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About 80 percent of businesses use a tax professional to keep their books in order. For the sole proprietor or the largest corporation, record maintenance can be tedious but also valuable as keeping good records can actually save a company money. On the subject of finances and saving money, three new tax laws were enacted in 2010 and many of the provisions in them are … [Read more...] about Tax Season: Things to Know from the IRS

The multi-family segment has taken a pounding along with the rest of the real estate industry. But the good news, say those who know, is that the worst is probably over, and the climb – slow but steady – back to recovery has already begun. Multi-family properties remain a good investment, although investors hoping to scoop them up for a song may well be disappointed. Rents … [Read more...] about Multi-family Housing: More Renters in the Recession?

Las Vegas  The Las Vegas Valley industrial market continued to weaken as pricing declined among an increase in vacancies.  The vacancy rate edged upward to 16.9 percent as 417,700 square feet of negative net absorption was reported during the quarter. For comparison purposes, the vacancy rate is up 0.4 percentage points from the previous quarter (Q3 2010) and up 2.4 percent … [Read more...] about Industrial Summary: Fourth Quarter 2010

The U.S. economy continues a slow and uneven pace of recovery from its deepest recession since the Great Depression. Estimated growth of real GDP was 2.5 percent at an annualized rate for third quarter 2010—stronger than the 1.7 percent figure for second quarter 2010.  U.S. nonfarm employment rose by a moderate 103,000 jobs (seasonally adjusted) in December, marking the third … [Read more...] about February 2011: Business Indicators

“My favorite Mobile App is ‘Visible Vote’  - it is a non-partisan app that allows you to vote on issues and bills.  It sends  the votes to your elected officials.  It also shows you how they voted, their approval rating, and how your votes coincide with theirs.  It is very interesting, educational, and informative.” Valerie J. Clark, BSN, RHU, LUTCF • President, Clark & … [Read more...] about What is your favorite mobile app?

Folks who have lived in Nevada at least five years will remember times when the state’s biggest challenge was keeping up with growth:  we couldn’t build houses or commercial buildings fast enough to keep up with demand, prices for residential and commercial real estate were spiraling out of control and infrastructure like roads and utilities lagged far behind the growth curve.  … [Read more...] about Nevada Offers Great Value: Golden Opportunities in the Silver State

Years ago, most homes were equipped with one dial-tone phone and a television that actually required someone getting up off the couch to change a channel or turn up the volume. Meanwhile, office phone systems required an operator, of the human sort, to take and direct individual calls for all company employees. Today, thanks to frenetic technological advances in the … [Read more...] about Powerful Communication: Nevada’s Leading Telecom Companies: You Can Hear Them Now

The Silver State’s utilities, like almost every other industry, have seen some rocky times.  New competition, shrinking customer bases and fewer move-ins have all resulted in Nevada’s utilities having to make some tough choices. “Utilities” is a catchall phrase for services everyone needs every day: water, power, natural gas. The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUC) … [Read more...] about Utilities: The Backbone of the Silver State

U.S. manufacturing and technology is what made our nation a great global power.  Unfortunately, our global rank in manufacturing has been eroded by foreign competition, especially in the last 20 years.  U.S. companies (large and especially small) who implement lean manufacturing practices in the U.S are now showing that we have the ability to turn the tide and become more … [Read more...] about Lean Manufacturing: What is it and why do it?

2010 proved to be yet another year filled with reports of failed business, continued cutbacks and droves of people wondering…”have we hit bottom yet?”  As the economic tsunami continues to roll through our economy, it carries with it an entire generation’s worth of historical reference with regard to marketing and business development as we know it.  Not one single industry is … [Read more...] about Achieve Success: Marketing Tactics for 2011

Business leaders across Nevada are saying they expect 2011 to be slightly better than 2010, which should thrill absolutely no one. Still, better is… better. Viewed from a variety of perspectives – employment, tourism, real estate, gaming, retail and more -- our state’s economic outlook could be worse, and in fact may already have taken its initial steps on the road to … [Read more...] about Economic Forecast: Mostly Cloudy with a Chance of Improvement

A Nevadan needs $120,000 to open a used sporting goods store but can’t get a loan from a bank. Either he gives up the idea or resorts to creative financing, if possible. In the end, he puts up $40,000 of his own money, gets his landlord to cover $15,000 of tenant improvements, and obtains a $40,000 loan from the state’s micro-loan lender and a $25,000 loan from a Florida … [Read more...] about The Reality of Lending: The New “Norm”

Future psephologists (sociologists who study election trends) will undoubtedly look back in puzzlement at how the massive, pro-Republican wave that swept most of the country in 2010 never quite materialized in a few select states, including Nevada. Instead, what the Silver State got was more of a soft ripple. The phenomenon wasn’t limited to races for federal office, … [Read more...] about Now, the Real Fun Begins: What the 2010 elections mean for Nevada’s public policy

Public works is a “the show must go on” proposition. Even with the economic downturn of the last three years, there are public projects that continue to be funded and completed. “The economy doesn’t change our need for modernizations and improvements to Nevada’s roads, schools and public facilities,” said Randy Highland, president of the Las Vegas chapter of Associated … [Read more...] about The Show Must Go On: A Look at Nevada’s Public Projects