Fraud is a $400 billion problem that costs each consumer nearly $1,500 per year. Much of this fraud is collusion, or "insider threat," which frequently goes undetected because relationships exist within a company that are difficult, if not impossible, for humans to recognize. Today, technology is helping companies large and small cut fraud in many different ways. Major … [Read more...] about New Technology Hunts Down Insider Crime

In August, 55-year-old Walter M. Higgins was named chairman, president and CEO of Sierra Pacific Resources. Sierra Pacific is a holding company whose principal subsidiaries are Nevada Power Company (the electric utility for Southern Nevada) and Sierra Pacific Power Company (the electric utility for most of Northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe area of California.) The firm also … [Read more...] about Sierra Pacific Resources: Weathering Tough Times

John Gaynor, president and CEO of Bank of Nevada, says one of his bank’s most valuable assets is having a name familiar to many long-time Nevada residents. Although the community bank just opened this fall, the original Bank of Nevada was a known and successful entity for over 30 years until it merged into First National Bank of Nevada in the 1970s. "The name is a viable … [Read more...] about Bank of Nevada: A Familiar Name Returns to the Banking Scene

Keeping Pace with the Present There was a time when a customer would walk into his bank to make a payment on an account or loan, and wait while the teller went back to get the ledger card, then physically recorded the payment and made out a receipt. No one has time for this anymore. In today’s world, banking needs to be as instantaneous and real-time as the rest of the world, … [Read more...] about Space-Age Banking: Any Time, Any Place

Tradewinds Construction President and CEO Jeffrey Vilkin says his company is unique. In a town where construction companies – both general contractors and subcontractors – are a dime a dozen, Vilkin believes his company has distinctive qualities that set it apart from the rest. Vilkin, 42, learned the construction trade as a carpenter in Telluride, Colo. in his early 20s. … [Read more...] about Tradewinds Construction: Uniqueness Leads to Success

In order to keep the doors open and make a living, the owner of a private business must constantly be on the lookout for ways to streamline operations and keep the company running at peak efficiency. He or she must investigate the practicality of cost-cutting, downsizing, outsourcing, competitive bidding, upgrading technology, and many other methods to keep the bottom line … [Read more...] about Competition is Good… A New Concept for State Government