Face to Face - May 2003

Face to Face

Name: Ferenc Szony

Title: President/CEO  

Company: Sands Regent Corporation  

Type of business: Gaming/hospitality  

Location: Reno  

Years in Nevada: 36 years  

Years with Company: 5  

Biggest Business Challenge:

Operating a turn-around hotel casino company in the Northern Nevada tourism market and maintaining a level of confidence among our employees, lenders, vendors, shareholders and the community in general. Another challenge is that Southern Nevada has a huge say in what the economic and tax conditions will be like for the entire state. Decisions in Carson City this session will be based on the big players in Southern Nevada, who really don’t have a handle on issues facing the rest of us.

Helping to turn around struggling companies or facilities is a blast. It’s rewarding and energizing, and you know you’ve made a difference when you take on a facility that has pretty much been written off and find a way to make it successful. I also enjoy my involvement in the Nevada Commission on Tourism.

How do you spend your time when you’re not working:

I’m always working and always playing, simultaneously. That doesn’t mean I’m a workaholic – it’s just that I find myself having fun at work and intermixing my work with my fun, whether that be skiing, hiking, biking, ice climbing or rafting.

It’s great to see the people who have worked with me go on to bigger opportunities and successes. Hopefully, I had a part in getting them ready for those opportunities.

Have fun in your work, and as soon as it stops being fun, find something else to do.  

Name: Stanley Weisleder  

Title: President  

Company: Actuaries Unlimited, Inc.  

Type of Business: Actuarial consultants for qualified retirement plans  

Location : Las Vegas, Nevada  

Years in Nevada 7 years

Years with Company: 32 years  

Biggest Business Challenge:

Tax laws are constantly changing, and IRS interpretations of tax laws also change. Our company holds continuing education seminars for CPAs to keep them updated. It’s a challenge to educate them on the tremendous tax deductions their clients are losing out on by not having properly designed, qualified retirement plans.

I enjoy meeting people and helping them obtain large tax deductions that are approved by the IRS. I like the challenge of beating the IRS at its own game, using its rules.

I am finishing up my second novel, about my years as a reserve deputy with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. I am also busy publicizing my first novel, The Black Eagles, about four squadrons of black fighter pilots in World War II.

I would like to be well remembered, and I hope my books will make a contribution by educating readers, as well as entertaining them.

Do your best for your clients. And, try not to put them on hold!

Name: Jill Langerman  

Title: President and CFO  

Company: Fair, Anderson & Langerman  

Type of Business: CPA firm, business advisors  

Location: Las Vegas  

Years in Nevada: 31  

Growing a company when the economy is in a recession. When times are tough, business people try to trim their budgets by cutting down on services from their professional advisors, such as attorneys and CPA firms. We try to help our clients understand that this is when they need our advisory services most. This situation does make it hard to stick to our strategic plan.

Helping clients grow their businesses and achieve their goals is very rewarding. I also enjoy helping our employees learn and grow, watching them accomplish things they weren’t able to do before. That makes all our efforts worthwhile.

I enjoy spending time with my husband and my dogs. I also like to read fiction and enjoy traveling.

That I helped our employees achieve their professional and personal goals.

Favorite Business Book:

Good to Great, by Jim Collins

Best Business Advice:

If you look out for your customers and your employees, success is almost inevitable.  

Name: Larry Monkarsch  

Title: Manager/Owner  

Company: L M Construction Co., LLC  

Type of Business: General contractors with in-house design/build department  

Location: Las Vegas  

Years in Nevada: 9

Years with Company: 6  

Biggest Business Challenge:  

We have an open-book policy and are very up-front with our clients on the costs of our projects. However, getting people to believe that you are honest is difficult. Also, keeping costs down has become harder to do. Insurance has gone up, as well as certain fees associated with construction.

Owning and operating my own construction company has been a dream come true. I really like performing well and seeing the satisfaction in the eyes of the client. I also like when we bid a competitive job and win.

I am married, with three children – ages 10, 8 and 15 months. We enjoy tennis together as a family, and love to travel and snow ski. I try to work out at least three times a week. When I have time, I also enjoy playing golf.

I would like to be remembered as a person who was honest and up-front with people, with good morals and values. I also want to make sure that, when I’m gone, my family is secure and comfortable. I give time and money to the local community through charity work and my local synagogue.

I read many periodicals about small business, family businesses, estate planning, etc.

"Always do what you know is right" (from a college professor); and, "Don’t ever count somebody else’s money" (from my father).