VEGAS INC Magazine - Latest Las Vegas business news, features and commentaries about gaming, tourism, real estate and more
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/180507
S E P T E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 3 / Y O U R b u s i n e s s - t o - b u s i n e s s w e e k ly SPECIAL FOCUS BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE This month, VEGAS INC highlights commercial and residential real estate. new beverage ambassador program worries cocktail servers By Ed Komenda staff writer BACK ON TRACK: Construction on Tuscany Retreat, a 47-home development in Boulder City, stalled during the recession but recently resumed. STEVE MARCUS DIFFERENT CITY, SAME STORY Real estate yo-yo doesn't spare rural towns By Eli Segall staff writer P ahrump real estate broker Norma Jean Opatik didn't have to network or advertise during Southern Nevada's real estate boom. As long as her office was open, clients flooded in. ¶ Builders, investors and others flocked to the rural town, 50 miles west of Las Vegas, to snatch up property. People lined up in Opatik's office to pay hyper- inflated prices for homes in a town with legal brothels, a strong gun culture and no major industries. Prices were cheaper than in Las Vegas, and buyers figured they could commute. ¶ A similar rush took place in other cities on the outskirts of Las Vegas. Real estate boomed in Boulder City, Mesquite and Laughlin as investors, retirees and others moved in. ¶ The housing bubble, of course, eventually burst. And like in Las Vegas, real estate in the rural areas crashed. see REAL ESTATE, page 14 Eve Davis hopped on a March flight from Atlantic City to Las Vegas with a warning for Culinary Union cocktail waitresses here. The drink server — 29 years of experience at the Showboat, a Caesars Entertainment Corp. property in Atlantic City — prided herself on stellar work and her talent for talking the cheapest of the cheap into forking over decent tips. But in recent years, Davis lost much of what she loved about her job. In 2009, Caesars rolled out a new position at the Showboat — the beverage ambassador. Young and good looking, the ambassadors arm themselves with iPads and take drink orders from guests. The orders are blasted electronically to bartenders, who mix up the concoctions. Caesars has since rolled out the program at all four of its Atlantic City casinos. When the program began at the Showboat, company executives said it was only a test. But it never left. Now, rather than initiating conversations with customers and taking orders, cocktail waitresses see COCKTAILS,page 16 INSIDE TODAY STATE OF THE CITY | P. 6 Sixty-year-old Henderson aims to learn from mistakes and improve SATURATION PATROL | P. 7 Is the increased police presence downtown a help or a hindrance? DATA AND RECORDS | P. 20 Bankruptcies, bid opportunities, brokered transactions and permits THE LIST | P. 22 Commercial printers, by employees 20130930_VI01_F.indd 1 9/26/13 2:08:33 PM