UNLV’s tourney matchup brings Nevada added attention in Chicago area

It appears the Nevada Development Authority's timing couldn't have been better Friday in launching a recruiting drive targeting Chicago-area businesses.

Two days after the announcement, UNLV and Illinois were pitted against each other when the NCAA men's basketball tournament choices were announced.

UNLV meets Illinois on Friday in Tulsa, bringing Las Vegas and Nevada some unexpected media exposure in Illinois.

"Known for its attention-grabbing ad campaigns in Southern California and New Jersey, the Nevada Development Authority is now targeting business owners in Chicago, inviting them to make a move to the Silver State. In response to significant income and corporate tax increases in Illinois, the Las Vegas-based economic diversification agency launched ads on Chicago television stations, prompting executives to consider Nevada's two favorable climates: warm weather and pro-business conditions," the NDA said in a press release Friday.

"The new ads focus on the 67 percent increase in state income tax and 45 percent increase in the corporate tax recently passed by the Illinois Legislature, pushing the state into the nation's 10 highest corporate tax environments," the press release said.

"Nevada is a great place to live and has the best business climate in the country," NDA CEO Somer Hollingsworth said in the release. "Illinois businesses now have to offset the state's budget shortfall through massive tax increases. We want Chicago business owners to know that, regardless of the economy, the infrastructure that made Nevada a great place to do business is still here, and that our commitment to keeping it that way is as strong as ever."

Of course the press release didn't address some developments locally of concern to the business community such as draconian budget cuts planned at UNLV and the Clark County School District.

That information about Nevada will likely be made available to Illinois businesses not just by Illinois business-retention offices, but by other states trying to land unhappy Illinois companies.

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