Jared Opens Henderson Location
Sterling Jewelers Inc. has opened its second Jared The Galleria of Jewelry superstore in Southern Nevada. The new store, located in the Eastgate Power Center in Henderson, offers a selection of over 7,000 jewelry items in addition to an on-site, full-service jewelry repair center, a children’s play area and a refreshment area for customers. Officials from Jared presented a $1,000 check to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in honor of the grand opening.
New Test Site Project Announced
A pulse-powered generator, dubbed Atlas, currently under construction at Los Alamos National Laboratory, will be moved to the Nevada Test Site late in 2001, according to Sen. Harry Reid. It would be the first major nuclear physics research machine to be located at the Test Site. The data obtained by operating Atlas will provide critical information on the behavior of fissionable materials. About $30 million has been approved for testing the generator at Los Alamos and moving it to Nevada. The annual cost of the project’s operating program at the Test Site is estimated at $35 million. Reid said the location of Atlas at the Test Site will stimulate cooperation between the National Laboratory’s scientists and the University of Nevada system.
Nevada Dot-Com Launches Web Site
PaintScratch.com, an e-commerce company based in Incline Village, has launched a Web site providing automotive touch-up paint. It allows consumers to identify, locate and purchase more than 6,000 colors of paint for vehicles manufactured in North America and Europe since 1990. Visitors to the site select the year, make and model of a vehicle, and make a color selection from a list of choices. If a specific color is not shown, the site gives step-by-step instructions for finding the color identification plate on the vehicle. The paint is custom-mixed after an order is placed, and is available in bottles or spray cans.
U.S. Bank Nevada’s Leading SBA Lender
According to information released by the Small Business Administration (SBA), U.S. Bank led the state of Nevada in dollar volume of SBA loans in fiscal year 2000, which ended Sept. 30. The bank’s SBA division provided $21,653,000 in SBA-guaranteed loans to 51 small businesses through its offices in Reno and Las Vegas. The volume represented a Nevada record for U.S. Bank, 22 percent greater than 1999. Typical businesses receiving SBA-guaranteed loans included professional service firms, manufacturing operations, wholesale/distributors and retail operations.
Carson Valley Medical Center Changes Hands
Barton HealthCare System of South Lake Tahoe and Reno-based Washoe Health System have finalized an agreement to assume equal ownership of Carson Valley Medical Center in Gardnerville. The 60,000-square-foot medical center, built in 1994, was operated solely by Barton HealthCare System until November. According to Barton CEO Bill Gordon, the non-profit joint venture will expand the base of resources to meet the growing healthcare needs of the Carson Valley area. Douglas County members of Washoe Health System’s insurance service, Hometown Health, will continue to be served under the new ownership arrangement.
New Power Plant Announced for Southern Nevada
Reliant Energy of Houston, Texas has announced plans to build a 500-megawatt, natural gas-fired power plant about 20 miles north of Las Vegas. It will be located on a portion of private land owned by Republic Services of Southern Nevada, Inc., which operates a landfill at the site. The Reliant Energy Arrow Canyon facility will be air-cooled, allowing it to operate on minimal volumes of water. Reliant will contract with Republic Services to supply water for the new plant. Construction will begin early this year, with a projected commercial operation date of June 2003.
NNDA Announces Results
The Northern Nevada Development Authority (NNDA) announced that six companies decided to relocate to Northern Nevada during the third quarter of 2000, providing up to 191 potential new job opportunities. In Douglas County, an insurance company, a call center and a custom machine shop moved into Minden. Two manufacturing firms moved into Lyon County, and a warehouse/distribution center opened in Storey County. NNDA recruits business and industry into the four-county region of Carson, Douglas, Storey and parts of Lyon County.
RetailOne Acquires Market Specialty Equipment
RetailOne, the retail industry’s largest provider of used equipment, has acquired the assets of Market Specialty Equipment, Inc., a Southern California supplier of used and reconditioned equipment. Reno-based RetailOne, founded in 1977, handles procurement, transportation, installation, maintenance and reconditioning of equipment for a variety of customers, including the top three grocers in the country. It has offices in four western states.
New Company Offers Dream Cars
Driven Image, a car rental company based in Minden, launched in October with a unique business plan – renting luxury cars through a network of affiliates around the world. Its central reservation system allows customers to choose from more than 250 luxury car models, including Ferraris, Rolls Royces, Porsches, Maseratis and Hummers. Most affiliates also rent cell phones, pagers and CD players. Driven Image serves Europe through partner locations in England, France, Switzerland and Spain, in addition to connections in New Zealand, Canada and throughout the United States.
Southern Nevada Legal Salaries on the Rise
A recent survey by Exclusively Legal, a Nevada staffing firm, indicates a continued rise in Southern Nevada’s legal salaries. The 2000 Legal Salary Survey contains data from 72 organizations on base salaries, educational background and years of experience of respondents. According to the survey, the average annual salary for an associate attorney is $71,141. Benefits include payment of bar association dues, continuing education fees, 401(k) plans, firm credit card, life and health insurance, stock options and monthly top-biller bonuses. Several positions experienced significant increases over 1999 figures. A legal administrator’s average salary rose from $50,333 to $53,017. Legal secretaries’ average annual salary rose from $33,280 to $35,008, and the salary of litigation paralegals rose from $35,369 to $38,660.
