Organizations throughout the state depend on a strong board to serve their membership. The countless individuals that donate their time, energy and talents to serve various non-profit entities, go largely unrecognized. In this issue of Nevada Business, we honor professionals that have gone beyond expectation and have shown a strong commitment to the organization they serve.
Individual board members were nominated by their co-board members as well as other professionals familiar with the inner workings of the organization. The following board members are just 17 of the countless deserving nominations reviewed by the editorial staff.
Nevada Business is honored to introduce the following individuals as our inaugural Outstanding Board Members and thank the hundreds of executives in Nevada that donate their time to professional and community organizations.
Andie Wilson
CCIM N. Nevada
President
3 Years on Board
Certified Commercial Investment Member’s primary purpose is to promote education in the commercial real estate industry. CCIM has had a presence in Northern Nevada for 30 years and includes 180 members. Wilson is a firm believer that the networking opportunities available through CCIM can serve to advance the careers of its members. Aside from serving as president of CCIM, Wilson is a commercial real estate broker with Coldwell Banker Premier in Carson City. According to her peers, Wilson’s energy and enthusiasm are contagious. This past year, she worked to provide standardization principles to the annual forecast event where they discuss statistics related to the four sectors of commercial real estate.
Devin Lee
CCIM S. Nevada
President
3 Years on Board
The Southern Nevada Chapter of Certified Commercial Investment Member’s strives to position the chapter as the premier commercial real estate organization for Southern Nevada. Lee has been involved in commercial real estate for 10 years and is currently president of Access Commercial Mortgage. He has served on the board of CCIM for three years and is the current president. He and his board are most proud of the second place award their chapter received in the President’s Cup Awards for all CCIM chapters in the country. Lee values the opportunity to be involved in what he feels is one of the best boards of any organization in the state.
Soozi Walker
SIOR
Treasurer
5 Years on Board
The Society of Industrial and Office Realtors designation is a professional symbol indicating a high level of knowledge, production and ethics. Locally, 20 individuals have earned the SIOR designation. Walker, a commercial real estate broker, is a long time Nevadan with a history of community involvement. She has been involved with various organizations throughout the Valley. One of SIOR’s primary missions is to provide educational programs and networking opportunities for its members. Walker’s role as treasurer of SIOR has enabled the chapter to offer additional programs and events. She has had the opportunity to share her passion for the industry with her daughter, who is also her partner in her company.
Tom Thomas
Opportunity Village
Capital Campaign Chairman
10 Years on Board
Founded in 1954, Opportunity Village is a non-profit organization that serves people with intellectual disabilities. Its board is comprised of many of Southern Nevada’s most prominent leaders. As the capital campaign chairman, Thomas has worked to secure funding for the Ralph and Betty Englestad Campus. So far, $44 million has been raised for the newly completed facility, which serves as an employment resource and training center. Thomas continues the legacy of community service handed down by his parents and their partners. He says he would much rather see the Thomas & Mack name be known for the family’s positive impact on the community than any other business endeavor.
Wendy Pitts
CREW N. Nevada
Secretary
2 Years on Board
Commercial Real Estate Women’s Network is dedicated to the advancement of women in commercial real estate. CREW Northern Nevada was founded in 2005 and serves more than 100 members. Pitts grew up in Washoe Valley and was a broker and asset manager for many years before becoming the property program manager with Washoe County Public Works. She donates several hours each month to CREW. As the secretary of the organization, her role is to facilitate all board of directors meetings and luncheons. She enjoys bringing people together who will mutually benefit from the introduction. Pitts is glad her involvement with CREW allows her to do this frequently.
Randy Brown
Reno-Sparks Chamber
Business Advocacy Council
5 Years on Board
With nearly 1,500 members, the Reno-Sparks Chamber is the largest business organization in Northern Nevada. The Chamber works for the advancement of businesses. Brown is a CPA and external affairs manager for AT&T. Before joining AT&T, Brown spent seven years with the Nevada Gaming Control Board as an auditor. As the chairman of the Chamber’s Business Advocacy Council, Brown’s role is to ensure the organization represents its membership in front of policymakers. He understands the relationship between a strong community, government and business and strives to strengthen the Chamber’s involvement in all three.
Robin Civish
CREW S. Nevada
Co-Chair Programs
7 Years on Board
Commercial Real Estate Women of Las Vegas is now in its seventh year and has become a prominent group for women in the commercial real estate industry. It currently serves 61 members. Civish has been on CREW’s board since its inception seven years ago. During her tenure, she has been involved in virtually every aspect of the organization. According to her peers, Civish is the first to volunteer when needed and often taps into her institutional memory of the organization to assist with programs and events. Civish has worked for The Vista Group as a corporate broker for the last 10 years. She is currently a senior commercial advisor at Prudential CRES/IPG.
Steve Hill
Las Vegas Chamber
2009 Chairman
6 Years on Board
With more than 7,000 members, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce is committed to building a strong local economy, strengthening, enhancing and protecting business. Hill came to Las Vegas in 1987, and founded Silver State Materials Corp. Over the years, he has served in several leadership roles with the Chamber, most recently as the chair of government affairs. Hill is the chairman for 2009. He is deeply passionate about public policy issues and benefits the board as well as Chamber members by sharing that passion. Hill is committed to the Chamber’s mission and believes the organization helps businesses throughout Southern Nevada.
Scott Beggs
NAIOP N. Nevada
Past President
3 Years on Board
NAIOP is a trade association for developers, owners and investors of commercial real estate. This chapter of NAIOP was founded in 2006 and has 127 members. As an commercial real estate broker with NAI Alliance in Reno, Beggs is responsible for all investment sales. Prior to joining NAI Alliance, Beggs spent over seven years with Dermody Properties as vice president of Acquisitions and Port Management. Having worked on the developer and brokerage sides of commercial real estate Beggs has a unique understanding of the process. He has been involved with the chapter since its inception. He was the founding president and remains a member of the board of directors.
Phillip Peckman
NDA
Chairman
13 Years on Board
Founded in 1956, Nevada Development Authority works to diversify and improve the economy of Southern Nevada. The organization’s mission is to attract, retain and expand the area’s business base. Peckman has been a board member of NDA for more than 13 years and has served in a variety of roles with the organization. He was elected in 2007 to a two-year term as chairman of the organization. With a law degree and as a CPA, Peckman worked for McGladrey and Pullen and the Greenspun Corporation. As the chairman of NDA, Peckman is charged with leading the organization through the most challenging economic climate in the organization’s history. He points to the need to protect the state’s infrastructure if NDA is to continue attracting high caliber companies to the area.
Sallie Doebler
NAIOP S. Nevada
Secretary
3 Years on Board
With close to 1,000 members, the Southern Nevada Chapter of NAIOP is one of the largest in the country. NAIOP acts as the voice of the commercial real estate industry. Doebler has served on most of the NAIOP committees during her eight years as a member of the organization. In addition to her board service, she remains actively involved in a number of committees and chapter events. Doebler is most proud of her participation in the founding process of the chapter’s Developing Leaders Institute (DLI). The educational program, open to professionals under 35, is just starting its second class. The first class, which included 25 individuals and spanned a year, will conclude this month.
Robert Hooper
NNDA
Secretary
3 Years on Board
The mission of the Northern Nevada Development Authority is to improve the economic vitality and quality of life in Northern Nevada and promote the area as the premier market for business. Hooper is not only the secretary for NNDA, he is also the chair of the Health and Wellness Task Force. As the chair, Hooper’s mission is to establish health and wellness as a legitimate and fully functioning category of economic development within Northern Nevada. Hooper is the strategic operations manager for One Global Foundation in Carson City. His diverse employment background includes, working within companies, independently as a consultant, an entrepreneur and as a professor. Hooper credits the unique perspective he brings to the board to his eclectic background.
Jennifer Parker
NAWBO
2009 President
11/2 Years on Board
The National Association of Women Business Owners is the only dues-based national organization representing the interests of all women entrepreneurs across all industries. Parker has spent more than eight years with Business Community Capital, currently in business development. She recently became an independent representative for ACN, an international communications company. As the organization’s youngest board member, Parker donates countless hours to NAWBO. The chapter is going through a lot of changes currently with a new look and vision over the next couple of years. As the president, she plans to help this organization grow and fulfill its potential.
Jack Prescott
EDAWN
Chairman
10 Years on Board
Founded in 1982, the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada is committed to recruiting and expanding companies that have a positive economic impact on the Greater Reno-Tahoe area. With more than two decades of Northern Nevada commercial banking experience, Prescott brings a great deal of institutional knowledge to EDAWN. Prescott recently joined First Independent Bank of Nevada as senior vice president and real estate lending manager. As chairman of EDWN, Prescott spent an extended period of time restructuring the organization’s sales team, with the goal of making the team more capable of recruiting higher caliber companies to the region. His board of directors are even more necessary in this economy.
Kevin Pentony
CMG
Treasurer
5 Years on Board
The Commercial Marketing Group is an association of commercial real estate agents that market commercial real estate in Southern Nevada and currently has 175 members. Pentony has more than 30 years of experience as a professional geologist. As treasurer of CMG, Pentony takes pleasure in ensuring they are in a strong financial position. By doing so, Pentony allows CMG to donate significant sums of money to local charities. He has been an environmental instructor for several years at UNLV’s Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies, specifically in the Commercial Real Estate Certification Program. Pentony is proud to be involved with the scholarships that CMG will be providing to three deserving students.
Gregory Peek
BANN
President
5 Years on Board
The Builders Association of Northern Nevada represents more than 900 member businesses with a core mission to educate and advocate on behalf of the industry. The past few years have brought extreme change and chaos to the homebuilding industry and BANN has been devoted to assisting its membership. As the president, Peek convened a governance and operations committee to modernize, restructure and bring best practices to the association. As the chairman of the legislative committee, Peek has helped to step up BANN’s legislative and regulatory efforts, including increased presence locally and in Carson City. According to Peek, BANN is now a leaner, more efficient and effective organization.
William Hoover
SNHBA
2009 President
6 Years on Board
The Southern Nevada Home Builders Association ranks as the oldest and largest local trade organization representing the residential construction industry.Hoover is currently the southwest regional president of Pageantry Homes and has been in the homebuilding industry for 30 years. During his tenure, Hoover hopes to supply the organization with the innovation it needs for it to continue to provide the meaningful services it has in the past. Hoover says that, at times, the work of SNHBA can go unnoticed, but that the organization’s role in protecting the interests of those involved in Southern Nevada’s homebuilding industry is of great importance, particularly in the current economic climate.
