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Are You Excited about the NFL in Las Vegas? Good, Because You’re Already Paying for it

January could be a big month for Las Vegas … and some very eager commercial roofing contractors.

The National Football League will host its annual owners meeting this month, and the topic of moving a team — most likely the Oakland Raiders, and less likely the San Diego Chargers — to Sin City is bound to come up. Discussions began early last year after both the Raiders and Chargers lost out to the Rams for the opportunity to move to Los Angeles. The discussions turned to flirtations over the summer and really started to pick up in earnest last fall.

That’s because the Nevada Legislature — at Gov. Brian Sandoval’s urging — voted in a special session to approve a whopping $750 million in public financing for a proposed stadium. The money will be raised via a tourist tax levied over the next three decades. Sandoval signed the funding bill a week later at a ceremony that included a jubilant Oakland Raiders Owner Mark Davis looking on. Davis has publicly said that if the stadium is built, the Raiders will move.

But even with public funding and all the political momentum working in its favor, an NFL franchise in Las Vegas is no shoe-in. The league has yet to get the blessing required from 24 of its 32 team owners, and there’s no clear site for where this ‘newest’ version of the Raiders would call home. A total of nine potential stadium sites were proposed and there are at least two sites close to the Strip considered to be finalists.

Whether the NFL is coming or not, one thing is for certain: roofing contractors and other IRE 2017 attendees are already paying for a new stadium that’s expected to seat at least 65,000 people and projected to cost at least $2 billion. Just before Thanksgiving, Clark County commissioners approved the necessary hotel room tax increases to fund the public portion of construction costs. Combined, the two increases mean an additional $1.35 for every $100 spent on a room rate in the city beginning Jan. 1.

SRS Lands an Eagle

The team at SRS Distribution Inc. recently announced that singer/songwriter Joe Walsh — an original member of the legendary classic rock band The Eagles — will headline a special musical performance at the Las Vegas House of Blues during IRE 2017.

Walsh, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee best known for his powerful guitar riffs and unique sound that has entertained millions around the world over a 40-year career, will take the stage on March 2 with Cody Canada and The Departed. Doors open at 6 p.m., and tickets must be reserved at ire.srsdistribution.com.

Actual tickets for the event will be distributed to registered IRE attendees during the SRS Extreme Tailgate.

This isn’t the first time SRS has dug deep into the annals of classic rock to draw an act that appeals to both veteran roofers and the next generation of roofing industry professionals. Last year, they hosted members of Credence Clearwater Revisited for a raucous, well-attended show at the House of Blues in Orlando, site of IRE 2016.

This year’s performance is among a select cluster of recently confirmed shows by Walsh starting in January at the House of Blues’ intimate setting in Mandalay Place, located just outside the IRE 2017 host venue. Walsh’s appearance will also be for a good cause. For the fourth consecutive year, proceeds from the event will benefit SRS’s Raise the Roof Foundation, which was established in 2012 as a way to give back.

The foundation supports a handful of non-profit organizations that share the company’s mission of supporting disaster relief efforts, military veterans, and community-based programs across the country. Last year’s concert and other contribution programs at IRE helped SRS reach its fundraising goal of $50,000, said Rich Ross, SRS’s director of marketing.

Volunteers Still Needed

For the eighth consecutive year, roofing professionals from around the country will roll up their sleeves and get to work in order to give back to the Las Vegas community as part of the IRE 2017 Community Service Day home renovation project.

Skilled volunteers from all walks of construction life — including roofing contractors — are needed to make this event a success. Any skill level is welcome, but the work requires a lot of effort and special focus on general contractors, project managers, home inspectors, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, painters, masons, plasterers/drywall, HVAC professionals and tile setters.

The event is sponsored by Sika Sarnafil, and materials will be donated by ABC Supply Co., Inc. Participants will also have meals sponsored by Georgia Pacific and OMG Roofing Products.

Financial donations are still needed as well and can be made upon show registration. All donors will receive a tax deductible receipt for their records.

There is a $25 fee that includes transportation, snacks and drinks. All volunteers must be 18 years of age or older and will be asked to sign a waiver of liability form.