Las Vegas Sun NewsDowntown zip line owner fears Fremont Street Experience officials are trying to take his business
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Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
People enjoy the Flightlinez at Fremont Street Experience Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012.
Thursday
27 September 2012
2 a.m.
The owner of Flightlinez took a risk two years ago when he brought zip lines to Fremont Street.
Downtown had not yet undergone its renaissance, the nearby Neonopolis was virtually empty of tenants, and casinos dominated the Fremont Street Experience.
Today, the attraction is a soaring success. In fact, it lures so many riders and is so profitable that the Fremont Street Experience itself is reportedly considering taking it over.
Ian Green, founder of Flightlines Las Vegas, Inc., recently told VEGAS INC he is concerned that the Fremont Street Experience’s board of directors is developing plans that would eliminate his company as the operator of the attraction.
Tom Bruny, a spokesman for the Fremont Street Experience’s board, said it is in negotiations with Flightlinez. He would not elaborate further on plans.
The downtown zip lines have been a traffic-generating success. Since the attraction opened in October 2010, a million people have ridden the 800-foot lines underneath the Viva Vision canopy.
Rides cost $15 before 6 p.m. and $20 after 6 p.m., and Flightlinez has made good money off the attraction. But the founder also has used the ride to raise $200,000 for local charities.
So why would the operators of the Fremont Street Experience want the zip-line company out?
Flightlinez operates zip-line attractions around the world, including one at Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City that opened in 2008.
“Before we came in, Fremont was dead and Neonopolis was empty,” Green said. “What we proposed was somewhat of a high-risk venture, but we’ve had some good fortune, and we think we’ve been vital in helping in the transformation of the area.”
Between Flightlinez and a separate photography business that takes pictures of people who ride the zip lines, the venture has created about 70 jobs.
Lines of zip-line customers snake down Fremont Street, and adventure seekers often wait more than an hour for their turn.
A year ago, discussions began about plans to extend the zip line by building a new platform at Fremont Street East and one near the Plaza. At the time, Jeff Victor, president of the Fremont Street Experience, embraced the concept.
“Right now, expanding is a fun idea,” Victor told the Sun last year. “There’s a goal in mind, and we’ll see if we can get there. We don’t have a gun to our heads, but we’d like to have at least a portion of it up and running by spring.”
But in the same story, he also said, “We’re exploring all our options going forward. It could be Flightlinez, it could be a different company, it could be us” operating the attraction.
When spring came and nothing happened, Green’s company released a statement giving more details about its plans for a new tower and an expansion of the lines.
“The Flightlinez permanent tower design incorporates a unique stand-alone tower system that has been proven in such challenging locations as the shorelines of Haiti to the hilltops of Rwanda,” the company’s statement said. “(It) has now been engineered to be the foundation for Flightlinez and Fremont’s continued success as the premiere zip-line attraction on earth.”
Now, Green said, he is hearing that the Fremont Street Experience board wants to build an $11 million structure and run the attraction itself.
“We are feeling somewhat at risk,” Green said. “We want to continue to grow in Vegas, just like we have in Boulder City.”
Bruny wouldn’t disclose plans, saying only that the Fremont Street Experience will make an announcement when details are finalized.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, who in June signed a proclamation for Flightlinez Day to honor the company’s contributions to local nonprofit groups, said she’s supportive of Flightlinez’s efforts but added that the Fremont Street Experience board should be the decision-maker in the process.
“They’ve done a great job,” Goodman said of Green’s team. “They’ve made some great contributions to our local charities, and they’ve brought a lot of young people into downtown. But the Fremont Street board, which is representative of the downtown properties, is ultimately responsible for what happens there.”
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It sounds like the Fremont Street Board will make Flightlinez an offer he can't refuse. He should have realized that they controlled his future when he signed on with Fremont Street.
the "moe green" moment of 2012
He should have inserted language into the contract to protect himself from this scenario. That's the Ziplinez owner's fault....since he didn't protect himself, he deserves what he gets.
It's nice that it's a roaring success. The only issue I take is that it's a hodgepodge/eyesore structure of roadway concrete barriers and metal scaffolding.
Downtown LV is where businesses go to die, I will say that till my face turns blue and then I will have it engraved in my tombstone. Now even the successful ones get their throats slit by Freemont Street Experience officials...I believe they were heard saying "how dare you bring a good business to our black hole"
I think Ian Green had a great idea and I also think Fremont Street Experience has no right to try to take over.
With that said I think Mr Green is way out of line when he said Fremont was dead before he came in. That is a lie. He came in because there were tons of people already. He has a grand fantasy about himself if he thinks he is the one that brought everyone to Fremont.
I would say he improved Fremont. His ride is fun. He should make it longer.
I understand and accept that FSE Board is in charge of the area; however If they actually move forward with this it's going to send a very odd message to every single business.
-Come here and set up your entertainment venture, oh, but we're watching you, and if we like your idea, it's ours.
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Omar,
If that is true than many of them must be dying a slow death. There are businesses that have been down there 20 to 30 years and doing just fine.
I suspect you don't own a business but you enjoy hoping others die.
The county will make him install a restaurant and a bar with 8 bar-top slot machines.
Omar,
Your credibility is questionable at best.
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-p...
Flightlinez needs to get a very connected attorney. Ross Goodman comes to mind, but I guess he just does criminal defense. I'm sure there is someone out there with enough pull to help.
Flightlinez has learned a Valuable Lesson in Business. In Contract negotiations hire a Good Business Experienced Lawyer to protect yourself, it's really hard to feel sorry for them. If the Fremont Experience takes over - they should be pressured to Donate to the Community as Flightlinez does. Since Public Funding is responsible for the Business turnaround of this district, the public deserves a part of the profits are invested back into the community.
Flightlinez signed a bad contract, they should be ousted, thats business.
Chunky says:
The Fremont Street Experience organization has become greedier and greedier over time and arrogant to go with it.
What have they done for us lately and where are the paybacks for the public funding?
That's what Chunky thinks and wants to know!