Revitalization of downtown expected to lead job creation in 2012

One of the more problematic issues job seekers in Las Vegas face is the fact that they must compete with each other for limited employment opportunities.

However, as new businesses begin to open in Las Vegas, new jobs are created, which means more people can go to work without having to compete in an already tight job market. As a hot spot for tourism, it is often new attractions that offer these opportunities.

In the past couple years, several new attractions have opened in Las Vegas that created new jobs including the Fremont Street Flightlinez and Dig This, the heavy equipment playground located at 3012 S. Rancho Drive.

Several other Las Vegas attractions are expected to open in late 2011 and early 2012, creating more career opportunities for job seekers.

The Nevada State Museum, which reopened Oct. 28, was originally located at Lorenzi Park, but the museum outgrew its facility and created a partnership with the Springs Preserve, where it is now located.

"It was thought that placing the state museum there would benefit both the museum and the Springs Preserve in their efforts to attract new and expanded audiences," said Peter D. Barton, administrator of the Nevada Division of Museums and History.

The mission of the museum has been and continues to be to inspire and educate the public about the history and natural history of Nevada. The museum employs a staff of 19 part-time employees who are supplemented by four employees from the Springs Preserve, Barton said. Six people were hired with the expansion of the museum.

At 5225 Wynn Road, Wild West Guns has been on the verge of opening for several weeks, said Jim West, owner of the company. The company, which originates in Alaska, is opening a Las Vegas branch to help reach existing and new customers, West said.

"Wild West Guns is a custom gunsmith shop, and we also manufacture aftermarket parts for firearms," he said. "We build custom guns, we do repair and restoration of guns, we're a working repair center for most brands, and we buy, sell, and trade high-quality firearms."

Wild West Guns also has a showroom open to the public. "I tell people we're kind of like the Orange County Choppers of the firearms industry," West said.

"Being in Alaska, it's hard for our customers to reach us," he said. "In the past, the only access our customers outside of Alaska had to us was through trade shows and conventions that we would attend.

"Other than those trade shows we had no accessibility to our customers unless they came to Alaska to see our products, so we were looking for a location where we could have the most exposure and the easiest access for our customers to see our products because they are custom products."

West chose an existing building for Wild West Guns on Wynn Road because the business had to be in an area zoned for manufacturing, but he also wanted it to be within a five-minute cab ride from the Strip. The business also required a building that could be secured for firearms, he said.

During the remodeling of the building, West said he has employed contractors working on electrical and mechanical issues, sheetrock, heating and air conditioning, and flooring.

"We've had quite a crew here," he said. "I would conservatively say we've employed 50 people."

West said he has struggled to open his business in Las Vegas for several weeks.

"Quite honestly, Clark County along with its subsidiaries have made it very difficult to get this door open with their procedures and their policies. I think a lot of what they have going on was implemented back when things were really booming and so they put all these policies in place that just eat up a lot of time," he said. "It makes it exceedingly difficult to open a business here. If we were in Alaska, this door would have been open six weeks ago."

Nonetheless, once Wild West Guns is open, West said he will be initially hiring about a dozen people and will eventually bring on between 25 and 30 people.

"We have hired some people, but we are still looking for more people," he said. "What we're looking for are gun counter salespeople, gunsmiths, machinists and someone to do design and programming."

West said people who are interested in working for Wild West Guns can send in letters of interest with resumes through the company's website at www.wildwestguns.com.

Right down the street, housed in Circus Circus, is The Chuck Jones Experience, one of the newest attractions on the Strip. The experience is expected to open Dec. 1 of this year with a soft opening, said Kim Sudhalter, a spokesperson for the attraction.

It features rare, original art from the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity and drawing and art classes led by teaching artists. More than 20 people will be hired for The Chuck Jones Experience in mid-November to fill open positions, she said.

The revitalization of downtown Las Vegas is likely to be one of the most robust job creation projects in 2012. According to the city of Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency, at least 55 businesses were developed during the 2011 fiscal year. Completed projects generated 1,240 construction jobs and 512 permanent jobs, and projects under construction during the fiscal year will result in 3,145 construction jobs and 1,724 permanent jobs.

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement (known as The Mob Museum), both located in downtown, will together add hundreds of jobs both directly and indirectly to Las Vegas.

The Smith Center, which is being built at 361 Symphony Park Ave., includes three performance venues, an education facility, classrooms and additional multipurpose rooms. According to the attraction's website, performing arts centers have been an effective tool for downtown revitalization in cities across the country.

During the construction of the facility, more than 3,000 people have been employed to date, according to press materials. Once it opens, there will be a full staff at The Smith Center that ranges from executive staff to ticket takers, bartenders and event employees.

It is expected to open March 10, 2012. In addition, The Lied Discovery Children's Museum will relocate to the Smith Center as the Discovery Children's Museum in late 2012.

The Mob Museum, located at 300 Stewart Ave., in a historic former federal courthouse and United States Post Office building, is expected to open Feb. 14, 2012.

It is directly and indirectly employing 227 people during the current construction process, according to press materials. Once open, it will directly employ approximately 60 to 65 people, said Jonathan Ullman, executive director of the attraction. Between 30 and 35 of these people will be full-time employees, and the equivalent of 20 or 25 full-time positions will be created through hiring part-time employees, he said.

The company is currently hiring for specific positions as needed using print advertising and by targeting industry-specific websites to recruit the right candidates, Ullman said.

"There are many local community organizations that we're trying to develop relationships with so that we can get the word out about our positions," he said. "The Mob Museum is a nonprofit organization with an educational mission, and we believe strongly in being a part of the community," Ullman said. "We're trying to create a culture at this organization that is dynamic and progressive where people are passionate about our mission and being a part of this exciting time for downtown Las Vegas, and we really want to build a team that is reflective of the community and is an inclusive work environment.

"At some point closer to the new year or just after the new year, we will be looking for many of the operationally oriented positions that will require larger numbers of people," Ullman said.

"We'll be looking for host staff that work in the exhibit spaces, special events staff that can work when we host private events and parties at night, security guards, building engineers, housekeeping staff, box office staff and guest relations employees," he said.

"There will be positions for people that are working full-time exclusively at The Mob Museum, but then this is also a venue where someone might have a second job in the evenings or on weekends, and that would work out fine as well."

Open positions are also listed on The Mob Museum's website and posted on its Facebook fan page, and job seekers should check those sources for information regarding job openings and hiring fairs, he said.

Though Ullman said he couldn't predict seasonality of the attraction, he anticipates there will be times throughout the year when part-time or seasonal staff will be needed.

"In addition, other jobs will be created as a result of The Mob Museum being there," Ullman said. These jobs include caterers and retail service workers who will get work as a result of special events and similar functions hosted at The Mob Museum, he said.

Looking into 2013, Las Vegas job seekers can keep their eyes on The Linq. This mid-Strip attraction owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment will consist of more than 200,000 square feet of retail, dining, entertainment, and hospitality space.

One of the highlights of the entertainment district is expected to be The Las Vegas High Roller, a 550-foot observation wheel (the tallest such wheel in the world) with 28 cabins that accommodate up to 40 people each. According to press materials, Caesars estimates that The Linq will employ about 3,000 construction workers and create 1,500 permanent jobs once it opens.