Our Mission to Stay at the Top EVERY OFFICE HAS “THAT GUY.”
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business voice L A S V E G A S M E T R O C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E | L V C h a m b e r . c o m | M A Y 2 0 1 4 Our Mission to Stay at the Top EVERY OFFICE HAS “THAT GUY.” PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS AND YOUR EMPLOYEES WITH AFFORDABLE GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE FROM CHAMBER INSURANCE & BENEFITS. VISIT CHAMBERIB.COM OR CALL 702.586.3889. painting the town blue KRISTIN MCMILLAN PRESIDENT & CEO his month, we celebrate National Travel sector and create jobs. We are deeply involved with the and Tourism Week, and there is a lot to LVCVA, having three seats on its prestigious board of celebrate this year: the opening of the directors and partnering on various initiatives, projects T Linq and the Cromwell, as well as the and activities. soon to be open SLS; breaking ground on a new arena on the Strip; the unveiling of During the Chamber’s annual trip to Washington, D.C. a new iconic landmark – the High Roller – to our skyline; last month, we connected with members of Nevada’s and not just one, but two political parties considering Las Congressional delegation, as well as key members of Vegas as the host for its presidential convention in 2016. Congress from other states, to press for legislation to For a record-setting 20 years, Las Vegas has been the keep travel and tourism strong and growth-focused. number one trade show destination in North America. We discussed the Jobs Originated Through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act, which would expand the Visa Waiver While as a community we look towards new avenues Program, reduce visa wait times and conduct visa to diversify our economy, we also must keep our core interviews through a videoconferencing pilot program. tourism industry strong and forward-moving. And now Expanding our market share of international tourism is is a great time to reinforce how important that industry a critical catalyst for job creation and economic growth. is to every aspect of our community and economy in When in Washington, the Chamber encouraged the Southern Nevada. Last year, the tourism industry’s total passage of other federal legislation as well, including bills economic impact was more than $45 billion, nearly half to extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act to protect of our total workforce and 47 percent of the region’s our economy and core industry, renew funds for Brand gross product. The impact of travel and tourism on our USA to market the U.S. as global destination for tourism, economy promises to be even more significant with time. and expand ecotourism through the designation of Tule You will read in this issue that the Las Vegas Convention Springs Fossil Beds as Nevada’s first national monument. and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is well into planning the Las Vegas Global Business District, an ambitious multi- During the week of May 3 – 11, the LVCVA will be “painting tiered project to solidify and expand the market share the town blue” by lighting Las Vegas signs and landmarks of Las Vegas in the global economy. This will be a vital in blue and asking residents to wear blue to show support component of our region’s future. of Southern Nevada’s core industry. On Tuesday, May 6, the LVCVA will hold a rally at The Mob Museum to The Metro Chamber is actively engaged in advancing celebrate this commemorative week. At the Chamber, and strengthening an agenda that sustains Las Vegas’ we’ll be turning our website blue for the occasion and position as a top leisure and business travel destination. taking part in the festivities. I invite you to take part in the We are the only metropolitan area chamber to hold a celebration. Turn your business landmarks blue, encourage seat on the U.S. Travel Association’s board, giving us a your employees to wear blue for a day and help support voice on behalf of our region to help grow this pivotal Southern Nevada’s dynamic economic engine. LAS VEGAS METRO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MAY 2014 BUSINESS VOICE 3 CALL bv 811 business voice VOLUME 35 NUMBER 5 Before Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce 8363 W. Sunset Road, Suite 250 You Dig! Las Vegas, NV 89113 702.641.5822 • LVChamber.com Kristin McMillan President & CEO Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce 2014 Board of Trustees Trustees Past Chairmen Executive Committee Bruce Spotleson Bob Ansara Berlyn Miller 1979 Chairman of the Board Ricardo’s of Las Vegas, Inc. Vegas PBS Lisa Beckley Phil Arce 1984 Jay Barrett The Beckley Group One simple call to 811 gets Immediate Past Chairman Elaina Blake 1985 The JABarrett Company Kevin Bethel NV Energy Dave Vlaming 1986 underground utility-owned Bob Brown Mike Bolognini Chairman-Elect Cox Communications Opportunity Village Jeffrey A. Silver 1988 lines marked for FREE. Senator Richard Bryan Hugh Anderson Lionel Sawyer & Collins Peter Thomas 1989 HighTower Las Vegas Alexandra Epstein William Martin 1991 Michael Bonner El Cortez Hotel & Casino Greenberg Traurig, LLP Whether you’re a homeowner or Jeff Grace Bob Maxey 1992 John Guedry NetEffect Bank of Nevada professional excavator, every Dallas Haun Denny Weddle 1993 Nevada State Bank Lesley McVay David Smith 1994 digging job requires a call -- Switch John Hester Southwest Gas even small projects -- so be Kevin Orrock Ted Wiens, Jr. 1995 The Howard Hughes Corporation Jerry Irwin Miracle Mile Shops at John O’Reilly 1996 sure to: Planet Hollywood Tom Skancke Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance Bart Jones Diane Dickerson 1997 • Call 811 at least two days before Merlin Contracting & Developing Nancy Wong Edward Crispell 1998 Arcata Associates, Inc. Greg Lee starting any digging project Eureka Casino Resort The Business Voice Bill Wells 2001 (USPS #717-970) is published by Rex Liu, D.D.S. • Wait for the site to be marked Family & Cosmetic Dentistry The Las Vegas Metro Jay Kornmayer 2002 Chamber of Commerce. 8363 W. Sunset Road, Suite 250 Bill Nelson • Respect the marks Las Vegas, NV 89113 Piercy Bowler Taylor & Kern Lou Emmert 2003 Annual Subscription $25 Lori Nelson • Dig with care Periodical postage paid at Station Casinos, LLC Tim Cashman 2004 Las Vegas, NV POSTMASTER: Bill Noonan Hugh Anderson 2005 Send address changes to: Boyd Gaming Corporation The Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce, Jeff Oberschelp John Wilcox 2006 Not calling can be life threatening and 8363 W. Sunset Road, Suite 250 CenturyLink Las Vegas, NV 89113 Karla Perez Fafie Moore 2008 costly. You can harm yourself or others, Production Team Valley Health System Steve Hill 2009 disrupt natural gas service to an entire John Osborn Jonathan Schwartz Publisher Miltson Consulting, Inc. Kristin McMillan 2010 neighborhood, and potentially be Greta Beck-Seidman Larry Singer Newmark Grubb Knight Frank responsible for injuries, repair costs, Managing Editor Michael Bonner 2011 Cara Clarke Mike Small Executive Editor Kevin Orrock 2012 and criminal penalties. Vicky VanMeetren MJ Dennis St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, Production San Martín Campus Jay Barrett 2013 If you ever suspect a natural gas leak, call 911 Coordinator George Wallace Nick Claus “The New Mr. Vegas” and Southwest Gas at 1-877-860-6020 Graphic Designer Advertising Inquiries immediately, whether you’re our customer 702.383.0337 or not. EDITORIAL POLICY: The Business Voice is a member newsletter of the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of For more information about natural gas Commerce. The Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce welcomes input, ideas and suggestions from our members. As with any periodical, we must adhere to strict pipeline safety, visit swgas.com/safety deadlines and we reserve the right to edit all materials submitted for publication. Commentaries that are marked as such do not necessarily reflect the opinion or or call 1-877-860-6020. position of the Chamber, its trustees or employees. The Chamber cannot guarantee the validity or accuracy of the contents of paid advertisements. Questions or concerns about content of the Business Voice can be addressed to Vice President of Marketing, Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce, 8363 W. Sunset Road, Suite 250, Las Vegas, NV 89113. table of 14 contents MOVING BODLY INTO THE FUTURE: OUR MISSION TO STAY AT THE TOP MAY 2014 06 Chamber News 08 News You Need 09 For Your Benefit 10 Working for You 12 Your Scene | You’re Seen 18 10 PROGRESS IN MOTION WORKING FOR YOU 14 Moving Bodly Into the Future: 18 Project Neon 20 What’s Happening 22 Member Insights 23 In the Know 24 Member Spotlights Chamber Insurance 26 32 34 & Benefits RIBBON CUTTINGS THE MARGIN TAX INITIATIVE 28 Member News 30 Member to Member 32 Ribbon Cuttings 34 The Margin Tax 36 Vegas Young Professionals 38 The Final Word 28 23 36 MEMBER NEWS BUSINESS OF HELPING BUSINESSES VYP LAS VEGAS METRO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MAY 2014 BUSINESS VOICE 5 chamber news metro chamber welcomes krista darnold as vice president of membership The Metro Chamber is proud to welcome Krista Darnold as its new vice president of membership. Darnold, a native of Kansas, brings with her a strong background in creating strategic partnerships, connecting members of the community, marketing and business development. She has held roles in development, sales and marketing, most recently at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, where she headed its corporate partnership efforts since its opening. Prior to her work at The Smith Center, Krista served as the director of development for an international design studio. She is a graduate of the Leadership Las Vegas program and has been actively involved with the Leadership Las Vegas Council and alumni since her graduation from the program in 2005.