VEGAS INC Magazine - Latest Las Vegas business news, features and commentaries about gaming, tourism, real estate and more
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downtown New business will help keep things moving in Las Vegas By Joe Schoenmann staff writer A company that aims to make moving easier is now part of the downtown landscape, employing "move captains" and using a Priceline-like model to help people find the best deal. Moveline removes the traditional step of having a moving company sales representative coming to a home to note what has to be moved. Instead, move captains use the Internet and smartphones to instruct customers on how and what to record by video. Moveline sends the video to moving companies who use it to calculate a price that Moveline guarantees. Cus- tomers then choose the company they want. In some cases, customers have seen price differences of up to 50 percent, said Kelly Eidson, who co-founded the business with Frederick Cook and moved it here from New York in August. The company, headquartered at 4th Street and Bridger Avenue, has 20 full-time employees, 16 who live here. Eidson said they expect to hire 12 to 20 more by the end of the year. "People save time and money by shooting the video on their own, and they do it over FaceTime with moving captains who will walk them through the house and create a very detailed list of things they have to move," Eidson said. It's a simple idea born of years working in advertising, in particular for a moving company client. "I came to understand where the problems were, and the more I learned, the more it became clear that there are so many ways technology could benefit the business," she said. Investors, including the VegasTechFund, a branch of the Downtown Project, helped Moveline get off the ground. Why did it settle in Las Vegas? "We wanted to be in a place that is growing and where we'd have access to great customer service," Eidson said. "The economy (here) is designed to make people happy. Concierges and hospitality has always been strong. And with Zappos establishing themselves here, there's just a lot of thought-leadership, especially downtown. People in Las Vegas just know how to deliver an awesome experience." "It's just really exciting, with the momentum and the speed with which things are growing," she continued. "It seems like things are coming to fruition at a sort of critical nexus for downtown and the tech scene here." Fremont game changers include Slotzilla, Container Park By Joe Schoenmann staff writer was gutted by investor CIM Group. The Grand takes a novel approach for a casino, offering people a chance to patronize its many bars and restaurants without having to weave past dozens of slot machines and gaming tables. It also includes 634 rooms. Owners plan to hire 800 employees, which is likely to have a huge impact on the downtown economy. It used to be that a restaurant opening downtown was big news. The area was seen as a wasteland for so long that the debut of any new businesses or venture was seen as almost miraculous. Not anymore. Businesses are opening left and right and multimillion-dollar projects have transformed the area. The Fremont Street Experience electric canopy went up in 1995, and Neonopolis opened in 2002. More recently, the Mob Museum, Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Neon Museum and new City Hall opened, while the Downtown Project snapped up $200 million worth of property for redevelopment. What's the next big thing on tap? There are several contenders: now open: The Downtown Grand is shown during the last stages of its renovation. Life is Beautiful Las Vegas history. The music, food, art and learning festival was in the works for more than a year before it was unleashed last month. It drew upwards of 50,000 people over two days and was widely considered a success. Events spread over 15 city blocks, with music stages, a culinary village, an art zone and a speakers bureau. Organizers said the festival was the biggest in | 4 NOVEMBER 2013 20131104_VI07_F.indd 7 | Slotzilla Container Park The shopping plaza is expected to revive a tired section of East Fremont Street and cast the area in a different light. It is scheduled to open this month, although the date has changed many times. With an oversized, fire-shooting praying mantis at its entrance and a play- vegas inc file ground for children in its center, developers hope the mall will draw people past downtown's unofficial line of demarcation at 6th and Fremont streets. Downtown Grand The former Lady Luck opened Oct. 27 with a new name and a $100 million facelift. Its debut comes six-and-a-half years after the closure of the Lady Luck, which When it opens this year, the towering $11 million slot machine attraction will spit out zipline riders under the Fremont Street Experience canopy. They'll travel 35 mph for the length of several football fields. The longest of two rides will run 1,750 feet and cost $30. The shorter ride will run 800 feet and cost $20. Inspire Theater This space for speakers, set to open Nov. 10, will take over a former 7-Eleven bought by the Downtown Project. And it won't be just an intellectuals' haunt. It also will house a bar, coffee shop and newsstand. It also will be a big step in the right direction for redevelopment in the Fremont East neighborhood. 7 10/30/13 3:07:48 PM