Reno Advertising/PR Firm Reorganizes
Nevada’s oldest advertising agency, formerly known as Bayer Brown Bauserman, has reorganized and taken on three more partners. The principals in the new firm, Bayer Bauserman & Company (shown here) are: Jim Bauserman, Josh Luke, Stephanie Clemo, Steven Aramini and Mark Bayer. The three new partners are all under the age of 30 — Aramini heads the creative department, Clemo is in charge of account services and Luke directs public relations for the firm. The agency was the top vote-getter in Northern Nevada at both the 2000 advertising awards (Addys) and 2000 public relations awards (Silver Spikes). With a staff of 20, Bayer Bauserman & Company will remain in its offices at 300 S. Wells Avenue in Reno.
UNR Helps Reno Firm Develop Laser
University of Nevada, Reno chemistry professor Frank Baglin and CrystaLaser, a laser manufacturer based in Reno, have jointly developed a new type of laser called the Emerald 1000. The $50,000 green-light laser is smaller than a shoebox, easily portable and strong enough to cut flesh or burn away diseased tissue. CrystaLaser will market the device for use in medical applications such as cataract eye surgery and skin cancer removal. Baglin received a $28,000 Applied Research Initiative grant from the university to fund the project. In exchange for helping develop the Emerald 1000, the UNR chemistry department will receive one of the devices. Research using the laser will probe the intermolecular structure of dense gases, which may aid in the search for environmentally safe refrigeration gases.
Starr Seigle Acquires Las Vegas Advertising/PR Firms
Swamp Rhino Advertising and SRPR in Las Vegas have officially become Starr Seigle Advertising and StarrPR Public Relations-Las Vegas. Peter Poggione and Sean McKinley founded Swamp Rhino Advertising in 1993, and George McCabe joined the company in 1998 to form SRPR. Starr Seigle Communications acquired both firms in 1999, but the name change and affiliation did not take effect until January 1 of this year. Starr Seigle, founded in1956, is Hawaii’s largest marketing and communications firm with annual capitalized billings of more than $60 million and about 120 employees in four locations. It has divisions devoted to interactive media (StarrTech Interactive) and research (Qmark Research and Polling). The Las Vegas agency has already added to its staff and is moving this month into new and larger offices at 289 Pilot Road in Las Vegas.
Reno-Area Governments Buy Water System
The Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA), a coalition of elected officials from Washoe County and the cities of Reno and Sparks, has agreed to purchase the Reno area’s water system from Sierra Pacific Resources for $350 million. The deal, expected to be finalized this summer, affects 72,000 customers. The TMWA was formed after Sierra Pacific announced in September that it would sell its water division in order to concentrate on its core electricity and natural gas business. The purchase includes all of Sierra Pacific’s water-related assets, including treatment facilities, water rights and storage rights pertaining to Donner and Independence lakes, and four hydroelectric facilities on the Truckee River west of Reno. The water authority will sell revenue bonds to finance the purchase, and no property taxes will be used. Sierra Pacific employees will transfer to the TMWA at comparable wage and benefit levels.
Gaming Industry Provides Children’s Books
A project coordinated by AmeriCorps, a national service organization, and sponsored by a coalition of Nevada gaming companies will provide much-needed books for the libraries at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Las Vegas. Leaders of the book drive asked gaming employees to donate new or gently-used children’s books, or the funds to purchase new books for children ages 6 to 18. The books will be distributed this month to the 12 neighborhood locations of the Boys and Girls Clubs. Gaming companies participating in the book drive include Station Casinos, Inc., Boyd Gaming Corporation, Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., Mandalay Resort Group, MGM/Mirage, The Venetian and Coast Resorts.
Bank of the West Opens Seven Locations
Seven former First Security Bank locations in the Las Vegas have been re-opened as branches of Bank of the West, a San Francisco-based financial institution. Bank of the West already operated offices in Reno, Carson City and Sparks, but the seven new locations represent the bank’s first entry into the Southern Nevada market. The locations were purchased as part of a divestiture resulting from the merger of First Security Bank and Wells Fargo Bank. Bank of the West also acquired 23 branches in New Mexico as part of the transaction. It now operates 193 branches in six western states. Claire Hess, senior vice president and regional manager, will have direct management responsibility for all Nevada offices of the bank.
Wind Farm Coming to Nevada Test Site
The Nevada Test Site Development Corporation (NTSDC) has been granted an easement to allow approximately 664 acres at the Nevada Test Site to be developed as a wind farm for electricity generation. Construction may begin as early as next month on the $125 million first phase of the project, consisting of 140 turbines that will be able to generate 85 megawatts of power at peak capacity. The wind farm, similar to those operating near Palm Springs, will be composed of 175-foot steel towers fitted with three-bladed, 80-foot-wide rotors. Power from the generators will be fed via underground cables to transformers located near the base of each tower. The three-phase project will eventually include over 500 turbine generators with a combined capacity exceeding 260 megawatts, enough to supply a city of 85,000 people.
“Maximum Impact” Seminar Scheduled for Las Vegas
John Maxwell, best-selling author and business motivator, will present a “Maximum Impact” seminar on Saturday morning, March 24, at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas. Through training seminars and other resources, Maxwell reaches more than 350,000 people each year with lessons on leadership and personal growth. “From the CEO who influences a board, to the lead assembler in the third shift whose influence helps the team exceed its quota – it takes insight, initiative and innovation,” he said. Maxwell has written more than 25 books, including the New York Times bestseller, “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.”
