The Performing Arts Center Creates “Dream Team” to Build and Operate the Arts Campus

Las Vegas, NV ─ The Smith Center for the Performing Arts has appointed Paul Beard as its Chief Operating Officer. Beard, a seasoned theater manager, has more than 20 years of experience in the performing arts industry.

“Paul Beard will be an amazing addition to our team,” said Myron Martin, president of The Smith Center. “Paul created a great model at Bass Hall, and I am sure that we can learn from his vast experience. He will serve as strategic advisor, construction overseer, and generally help us to reach our long-term potential.”

Beard will oversee the construction of the $470 million project and will plan and direct key aspects of organizational operations, including developing policies, objectives and initiatives. He will be responsible for developing and implementing programs that support The Smith Center’s short and long-term operational goals to ensure future sustained growth.

“Las Vegas has never had a community-based project like this, and its importance cannot be overstated,” said Beard. “Being a part of that process has great professional appeal, particularly when considering the high caliber of leadership already in place and the project’s tremendous momentum.”

Plans to bring Beard on board have been in the making for quite some time. “When Myron approached me with his concept, we connected immediately,” said Beard. “His idea for us to use Bass Hall as a point of departure is very apt. This is our chance to take operational integrity and service to the next level in this new Hall.”

Beard opened the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, and spent 15 years in Ft. Worth, Texas, building and operating Bass Performance Hall. Most recently, Beard has been working in San Antonio, Texas with the emerging Pearl Brewery project.

Working alongside President Myron Martin and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Rick Johnson, Beard’s appointment as Chief Operating Officer rounds out The Smith Center executive team.

“We are very proud of this extraordinary team of professionals,” said Donald Snyder, chairman of The Smith Center board. “Their collective experience is unmatched and I believe that they will create a new paradigm for building and operating performing arts centers in America. Myron’s vision of a dream team has certainly come true with this trio of seasoned executives.”

The Smith Center is at the heart of the 61-acre development, Symphony Park. The arts campus is scheduled to open in 2012.

About The Smith Center
The Smith Center for the Performing Arts is a public/private partnership that will become the centerpiece of cultural life in Las Vegas offering a blend of performances by resident companies as well as first-run touring attractions.  The 4.75-acre cultural complex will feature inviting lobbies with beautiful balconies, refined acoustics and a tastefully landscaped plaza linking surrounding hotels, restaurants, shops and offices in downtown’s 61-acre urban development, Symphony Park.  Home to the 2,050-seat Reynolds Hall and the Boman Education Building, The Smith Center will be a living room for Las Vegas; a place that will educate, entertain and excite the citizens of our great community.  The Smith Center broke ground in May of 2009 and is projected to open in 2012. For more information about The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, please visit www.thesmithcenter.com.