Nevada Briefs - December 2002

Nevada Briefs

Business Bank Mentors Students

Danny Albillo, a sophomore student enrolled in the Academy of Finance Magnet Program at Clark High School in Las Vegas, listens to Mark Phillips, executive vice president and chief credit officer for Business Bank of Nevada, as they begin a three-year student-mentor partnership. Business Bank recently joined the mentoring program at the Academy of Finance. Members of the bank’s staff will act as mentors for seven students who attend the academy and plan to pursue a career in banking and finance. The bank will also offer students hands-on experience in the form of a summer internship program. The high school’s Academy of Finance, a four-year program operated as a "school within a school", is a member of the National Academy Foundation.

Arcata Associates Wins Contract

Arcata Associates, Inc., an engineering, information technology, and management and operations company, has been selected by NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) as the Research Facilities and Engineering Support Services contractor.  Under the contract, Arcata will provide program management, engineering, operations and maintenance, multimedia and information services at the DFRC, located at Edwards Air Force Base in California.  The basic period of the contract is two years, with four 2-year options, for a total of 10 years and approximately $135 million. The contract will include operation of the Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR), Web and database design and development and multimedia support. The WATR provides tracking and data acquisition support through a highly automated complex of computer controlled tracking, telemetry, and communications systems and control room complexes. The contract also includes engineering and operations support for the Walt Williams Research Aircraft Integration Facility, which is designed to speed up and enhance systems integration and preflight checks on all types of research aircraft.

Nevada Sets SBA Lending Record

The Nevada District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed a record 500 loans totaling $124 million in fiscal year 2002, which ran from Oct. 1, 2001 to Sept. 30, 2002. This represented a 25 percent increase over the previous fiscal year in the number of loans made to Nevada businesses. The SBA’s loan volume for the state has nearly tripled over the last 10 years. In 1992, its Nevada office was responsible for 198 loans worth $46 million. Last year, Silver State Bank led all Nevada banks in the amount of dollars loaned to SBA-backed businesses, with a total of nearly $19 million. Bank of America had the highest number of loans with 52.

New Medical Facility Opens in Sparks

Washoe Medical Center recently opened a 15,659-square-foot imaging center and medical building at 910 Vista Boulevard in Sparks. Washoe Imaging at Vista provides new imaging technology in Sparks and features state-of-the-art imaging equipment, including Nevada’s only GE high-field, open MRI, helical spiral/multi-slice CT scanning and comprehensive ultrasound services. Filmless, digital technology provides on-line image viewing and digital transmission. The new facility also provides expanded space for the Sparks Washoe Family Care office, which moved from its previous location on Baring Boulevard.