NCET

The state government last week began seeking proposals from potential developers of a $4.5 million portal that ultimately will allow companies to do most of their business with state and local governments through a single Web site. The Nevada State Purchasing Division will gather proposals until April 13, and state officials hope the first phase of the project is available to the public in March 2011.

Ross Miller, Nevada’s secretary of state and a leading proponent of the portal, said it will improve the efficiency of state agencies and help them capture all the taxes and fees that are due from businesses. And he said it make life easier for businesses as well.

“The process to set up a business is currently not well-defined, and it’s cumbersome,” Miller said.

The portal initially will allow one-stop completion of Secretary of State and Nevada Department of Taxation paperwork. Ultimately, Miller said proponents hope to include other state agencies as well as local governments in the portal. It would be the first of its type in the nation.

Officials expect the site will get more than 500,000 hits a month with traffic growing by 30 percent a year.

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Have you been wondering how newspapers are fairing in this age of technology?  Tyler Mack will address how the Las Vegas Review-Journal uses technology to stay relevant and successful in an industry that has been hit hard these past few years.  Hear how the Review-Journal utilizes technology to leverage web traffic and audience tracking to increase ad revenue and react to reader interests.

Please join us for this informative luncheon.  The key details of the luncheon are:

Wednesday, March 17, 2010
11:30 am – 1:30 pm

$35 Prepaid/Preregister by Monday, March 15 5:00 p.m. $45 After March 15 OR at the door without a reservation

Download form for fax or mail registration
For more information call (702) 798-5156 or email katrina@amnevada.com

CILI RESTAURANT
5160 LAS VEGAS BLVD. SOUTH

Newspapers and Technology

Tyler Mack comes from a newspaper family, a 4th generation member of the family owned Register-Guard in Eugene, Oregon. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a major in Journalism (advertising focus) and went to work for another family owned newspaper in Spokane, Washington, The Spokesman-Review, as the Director of Online Sales & Marketing. After four years in Spokane, he and his wife, Sally, moved to Las Vegas where they’ve been for a little over 8 months. As the Online Sales Manager at The Review-Journal, Tyler is in charge of all online advertising programs and is heavily involved in the design and improvement of the RJ and its affiliate websites. Tyler provides ongoing training for RJ advertising department and also works with other Stephens Media newspapers across the country to assist in the advancement of newspapers into the digital age.

The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and SCORE are launching a series of free workshops on how to start a business.

The program will include an overview of the basic elements of business creation, business-plan writing, marketing and other planning tools.

The sessions take place on Thursdays at the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce at Town Square, 6671 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Suite 300. The classes are free and open to the public.

For more information or to sign up, go online to www.lvchamber.com.

Technorati Tags: Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce,SCORE,business,NCET,Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology

The College of Southern Nevada wants to install major photovoltaic power arrays at its three main campuses throughout the Las Vegas Valley. The college recently hired JMA, a Las Vegas-based architecture, design and planning firm, to develop a comprehensive alternative energy plan that could cut the school’s electricity costs by half. Money saved from reduced power bills would pay for the project’s cost within 15 years.

"As a good community partner, the college feels they should make a statement about energy use," JMA President Thomas Schoeman said. "The campuses have large open ended surfaces that are ideal for photovoltaic panels."

The college’s facilities include a 22-year-old, 80-acre campus at 6375 W. Charleston Blvd. in Las Vegas; it’s the college’s largest, most heavily attended campus, attracting 15,207 students in the fall 2008 semester. There also is a 36-year-old campus at 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave. in North Las Vegas and the 29-year-old campus at 700 College Drive in Henderson. Read full story:

Technorati Tags: Las Vegas Business Press,Tom Schuman, JMA,Tony Illia,College of Southern Nevada,business,NCET,Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology

Finding a hole to race into a defensive secondary was a regular challenge for Mike Waters when he was a running back in coach John Robinson’s offense at UNLV, but that wasn’t nearly as challenging as navigating a course through the intricacies of starting a business.

And understanding the details of Robinson’s X’s and O’s came far more naturally for Waters than developing a business plan.

But a decade after suiting up as a Rebel, Waters has become a seasoned entrepreneur and is helping others find their way in the current recessionary era when far more people are trying to build their small businesses as lenders carefully scrutinize those applying for financial help.

Waters, president of Phase 1 Sports, was one of eight panelists at an ask-the-experts workshop last week at Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology Entrepreneur Expo at the South Point.

Technorati Tags: Richard N. Velotta,In Business Las Vegas,Mike Waters,UNLV,Phase 1 Sports,Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology Entrepreneur Expo,entrepreneurs,Dennis Wengert,U.S. Small Business Administration,David Chavez,Larry Moulton,Desert Community Bank,Fritz Battcher,Holland & Hart LLP,business,NCET,Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology