The Howard Hughes Corporation® Announces The Las Vegas Aviators® As New Name Of Las Vegas' Professional Baseball Team

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Howard Hughes Corporation®, owner of the Las Vegas 51s®, the city's professional Triple-A baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), and developer of the Summerlin® master planned community and the Las Vegas Ballpark currently under construction at Downtown Summerlin®, announced today the team's new name - the Las Vegas Aviators®. 

The announcement of the new name included the unveiling of the team's new logo and was made at a special event at Downtown Summerlin hosted by The Howard Hughes Corporation. The event was attended by close to 2,000 guests, including representatives from Minor League Baseball, former Major League Baseball players now living in Las Vegas, as well as season ticket holders, community leaders, and nearly a dozen little leaguers from throughout the valley.

Speakers and attendees included David R. Weinreb, CEO of The Howard Hughes Corporation; Kevin T. Orrock, President, Summerlin; Pat O'Conner, President and Chief Executive Officer, Minor League Baseball; Branch Rickey, President of the Pacific Coast League and grandson of baseball legend Branch Rickey; Don Logan, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Las Vegas Aviators; and Steve Hill, CEO, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.  

The name change comes on the heels of the team's September announcement of its new two-year Player Development Contract (PDC) with the Oakland A's and in advance of the spring 2019 completion of the Las Vegas Ballpark. The new, state-of-the-art Triple-A baseball stadium will serve as home of the newly named Las Vegas Aviators with the home, season and stadium opener slated for April 9, 2019.  

The Aviators name officially went live today with newly branded merchandise and apparel available for purchase at the Las Vegas Ballpark Sales Center at Downtown Summerlin, as well as online at AviatorsLV.com. 

According to Weinreb, the name change pays homage to the company's namesake, Howard R. Hughes, Jr., one of the twentieth century's most successful businessmen whose passion for aviation and legacy of innovation includes significant aviation-related firsts and accomplishments. In the H-1 Racer, a plane he designed and built, Hughes set the land speed record in 1935. Hughes went on to set other records, including the fastest coast-to-coast flight in 1937 and the fastest circumnavigation of the globe in 1938, then acquiring and successfully operating major airlines and aviation companies. 

"Hughes' vision and ambition were unmatched," said Weinreb. "That, along with his imprint on Las Vegas where his legacy has helped shape the community for decades, makes the decision to name the team in his honor an easy one. The Las Vegas Aviators is the perfect name for the city's oldest professional sports team, one that is now launching a new chapter with a state-of-the-art stadium in Summerlin and a new major league affiliation."

The name, the Las Vegas Aviators, was chosen from hundreds of names submitted by the general public through an initiative in which the community was invited to participate in the naming process.

"Everyone is excited about our new name," said Don Logan, the team's President and Chief Operating Officer, who has been with the franchise for 35 years. "With new ownership, our impending move into the Las Vegas Ballpark and our new professional affiliation, this is the perfect time to rebrand the city's beloved baseball team. The Aviators is a fitting new name for the city's first professional sports franchise as we take off on this next stage of our journey."

About The Howard Hughes Corporation®
The Howard Hughes Corporation owns, manages and develops commercial, residential and mixed-use real estate throughout the U.S. Its award-winning assets include the country's preeminent portfolio of master planned communities, as well as operating properties and development opportunities including: The Seaport District in New York; Columbia, Maryland; The Woodlands®, The Woodlands Hills, and Bridgeland® in the Greater Houston, Texas area; Summerlin®, Las Vegas; and Ward Village® in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The Howard Hughes Corporation's portfolio is strategically positioned to meet and accelerate development based on market demand, resulting in one of the strongest real estate platforms in the country. Dedicated to innovative place making, the company is recognized for its ongoing commitment to design excellence and to the cultural life of its communities. The Howard Hughes Corporation is traded on the New York Stock Exchange as HHC.

About The Las Vegas Aviators Professional Baseball Team:
The Las Vegas Aviators have the proud distinction of being the longest enduring franchise in the history of professional sports in the state of Nevada. The 2019 campaign will mark the 37^th season in the Silver State as a proud member of the Pacific Coast League and the inaugural season in the new Las Vegas Ballpark (10,000). The Stars (1983-2000)/51^s (2001-18) have reached the 300,000 mark in "home" attendance in all 36 seasons previously at Cashman Field. The Aviators are also in their first season as the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics and the franchise won the PCL championship in 1986 and 1988.

About Summerlin®
Developed by The Howard Hughes Corporation®, Summerlin began to take shape in 1990 and has ranked in the country's top 10 best-selling master-planned communities for nearly two decades. Located along the western rim of the Las Vegas valley, Summerlin encompasses 22,500 acres with approximately 6,000 gross acres still remaining to accommodate future growth, including infrastructure, open space and common areas, all within the master plan. The community is currently home to nearly 100,000 residents who enjoy an unparalleled list of amenities. These include more than 250 neighborhood and village parks, more than 150 completed miles of trails, 27 public and private schools, 14 houses of worship, ten golf courses, shopping centers, medical and cultural facilities, business parks and dozens of actively selling floor plans. Homes are available in a variety of styles – from single-family homes to townhomes – priced from the $300,000s to more than $2.5 million. For information on custom homesites in The Ridges please call 702.255.2500. Luxury apartment homes offer monthly rents starting from the $900s. Visit www.summerlin.com for more information.

About Downtown Summerlin®
Downtown Summerlin is part of a planned urban center, serving the entire Las Vegas Valley. It includes retail, entertainment, office, hotel and multi-family residential elements, all designed to create a vibrant, walkable urban core within the award-winning 22,500-acre master planned community of Summerlin®. Downtown Summerlin totals nearly 400 acres and features more than 125 stores and restaurants in a streetscape-shopping environment with pedestrian thoroughfares and dynamic storefronts. The first phase of development opened to the public in October 2014. Today, Downtown Summerlin is also home to City National Arena, practice facility for the National Hockey League's Vegas Golden Knights, and in 2019, Downtown Summerlin will welcome Las Vegas Ballpark, a 10,000-capacity minor league baseball stadium. Downtown Summerlin boasts two Class-A office towers that encompass a combined 380,000 square feet. In addition to Downtown Summerlin's first luxury multifamily development, The Constellation, more than 4,000 attached residences are planned at Downtown Summerlin to create a high-density urban residential community comprised of apartments, condominiums, lofts and brownstones. A second luxury apartment complex is in early development. Rounding out Downtown Summerlin landmark facilities are Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa, Lifetime Athletic and the City National Bank building. Downtown Summerlin is located just east of the 215 Beltway between Sahara Avenue and Charleston Blvd. Additional information can be found at www.downtownsummerlin.com.

Media Contacts:

Melissa Warren
Faiss Foley Warren Public Relations
melissa@ffwpr.com

Jim Gemma
Las Vegas 51s
jgemma@lv51.com

The Howard Hughes Corporation
Danielle Bisterfeldt, 702-791-4437
VP, Marketing Director, Summerlin
Danielle.Bisterfeldt@howardhughes.com

Cristina Carlson, 646-822-6910
VP, Corporate Communications and Public Relations
cristina.carlson@howardhughes.com

For HHC Investor Relations
David O'Reilly, 214-741-7744
Chief Financial Officer
David.oreilly@howardhughes.com

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SOURCE The Howard Hughes Corporation