NEWYORK: When Tom Skancke was appointed the first president and CEO of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, he told the board members who hired him that he wasn’t in for the long haul.
Hired in late 2013 by the new version of what once was the Nevada Development Authority, Skancke told board members and the committee that hired him that his expertise in economic development was limited, and his primary purpose would be to bring change in how to think about local economic development in the same way that Gov. Brian Sandoval was revamping it for the state.
He also wanted to expand the organization, raise money and build it with a leader with an economic development background.“When I was recruited to take this position 2½ years ago, I told the board I’m a start up guy, I’m a turnaround guy,” Skancke said in an interview prior to his last day at the Alliance.