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Nevada’s strong job growth and population boom have helped it weather a national housing market downturn and tightening credit crunch. Although state unemployment climbed to 5.1 percent in September – its highest figure in nearly four years – more than 11,000 private sector jobs have also been created since 2006. “While the pace of job creation is well below recent norms, … [Read more...] about Nevada’s Office Market: Strong State Economy Weathers Downturn

“Does every company today have a technology component? Absolutely, though some use it more than others,” said Russ Ketchum, the current president of the Technology Business Alliance of Nevada (TBAN). Ketchum is vice president of technology for Allegiant Air, a firm he describes as “a technology company that flies airplanes.” Similarly, Nevada’s large hospitality firms might be … [Read more...] about Nevada’s Technology Outlook: The Future Looks Bright

The battle over the Federal Estate Tax, also known as the Death Tax, just won’t go away. It’s like the energizer bunny – it keeps going and going. It has been fought on the floors of Congress seven times in the last 10 years. Temporary changes have been made to the tax, yet the issue keeps coming back to the center of national debate. Public officials evoke enthusiastic … [Read more...] about Death and Taxes: The Federal Estate Tax Rate Set to Spike

With today’s headlines warning of a deepening real estate crisis and investors increasingly concerned about receiving their interest payments, one wonders how to justify funding new loans in a negative real estate environment. A downturn in the market is a double-edged sword: for loans underwritten before the downturn, the risk has increased, while new loans – written to … [Read more...] about Underwriting Real Estate Loans in Today’s Market: A Double-Edged Sword

How much turnover is too much? Depending on an organization’s location and industry, the employee turnover rate can be anywhere from 5 percent to more than 100 percent. Most organizations conduct formal exit interviews and usually learn that employees leave for higher pay. Determining why employees started looking for another job in the first place is critical. People leave … [Read more...] about Turnover: Pay Now or Pay Later

The Yucca Mountain program presents the state of Nevada with the prospect of incurring risks and impacts unprecedented in U.S. history. The project has the potential to wreak economic, social and environmental havoc on Nevada. Given the Nevada economy’s unique reliance on the ability to attract millions of tourists and visitors annually, the most serious economic risk for … [Read more...] about How Will the Yucca Mountain Project Impact Nevada? Yucca Mountain Poses Unacceptable Risks

When you receive your sample ballot for the 2008 general election, it will be printed in both English and Spanish. Did you ever stop to wonder why? A poll by the Las Vegas Review Journal last year showed that 77 percent of the Nevadans surveyed, thought ballots and other official state documents should be printed only in English. If they had asked me, I would have told them the … [Read more...] about Ballots in Spanish? Wrong for Many Reasons

Demands for a more modern, energy efficient work environment are increasing daily. Employees are spending countless hours in the office, and need to be surrounded by a comfortable, manageable work space. Faciliteq Architectural Interiors is a company designed to incorporate all of those needs. Serving Southern Nevada for two years, Faciliteq is not your typical furniture … [Read more...] about Faciliteq Architectural Interiors: Creating Efficiency One Project at a Time

Once considered the exclusive territory of granola eaters and tree-huggers, recent years have seen environmental concerns become increasingly mainstream for people in all walks of life. In the construction industry, it’s reflected in the rise of “green” or environmentally-friendly projects springing up all over the country. According to the National Association of Industrial … [Read more...] about It’s Hot to be Green: Environmentally Friendly Building

Nearly every day another scandal comes to light – a sports figure using performance-enhancing drugs, a politician taking bribes, a business defrauding customers. It’s enough to make people wonder if integrity and character are as extinct as the dinosaurs. The latest example in the sports field is Olympic track champion Marion Jones. After denying doping allegations for … [Read more...] about Character Counts in Business: Resolve to Do the Right Thing

When it comes to protecting their investment, many building owners and tenants make one crucial mistake. They think that all insurance policies are the same. After all, a building is a building, and insurance is insurance, right? This common assumption is magnified with certified green buildings. While the owners of green buildings realize that their buildings are different, … [Read more...] about Insuring a Greener Future: Protecting Your Business

Las Vegas was abuzz in late August when a runaway railroad tanker car loaded with chlorine gas was headed for the heart of town. Had it crashed, it could have been a catastrophe.  Fortunately, the car was stopped and disaster was averted. Before that chlorine gas tanker broke loose and threatened to spill its deadly contents, however, another train, figuratively speaking, … [Read more...] about Healthcare Check-Up: The Unitedhealth Group Acquistion of Sierra Health Services

The announcement that the Nevada State Education Association (NSEA) would attempt a ballot initiative to raise the gross gaming tax in Nevada came as no surprise to anyone, especially executives at the state’s major casino properties. For several months, rumors had been flying about one and possibly two initiative petitions that would change the state Constitution and raise … [Read more...] about Gambling on Education: NSEA Seeks to Increase Gaming Tax

Keep Judges Independent By Craig Walton, Nevada Center for Public Ethics Today in Nevada, judges are selected by a corrupt money-chasing process.  Since 1998, we have raised the ante on the cost of one Supreme Court seat 300% from $174,000 to more than $543,000. Judges and candidates are forced to seek money, while attorneys and litigants are forced to give money to avoid … [Read more...] about State the Issues: Should judges be appointed Should judges be appointed rather than elected?

There is no doubt that the availability of medical malpractice insurance coverage has improved greatly in the past few years for doctors in Nevada. In the past year alone, rates have not only stabilized but decreased 10 to 25 percent. Nevada has seen the formation of a new self insurance program for doctors, by doctors. Premier Physician Insurance Company (PPIC) is a risk … [Read more...] about Doctors Need Insurance, Too: A Program For Doctors, By Doctors