President’s Quarterly Report – October 2017
Dear Fellow Members,
As the weather starts to cool in Southern Nevada, NAIOP continues heating up and gaining steam as the final few months of 2017 are approaching with lots going on. The state of the organization is strong and firing on all cylinders like an engine. Membership has grown 15% year over year, a testament to the Programs and Education committees’ for their strong events with relevant and informative content. Not to mention the Membership committees’ recruitment efforts including fun social mixer events like the annual bowling tournament and Oktoberfest.
The Programs committee had an informative retail panel in August, just concluded and stellar panel on the Stadium and the Las Vegas Raiders, and is now focusing on the October program discussing Land.
The Education committee has its grand finale Members Only 2017 Economic Impact series which will be on October 6th and free to Members. This final event will be a workshop discussing economic impacts on local commercial real estate and the economy of the Strip – new projects, entertainment and the rise of Chinese tourism. The prior three events have been great successes which focused on the stadium / convention center additions, industrial revolution and medical breakthroughs.
NAIOP Government Affairs continues its efforts to identify policy that impacts the commercial real estate industry. It has become apparent that NAIOP’s vie to be a resource for elected officials and policy makers has continued to transpire and a number of organizations and municipalities have reached out for our input including Clark County, City of Henderson, City of Las Vegas to name a few, even NDOT. We hope to continue working together with local, state and federal policy makers in a concerted effort to foster economic growth and continue to make Southern Nevada a prosperous, attractive place to live and do business.
The NAIOP engine continues to rev up as the annual Bus Tour takes place November 2nd and will be The Greatest Show on Earth, or at least a terrific, fun opportunity to learn more about the market’s office, industrial, retail and mixed use developments. It’s at the Silverton Hotel this year in the Veil Pavilion which will make it convenient and easy to access all the fun from the buses. In addition to the bus tour, guided by market experts, there will be a buffet lunch, exhibits, games and a cocktail reception after with more games and exhibits.
The Community Service committee raised over $1,400 at the Annual Bowling Tournament which will be assimilated to the NAIOP umbrella of charities. The committee will soon hold its food & supply drive to benefit Helping Hands of Vegas Valley to help low-income seniors in the Valley. Donations can be brought to the October breakfast program. The holiday toy drive will be in conjunction with the annual member holiday luncheon, which will be held at the Four Seasons on December 14th.
Currently, there is a call for entries for the 2018 spotlight awards. This distinguished event recognizes and honors member firms’ achievements for project developments and also individuals with awards for their accomplishments in commercial real estate during the 2017 year. Make sure to submit your intent to enter and/or nomination for industry award by November 3rd. There is also an application workshop scheduled for November 15th to assist applicants in preparing their entry for the judging process.
Membership will have a “Maximize your Membership” meeting on November 16th and I would encourage all new members to attend this informative orientation to learn how to get involved in the organization and maximize the benefit of NAIOP membership.
The election committee has assembled a slate of candidates for the open positions on the 2018 NAIOP Southern Nevada Board of Directors. The ballet will soon be emailed out to the membership. It will be quick and easy to cast your votes so please take a moment to do so.
I’d like to congratulate the twenty-one Developing Leader members that were accepted into the 2018 DLI (Developing Leader Institute) class. They recently met for the first time at the DLI class orientation and will soon have their kickoff retreat up at Mount Charleston. Their acceptance into the program is an accomplishment to be proud of and I wish them all the best as they embark on the 2018 curriculum preparing them to further advance their careers in the commercial real estate industry.
In August the UNLV Lee Business School welcomed Vivek Sah, PhD, as the new director for the LIED Institute for Real Estate Studies. I have had the privilege to meet and talk with Dr. Sah several times since his arrival and am very encouraged with his plans to grow the real estate program at UNLV. NAIOP looks forward working with Dr. Sah to strengthen our relationship with UNLV and help accomplish the goal of growing the real estate program.
NAIOP CRE.Converge is taking place in Chicago October 9-12 and expecting 1,400 attendees from all across North America. Industry leaders will converge in Chicago for informative programs and speakers discussing the commercial real estate industry and emerging trends.
Finally, I’d like to say a special thank you to our Platinum Sponsors, The PENTA Building Group and Cox Business along with all of our 2017 President Circle sponsors. With your support we have been able to keep the NAIOP engine running strong and make significant contributions this year to benefit the commercial real estate industry.
Wishing you all continued success.
Jay Heller
Chapter President
NAIOP Southern Nevada
