REGISTER NOW FOR DVA’S SUCCESSES & INSIGHTS: HOW TECHNOLOGY IS DRIVING A TRANSPORTATION REVOLUTION

11/01/21

DOWNTOWN VEGAS ALLIANCE AND CITY OF LAS VEGAS PARTNER FOR

 SUCCESSES & INSIGHTS ONLINE EVENT:

HOW TECHNOLOGY IS DRIVING A TRANSPORTATION REVOLUTION

Free virtual program features industry leading experts discussing how rapidly evolving technology

 is poised to entirely reshape the way we move

 

WHAT:             In partnership with the city of Las Vegas, the Downtown Vegas Alliance (DVA), a nonprofit organization comprised of downtown business owners and stakeholders, announces a free online Successes & Insights event on how technology driven innovation is transforming the way people and products move from place to place. According to Ohio University, transportation technology is in the midst of a revolution. New technologies are improving the efficiency of existing transportation methods, while new inventions are poised to entirely reshape the way we move.

 

The online event, scheduled for Nov. 4 at 11:00 a.m., features subject matter experts from governmental agencies and industry leading companies driving this transportation technology revolution that will impact all of us in Southern Nevada and beyond. Discussion topics include the Internet of Things (IOT) and network connectivity, autonomous vehicles, traffic mapping and intelligence and on-demand ride services. Speakers will give brief remarks followed by a panel discussion, led by moderator, Michael Sherwood, chief innovation officer at the city of Las Vegas. Speakers include Mike Blank, regional policy lead, Nuro; David Swallow, deputy chief executive officer, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC); Cody Sims, field marketing director, Cox Business; and Anand Nandakumar, founder and CEO of Halo.  

 

WHEN:             Thursday, November 4, 2021

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

                       

WHERE:            Zoom registration – bit.ly/t-t-tech (case sensitive)

Media wishing to ask questions will be able to do so in the Q&A function

 

WHO:               Mike Blank, Regional Policy Lead, Nuro

Mike Blank joined Nuro, a Mountain View, California-based robotics company focused on building and deploying fully autonomous, on-road vehicles designed for last-mile delivery service, as its Regional Policy Lead in 2021. In this role, Blank works with state and local officials and industry stakeholders to shape policies that better everyday life through robotics. He has worked in the government affairs and policy space at federal, state and local levels for his entire career, including stints with a major corporation, the United States Senate, multiple national associations, and several political campaigns. In late August 2021, Nuro announced plans to invest $40 million to construct a manufacturing facility and test track located in Southern Nevada.

 

 

David Swallow, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, RTC of Southern Nevada

David Swallow is a civil engineer with over 25 years of transportation-related experience and has been with the RTC of Southern Nevada since 2001. As Deputy CEO, Swallow oversees the RTC’s planning, engineering, and funding programs for transportation infrastructure, development of new transit facilities and systems, implementation of new technologies, and coordination between roadway and freeway operations through the region’s Traffic Management Center.

 

Cody Sims, Field Marketing Director, Cox Business

Cody Sims offers over 20 years of business experience in product development, product management and marketing and has been with Cox since 2012. Cody has a talent for guiding successful outcomes for internal and external partners through thoughtful and innovative solutions. His experience covers strategic business development, market analytics, market share capture plans, product evangelism, and operational excellence.

 

Anand Nandakumar, founder and CEO, Halo

Anand Nandakumar is the founder and CEO of Halo, a company taking a new approach to bringing autonomous vehicles to public roads, starting with downtown Las Vegas. Prior to founding Halo, Nandakumar served as an autonomous vehicle engineering lead at Uber where he was responsible for the artificial intelligence division tasked with enabling self-driving cars to see and navigate the world around them. Over the course of his 15+ years in engineering leadership roles, Nandakumar has worked with a variety of companies including Sony, Disney and Vodafone.

 

Moderator: Michael Sherwood, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, city of Las Vegas

Michael Sherwood has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of process improvement, technology and innovation. Prior to the city of Las Vegas, he served as the Deputy Director of Public Safety, Business Services & City Technology for the City of Irvine, California.  Michael is extremely passionate about technology, and believes through innovation, workforce development and collaboration, we can create brighter and sustainable communities.

 

Sponsors:         Cox Business is the presenting sponsor of the event. RTC is the supporting sponsor.

  • Dayvid Figler and Rae Lathrop

    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

     

  • Rob Ponte

    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

  • Brandon Wiegand

    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

  • Hank Gordon, Chairman of Laurich Properties

    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.

  • Jonathan Jenkins, Founder & CEO of OrderWithMe

    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.

  • Andy Hsieh, Owner of Lux Delux

    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.

  • Ramesh Srinivasan, Chief Marketing Officer & Head of Partnerships of SocialWellth

    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.

  • Mark Brandenburg, President of Golden Gate

    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.

  • Roberto Mendoza, Co-owner of Banger Brewing

    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)

  • Alexandra Epstein, Executive Vice President of El Cortez Casino Hotel

    This downtown area… is emerging and where many events are happening.

  • Meghan Mossler, Owner of Stitch Factory

    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.

  • Pamela Dylag, Co-owner of Velveteen Rabbit

    The city is so supportive of new businesses. Things are popping up constantly. (Photo: Lucky Wenzel)

  • Marc Abelman, CFO & Co-owner of Inside Style

    Downtown is becoming very much in demand…there’s a limited supply. Run fast, don’t walk.

  • Sam Cherry, CEO of Cherry Development

    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.

  • Johnny Jimenez, Owner of Toy Shack of Las Vegas

    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.

  • Rich Worthington, President and CEO of The Molasky Group of Companies

    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.