PortaCielo executives committed to lifestyle at Lake Las Vegas

     Special to Real Estate
      Tom Dobron, president and chief executive officer of Innovative Resort Communities, interviewed several prospects for the sales and marketing positions at PortaCielo at SouthShore in Lake Las Vegas Resort, but no one met his criteria: people would invest themselves in the community, take root in area organizations and thrive.
      While playing a charity golf tournament last fall, Dobron posed his dilemma to longtime friend George Berkey, head of a real estate brokerage and land development company in the San Diego area. Not only was Berkey prominent in Southern California activities, his wife, Lynelle Berkey, was being groomed as president of the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce.
      "I just wish I could clone you two," Dobron told his friend, realizing that the Berkeys were exactly the kind of people he was seeking.
      The Berkeys had heard so much about PortaCielo that they were interested in talking with Dobron about taking over the stewardship of the project.
      "Tom had been talking to us about Lake Las Vegas Resort for the past five years, telling us tales of a 320-acre lake and a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course that, when finished, would knock our socks off," Lynelle Berkey said. "When the course was completed, Tom invited George and me out to play a round. By the end of the afternoon, we were ready and willing to drop our lives in San Diego for the opportunities awaiting us in Henderson."
      The Berkeys are the first official buyers at PortaCielo; they're scheduled to move into their new home Monday. Lynelle Berkey, now the vice president of marketing for the company, takes prospective clients on tours of the three models, which range from 2,460 to 3,500 square feet.
      She has joined the Henderson Chamber of Commerce on the marketing committee and represents the developer on the advisory board of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.
      George Berkey is putting his 20 years of real estate experience to work as vice president of sales and is investigating additional development opportunities for the company in Las Vegas. He continues as head of his company in Southern California.
      "Inside 90 days, they've completely entrenched themselves in the community," Dobron said. "They've proved to me that even without experience specifically in new-home sales and marketing, they possess exactly the kind of representation I wanted for promoting PortaCielo."
      Lynelle Berkey said her segue as general manager of Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Palm Springs and San Diego to high-end, new-home sales and marketing has been enlightening and surprisingly smooth.
      George Berkey said they have sold 16 homes in less than 60 days. Clients are relocating from New York and Maryland, but one-third of buyers are local.
      "I think they're realizing that Lake Las Vegas Resort isn't the far-away mirage they've been envisioning," Lynelle Berkey said. She pointed out that although the resort is in its own valley, it's convenient to Lake Mead, The Strip and McCarran Airport.
      Dobron said only a few phase-one homes remain available and the remaining phase-two homes are being released soon. Included with the purchase of the phase-one homes is a free membership to the SouthShore Golf Club.
      "The usual initiation fee for these memberships is $40,000," George Berkey said.
      Dobron said membership in the golf club is guaranteed never to exceed 475 regular members; 130 memberships remain.
      "Buyers of our last few phase-one homes need to know, however, that only the large initiation fee of the golf membership will be waived," Lynelle Berkey said. "Homeowners must still be voted in by the club's membership."
      She said the company has put together a unique lot sale program for custom homes that caters to locals.
      "Under the program, a buyer has 18 months to build, which gives him an opportunity to sell another home and take care of all the arrangements that might deter him from buying a tract home."
      Lynelle Berkey said a buyer could finance the membership to the golf club with a small down payment and could start playing the course immediately. The buyer also could opt to put one of the developer's homes on the lot at a later date.
      The three floor plans are priced from $440,000 to about $550,000, not including lot premiums.
      To visit, take Lake Mead Drive to Lake Las Vegas Parkway, east of Boulder Highway. Office hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.