NCET

When William Payne moved to Henderson from San Diego a few years ago, he noticed a change in the business climate different from what local boosters were touting.

Instead of lower taxes and less regulation, he discovered a much skimpier network of organizations geared toward nurturing entrepreneurs.

"In San Diego, it was really easy to find help," said Payne, a small-business adviser and investor. "In Vegas, it is much tougher. For people who need help, it is sort of difficult to find the right resources here in town."

He attributes this partly to the long-standing dependence on gaming and construction that has made it difficult for other industries to take root. In addition, Las Vegas has enjoyed such a long-standing boom that a gold-rush mentality has deep roots; business owners think that merely turning on the "open" sign will be enough to attract customers.

But with a more punishing economy now well settled in, help with basics such as price setting or startup-capital raising have become much more important to businesses hoping to survive their fragile first few years.

Aside from private consultants who charge fees for their expertise, several groups will give over-the-shoulder guidance for little or no charge. Read full story:

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What does the future hold for logistics in Nevada?  Get answers from the following scheduled panelists:

Brandon Page, Vice President – Market Officer – Prologis
Russ Romine
President – Griffin Global Logistics
Al DiStefano
Director, Global Trade and Investment – NV Commission on Economic Development
Business Development Representative
BNSF
Lawrence Dunnigan
Manager, Business Development and International Marketing – Port of Oakland, Maritime Division
Yvonne Murphy
Principal – Gilman Murphy Group
Melanie Lawlor
Director of the Logistics Program – TMCC
Barry Duplantis
Director of Logistics – IGT
Moderated by Par Tolles
President – DP Partners
MC – Dan Oster
Vice President, Industrial Properties Group – NAI Alliance

When: February 26, 2010, 3 P.M. to 5 P. M.

Where:  CSU Theater in the Joe Crowley Student Union, University of Nevada, Reno

Cocktail reception immediately following
Cost:  Free to NAIOP members;$25- guest of member

Click Here to Register

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Expo designed to help Las Vegas Valley’s small businesses in these challenging economic times

A life-long entrepreneur at heart, Mirage Resort and Casino headliner Terry Fator is helping promote the entrepreneurial spirit in the Silver State by cutting the ribbon to open NCET’s 3rd Annual Entrepreneur and Small Business Expo February 19, 2010 at South Point Hotel Casino and Spa. Terry will be available for photos and interviews following the ceremony at 11am.

“We’re thrilled to have a self-made entrepreneur like Terry help us promote and celebrate entrepreneurial activity in Nevada,” says Dave Archer, CEO of NCET, Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology. “He’s an incredible example of what can be achieved when you take an active role in pursuing your dreams.”

It took Fator – a ventriloquist, singer, comedian and celebrity impressionist – 32 years to become an “overnight sensation” when he won the hearts of America and was selected “America’s Got Talent” 2007 $1 million dollar prize winner on NBC-TV. The Mirage Resort and Casino in Las Vegas signed Fator to a 5-year contract worth $100 million dollars, the largest deal in the history of MGM/Mirage. He headlines in TERRY FATOR AND HIS CAST OF THOUSANDS five nights a week in the Terry Fator Theatre. Fator’s Grand Opening took place on March 14, 2009. His first anniversary gala VIP/celebrity party takes place at The Mirage on March 13, 2010. Terry will unveil an exciting new puppet at his one year anniversary gala.

NCET’s 3rd Annual Entrepreneur Expo is Nevada’s only business-to-business expo designed exclusively to help Nevada’s new and small businesses. The Expo connects entrepreneurs with small business experts from across the state who make themselves available to share information, provide guidance and literally offer “one-stop-shopping” for business start-up.

NCET’s Entrepreneur Expo will feature nearly 100 exhibitors, including representatives from state and federal government and business agencies, professional services providers, educational institutions and small business lenders. Exhibitors will provide information on all stages of micro and small business development and expansion, from licensing needs and business plan development to financing and marketing. Attendees will also learn practical hands-on information in a series of no-cost seminars held throughout each day. Seminars will delve into topics ranging from pre-start-up strategizing to long-term business development planning. For more information visit www.NCETexpo.com.

Well, you can’t say it’s a boring job.

When Kara Kelley retires on April 1 as president and chief executive officer of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, she’ll have been through it all: nation-leading economic growth, nation-leading economic failure, public tangles with powerful political leaders, punishing fallouts with some of the city’s biggest companies and the ignobility of seeing her salary revealed in 40-point type across full-page newspaper ads.

But after a wild decade in charge of the chamber, Kelley will leave having achieved her top goals for the group. As the chamber closes in on a replacement for Kelley, we asked her and other community stakeholders to review her tenure as chamber head, and to discuss what’s next for the 6,500-member business group. Read full story:

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As Nevada stands poised to harness the economic potential of clean energy innovations, Northern Nevada educational institutions are leading the way with programs to meet this new frontier of challenges.

The University of Nevada, Reno’s Renewable Energy Center focuses on synchronizing programs for competitive research in renewable energy. The university is researching hydrogen fuels, biodiesel, plants-to-biofuel technology and geothermal possibilities. UNR also is using a research grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a groundbreaking way of harnessing photoactive material from the sun to generate hydrogen. The university’s renewable energy research portfolio is in excess of $10 million in funding for renewable projects.

UNR also is expanding its curriculum with the addition of a Renewable Energy minor.

Collaborative efforts at UNR are creating educational synergy through the coordinated efforts of faculty in several of its colleges.

UNR’s College of Engineering has created methods using osmosis and forward osmosis to treat wastewater for potable reuse or for power regeneration. The Center for Civil Engineering Earthquake Research is home to a world-renowned earthquake simulation facility. The UNR Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering Department has developed a process to extract biodiesel from spent coffee grounds.

Read entire column here