Bill Arent, Senior Vice President & Chief Business Development Officer, Las Vegas Global Economics Association

Bill Arent comes to LVGEA from the City of Las Vegas Department of Economic and Urban Development (EUD), where he served in multiple leadership management roles over the past 15 years.  During his tenure at the City of Las Vegas, Arent served as Redevelopment Manager, Director and Deputy Director and oversaw the City’s economic development, redevelopment, asset management, and parking services programs.  Under his leadership, Arent helped the Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency maintain an investment-grade credit rating through the 2007-2009 Great Recession and more recently through the 2020 recession.

Arent led negotiations for numerous public-private partnerships, including: the Zappos Corporate Headquarters relocation and expansion; Take Two Interactive business relocation; and the Expo at World Market Center Las Vegas.  Arent directed the City’s New Markets Tax Credits Program, and successfully deployed $128 million in federal New Markets Tax Credits allocation received from the U.S. Department of Treasury.

More recently, Arent has been engaged with regional partners to spur regional economic growth.  The Governor’s Office of Economic Development appointed Arent as Board Member for the 2021 Southern Nevada Strategic Infrastructure Working Group.  He also served on a regional team for the 2022 Build Back Better Regional Challenge Grant submission to the Economic Development Administration, helping the team receive a Phase 1 Award.

Arent holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is a past graduate of the Clark County Leadership Academy.  He is certified as an economic development finance professional by the National Development Council and as a certified economic developer by the International Economic Development Council.

As a Las Vegan by choice, Arent is a graduate of Clark High School and has lived continuously in Las Vegas since 1993.  In his spare time, he volunteers at his local church.  He has been married for 20 years and is the proud father of four daughters and one son.