Annual DC Fly-In Gives Southern Nevada Business Community a Voice in Nation’s Capital

Last week, LVGEA team members spent the week in Washington, D.C. for the Vegas Chamber’s DC Fly-In, an annual event providing Nevada’s business leaders an opportunity to advocate for and meet with policy makers on federal issues impacting Southern Nevada.

LVGEA is a major sponsor and partner for the event, and many LVGEA50 board members and investors attended the week-long program to advocate on behalf of Nevada’s business and economic needs.

More than 250 business and community leaders attended this year’s event, which included discussions with Congressional members, national trade organizations, and policy groups. Afternoon and evening receptions allowed attendees to further build relationships with Congressional leadership and connect with one another.

Key takeaways from the event include:

• The idea that our region can become an economic development leader by targeting two or three very specific industry verticals, and creating a region-wide ecosystem that supports those industries.
• Workforce continues to be a top priority for business leaders, and the request is to strengthen the pipeline between employees and employers to support a more robust workforce development system.
• Our region’s economic future is dependent on the release of additional federally held public lands. During the event, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) announced he is sponsoring a bill to address Southern Nevada’s land needs and plans to introduce it this fall.

Additional event highlights include:

• A panel of current and former GOED directors provided insight on how to position Nevada at the national level for economic development success.
• LVGEA President & CEO Tina Quigley took part in a panel discussion on how our community can leverage tourism and major events for economic development.
• LVGEA and the Porter Group our federal lobbying firm, attended multiple off-site meetings on The Hill to discuss economic development with federal leaders.
• LVGEA team members set aside time to meet individually with members of the Nevada Legislature and state constitutional officers to explain the value of economic development for all Nevadans.
• LVGEA Policy Committee Chair Glenn Christenson created a federal briefing document provided to LVGEA investors, identifying the organization’s federal policy priorities.

We believe the DC Fly-in is a valuable opportunity for Southern Nevada to speak with one voice at the federal level when it comes to economic development. Thank you to the Vegas Chamber for their invaluable leadership on this year’s event; we are already looking forward to the 2024 DC Fly-In! Click here to watch the 2023 DC Fly-In highlight reel!