2016 Annual Dinner keynote speaker Gabe Klein announced

LAS VEGAS – The Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance has secured Gabe Klein—a nationally recognized expert on urban planning and transportation—to deliver a keynote address on September 29th at the Aria Resort and Casino for its 2016 Annual Dinner. Klein will discuss his entrepreneurial approach to public and private collaboration and how cities can drive large-scale change. In his recent book, Start-Up City: Inspiring Private and Public Entrepreneurship, Getting Projects Done, and Having Fun, Mr. Klein outlines his approach to breaking down barriers in public-private partnerships to solve once thought to be intractable urban challenges through changes in management, communication, and creative funding strategies.

“Gabe Klein has made a career of tackling the sometimes complex web of regulatory hurdles local governments encounter head-on in order to get things done,” said Jonas Peterson, President and CEO of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance. “Mr. Klein’s start-up attitude to public-private partnerships is a playbook for cities on how to innovate at lighting speed and develop what’s possible for the future. I look forward to welcoming him to Southern Nevada.”

Gabe Klein is the former director of the Chicago Department of Transportation under Mayor Rahm Emanuel as well as the former director of the District Department of Transportation under then-Mayor Adrian Fenty. In Washington, Mr. Klein reinvented the agency with a focus on customer service and technology, including the launch of Capital Bikeshare, the first large-scale system in the county, and launched the largest bike-share system in the United States—Divvy.

Prior to his work in the public sector, Mr. Klein worked in various technology-oriented start-ups before serving as the vice president of Zipcar for four years. Gabe went on to write a business model for the first point-to-point car sharing concept and cofounded On The Fly, the first all-natural electric powered food truck company in the United States. Starting in 2015, he now assists a portfolio of technology and mobility companies as special venture partner at Fontinalis Partner, which was cofounded by Bill Ford, in Detroit.

The dinner’s theme, “DEVELOPOSSIBLE,” invites community and business leaders to set their sights even higher as we celebrate how far we’ve come, and work to develop what’s possible for the future.

For more information on table sponsorships, click here.

Watch Gabe Klein discuss his recent book: Start-up City

About the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance

The Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance is a 501(c)6 membership organization dedicated to growing the economy in Southern Nevada through connectivity, community development, and strong business recruitment, retention and outreach.  LVGEA’s vision is to help Southern Nevada residents thrive in a global economy by fostering a more prosperous, diverse and connected regional economy.  For more information, call 702.791.0000 or visit www.www.lvgea.org.