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- Palm Cheyenne Mortuary, March 2015
Keith Walter Bassett (1940 ? 2015) (Picture included)
Keith W. Bassett, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his loved ones Feb. 28, 2015. He was born Jan. 27, 1940, in Sioux Falls, S.D. After graduating from Wilmot High School in Wilmot, S.D., he continued his education by attending business school in Minneapolis. His real estate career began with the development of the first regional mall in Rochester, Minn. In 1975, Keith brought his family to Las Vegas, where he continued his real estate career. In 1975, Keith started Realty Holdings Group in the Las Vegas valley. While at the helm of Realty Holdings Group, Keith worked with and represented the Molasky Group of Companies and Irwin Molasky. Consequently, Keith was involved in bringing some of the nation's largest retailers to Clark County. Commercial real estate was Keith's passion as he managed and leased millions of square feet. His knowledge, expertise, and understanding of the Las Vegas real estate market were matched by very few in the industry. In 2004, Keith sold Realty Holdings Group to Burnham Real Estate which was later acquired by Commerce Real Estate Solutions, a Cushman and Wakefield Alliance member. Keith also joined Commerce Real Estate Solutions in the January 2008, and prior to his retirement, Keith became a Senior Director of Commerce Real Estate Solutions. In addition to his successful real estate career, Keith also found time to keep involved in several business and civic organizations. He served two terms as Nevada State Director of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), and held the Certified Shopping Center (CSM) designation for the same organization. Keith was a graduate of Leadership Las Vegas - class of 1987-88, was a past president of the Las Vegas Rotary Club and a past Chairman of the UNLV President's Associates Foundation. He also served as the Trustee for the UNLV Lied School of Real Estate. Keith spent time as the Chairman of the Catholic Community Services of Southern Nevada, and was on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club and the Boy Scouts of America. Keith took great pride and joy in his family. He is survived by his wife, Dianna; his children, Teresa, Brett, Tara and Penny; his eight grandchildren, Chariane, Brandon, Kyra, Brad, Alec, Carter, Maia, and Brady; and his one great-grandchild, Lucas. Keith is also survived by the mother of his children, Bernadine. Viewing will be 3-6 p.m., Wednesday, March 4, with Rosary following, both at Palm Mortuary, 7400 W. Cheyenne Ave. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Friday, March 6, at Christ the King Catholic Church, 4925 S. Torrey Pines Drive. Graveside services following at Palm Memorial Park-Northwest, 6701 N. Jones Blvd. The family will be hosting a reception in Keith's honor following graveside services. Donations can be made in Keith's memory to the Holy Spirit Catholic Church Building Fund and the Nathan Adelson Hospice.
Influential real estate broker Keith Bassett dies at 75: Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice
Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV) - Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Deceased Name: Influential real estate broker Keith Bassett dies at 75
If you've ever bought pet food, office supplies or TVs in Las Vegas, Keith Bassett has probably touched your life.
As a commercial real estate broker, Bassett negotiated deals in the 1980s and '90s to bring to Southern Nevada some of the nation's biggest retailers ? PetSmart, Office Depot, Best Buy, Old Navy, Sports Authority and Target, among others.
Bassett, who colleagues say also helped bring professionalism to the brokerage industry during Las Vegas' boom years, died Saturday at his Las Vegas home. He was 75.
"Keith Bassett was my friend and colleague. He was a hardworking man who created the backbone of Las Vegas' real estate industry," said Las Vegas developer Irwin Molasky. "He brought office tenants and retailers into this community and managed their expectations ? and mine ? for 40 years."
Bassett, a South Dakota native, got his start in real estate in Minnesota in the 1960s, where he developed Rochester's first regional mall.
In the mid-1970s, Molasky, who developed The Boulevard Mall and Sunrise Hospital and gave 45 acres of land to launch UNLV, lured Bassett to Las Vegas to lease up the Bank of America Plaza Molasky was building downtown.
Through Realty Holdings Group, which he opened in 1975, Bassett leased and managed Molasky's developments. Beyond Bank of America Plaza, properties Bassett oversaw for Molasky included Best on the Boulevard shopping center on Maryland Parkway, the Best in the West shopping center on North Rainbow Boulevard, and downtown's Molasky Corporate Center.
But Bassett was just as influential for the commercial real estate industry he helped shape, colleagues said.
"Anyone who has been in commercial real estate here for a long time worked for Realty Holdings Group. That's where they got their education," said Rob Moore, senior managing director for the Las Vegas office of Faris Lee Investments and an associate of Bassett's since the mid-1970s. "For a lot of them, it contributed to their moral compass. We're sorely missing a guy who truly felt that integrity and character were more than a concept, and honesty was definitely more than an option."
Bassett sold Realty Holdings Group to Burnham Real Estate in 2004, and stayed on with Burnham.
He also stayed on as a senior director after Commerce Real Estate Solutions, a Cushman & Wakefield Alliance member, bought Burnham in 2007.
Bassett retired less than six months ago, after he developed vision problems due to a chronic illness.
"An awful lot of people who have had really good and successful careers got their start in Realty Holdings under Keith's teachings and tutelage," said Mike Dunn, Las Vegas market leader for Cushman & Wakefield|Commerce Real Estate Solutions. "Keith has huge handprints everywhere when it comes to mentoring or working with people. I couldn't even put a number on the people he's affected."
Matt Bear, a vice president at CBRE Las Vegas, recalled Bassett as "one of the first guys to try to organize a good (brokerage) company here."
"He brought a sense of professionalism. How he worked with me was probably how he worked with everybody: With kindness, and as an honest negotiator you looked forward to working with," Bear said.
Bassett is survived by his wife, Dianna; his ex-wife and the mother of his children, Bernadine; three daughters and one son; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Services are scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m. at Christ the King Catholic Church, 4925 S. Torrey Pines Drive.
The family asks that donations be made in Bassett's memory to the Holy Spirit Catholic Church Building Fund or to Nathan Adelson Hospice.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1940 - 2015 (75 years)