Entrepreneur trades in Silicon Valley for life at The Ogden

Matthew Willis spent decades as a corporate business mogul traveling the world, and for the past 15 years, he and his family has called Silicon Valley home sweet home. But in March, he traded in his California lifestyle for the glitz and glamour of downtown Las Vegas and purchased a penthouse at The Ogden.

Willis recognized Las Vegas' thriving environment for small business owners, and in June 2014, he launched an online company called OneClick Cleaners, an innovative service that allows customers to arrange pickup, delivery and real-time tracking of their dry cleaning garments.

"I've kept a close eye on Las Vegas for a couple years, and when we launched OneClick, I started looking at the bigger picture and thinking about what I wanted for my family's future," Willis said. "My wife and I never really considered a condominium, but we knew that location was important. The last thing we wanted was to buy a home hidden away in the suburbs, with very little sense of community and culture."

During the planning stages of his company, Willis spent months traveling between northern California and Las Vegas to kick off the business. He often stayed at downtown hot spots including El Cortez and Downtown Grand, which opened his eyes to the area's high energy and friendly atmosphere.

"When The Ogden started converting its apartment homes back to condominiums last winter, we jumped at the opportunity and approached the sales team immediately," he said. "And because we came to The Ogden at such an opportune time, we had many floor plans to choose from. We went with the penthouse because of its views and proximity to the rooftop pool."

While Willis' wife and daughter still live in the Bay Area, his wife, Merian, plans to move to Las Vegas after their youngest daughter leaves home for college next year. In the meantime, Willis is enjoying the convenience of having so many shops and restaurants right at his doorstep.

"I'm at Itsy Bitsy restaurant at least once a week," he shared. "After a hard day at work, there's nothing like a cold beer and the company of good people."

Homes at The Ogden range from a one-bedroom, 815-square-foot residence for $229,000 to a three-bedroom plus den 2,044-square-foot home for $629,000. Residences feature a modern design aesthetic in keeping with the architecture and the lifestyle vibe, private balconies and expansive views of downtown Las Vegas, The Strip and the mountains that frame the valley.

The Ogden's single-story, open floor plans offer flex spaces that can serve as a home office, den or yoga room, extra bedrooms for accommodating multi-generational family and guests, and spacious windows that fill interiors with natural light.

For more information, visit The Ogden's onsite sales center at 150 Las Vegas Blvd. N. or online at Ogdenlv.com.