas from Santa Monica, Calif.
Saturday, June 19, 2010 | 2 a.m.
The Las Vegas Convention Center booth is a partnership of the Nevada Development Authority and the Convention and Visitors Authority.
Sun Coverage
Sun archives
Matthew Schissler used to ponder moving his company to Las Vegas during his long drives from Southern California to the Las Vegas Convention Center, where he frequently attended trade shows.
The chairman and CEO of Cord Blood America Inc. was back at the Convention Center again this month. But this time, he was Exhibit A for a new Las Vegas Convention Center booth aimed at recruiting out-of-staters to set up shop in Nevada.
The booth, targeting conventioneers, is a partnership between the Nevada Development Authority and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. It has a potential audience of more than 1.5 million travelers who visit the Convention Center every year — people like Schissler.
If the booth had been in place a couple of years ago, Las Vegas might have snagged one of the largest umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation companies in the nation sooner than it did.
Schissler opened his 17,000-square-foot business near McCarran International Airport last fall after moving his cryogenics and stem cell lab and executive offices from Santa Monica, Calif.
Development authority President and CEO Somer Hollingsworth’s unbridled cheerleading for Southern Nevada, and convention authority President and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter’s constant reminder that “Las Vegas means business” might come across as being a little over the top. Put them next to Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and his showgirls with hundreds of conventioneers at the Convention Center and it’s easy to dismiss the whole thing as a big publicity stunt.
But get someone such as Schissler to spread the word about how and why he moved to Las Vegas and the message resonates.
“It made a lot of sense for me to be here because I was coming here at least once a month to meet with some of these companies at trade shows,” he said. “For us, it was great because we have easy access to the airport and (shipping materials) in and out of here is so easy.”
Now Schissler is hoping to help develop a biotechnology incubator program to attract similar companies to the state.
The new booth at the Convention Center is a 16-by-8-foot space with three video monitors playing fast-paced loops of scenes of Southern Nevadans at work and at play. In the center is a sign boasting that Las Vegas has the “best business climate in the U.S.”
Schissler praised the development authority for steering him to the state incentives that enabled Cord Blood to get tax abatements and deferrals for moving to Nevada. A representative of the Nevada Economic Development Commission, which operates the incentive program, was at the recent rollout of the booth.
It made its debut during the three-day International Communications Association’s Infocomm 2010 trade show, which expected attendance of about 32,000 people.
The development authority expects to put four of its workers at the booth at any given time. The beauty of having a booth is that if a company has an interest in the area, the development authority can drive executives out to see whatever they need to look at if it helps them make a decision.
So why didn’t the development and convention authorities collaborate on such a thing long ago?
The answer lies in today’s tougher economic times. Glenn Christenson, who heads the development authority’s board, said when times were good, there wasn’t as much urgency to recruit companies to move to Southern Nevada. Hard times have proved that the area has to diversify its economy with businesses that have nothing to do with gaming or tourism to protect it from downturns.
Christenson said in today’s environment, every new company helps. The same attitude prevails at McCarran, where Aviation Director Randall Walker used to have some disdain for passengers who connected to other flights in Las Vegas because they didn’t spend any time or money at the city’s resorts. But today, he acknowledges that every passenger is valuable because he or she contributes at least something to the tax base.
The development authority says it has found California to be fertile ground for luring businesses because of its high taxes and overbearing regulatory environment. The development authority is well known in California for advertising to persuade executives to give Nevada a look.
But if the development authority has a no-rent booth at the Convention Center and someone such as Schissler to make a pitch, it may not need to advertise much.
Schissler even has some advice for cold-climate-based companies that could benefit from some sunshine: “When it’s raining sideways and it’s 30 degrees, it’s time to call the Nevada Development Authority,” he said.
A version of this story appears in this week’s In Business Las Vegas, a sister publication of the Sun.
Discussion: comments so far…
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy. Additionally, we now display comments from trusted commenters by default. Those wishing to become a trusted commenter need to verify their identity or sign in with Facebook Connect to tie their Facebook account to their Las Vegas Sun account. For more on this change, read our story about how it works and why we did it.
Only trusted comments are displayed on this page. Untrusted comments have expired from this story.
No trusted comments have been posted.
Post a comment
Most Popular
- Viewed
- Discussed
- E-mailed
- Motorcycle accident claims life of man in northeast valley
- Jerry Tarkanian: Mike Moser impresses yet again on a day to remember former Rebel greats
- Investigators seek answers to Houston’s death
- Photos: The late, great Whitney Houston is the soundtrack of my life
- Pre-Grammy gala celebrates Whitney Houston’s life
- Grammy Awards struggle with honoring Whitney Houston
- Photos: Lauren Conrad celebrates her 26th birthday at Hyde Bellagio
- Israel’s president sends message of peace to Iran
- Man charged in plot to kill Utah governor
- List of Grammy winners in select major categories
Blogs
The Kats Report
Color from scene at Thomas & Mack: We have a wire job! Rebels win, and Louie Armstrong sings!
South Point owner Michael Gaughan's take on 'Vegas Stripped': 'I'll give it an 8' (4 Comments)
Author relishes writing the life story of ‘larger-than-life’ Oscar Goodman (3 Comments)
Elsewhere
Landowner: All roads could lead to Uxbridge casino
Revel reveals smoke-free casino opening
Cirque du Soleil show in Sands China casino to close this month
Meet the woman behind Sheldon Adelson
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
about every 9 months there's another p.r. push to get companies here and it always seems to never produce much.
when companies look at poor schools + high crime + lack of college graduates, they figure it's a lateral move at best to move to las vegas.
how come they didn't do this long time ago not just recently. they are behind of the time
Next they will be using a stall at the airport, then handbills at the corner of Sahara.
try dealing with immigration to bring your business over, it is a nightmare.. when will the government learn, that sometimes you need money from abroad too.
Ah come on Steve, you always look forward to pissing and moaning about Vegas.
For crime it's not much better or worse then any other major city. You want low crime move to Lincoln, NE. How many would follow?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stat...
I doubt there is a lack of college graduates with the high unemployment. Besides how many companies really try to staff with the highest trained people if the job does require it? More often the goal is cheap low skilled workers.
Street advisor data:
Bachelor's Degree 21.7%
Advanced Degree 8.1%
Or you could go to California:
Corporations looking to relocate, or even establish, a business in the West may shy away from California, as the state's 8.84% flat rate is the highest corporate tax rate in the West. Nationally, only 7 states have a higher top corporate tax rate than California. In 2008, state-level corporate tax collections (excluding local taxes) in California were $325 per capita, which ranked 6th highest nationally.
Active1 is way off. Less than 1/2 percent of California business leave the state. Right now most boom industry jobs are coming to California. Of course CA has challenges right now, but Necada is no threat.
Nevada has has low taxes for decades and it does not attract a diverse economy. Companies are reducing expensive labor in markets like LA,NY, and Chicago and moving them OUT of the U.S.
Nevada has no mass transit. There is not enough quality infrastructure. The push is going abroad now, not going to a desert and providing healthcare to overweight smokers.
http://www.epodunk.com/top10/collegeDipl...
percent of college degrees...
nevada = 21.2
alabama = 22.7 (since liberals hate the south)
nebraska = 26.8 (since you brought it up)
california = 29.8
where do you want to move your tech business?
thus endeth the lesson. i love las vegas, but the chickens have come home and it's obvious that the once endless river of easy tourism money is over and instead of the mayor focusing on a stadium, he should focus on trade schools, medical schools, etc.
HEY SUN,
Why doesn't Hollingsworth park his TAX-PAID-FOR 'business booth'
OUTSIDE ZAPPOS.COM's OFFICES (y'know, the one's they maybe rent from YOU)
SINCE *THEIR BILLION DOLLAR WAREHOUSE* IS IN
KENTUCKY,
huh? howza 'bout it...?
Maybe this big-time Mr. "pom-pom" Hollingsworth's 'business booth' can meet up with good ol' Tony Hsieh and AMAZON....?
Free 'Culture Book' anyone...........
I recently moved my businesses to Vegas (from CA & CO). There are plenty of college grads here, and plenty more who want to move here in case we couldn't find them. This market, for entrepreneurs, means fantastic office rental rates, great housing prices, and reasonable wages (though, being high tech, we still have to be competitive with other states). Our datacenter is still in CA, but otherwise the infrastructure in Vegas is great (other than a lack of international flights, which is certainly being addressed).
It seems to me the biggest challenge is that Vegas biz-dev folks are old-school and looking for labor intensive co's. That'll just not happen, given that Vegas is considered a union town. You can decry the loss of jobs to lower labor cost markets, but all the discussion and screaming in the world won't fix the cities problems. The labor situation here won't change, and those businesses are not going to come here regardless of tax rates or infrastructure. So shift the focus to high-tech, bio and other white collar businesses. They may not employ 1,000 people per small business, but a lot of small businesses can add up to a big recovery.
We love it here. And as this article points out, everyone comes to Vegas (so we, as a business, can travel less and enjoy being home with our family instead of on the road).
Bob List, and Kenny Giunn did nothing to diversify the Nevada economy. That's when the diversification should have started, but they were (and are in is the case of List) in the pocket of entrenched special interests.
Health care is important to employers and employees. Thanks to the Republican talk radio crowd (Stock, Harris, Warp and Wayne), the libertarian loonies, and the right wing stink tanks in town, we have a health care system that is typified by cheap Republican doctors who won't let a doctor change out of a uniform if it is stained with fecal material because it will cost an extra $5.
So much for the private sector medical care.
HEY Kasidie:
I'VE READ YOUR POSTS, BABY.
Just WHAT kind of business did you move here...?
Here's a quote from one of your recent posts:
--
Posted on: Henderson places stricter regulations on massage parlors
"...Goodbye civil liberties, hello Henderson...."
--
Tell me, which category is your 'business' in?
Gambling, booze, cigarettes, divorce, or whores?
WHAT HAPPENED, COOKIE? YOU MOVED HERE (sans your datacenter) 'CAUSE IT GOT TOO HOT FOR YOU IN CALI AND COLO........?
stevem, I agree with most of your comments HOWEVER, the endless money from tourism isn't over, it's just trickling slower down the path due to people watching their money more closely.
We got one hell of a wake up call and that alarm was and still is loud!!!
If people want to move their business here, move here, but you should have to pay taxes just like everyone else to do business here.
LMFAO - Good catch Wizard - good one for sure :)
We don't need any stinkin booths.
One call does it all and Harry Reid brings the bucks home.
Well, that's what his ads say and Harry doesn't lie.....
The city can use the illegal aliens on The Strip to hand out the porn cards in one hand and Nevada Develpment Authority flyers in the other.
Oh and kasidie.com is registered in... Colorado and Las Vegas. Coincidence? Here is what the whois database search reveals...
Registrant:
Kasidie Entertainment, LLC
Las Vegas, NV 89173
US
Domain Name: kasidie.com
Kasidie Entertainment, LLC
Denver, CO 80217
US
That was a great call LostWages. I wonder why Kasidie needs college grads like he says.....sounds like maybe he needs college kids to strip and perform on DVD so they can pay their tuition. I can't see why this company would need high end talent. If this company is the same as the one you provide from the Internet database, I wonder why they left California where the San Fernando Valley is the port capital of the world...it's set up for the DVD production, on screen talent and processing.
It's a swingers dating/meet website, not porn etc. Like a localized version of adultfriendfinder.com. I'm not dissing what they are doing but dating websites aren't going to make an economy. They need the higher-skilled talent to run and develop the website. Lol I've been in IT for over 12 years, wonder if they'd hire me :-)
Don't get me wrong, I don't care what people do as long as long as they aren't harming anyone directly.....victimless crimes so to speak. IT and web development can be done from anywhere in the world so I am not sure why they need any highly educated talent locally.
Maybe they are being more 'hands on' to the development. I've worked with a lot of people in India before and they always say 'Yes we can do that' even when they can't. Also much better to be local for customer service and so forth. Customer service for a small local company is critical, especially since they are catering primarily to the local/regional market.
Lol now they are deleting my comments, I wonder why? I didn't say anything bad about anyone, didn't use foul language, no personal attacks...
Expedia just announced it's adding over a hundred jobs. If and when we get SLEAZE Harry out of office we can add thousands more ( Technicians ,information systems ,brokerage houses ,solar , and more. We have great pluses like reasonable housing, good private schools, great weather,No state tax.With good leadership we can turn things around!
Here's my take on why this area has not diversified.
1. Casinos do not want it... and they run they show.
2. I am not going to relocate my manufactoring company with low paid, poorly educated assembly workers to Vegas when I have to compete with $60K doorman, and valet parking jobs.
In the early 1980s Vegas could have implemented a plan to attract companies that did not compete with casinos for workers. High tech industry is a good exmaple. They use educated workers that would not even consider opening doors or parking cars for a living. If the local workforce did not have those skills, the companines would have imported workers from other states.
But it was easier for local leaders to ignore the need to diversify the economy for the long run and take the easy money from casinos and strip clubs. Now they want to turn it around overnight. Sorry, you can't ignore something for 30 years and pull a solution out of your %#& just like that.
Good comments here. So, how do we reconcile, with such a 'powerful' NV leader in the Senate, yet a President (same party) who scoffs at companies spending in LV? Makes no sense to me. Time for 'change'....only this time the 'RIGHT' change, eh?
ronster makes a really good point.
one of the last few large parcels of land that could be used to build a large factory or trade school or solar plant, etc. is right there at st. rose and las vegas blvd.
it's zoned for a casino.
do you think there is any way that land would ever NOT be zoned for a casino?
if you went to court to fight it, most of the judges in this town have taken campaign money FROM casinos.
and if the "sPun" was a real newspaper, they'd be doing stories on it.
They should attract more businesses out here in Clark county. If you drive around the city you will notice tons of vacant lots. There is still a lot of land left out here. Once all the land gets filled in; the city will be so vibrant and alive. Incomes will be higher and land values will soar!
By the Limbaughciles' logic, all the businesses from Oregon should be moving to Reno. taint happening.