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Markets those customers we have and earning as much business as we can," explained Pack. As the market returns, Moyer is concerned about getting customers financed. "Financials aren't going to be strong. Finding lenders is going to be a challenge," said Moyer. In the long term, dealers are optimistic that Vegas will come back, while recognizing that it won't be swift. "We have fallen so far," said Moyer. "I think it's going to take us a while to climb out of this." Keys to Long-Term Growth Looking back on the factors that drove Vegas growth in the past provides reason for optimism for Pack. The weather, the taxes, no state income tax, low-cost housing, and economical entertainment brought continued population growth in previous decades. "We now have all those factors back in play," he said. However, AGC economist Ken Simonson recently called the Las Vegas recovery "fragmented and fragile" when speaking at the Construction Financial Management Conference held in Las Vegas this past October. Like the SRI International report, Simonson said it was imperative for Las Vegas to broaden its economic base, even if people return to gambling at levels prior to the recession. He cited increasing competition within the gambling industry, as more states approve legalized gambling. "Job gains in the coming years are likely to come from a broad cross-section of industries, and Nevada needs to think strategically about how it can cultivate these new industries – simultaneously building off of its traditional economic strengths and pivoting toward new highpotential drivers of growth," said the report. New target areas for growth include health and medical services; business IT ecosystems; clean energy opportunities such as solar and geothermal development; mining, materials and manufacturing; logistics and operations; as well as aerospace and defense. With a pro-business environment, low taxes, proximity to West Coast population centers and rich natural resources, one probably shouldn't bet against a Vegas comeback. The city and in particular its construction-related businesses, have shown great determination and resilience in the face of a disastrous downturn. And from what these Las Vegas construction equipment dealers have told us, they're all in. JOANNE COSTIN is a freelance writer and marketing consultant focusing on the construction industry. She can be reached at (847) 358-1413 or jcostin@costincustom.com. December 2012 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 35