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In August, 55-year-old Walter M. Higgins was named chairman, president and CEO of Sierra Pacific Resources. Sierra Pacific is a holding company whose principal subsidiaries are Nevada Power Company (the electric utility for Southern Nevada) and Sierra Pacific Power Company (the electric utility for most of Northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe area of California.) The firm also … [Read more...] about Sierra Pacific Resources: Weathering Tough Times

John Gaynor, president and CEO of Bank of Nevada, says one of his bank’s most valuable assets is having a name familiar to many long-time Nevada residents. Although the community bank just opened this fall, the original Bank of Nevada was a known and successful entity for over 30 years until it merged into First National Bank of Nevada in the 1970s. "The name is a viable … [Read more...] about Bank of Nevada: A Familiar Name Returns to the Banking Scene

Keeping Pace with the Present There was a time when a customer would walk into his bank to make a payment on an account or loan, and wait while the teller went back to get the ledger card, then physically recorded the payment and made out a receipt. No one has time for this anymore. In today’s world, banking needs to be as instantaneous and real-time as the rest of the world, … [Read more...] about Space-Age Banking: Any Time, Any Place

Tradewinds Construction President and CEO Jeffrey Vilkin says his company is unique. In a town where construction companies – both general contractors and subcontractors – are a dime a dozen, Vilkin believes his company has distinctive qualities that set it apart from the rest. Vilkin, 42, learned the construction trade as a carpenter in Telluride, Colo. in his early 20s. … [Read more...] about Tradewinds Construction: Uniqueness Leads to Success

In order to keep the doors open and make a living, the owner of a private business must constantly be on the lookout for ways to streamline operations and keep the company running at peak efficiency. He or she must investigate the practicality of cost-cutting, downsizing, outsourcing, competitive bidding, upgrading technology, and many other methods to keep the bottom line … [Read more...] about Competition is Good… A New Concept for State Government

There are a number of places you can take quizzes to see if you would make a good entrepreneur. The Small Business Administration has one on its Web site (www.sba.gov/starting/indexsteps.html). There’s a really good one for men or women on a Web site for the Online Women’s Business Center, a public-private partnership affiliated with the SBA … [Read more...] about So You Want to Be a Business Owner? Points to Ponder Before Taking the Plunge

The technicians and executives at Computer Plus, a leading Las Vegas-based computer networking firm, understand the importance of customer service and follow-through. Even though Computer Plus General Manager John Jordan doesn’t come from the expected technical background, he thinks his varied experience is an enormous asset in a technical environment. "My real strength is in … [Read more...] about High-Tech Solutions: Computer Plus Helps Clients Survive in the 21st Century

Nevada's tourism still leads the pack. The state is a worldwide tourism destination, adding new attractions and new spin on a near-daily basis. But no one in the industry is resting easy - not in today's global village, not in a world where technology is replacing geography, where the mouse is replacing the map, where the Internet is replacing the ticket counter. In order for … [Read more...] about Managing Change in the New E-conomy: A Sneak Peek at the 17th Annual Governor\’s Conference on Travel and Tourism

Tom Harris, P.E., president of Harris Consulting Engineers (HCE), compares his company’s work on High Desert State Prison to designing a small, self-contained city in the desert. Funding for the minimum-security prison was approved by the Nevada Legislature in 1993 in order to ease overcrowding in other state facilities. In 1995, HCE started work on designs for the heating, … [Read more...] about Harris Consulting Engineers: High Desert State Prison a Challenging Project

No one can ever predict what exactly will happen in an election, but if the primary is any indication, the 2000 campaign cycle may go down as one of the strangest in recent Nevada history. An embattled Clark County commissioner, who should have won, lost. A commissioner targeted by powerful labor unions, who should have lost, won. And the mighty gaming industry was unsuccessful … [Read more...] about Primary 2000 Full of Surprises

By the time Santa starts filling stockings this holiday season, Nevada’s retail malls anticipate they will be closing the books on one of their best years ever. Last year’s fears that the Internet would woo shoppers away from malls with promises of stress-free holiday shopping never materialized, and booms in the population and economy point the way toward a banner year for the … [Read more...] about Shopping Season All Year Long: Nevada Malls Alive and Growing Despite Internet Threat

For more and more new car seekers, leasing is the answer to the "lease or buy" dilemma. But that doesn’t mean it’s the best choice. You need to take money, convenience, and lifestyle issues into consideration before you decide whether to lease or buy a vehicle. Consider Financial and Convenience Issues When you finance the purchase of a new car, you typically make a down … [Read more...] about Should You Lease or Buy Your New Car

Huge verdicts! TV shows and movies! Sexual harassment is everywhere! Can an employer lose millions for one off-color joke? It depends. In the 1990s, Anita Hill testified in Congress about alleged degrading treatment by then-Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas, and America started talking about sexual harassment. Harassment of any kind hurts your business. It can have … [Read more...] about Sexual Harrassment in Today’s Workplace

A home, according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, is "one’s place of residence, or domicile." It’s also where the heart is, and where you hang your hat. Over the years, Nevadans have hung their hats in everything from wooden shacks to cookie-cutter tract homes to golf course mansions. As we enter the new millennium, what trends are shaping the homes of the future, … [Read more...] about Home Sweet Home: A Look at Trends in Nevada’s Residential Architecture

The Business: OneCall Facility Solutions, an operation located at 336 South Jones in Las Vegas. It serves businesses by dispatching help when equipment or facilities need repair. The Players: Rita Alleyne, a veteran Las Vegas credit union executive, who formed the business in March of 2000. The Background: The booming construction industry in Las Vegas lured Alleyne and … [Read more...] about OneCall Facility Solutions: Helping Businesses Cope with Repairs