In this episode of the Connect Vegas Podcast, host Ben Laifsky interviews Andrew Woods, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The conversation explores how applied economic research shapes decision-making across Southern Nevada, from population forecasting to long-term infrastructure planning. Woods explains the center’s role as a bridge between academic economics and real-world application, supporting government, business, and community stakeholders with data-driven insights.

The discussion covers Las Vegas’s growth trajectory, including demographic shifts, housing and land constraints, and the increasing importance of international migration. Woods emphasizes the need for long-term thinking, economic diversification, and a cohesive regional vision to sustain quality of life. He also discusses how emerging forces like AI, economic shocks, and policy changes impact forecasting and planning. The episode blends technical economic analysis with a human-centered perspective on how policy, data, and community intersect.

Key Highlights

• The Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) acts as an applied economics “consultant for the public,” translating academic research into actionable insights.
• Las Vegas has grown from ~330,000 residents in 1975 to ~2.4 million today, with long-term forecasting playing a central role in planning.
• Population growth is increasingly driven by international migration, particularly from Asia, rather than domestic migration alone.
• Southern Nevada is projected to add roughly 340,000 residents over the next 20 years, though this is subject to policy and migration trends.
• Key constraints facing the region include land availability, infrastructure capacity, and maintaining quality of life amid growth.
• Economic diversification remains a critical challenge, with healthcare, manufacturing, and tech identified as potential growth sectors.
• Las Vegas is particularly vulnerable to economic shocks due to reliance on consumer spending and tourism.
• The “Brews and Economic Views” series fosters dialogue between academics, business leaders, and the public in an informal setting.
• AI is expected to increase productivity and demand for skilled labor rather than simply replace jobs, especially in knowledge industries.
• A major gap identified is the lack of a unified long-term vision for the region’s economic future.

Notable Quotes

• “Think of us like consultants, but on behalf of the taxpayer.”
• “We’re really susceptible in terms of our growth to who is moving here and what is that demographic.”
• “It’s like adding another city of Henderson in the next ten, fifteen, twenty years.”
• “We shouldn’t be the poster child for the highest unemployment rate every time something like this happens.”
• “I think one of our deficits is we don’t think long term enough.”
• “If the challenges are created by humans, then the solutions are going to be man-made as well.”
• “It’s better to fail conventionally than succeed unconventionally.” (referencing John Maynard Keynes)
• “We’re preparing to do more, not less, with AI.”

Ben Laifsky interviews Sean Gigremosa, CEO of Claritiv, about how Claritiv helps trade show and conference exhibitors capture conversation context at scale. Sean explains the pivot from a product-management tool to a white-glove, hardware-plus-platform solution that records booth conversations, extracts intent and pain points, and produces prioritized, personalized follow-ups and performance insights. They also cover Claritiv’s multi-model AI architecture, Sean’s background and move to Las Vegas during COVID, the company’s branding journey, and the realities of fundraising and defining an MVP.

Topics Covered

• Claritiv solves a trade show exhibitor pain: lots of conversations, but little usable context for follow-up beyond business cards.
• The product includes a lanyard-style capture device that auto-records conversations in noisy environments, plus a platform that analyzes them.
• Claritiv delivers white-glove onsite operations (device handling, uploads) and daily/end-of-show reporting.
• Outputs include prospect summaries, questions/pain points, sentiment/engagement signals, and prioritized follow-up guidance.
• Claritiv can evaluate exhibitor staff performance and recommend improvements to increase ROI from shows.
• The tech stack is modular (LLMs/NLP + sentiment/tonality + theme detection + aggregation/synthesis) and designed to stay model-agnostic.
• Sean describes “extreme hospitality” as a differentiator versus app-only tools.
• Fundraising/valuation at early stage is framed as uncertain; Sean emphasizes traction via signed contracts and seeking investor-partners, not just capital.

Key Quotes

• “The main problem that they have is context from conversations.”
• “At the end of the day I get like a stack of business cards with little to no context.”
• “As long as you’re good at talking… and asking the right questions… everything else is handled by the platform.”
• “The important thing for us… is that aggregation… that synthesis.”
• “Extreme hospitality… you go not just above and beyond, but you go even past that.”
• “The best feedback is real feedback… regardless if it’s perfect or not.”

Ben sits down with longtime Las Vegas mortgage professional David Yurkovchak to talk about his 20+ year journey in the industry, his passion for financial literacy, the realities of qualifying for a home in a unique market like Las Vegas, and how the city itself has evolved from a transient casino town into a true community and sports hub.

Highlighted Topics

• David’s background in mortgages and 20+ years of industry experience
• Truth-first approach and setting realistic expectations with clients
• How buyers misunderstand income, credit, and affordability
• Unique financial and employment landscape in Las Vegas
• David’s early life, work ethic, and quirky first jobs
• Transition from broadcast journalism aspirations to mortgage banking
• The importance of financial literacy and credit education
• Problems with online mortgage misinformation
• Market cycles, interest rates, and why 2008–style crashes are unlikely
• Buyer psychology, competition, and emotional home shopping
• David’s partnerships with CPAs, estate planners, and credit coaches
• Community involvement, networking groups, and nonprofits in Las Vegas
• Personal recommendations for food, views, and Las Vegas life