We do business. You do business. Let’s do business. Do business more effectively, starting with Cox Business. We deliver the advanced communications your business needs, backed with the local, responsive, knowledgeable service your business wants but isn’t getting. Make the switch today. Add Cox Digital Telephone for only Sign up now and get 3 FREE months .99 of Cox Business $15 per month Video!** includes FREE long distance, installation, activation, calling features and business listing in the local phone directory.* Call 702-939-1148 or visit www.coxbusiness.com *Offer valid until 3/31/08 to new commercial subscribers of Cox Digital Telephone in Las Vegas Cox-wired, serviceable locations. Minimum 1-year service contract required. Five year contract required for $15.99 rate. Free features include Call Forwarding, Call Forwarding Busy, and Call Forwarding No Answer. 100 minutes of long distance is per line, per month. Free installation applies to telephone and is capped at $350. Unused long distance minutes have no cash value and expire at the end of each month. All long distance minutes are limited to direct-dialed long distance calls at a single location and must originate and terminate within the contiguous United States. All extended domestic calls (Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands) are $0.10 per minute. Intrastate long distance minutes will be charged at $0.05 per minute. Interstate minutes exceeding free minutes per month per contract are charged at $0.05 per minute. Additional costs for installation, construction, inside wiring and equipment may apply. Offer does not include international calling, applicable taxes, surcharges or fees. Discounts are not valid in combination with or in addition to other promotions, and cannot be applied to any other Cox account. Rates are subject to change. Telephone modem equipment may be required. Modem uses electrical power to operate and has backup battery power provided by Cox if electricity is interrupted. Telephone service including access to e911 service will not be available during an extended power outage or if modem is moved or inoperable. Services not available in all areas. Other restrictions apply. Telephone services are provided by Cox Nevada Telecom, LLC. **Free Cox Business Video includes Basic and Expanded Basic service. Free months will appear as a credit starting on the first billing statement and will be applied on consecutive bill statements until free months are applied. Cox Basic service required for local HD channels, and Cox Digital Cable required for premium HD channels. Number of digital outlets may be limited. All programming and pricing are subject to change. Programming may vary by location. Installation is free with the bundled offer. Services not available in all areas. Excludes bars and restaurants. Other restrictions apply. ©2008 Cox Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) congratulates Dennis Bassford “ M ” MONEYTREE CEO a y k it in al g E Re quality A for his commitment to philanthropy, financial literacy and Supporting the dream that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. championed. CORE is pleased to honor Mr. Bassford at its 23rd annual Ambassadorial Reception and Awards Dinner. F Other 2008 honorees include: Bishop T.D. Jakes Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez (Ret) Founder, The Potter’s House Former Commander, U.S. Troops in Iraq Past Honorees include notables such as: Nobel Peace Prize laureates Elie Wiesel and Dr. Norman Borlaug; former Secretary of State James Baker; Secretary Generals of the United Nations Javiar Perez de Cuellar and Boutrus Boutrus Ghali; Civil Rights veteran & Chairman of Innercity Broadcasting, Percy Sutton; Neurosurgeon Dr. Benjamin Carson; music and entertainment legends Patti LaBelle, Nancy Wilson, Leonard Bernstein, and Toni Braxton; film and stage legends Richard Pryor, Morgan Freeman, Robert DeNiro, Audrey Hepburn, Oliver Stone, James Earl Jones and Samuel L. Jackson; sports legends Willie Mays and Roy Jones, Jr., World Heavyweight Champions Evander Holyfield and Muhammad Ali; Olympic Champions Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee; media giants Ted Turner and Connie Chung, Baseball Legend Hank Aaron and the Mother of the modern day civil rights movement, Mrs. Rosa Parks. COMMENTARY LYLE E. BRENNAN Publisher We’re Tightening Our Belts What About the Government? One of the hardest things a business owner or CEO has to do is cut back on payroll expenses in economic downturns. his can mean telling em- ment is that the government doesn’t Let’s look at a few statistics, pro- ployees they aren’t get- have to worry about going out of vided by the state itself (the Depart- T ting a year-end bonus, business. Like “death and taxes,” the ment of Employment, Training and or that they’ll have to government will always be with us. Rehabilitation – DETR). Nevada’s pay more for health insurance pre- In addition, special interest groups unemployment rate at the end of miums. If things get bad enough, it like the Nevada State Education As- 2007 was 5.8 percent, the highest it’s can mean lowering wages or laying sociation (Teachers’ Union) and the been since April 2002. During 2007, off employees. Nobody likes to be Nevada State Employees Association the construction industry lost nearly the bad guy who has to deliver this have full-time lobbyists who spend 8,000 jobs (a 5.6 percent decrease), news, but it may be necessary in every waking hour telling voters, financial services jobs were down 2.2 order for the company to survive legislators and media how underpaid percent and the temporary help sector and produce income for its employ- and overworked government em- declined 24.1 percent. The economy ees, as well as its owners. ployees are. hasn’t rebounded since then, meaning But wait – what if there was a way Look what happened when Gov. the next batch of numbers will proba- to keep everybody on the payroll, to Gibbons proposed cutting the budgets bly be equally dismal. However, dur- give them all a guaranteed annual cost of state agencies by 4.5 percent in ing this same period, government of living increase, and to give most of order to make up about half of the an- jobs increased by 3.7 percent and ed- them an annual raise of 5 percent just ticipated $542 million budget short- ucation jobs were up 10.3 percent. for staying at their current rank during fall in 2008-2009. Were the agency While private companies were cut- the year? Add to that a retirement heads ready to tighten their belts for ting back to save money, the govern- package that pays them until they die, the common good? Far from it. They ment kept spending. and even subsidizes their healthcare almost universally complained that The DETR Web site also contains premiums long after they leave the they didn’t know how they were useful information on the average company. No, it’s not Fairyland. It’s going to survive on the meager wages in various industries. For 2005, government employment and we’re amount they were currently getting, the most recent year that’s summa- all paying for it. and if that amount were reduced, the rized there, the average annual wage The difference between private entire state would go swirling down for all industries was $38,760. Private sector companies and the govern- the drain. Continued on Page 8 4 March 2008 We build more than structures. We build your business. PLISEE has developed more than two million square feet of property throughout the Las Vegas valley and has another three million square feet currently under development and construction. Founded by William Plise in 1994, we’ve earned an enviable reputation in the commercial real estate community by developing a portfolio of projects recognized for superior design, quality construction and development excellence. Centennial Corporate Center City Crossing Rainbow Sunset Pavilion Class-A Professional and Medical Office Parks • Light Industrial Facilities Retail Centers • Mixed-Use Projects Plise- Jan 08.pdf 1 12/18/2007 1:48:03 PM March 2008 • Volume 23 • No. 3 A division of BUSINESS LINK, LLC PUBLISHER Lyle E. Brennan • [email protected] PUBLISHER / CEO Connie Brennan • [email protected] COO Thomas Patchin • [email protected] ASSOCIATE EDITOR April McCoy • [email protected] ART DIRECTOR COVER: Joe Thomasula Bill Bible, executive director of Nevada Resort Association, CIRCULATION DIRECTOR discusses the initiatives proposed Mark Keays • [email protected] to raise gaming taxes in Nevada. RESEARCH / RANKING NEVADA [email protected] Photo: Opulence Studios WEB EDITOR McKensie Keever • [email protected] ONLINE MARKETING DIRECTOR Harry Benson • [email protected] CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jennifer Rachel Baumer • Rep. Shelley Berkley Candace Evart • Kathleen Foley • Deric Hill BUILDING NEVADA: Mark Keays • Eugenia Kokunina • Andy Matthews Suzette LaGrange, vice president of R. Keith Schwer • Michael Sullivan • Jeanne Lauf Walpole Colliers International Las Vegas, is ADVERTISING / SALES among the commercial brokers who Sheri Lautherboren • [email protected] share their secrets to success in the Dawn Perkins • [email protected] industry. EXEC. ASSISTANT TO PUBLISHER Katherine Fernelius • [email protected] Photo: Opulence Studios CORPORATE OFFICE 375 N. Stephanie St., Suite 2311 • Henderson, NV 89014 (702) 735-7003 • FAX (702) 733-5953 [email protected] NORTHERN NEVADA ADVISORY BOARD Chuck Alvey • EDAWN Krys T. Bart • Reno Tahoe Airport Authority Tom Clark • Tom Clark Consulting Company SPECIAL REPORT: Connie Fent • Community Representative Certified Commercial Investment Valerie Glenn • The Glenn Group Member (CCIM) represent an Rick Gray • Fallon Convention and Tourism Authority elite group of professionals who are Web Site: nbj.com • nevadabusiness.com experts in the disciplines of commercial TopRank Nevada: topranknevada.com and investment real estate. Photo: Opulence Studios Nevada Business Journal is a division of Business Link, LLC. 375 N.