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LVCVA compensation committee suggests 4% raise for CEO Hill

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s compensation committee is recommending a 4 percent pay increase for President and CEO Steve Hill, but no bonus for the work he did in the 2021 fiscal year.

The increase is far less than amounts the board awarded prior to 2018 when Rossi Ralenkotter was president and CEO of the organization.

Ralenkotter left the LVCVA following an investigation spurred by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The pay increase amounts to a $15,292 increase for Hill to $397,590 a year.

The increase would become effective when all LVCVA employees return from a four- to a five-day work week, expected to occur in September.

The committee’s recommendation will be considered by the full LVCVA board of directors Tuesday.

Board members also approved a 3.5 percent pay increase for LVCVA legal counsel Caroline Bateman. The increase will raise her pay from $198,765 to $205,722 a year.

The five-member committee based its compensation decisions on its evaluation of Hill’s performance in the 2020 fiscal year and his presentation of goals for the year ahead.

Hill said one of his top goals will be to bring the conventions and meetings business back to where it was prior to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The entire meetings industry collapsed when Nevada resorts shut down for nearly three months in March 2020 and struggled to return because of numerous health and safety protocols that were put in place by state leaders.

Southern Nevada got a big boost in June when the first major convention of any kind in the United States occurred at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s new West Hall when the World of Concrete show was staged.

Since then, the calendars of several convention centers across the valley have seen dates filled steadily through 2022.

Hill was also credited for leading efforts to get the West Hall open on time and on budget despite the pandemic.

Hill said he also plans to assist in bringing more special events, including new sports events to the city, utilizing the city’s Allegiant Stadium as a type of venue Las Vegas has never had before.

Further in the future, Hill said he plans to monitor the LVCVA’s financial picture to get the renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s North, Central and South halls back on track.

He also agreed to collaborate with the Vegas Chamber to find solutions to finding traffic solutions for Interstate 15 to Southern California. LVCVA research indicates Southern Californians aren’t visiting Las Vegas as frequently as they did in past years and Sunday afternoon going-home traffic on the highway is one of the reasons for the decline of visits from 2.4 times per year to 1.7 times.

Bateman was credited with overseeing the acquisition of the Las Vegas Monorail Co. through bankruptcy proceedings late last year.

Hill said the monorail had its best ridership month in 15 years in June.

Bateman also led legal maneuverings to set the stage for the Las Vegas Loop, an underground transit system envisioned by Elon Musk’s Boring Co.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.

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