Manny Kess is an entrepreneur, investor, and community leader with more than two decades of experience building and leading businesses in highly regulated, competitive environments.
Manny grew up in New York and spent his early years at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he built a strong work ethic and a deep respect for service and accountability. While attending the Academy, he lost his father — an experience that profoundly shaped how he approaches leadership, responsibility, and resilience.
Like many families and small business owners, Manny faced serious financial setbacks during the Great Recession. He rebuilt from the ground up and chose Nevada as his home 14 years ago. Starting with limited resources, he built The Kess Group into a respected hospitality organization, working with athletes, entertainers, business leaders, and local families.
Manny has built and operated businesses across restaurants, real estate, travel, and consumer ventures. These experiences gave him firsthand insight into budgeting, regulation, land use, and long-term planning. Throughout his career, he has focused on creating jobs, supporting families, and reinvesting in Southern Nevada.
Manny speaks openly about the lessons he learned along the way. Each challenge sharpened his judgment and reinforced the importance of transparency, preparation, and steady decision making — qualities he believes public service demands.
Above all, Manny is a father. His daughter drives his commitment to safer neighborhoods, responsible leadership, and long-term opportunity for the next generation.
Manny is running for Clark County Commission, District E, because he believes county government works best when leaders make transparent, fiscally responsible decisions guided by the long-term interests of the community.
The long version, in chapters.
For anyone who wants a fuller picture, here's the story Manny tells when there's time to sit down and have a coffee with him. It's a story about a kid from New York who learned what it took to build things, lost what he built, moved across the country with nothing, built again — and now wants to bring that same scrappy, accountable approach to the table at the Clark County Commission.