TBAN Announces eNEVADA AWARDS 2002
The Technology Business Alliance of Nevada (TBAN) announced the winners of the 2002 eNevada Awards at a May 11 banquet in Las Vegas. The annual event recognizes individuals and firms for contributions to the promotion, advancement and success of high technology in Nevada. The eNevada Awards also inducted two people into the Nevada High-Tech Hall of Fame for their “significant, positive and enduring contribution to the development of our state’s high-tech community.” This year’s recipients were Southern Nevada’s Louis Castle, co-founder of Westwood Studios, and Northern Nevada’s Bob Goff, founder/president, Sierra Angels.
The following is the list of eNevada Award winners:
1. eCompany of the Year – International Game Technology
2. eStart-Up Of The Year – Las Vegas Data Corporation
3. eLeader Of The Year – Michael Bosma, Senior Manager and Technology Industry Practice Leader, Grant Thornton, LLP
4. Catalyst of the Year – Anthony Cabot @ Lionel Sawyer & Collins
5. “From Brick to Clicks” Company of the Year – Las Vegas-Clark County Library District – lvccld.org
6. Educator of the Year – Pearl Brewer, Ph.D., University Of Nevada, Las Vegas
7. Outstanding Public Official of the Year – Oscar Goodman, Mayor, City Of Las Vegas
8. Most Innovative Large Company B2B/B2C Web Site In Nevada – VEGAS.com – VEGAS.com
9. Most Innovative Small Company B2B/B2C Web Site In Nevada – Flowers2U – Flowers2u.com
10. Most Innovative Casino/Gaming Web Site in Nevada – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Hardrockhotel.com
11. Most Innovative Governmental Web Site in Nevada – State Of Nevada, Secretary Of State Dean Heller – sos.state.nv.us
Nevada Cities Make the Grade
Las Vegas and Reno both placed in the top 25 cities in the fourth annual Forbes/Milken list of Best Places for Business and Careers, with Las Vegas ranking third, up from a 14th place ranking last year. Reno was number 22 among the 296 metro areas, based on the latest government data for employment and wage growth over one- and five-year periods.
City | 5-year Salary Growth | 5-year Job Growth | 5-year High-tech GDP Growth | Overall 2002 Ranking | 2001 Ranking |
Las Vegas | 1 | 1 | 74 | 3 | 14 |
Reno | 73 | 61 | 45 | 22 | 45 |
The top 10 metro areas were: San Diego, Calif.; Santa Rosa, Calif., Las Vegas, Nev.; Ventura, Calif.; McAllen, Texas; Boise, Idaho; San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Oakland, Calif.; Brownsville, Texas; and Orange County, Calif. The list is produced by the Santa Monica, Calif.-based Milken Institute and published by Forbes Magazine.
New Alliance Promotes Super-Speed Train
A new group called the Western States Maglev Alliance has been formed to coordinate efforts to bring super-speed Maglev (magnetic levitation) train systems to the West, including linkages in California and Nevada. The newly-formed alliance will bring together the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission (CNSSTC) and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). CNSSTC is Nevada’s designated lead agency to oversee Maglev development and deployment. The Alliance is urging Congress to make funding available to complete environmental studies for Maglev projects in Nevada and California, and is also pursuing support to designate CNSSTC as the first recipient of construction funds granted under the federal Maglev Deployment Program. Maglev trains, using magnetic guideways instead of rails, can reach speeds of up to 300 mph. The trains have been proposed as a way to alleviate traffic congestion along the busy I-15 corridor between Southern California and Las Vegas.
Schools to Link with Wide Area Network
Cox Nevada Telcom, LLC has announced plans to provide fiber to develop a high-bandwidth wide area network (WAN) for the Clark County School District (CCSD). The network will link students, educators, parents and the community via broadband, enabling CCSD to provide improved video, data and telephone services throughout the nation’s sixth-largest school district. The contract includes all schools and administrative facilities located within Clark County and the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City. Dr. Philip Brody, chief technology officer for CCSD, said the WAN will enable the school district to provide teachers with voicemail, video-on-demand, high-speed Internet access for educational opportunities and an efficient e-mail system.
Cox Nevada Telcom is an affiliate of Cox Business Services, LLC/Hospitality Network, Inc. (CBSHN), which is the leading provider of interactive television to the gaming and hospitality industry, with more than 110,000 hotel rooms nationwide. Mary Alice Nielson, vice president and general manager of CBSHN, called the CCSN contract “a major step” for the company.