To find the most respected CEOs in the state, Nevada Business Journal asked members of the business community to nominate executives they believe deserve top honors. We wanted to profile top executives who have earned the respect of their peers and find out just what they’ve done to earn that respect. CEOs or presidents were judged for their roles in creating positive workplace environments, effectively balancing work and home lives and involving themselves in the community. In exclusive interviews with Nevada Business Journal, the winners shared their secrets for success.
Chuck Alvey
EDAWN
Chuck Alvey is the president and CEO of EDAWN, the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada. This public/private partnership is committed to recruiting and expanding quality companies that have a positive economic impact on the quality of life in the Reno/Sparks/Tahoe region. EDAWN has a staff of seven employees and another three make up TechAlliance, a partner organization that is supported by, and housed at, EDAWN. Alvey has been at the helm of the organization since 1998.
A Reno resident since 1990, Alvey spent 31 years in broadcasting prior to his career at EDAWN. He serves on several community boards, including the Air Service Task Force Executive Committee, Rotary Club of Reno, Advisory Board for the University of Nevada, Reno School of Journalism and the Salvation Army Advisory Board. He said his proudest accomplishment is his family, comprised of wife Pam, two daughters and a son. In addition, he is the recipient of many honors: the American Marketing Association Co-Market of the Year, the Mark Twain Award from the Public Relations Society of America and the Marketer of the Year Award – Northern Nevada.
Creating a Positive Workplace
Economic development is exciting and diverse – the wide range of prospect companies keeps our jobs interesting and different every day. The strength of our community partners and the human interactions make EDAWN a great place to work. Feedback from our employees indicates that our working relationships are open, supportive, challenging and honest. We have a true feeling of “team” here – we work hard but we also play hard. It also helps that we genuinely like each other.
Balancing Work and Home
I am fortunate to work for and with people who place a high value on family and home. I tend to frequently emphasize family first, partly because it is my responsibility and “right”, and partly because if you are fulfilled in your family and personal time, you are a more dedicated, effective and productive person at work. I have a very supportive wife and children who understand that I will always be there for and with them when it is important, but also understand that I love my work and that it is one of my priorities.
Looking Toward the Future
I’m excited about EDAWN’s Business Builders, a revitalized business and expansion program with a goal of visiting, establishing relationships and gathering key economic data on 1,000 local primary businesses over the next 12 months. The combined efforts of the EDAWN staff, board of trustees and certified member-volunteers makes this program possible. The effort will enhance EDAWN’s business-to-business connectivity, create a vital economic database, promote expansion and retention of businesses and provide new leads, including companies to recruit. This value-added activity will help the entire community plan and cooperate even more effectively.
William S. Boyd
Boyd Gaming
William S. Boyd has lived in Las Vegas since 1941, when his father, Sam A. Boyd, came to the city as a casino dealer. After graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno, the younger Boyd entered law school at the University of Utah, but was soon drafted into the Army. After a tour of duty in Germany, he returned to finish his law degree. Boyd practiced law in Las Vegas for more than 15 years, before co-founding Boyd Gaming Corporation with his father in 1973.
Currently, he serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of Boyd Gaming, which owns and operates seven casino entertainment properties in the Las Vegas area. The company also owns and/or operates casinos in Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois and Indiana, and is developing the Borgata at Renaissance Pointe in New Jersey. Currently, the company has 13,500 employees.
Boyd is an active member of the Las Vegas community, serving on the boards of a number of organizations, including the Las Vegas Downtown Progress Association, the Nevada Resort Association, Nevada State Bank and BankWest of Nevada. In addition, Bill Boyd, Boyd Gaming, and the Boyd Foundation have contributed significantly to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the Boys & Girls Clubs, Boy’s Town of Nevada and the National Judicial College.
Creating a Positive Workplace
When Boyd Gaming went public in 1993, I made a commitment to continue operating as the family company it had always been. Of course, it’s a lot different when there are this many employees, but I truly believe it is this attitude that makes our company different. I feel that I have a very good relationship with our employees. In fact, I recently took a tour of our Las Vegas properties and was happy to see so many familiar faces. It’s great to walk down the hall and have people greet me as “Bill”. That comfortable feeling filters down from management all the way to front-line employees.
Balancing Work and Home
Over the years, I have learned to balance my outside commitments. Although work is important, it’s even more important not to lose sight of your family responsibilities. I have three children and eight grandchildren and make it a priority to get together with them as often as possible.
Looking Toward the Future
I’m excited about next July’s opening of the Borgata in Atlantic City. This 2,000-room hotel will add about 4,700 employees to our “family” and will be the only Las Vegas-style mega-resort in Atlantic City. On an unrelated note, I was honored to have the new UNLV law school named after me. This has been a project very dear to my heart and I believe it will be a great addition to our state.
Mark J. Howard
MountainView Hospital
Mark Howard is president and CEO of MountainView Hospital, a full-service medical facility in northwestern Las Vegas with over 900 employees. He worked in a number of hospitals, many located in Utah, after his retirement from active duty in the Air Force in 1969, and assumed his current position in 1995. With a bachelor of science degree from Brigham Young University and a masters degree in hospital ddministration from the University of California, Los Angeles, Howard has a long history in the healthcare field. He is a retired colonel with the United States Air Force Medical Service Corps and served in the Utah Air National Guard from 1985 through July 2001.
Howard is a committed member of the Las Vegas community, serving on the boards of directors of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the American Heart Association, the Nevada Family to Family Connection and the Nevada Hospital Association. In addition, he is the district chairman of the Boy Scouts of Nevada and is immediate past chair of the American College of Health. Among other honors, he was awarded the Silver Beaver Award from the Boy Scouts of America and the March of Dimes “Nurse’s Choice for CEO of the Year 2001”.
Creating a Positive Workplace
MountainView employees report they enjoy working together as a team. There is respect among all the employees, no matter which department they’re from. They’re friendly, yet they work in a focused environment. They’ve also reported there is strong leadership and that those leaders are accessible to them. I make it a point to be at the hospital each morning, including weekends, for rounds, and am available to speak to any employee who is interested.
Balancing Work and Home
I grew up on a farm where I learned the true meaning of hard work. I try to balance my life by focusing on three main priorities: God, family and country. I believe no other success in life can compensate for failure in the home, so I make it a point to be home for dinner with my family each evening. I live by the philosophy that if you arrive early to work, you will accomplish what you need to – then you can spend time with your family in the evenings. Many of my professional commitments allow my wife and children to accompany me.
Looking Toward the Future
With the rapid rate of growth in Las Vegas, MountainView is looking into expanding its services once again to keep up with the growing needs of the northwest part of the city.
Steven C. Kalb
Kalb Construction Company and Kalb Industries of Nevada, Ltd.
Steven Kalb is the superintendent, project manager, president and CEO of Kalb Construction Company and CEO of Kalb Industries of Nevada, Ltd. The two companies have a total of 100 employees. In addition, he was a founder of Sun State Bank (which was sold to Zion Bancorporation), Integrated Financial Associates Mortgage Company and Sun West Bank.
Kalb moved to Las Vegas in 1953 and has worked in the region’s construction field since 1974, when he joined his parents’ company, George F. Kalb Construction. He was named Associated General Contractor of the Year in 1996. Kalb serves on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas, and was the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Board Member of the Year 1997 for the Desert Area Council. “I used to be involved with a lot of different community groups, until I decided to put all my efforts into the one group I think is the most effective at what they do – the Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas,” he said. “I am very passionate about their programs and have been involved with them for over 15 years.”
Creating a Positive Workplace
We set up a corporate culture that allows employees to feel they are part of the team. We try to hire quality people and we let them do their jobs without over-supervising them, while still holding them accountable. I try to keep a professional relationship, while still caring about individual employees and what is important to them.
Balancing Work and Home
I try to leave my work at the office, but since we’re a family business, that can be hard at times. I also try to leave family issues at home, which is equally difficult. It’s a work in progress every day to keep my priorities straight – I’ve been very lucky so far.
Looking Toward the Future
One project Kalb is currently involved in is a 210-unit timeshare project for Trendwest. We’re also working on the new 104,000-square-foot Lexus Dealership and the 48-acre Airport Center office park at Decatur and Rancho, near the North Las Vegas Air Terminal.
Patricia Mulroy
Southern Nevada Water Authority and Las Vegas Valley Water District
Patricia Mulroy was appointed general manager of the Las Vegas Valley Water District by its board of directors in September 1989, after serving as deputy general manager for four years. This was during one of Southern Nevada’s most tumultuous times in regards to water distribution. The community began growing at the rate of 3,000 to 5,000 residents per month, a rate that continues today.
Under Mulroy’s leadership, Southern Nevada’s five separate water agencies came together in 1991 to form the Southern Nevada Water Authority. She was appointed the general manager of this new entity and Governor Bob Miller also appointed her a member of his negotiating team for the Colorado River that same year. In 1992, she helped found the Western Urban Water Coalition. She is a member of the American Water Works Association and currently sits on the board of directors of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies.
Mulroy is also a member of the Colorado River Water Users Association, serves on the Desert Research Institute Research Foundation Board of Trustees, and was the recipient of the University and Community College System of Nevada Board of Regents’ 1999 Distinguished Nevadan Award. She sits on the Finance and Debt Finance Committees for the Diocese of Las Vegas, is a member of the Bishop Gorman High School Board of Directors and is actively involved in the St. Viator Catholic Community parish.
Creating a Positive Workplace
We have an incredible group of employees who have really taken ownership of the organization and view themselves an integral part of it. We underwent a metamorphosis 12 years ago to catapult the Water Authority into the next century. It included developing a strategic plan founded on a core set of values and basing employee evaluations on those very values. This plan has absolutely come to life, and through it, the employees have come to love their work and have a deep sense of community. I have worked hard to reach out to our employees – there were only 200 when I started and now there are over 1,000. We continuously survey them, so we are better able to understand their goals and feelings. In addition, I hold meetings with all employees twice a year and maintain an open-door policy. It’s important for them to feel they can come to me.
Balancing Work and Home
My family has always been my top priority, and when I’m not at work, everything else falls by the wayside. My husband and I are very involved in our children’s lives and my life outside work revolves around their activities. I use my drive home each evening to transition between work and family. I spend a lot of time on soccer fields and listening to my son’s band practice.
Looking Toward the Future
I am really excited about the plans for the Las Vegas Springs Preserve. This project has such potential for our community – [Las Vegas] has always lacked a sense of place because of our lack of natural history. The Springs Preserve is an incredible opportunity to help our community develop a sense of history as well as an opportunity to peek into the future.
