Name: Steve Teshara
Title: Executive Director
Company: Lake Tahoe Gaming Alliance
Location: Stateline
Type of Business: A member-funded group representing casino properties on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore in development, advocacy and government issues.
Years in Nevada: 27
Years with Company: 9
Biggest Business Challenge:
It’s a challenge working with companies that are competitors, encouraging them to work together for common goals. Another problem is the rapid turnover on the board, which is composed of representatives from the gaming properties. When I started in 1991, casino executives coming onto the board were always from Nevada. Now that gaming has spread to many other states, corporate officers can come from almost anywhere, and they must be brought up to speed on issues important to the Lake Tahoe area.
Greatest Professional Accomplishment:
I am proud of the luxury motorcoach service the Gaming Alliance set up in 1991 to take visitors from the Reno-Tahoe airport to Stateline. Another accomplishment is the establishment of the Tahoe-Douglas Visitors Authority, which was set up by the 1997 Legislature after an extensive lobbying effort.
Worst Failure:
I spent several years on a project with representatives of the arts community in the Tahoe area, and it turned out to be a disaster. I discovered there are more politics in the art world than there are in the political world.
Most Valuable Lesson Learned:
You can’t be all things to all people, so pick your project and go where you have the greatest chance for success.
Company Goals:
The Lake Tahoe Gaming Alliance aims to improve access to the Tahoe area through transportation measures, to expand marketing efforts to benefit all the properties on the South Shore, and to reinvent the resort infrastructure through redevelopment projects.
Best Business Advice:
Get to know the people you’re working with and learn how to communicate with them. Then you can use their abilities to get things done – achieving goals is what it’s all about.
Name: Steve Petruska
Title: President, southwest region
Company: Pulte Homes
Location: Las Vegas
Type of Business: Residential construction. Pulte builds 900 homes per year in Southern Nevada.
Years in Nevada: 8
Years with Company: 17
Biggest Business Challenge:
My greatest challenge is preparing people in the organization for the future growth that awaits them. We prepare our people to move up and on in their profession.
Greatest Professional Accomplishment:
Being a part of the tremendous growth of the Las Vegas division has been very satisfying. It started in 1992, and by 1998 it had developed into the third-largest homebuilder in Southern Nevada.
Worst Failure:
When we started in the Nevada market, we didn’t segregate our product from the rest of the herd. If you do that, your product becomes a commodity, and you can only charge a commodity price. We have re-thought our strategy, and now we build a home that stands out from the rest of the marketplace and is more profitable.
Most Valuable Lesson Learned:
The momentum of the team is much greater than the difference any one person can make in the organization.
Company Goals:
Pulte has two big goals: to maintain its leadership in the annual customer satisfaction survey conducted by J.D. Power & Associates, and to continue its growth in the Southern Nevada market, averaging 15 percent per year over the next five years.
Best Business Advice:
Be unwavering in your vision and your beliefs, lead by example, both personally and professionally, and then get out of people’s way and let them make it happen.
Name: Jerry Stanley
Title: President
Company: Soil-Tech
Location: Las Vegas
Type of Business: Soil-Tech is the largest company in Nevada performing dust control, hydroseeding and color mitigation (restoring natural appearance to land surfaces).
Years in Nevada: 34
Years with Company: 10
Biggest Business Challenge:
Our tremendous growth rate, which has averaged between 30 percent and 40 percent each year, has made it difficult to give customers the service they deserve. Trying to stay on top of service needs is my biggest challenge.
Greatest Professional Accomplishment:
Being in business for ten years and not just surviving, but thriving. We have worked on every major project in Southern Nevada, from Summerlin to Lake Las Vegas. I know other people who started companies around the same time I did, and they’re just barely scraping by.
Worst Failure:
I haven’t had any big failures, but I have occasionally lost a bit of control because I was going too many directions at once. Getting spread too thin meant my business and my customers suffered.
Most Valuable Lesson Learned:
You’re only as good as the employees who work for you. As a business owner, you can’t do it all yourself. You have to learn how to delegate work, and when you do, your employees represent you.
Company Goals:
We want to continue to be the leader in the three specialties we perform, while providing the best service to our customers.
Best Business Advice:
Stay in control of your company, and don’t let your company control you.
Name: Shari Farkas
Title: Managing Partner
Company: Wilson, Beers & Alu
Location: Las Vegas
Type of business: Accounting software and computer networking consulting firm, specializing in mid-range accounting solutions, network security, wide-area connectivity and business Internet solutions.
Years in Nevada: 30
Years with the Company: 10
Biggest Business Challenge:
Keeping up with technology. Our value to our clients is based on our expertise in technology, which is a moving target. We spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars each year educating and certifying our staff on the latest technologies.
Greatest Professional Accomplishment:
The Y2K scare caused most businesses to upgrade or change accounting software in 1999, which caused the first half of 2000 to be stagnant. I am very proud that we were able to change our strategy, refocus and end up with the sales figures for 2000 ahead of our 1999 sales.
Worst Failure:
Not taking enough risks. I get wrapped up in the day-to-day and what I already know works. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen a new Web site or application and said, “I wish we had done that when we talked about it.”
Most Valuable Lesson Learned:
Pick your clients carefully, then build a relationship. Consulting is a relationship-based business. You must have trust or be able to build trust with your clients in order to succeed. Use the same principles learned for retaining employees to make sure your clients remain your fans.
Company Goals:
We plan to expand our general services to Northern Nevada, and create an industry- specific solution that will be sold nationwide.
Best Business Advice:
Set realistic expectations for your clients and employees – it gives you more room to shine.