DVA Member Profiles – Brett Lashbrook – January 2018
1/05/18
Founded by Las Vegas resident Brett Lashbrook, CEO & Owner, and his family, Las Vegas Soccer LLC was formed with the goal of bringing pro soccer to Southern Nevada. Lashbrook’s ties to professional soccer in this country run deep. He held numerous roles within the business operations of the sport across numerous markets. This includes Chief Operating Officer for former United Soccer League and current Major League Soccer Club Orlando City, as well as Special Assistant to the Commissioner’s Office & Legal Counsel at Major League Soccer’s headquarters in New York City. Lashbrook also served as a consultant on multiple soccer projects across North America and Europe involving ownership transactions, new stadium developments and professional sports expansion club launches.
Lashbrook answers a few questions about why downtown is a good fit for USL:
Q: Where are you from and how did you land in Las Vegas?
A: I’m originally from Kansas City, but my mother moved to Las Vegas almost 20 years ago. My sister soon followed. And after living in multiple cities for work, I decided to make the move to Las Vegas permanently in 2015. Best decision I’ve ever made.
Q: Why were you drawn to Downtown Las Vegas / why is downtown a good fit for USL?
A: As Mayor Goodman likes to say, “Downtown Vegas is the center of the universe.” And soccer is the world’s most popular sport. I think Lights FC is a perfect match for the right city, and it’s the right sport with the right stadium location. Best of all, it’s the right time.
Q: Why did you join the Downtown Vegas Alliance?
A: I sincerely believe that sports teams (when operated correctly) can truly create positive change in a community. As such, I wanted to be aligned with other like-minded organizations that share our desire to continue growing DTLV.
Q: What are some of your favorite spots downtown and why?
A: Cashman Field is our new home. And we couldn’t be more excited. I believe we are going to convince everyone outside of DTLV that it has been completely overlooked (and under-appreciated) for years.
Q: What’s your vision for the future of Downtown Las Vegas and for the Las Vegas Lights? How are they intertwined?
A: Our success is DTLV’s success — and vice versa. Our vision is, for many years to come, to bring soccer fans from around the Valley — and the globe — to DTLV, filling Cashman Field for matches. Along the way, our fans will fill downtown bars, restaurants and casinos before and after each match!
Photo: Brett Lashbrook by Idris Erba / Las Vegas Lights FC.
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DF: Downtown was great as a kid and it is even greater as an adult. I love all of downtown’s hidden gems, its vibrancy, history and sense of connection. Rae is relatively newer to Las Vegas, but just as passionate about downtown. Downtown lends itself to the shared experience, and as a couple we both love seeing this part of the city through each other's eyes. Photo: Lucky Wenzel
- Dayvid Figler and Rae Lathrop -
Some of the best nights I’ve experienced started out with no plan other than walking around to check out what’s going on. The great thing about having so many bars and restaurants downtown is the ability to move around if you’re not feeling the vibe in one place. There are plenty of options just outside the door. Photo: Lucky Wenzel
- Rob Ponte -
The downtown Las Vegas of today has much to attract residents - a burgeoning restaurant and nightlife scene, growing diversity of businesses, and major centers of art and culture. Plus, living downtown I am easily within walking or biking distance of it all. Photo: Lucky Wenzel
- Brandon Wiegand -
It is always a pleasure to deal with the city of Las Vegas’ economic development department. The staff is really interested in helping create a positive business environment to work with.
- Hank Gordon, Chairman of Laurich Properties -
As our company continues its rapid growth, we quickly realized the need to set up a formal U.S. headquarters. We explored multiple cities and were about to make the move to San Francisco, and then we heard about the complete reinvention of downtown Las Vegas. Coming from China where things are booming and growing, we love that downtown Vegas now has a similar vibe of energy and change. Not only is there an exciting tech community here and much lower costs than the Bay Area, but we love the fact that almost every industry group brings their conventions to our front door once a year.
- Jonathan Jenkins, Founder & CEO of OrderWithMe -
We love the vibrancy and energy of Las Vegas, and downtown is at the heart of it all. That's why we've launched our mobile platform with a focus on downtown. This is an exciting time in Las Vegas history, where community, commerce and technology are all converging at once. Downtown is our city's hidden gem.
- Andy Hsieh, Owner of Lux Delux -
We chose to relocate from the suburbs to downtown for several reasons. Our brand image and that of downtown’s mesh perfectly. The new downtown Las Vegas reflects a more hip, startup, social media-style image. Additionally, downtown’s emerging technology corridor, anchored by Zappos, is an environment that enhances our ability to recruit the types of technical skill sets required for our continued growth and success.
- Ramesh Srinivasan, Chief Marketing Officer & Head of Partnerships of SocialWellth -
I think downtown Las Vegas is a unique blend of intimacy and great energy. Plus, in contrast to The Strip, it’s so easy to walk around…The Golden Gate has been here for over 100 years and with all the changes going on downtown, it feels like a new era. It truly is a renaissance—the rebirth of a classic.
- Mark Brandenburg, President of Golden Gate -
The city has been great in helping us with the licensing and procedures necessary to start a business. There hasn't been a brewery built in the city of Las Vegas for probably 10 years. So for them it hasn't been a typical ‘cut and paste’ thing. We're something different. It was a team work process to get us opened – a lot of talk and listening on both sides. And now the city started opening up the doors for other breweries once we were up and running. Good news for us and good news for the future. (Photo: Lucky Wenzel)
- Roberto Mendoza, Co-owner of Banger Brewing -
This downtown area… is emerging and where many events are happening.
- Alexandra Epstein, Executive Vice President of El Cortez Casino Hotel -
The city and the department of economic development have been very helpful to us and all the other downtown business owners. It’s such a community here, and everyone asks you what you need. That kind of help launching a business is amazing and priceless.
- Meghan Mossler, Owner of Stitch Factory -
The city is so supportive of new businesses. Things are popping up constantly. (Photo: Lucky Wenzel)
- Pamela Dylag, Co-owner of Velveteen Rabbit -
Downtown is becoming very much in demand…there’s a limited supply. Run fast, don’t walk.
- Marc Abelman, CFO & Co-owner of Inside Style -
For a while, downtown was one of the only places in the valley you would see cranes when you drove around. It was nice that city government stepped up and the private sector married with the public sector to create amazing projects that filled the gap. That was very important for us.
- Sam Cherry, CEO of Cherry Development -
Our business is booming amid the foot traffic on Fremont Street, and we’ve started to see how tourists are falling in love with downtown as they discover it. In the past year, we’re increasingly hearing things like, ‘Wow, next time we’ll stay downtown instead of on The Strip,’ or ‘We’ve visited downtown many times, but this is the first year we’ve actually stayed in a downtown hotel.’ They like that there is more to do within a smaller walking radius.
- Johnny Jimenez, Owner of Toy Shack of Las Vegas -
Historically, downtown Las Vegas has not been a top destination for many locals, but in recent years… that trend is reversing itself. Given all the recent openings and progress, there’s much to explore and experience downtown.
- Rich Worthington, President and CEO of The Molasky Group of Companies