Six Decades of LVEA History

The population of Las Vegas had grown to 64,405.

The Copa Room at the Sands Hotel was swinging to the sounds of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. The Beatles performed at the Convention Center. Elvis was rocking the International Hotel and the mob was still very much in charge.

But somewhere in Sin City, a new idea was forming…

Stanley A. Zur (future founder of the LVEA) first heard about the Executives Association movement through Del Ross, then a field underwriter with the New York Life Insurance Company in Tucson, AZ, at the National Association of Life Underwriters meeting in September 1966.

In April 1967, Ross and Jim Coleman (Director of the Tucson Executives Association) traveled to Las Vegas to meet with 25 representative businesses that had been called together to discuss the possible formation of a similar organization.

By 1970, the population had doubled. As Las Vegas grew and changed during these years, so did the Executive Association.

Originally, all members were men. But women also became valued members during this era.

A jump-suited Elvis makes a sell-out comeback on the Strip, KLVX begins broadcasting and the LVMPD is formed. MGM Grand opens as the largest and tallest casino-resort in the world.

8 News Now – KLAS is the only original member company still with the LVEA. However, they haven’t been with us consecutively since 1967. They left and then they came back.

In 1992, the Las Vegas Executives Association celebrated its 25th anniversary, never foreseeing that we would undergo one of the most radical shifts in the city’s history to date.

Mob rule was over and a plethora of new businesses sprung up to accommodate the ever-growing needs of the hospitality industry and our burgeoning population.

It was a heyday for new casino-resorts that dotted the Strip, each becoming more luxurious than the others. Tourists were also taking notice of the abundance of recreational opportunities Las Vegas and Nevada had to offer. By 2000, the Las Vegas metro area mushroomed to 1,326,000 people.

Marguerite Widener was the Executive Director from 1983-2012.

COVID-19, wars, terrorism, civil unrest, the economy and weather disasters have taken their toll on everyone. But, the exceptional resiliency of our community is winning out and we have transformed Las Vegas (again). Our city has become a major hub for not only the travel and tourism industry, but data, national sports teams, manufacturing, information and communication technology, transportation, logistics, clean energy and renewables, film, television, fintech and healthcare. Many of those businesses are interested in joining LVEA and rounding out our roster of members.

Building on the Strip and in outlying areas blossomed with major projects like The Sphere, the High Roller, T-Mobile Area, Raiders Stadium, Area 15 and lavish casino-resorts like Wynn, Resorts World, Fountain Bleu and Aria.

The LVEA celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017 under the stars at Wayne Newton’s beautiful, former estate Casa de Shenandoah. The massive 39+-acre property, located in the heart of Las Vegas, was famously featured in the movie Vegas Vacation starring Chevy Chase. In 2023, it was listed for sale at $28,500,000. The price includes the lavish 57,056-square-foot mansion, a car museum, horse stables, a private airport terminal, a zoo, lakes and much more.

Terry Howell was the Executive Director from 2012-2021 and Deana Linderholm was the Executive Director from 2021-2024.

The metro population ballooned to 2,953,000 in 2024.