Photo Caption: Vice Mayor Cherish Sammelli, Economic Development Project Manager Sylvia Shaffer and Councilman Smiley Ward
KINGMAN – Kingman’s Vice Mayor Cherish Sammelli, Councilman Smiley Ward, City Manager Tim Walsh, Economic Development Director Bennett Bratley, and Economic Development Project Manager Sylvia Shaffer recently represented Kingman at the 2025 International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Las Vegas Conference, held May 18–20, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This premier national event brought together more than 23,000 attendees from the retail and real estate sectors, reflecting a continued return to pre-pandemic levels of engagement and interest in commercial development.
The city’s delegation worked closely with The Retail Coach, Kingman’s retail recruitment consultant, to hold a series of strategic meetings with national retailers, developers, and brokerage firms. Thanks to this partnership, we secured multiple high-impact meetings directly on the show floor, advancing strategic discussions with brands interested in Kingman’s growing trade area.
“Retail recruitment is not only a lengthy process—it’s a partnership,” said Director Bratley. “Without strong collaboration between our economic development team and The Retail Coach’s national network, we wouldn’t have secured such productive opportunities.”
Those opportunities included direct engagement with several national retailers and restaurants that had previously been identified by Kingman residents as high-interest targets through a recent retail survey. Some of these brands expressed immediate interest in entering the Kingman market, while others initiated longer-term conversations focused on site availability, buildout costs, and navigating the logistics of real estate development.
The conference proved to be a major momentum-builder for Kingman’s retail landscape. The Retail Coach team alone conducted more than 275 meetings during the event, many centered on Arizona communities like Kingman. The outlook for the retail sector remains highly positive, with continued expansion expected across several categories in the coming year.
City officials emphasized that these post-conference relationships and discussions are essential to accelerating new retail openings in Kingman. The city’s growing trade area, coupled with proactive outreach, has positioned Kingman as a competitive and attractive market for national brands. As the Economic Development team continues its follow-up with interested parties, the groundwork laid at ICSC Las Vegas marks a significant step forward in the city’s mission to enhance local retail offerings and strengthen the economic vitality of the region.
