New Everi facility on track for fall opening near Reid airport

A project to consolidate and streamline manufacturing operations for Las Vegas-based Everi Holdings Inc. is on track to open in October, the company’s CEO said Wednesday.

In an interview with the Review-Journal, Everi President and CEO Randy Taylor said the new energy-efficient 182,500-square-foot leased facility near Harry Reid International Airport should keep the company on a growth trajectory as its games manufacturing operation in Austin, Texas, is relocated to Las Vegas — joining Everi’s robust financial technology division in Southern Nevada.

The company expects to spend $4.5 million in 2023 related to the planned closure and exit costs.

Once the consolidation is complete, the new facility will have more than 75 employees with room to grow.

“As we assessed our near- and long-term operational needs, it was clear that streamlining all of our manufacturing, assembly and distribution processes into a single facility designed to our specifications would best serve the needs of our large and growing casino customer base,” Taylor said.

He said 35 employees in Austin are affected by the transition but were offered to relocate to Las Vegas or apply for other positions within the company.

The focus of the Austin facility has been on Class II gaming machines used by tribal casinos in Oklahoma, California and Washington. One of Everi’s biggest customers is the Chickasaw Nation’s 204,000-square-foot WinStar casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, just across the Texas border.

Everi, formerly known as Global Cash Access Holdings Inc., made its mark in the industry with its financial technology products.

“In a lot of casinos, you’ll see our full-service kiosks that we sell,” Taylor said. “That’s where you go up and do bill-breaking, ticket-in-ticket-out or machines to initiate a debit or credit transaction. We also have loyalty kiosks where you can check your points and print out your loyalty card if need be.”

The Austin shutdown will occur gradually to assure a smooth transition to the new facility, which will be built with environmental sustainability in mind and as an employee-friendly workplace.

Taylor said the building is anticipated to have a Level 3 Green Globes certification under the Green Building Initiative. That means the building will have low-water landscaping, energy-efficient windows, automated LED lighting, high-efficiency plumbing, energy-usage tracking and solar-powered energy to lessen the environmental impact of the building.

Occupant wellness features include energy-efficient HVAC that will provide four-season thermal comfort to employees throughout the building, including the manufacturing and distribution areas, low-VOC interior products, shaded parking for all employees, EV charging stations and waste recycling containers.

In addition to manufacturing and assembly of games, cabinets and fintech systems, the new facility will have its own testing laboratory and offices for company executives.

“As the company’s grown and we’ve increased our footprint and our ability to sell games throughout North America, it just made sense to try to pull these together because there’s a lot of assembly parts and processes that are the same, and bring it to Las Vegas where some of the bigger players make their games here,” Taylor said.

He added the company anticipates keeping its current corporate office on Tenaya Way, which has a display area for customers to see new product demonstrations.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.