Face to Face - April 2008

Face to Face

Dennis Kennedy

Shareholder

Bailey Kennedy, Attorneys At Law

Las Vegas

Number of Employees: 24

Years in Nevada: 32

Years with Firm: 2

Type of business: Law Firm

Describe your leadership style:

Hire good people. Train them to be good lawyers. Stand behind them when they need it, but mostly, get out of their way and let them do their job.

Biggest Business Challenge:

Finding and hiring talented young lawyers.

Best Business Advice:

Decide what you are best at, focus on it, and strive to improve.

How do you retain your best and brightest employees?

People want to participate in the pursuit of a shared vision of excellence and professionalism. We have never lost anyone whom we wanted to keep.

Who inspired you to get into the business?

My inspiration was entirely personal and academic. There were no mentors or heroes involved. I always enjoyed a fight - even some of the ones I lost. Litigation is intellectual combat. There is really nothing that compares to it.

What is the most important thing you learned from your parents?

I was never going to be the best looking person in the class. My parents told me to try, instead, to be the smartest.

Are medical lawsuits to blame for the state of today’s healthcare industry?

Nothing in the system is free from blame, but tort reform in Nevada (the damage limitations on malpractice awards) will go a long way toward improving the quality of care and reducing costs. The process will take some time, but I am convinced that it will succeed.

Jordan “Jordie” Primack

Managing Member, Co-Owner

Primack Family Companies, LLC

Henderson

Number of Employees: 4

Years in Nevada: 22

Years with Firm: 7

Type of business: Real Estate Brokerage, Development & Building Company

Describe your leadership style:

Teach by action and example. I am receptive to feedback, flexible and adaptive to change. Stimulate and encourage understanding and analysis of market conditions in advance of change.

Biggest Business Challenge:

Real Estate relies heavily on the economy and the credit markets. Uncertainty in both causes chaos, knee jerking and reaction, in lieu of analysis and planning.

Best Business Advice:

History often has a way of repeating itself. Recognize potential swings that will impact the direction of the economy.

How do you retain your best and brightest employees?

I believe in challenging and empowering employees and teammates to succeed by providing opportunities.

Who inspired you to get into the business?

My three mentors all have the last name Primack. Two are my dad’s brothers, Sam Primack and Saul Primack, and the third is my dad, Joe Primack. My dad is one of the greatest mentors I have ever known.

What is the most important thing you learned from your parents?

Respect, love and support your family first and others second.

When will the market heat up?

Unfortunately, the tight credit markets will continue to strangle the economy's ability to heat up again. There will be a minimum six-month lag time before the economy will see a positive impact from the reduction in loan-to-value ratios.