[dynimagelv]

Originally Posted by SouthernSarah

Thank you I am quite excited to be taking this final journey. I figure I have 30-35 good years left. (I am 54) and I want to spend them in Las Vegas. Nine weeks and counting!

Sarah, You've survived the crap we give the noobies. There's just one more test to survive, then you can be a local... fully entitled to all the benefits [such as driving noobs insane] Unfortunately you may have to wait almost a year to pass this one A full summer with 115 degree temps

[dynimagelv]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

(Shhhhhhhhh. Batten, Barton, Durstine, & Osborn started in 1891 so I'm sure deys all dade.
David Olgilvy of Olgilvy & Mather, and The Olgilvy Group, was considered the father of advertising, except he wasn't even born when BBDO was started. He died in 1991.)

I wonder if the Avis, "We're number two, we try harder," campaign was his.

Maybe, with Macau now number one, that campaign might work for Las Vegas.

the brain drain thingie scrambled things a bit... but Yes...."O" mentioned Avis in the book....

[SouthernSarah]

Originally Posted by dynimagelv

Sarah, You've survived the crap we give the noobies. There's just one more test to survive, then you can be a local... fully entitled to all the benefits [such as driving noobs insane] Unfortunately you may have to wait almost a year to pass this one A full summer with 115 degree temps

note to self:
when you get to Vegas only look at rentals that have central air AND swamp coolers AND window air conditioners AND ceiling fans all within the same house. Do they make houses like that out there?

I accept your challenge, dynimagely
(secretly thankful I will have almost a year to prepare).

[dynimagelv]

its easy done the way you re doing it....by the time sumer rolls around you'll be ready for it...

[Wolfpacker]

Three years later, how do you think Vegas is doing? Also, what's with the buzz about Vegas becoming an activity for tech start-ups?

[ft_chief]

In a nutshell, Vegas is still recovering yet they are building again on the Strip.

[BBMW]

And the problem with this is???

It's not like because private investors are building resorts in what is the country's (if not the world's) premier resort corridor, people can't invest in other types of business in the metro area. Both types of investments are desirable.

Originally Posted by ft_chief

In a nutshell, Vegas is still recovering yet they are building again on the Strip.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by BBMW

And the problem with this is???

The problem with it is that we have now seen first-hand what happens when our one-trick-pony industry is hit with a recession. Growth is not an industry, no matter how much we'd like it to be.

We have also seen first hand what happens to this city when the average wage plummets. The housing crash wasn't so bad for the people who could tread water and keep making their payments. What really hurt was the tens of thousands of construction workers who were no longer cashing their locally-earned paychecks and pumping most of that money into the local economy. That's where the big shrink came from.

And while I'm glad that there are construction projects and that money is slowly priming our economic pump again, it would be far better if we had more jobs that paid in the $20-30 per hour range. We have seen first-hand that we cannot make Las Vegas work if everyone is underemployed at Wal*Mart or McDonald's and in need of SNAP cards.

[BBMW]

Growth may not be an industry, but gaming/hospitality is. We're not talking about residential development here. The casino industry survived what as a huge external insult (the economic crash.) There are still some walking wounded (Caesars (the company not the individual resort), and maybe MGM.) But the industry survived, and still drives the LV economy. It also seems the newer resorts do better than the older ones.

What causes problem is huge debt. If the new resorts can be built with at least a good chunk of the financing being equity, they'll be fine.

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

The problem with it is that we have now seen first-hand what happens when our one-trick-pony industry is hit with a recession. Growth is not an industry, no matter how much we'd like it to be.

We have also seen first hand what happens to this city when the average wage plummets. The housing crash wasn't so bad for the people who could tread water and keep making their payments. What really hurt was the tens of thousands of construction workers who were no longer cashing their locally-earned paychecks and pumping most of that money into the local economy. That's where the big shrink came from.

And while I'm glad that there are construction projects and that money is slowly priming our economic pump again, it would be far better if we had more jobs that paid in the $20-30 per hour range. We have seen first-hand that we cannot make Las Vegas work if everyone is underemployed at Wal*Mart or McDonald's and in need of SNAP cards.

We're not talking about building McDonald'ses. We're talking about new major resort complexes. It seems like the people working in major Strip resorts are doing fine. At least reasonable pay (for the type of work) and good benefits.

As for your $20-30 blue collar dollar jobs, unless it's for people with particular skills, that can't be replaced by automation, you're just not going to get those jobs created any more. Why should they when they can be done by machine or Chinese workers at a tenth the wage. You're talking pie in the sky.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by BBMW

As for your $20-30 blue collar dollar jobs, unless it's for people with particular skills, that can't be replaced by automation, you're just not going to get those jobs created any more. Why should they when they can be done by machine or Chinese workers at a tenth the wage. You're talking pie in the sky.

We were all very hopeful that Tesla would open their battery factory here in Las Vegas. There are still good jobs out there. But Las Vegas isn't attracting very much of that. This city has to make itself into the sort of place that people want to move to -- and not just for the low cost of living.