Manufacturing Facility Opens in Reno
Ranpak Corp., a leading manufacturer of paper-based packaging systems, announced recently that its new manufacturing plant in Reno is now 100 percent operational. The facility will service customers in the western half of the U.S., supplying paper and converters. The decision to open the new facility was based on a desire to improve customer service, said Mike Lencoski, Ranpak project manager. “Reno is centrally located to our distributor base,” he said. “It is a trucking and distribution hub serving California and all the West Coast. It just made sense to be situated in Reno.” The move from Kent, Wash. was accomplished in about one month. Ranpak is a manufacturer of paper-based, in-the-box protective packaging systems and products. Its systems convert kraft paper into lightweight cushions for use in protecting almost any product that is shipped in a box. Ranpak’s corporate headquarters are in Concord Township, Ohio, with additional manufacturing facilities in Nevada and the Netherlands and a sales office in Singapore.
First National Bank Acquires Three Branches
First National Bank of Nevada has finalized the acquisition of three Las Vegas retail bank branches from First Republic Bank. The purchase includes approximately $200 million in retail deposits and the transfer of associated physical assets and leased premises. “We are pleased to close this transaction and look forward to providing quality financial services to these customers,” said David Groshong, First National Bank’s Southern Nevada market president. All three branch locations will remain open. With this acquisition, First National Bank of Nevada has grown to over $500 million in Nevada, with 13 full-service branch locations statewide: eight in Las Vegas, three in Reno and one each in Carson City and Laughlin. Providing a full range of commercial, SBA, depository and mortgage services, the company currently employs approximately 150 people in Nevada.
Westwood Studios to Close
The Westwood Studios video game design studio in Las Vegas will close this month, due to a decision by its owner, Electronic Arts, based in Redwood City, Calif. The corporation plans to consolidate its Los Angeles, Irvine and Las Vegas studios into a major game development studio in Los Angeles. Westwood Studios, a local Southern Nevada technology company founded by Louis Castle and Brett Sperry, developed the blockbuster video game Command and Conquer. It was acquired by Electronic Arts in 1998. The Las Vegas office of Westwood Studios, one of Southern Nevada’s oldest high-tech firms, currently employs more than 100 people.
Hospital Breaks Ground in Mesquite
A public groundbreaking ceremony was held recently on a 25-acre site in Mesquite to celebrate the beginning of construction for Mesa View Regional Hospital, a 25-bed facility that will serve residents of the Virgin Valley and Moapa Valley. The $30 million, 80,000-square-foot medical center, owned by Triad Hospitals, Inc., will provide a full range of inpatient and outpatient acute-care services, including an intensive care unit, obstetrics, medical and surgical services, diagnostic and therapy services. It is estimated the hospital will employ approximately 100 people when it opens in summer 2004. Plans for the site also call for a 30,000-square-foot medical office building.
Paiute Tribe to Develop Geothermal Resources
The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and Advanced Thermal Systems, Inc. (ATS), a geothermal energy company, have set up a joint venture called the Pyramid Lake Energy Project, LLC to develop the geothermal resources on the tribe’s reservation north of Reno. “We are looking forward to working with Advanced Thermal Systems to develop the geothermal resources on the reservation in a manner that is environmentally benign, as well as beneficial to the tribe,” said Alan Mandell, chairman of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. The joint venture will ultimately develop non-polluting, renewable geothermal power generation facilities on the reservation, utilizing Kalina Cycle technology for electric power generation. “Not only will the project create a source of stable revenue for the tribe, but the ancillary businesses such as aquaculture and hydroponics will spur economic development by creating business opportunities and jobs for tribal members,” said ATS President Shuman Moore. Preliminary geological and geophysical studies will commence this spring, with construction projected to begin later in the year.
