Water Smart is not just for homeowners. Businesses throughout the Las Vegas Valley are cashing in on money- and water-saving incentives offered by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA). Time is money. Grass is $1 per square foot. The SNWA’s Water Smart Landscape program rebates $1 for every square foot of thirsty grass that businesses convert to attractive, … [Read more...] about Save Water, Save Money: Business Solutions for Southern Nevada

According to the Small Business Administration, Nevada has more than 175,000 businesses. Of those, 96 percent are defined as “small businesses,” generally with less than 100 employees. Clearly, small business is big business here in Nevada. As a banker, I see many small business owners who experience success. Often, the successful business owners are those who have figured out … [Read more...] about Overlooked Savings for Small Business: Saving Time and Money with Direct Deposit

Recent newspaper articles suggest that many of the jobs of the future don’t yet exist. The challenge for people today is to ensure they have the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to stay employable in an ever-changing job market. Many people believe that their jobs will always be there, and if they work hard they will always have a job. However, look at an example in … [Read more...] about Staying Employable: Increasing your Value as an Employee

Construction defect lawsuits have caused the availability and coverage of general liability insurance for residential contractors to drop precipitously. If a residential contractor is able to obtain insurance policies at all, they are expensive and of little actual benefit. High self-insured retentions and/or deductibles have placed defect litigation risks squarely on the … [Read more...] about Wrap Insurance Policies: Do They Offer Enough Protection?

What do you do when your customer base expands so rapidly that it goes beyond your ability to provide prompt service? To a competitive business, the answer is a no-brainer: hire more employees and expand operations. In the non-competitive world of government, those often aren’t options. The idea of more government buildings and more government workers usually doesn’t sit … [Read more...] about DMV Challenged by Growth: Technology is the Answer

By the end of this decade, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts there will be 10 million jobs available nationally with no workers to fill them. Nevada is already feeling the crunch in its workforce. The most critical worker shortages are in industries such as medical, construction, engineering and education, which doesn’t surprise Douglas Geinzer, founder of Recruiting … [Read more...] about Help Wanted: Workforce Issues in Nevada

Perhaps you’ve noticed a less-than-subtle increase in mail these past few weeks. Or you’ve noticed that you can’t watch any show on television that’s not interrupted by political advertisements. Nevada is in the midst of one of the most competitive political primary cycles in recent memory – perhaps in its history. Nearly every statewide office is competitive (some with … [Read more...] about Election Outlook 2006: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not?

Clark County Recorder Frances Deane has been in court recently, accused of accepting bribes from businessmen who wanted copies of public documents. Whether she is judged innocent or guilty, the situation brings up a question that has perplexed both government officials and ordinary citizens for years: why are county recorders and county clerks in Nevada elected instead of … [Read more...] about Recorders, Clerks and Administrators: Should Politics Trump Ability?

On January 26, 2006, the Clark County School District Board of Trustees unanimously voted in favor of Interim Superintendent Dr. Walt Rulffes (pronounced roll-fess) as the district’s 10th superintendent. Though the committee had been divided in its discussions, the vote in favor of Rulffes was unanimous. Rulffes holds an MBA in Business and Finance and a doctorate in … [Read more...] about Getting to Know Dr. Walt Rulffes

The 12 attorneys featured in this article chosen by their peers as the best in their legal specialties are all long-time Nevadans who played a part in shaping the state's legal history. Samuel Lionel, featured on our cover, is the patriarch of the group, having practiced law in Nevada longer than most of the other attorneys have been alive. All 12 have received numerous … [Read more...] about Nevada’s Best Attorneys

First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The Clark County School District literally “pulled the plug” … [Read more...] about Two Endangered Species: Freedom of Speech and Religion