These days it seems that everyone wants to be a part of a business incubator or business accelerator (I’ll discuss the difference in a bit). Since 1980, the number of incubators has grown from 12 to over 850 today, with much of the recent growth occurring in Internet incubators. I know of at least seven incubators/accelerators planned or operating in Nevada. With all of the … [Read more...] about Internet Incubators: Myth vs. Reality

This coming January, I will turn out the lights in my Senate office and return to Nevada as a private citizen.  Bonnie and I have truly enjoyed our many years of service to the people of Nevada. Looking back on my years in elected office, I often marvel at the phenomenal changes that have taken place in Nevada during my years of public service, and I am proud of the work I have … [Read more...] about A Senator’s Farewell to Nevada’s Business Community

A select group of home builders, architects and design professionals have been given the opportunity to show what the "dream house" in southern Nevada could look like if money were no object. The results can be found in Street of Dreams in the Venezia neighborhood at the Seven Hills community in Henderson. The street contains nine homes, each as elegant as the collaborating … [Read more...] about Street of Dreams: Builders and Designers Create Showcase of Custom Homes

I was in a planning meeting a few weeks ago for a seminar on small business. None of the "marketing gurus" in the meeting wanted to address the Internet in the communications portion of the seminar. They wanted to put it in the technology section, along with fax machines, cell phones and other hi-tech business tools. That is when it dawned on me (the epiphany) how clueless … [Read more...] about Not Just The Fax, Ma’am: The True Nature of the Internet

MountainView Hospital, located in the rapidly-growing northwest area of Las Vegas, recently completed a $33.5 million expansion project, which included adding new, state-of-the-art surgical capabilities. MountainView was the first hospital to open its doors to the exploding northwest community in 1996. It has been and continues to be the busiest hospital in the Las Vegas … [Read more...] about MountainView Hospital: Keeping Up with Explosive Growth

Poggemeyer Design Group, a design and engineering firm with offices in Reno and Las Vegas, has been retained to provide master planning services for the Apex Industrial Park. Larry Carroll, principal at Poggemeyer, reports they will provide engineering services for approximately 40 miles of roadway, a water system, a sanitary sewer system and necessary flood control facilities … [Read more...] about APEX INDUSTRIAL PARK: Poggemeyer Provides Master Planning for Huge Site

So, what’s so bad about California? Countless articles and news stories lament the impact of California businesses moving to other states and then trying to turn their new homes into replicas of the old. Some states, such as Oregon and Washington, are practically ready to check ID’s at the border. Meanwhile, Nevada welcomes these businesses, confidently enough to embrace the … [Read more...] about THE CALIFORNIA INVASION: Will Newcomers Turn Our State into Californevada?

Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended to allow the investment of state money in a company, association, or corporation to assist economic development and the creation of new high-quality jobs? Yes ________ Anyone who has taken the time to study Nevada’s economic situation knows that economic diversification is the key to stabilizing our financial future. It’s just not … [Read more...] about Ballot Question One: Opportunity Knocks Three Times

Living in Las Vegas presents many challenges, including adjusting to extreme temperatures and learning to conserve water and energy in a desert environment. Anyone who doesn’t like the heat is probably not going to enjoy being in southern Nevada. It doesn’t take long for the attraction of gambling, bright lights and all types of recreation to wilt once the 110+ temperatures … [Read more...] about Desert Friendly Homes: How to Keep Your Cool by Saving Energy and Water

It’s a struggle, but there are signs that Nevada is gaining ground in its efforts to diversify the state’s gaming-dominated economy. While a whopping 24 percent of Nevada’s workers still earn their living in the casino, hotel and recreation sectors, other industries are beginning to bloom. And agencies working to diversify the state’s economy are optimistic that the new growth … [Read more...] about What’s Hot in Nevada: High Growth Industries Help Diversify Economy

Infill development is becoming more and more important in Nevada as open-space amenities are lost to sprawling commercial and residential developments. Chuck Alvey of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada says, "I think [infill] is a good idea." Alvey and city officials from Reno and Sparks see it as a way to combat urban sprawl and maintain the surrounding open … [Read more...] about Filling in the Blanks: Infill Development Projects in Nevada

Those of us old enough to remember dial telephones may have a hard time believing that a practical version of the Jetsons’ video phone is actually available today. Matt Matson, founder and CEO of Global Communications, Inc., is bringing the video phone along with a whole gamut of 21st technology to Nevada households and businesses. Besides an array of multipurpose … [Read more...] about “See You on the Phone”: Body Language Goes Global at Global Communications