Release: Accelerator for America to Meer in Las Vegas, NV June 25 & 26

LAS VEGAS — The third meeting of Accelerator for America’s Advisory Council will take place in Las Vegas, NV on Monday, June 25 and Tuesday, June 26. It will be hosted by Doug McCarron, who is an Accelerator Advisory Council Member and the General President of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. The Chair of the Accelerator Advisory Council is Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

“The dysfunction and destructive politics of Washington are so far away from where the American people are. Washington has walked away from the realities that people face as they confront a shrinking middle class, rising healthcare costs and an uncertain future for their retirement and their children’s lives. Accelerator for America is helping fill the void with solutions to make people’s everyday lives better in their local communities and nationwide,” Mayor Garcetti said.

At this meeting the Accelerator will continue to explore the potential of Opportunity Zones. The Accelerator is currently working with South Bend, IN; Oklahoma City, OK; and Louisville, KY to help those cities take advantage of “opportunity tax incentives.” It is incumbent on public entities, much like corporations do, to go through the new federal tax law and find what can benefit them. The opportunity tax incentive is one such avenue through which cities may put the tax code to their advantage.

Additionally, the Accelerator will explore workforce development, the future of work, and their intersections with urban transportation. "The Carpenters Union invests more than $200 million a year in member training through our more than 200 regional training centers across North America,” said Doug McCarron. “The return on that investment is projects that are completed faster and more efficiently and workers who are more competitive in the 21st century economy. It's a model for how our nation must invest to benefit the American people and the American economy."

Accelerator for America is a national non-profit focused on launching local initiatives on jobs and infrastructure that can be replicated city-by-city across the nation. This is the third meeting of the Accelerator. It previously met in South Bend, IN and Columbia, SC.

The Accelerator for America Advisory Council:

Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles, CA
Mayor Steve Benjamin, Columbia, SC
Mayor Pete Buttigieg, South Bend, IN
Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib, State of Washington
City Clerk Anna Valencia, Chicago
Mayor Nan Whaley, Dayton, OH
Cheryl Dorsey, President, Echoing Green
James Callahan, General President, International Union of Operating Engineers
Doug McCarron, General President, United Brotherhood of Carpenters
Michael Dubin, Founder & CEO, Dollar Shave Club
Greg Kelley, President & CEO, WSP USA
Michael Lynton, Chairman of the Board, Snap Inc.
Steve Robinson, CEO, Reimagine
Rob Slimp, President & CEO, HNTB
Dr. Bruce Katz, New Localism Advisors

Also participating are:

Mayor Luke Bronin, Hartford, CT
Mayor John Cranley, Cincinnati, OH
Councilmember Amanda Edwards, Houston, TX
Mayor Greg Fischer, Louisville, KY
Mayor Carolyn Goodman, Las Vegas, NV
Mayor Quentin Hart, Waterloo, IA
Mayor David Holt, Oklahoma City, OK
Mayor Debbie Kling, Nampa, ID
Mayor Michael Tubbs, Stockton, CA
Mayor Victoria Woodards, Tacoma, WA
Gary Jones, President, United Auto Workers International Union
John Ceriale, Principal, Prospect Hotel Advisors
Steve Glickman, Co-Founder & CEO, Economic Innovation Group
John Lettieri, Co-Founder & President, Economic Innovation Group
John Zimmer, Co-Founder & President, Lyft
Tom Cochran, Executive Director, US Conference of Mayors
Jeremy Nowak, Dist. Visiting Fellow at Drexel University’s Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation
Seleta Reynolds, General Manager, Los Angeles Department of Transportation