Summerlin, Strip named likely Nordstrom locations

It was somehow appropriate that Pete Nordstrom, co-president of Nordstrom Inc., addressed Las Vegans for the first time at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Beneath the banners of UNLV basketball championships past, the 6-7 Nordstrom, a former University of Washington Huskies basketball player who went toe to toe in practice with NBA All-Star Detlef Schrempf in their collegiate days, told his Preview '99 audience of about 1,800 what they wanted to hear -- almost.

A Nordstrom retail outlet is close to coming to town; where and when hasn't been determined.

Nordstrom was on the verge of scoring, but instead of taking a shot, he dished off to Richard Lee, a real estate consultant with First American Title Co. of Nevada and the closing speaker.

Without even breaking stride, Lee took Nordstrom's assist and delivered what Nordstrom couldn't: a list of potential sites for stores. Lee reeled off the rumors he's heard about Nordstrom and listed three locations he thinks would be ideal for the company.

A new retail center between Mandalay Bay and Luxor on the Strip would be a good location, Lee said. So would the expansion at the Rouse Co.'s Fashion Show mall on the Strip. Another good fit could be Rouse's planned mall off the western Beltway at Summerlin, he said. (Rouse owns the Howard Hughes Corp. in Las Vegas).

But Nordstrom himself couldn't deliver details, saying "we're closer than we've ever been" to signing a deal.

He certainly spoke like a man ready to make a move. After lamenting about how he had to follow a coaching legend to the podium -- new UNLV football boss John Robinson -- he told Las Vegans about the 98-year history of his company, which had more than $4.8 billion in sales last year, and how flattered he is to be wanted by the community.

At one point, Nordstrom displayed a color-coded map of cities where Nordstrom is and cities where the company wants to be. Las Vegas was shown as an existing location.

Nordstrom said he has received more correspondence from Las Vegas asking about the company locating here than any other place he has worked with.

"We hear you, believe me, loud and clear," Nordstrom said. "Consider us wooed. We want to be here."

Reaction to almost having a Nordstrom store in town was mixed. Most were hoping for a definitive announcement. But most also left feeling good that they heard what they did from somebody whose name is Nordstrom.

"There's probably some disappointment," said Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce President Pat Shalmy, who signed Nordstrom up to speak months ago in hopes that a deal would be done and could be announced at one of the chamber's biggest functions. "But I think most people understand the privacy and confidentiality issues these kinds of deals have."

"I'm sure people were hoping that he would have given us the exact locations of stores," added Bank of America executive George Smith, chairman of the Nevada Development Authority, which co-sponsored Preview for the first time. "But I think people had to be pleased that he knew so much about us and is so eager to be here."

"It was the first time ever that a Nordstrom person said, 'We love your city,' so we know it's going to happen," said Somer Hollingsworth, president of the NDA.

If the crowd was disappointed, it didn't show it. Of course, they may have been too ecstatic that the program ran on time almost from the start. Preview '98 was a nightmare that ended about two hours late and was overburdened by speeches by political figures.

Terry Lanni, chief executive officer of MGM Grand Inc., Michael Klausman, president of the CBS Studio Center and Carol Harter, president of UNLV, joined Nordstrom, Lee and Robinson as speakers, sandwiched between a generous helping of videos.

The NDA-Chamber collaboration on the event worked out for the best.

"If this town is going to do the things it wants to do, it's going to have to take a joint effort by groups like ours," Hollingsworth said. "The alliance between the Chamber and the NDA was a natural."

The Thomas & Mack venue worked well for event, with the speeches and videos presented in an intimate theater setting and 49 booths set up along the concourse for mixing and mingling during breaks.

"We were determined to keep it on time," Shalmy said. "And we're very pleased with the way the Thomas & Mack worked with us."

And the Thomas & Mack had to be pleasing for a former basketball player like Nordstrom.

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