Shawn Barrack is the director of operations for Art Houz Theaters.
Q: What are you reading?
A: I have recently become a father to a beautiful baby girl, so most of my reading now consists of children’s books. I have recently discovered a great series of books called “The Secret Life of Squirrels.” My nickname for my daughter is Squirrel, so it fits well to read her that series. It’s actually pretty cute. The author hides peanuts with props and it makes it look like the squirrels are doing human tasks. I find it to be amusing and seeing my daughter smile and laugh is amazing.
Q: What is your favorite restaurant? Where do you take clients to dinner?
A: Art Houz Theaters, of course. I try to bring new clients to my venue and show them the incredible food and beverage offerings we have here. Hopefully, I can create lifelong guests and capture any events they may have, as well. When I am not at the theater I like to enjoy Juan’s Flaming Fajitas with my family and I just celebrated my first-year anniversary at Flemings.
Q: Where do you work out, or play your favorite sport?
A: I actually have multiple gym memberships throughout town. Unfortunately, I have not been using them as much as I used to. Yak’s Fitness in the southwest side of town is my go-to. Nice clean smaller gym where you never have to wait for equipment. I enjoy golfing with a great group of friends every Saturday morning. We typically change up where we play each weekend. We used to all play softball together at Sunset Park but after the pandemic we have all transitioned to a nice early Saturday morning tee time.
Q: How do you decompress after a hard week?
A: Staying active with sports like softball and golf help me to relax after a hard week. Often, my weekends are filled with baby play time so my wife also can have a few relaxing hours. I try to make sure that when I am with my family I am focused on them and that helps keep me happy.
Q:What is the biggest challenge facing Las Vegas in the next five years?
A: I believe that the need for employees throughout the valley will be a huge challenge very soon. I know there is a current struggle with staffing businesses and with all the new projects coming to town it will only increase the amount of jobs that are available. It is great how many jobs are being created but being able to fill them will be an ongoing issue. Unfortunately, the small businesses will be the ones to struggle the most. Having to compete with high-dollar payrolls of the Strip and new arena venues will certainly force some companies to close their doors.
