When future generations of schoolchildren open their Nevada History textbooks to the chapter entitled, “The Early 21st Century,” whose photos will they see? Whose actions are shaping the political and economic future of our state? Political leaders, public servants, business owners, real estate developers and executives of large corporations all play a part in deciding what life will be like for our children and grandchildren. In this issue, Nevada Business Journal takes a brief look at some of these leaders. We asked Chambers of Commerce and economic development agencies from around the state to nominate people as Power Players.
Political Players
The recently-concluded 71st session of the Nevada Legislature, like its predecessors, was a power struggle between various factions and coalitions trying to make their voices heard above the crowd. It also involved subtle and not-so-subtle arm-twisting by special interest groups and lobbyists. Among the leaders of both houses who influenced the course of legislation this year, we chose two people as political Power Players. Kenny Guinn, sworn in as Nevada’s 28th governor in January 1999, enjoys a popular mandate and has put his years of experience in both the public and private sector to good use. He has been a leader in business, community affairs, and education for more than 34 years in Nevada. During this legislative session, he pushed hard for acceptance of his budget, and called a special session of the Legislature after the constitutionally-mandated 120-day session had failed to decide on redistricting.
Senator William J. “Bill” Raggio, senate majority leader and chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, was first elected in 1972. Now in his seventh term, the Republican from Washoe County has become a formidable force in the Legislature. During this session, Raggio played a major part in the fight to keep redistricting from shifting power away from rural districts to rapidly-growing Southern Nevada. His influence in the debate on redistricting helped assure that the Republicans will control the Senate for the next several years.
Among the more powerful lobbyists this session were Harvey Whittemore of the law firm of Lionel Sawyer & Collins and Billy Vassiliades of R&R Partners. Not coincidentally, they both represent the Nevada Resort Association, a trade group for large casino companies. Whittemore, the managing partner for Lionel Sawyer & Collins’ Reno office, was instrumental in gaining passage of a bill to legalize Internet gaming in Nevada. Vassiliadis has been a force to be reckoned with since he started in public relations with R&R in 1983, and in 1991 he bought the agency from founder Sig Rogich. R&R Partners is currently the state’s largest advertising firm.
On the national scene, Democratic Senator Harry Reid has become more powerful each year since his election in 1986, and as a senior senator he now enjoys considerable political clout. He served as minority whip from 1998 until this year, helping to guide legislation through the Senate and secure votes to pass key measures. The unexpected defection of Sen. Jim Jeffords from the Republican party in May gave Reid an overnight promotion to majority whip when Democrats regained the Senate. This makes Reid second only to Sen. Tom Daschle (D, SD) in Senatorial power.
The Casino Contingent
Steve Wynn has been a perennial Power Player in Southern Nevada since he started at the Golden Nugget in the 1970s, leading the way to downtown revitalization. The opening of the Mirage in 1989 ushered in the era of the mega-resort, and Bellagio, with its high-end retail shops and art gallery, raised the bar for luxury resort properties. Wynn divested himself of all his hotels last year and purchased the Desert Inn shortly thereafter. If rumors of a planned super-mega-resort on land currently occupied by the Desert Inn golf course prove true, Wynn, who has already written the book about Las Vegas’ resort industry, may add yet another chapter.
Wynn’s properties were sold to the company that owned the MGM Grand Hotel. The corporation now known as MGM Mirage Inc. owns and/or operates 18 casino properties on three continents, including MGM Grand, Bellagio, The Mirage, Treasure Island and New York-New York. Decisions made by the MGM Mirage management team affect the lives of over 50,000 employees worldwide. The major stockholder in MGM Mirage and the third-largest shareholder in DaimlerCrysler is Kirk Kerkorian, an entrepreneur and investor worth $5.9 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
The Reno/Sparks area has its own gaming moguls, but one who is approaching the status of local legend is John Ascuaga, owner of John Ascuaga’s Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks. Ascuaga has been running the Nugget since 1960, and at the age of 76, he is showing no signs of slowing down. He is constantly planning more improvements and upgrades to the property and has developed a thriving convention business.
Elko’s economy, because of a slump in the mining industry, has become more dependent recently on tourism and related industries. This has made Annette Kerr, CEO of McClaskey Enterprises, a major Power Player in the Elko area. Her company controls 11 hotels — five in Elko, four in Winnemucca, one in Bishop, Calif. and one in Jackson Hole, Wyo. McClaskey Enterprises has its own airline of four 737s that are leased out for charters all across the country. Its flagship property, The Red Lion in Elko, uses two of the planes to bring in a steady stream of gamblers on junkets from cities and towns across America. Kerr estimates her planes bring between 5,000 and 10,000 people a month to the Elko area, depending on the season, which has had a tremendous impact on the city’s economy.
Dynamic Developers
The record-breaking growth rate in both Northern and Southern Nevada has enabled real estate developers to successfully plan and construct scores of residential and commercial projects. Master-planned communities are springing up like desert wildflowers after a downpour. The men and women leading these development companies are determining where people will live, work and play in upcoming years. The Thomas & Mack Company, founded by E. Parry Thomas and Jerome Mack, has had a tremendous impact on the Southern Nevada economy since 1956. Under its current managing partner, Peter M. Thomas, it has developed numerous hotel, office and retail properties. Its subsidiary, The Thomas & Mack Development Company, owns and operates mixed-use business and office parks, including McCarran Center, McCarran Center II, Eastgate Plaza in Henderson and the Nevada Financial Center. It is also developing Crossroads at Sunset, a 170,000-square-foot power center in Green Valley.
John Kilduff, president of American Nevada Corp., has been instrumental in creating the master-planned communities of Green Valley and Green Valley Ranch. American Nevada is currently developing a 350-acre parcel, which will eventually contain 2.3 million square feet of office space, 500,000 square feet of retail and a resort/casino. On the other end of the Las Vegas Valley, The Howard Hughes Corporation, led by President Dan Van Epp, is responsible for developing the 25,000-acre community of Summerlin, now home to over 60,000 people. Hughes is continuing to sell an average of 3,000 homes each year in Summerlin, in addition to commercial and mixed-use projects including Summerlin Centre and Corporate Pointe Business Park.
Another large commercial developer who has had an impact on Southern Nevada is Rick Smith, managing member of RDS/Insight LLC of Las Vegas. His company developed North Las Vegas’ first mixed-use business park, Cheyenne West Corporate Center. Smith is the immediate past president of the Southern Nevada Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and serves on its executive board. He is also the national chairman of NAIOP’s Forum on Mixed-Use Development, and is a trustee of the Nevada Development Authority.
A statewide Power Player is Michael C. Dermody, president and CEO of Dermody Properties, the largest industrial development company in Nevada. Under his leadership, the company’s portfolio grew from 2.5 million square feet to over 12 million square feet, a 50 percent share of Nevada’s industrial market. Dermody also serves on Washoe County’s Organizational Effectiveness Committee, a group of business leaders who evaluate county services and make policy recommendations.
L. Lance Gilman, owner of L. Lance Gilman Commercial Real Estate in Reno, developed the 2,500-acre South Meadows Business Park and is currently leasing what is predicted to be the largest industrial park in North America. The Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, located on 14,000 acres east of Reno in Story County, presently has 3 million square feet of industrial space under construction. Gilman also owns Carson-Tahoe Harley-Davidson in Carson City, and recently applied for a license to build two brothels in Storey County, where prostitution is legal.
In Carson City, two developers have made a great impact on the economy. James Bawden, owner of Landmark Homes & Development Company, has built five subdivisions in the Carson City/Dayton area, as well as Heritage Park for seniors. He owns an auto dealership and a racetrack, and has been active in charitable causes in the area. In the commercial field, Shelly Aldean, vice president of Glenbrook Company/Eden Management, helped develop Southgate shopping center and other commercial properties in Carson City. He has been involved in civic activities as past president of the Chamber of Commerce, founding member of the Main Street Carson City organization and past chair of Western Nevada Community College Foundation.
The Chamber of Commerce in Pahrump nominated Tim Hafen as a Power Player in that Southern Nevada community. Hafen moved to Pahrump in 1950 when it was a cotton-farming community of 150 citizens, and was influential in bringing in electricity and phone service in the 1960s. He has served on the town board and was elected to four terms in the state Assembly. Most recently, he led a successful crusade to convince the Nevada Department of Transportation to convert Highway 160 into a four-lane road between Mountain Springs and Pahrump. Although he still operates a farm, Hafen has branched out into real estate and development, selling finished lots to builders and turning farmland into residential subdivisions.
Healthcare Honchos
Anthony M. Marlon, M.D. is the chairman of the board and CEO of Sierra Health Services, Inc., headquartered in Las Vegas. As Sierra’s founder and chief executive, Dr. Marlon is responsible for the overall operation of the company, which employs approximately 3,500 people. Sierra Health Services is comprised of a family of health-related subsidiaries including Health Plan of Nevada, Nevada’s oldest and largest HMO, and Sierra Insurance Group, a workers’ compensation insurance company.
President and CEO of St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson is Rod A. Davis. Last year, St. Rose opened a second hospital campus in Green Valley, and the two hospitals combined employ almost 1,700 people. Davis serves as the president of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce and past president of the Henderson Development Association, and was recently elected regent for the Nevada region of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).
Jim Miller heads Washoe Health System, which includes Washoe Medical Center, the largest hospital in the Reno/Sparks area, and Hometown Health, the area’s largest HMO, in addition to several other clinics and outpatient facilities. Miller has been with the organization since 1983, and was appointed CEO in January 2000, with authority over more than 3,600 employees. He was instrumental in opening an assisted-living facility last year — Washoe Village at South Meadows.
Bosses in Banking
One of the best-known faces in Nevada belongs to Bill Martin of Nevada State Bank, who has been starring in television and radio commercials for the bank, emphasizing his down-home personality. He has been involved in the banking industry for almost 40 years, and was president of Pioneer Citizens Bank from 1989 to 1999. Last year, he took over as chairman, president and CEO of Nevada State Bank, which has assets in Nevada of more than $2.3 billion.
Kenneth G. Ladd is president of U.S. Bank Nevada and division manager for U.S. Bank’s Nevada and Northern California commercial banking groups. U.S. Bank, with Nevada assets of $1.27 billion, operates 39 full-service branches across the state.
Ladd, a Nevada resident since 1982, has been active in Southern Nevada community affairs. He is the 2001 chair of the Nevada Development Authority (NDA) and currently holds directors’ positions with United Way Services, Inc. and Metro Police Department Civil Service Commission.
Bank of America, the largest bank in the state, employs over 2,100 employees and operates 75 banking centers in Nevada. It is headed by George W. Smith, who was named president of Bank of America in Nevada in 1996. Smith also serves as his parent company’s commercial loan executive for five western states, including Nevada. Smith is an active supporter of UNLV and serves on the UNLV Foundation executive board, in addition to the boards of several nonprofit groups. He is on the board of advisors for the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, the board of directors of the Nevada Taxpayers Association, and is a past chair of the NDA.
Who’s Number One?
The most important Power Player in the state, whether he or she realizes it or not, is the “ordinary” citizen of Nevada. Anyone who has served on a Chamber of Commerce board, devoted hours of service to a nonprofit organization, wrote letters or knocked on doors in support of a political cause, has helped influence history. In their role as voters, citizens decide who will represent them, how their money will be spent and what issues are brought to the forefront. By contacting their elected officials and expressing their views, citizens can and do affect policy. As workers, they keep the economy going strong — in resort industries, it is their friendly smiles and quiet behind-the-scenes efforts that keep tourists (and their dollars) coming back. As consumers, homebuyers and taxpayers they support the economic growth of the state. And, as parents and grandparents, they are rearing the next generations of Nevadans and handing down their values — which we hope will include the importance of playing an active role in their communities.
