Face to Face - September 2003

Face to Face

Name: Mark J. Ricciardi

Title: Managing Partner, Las Vegas Office

Company: Fisher & Phillips LLP

Type of Business: Law firm exclusively representing employers in labor and employment law matters.

Location : Las Vegas

Years in Nevada: 16

Years with Company: 16

Biggest Business Challenge:

The biggest challenge is providing high-quality legal services to businesses that are under constant pressure to control expenditures for legal fees. At many companies, executives are reluctant to call an attorney for legal advice because of the expense. Similarly, at many companies, the training budget is the first to get cut during difficult times. We have accommodated these client concerns by developing telephone advice programs that provide unlimited telephone advice calls for a flat monthly fee. We have also designed special training packages that are quite cost-effective.

What do you like best about your job?

 I enjoy thinking creatively to help our clients achieve their goals without running afoul of the many legal and regulatory hurdles facing employers today. Even if a claim cannot be prevented, good planning can assure an easy defense when a claim does come in.

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

Spending time with my lovely wife and terrific children is my number one activity when I’m not at the office. Golf is enjoyable as time permits.

What would you like your legacy to be?

 I hope to build the Fisher & Phillips LLP Las Vegas office into a local institution that will continue to grow and serve clients of all types and sizes. I would like to be remembered as someone who was a hardworking and ethical lawyer and a good father and husband.

Favorite Business Book :

Lead the Field, by Earl Nightingale

Best Business Advice:

Be available to your clients whenever they need you, do the highest quality work possible and safeguard your most important asset – your reputation.

Name: Tina Grefrath

Title:  Reno Center Manager

Company:  Nevada JobConnect

Type of Business: 

Workforce development: connecting businesses with qualified employees, recruiting and training, providing Nevada labor market information.

Location: Reno

Years in Nevada: 24

Years with Company: 3

Biggest Business Challenge:

Our biggest challenge is creating an awareness of our product in the business community. In the last 10 years, there have been significant changes in how companies find employees and vice versa. And many employers, especially in small business, could use our expertise to access better job seekers.

What do you like best about your job?

 I love the aspect of collaborating with employers. Each business is unique, with its own personality and with special hiring needs. Finding out what makes a company tick, and how we can help, is a very creative process, which is fun for me. Building relationships is very rewarding and the best way to build long-lasting partnerships.

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

My husband and I are classic film buffs, and will often share an evening with James Stewart or Greta Garbo. We also attend a lot of local events like ArtTown and Hot August Nights. I like to travel, but my favorite pastime is being with my adorable granddaughter, Ava.

What would you like your legacy to be?

I hope I have been a mentor and a role model who has displayed honesty and fair play in a world where those qualities sometimes seem to have disappeared.

Favorite Business Book:

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, by Jim Collins

Best Business Advice:

 Keep learning. Always strive for innovation and improvement.