Business View Magazine | September 2019

29 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2019 Challenges: What are the challenges that Henderson felt as a result of such growth? Sustainability, infrastructure, etc… How did you face these challenges? Chapa: Perception is one of the biggest challenges the City of Henderson faces. Southern Nevada has more work to do on communicating the benefits of its location and workforce —which consists of over two million people within a 45-minute commute, making up skilled and unskilled labor, as well as executives. Another challenge is diversifying our economy, which has been a huge focus for the City of Henderson. We’re much more than a travel and tourism destination and are working to bring in more diverse industries such as manufacturing and other high-wage employers. As we’ve welcomed population growth, transportation has become and will continue to be top of mind. The City has been working directly with the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) to get people in and out of Henderson faster, whether that’s through new light rail or bus routes. Schools are also a focus. We’ve taken a proactive approach on student-to-teacher ratios. We’ve also focused on building charter schools, which are some of the highest performing in the country. Along with public schools, charter schools provide even more options for families, which makes Henderson a more attractive place to house your family. In Southern Nevada, the conversation always goes to water. Since we anticipated and planned for this growth, we have worked diligently with the Southern Nevada Water Authority to develop a strict water conservation program. We are fully aware that we live and operate in a desert and developed some of the best water conservation programs in the country while still being able to facilitate large scale projects. Success/Milestones Where are you at now? What were the outcomes? How have you adapted to be able to thrive for future growth?