Our continued success in attracting technology companies to Nevada depends a great deal on how our elected officials handle key technology issues. Here’s the good news. Nevada may not be Silicon Valley, but our state is getting its share of new information technology (IT) companies. States across the nation are in fierce competition for what has become the "golden" industry. … [Read more...] about TECHNOLOGY: The good, the bad & the e-ugly

As a political and government affairs consultant, people often ask me my opinion on the qualities that make a person a good politician. I always start my answer with a qualifying statement: my training and experience allow me to judge whether a person would be a particularly good candidate for public office. It takes nothing more than common sense to figure out whether a … [Read more...] about Defining the “Good” Candidate

Planning for college is tough enough without the additional challenges of completing the various applications available for federal financial aid. Nevertheless, to be successful, it’s important to keep several things in mind: (1) prepare early; (2) investigate all options; and (3) don’t assume that you are not qualified for aid, even if you think your family income is too … [Read more...] about Finding College Financial Aid: Tips for tackling the assignment

"No one ever went broke taking a profit." — Bernard Saruch Over the course of history, the financial markets have always experienced periods of extreme volatility. Although one can come up with hundreds of reasons — some very simple, others very technical — to rationalize the market’s movement, there are really only two factors. Fear and greed. These two human emotions … [Read more...] about Using Market Psychology: To Enhance Your Portfolio

Nevada's gaming operators have begun to follow a trend United Coin has known about for awhile, and Bob Miodunski, president of United Coin, couldn’t be happier. "There is a movement for gamers to go cashless, which is something we initiated two years ago," Miodunski noted. United Coin is a route operator, maintaining the machines located in grocery stores, bars and … [Read more...] about United Coin: Bringing innovation to the gaming industry

Home, sweet home. The American dream, living in your own home, owning your own home. And right now in Nevada, Homebuyers ‘tend to represent two segments of the population — the baby boomers, who are moving into retirement, and the Gen Xers, who are becoming today’s young families. With such distinct markets, it makes sense that developers are responding to the needs and wants … [Read more...] about Housing the Future: Trends in Master-Planned Communities

Construction means growth, and a healthy economy signals a healthy construction industry and vice versa. With Nevada expanding in size and diversity on a daily basis, it makes sense that the construction industry should be expanding as well. But as costs begin to rise again and expansion brings competition for contractors, are profit margins as healthy as the industry on a … [Read more...] about Commercial Construction: Taking the Pulse

Region’s natural diversity caters to wide variety of  whenever Nevada state development authority delegates gather, the most overheard buzzword is diversification, according to John Sanderson, director for Lyon County Economic Development Authority. The objective of every regional economy is to avoid dependence on a restricted economic engine fueled by one or two industry … [Read more...] about Lyon County Economic Development Authority

The new millennium will undoubtedly come to be regarded as the technology era. Computers, fax machines, cell-phones and palm pilots have already greatly affected our lives, altering the way we recreate, communicate and conduct business. Today, most kids would rather cyber-surf than attend Little League, while professionals e-mail one another instead of picking-up the … [Read more...] about Banking on Technology: Nevada’s Financial Institutions Invest in e-commerce

Every business needs a strong plan — one that outlines goals, develops strategies, and maps contingencies for both the best and the worst. A business plan answers the questions who, what, when, where, how and why, and diagrams an operations scheme to organize tasks needed to achieve a set goal. It can be a few paragraphs or a few dozen pages. What is important is not length, … [Read more...] about How to write a Business Plan: Charting a Course for your Company’s future

Nevada’s economy makes it fairly easy for businesses to make money right now. A bull market allows even idiots to get rich. But short-term vision does not yield long-term profits, even in a strong economy. Tracking business performance is like a good eye exam — it allows you to see clearly where your business is and helps determine which course to take. "If you don’t track … [Read more...] about Measuring Business Performance

The Business: SESCOM Inc., based at 2100 Ward Drive in Henderson, manufactures more than 100 audio electronic products. The company was originally known as Scientific Electronic Systems, but the name was later shortened to make it easier to remember. The Players: Franklin Miller, sole owner and founder of SESCOM, grew up in the Los Angeles area. While attending junior high … [Read more...] about Mastering the Art of Delegation: Protracted illness forces owner to re-evaluate his hands-on role in overseas sales

Three decades of industry experience serve new Valley Bank VP well According to Terry McConnell, the new vice president of business development and commercial lending at Henderson’s Valley Bank, there are two ways of looking at his extensive background in the banking industry. "You can look at it as 30 years’ experience, or my critics might tell you one year’s experience 30 … [Read more...] about Banking On It: Terry McConnell – Connecting with the community

Starting your own business can be like jumping off a cliff. Keeping that business going requires you build yourself a good set of wings. Some folks build them on solid ground, calculating and testing before ever approaching the edge. Others jump with faith and build their wings as they fall. Either way, those without wings are in for a pretty hard landing. Finances, money, the … [Read more...] about Small-Business Finance: How to Keep your Business Soaring

Looking to buy a house? Both new homes resale homes offer advantages homebuyers must carefully consider. As broker and salesperson at Realty Executives of Nevada in Las Vegas, Laura Worthington sees it happen all the time. Take the corporate gentleman from Phoenix, for example. The man’s company agreed to help him with his job transfer to Las Vegas and his move into a new … [Read more...] about Something Old…Something New