Nevada Briefs - February 2002

Nevada Briefs

Las Vegas Company Receives National Honors

A-1 Janitorial Services, Inc. of Las Vegas recently received the Class 1 National Supplier of the Year award from the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). Pamela Washington (left), president of the company, received the award from NMSDC President Harriet Michel (right) at a banquet in Atlanta, Ga. A-1 Janitorial Services was recognized as one of three suppliers in a field of 15,000 that displayed "excellence in business acumen and community service." The company was established in Las Vegas in 1993 and has enjoyed 100 percent average annual growth ever since. The firm provides a full range of janitorial and cleaning services.

Washoe County To Purchase Ranch Land

The Washoe County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase in December of nearly 120 acres of land along the south side of the Truckee River, west of Reno, in an effort to preserve open space. The purchase of 119.8 acres of Canepa Ranch properties will be funded through the Parks, Trails, Libraries and Open Space Bond approved by voters in November 2000. County Parks and Recreation Director Karen Mullen said the land will provide an opportunity for the extension of the Truckee River bike path. "In addition to providing excellent public access to the Truckee River and the mountains, this purchase will allow for the preservation of wildlife habitat and will help protect the water quality and riparian corridor along the river," said Mullen. The purchase, estimated to cost the county $1.35 million, is expected to be finalized during the second quarter of this year.

Call Center Moving to Nevada

Encompass TeleServices - a full-service, real-time reporting call center – will open a facility in Las Vegas this month that will eventually employ more than 300 people. The three-year-old firm, originally based in Beaverton, Ore., is moving its company headquarters to its 12,000-square-foot location in Las Vegas, while maintaining its Oregon call center. "Encompass is expanding because, in this economy, companies want to leverage every dollar and Encompass offers a cost-effective, flexible outsource solution that minimizes time to market at the best cost," said CEO John Cargal. "Las Vegas offers a very attractive location and compelling business incentives. We look forward to becoming a valued partner in the community."

Nevada Colleges Receive Federal Grants

The U.S. Department of Education’s budget, recently approved by President Bush, contained a $300,000 grant for the Jack C. Davis Observatory at Western Nevada Community College (WNCC) in Carson City. The funding will allow WNCC to link its 16-inch Meade telescope to every school in Northern Nevada through the Internet. School children from both rural and urban areas will be able to study astronomy and other sciences by seeing exactly what the telescope sees. A 2,500-square-foot observatory building, funded in part by private contributions, is expected to be completed in time for fall 2002 classes. In Las Vegas, UNLV has received a grant of more than $2.6 million from the U.S. Health and Human Services Administration for the university’s Cancer Institute and new Biotechnology Center. The funds will be used to build state-of-the-art research and teaching laboratories, offices and classrooms, and to purchase new research equipment. The Biotechnology Center has formed a partnership with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to create a laboratory that will be specially equipped to train people nationwide in forensic science and human DNA profiling.

Las Vegas Convention Center Expansion Opens

Manuel J. Cortez, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, presided over ribbon-cutting festivities in January for a 1.3 million-square-foot expansion of the convention center. The new two-story South Hall brings the size of the convention center to a grand total of 3.2 million square feet, making it one of the largest centers of its kind in the country. The new hall includes: 918,000 square feet of exhibit space; 90,000 square feet of meeting space; 51 meeting rooms; 80,000 square feet of food service facilities with a 500-seat restaurant and eight concession stands; and a 109,000-square-foot lobby and registration area. The facility was completed in time for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which utilized 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space and brought representatives from more than 110 countries to Las Vegas.

Gaming Supply Giants Merge

International Game Technology (IGT) purchased Anchor Gaming for $1.2 billion in a stock-for-stock deal finalized on December 30. The combined companies have a total stock market value approaching $6 billion, making it the largest publicly-traded company in Nevada. Reno-based IGT is the world’s largest manufacturer of slot machines, with over 4,000 employees worldwide. Anchor Gaming, with 2,400 employees, develops and distributes gaming machines, operates slot routes at bars and taverns and runs lottery operations in seven states. Tom Baker, who will remain as IGT’s president and CEO, said he expects no layoffs as the result of the consolidation of the two companies. T.J. Matthews, president and CEO of Anchor Gaming, assumes the position of chief operating officer at IGT.