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Many Vegas entrepreneurs are trying to
consolidate their grip on the market while
avoiding the kind of expansion the city's
population explosion might otherwise warrant.
Bishop Air Service, a 25-person
air-conditioning/heating firm headed by Ron
Bishop, 37, recently built a 15,000-square-foot
facility in Henderson, a Las Vegas suburb. Yet
the company has held off on hiring new staff.
Similarly, Valdes says: "Because the city is in
such flux, we've decided not to open new stores
for now. Instead, we're considering franchising
Flowers2U."
While attempting to plan for the future,
entrepreneurs also must learn how to grow their
businesses while fending off newly arrived
rivals, roughly half of whom will fail and leave
Vegas. "A competitor in New York has just opened
an office in Vegas," says Miller. "They are
clearly going to affect the business of all
digital imaging firms here."
Despite their worries, most entrepreneurs in Sin
City are relatively upbeat about the future of
their businesses, and of Vegas itself. "It can
be hard to plan for the future, and the city is
definitely becoming very competitive, but what
other cities in America wouldn't want this type
of growth?" asks Olson. What's more, Olson
notes, Goodman and other leaders are working
hard to address quality of life issues. Though
libertarian Nevada historically favors weak
governments, Goodman and his aggressive
lieutenants have developed clean-air
initiatives, and the mayor has dedicated his
term to redeveloping the city's downtown into a
cultural center. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Board
of Education has embarked upon the most
aggressive school-building campaign in the
country.
Many believe the city's inherent advantages--an
entrepreneurial spirit, no taxes and a warm
climate--almost guarantee a positive future.
"Even now," says Bishop, "with Vegas' economy
slowing, if I call someone in Nebraska in
December and suggest they come to Vegas where
we're barbecuing at Christmas time, to take a
job or open a business, they'll listen to me."
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