LST Investments Acquires Clayton Mortgage
Clayton Mortgage, a Las Vegas mortgage brokerage firm, was recently purchased by LST Investments LLC. Principals of LST Investments are (from left) Michael Saltman, Jerry Trenberth and Laura Clayton Lychock. LST bought the company from CDR Corporation, owned by Lychock’s father, Bob Clayton. Saltman and his company, The Vista Group, have developed the Renaissance commercial real estate projects in Clark County. Trenberth, currently general counsel for The Vista Group, is a Las Vegas attorney specializing in real estate and commercial transactions.
Nevada Ranks No. 1 in Business Climate
The Small Business Survival Committee (SBSC) has released its sixth annual rankings of states according to their respective policy climates for small business and entrepreneurship. Nevada was ranked number one in SBSC’s Small Business Survival Index 2001, followed by South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming and Florida. The bottom five states were Kansas (47), Maine (48), Hawaii (49), Rhode Island (50) and District of Columbia (51). The Survival Index ties together 17 major government-imposed or government-related costs impacting small businesses and entrepreneurs, including personal income taxes, capital gains and other taxes, electricity costs, workers’ compensation costs, crime rates, right-to-work status and state minimum wages. Raymond J. Keating, SBSC chief economist and author of the study, concluded, “The best policy environment for entrepreneurship consists of low taxes, limited government, restrained regulation, and government protections for life, limb and property.” A complete text of the report may be accessed at sbsc.org.
UNLV Unveils Solar Energy Project
UNLV has installed a solar dish power generation system on the north side of the campus along Flamingo Road. The two large solar dishes serve as a focal point of a UNLV Center for Energy Research project. The two-year, federally-funded project will enable engineering faculty at the center to demonstrate and refine the functioning of the solar power system and to instruct UNLV students in the engineering and design of solar energy technology. One dish, supplied by Stirling Energy Systems, is approximately 35 feet in diameter and 40 feet tall. It generates peak output of 25 kilowatts of electrical energy. The other dish, provided by Science Applications International Corp., is nearly 50 feet in diameter and generates a peak output of approximately 22 kilowatts.
Occupational Healthcare Centers Open
Three new occupational healthcare centers managed by Concentra Medical Centers opened this summer in Southern Nevada. One center is located in Henderson, one in North Las Vegas and one in Las Vegas. The centers are owned by OccMed Systems, Inc., a development firm working with Concentra to open 12 occupational healthcare centers across the country. The centers will provide treatment of work-related injuries and illness, pre-placement examinations, drug and alcohol screenings, imaging, laboratory screenings, physical therapy services and medical examinations. The centers will also provide services at client sites, including safety and health education, health risk appraisals, job site analysis and immunizations. Concentra owns and operates 224 medical centers in 32 states, and treats over 500,000 workplace injuries each year.
New Bank Branch Slated for Winnemucca
Great Basin Bank of Nevada, headquartered in Elko, plans to build a full-service branch in Winnemucca, where it currently operates a loan production office. Groundbreaking will take place this month for the new branch, with completion scheduled for the first half of 2002. The bank will be located at 747 South Grass Valley Rd., adjacent to the new post office building. Great Basin Bank, founded in 1993, received approval this summer from the FDIC and Nevada Department of Financial Institutions to proceed with plans for the full-service branch.
Nevada Airports Awarded Federal Funds
Three Nevada airports will receive more than $20 million in federal funding from the Department of Transportation, according to an announcement by Sen. Harry Reid. Henderson Executive Airport will receive close to $6 million to realign its runway, and to construct an additional runway and apron. Reno/Tahoe International Airport was granted $6 million for runway rehabilitation, $1.9 million for noise mitigation measures for residents living near the airport and $2 million to acquire land for a noise buffer zone and for possible relocation. Elko Regional Airport, which recently opened a new terminal building, will receive almost $4.5 million to acquire land for approaches, to rehabilitate the runway, taxiway and apron, to install a visual guidance system and to acquire aircraft rescue and firefighting equipment