Fremont Street Experience executive leaving post

Jeff Victor is ready to leave behind the buskers, ziplines and deep-fried Twinkies.

But he insists he won't be going far.

The longest-serving head of the Fremont Street Experience announced on Wednesday that he's looking for a different career direction.

Victor, the gaming and entertainment district's chairman, president and general manager, said he'll move on in late September after nearly a decade with the organization.

"I've been here nine and a half years, and I've worked very closely with these bosses," Victor said late Wednesday. "The way these things transpire, you have some conversations about what's next for everyone involved. This is a good time for me to move on, and I'm looking forward to what I'm moving onto."

Victor said he has another job lined up, but his new employer has not yet announced his position, and he's leaving it to them to share news of his hiring.

Asked if he'll be working with any companies affiliated with Fremont Street Experience, he said: "I'm not going far from home. This next opportunity is going to allow me to take all of the things I learned over the last decade or so and keep them really close to the neighborhood."

The statement from Fremont Street Experience LLC called Victor's resignation a "planned departure." It takes effect at the end of September.

When asked about the timeline on a search for Victor's replacement, criteria for candidates and any new direction the next president should take, a spokeswoman for Fremont Street Experience said the entity would have no further comment beyond its Wednesday statement.

The private company manages a five-block pedestrian mall that runs along Fremont Street from Main Street to Las Vegas Boulevard. Its board of managers is made up of representatives from its eight member hotel-casinos: Binions, California, the D Las Vegas, Four Queens, Fremont, Golden Gate, Golden Nugget and Main Street Station.

Board members including representatives of Boyd Gaming and Golden Gate didn't respond to requests for comment.

Victor came to the Fremont Street Experience from local, live theatrical producer On Stage Entertainment, where he was chief operating officer and president. His experience has included operations and entertainment positions in theme park and casino industries in New Orleans, Reno, Atlantic City and Biloxi, Miss.

In the statement announcing his departure, Victor pointed to notable successes along Fremont Street, including "rebranding and repositioning the venue, increasing the quantity and quality of nightly entertainment, expanding the number of permanent stages to three, creating a new direction for the Viva Vision programing and the launch of reoccurring special events."

He also mentioned the district's popular SlotZilla zipline, which marked its first anniversary on Aug. 31.

The attraction, which Victor was one of the first people to ride, has outperformed its budgeted ridership and revenue goals, he said.

Under Victor's tenure, the Fremont Street Experience expanded its market share to include 36 percent of the city's 41 million annual tourists.

But there's been controversy as well.

In 2013, Mermaids Casino owner Steve Burnstine sued the city of Las Vegas and Fremont Street Experience members, alleging that Victor denied Burnstine the right to set up a permanent bar in front of Mermaids, even as Victor let the Golden Gate open a pop-up bar across from Mermaids.

The case was largely resolved in April 2014, when the city of Las Vegas approved an ordinance allowing up to two bars outside any gaming establishments along Fremont Street Experience.

More recently, visitors have lodged growing complaints with city officials regarding increasing numbers of street performers and costumed characters, and the attendant jump in fights and aggressive solicitation of tips. City Attorney Brad Jerbic told the City Council in August that he hears frequently from visitors who said they feel unsafe and won't come back or bring their children downtown.

The council is weighing rules that would limit how close performers could get to each other and to stages during concerts.

To find its next leader, the board of the Fremont Street Experience said it has retained executive search firm Wurster Partners Ltd. of Illinois to identify and evaluate candidates.

Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512. Find @J_Robison1 on Twitter.