Construction Connection, June 2002 – Tradewinds Construction has begun construction of the $1.4 million Southwest Events Center at the Hampton Inn on Tropicana Avenue and Industrial Road.
Following an April groundbreaking, Tradewinds began work on the addition to Hampton Inn’s 3,000 square feet of meeting space. The Southwest Events Center will more than quadruple the hotel’s convention space, adding nearly 10,000 square feet dedicated to social events and business conferences.
The exterior design will complement the hotel architecturally, and the interior will feature video conferencing and presentation equipment and support, Internet access, a catering kitchen, 1,100 square feet of reception area, and an outdoor patio.
Hampton Inn touts the center’s flexibility, nothing the space can be used as a 4,000-square-foot grand meeting room, or be split into two individual rooms of about 2,000 square feet each. The room will be able to comfortably accommodate 500 for a theater presentation or reception or 300 in a classroom or banquet setting.
Completion is scheduled for late summer.
Using structural steel and light-gauge metal framing, lightweight concrete and stucco exterior finish and drywall interior wall finish as well as an insulated roof deck and built-up roofing; Tradewinds will install all necessary casework and state-of-the-art audio and visual equipment, according to Jeffrey Vilkin, president of Tradewinds Construction.
“This is a unique project for Las Vegas as it is a meeting center designed to accommodate smaller groups with reservations planned well in advance of the event date – unusual for Las Vegas venues which typically plan for large to very large gatherings well in advance,” Vilkin said. “The existing Las Vegas meeting centers are not typically interested in long-term reservations for groups of one to three hundred people. Tradewinds Construction’s ability to self-perform so much of the sub-trade work provides the owner with several advantages in cost savings and quality control.”
Tradewinds seeks to offer developers and owners a one-stop shop for design-build tenant improvements, metal stud framing, wood framing, dry-wall, paint, acoustical ceilings, and panelized roof systems.
The company’s principals spent many years in the trades, which they believe has helped them develop an extensive knowledge of design criteria, technical details, value engineering options, critical completion schedules, and the necessary ingredients required to maintain a large skilled workforce.
Tradewinds employs more than 200 craftsmen and construction managers who complete more than 300 construction contracts annually.
The Jackson-Shaw Company opened the Hampton Inn Tropicana – the largest Hampton Inn Hotel in the nation with 320 rooms in the summer of 1999. Its location was chosen to be near the Strip, but also to provide budget-conscious business and family travelers an alternative near the business and entertainment core of Las Vegas.
Jackson-Shaw, based in Dallas, has developed more than 1.2 million square feet in the Las Vegas Valley, including the headquarters for Freeman Decorating, the Cameron Commerce Center, and the Arville Commerce Center. Currently, Jackson-Shaw also is developing the Warm Springs Crossing, a 27-acre master-planned business and industrial park, and Northport Business Center, a 24-acre business community.
HPA Architects of Newport Beach, California designed the events center. Project Manager Bob Phillips and Superintendent Steve Predmore are in charge of the construction for Tradewinds. Ace Fire Systems, Inc. and Triangle Mechanical are among the AGC-member subcontractors involved in the project.
