City of VisionHow Henderson Became the Gold Standard

 

Henderson doesn’t hesitate. We don’t just sit and wait for opportunities to come to us, hoping for the best. We have a clear vision for the future we want to create and confidently pursue it. That drive is in our DNA, with a long line of far-sighted leaders who have steered us to this point. And some say it is our destiny – after all, President John F. Kennedy dubbed us the “City of Destiny” in our early beginnings.

Years ago, Henderson led development of the first regional plan, Southern Nevada Strong, and today our City’s strategic plan serves as the roadmap for the strong and sustainable community we are building. We have an unwavering commitment to achieve our goals and ensure an unmatched quality of life for those who live, learn, work and play in our community. Henderson is consistently recognized as one of the safest cities and best places to live in the country, with top-ranked master-planned communities, award-winning parks and high-performing schools. We recently accepted the 2024 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, one of only five cities to ever receive the U.S. President’s highest recognition for performance excellence.

Our nationally recognized economic development team translates our strategic priority for economic vitality into tangible results; we are creating jobs and investing in our people and infrastructure. We’ve made great progress with workforce development, partnering with Henderson’s higher education institutions and industry to build facilities and create training and career pathways that will prepare workers for the jobs of the future. Henderson residents have about 50% more bachelor’s and master’s degrees than the regional average, which helps to attract high-skill, high-paying job opportunities. And we just completed a Skills Gap Analysis to guide us in how best to develop a local workforce that will meet the demands of our target industries.

Quality K-12 education is another important factor for employers considering a move to Henderson. Through education set-aside funding and partnerships, we have invested more than $15 million over the past 10 years to support Henderson teachers and students. Henderson schools outperform the rest of the district in math and reading test scores, graduation rates and other key measures. We have also invested in a second preschool program and as a charter school authorizer, will be bringing new charter schools to our community to offer more options for Henderson families.

Henderson is comfortable taking the lead, but we also work well with others. We build relationships and seek partnerships, like our two new fieldhouses that will provide recreational opportunities for residents and create economic impact attracting visitors for tournaments. We are especially proud to join forces with the municipalities in Southern Nevada to champion major initiatives together, like regional economic development opportunities, increasing attainable housing and improving transit access.

Henderson has created incredible momentum, but we also know how to set the pace to ensure sustainable growth with a long-term mindset. We invite you to join us.

Sincerely,

Mayor Michelle Romero

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The City of Henderson, Nevada has a long-standing reputation of excellence. Less than a century old, the city boasts nearly half a million residents – 93 percent of whom love living there according to a recent community survey performed by the ETC Institute.

A rapidly growing city, just outside of Las Vegas, residents, businesses and tourists alike sing Henderson’s praises every year, even awarding Henderson with the prestigious 2024 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the highest recognition for performance excellence, bestowed by the President of the United States.

We talked to some of the largest stakeholders and change makers in the valley to determine just what makes Henderson the place to be – and how other cities can follow in its path.

Prioritizing Future Workforce

Henderson is a hub for high-performance, with nearly a third of all Clark County’s five-star schools located within its community.

“When you compare schools in Henderson to other schools in the district, we outperform across the board,” said Tara Phebus, City of Henderson’s division head of Education Initiatives. “What’s unique about us is the amount of community support around education.”

Local businesses and community members have spearheaded partnerships, like the Debra March Center of Excellence, that have helped boost the schools’ success.

The Center of Excellence is a partnership between the city and College of Southern Nevada with a focus on upskilling for manufacturing jobs and other skillsets. According to Phebus, while the Center of Excellence has advanced workforce development in Henderson, it’s not the only trailblazing partnership. “The APPLE Partnership promotes childhood literacy and includes cash prizes donated by local business partners,” she said. “The One Hill Initiative is also longstanding. This partnership between Foothill High School and its feeder schools helps future students know what to expect when they get to high school – it’s all based on resource sharing, on uplifting the community.”

Knowing a majority of Nevada’s families have both parents in the workforce, Phebus said early education is a focal point – especially preschool.

“Education support for kids before they start kindergarten is critical,” she said. “We’ve worked with our existing city preschool program to enhance both the buildings and the curriculum to make sure these students are supported.”

Now, the city is in the design phases of a brand-new preschool center to meet the capacity demands of the fast-growing community.

For middle and high schoolers, the Henderson Chamber of Commerce fundraised thousands of dollars to support robotics programs.

“It’s these efforts combined with ours that make this very large district feel small,” Phebus said.

The Education Initiatives’ work is also community focused. In the last year, Phebus said her team has focused on delivering on promises – particularly “engagement and convening.”

“The hard work is done at the schools,” Phebus said. “But these leaders don’t often get the chance to connect – they’re usually isolated in their separate buildings.

A recent summit tackled chronic absenteeism. The Clark County School District’s rate of chronic absenteeism – students missing 10 percent or more of available school days – is 31 percent. That’s over a third of enrolled school children consistently out of the classroom. In Henderson, however, the rate is just over 21 percent.

“We convened people together,” Phebus explained. “We helped schools have conversations with families and build structures and systems within schools to track and target where the absences occur.”

We are already authorized and are in process of reviewing applications to approve our first set of charter schools to operate in Henderson under our purview.

“It’s another promise we’re fulfilling,” Phebus said. “The community wasn’t happy with the options they had, so we’ve added more. I think this responsiveness makes us a good fit for families and is one of the things that helps us outperform the district overall.”

The Business Friendly City

Founded in Henderson in 2023, Mako Advanced Materials is a startup specializing in surface coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers for the aerospace, energy, automotive, and defense sectors.

“Mako’s diverse product portfolio is poised to serve the aerospace industry exceptionally well, ensuring the company becomes a trusted and valuable vendor to its industry partners,” said John D Lincoln, Ph.D., president of Mako.

In 2024, the startup underwent a large-scale expansion project, with community at the center. The project included goals to create nearly 20 new jobs; set a high-pay standard; and invest nearly half a million dollars in real estate and equipment..

“Mako is deeply committed to community involvement and environmental sustainability,” Lincoln said, “The company prioritizes active engagement with local communities and seeks to implement environmentally conscious practices throughout its operations.”

ANA Inc., a supplier for AIRMAN mobile generators, air compressors, and MAC3 pneumatic tools, also recently moved their corporate headquarters to Henderson.
“ANA chose Henderson for its strategic location, business-friendly policies, and commitment to economic and sustainable growth,” said Kevin Day, ANA’s COO.

Day added that ANA has been able to take advange of, “economic incentives and development programs that support companies like ANA, helping us establish our headquarters in an environment designed for long-term success.”

Since relocating to Henderson, ANA has seen amazing growth attributable to Henderson’s economic development programs and infrastructure.

“ANA has significantly enhanced its service capabilities, leveraging the city’s strong logistical advantages to improve equipment distribution and provide better customer support,” Day said.

“Additionally, our presence in Henderson has strengthened our industry leadership, allowing us to host advanced training courses and events that were previously less accessible. The city’s commitment to sustainability has also played a crucial role in our growth, offering opportunities to collaborate on innovative power solutions. This alignment with Henderson’s push for greener energy initiatives has further positioned ANA as a leader in hybrid and energy-efficient equipment.”

Over 20 years ago, Poly-West too chose Henderson as a development site for logistical reasons.

“We cover a lot of the West from this location,” said Natan Babsky, general manager of Poly-West. “In Henderson, we’re able to ship products across the Western United States, and even to international sites like Japan, Australia and New Zealand.”

Today, while Henderson is still a shipping hub, it’s also evolved into a major selling point for potential employees.

“Henderson has made it easy for me to build the right team,” he said. “We have so many recruiting and retention tools.”

Babsky said he’s had people from across the world come to work at the Poly-West’s Henderson site.

“At first people are a little skeptical [of Henderson],” said Babsky. “And then they fall in love with it. They don’t want to move anywhere else.”

Diversity of entertainment and natural beauty are a big part of his recruiting tools.

“We are near the Strip, about 15 minutes away, and that’s great,” he said. “But it’s the nature, the hikes and Hoover Dam, the public parks and amazing sites within driving distance that really convince people to stay.”

Operating out of Henderson also makes it easier for Babsky’s employees to build relationships with each other — something he said has been integral to their successes.

“Being here in Henderson offers all of these different opportunities to get out and connect,” he said. “Our employees are in recreational softball leagues together; they go hunting and fishing just out of town. Our office is close enough that we can go on hikes at lunch.”

While Poly-West has other locations, this level of community-employee interaction is unique to Henderson. “At the other sites, that’s just not something that’s possible,” Babsky said. “It’s a different environment.”

It’s also family friendly. Babsky and his family have lived in other cities, and he said nothing compares.

“There’s a stigma that maybe the Las Vegas area isn’t child-friendly,” he said. “I thought that too, at first. But my kids absolutely love it here.”

But it’s the business-friendly conditions that Babsky said help Poly-West and other locals thrive.

“I’ve never felt like the city was a roadblock to any of our successes – and we deal with them quite a bit,” Babsky said. “I have representative phone numbers, and I text them any time I have a problem. They’re quick to help us.”

Off the top of his head, he listed multiple instances of quick response times and fair solutions from the city. There’s one, though, that sticks out amongst all the effort the city’s put in to helping businesses succeed.

“A councilwoman came out here at night to make sure everything was working,” he said. “You just don’t see commitment like that in other cities.”

The city isn’t just helpful when it comes to day-to-day work processes: it’s also improving the view out of your office window.

“Have you seen a manufacturing facility, been to one in person?” Babsky asks. “I guarantee it probably looked like a dump. Not ours.”

Poly-West spans over 70 acres, covered with tailored landscaping and neat buildings.

“Our site is absolutely beautiful,” Babsky said, “and it’s because of the city. If Henderson didn’t make this appealing, enjoyable site a standard, companies wouldn’t be doing it.”
Exponential Expansion

How Developers See Henderson

Joe DeSimone of First Federal Realty came to Henderson in 1991. He said he’s always seen these higher standards from the builder’s side.

“The city has come a long way in making each project consistent,” he said. “It has a brand.”

Four-side architecture, parking ratios, and traffic conditions are some of the city’s requirements, all known and understood by developers.

“When it comes to buildings, real estate, or development projects, you’d be hard pressed to find something that’s just there without a purpose,” DeSimone said. “There’s a rhyme or reason for everything with the city, and if there’s not, they change it.”

Before a development project begins, the city requires a process called a comprehensive plan review.

“I call the city and they get all the relevant departments into a room to give me directions and parameters, to make sure my project is going to work,” DeSimone said.

Meetings are usually scheduled within a few weeks of a request and are free for the project manager.

“The process has always been constructive,” DeSimone said. “We start on the same page. I’ve done this work in many states, and a process like this is so uncommon. I can’t emphasize that enough.”

It’s not just the city that’s open to collaboration. “I have to give a hand to my competitors,” he said. “We work together alongside the city to make sure we’re always contributing to the needs of the community. We wouldn’t put too many medical buildings next to a hospital because it’ll make more money – we use all our strengths to make this a great place to work and live.”

Setting this example has encouraged private investors to put more money into the city. DeSimone himself has invested millions of dollars. He is responsible for multiple projects in downtown Henderson, including the Pass Casino and the new Atwell Hotel, which opened in late 2024.

“It’s the first major hotel in downtown Henderson, and it’s already been very successful,” DeSimone said.

DeSimone put about $25 million into the project, with very little city monetary support.

“Previous investments [in downtown] were appropriately financed by, or at least had, city involvement,” he said. “But although the city was cooperative here, it was private investments that got the project done.”

Healthcare Facilities Respond to Growth

It’s not just downtown that’s gotten a facelift.

“The Las Vegas Valley is [Universal Health Services’] biggest market in terms of number of hospitals,” said Chris Loftus, CEO of the newly opened West Henderson Hospital. “This hospital was in response to demand — we were seeing growth in the City of Henderson faster than our healthcare could accommodate.”

Plans for West Henderson Hospital launched six years ago when the land was purchased. Now the facilities are a few months into operations, with 600 physicians and 400 other employees at work.

“We have 150 beds ready, but we designed the buildings with a 450-bed capacity,” Loftus said. “We’re ready with shelf space, with room to expand, as the city continues to grow.”
The goals of care at the West Henderson Hospital are two-fold: fast and quality.

“We don’t want to delay care because we weren’t proactive,” Loftus said. “Everything was planned with that in mind.”

So far, they’ve far exceeded those goals. “We easily have the fastest door to doctor time in our emergency department,” Loftus said. “It’s a breath of fresh air in the community, and we’re getting a lot of phenomenal feedback.”

Loftus said it all goes back to Henderson’s culture.

“There’s a high standard here for everything,” he said. “And our core values match that. We take a lot of pride in wearing the name of West Henderson on our shirts and walk around the community. We hope people look at that and know we stand for excellence.”

Continuing to Evolve

“We want to be trailblazers,” said Jared Smith, Director of Economic Development and Tourism.

Smith says Henderson’s differentials in city planning, sports, workforce development, and even fire department response times come from intentional leadership.

“Our leaders have a clear vision for the future that is informed by listening to our residents and business community,” he said.

The two new fieldhouses under construction in Henderson, along with the existing Aces and Raiders headquarters, are examples of that.

“We wanted to have more sports, and so we made Henderson a place where athletes want to be,” he said.

Construction on the West Henderson Field House will kick off in the next year, and will accommodate both local leagues and large, national tournaments.

“It’s going to put Henderson on the map,” Smith said. “There’s nothing like it in Southern Nevada.”

Smith is proud of his team and the way they have been able to “skate to the puck.” “The way that we’ve built our teams, how we all share the same vision,” he said, “that allows us to say ‘We want to lead in ‘X’ field, and then really follow through. That’s what makes Henderson different.”