Governor Honors Nevada Industries
At the 17th annual Governor’s Industry Appreciation Luncheon, held in Las Vegas on June 22, Governor Kenny Guinn recognized economic contributions made by Southern Nevada companies. Southern Nevada’s Distinguished Business of the Year is Kerr-McGee Chemical LLC of Henderson, which supplies manganese dioxide to manufacturers of dry cell batteries, as well as boron trichloride, used in the production of high-strength boron fibers and pharmaceuticals. Southern Nevada’s Exporter of the Year is Basic Food Flavors, Inc. of Henderson, whose export sales totaled $3 million last year. Basic Food Flavors exports more than 120 different products to manufacturers of processed foods in 25 foreign countries. The Mexican, a movie produced by DreamWorks Pictures, was named Southern Nevada’s Motion Picture of the Year. Footage for The Mexican was shot in several Southern Nevada communities and included scenes at the Fremont Street Experience and local malls. Nevada’s Inventor of the Year is Peter S. Guilfoyle, founder and president of OptiComp Corporation (OCC), based in Zephyr Cove. OCC designs, develops and manufactures high-performance compound semiconductor optoelectronic devices for fiber optic computer networks. The governor will host another luncheon for Northern Nevada businesses in October.
Nevadan Receives USDA Grant
Susan Jamerson, owner of Jamerson & Associates, a Reno-based marketing and media production company, has received the first U.S. Department of Agriculture Small Business Innovation Research grant ever awarded to a Nevada business. The $70,000 grant will enable Jamerson to research the feasibility of eProBiz.com, a program designed to help potential small business owners — especially those in rural areas — write business plans and work more efficiently with government agencies. The program, which can be accessed via the Internet or CD-ROM, will be designed with a user-friendly interface, and will answer the questions most frequently asked by beginning entrepreneurs. Jamerson received assistance from the Nevada Small Business Development Center at the University of Nevada, Reno in applying for the grant.
Water Authority Issues Bonds
The newly-established Truckee Meadows Water Authority offered $469 million in mostly tax-exempt water bonds to the national market in June. The transaction was underwritten by Goldman, Sachs & Co., a New York-based investment banking firm. The new municipal utility, a collaboration between the cities of Reno and Sparks, officially acquired the water division of Sierra Pacific Power Company and began services to 72,000 of Sierra Pacific’s existing water customers on June 11. The complete management team from Sierra Pacific’s water division made the transition to the Truckee Meadows Water Authority, a factor that caused Standard & Poor’s Corp. and Fitch Investors Service to give the bond sale a high rating. Standard & Poor’s investment rating was BBBplus, which is considered “Investment Grade” suitable for preservation of investment capital.
Ricciardi Law Group Announces Merger
The Ricciardi Law Group, a Las Vegas employment and labor law firm, has merged its practice with Atlanta-based Fisher & Phillips LLP, one of the oldest and largest law firms in the country. Founded in 1943, Fisher & Phillips limits its practice to the representation of management in the areas of labor, employment, civil rights, employee benefits and immigration law. The firm has 150 attorneys in offices throughout the country, and Las Vegas will be its ninth location. Mark J. Ricciardi is the founder and senior partner of the Ricciardi Law Group, which has represented a broad spectrum of clients in the hospitality, casino and gaming, construction, manufacturing, retail and distribution industries, as well as public entities and professional service firms. Initially, the merged law firms will operate as “Ricciardi Law Group, a partner in Fisher & Phillips LLP.”
