A year ago, Ed Brown said Nevada’s business financing picture in 2010 was the worst he’d seen in his 35 years of administering small business loans for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), describing it as “a bad time” and “depressing.” Minimal loans of any kind were being made. Funds were being pieced together from various sources. Some groups had no money to … [Read more...] about Financing: It’s a Jungle Out There
Feature Story
Power Women: Enough Said
The name says it all. Nevada’s Power Women are helping to shape the state and working for the betterment of our communities. They are in the trenches day in and day out with the goal of improving where we live and work. They say behind every great man is a woman; we say, behind every great state are several women. We’re honored to include this year’s Power Women in the … [Read more...] about Power Women: Enough Said
The Green Movement: Thinking Green
Is the hobbled and largely stagnant economy pushing companies nationwide and in Nevada to become greener? Well, yes, if they can cut costs by being more energy efficient and recycling. And, well, no if it means having to submit to government arm twisting to use new processes and technologies that raise rather than lower costs. “There are two sides to the answer, which go … [Read more...] about The Green Movement: Thinking Green
Going Global: Nevada’s Place in the World Market
Necessity is the mother of invention. Lisa Marshall was also a mother when she started American Pet Diner in Eureka, and she didn’t want to leave her kids with babysitters while getting a job in town. Luckily for Marshall, and her kids, she came from an entrepreneurial background – her father and grandfather had run an insurance business – so when she moved to Nevada where her … [Read more...] about Going Global: Nevada’s Place in the World Market
Security at Work: How to Protect All of Your Company’s Assets
Embezzlement. Identity fraud. Data loss. Copyright infringement. Hacking. Robbery. These are only a sampling of potential threats to a business—the list is long. “There are so many different opportunities for crooks to take advantage. Everything has changed from what it was 20 years ago,” said Joe Martin, Jr., chief executive officer and co-owner of Reno-based Martin-Ross … [Read more...] about Security at Work: How to Protect All of Your Company’s Assets
Financial Services: The Business of Smarter Lending
If money makes the world go round then, well, the world is rotating a bit more creakily than it used to. Financing for the Nevada business community, or any business community in the U.S., still isn’t what it was before the economy took a turn for the worse. But it is getting better -- thanks to a variety of factors such as lenders that want and need to lend; a shakeout … [Read more...] about Financial Services: The Business of Smarter Lending
Employee Benefits: Companies Get Creative
The benefits afforded to employees today are far different from those offered earlier this decade when the economy was strong. Similarly, those that will be offered five years from now will vary from those being provided today. “From an employer’s perspective, fewer employers are excited about offering benefits and taking a wait-and-see attitude,” said Bill Rosado, president … [Read more...] about Employee Benefits: Companies Get Creative
Rural Nevada: Micro-Economies in a Macro State
While Nevada is one of the hardest hit states and still battling its way back from the recent great recession, the Nevada economy is made up of micro-economies. The state as a whole saw 13.2 percent unemployment in March, but the rate varies by county. At first glance, it might be assumed that Nevada’s rural communities are struggling harder than the metro areas, that’s not … [Read more...] about Rural Nevada: Micro-Economies in a Macro State
Heart & Soul: Nevada’s Downtowns
As economic indicators continue to paint a less than rosy picture of the financial health of the Silver State, public and private movers and shakers remain steadfastly committed to the future development and redevelopment of Nevada’s downtowns. With an unemployment rate of more than 14 percent and with 65 percent of its mortgaged homes underwater, according to recent figures … [Read more...] about Heart & Soul: Nevada’s Downtowns
Tourism: The Return to the Silver State
Tourism in the Silver State, which was hard hit during the peak of the recession, is improving, experts say. “I wouldn’t say it’s healthy, I wouldn’t say it’s recovered or robust. All of those would be an over-exaggeration,” said Jeremy Aguero, principal analyst with Applied Analysis, a Las Vegas-based consulting and advisory services company. As Nevada’s number one … [Read more...] about Tourism: The Return to the Silver State
Power Poll 2011
It could be the newly elected, fresh faces of our elected officials, the increase in hotel prices or any number of other indicators, but executives participating in this, the ninth annual Power Poll, indicate an optimism that has been missing from the last couple of years. The Power Poll survey was sent to business owners and executives at the end of 2010. Respondents … [Read more...] about Power Poll 2011
Growing Up: Nevada’s Economic Development
As they welcome the arrival of 2011, economic developers in Nevada look to the New Year with both eagerness and apprehension. Will this be the year of the perfect storm that can propel the state toward sustainable economic diversification? Or will 2011 be another year overshadowed by continued economic hard times and frustrations? Absent a crystal ball to forecast the … [Read more...] about Growing Up: Nevada’s Economic Development
Nevada’s Healthcare Professionals: Will We Have Enough?
''Most people don't think about healthcare until the last six or eight months of their life," says Ann Lynch, ' vice president of marketing and public relations for Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center and Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas. "Therefore, it's not a state of mind." Nevadans expect that when they are ill they can go to a doctor. When that illness is … [Read more...] about Nevada’s Healthcare Professionals: Will We Have Enough?