Las Vegas Business News

Boyd Gaming Names New CFO and Treasurer

2007-12-26T18:54:00.003-08:00

Boyd Gaming has announced that Josh Hirsberg has been named their new CFO. Hirsberg will succeed Paul Chakmak, who was named Chief Operating Officer. Hirsberg, 46, was most recently the Chief Financial Officer for EdgeStar Partners, a Las Vegas-based resort development company. He previously held several senior-level finance positions in the gaming industry, including Vice President and Treasurer for Caesars Entertainment and Vice President, Strategic Planning and Investor Relations for Harrah's Entertainment.

Boyd Gaming also announced the promotion of Jeff Santoro to Treasurer, reporting to Hirsberg. Santoro currently serves as the Company's Vice President and Controller. Santoro, 45, joined the Company in 1997 as Director of Financial Reporting. He was appointed to Vice President and Controller in 2001. Santoro spent 10 years with Deloitte and Touche before joining Boyd Gaming. Hirsberg and Santoro will assume their new positions on January 1, 2008.

Hirsberg will receive an annual base salary of $435,000 and for the 2008 fiscal year was granted a short-term bonus award under the Company's 2000 Executive Management Incentive Plan with threshold, target and maximum potential bonus amounts equal to 20%, 40% and 80%, respectively, of his annual base salary. In connection with his appointment, Mr. Hirsberg was granted, effective as of January 2, 2008, an option to purchase 25,000 shares of the Company's common stock at a per share exercise price equal to the closing price of the Company's common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on January 2, 2008. The stock option was granted under the Company's 2002 Stock Incentive Plan and will vest at the rate of 33.333% per year on the first day of each successive 12 month period commencing one year from the grant date. (2)

John Laub is the President of the CEO-CFO Group

1. “Josh Hirsberg Named Boyd Gaming Chief Financial Officer. Jeff Santoro Promoted to Senior Vice President and Treasurer.“ Company Press Release. PRNewswire-FirstCall. December 11, 2007.

2. Boyd Gaming Corporation. Form 8-K. “Change in Directors or Principal Officers, Amendments to Articles of Incorporaton.” December 11, 2007.

Maul Capital Joins as New Sponsor: Notes Changes in Pension Act

2007-12-26T18:54:00.002-08:00

Maul Capital Management is an independent registered investment advisory firm that provides personalized investment services for individuals, families and businesses such as Comprehensive Financial Planning, Investment Planning and Portfolio Management, Retirement Planning, Fixed Income Planning and International Investing. As independent investment advisors, Maul Capital provides customized, fee-only, investment management services.

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 removed the legal liability away from the employer if they provided investment advice through a third-party. "It's probably the most important, innovative regulation that's been issued from the Pension Protection Act of 2006," said Andrea Baroncelli, Director of Client Services at Maul Capital. “There's a tremendous need for these services.” As a result of this change, Maul Capital has created a 401(k) advisory service for small to midsize companies called LifeSync. John Laub, President of the CEO-CFO Group said, “Most of the companies I have worked with had 401(k) plans; however, 1) the employees didn’t know how to invest their money and 2) the company was afraid to give advice. This is a great idea.”

Maul Capital can give a company’s employees access to professional 401(k) management. Maul can work with the company's existing plans and develop what are called asset allocation models designed for their employees to maximize their plan. “Money, retirement and security are such important and very emotional issues. Even executives need a third party to review their plans. Here is an opportunity for employees to have that same assistance” noted John Laub. “I encourage the CEO-CFO Group members make use of this opportunity.”

1. http://www.lifesync401k.com/

2. http://www.maulcap.com/

3. www.dol.gov/EBSA/pensionreform.html

The Las Vegas CEO-CFO Group Goes Exclusive

2007-12-26T18:54:00.001-08:00

As of January 1, 2008, the CEO-CFO Group will be exclusive. Due to growth, the group will limit its attendees to C-Level Executives and Sponsors only. Our meetings are limited to 45 executives in attendance.

Attendance Policy – January 1, 2008

The CEO-CFO Group accepts reservations for its events from C-Level Executives, Industry Accounting & Finance Professionals and Sponsors only.

Examples of qualifying C-Level positions
CEO, President, CFO, COO, CIO, CTO, CMO, General Manager, Partner, Director and Vice President, Marketing Executive, Controller, Assistant Controller and Director of Finance

If you have any questions regarding your role and participation, please contact us at John.Laub@ceo-cfogroup.com

Qualifying Company Requirements – To Qualify, your company must have a minimum of 3 employees and $1 million in revenue.

Vendors -
Vendors may only attend if they are a guest of a C-level attendee or they are a sponsor.

Are you a Vendor or a C-Level Executive? Here are a few common areas of confusion. Our group has a non-sales approach and is looking for C-Level Executives that want to network with their peers and learn about the topics pertaining to their business.

Consultants – (Management Consulting, Coaching, etc)
If you are the CEO of your own consulting firm and are growing a business, you are considered a Vendor, unless the firm meets the Qualifying Company Requirements. If you are consulting while searching for a full-time opportunity, you may qualify as a C-Level Executive. (We will allow three consultants per meeting.)

Other Qualifying Positions–
Angel Investors, Venture Capitalists, Hedge Fund Managers, Treasurers, Financial Analysts, Investor Relations, Directors, Deans, Professors, PhDs, Commercial Loan Officers, Colonels, Project Managers, Business Owners and Retired C-Level executives.

Services Firms- (Banking, Legal, Marketing, Public Accounting, etc)
Partners, Directors and C-Level professionals within these organizations that direct the day to day operations, goals and financial decisions may attend. If your role within the firm is at a VP Level and your role consists of business development, relationship management and could be considered “Sales”, then you are considered a Vendor.

Sponsors –
Sponsors will have no more than two attendees from their firm present.

Guests –
Sponsors and C-Level Executives can bring guests.

If you would like information on becoming a sponsor of the group, please send an email to John.Laub@ceo-cfogroup.com with Sponsorship in the Subject line. Note: we take only one sponsor for each category.

Luncheon RSVP Policy

The CEO-CFO Group accepts reservations for its events from C-Level Executives, Industry Accounting & Finance Professionals and Sponsors only.

- RSVP’s are preferred – Due to space limitations, walk-ins may be turned away.
- To encourage RSVPs, all walk-ins will be charged an additional $5.00.
- Please RSVP by 4 PM on Thursday before the Friday meeting.
- Cancellations are accepted until Thursday before the meeting. Attempts to “Cancel” received after that time will not be honored and the attendee will be responsible for the cost of the event.

If you have any questions regarding the Attendance or RSVP policies, you may contact the CEO-CFO Group via email at John.Laub@ceo-cfogroup.com

Las Vegas Business Networking Calendar for January 2008

2007-12-26T18:54:00.000-08:00

The following is a list of the business networking events for the January 2008 in Las Vegas.

Thursday January 3, 2008

American Marketing Association- Las Vegas Chapter Luncheon. “Green Marketing” at Cili’s at Bali Hai Golf Course (5160 Las Vegas Blvd S). 11:30 AM Networking & Check-in $35 members & $45 non-members

Friday January 5, 2008

First Friday- Art, music and food in Downtown Las Vegas.
http://www.firstfriday-lasvegas.org/

Tuesday January 8, 2008

Republican Mens Club Luncheon 11:30 AM to 1 PM. New Location and day: First Tuesday at Lawry’s (4043 Howard Hughes Parkway) Everybody is welcomed.$25.00. http://www.republicanmensclub.com/

Wednesday January 9, 2008

Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Business Education Series (BES)
"Your Best Year Yet" with Betty Mahalik Business Coach 7:00 - 9:00 AM at the Four Seasons Hotel (3960 Las Vegas Blvd) RSVP by Phone (702) 641-5822, option 2.

Thursday January 10, 2008

Institute of Management Accountants and Internal Auditors-Joint Lunch Meeting Robert Ruloff, VP of Interal Audit MGM Mirage. 2 hour presentation on Ethics. Lunch at 11:30 AM; Presentation 12 PM to 1:40 PM at Lawry's The Prime Rib (4043 Howard Hughes Parkway) $35. Please RSVP to Jay Dickerman of the IIA by Friday, January 4, 2008 at jdickerman@communitybanknv.com or call (702) 821-4126.

Friday January 11, 2008

The Las Vegas Future Salon Meeting. “Epigenetics: DNA is Not Your Destiny.” Viktoriya Montano. Nevada Biotechnology & Bioscience Board Member.
UNLV's Continuing Education Paradise Campus at Swenson and Tropicana, across from Thomas Mack in the old Paradise Elementary building. (851 E Tropicana Ave Room 100)
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. Email-Gilda Cabral at gcabral@korns.com to RSVP or Questions.

Monday January 14, 2008

Construction Financial Management Association Luncheon 11:30 to 1 PM
"Leadership versus Management: Both Work Best When Used Together"
William W. Badger, Ph.D., P.E., NAC, Professor, Del E. Webb School of Construction, Ira Fulton School of Engineering. Arizona State University
11:30 AM Networking & Check-In 12:00 PM Luncheon and Speaker
Lawry's (4043 Howard Hughes Parkway) Cost:$30 to $45
RSVP: Call Marni Whalen at(702)759-4006 by Noon on Friday, January 11th

Tuesday January 15, 2008

Third Tuesday Coalition - Nevada Policy Research Institute at the Las Vegas Country Club. (3000 Joe Brown Drive)12 Noon. $22 for lunch. www.npri.org or call 222-0642.

Wednesday January 16, 2007

TBAN (Technology Business Alliance of Nevada) Luncheon 11:45 am - 1:15 pm Lawry's The Prime Rib (4043 Howard Hughes Parkway) $35 Pre-paid reservation$45 walk-in. Register and Pay: http://www.tban.us/

Thursday January 17, 2008

Keystone Breakfast at the Las Vegas Country Club at 7:30 AM
(3000 Joe W Brown Dr) Assemblywoman Heidi Gansert will discuss the proposed budget cuts, initiative petitions as well as Nevada taxes. RSVP by Monday, January 14, 2008 By Fax to 702-798-8653 or email to: info@keystonenevada.com

The National Association of Industrial and Office Properties breakfast meeting, 7 AM-8:30 AM at The Orleans Hotel & Casino (4500 W. Tropicana Ave) Cost: $25 for members & $40 for non-members. Info & RSVP: 798-7194 or www.naiopnv.org

Project Management Institute Dinner Meeting at 5:30 PM.Tom McKinney, Deputy General Manager for Bechtel SAIC. "Standardizing Project Management as a Discipline: How Bechtel Uses PMI Methodology for Training and Certification." Buffet dinner, Cash bar. Palace Station (2411 W. Sahara Ave.) Visit www.pmi-snc.org/index.htm for details

Status Group Mixer at their Office. Wine and Cheese. 5 PM to 7 PM.
Meet and network with successful business owners. (8920 W. Tropicana, Suite 105 -Across from Spanish Trail) RSVP Required - (702) 252-7005

Wednesday January 23, 2008

Nevada Development Authority Bi-Monthly Breakfast Meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel (3960 Las Vegas Blvd., South) $40.00 per person, 7:00 AM. Breakfast & Networking, 7:30 AM meeting. RSVP by January 20th 791-0000. Pay at the door.

Thursday January 24, 2008

Clark County Bar Association Luncheon “Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon & CCBA Executive Board Swearing-in Ceremony“ 11:30 Check-in.12:00 Noon–Luncheon at Morton's The Steak House (400 E. Flamingo Road) Las Vegas $45/CCBA Member $60/Non-member. RSVP with payment by Friday, January 18, 2007.

Asian Chamber of Commerce Luncheon at the Gold Coast Hotel.(4000 W. Flamingo Rd) Check-in is 11:30 and Lunch at Noon. www.lvacc.org

Status Group Mixer at the STIRLING CLUB. Wine and Cheese. 5 PM to 7 PM. Meet and network with successful business owners. (Stirling Club at the Turnberry Towers- 2827 Paradise Road) RSVP Required for the Gate- (702) 252-7005

Friday January 25, 2008

CEO-CFO Luncheon-"How Business Reporters Look at News." John G. Edwards, Las Vegas Review Journal and Steve Stern, Stern & Company- former reporter for the Wall Street Journal. McCormick & Schmick's (335 Hughes Center Drive) Cost: $35 includes lunch - $40 without RSVP. Pay online at http://www.ceo-cfogroup.com/
RSVP: jlaub@regenmd.org or call John Laub at 839-7222

Thursday January 31, 2008

Turnaround Management Association Meeting - 5:30 PM
Membership Kick-Off.McCormick & Schmick's (335 Hughes Center Drive) $25 to $35.
http://www.turnaround.org/calendarDetail.asp?objectID=8256

Preview Las Vegas 2008 at the Thomas & Mack Center Cox Pavilion. 7 AM to 1 PM. Sponsored by the Nevada Development Authority and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Exhibits & Program 7:00 AM - 1:00 PM. RSVP by Phone (702)641-5822, option 2.
Speakers:Guy Kawasaki, Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures and a Fellow with Apple Computer. Rossi Ralenkotter, President of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). Richard Lee, expert on Las Vegas Real Estate since 1989. Jeremy Aguero is a partner in Applied Analysis.

Status Group Mixer at their Office. Wine and Cheese. 5 PM to 7 PM.
Meet and network with successful business owners. (8920 W. Tropicana, Suite 105 -Across from Spanish Trail) RSVP Required - (702) 252-7005.

Monday February 18, 2008

NevBio & RMO Joint Luncheon honoring Harry Reid and UNLV College of Sciences at the Wynn Hotel for the Nevada Biotechnology Awards. Check in & Networking at 11:30, Program at 12 PM. Tickets are $75 and VIP seating is $150. RSVP to Judith Rebholz at 839-7222 or email her jrebholz@cvbt.com no later than February 12th.Tables and sponsorship are available. The Nevada Biotechnology and Bioscience Consortium and the Regenerative Medicine Organization promote biotechnology. See http://www.nevbio.org/ for more information.

Former President of Fountaineblueu Now CEO of MGM-Kerzner Project

2007-12-09T10:53:00.006-08:00

MGM Mirage and Kerzner International announced that it has appointed William Velardo as President of their 50/50 joint venture to develop a multi-billion dollar integrated resort property on the Las Vegas Strip that has been called City Center 2. Velardo has most recently led the Fontainebleau Las Vegas as President which is slowly rising out of the ground for a November 2009 opening. Velardo will now move across the street to guide the City Center 2 project.

Velardo is a 30 year veteran of the casino business, serving as President and CEO of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, one of the most profitable casinos in North America, for ten years. He will be based in Las Vegas and report directly to the Board of the joint venture. Velardo began his gaming career as Vice President for Table Game Operations at Mirage Resorts in 1989 followed by tenure as Senior Vice President of Casino Operations and then President and Chief Operating Officer for Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey from 1991-1994. He served as General Manager for the River City Joint Venture in New Orleans before serving as President at the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority for ten years, where he remained until 2006.

John Laub is the President of the Las Vegas CEO-CFO Group.

1. MGM MIRAGE and Kerzner International Announce New President of Las Vegas Joint Venture. PRNewswire-FirstCall. Company Press Release. Novembe 16, 2007.

Las Vegas Finance and Accounting Jobs

2007-12-09T10:53:00.001-08:00

To reply to any job postings, email Lori Krogel at
Accountants Inc. or Fax resume to 702-734-7171.

CFO
Large General Contractor and Management company seeking experienced candidate with over 10 years casino industry experience, 5 years minimum with casino finance operations. Will be part of Sr. Management team responsible for creating and implementing long-term strategic and business plans. Will oversee construction of accounting department and manage pre-opening costs. Will be over the finance and accounting areas of major hotel/casino, must have detailed knowledge of casino cage, soft count and C&C operations. Must have strong team building and leadership skills, ability to forecast and budget necessary. BS Accounting, CPA. $200K plus DOE.

Controller
High profile non-profit seeking candidate with 8+ years experience. Must have knowledge of Trust Funds, budgets, report and grant writing and process improvement. Must be willing to be active member of management team. BS Accounting and CPA required. $95-110K DOE

Corp. Controller
Seeking candidate with 8+ years experience. Will manage the preparation and analysis of audited financial statements. Must have strong GAAP knowledge, emphasis on software revenue recognition. Will work with outside auditors, manage the cashflow, forecasting and oversee staff. BS Accounting and CPA. $95-110K plus DOE

Corp. Controller
Local manufacturing firm is seeking a Corporate Controller to oversee all the accounting and finance functions of the company. This is a permanent position located Las Vegas, NV. Salary is $100-125K DOE
Job description:
• Responsible for finance and accounting departments for all operations.
• Responsibilities include daily financial operations, team development and training, financial statement analysis, audits and systems improvement.
• Will oversee accounting personnel.
• Develop monthly and quarterly reporting schedules resulting in timely submission of financial results.
• Review and analyze all monthly financial statements including comparison to budget and comments for operations.
• Extreme focus on details
• Proven ability to implement process/procedures within a department
• Strong Excel skills
• International Subsidiary Accounting experience is preferred
• Systems knowledge and strong functional understanding of systems and application and how they "fit" together.
Job Requirements:
• BA/BS in accounting
• CPA is required
• +5 year's management experience
• Travel is required
• Big 4 experience is highly recommended, specifically at the Manager Level
• Work in SEC/public environment is a must
• Manufacturing industry experience is preferred

Tax Manager
Seeking candidate with 5+ years experience in public accounting. Experience with review and preparation with complex tax provisions and tax returns, tax planning and research and must have strong knowledge of tax laws and regulations, including SFAS109 and FIN48. BS Accounting and CPA required. $80-150K DOE. Will offer relocation assistance.

Audit Manager
Local public accounting and advisory firms seeks Audit Manager. Salary is $85-110K DOE. Responsibilities include:
• Review and/or prepare financial statements, work papers, tax returns, footnotes agreed-upon procedures.
• Recognize and resolve potential or existing problems with appropriate research and consulting, as necessary.
• Manage multiple client projects at any given time.
• Serve as the engagement manager on specific client accounts, taking complete responsibility for engagement and oversee engagement teams of 3 to 5 staff auditors.
• Develop and maintain excellent client relationships through superior customer service.
• Identify opportunities to expand the scope of current engagements through identification of client needs.
• Actively participate in proposal development and requests for proposal.
• Develop industry knowledge and expertise and share that knowledge with the team.
• Develop and ability to train and motivate staff.
• Manage engagement
Job Requirements
• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting or related field.
• CPA license required or in the process of being obtained.
• 4+ year's recent public accounting experience.
• Demonstrated writing skills, proposal development experience.
• Strong research skills and writing skills.
• Proven technical skills and solid organizational skills.
• Strong communications skills.

Financial Reporting Director
Seeking an External Reporting Financial Reporting Director who will be responsible for:
• Managing the SEC reporting process including preparation of the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and the Annual Report on Form 10-K.
• Coordinate and manage the annual external audit process and act as liaison between finance and the external auditors.
• Prepare, analyze and report monthly consolidated financial statements to the Assist. Controller, Corporate Controller and CFO.
• Responsible for preparation of quarterly earnings book for the CFO & CEO.
• Responsible for Quarterly Press Release and furnishing of the SEC Form 8-K.
• Serve as a business partner with international subsidiaries, FP & A, Tax, Stock, and Administration.
• Team member of company initiatives including compliance of SOX, worldwide Chart of Accounts, and the financial reporting system.
• Manage and develop staff to meet individual, department and company goals
• Providing accounting guidance to the global finance community.
• Proficient use of financial reporting systems to aid in financial analysis.
Requirements
• BS/BA in Business or Accounting.
• CPA Preferred.
• Prior experience in related areas (5-10+ years). Big 4 public accounting and industry related experience a plus
• Strong general and technical accounting knowledge, expertise SEC reporting, including international experience with multinational companies.
• Strong written communication skills to facilitate effective writing of quarterly and annual external documents
• Strong knowledge of company financial systems preferred. $110K plus Bonus

Financial Reporting Manager
Seeking professional with 2-4 years public accounting and external reporting experience. Must have strong GAAP knowledge. Will work under the direction of a Director, performing Financial Reporting, preparing external financial statements, footnotes and disclosures for Sec filings, including 10K, 10-Q, 11-K and S-4 forms. Will forecast, cash flow analysis, assist with budget and sox process, and special projects. BS Accounting CPA $85-110K plus bonus DOE.

To reply to any job postings, email Lori Krogel at
Accountants Inc. or Fax resume to 702-734-7171.

Remember: Don't send resumes unless they fit these jobs exactly.

To email this page, click this link

Las Vegas Business Networking Calendar for December 2007

2007-12-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

The following is a list of the business networking events for the month in Las Vegas.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Republican Mens Club Luncheon 11:30 AM to 1 PM.
Governor Jim Gibbons Hofbrauhaus, 4150 Paradise Road.
$25.00. http://www.republicanmensclub.com/

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

B.U.S.E. Meeting at VOX Wine Lounge 6PM to 7PM
2630 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway and South Eastern Avenue in Henderson, Nevada.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Nevada Biotechnology and Bioscience Consortium Luncheon:
“Making Universal Blood” UNLV Biotechnology Labs Coordinator, Walter Goldstein. 12 Noon at McCormick & Schmicks. $30 RSVP at jrebholz@cvbt.com or call 839-7222 http://www.nevbio.blogspot.com/

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas-Annual Holiday Reception & Silent Auction The Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel 6:00 PM– 8:00 PM.
All proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas
Admission is free and includes Open Bar and Hors d’ Oeuvres.
Please RSVP via email at sonya.jefferson@ihrco.com or call 702-784-5761

B.U.S.E. Meeting at VOX Wine Lounge 6PM to 7PM
2630 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway and South Eastern Avenue in Henderson, Nevada.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

TBAN (Technology Business Alliance of Nevada) Luncheon 11:45 am - 1:15 pm Lawry's The Prime Rib 4043 Howard Hughes Parkway $35 Pre-paid reservation $45 “Technology and the Public Sector (If it was your own money, would you buy it?)” Laura Fucci, Chief Information Officer, Clark County, Nevada
http://www.tban.us/

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Institute of Management Accountants Dinner “History of Financing in Las Vegas”
Bill Luthy, CPA and CFO/Controller of the Lawyer Trane. Palace Station Hotel 2411 West Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas Networking/check-in 5:30 PM
Buffet dinner & speakers 6:00 PM. Members & Guests, $32. Please RSVP to Jeff Martin by Friday, December 14 at (702) 734-1110 or jmartin@accountantsinc.com.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Christmas

Friday December 28, 2007

CEO-CFO Luncheon-"Executives Becoming Owners: Buying Your Own Business.” Matthew Waymire, CPA & Broker for United Business Brokers. McCormick & Schmick's 355 Hughes Center Drive. Cost: $35 includes lunch - $40 without RSVP. Pay online. RSVP: jlaub@regenmd.org or call John Laub at 839-7222

Matthew Waymire, CPA is a business broker that has helped former executives purchase their own businesses. “It’s a big transition for most executives, but in the end it has best thing they ever did.” Matt will discuss finding the right business, the due diligence, the rate of return, the cost and financing and challenges for new owners.

Tuesday January 8, 2008

Republican Mens Club Luncheon 11:30 AM to 1 PM.
New Location and day: Tuesday at Lawry’s 4043 Howard Hughes Parkway
Everybody is welcomed.
$25.00. http://www.republicanmensclub.com/

CEO-CFO Group Job Postings-November 2007

2007-11-10T08:40:00.000-08:00

The CEO-CFO job page has Las Vegas jobs.
To reply to any job postings, email Lori Krogel at
Accountants Inc. or Fax resume to 702-734-7171.

CFO
15+ years old company seeking dynamic CFO with proven history. Will be responsible for developing teams, drive process improvement, strategic planning, forecasting, budget approval. Will have strong personalities as direct reports. BS Accounting and CPA required. $175K + Bonus.

CFO
Large General Contractor and Management company seeking experienced candidate with over 10 years casino industry experience, 5 years minimum with casino finance operations. Will be part of Sr. Management team responsible for creating and implementing long-term strategic and business plans. Will oversee construction of accounting department and manage pre-opening costs. Will be over the finance and accounting areas of major hotel/casino, must have detailed knowledge of casino cage, soft count and C&C operations. Must have strong team building and leadership skills, ability to forecast and budget necessary. BS Accounting, CPA. $200K plus DOE.

Controller
Multi-state Developer seeking candidate with 8+ years experience with development & construction. Will be responsible for reconciliations, financial reporting, job costing, report writing, process improvement and supervision. Strongly prefer Timberline experience. BS Accounting, CPA strongly preferred. $95K plus Bonus.

Controller
High profile non-profit seeking candidate with 8+ years experience. Must have knowledge of Trust Funds, budgets, report and grant writing and process improvement. Must be willing to be active member of management team. BS Accounting and CPA required. $85-95K DOE

Corp. Controller
Local manufacturing firm is seeking a Corporate Controller to oversee all the accounting and finance functions of the company. This is a permanent position located Las Vegas, NV. Salary is $100-125K DOE

Job description:

• Responsible for finance and accounting departments for all operations.
• Responsibilities include daily financial operations, team development and training, financial statement analysis, audits and systems improvement.
•Will oversee accounting personnel.
•Develop monthly and quarterly reporting schedules resulting in timely submission of financial results.
•Review and analyze all monthly financial statements including comparison to budget and comments for operations.
•Extreme focus on details
•Proven ability to implement process/procedures within a department
•Strong Excel skills
•International Subsidiary Accounting experience is preferred
•Systems knowledge and strong functional understanding of systems and application and how they "fit" together.

Job Requirements:

•BA/BS in accounting
•CPA is required
•+5 year's management experience
•Travel is required
•Big 4 experience is highly recommended, specifically at the Manager Level
•Work in SEC/public environment is a must
•Manufacturing industry experience is preferred

Corp. Controller
Seeking candidate with 8+ years experience. Will manage the preparation and analysis of audited financial statements. Must have strong GAAP knowledge, emphasis on software revenue recognition. Will work with outside auditors, manage the cashflow, forecasting and oversee staff. BS Accounting and CPA. $95-110K plus DOE

Tax Manager
Seeking candidate with 5+ years experience in public accounting. Experience with review and preparation with complex tax provisions and tax returns, tax planning and research and must have strong knowledge of tax laws and regulations, including SFAS109 and FIN48. BS Accounting and CPA required. $80-150K DOE. Will offer relocation assistance.

Audit Manager
Local public accounting and advisory firms seeks Audit Manager. Salary is $85-110K DOE. Responsibilities include:

•Review and/or prepare financial statements, work papers, tax returns, footnotes agreed-upon procedures.
•Recognize and resolve potential or existing problems with appropriate research and consulting, as necessary.
•Manage multiple client projects at any given time.
•Serve as the engagement manager on specific client accounts, taking complete responsibility for engagement and oversee engagement teams of 3 to 5 staff auditors.
•Develop and maintain excellent client relationships through superior customer service.
•Identify opportunities to expand the scope of current engagements through identification of client needs.
•Actively participate in proposal development and requests for proposal.
•Develop industry knowledge and expertise and share that knowledge with the team.
•Develop and ability to train and motivate staff.
•Manage engagement

Job Requirements

•Bachelor's Degree in Accounting or related field.
•CPA license required or in the process of being obtained.
•4+ year's recent public accounting experience.
•Demonstrated writing skills, proposal development experience.
•Strong research skills and writing skills.
•Proven technical skills and solid organizational skills.
•Strong communications skills.

Financial Reporting Director
Seeking an External Reporting Financial Reporting Director who will be responsible for:

Managing the SEC reporting process including preparation of the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and the Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Coordinate and manage the annual external audit process and act as liaison between finance and the external auditors.
Prepare, analyze and report monthly consolidated financial statements to the Assist. Controller, Corporate Controller and CFO.
Responsible for preparation of quarterly earnings book for the CFO & CEO.
Responsible for Quarterly Press Release and furnishing of the SEC Form 8-K.
Serve as a business partner with international subsidiaries, FP & A, Tax, Stock, and Administration.
Team member of company initiatives including compliance of SOX, worldwide Chart of Accounts, and the financial reporting system.
Manage and develop staff to meet individual, department and company goals
Providing accounting guidance to the global finance community.
Proficient use of financial reporting systems to aid in financial analysis.

Requirements
BS/BA in Business or Accounting.
CPA Preferred.
Prior experience in related areas (5-10+ years). Big 4 public accounting and industry related experience a plus
Strong general and technical accounting knowledge, expertise SEC reporting, including international experience with multinational companies.
Strong written communication skills to facilitate effective writing of quarterly and annual external documents
Strong knowledge of company financial systems preferred. $110K plus Bonus

Financial Reporting Manager
Seeking professional with 2-4 years public accounting and external reporting experience. Must have strong GAAP knowledge. Will work under the direction of a Director, performing Financial Reporting, preparing external financial statements, footnotes and disclosures for Sec filings, including 10K, 10-Q, 11-K and S-4 forms. Will forecast, cash flow analysis, assist with budget and sox process, and special projects. BS Accounting CPA $85-110K plus bonus DOE.

Director/Manager of Fixed Assets
High level casino needs a Director of Fixed Asset Accounting. The Director of Fixed Asset Accounting will lead the implementation of several projects to enhance existing fixed asset accounting policies and procedures to centralize fixed assets and ultimately lead the Fixed Asset Accounting Department.

Background in fixed asset accounting in a multi-location environment and preferably where centralized processing was applied. Degree in Accounting needed and Big 4/Public Accounting/CPA preferred. Gaming experience with Infinium & Cognos helpful. Compensation: $90,000 - $110,000K plus Bonus.

To reply to any job postings, email Lori Korogel at
Accountants Inc. or Fax resume to 702-734-7171.

More jobs at Accountants Inc.

Remember: Don't send resumes unless they fit these jobs exactly.

To email this page, click below or this link

"Greatest Gathering Place in Las Vegas" Opens Nov 14th

2007-11-04T17:27:00.000-08:00

Town Square is The District on steroids. The Square was designed to be the "Greatest Gathering Place in Las Vegas" with shopping, restaurants, parks, open spaces, stages, movie theaters, coffee shops, fitness center and office space. “This is one of the largest retail developments of its kind under construction in the country and the first of its kind in Las Vegas,” said Joseph P. Tagliola, President of Retail for Turnberry Associates.

The square covers over 110 acres with open air streets with a “main street” style architecture from the last 100 years. A 9,000-square-foot children's park has been set up which will have a carrousel and a specially designed $2 million tree. The $750 million, 1.5 million square foot Town Square is located on the South end of the strip, at the intersection of 215 and I-15 and will open on November 14th, 2007. Las Vegas will have another must-see attraction with more than 150 shops, a dozen restaurants and an 18-screen all digital movie theater complex.

The center has anchor tenants of Whole Foods, Border Books, Robb & Stuckey Furniture and Fry’s Electronics. Some of the other stores will include Abercrombie & Fitch, Aldo, American Eagle, Apple, Banana Republic, Bath & Body Works, BCBG, Body Shop, Cache, Chico’s, Cold Stone Creamery, Crabtree & Evelyn, Design Within Reach, Eddie Bauer, Express, Finish Line, Fossil, Godiva, Guess, Hollister Co., J. Crew, Limited Too, Lucky Brand, MAC, Metro Park, Michael Stars, Oakley, Old Navy, Pac Sun, Puma, Replay, Sigrid Olsen, Skechers, Solstice, Soma, Steve Madden, Sunglass Hut, The Walking Company, Victoria’s Secret, White House/Black Market and many others.

A number of restaurants will be making their debut in Las Vegas include Tommy Bahama’s Tropical Café and Emporium, Yard House, The Grape and Texas de Brazil. Other well-known restaurants will also be at town square including Fleming’s Steak House, Bar Louie, Brio and Claim Jumper, as well as Starbucks.

The developers, Turnberry Associates and Centra Properties, have funded a multimillion-dollar flyover road off Las Vegas Boulevard into the center. The overpass will provide northbound boulevard traffic access to Town Square. A project this size will need to make sure that it can handle the increased traffic.

1. “Shopping Theater Mall Opening.” Anthony Curtis. Las Vegas Advisor. Special for the Arizona Republic. November 4, 2007.

2. “Town Square Taking Shape on Las Vegas Strip.” Business Wire Company Press Release. February 8, 2007.

3. “Town Square Taking Shape on Las Vegas Strip.” Blogging Vegas. Anthony Greno June 5, 2007 .

4.”Town Square Las Vegas.” Mahattanization Las Vegas.

Two More Restaurants for Palazzo: Emeril Lagassee and Upscale Mexican

2007-11-02T21:27:00.001-07:00

Chef Emeril Lagasse will open his “Table 10” restaurant and New York based B.R. Guest will open their upscale Mexican restaurant, Dos Caminos at the Venetian’s Palazzo in January 2008. Table 10 is Lagasse's third restaurant in Las Vegas. Lagasse's other venues are Delmonico Steakhouse and Emeril's New Orleans Fish House. Lagassee hasn’t released much information on Table 10. All Lagassee would say is, “I can't wait for everyone to see what we've got planned for this restaurant.”

Las Vegas will be the fourth outpost of the Mexican cuisine mecca Dos Caminos and the first time outside of New York City. The restaurant will offer authentic, innovative Mexican fare such as Roasted Chicken Enchiladas with Mole Poblano and Salsa Verde, Lamb Shank Barbacoa, Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak with Frijoles Borrachos and Roasted Tomato Salsita as well as Chilean Sea Bass Veracruzano. Food & Wine magazine rated the restaurant’s made-to-order guacamole as "New York City's Best." The breakfast menu which is served at 11:30 daily, features items such as Rancheros, Chilequiles Con Huevos (Baked Tortilla Casserole with Sunny-Side-Up Eggs), Pan Torrejas (Mexican- Style French Toast with Toasted Pecan Maple Syrup and Fresh Berries) and Mexican Benedict, available daily. Dos Caminos will have room for 700.

These restaurants join the outstanding line up of top restaurants that will open at the Palazzo: Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club, Carnevino, SushiSamba, Morels, Trotter, Mainland and the Woo Restaurant. Las Vegas is further burnishing its image of a top restaurant city in the country.

1. “Chef Emeril Lagasse to Open “Table 10” at the Palazzo.” Business Wire. Company Press Release. October 8, 2007.

2. “B.R. Guest Brings Dos Caminos to Las Vegas First Dos Caminos Outside of New York Premieres at The Palazzo.” Business Wire. Company Press Release..October 15, 2007.

3. “Morels Comes to Las Vegas.” Michael Politz. TheVegasEye.Squarespace.com.
November 1, 2007.

Fresh and Easy Markets to Open in Las Vegas on November 14th

2007-11-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets have announced that they are opening their first five Las Vegas stores on November 14, 2007. Tesco is the UK's largest retailer and one of the top three retailers in the world with over 3,200 stores across 12 countries and employing more than 400,000 people.

The company has spent years researching and planning the Fresh & Easy store format. Researchers spent time in the homes of U.S. consumers looking at shopping and cooking patterns. Each store will have approximately 10,000 square feet to make it easier and faster to shop. In addition the store will offer a range of Fresh & Easy private label and national brand name products at low prices and will ensure that all its private label products contain no added trans fats, artificial colors or flavors. Fresh & Easy will also offer customers a selection of fresh, prepared meals. "We are very excited to open our doors and bring fresh, wholesome food at affordable prices to our neighbors in Las Vegas," said Tim Mason, Fresh & Easy's CEO.

The first five stores will be at Tropicana & Durango, Tropicana & Jones, Lake Mead & Del Webb, Bermuda & Silverado Ranch and Warm Springs & Eastern.

1. “Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Announces Las Vegas Store Openings. Grocer Set to Open Five Stores on November 14." PRNewswire. Company Press Release. October 25, 2007.

Global Cash Access Names New CEO

2007-10-29T21:27:00.005-07:00

The $500 million Las Vegas-based Global Cash Access Inc.(GCA) announced on October 31, 2007 that it named Scott Betts, age 53, as the new CEO and interim CFO. He was also appointed to the company’s board of directors. According to the company’s 8-K, Mr. Betts had been an independent consultant to various companies in the payments processing industry since March 2006. From May 2002 to March 2006, he was the President of First Data Merchant Services and First Data Corporation's Payment Division (FDC). In 2004, GCA was a majority-owned subsidiary of FDC. At FDC, Mr. Betts led over 12,000 employees at 11 major locations. In March 2004, GCA redeemed FDC’s ownership interest in a leveraged recapitalization with Summit Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm. Mr. Betts started his career with Procter and Gamble in 1977 and had served as General Manager/Vice President of North America Fem Care and Global Tampax from 1997 to 2001.

Mr. Betts’s employment agreement entitles him to receive an annual base salary of $450,000 and is eligible for an annual bonus in an amount of up to 50% of his then current base salary. He is also entitled to twelve months severance pay.

Kirk Sanford, 41, resigned as the President, CEO, Secretary and interim CFO of the Company, on October 31, 2007. Effective upon his resignation, Mr. Sanford also resigned from the Board of Directors of the Company. Mr. Sanford was reported to be retiring from the company to pursue other interests and spend time with his family.

The CFO, Harry C. Hagerty III, was terminated on July 27, 2007. Mr. Hagerty’s employment agreement had expired on July 12, 2007 and Mr.Hagerty's employment reverted to an "at will" employee. Prior to joining GCA, Mr. Hagerty was Executive Vice President and CFO of Caesars Entertainment, Inc.

1. “Global Cash Access Names Scott H. Betts President and CEO.” Business Wire. Company Press Release. October 31, 2007

2. Form 8-K for GLOBAL CASH ACCESS HOLDINGS, INC. Change in Directors or Principal Officers, Financial Statements. November 2, 2007.

3. Form 8-K for GLOBAL CASH ACCESS HOLDINGS, INC. Change in Directors or Principal Officers, Regulation FD Disclosure. July 27, 2007.

4. Form 8-K for GLOBAL CASH ACCESS HOLDINGS, INC. Change in Directors or Principal Officers. July 24, 2007.

Las Vegas Business Networking Calendar for November 2007

2007-10-29T21:27:00.004-07:00

The following is a list of the business networking events for the month in Las Vegas.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Republican Mens Club Luncheon 11:30 AM to 1 PM.
Mr. Kenneth Walther CEO, NTCG, Inc. Hofbrauhaus, 4150 Paradise Road.
$25.00. http://www.republicanmensclub.com/

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

B.U.S.E. Meeting at VOX Wine Lounge 6PM to 7PM
2630 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway and South Eastern Avenue in Henderson, Nevada.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Nevada Biotechnology and Bioscience Consortium Luncheon:
“Cutting Edge Bioscience at UNLV” UNLV Foundation Room at UNLV
UNLV Provost -Neal Smatresk, College of Sciences from Dean Ron Yasbin & Associate Dean Carl Reiber. $30 RSVP at jrebholz@cvbt.com or call 839-7222
http://www.nevbio.blogspot.com/

Thursday, November 8

First Annual Boys & Girls Clubs
Auction & Reception 6pm - 9pm at the Ghost Bar in the Palms Casino Resort
For more information, Hather Estus
(702) 367-2582 ext. 223

Blog World
Las Vegas Convention Center. Cost is $175
http://www.blogworldexpo.com/

Keystone Dinner with Governor Jim Gibbons and Rudy Giuliani
Venetian Hotel 6 PM. Tickets start at $150 702-952-2456
http://www.keystonenevada.com/

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

TBAN (Technology Business Alliance of Nevada) Luncheon 11:45 am - 1:15 pm Lawry's The Prime Rib 4043 Howard Hughes Parkway $35 Pre-paid reservation $45
“Wi-Max Comes to Las Vegas” Tom Axtell General Manager Vegas PBS
http://www.tban.us/

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce-Business Education Series: 7 AM - 9:00 AM
“Is Your Networking Working?” Amy Ayoub and Punam Mathur
Rio Hotel & Casino 3700 W. Flamingo. Cost: $30 for Chamber members $40 for non-members. RSVP at http://www.lvchamber.com/ or call (702) 641-5822, option 2

The Southern Nevada Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties breakfast meeting, 7 a.m.-8:30 AM- The Orleans Hotel & Casino, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave. NAIOP National Chairman Al Beaudette will discuss his goals for 2008. Cost: $25 for members & $40 for non-members. Info & RSVP: 798.7194 or http://www.naiopnv.org/

NDA Annual Luncheon- Terrence Lanni, CEO of MGM Mirage
Cost: $75 Bellagio Hotel 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. RSVP by November 9th 791-0000
Payment accepted at the door.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Third Tuesday Coalition - Nevada Policy Research Institute at the Las Vegas Country Club. 12 Noon. $22 for lunch. http://www.npri.org/ or call 222-0642.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Thanksgiving

Wednesday, November 28. 2007

TMA Holiday Mixer – Sponsored by SouthwestUSA Bank
5:30 to 7:30 SouthwestUSA Bank. 4043 S. Eastern Avenue. No charge.
Call Christopher Hinojos 702-952-2480 or email tmaofnv@yahoo.com

Friday November 30, 2007

CEO-CFO Luncheon-"Competing Against the Big Boys: PC911 takes on the Geek Squad” Chad Stone, President PC911. McCormick & Schmick's 355 Hughes Center Drive. Cost: $35 includes lunch - $40 without RSVP. Pay online.
RSVP: jlaub@regenmd.org or call John Laub at 839-7222

Chad Stone started with a dream and an idea of a mobile PC repair service. He has built it into a fleet of four biodiesel ambulances that race off to customers to fix their computer emergencies.

Shuffle Master, Inc. Announces Resignation of CFO

2007-10-29T21:27:00.001-07:00

Las Vegas-based Shuffle Master announced on November 2, 2007 that its CFO Richard Baldwin had resigned. Mr. Baldwin will remain available to the Company as a part-time employee for a period of time. According to the press release, Mr. Baldwin’s resignation does not involve any disagreement over any financial matters concerning the company, nor any disagreement with the company’s auditors. Mr. Balwin resigned to pursue other opportunities. Paul Meyer, President and COO, has been appointed Acting CFO, a capacity in which he has previously served at the Company. Coreen Sawdon, formerly Vice President-Finance and Accounting, has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer. Ms. Sawdon has been with Shuffle Master for almost two and one-half years and was formerly Vice President-Finance at GES Exposition Services. She had spent over ten years of public accounting and auditing experience at Ernst & Young, Coopers & Lybrand and Arthur Andersen.

1. “Shuffle Master, Inc. Announces Resignation of CFO.” Business Wire. Company Press Release. November 02, 2007.

Why Las Vegas for Business?

2007-10-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS CAN BE GOOD FOR BUSINESS
Over 40 Million Visitors each year
Year-Around Sunny Climate
Showcase to the World
Great Restaurants, Shows and Clubs
Low taxes, pro-business attitude

FAVORABLE TAX CLIMATE
No Business Income Tax in Nevada
No Inventory taxes in Nevada
Low property taxes in Nevada
No personal income taxes in Nevada
No franchise taxes in Nevada
No Gross Receipts tax in Nevada

Nevada is a low tax state. The Small Business Survivability Committee, Nevada ranked number 2 out of 50 states on taxes.

10 Reasons to Locate Your Business to Las Vegas

1. Key location to serve California & Western markets.
2. No corporate, inventory, or personal income taxes.
3. Young and growing labor force with average wage rates.
4. Government has a pro-business attitude.
5. Excellent communications, transportation and airport facilities.
6. Nationally recognized quality-of-life factors.
7. Reasonable lease rates for industrial and warehouse space.
8. Relative commuting ease, with quick access to the central business district.
9. Growing international business environment.
10. A right-to-work state.

Nevada Power and Nevada Development Authority List of Reasons:

Milken Institute Best Performing Cities Top 200 List. Las Vegas is rated # 9 in 2007

NEXT DOOR TO CALIFORNIA...and GATEWAY TO THE PACIFIC
Las Vegas is centrally located in the West. There are plans to build an international freight airport outside of Las Vegas to make it an entry point for Asian businesses to the US. Nevada is next to California which has 34 Million people and still is a dynamic economy.

CONVENTION CAPTIAL OF AMERICA
Las Vegas is one of the top convention cities in the world. Businesses in Las Vegas have a distinct advantage by their opportunity to see the "latest and greatest" at these conventions. At the same time many customers come to these conventions. Las Vegas has become the showcase of the world. (World's largest furniture market is being built downtown.)
*Most national conventions come to town
*Great Meeting spot
*Cuts costs of traveling and allows one to make more conventions

GREAT AIRPORT
Airports are a key to business flexibility to handle customers all over the country. A number of people live in Las Vegas and use the airport to commute to work in cities around the country.
*Open 365 days a year with direct flights to most cities

WORLD SHOWCASE
World Market Center -Soon to be the World's Largest Furniture Showroom at over 5 million square feet of showroom space in one location

World Jewelry Center (Coming)will be one of the largest jewelry hubs in the world.

DIVERSITY
Las Vegas has its own Chinatown which should be better called the Asian District.
The "Chinatown District" is about five miles long along Spring Mountain Blvd from Valley View Blvd to Rainbow Blvd.

High Rise Condo Living in the Las Vegas Strip and Here

LABOR IS AVAILABE AT AVERAGE PRICES & TECH TALENT WILL COME
Technical talent will relocate to Las Vegas because the cost of living is a lot less than most large cities. In addition, the quality of life is very favorable with short commutes, unlimited recreation, technical conventions, and excellent sports opportunities, schools and entertainment.
*Right to Work State!

Federal Labor Stats
State Labor Stats
Nevada Labor Demographics

REASONABLE COST OF LIVING FOR COMPANIES & PEOPLE
*Affordable housing
*Affordable office and warehouse space

FANTASTIC ENTERTAINMENT & RESTAURANTS
Of the 1.6 million people that live in Las Vegas, most don't live on the Las Vegas Strip. They live in bedroom communities off of the strip. Yet the Las Vegas strip isn't far. It's exciting to live in Las Vegas. Something is always happening.
*Five star restaurants
*Variety of strip, concert, boxing and racing events
Las Vegas is a city that is constantly reinventing itself. Bon Appétit magazine rated Las Vegas one of America's top-five restaurant cities in its September 2005 issue. Las Vegas also has world class shopping, shows, spas and many other attractions.

Restaurants
Top 100 Strip Restaurants
http://www.ceo-cfogroup.com/top-100-on-strip.bv

List of the Top 100 Off-strip Restaurants
http://www.ceo-cfogroup.com/top-100-off-strip.bv

Shopping:
The Fashion Show Mall
http://www.thefashionshow.com/html/index15.asp

The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace
http://www.harrahs.com/casinos/caesars-palace/casino-misc/the-forum-shops-detail.html

The Venetian Grand Canal Shops
http://www.venetian.com/shoppe/about.cfm

The Town Square
http://www.townsquarelasvegas.com/

Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood
http://www.miraclemileshopslv.com/

Las Vegas Premium Outlet Mall - North
http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=58

Las Vegas Premium Outlet Mall - South
http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=61

Art Museums:
Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art
http://www.bgfa.biz/

Guggenheim Hermitage Museum at the Venetian
http://www.guggenheimlasvegas.org/

Shows
Phantom of the Opera
http://www.venetian.com/phantom/

Cirque du Sole
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/LasVegas/searchresults.htm

List of Las Vegas Shows
http://www.vegas.com/shows/

Las Vegas Spas

Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars Palace
http://www.harrahs.com/qua/

The Spa at the Mirage
http://www.mirage.com/spa_salon/spa_salon_spa.aspx

Wet-the Spa at Treasure Island
http://www.wetspati.com/

Canyon Ranch Spa at the Venetian
http://www.canyonranch.com/spaclubs/las-vegas-venetian.aspx

Full listing of spas in Las Vegas
http://www.vegas.com/spas/

Las Vegas Salons

Jose Eber Salon “Hairdresser to the Stars”
http://www.joseeberlasvegas.com/

Cristophe Salon of Beverly Hills
http://www.mgmgrand.com/amenities/cristophe-salon.aspx

Amp Salon at the Palm Hotel
http://www.palms.com/pool_spa_3.php
http://www.vegas.com/spas/amp.html

Nightclubs

Listing of the top night clubs in Las Vegas
http://www.ceo-cfogroup.com/lv-nightlife.bv

SUNNY WEATHER
Las Vegans enjoy seeing the sun every day. It does get warm in the summer but pools and air conditioning make it pleasant.

*No Hurricanes
*No Blizzards
*No Shoveling Snow
*No Earthquakes
*No Fires

LOW SHIPPING COSTS
*Everything is shipped in, empty trucks going out

24 HOUR LABOR FORCE AND SERVICES
Las Vegas has 24 hour supermarkets, shops and restaurants.
*Ability to staff three shifts

TRAFFIC REASONABLE
*No long commutes
*Traffic better than LA, SF, Phoenix & Atlanta

ACCESS TO STATE LEADERS
*Politicians are easier to reach in a smaller state

PRO-BUSINESS ATITTUDE
*Business friendly
*Open to newcomers
*Multi-ethnic population

WIRED
*Las Vegas has been wired for High Tech.
*Cable, DSL, Wireless
*Colocation Facilities
Las Vegas was the first major western metropolitan city with an all digital-switching network connected via fiber optic cable. The city ranks 15th on the Net National Backbone of Tier-1 networks and 6th on the Metro Backbones.

RECREATION AVAILABLE
*Lake Mead
*Baseball fields (Year round)
*Skiing
*Soccer
*National Parks
*Golf
*Hiking

Hiking & Biking

Red Rock Canyon
http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/
http://www.nv.blm.gov/redrockcanyon/

River Mountain Loop Trail
http://www.rivermountainstrail.com/

Lake Mead National Recreation Area
http://www.nps.gov/lame/

Hoover Dam
http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/

Mt. Charleston
http://www.hikinglasvegas.com/MtCharleston.html
http://www.reviewjournal.com/recreation/parks/mtcharleston.html#website

Golf, Soccer & Baseball

Listing of the local Las Vegas Golf Courses
http://www.lasvegasgolf.com/
http://www.lasvegasgolfcourses.com/

Soccer
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Field/5490/

Baseball
http://local.yahoo.com/NV/Las+Vegas/Recreation+Sporting+Goods/Baseball

Growing Biotech & Life Science Community
Nevada Cancer Institute
Lou Ruvo Brain Institute
UNLV College of Science
Touro University
MERIN
Universtiy of Southern Nevada
Nevada Neuroscience Foundation
CardioVascular BioTherapeutics, Inc
Phage Biotechnology
Samariatan Pharmaceuticals
Varian Medical Systems
Kloehn Instruments

REAL ESTATE
There is plenty of land and buildings here at reasonable prices. Use this search engine to find a property. Las Vegas is located in Clark County.

Las Vegas based Public Companies

Non-Gaming Public Companies

American Pacific Corporation-Chemical Manufacturing (APFC)
Amerityre-Bicycle Tires (AMTY)
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation-Broadcasting & Cable TV (CDL)
Community Bancorp-Regional Banks (CBON)
Gallery of History-Historical Documents (HIST)
Ready Mix, Inc.-Construction Products (RMX)
Samaritan Pharmaceuticals, Inc.-Biotechnology & Drugs (LIV)
Sierra Health Services, Inc.-Medical Insurance (SIE)
Sierra Pacific Power Company -Electric Utilities (SRP)
Southwest Gas Corporation -Natural Gas (SWX)
Vestin Realty Mortgage II, Inc. -REIT (VRTB)
Western Alliance Bancorporation -Regional Banks (WAL)

Non-gaming Companies-over the counter

Cardiovascular BioTherapeutics, Inc. -Biotechnology & Drugs (CVBT.OB)
Emergency Filtration Products -Medical Equipment & Supplies (EMFP.OB)
Itronics- Recycling (ITRO.OB)
Klegg Electronics, Inc. -Manufacturer (KLGE.PK)
LitFunding Corp. -Funds Lawsuits (LFDG.OB)
Power Efficiency Corporation -Energy Saving Products (PEFF.OB)
PTS, Inc. -Stored Value Cards (PTSH.OB)
Siena Technologies Data & Communications (SIEN.OB)
Silver State Bancorp Regional Bank (SSBX.OB)
Skinvisible Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SKVI.OB)
SkyBridge Technology Group, Inc. -Flight Training (SBTG.PK)
Sunterra Corporation-Real Estate Operations (SNRR.OB)
USCorp -Gold & Silver Mines (USCS.OB)
Voyager Entertainment, Inc Entertainment Development (VEII.OB)
Watchit Media, Inc. Television Programs (WMDA.PK )

Gaming - Public Companies

Ameristar Casinos, Inc. -Casinos & Gaming (ASCA)
Boyd Gaming Corporation -Casinos & Gaming (BYD)
Empire Resorts, Inc. -Casinos & Gaming (NYNY)
Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. -Casinos & Gaming (HET)
Las Vegas Sands Corp. -Casinos & Gaming (LVS)
MGM MIRAGE -Casinos & Gaming (MGM)
Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc -Casinos & Gaming (PNK)
Riviera Holdings Corp. -Casinos & Gaming (RIV)
Station Casinos, Inc. -Casinos & Gaming (STN)
Wynn Resorts, Limited -Casinos & Gaming (WYNN)
Archon Corporation -Casinos & Gaming (ARHN.OB)
155 East Tropicana, LLC -Hooters Casino & Hotel
Herbst Gaming, Inc. -Casinos & Gaming

Gaming related Public Companies

American Wagering, Inc. -Sports Book (BETM.OB)
Bally Technologies Inc. -Gaming Machines (BYI)
Cash Systems, Inc. -Consumer Financial Services (CKNN)
Global Cash Access Holdings, Inc. -Cash to Casinos & Customers (GCA)
Progressive Gaming International -Gaming Software (PGIC)
Shuffle Master, Inc. -Casinos & Gaming (SHFL)
VendingData Corporation -Products for Casinos (VNX)
Winning Edge International, Inc. -Sports & Gaming Software (WNED.OB)

NEVADA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES
Where to get information and help:

Nevada Power's Reasons to Move Your Business to Las Vegas
Nevada Development Authority (Southern Nevada)
City of Henderson Economic Development
City of North Las Vegas Economic Development
City of Las Vegas Economic Development
Nevada Power Economic Development

If you want more information on Nevada, Southern Nevada, Clark County, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson, see Nevada Business Links. Make Your Move to Business Friendly Las Vegas!

About the CEO-CFO Group

2007-10-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

CEO-CFO GROUP
The CEO-CFO Group is a Las Vegas-based association of “busy” C-level executives that meet once a month to network with other professionals and to learn about issues that affect their businesses without taking a lot of time. The CEO-CFO Group has no membership applications, no annual dues and no outside time commitments that will take you away from your business. All we ask is that you RSVP when you want to join us for lunch.

WHY NETWORK
Entrepreneurs and C-level executives need a network of professionals that can help them in their businesses such as bankers, accountants, lawyers, recruiters, business brokers, risk managers, public relations persons, business consultants, headhunters, financial planners, computer consultants, marketers, human resource professionals, angel investors, venture capitalists, politicians and lobbyists. The right network can help advance a career, provide contacts that can help one’s company and assist with finding the next opportunity. A common mistake made by most executives is that they are too busy to network. When something happens to that job, the executive doesn’t have a network of contacts to help him find the next one. He or she has to start at ground zero. The CEO-CFO Group is the solution to this problem.

CEO-CFO MEETINGS
The CEO-CFO meetings are one hour long and consist of check-in/networking, lunch, member introductions and a business speaker. Visitors and guests are welcomed unless the room is at capacity! The average meeting will have between 40 and 50 attendees with a cross section of CEOs, CFOs, bankers, lawyers, CPAs, CFPs, CFAs, consultants, Las Vegas executives, Nevada business leaders, techies, recruiters, business owners, risk managers and entrepreneurs.

THE CEO-CFO WEBSITE
The CEO-CFO website was developed with a busy executive in mind. It is a source of news, information on restaurants, business gifts, important business links, jobs and other resources that could make that executive’s life easier.

THE CEO-CFO NEWSLETTER
The CEO-CFO Newsletter is the website sent to you by email each month when the articles are updated. Also, emails are sent to the newsletter list for meeting reminders and special events.. The CEO-CFO Newsletter comes out once a month and subscriptions are free. Subscribe to the Newsletter here.

CEO-CFO BLOG
The CEO-CFO Blog is updated on weekly and sometimes daily basis.

Chancellor Jim Rogers-State of Higher Education in Nevada 2007

2007-10-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Chancellor Jim Rogers spoke to over 300 (more would have attended except the room was at capacity) on his State of the System Address for Nevada System of Higher Education at Nevada Development Authority’s October 2007 meeting in Las Vegas. Chancellor Jim Rogers is the Chief Executive of the University System which includes eight institutions of higher education. The University System in Nevada is the only higher education system in the United States that is governed by one central authority [1], namely the chancellor. A large portion of the audience was from the university, the community colleges and the Clark County School District. In addition the audience included businessmen, politicians and community leaders.

Rogers was happy to report that the Nevada Health Sciences System is a reality. The Health System’s goals are to develop quality medical care and state of the art research. The eight institutions have 150 related health programs which the system is expanding to create more nurses, doctors, and health care professionals. The institutions are forming partnerships with doctors, hospitals and researchers to raise the quality of health care in Nevada. Rogers said that Nevada is ranked 45th for doctors, 49th for nurses and 39th in state health status.

In the past year the institutions are beginning to the develop business partnerships which will help develop the economic engine of Nevada. Rogers believes that a key part of Nevada’s economic future requires 1) research and technology transfer and 2)workforce development and training. Rogers is committed to increasing the number of kids that finish high school and complete a college education which is an area that Nevada can improve.

Rogers would like to see more businesses and individuals invest in education. He believes that a great university system cannot be built alone by legislators; 75% of the funding must come from the private sector. Although he believes it is crucial in 2009 that the legislature increases its funding of higher education or education in Nevada will slide backwards.

Rogers ran the breakfast meeting but the audience watched his and Walt Rulffes, Clark County Superintendent, taped presentations. The two presentations would be shown again on Channel 3 on Friday, October 12th. Rogers is providing clear leadership for the University System in Nevada.

1. Nevada’s State of Education October 2007. Copy of speeches by Chancellor Jim Rogers, Superintendent Walt Rulffess, et al. October 10, 2007.

Don Yaeger, Author of Walter Payton, Tarkanian & Duke Lacrosse Rape Case Books to Speak in Las Vegas at Business Club Event

2007-10-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

Don Yaeger wrote the New York Times Best-sellers, “Pros & Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL”, “Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton (with Walton Payton)”, “Ya Gotta Believe!: My Roller-Coaster Life as a Screwball Pitcher and Part-Time Father, and My Hope-Filled Fight Against Brain Cancer”(with Tug McGraw). He also wrote books on Jerry Tarkanian’s battle with the NCAA, how Notre Dame Football betrayed its ideals for glory and the untold story of the Duke Lacross Rape Case.

Don spent ten years at Sports Illustrated working on many of the magazine’s most significant stories including the first national investigation of steroids in baseball and the future of Internet sports gaming. He has written and co-authored ten sports-related books.

Don Yaeger met and conducted interviews with some of the greatest sports figures of our time, Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Tug McGraw, Mia Hamm, Emmitt Smith, Serena Williams, Jimmy Connors and countless others. He has witnessed the untold stories behind their successes. When he speaks to audiences, he shares with the audiences the path to success that these great athletes have taken.

In a keynote speech, Don Yaeger said "Success rarely presents itself without reason or cause. People do not simply find success, but rather put themselves in a position to earn it by how well they prepare and how hard they work to overcome the challenges and adversity they face in life."

The first 10 years of Don’s career were spent as a reporter for newspapers in San Antonio, Dallas and Jacksonville. During that time, he covered stories from the 1988 Presidential election to traveling with the Mujahadeen as they battled the Soviet Army in Afghanistan.

Author Don Yaeger will be in Las Vegas to speak at the Business Club's monthly meeting on Friday, October 19, 2007 at 7:00 AM at Emerald at Queensridge, 891 Rampart For more information on how you can attend this event, email Steve Zak of the Business Club, formerly known as the Breakfast Club. You must RSVP by October 10th for the 19th breakfast. You can RSVP by steven@southwestbca.com.

The Business Club is an invitation-only organization that provides the opportunity for its members to network with principals, partners and C-level executives. Unlike traditional networking groups, the Business Club actively encourages its members to do business with members. The Business Club's concept is to be a company's full time business development person at a fraction of the cost. The Business Clubs of America have groups in California, Arizona, the East Coast and Nevada.

John Laub is the President of the CEO-CFO Group.

Chocolates, Wines, Cookies & Cigars

2007-10-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Gift ideas for clients, associates, spouses, family and bosses that can be shipped anywhere. Purchasing from these companies helps the CEO-CFO Group.

Chocolates:

Black Hound New York Unique Chocolates

Chocolate of the Month Club members get world class, gourmet chocolates each month.

Wines:

Wine Country Sampler

Gifts for Any Occasion from The Wine Messenger!

90 point wines under $20 at Wine.com. Shop Now!

Cookies:

David's Cookies: Baked & Shipped Within Hours! Free Shipping!

Mrs. Fields Cookies
Mrs. Fields Brownies.

Ship fresh baked cookies FREE-PLUS save $5 on your order! code 9F, exp.12.30.07

Gourmet Birthday Cakes at BakeMeAWish .com!

Black Hound New York Birthday Cakes

Cigars:

Classic Cuban Cigars
Humidors
Torch Lighters for Cigars

Cigar Club members get 5 highly-rated, hand-rolled cigars monthly.

Cheese:

Imported cheeses, specialty meats, and thousand of gourmet products at igourmet.com

Cheese Club members get 3 different 12 lb. gourmet cheeses monthly.

All-Fruit Gifts by GotFruit.com

Gourmet Food & Meals

Pfaelzer Steak Plan for Two
Pfaelzer Brothers Gourmet Specialty Foods

Award winning gourmet appetizers shipped overnight.
Last Minute Party? Great Party Appetizers. FREE SHIPPING on 3 or more Boxes!

Hickory Farms
Delicious food gifts from Hickory Farms

Find over 400 TABASCO(R) items and gifts at TABASCO.com

Coffee:

Cafe Britt: Costa Rica Gourmet Coffee Beans
Premium Specialty Coffees. 100% from Costa Rica's top growing regions: Tarrazu, Poas, Tres Rios and more!

Coffee and Tea

Flowers:

Fresh flowers starting at just $19.99 plus FREE vase at ProFlowers.com!

Flower.com

Gifts:
Black Hound New York Corporate Gifts
Black Hound New York Congratulations Gifts
Recognition Breeds Success: The Power of Corporate Gifts and Awards
Things Remembered, the Place for Personalized Gifts

Thank you!

The Godfather’s “Getting Whacked in Las Vegas” or Losing Your Job

2007-10-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

Mark Wayman aka The Godfather has written a book, "The Godfather's Career Guide - What to do if you Get Whacked!" Wayman is a Las Vegas-based headhunter. He finds jobs for those making $100,000 or more. His first advice was to take a deep breath. “When you’ve been whacked,” according to The Godfather, “it is not the end of the world. Lots of people get let go for all sorts of reasons. There will be another job.” The Godfather went on to say that the best way to get a job is to network. “There are 200 people in Las Vegas that can affect the job opportunities for most of the other 2,000,000. You should get to know those 200.” It’s not possible for most of us to get to know the top 200 but we can get to know people like Mark Wayman whose job is to know the top people. Maybe, that’s one of the reasons that Mark owns a few racehorses. It is certainly not to make money. Mark does make a few stipulations about who he works with. He has to know the individual or someone that he knows has to vouch for the person. Anyway you look at it, networking is important.

Mark said that there are a number of “Do’s and Don’ts” in this rarefied atmosphere of job hunting for six-figure salaries. “Work on your resume. It needs to be succinct, clear and easy to read. Most executives are busy and will only spend 15 seconds on a resume. It needs to communicate your qualifications quickly or you are history.”

Another rule is “Don’t Spray you resume around. If your resume is everywhere and in the hands of twenty different recruiters, it becomes cheap and devalued. People begin to think that there is something wrong with you. Use one or two good recruiters! It is in their best interests to make sure you are marketed to the right people in the right way.”

Mark remembered when one of his job hunters violated one of his important rules. A company called him to say that the engineer that he had sent over was one of the smartest people they had met, but they couldn’t hire him. He had worn a t-shirt and Dockers to the interview. You need to dress appropriately for an interview.
.
One of the Godfather’s most important rules is, “Don’t waste the Godfather’s time.” He’s a busy guy. Don’t call him every day to see if you have a job. On the flip side, when he needs to get a hold of you for an opportunity, return his calls. Time is lost opportunity and money.

Getting a $100,000 job in Las Vegas is like in any city, it can take time. Be prepared to go six months before the next job comes but if you know the Godfather, the odds will be in your favor. You can find the Godfather at his website
www.godfatherlv.com

John Laub is the President of the CEO-CFO Group.

David Teed: The Real Deal in Corporate Renewal & Turnarounds

2007-09-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

David Teed, Principal with Dauntless Capital, spoke to an over-flowing audience, at the Las Vegas CEO-CFO Group on corporate turnarounds on Friday, September 28th. Several attendees, including Daniel Montano, CEO of CardioVascular BioTherapeutics, said, “David was one of the best speakers that the CEO-CFO has ever had.” Daniel Montano has been involved in number of turnarounds in California. David spoke on his insights into corporate turnarounds and his experiences on several large turnarounds.

David said that there can be a number of reasons for a crisis that requires a turnaround, such as poor management, single product obsolescence, over reliance on a single customer, an industry in structural transition or cyclical changes or economic recession. In addition, crisis companies have no sense of market position or competitive advantage, no written action plans, a senior management not aware of the details, uncertain where the breakeven point is for the company, no monthly financial targets for managers, no critical financial or no-financial metrics, no clear lines of authority, and no clear incentive plans for employees. Most importantly, these companies don’t have a 13 week rolling cash flow forecast.

Companies in need of a turnaround have all of these problems, including a near disastrous cash situation and a management team that is paralyzed to take action, like a deer caught in the headlights.

A turnaround manager is a “fresh face, an experienced crisis manger, an impartial arbiter of future viability and often a builder of long-term enterprise value.” The turnaround manager obtains the “stakeholders’ support”, the owners, lenders, suppliers, customers and employees. The turnaround manager first buys time to complete a diagnosis of the situation and to start immediate action plans. The next two steps are restructuring the company and a plan to create a new value proposition for the long term health of the company.

The restructuring is an overhaul of the company’s liquidity, finances, internal control, management team, operations, marketing, sales and distribution. The focus on a value proposition is to find the sustainable competitive advantage for the company’s future viability.

David Teed is an equity investor-turnaround manager. He actually takes a stake in the operations that he is turning around. He has “skin in the game.” His biggest turnaround was Core Mark International which had revenues of $2.5 Billion, 37 retailers, 20,000 SKUs, and 3,000 employees. The company was a major distribution company but it found itself with a negative EBITDA of $23 million and a stock that had dropped from $18 per share to $1.80.

Once David took over, he sold off assets and operations that were not part of the core of the business to raise cash. He refinanced the credit lines, cleaned up the current assets, and underwrote convertible debentures. At the same time he began reorganizing management. The most important move was to set up a single management information system for the company; previously the company had a mish-mash of systems and reporting. He also gave his managers full P & L accountability, strengthened the regional support structure and developed an incentive plans for all employees.

The operational turnaround consisted of improving the operational efficiencies such as the fill rates and on-time delivery, better warehouse utilization and route optimization. The company reduced “shrinkage” and employee theft significantly. He built a sophisticated inventory system. The company began taking advantage of upcoming price increases in inventory by buying large quantities.

He turned the sales and marketing around to have national, regional and product specialists. He evaluated what products and customers had high margins and focused on those areas.

After the company had stabilized, it was the time to build the “Value Proposition.” The company was essentially a delivery service that competed on price. He created merchandising and value added distribution. They set up full service programs, merchandising assistance, Telzon order entry, proprietary-private label food service and monthly promotions.

The results were such that in the 3rd year the company made $21.5 million and he was able to sell the company for five times the cash on cash investment. Core Mark is the largest broad line, full distributor to the convenience store industry with an estimated $5.6 billion in sales.

His next turnaround was Loomis Armored Car Transport. It was the largest armored transport company with 5,000 employees and a negative EDITDA of $27 million. Again, he had to get the company to break even as fast as possible. He shrank the business by closing non-strategic, money losing branches, exited entire markets, sold branches in Florida, sold the air courier business and consolidated two head offices.

The company has major inefficiencies from a lack of a good management information system. The company suffered from a lack of incremental pricing in which competitors would steel customers by lowering the cost. The company has high turnover and had to contend with unions. The company had also high internal and external theft.

David focused on the improving the culture since the company was so people dependent. He began training managers, holding people accountable, creating pride in employees to do the right thing and provide good customer service. He also improved the management information system which led to route optimization and cash vault and currency processing which became the valued added proposition of the company. The company later merged with Wells Fargo Armored and sold with a 10 times return on investment.

He summarized his finding on corporate renewal. First, companies are always in a state of transition; second, the company must have benchmarks, internal and external such as comparisons to the competition, and third, always search for the sustainable competitive advantage. It isn’t always found in value added. It could be a price advantage or a combination of both. You can reach David Teed at http://www.dauntlesscapital.com/

Rudy Giuliani Stops in Las Vegas to Raise Funds

2007-09-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Rudy Giuliani must have a tight schedule; the Las Vegas reception for Rudy didn’t start until 8 PM and at the Venetian Hotel and the dinner, started at 9:30 PM. Rudy spoke at the reception at about 8:45 PM on Thursday, September 27, 2008. He spoke to the roughly 150 guests for about 30 minutes. He was introduced by Sheldon Adelson who knew Rudy when he was the Mayor of New York. Sheldon told the story how he and his wife, Dr. Miriam Adelson had dinner with Rudy and implored him not to shut down the methadone clinics for heroin addicts in New York. Dr. Miriam Adelson, an expert in addictions and drug abuse, convinced Rudy that it was a bad idea. In his speech he contrasted himself again Senator Hillary Clinton who he said could not take a definitive stance on the issues. He said that he believed in a strong America which he believes is the best response to terrorists. He felt that the President of Iran should not have been allowed a platform on American soil at in American University (Columbia) to discuss his extremist views. He told the audience that he strongly believes in fiscal reform and a tight budget. He said that he vetoed so many bills in New York City that he accidentally vetoed bills that he wanted. He told the audience that he cut taxes 23 times as mayor of New York. He later opened up his talk to questions from the audience which he handled well. He said that his administration would be better at communication than the current administration. His directors would be required to speak to the public on their programs. He said he had twelve commitments that he is running on:

*Keep America on offense in the Terrorists' War on Us
*End illegal immigration, secure our borders
*Restore fiscal discipline and cut wasteful spending
*Cut taxes and reform the tax code
*Impose accountability on Washington
*Lead America towards energy independence
*Make health care affordable and portable with free-market solutions.
*Increase adoptions, decrease abortions
*Reform the legal system and appoint strict constructionist judges
*Ensure every community is prepared for terrorist attacks and natural disasters
*Provide access to a quality education by giving parents real school choice
*Expand America's involvement in the global economy

The reception and dinner were hosted by Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson, Lynn and Bill Weidner, Brad Stone, Sheryl and Robert Goldstein. In addition, Mark Advent and Randy Black so-hosted the event.

VP Cheney in Las Vegas: Raising Money for the State Party

2007-09-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, the Democratic Party was so pleased that the Vice President was in town that they sent out an email to make sure he was was greeted properly. Dick Cheney was in Las Vegas on September 27, 2007 to raise money for the State Republican party. The luncheon was hosted by Dr. Miriam and Mr. Sheldon Adelson at their house at Summerlin’s Tournament Hills which overlooked the TPC golf course. The tickets ran from $250 for the reception to $2,500 for a picture with the Vice President. As we drove to the Adelson residence, we were greeted by a dozen protestors. It was still early. We were told that we had to be at the house an hour early, 10:30 AM, to go through security. Once we were padded down and checked with a metal detector, we were shown through the house to the backyard where the large patio and family room were set up for the reception. The house was beautiful with high ceilings and marble floors throughout the house. The backyard was set up with bars, a buffet and plenty of chairs and tables. We ate appetizers and talked until an hour later the Vice President entered the room and was introduced by Sue Lowden, the chairman of the state Republican Party. The Vice President spoke for about 30 minutes, covering the administration’s response to 9/11, the economy, the Supreme Court appointments and the Bush tax cuts. About 60 people attended the gathering. Sheldon and Miriam mingled with the guests, along with president of the Venetian, Bill Weidner and his wife, Lynn Weidner. It was a diverse group of businessmen, entertainers and politicians.

AdvanStaff has Become a New Sponsor of the CEO-CFO Group.

2007-09-25T10:23:00.001-07:00

Started in 1992, AdvanStaff, Inc is Nevada's most established Professional Employer Organization (PEO) or as it is more popularly called "employee leasing." A PEO can benefit small and mid-sized business because it improves employee benefits, lowers employee overhead costs and reduces the burden of employee paperwork. It is also attractive to many large businesses for many of the same reasons. A number of employers use PEOs for several reasons: medical benefits, out-sourced payroll and human resources. A PEO can pool numerous employees together to create a larger to group in order to negotiate a better medical benefits package. PEOs also handle the human resource duties making sure all of the paperwork is handled properly. In addition, PEOs can handle all aspects of the payroll: the checks, the state tax returns and the federal tax returns. John Laub, President of the CEO-CFO Group, said, “I’m extremely pleased to have AdvanStaff join as a sponsor. My company uses AdvanStaff. Their service and integrity are superb. I’m glad to be able to recommend this company and their services to our membership. Mark Cram from AdvanStaff is excellent to work with.“

Newt Gingrich Spoke on "Finding Solutions" in Las Vegas at the NPRI Dinner

2007-09-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House spoke to over 500 people at the 16th annual dinner of the Nevada Policy Research Institute Dinner (NPRI). The theme of his talk was “American Solutions for Winning the Future.” He has created a grassroots, non-partisan group that will develop solutions for the future. He said that every great change in American history came from the people and not government. He believes that as Americans we must strengthen and renew the principles and values of American civilization by making English the official language of the United States, allowing every American to have the right to say “One nation under God” when reciting the pledge and abolishing the death tax.

He believes that we must move the government into the 21st century. It needs to be efficient, accountable and responsive. He said that if Federal Express can track 23 million packages on-line each day, the federal government should be able to track 7 million illegal aliens. He sited the case of one illegal alien that had used a false social security number. She was the 43rd person to use that number. The federal government needs to enter the modern age.

He also believes that as a nation we must do everything we can to protect America. America must control its borders and strengthen its intelligence system. He was not happy that the President of Iran was allowed to speak on US soil.

He ended his talk by promoting his three day conference called “American Solutions for Wining the Future” which will be help on September 27, 2007, the 13th anniversary of the unveiling of the “Contract with America.” The three day series of meetings will be held across the country and available by the internet and direct TV.

John Daly was the Master of Ceremonies. The multi-talented and beautiful entertainer Ines, sang a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner which was dedicated to the Laub Family. (Thank you Ines and your husband, Steve Zak) William Laub Sr. gave the invocation which was the prayer given by President Franklin Roosevelt at the start of D Day in 1944. William Laub Sr. was also honored with a Liberty Award and a standing ovation. Sheldon Adelson was given the Chairman’s award. He gave a short talk about his family, how they had escaped hardship and pogroms from their native Lithuania. His father had joined the United States Navy for 8 years in the 1900s. He father always told him that America was the greatest country in the world.

In attendance were John Laub, Regenerative Medicine Organization; Mark Cram, AdvanStaff, Inc., Dr. Chris Comfort and Cathie Bobson, CR Ventures; Jim Lamb,Regis University; Steve Zak, Business Clubs of America; Doug French, Silver State Bank; Deanna Forbush, Fox Rothschild; former State Senator, Sandee Tiffany; former Governor, Bob List; and many others.

Senator Chris Dodd for President Cocktail Party Last Friday in Las Vegas

2007-09-22T14:50:00.003-07:00

Jackie Dodd was in Las Vegas for a “Meet and Greet” on behalf of her husband, Senator Chris Dodd of Conneticut and Democratic Presidential candidate at the Artesian hotel.
She was the former Vice-Chair and CEO, Export-Import Bank of the United States. Ms.Clegg-Dodd went around the room and spoke to each person at the cocktail party.
The event was hosted by attorney Dave Thomas who was joined by his wife, attorney Nancy Allf with Gonzales, Saggio & Harlan. I also ran into attorney Gloria Sturman. Nevada is an early primary state and Nevadans should take the opportunity to meet these national leaders. Unfortunately, I had to catch a plane was not able to spend more time at the event. I did enjoy the free wine, appetizers and meeting Jackie Clegg Dodd.

Mike Leg, CEO of Petroglyph Games: Creating Cutting Edge Games in Las Vegas

2007-09-22T14:50:00.001-07:00

Mike Leg, CEO of Petroglyph Games spoke to the Technical Business Alliance of Nevada (TBAN) meeting on Wednesday, September 19th, 2007. Petroglyph Games is a developer of computer games that was formed when Westwood Studios, developer of the best selling “Command & Conquer” games, was sold to Electronic Arts and moved to Los Angeles. A core group of programmers decided to stay in Las Vegas. Mike Leg was part of that group. Mike told TBAN that he had lived in Las Vegas since he was four and liked living in Las Vegas.

Mike and two partners decided to start their own game development company, primarily focusing on real-time strategy (RTS) games on April 1, 2003. Since then, they have moved into their own building, released a number of games such as “Star Wars Empire at War” series and the “Universe at War” series. In 2006 the "Star Wars Empire at War" was named Game of the Year and sold 1.5 million copies. In September 2007, the company has 62 employees. Their gaming focus has been to develop strategy games that can be played with others on the internet. Their latest game, part of the “Universe at War” series is currently being tested on-line by 5,000 players. They hope to the have the product ready in October 2007 for the Christmas season. The company is also working on projects with Sega and Microsoft Online. Mike was an enthusiastic speaker who has a real passion for his company, his people and game development. Although it sounds like the company works hard and takes on impossible projects, Mike’s has created a culture that is fun. They take their work seriously but have fun while they are doing it. Petroglyph Games is a company to watch and is proud to make Las Vegas their home.

Nevada Business Links

2007-09-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

NEVADA GOVERNMENT
Nevada-Incorporation, Trademarks & Licensing
Nevada Department of Taxation
Nevada Labor Commission
Nevada Revised Statutes
Nevada Legislative Council Bureau
Nevada Administrative Code
Nevada Equal Rights Commission
Nevada Workers Compensation and Safety
Nevada Environmental Protection Agency
Nevada Unemployment

LAS VEGAS & CLARK COUNTY
Clark County Business License
Clark County Assessors Office
City of Las Vegas
City of Henderson
City of North Las Vegas
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS
Insurance, Bonds & Medical Benefits
Lovitt & Touche, Inc. 702-933-0388
Dulcinea Almazan, Manager
Legal Services
Kummer Kaemphfer Bonner Renshaw 702-792-7000
Michael Bonner
Banking
Service 1st Bank of Nevada 702-966-7423
Mike Marcellette
Accounting
McGladrey & Pullen 702-386-5800
Glenn Bougie
Public Relations
Stern and Company 702.240.9533
Steve Stern, President
Business Broker
Sunbelt Business Brokers 702-364-2589
Len Krick, MBA
Marketing
Zak Consulting 702.813-2721
Steve Zak
NEVADA INFO & STATS
Nevada Legislature
Nevada Economic Commission
Monthly Gaming Stats
Nevada Population

LAS VEGAS INFO & STATS
Las Vegas Convention Calendar
Southern Nevada Homebuilder Stats
Las Vegas Labor
Southern Nevada Economy
Las Vegas Online Yellow Pages

DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES
Nevada Development Authority
City of Henderson Economic Development
City of North Las Vegas Economic Development
City of Las Vegas Economic Development

LOCAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCES
Las Vegas
Henderson
North Las Vegas
Las Vegas Internet Chamber

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
IRS - Forms
Financial Accounting Standards Board
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)
US Patent Office
EPA Regulations
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Department of Labor- Overtime & Wage Laws
Pink Sheets-OTC

FINANCIAL CALCULATORS
Internal Rate of Return Calculator
Net Present Value Calculator
Loan Payment Calculator
Net Paycheck Calculator
Foreign Currency Conversion Calculators

ECONOMIC INDICATORS
Key Economic Indicators
Current Interest Rate Yield Curve
Bloomberg Daily Market Snapshot- World Stock Market
Three Dimensional View of the Dow Jones
Bloomberg Energy Snapshot Oil
Gold

OTHER USEFUL LINKS
Dex Online- Find any phone number
On-line Dictionary
Official US Time
CIA-World factbook- info on countries

BUSINESS NEWS
Financial Times
The Red Herring Magazine
Inc. Magazine
CFO Magazine
Fast Company
Business 2.0
Booze Allen Hamilton's Strategy & Business
Contrarian Thinkers
Las Vegas InBusiness
The Las Vegas Business Press
Las Vegas Review Journal
Nevada Business Journal
Many Worlds-Articles on Strategy, Management & Leadership
The Business Wire
The PR Wire

BUSINESS ASSISTANCE
Technology Venture Corporation
Small Business Development Center
SBA-Small Business Investment Centers
SCORE

VENTURE CAPITAL SOURCES & INFO
Tech Cost Angels
Vegas Valley Angels
Los Angeles Valley Angels
Sierra Angels
Arizona Angels
Golden Capital
American River Ventures
Magnet Capital
San Diego Venture Group
National Association of Seed and Venture Funds

Brought to you by the CEO-CFO Group
www.ceo-cfogroup.com

Top Nightclubs in Las Vegas

2007-09-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

The List of the Top 20 Nightclubs in Las Vegas:

1. Tao Nightclub at the Venetian
2. Pure Nightclub at Caesars Palace
3. LAX at the Luxor
4. Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel
5. Rain Nightclub at the Palms
6. Love & Money formerly OPM at the Forum Shops at Caesars
7. Studio 54 at the MGM Grand
8. Tangerine Nightclub at the Treasure Island Hotel
9. Rumjungle at the Mandalay Bay Hotel
10. Asia Nightclub at Planet Hollywood on Harmon
11. VooDoo Lounge at the Rio Hotel
12. Drai's at the Bill’s Gambling Hall
13. Jet Nightclub at the Mirage
14. The Mix Nightclub at the Mandalay Bay –The Hotel
15. Cherry Nightclub at Red Rock
16. Foundation Room at the Mandalay Bay
17. Triq Nightclub at Planet Hollywood (December 2007)
18. Blush at the Wynn Hotel
19. The Bank Nightclub formerly Light at the Bellagio
20. The Empire Ballroom on Las Vegas Boulevard

Brought to you from the CEO-CFO Group
http://www.ceo-cfogroup.com/

The Top Business Blogs for CEOs & CFOs

2007-09-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

Business Blogs are a wealth of information, whether its just to keep current on the latest information or to find new ideas, blogs should be part of every executive's required reading.
Management:
CEO-Read Blog Reviews on Business Books
Management Craft Blog Discussion of Management Issues
Mark Cuban's Blog Owner of the Dallas Mavericks
Tom Peters Blog Famous Business Author

Accounting:
The AAO Weblog Current Accounting Issues
Taxprof blog Federal Tax Issues
Securities Law Blog Window on Securities Law

Marketing:
12 Horses Blog High Tech Marketing
Seth Godin's Blog Creative thinker, Marketing Guru and Author
The Origin of Brands Blog Marketing and Branding
Guerrilla Marketing Blog Wrote the Book on Guerrilla Marketing

Economics:
Fed Outlook Blog Federal Reserve and Economic Issues
Mises Economics Blog Austrian School of Economics

Venture Capital:
Venture Blog Thoughts of a Venture Capitalist
Venture Capital Blog Another Venture Capitalist Blog

Corporate Law:
Corp Law Blog Legal Discussion by Law Professors
The Corporate Counsel Blog

Product Development & Project Management:
Product Development Blog
Project Management Blog

Investing:
Big Picture Blog
Hedgefund Manager Blog
Wall Street Blog
Seeking Alpha Financial Blog
The Kirk Report Blog

Business Networking in Las Vegas: The Top 30

2007-09-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

The CEO-CFO Group has put together a list of the top groups for business networking in Las Vegas. Use it as a guide to target your networking time.

The Top 30 Las Vegas Business Networking Organizations:

1. The CEO-CFO Group
2. Turnaround Managers Association
3. Nevada Development Authority
4. Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce
5. Technical Business Alliance
6. The Godfather
7. Las Vegas Internet Chamber of Commerce
8. Rotary, Lions, Kiwanas, Tostmasters (Civic Organizations)
9. Henderson & North Las Vegas Chambers (See Nevada Links page)
10. National Association of Office & Industrial Properties
11. NPRI Third Tuesday Meetings
12. Republican Men's Club
13. Management Society
14. Construction Financial Management
15. Institute of Management Accountants
16. Financial Executives International
17. Southern Nevada Human Resource Association
18. Nevada Society of CPAs
19. Association of Information Technology Professionals
20. B.U.S.E
21. APICS Las Vegas Chapter
22. American Marketing Association
23. Clark County Bar Association
24. Association for Financial Professionals Call 791-6203
25. Latin Chamber of Commerce
26. Business Club of America
27. Nevada Biotechnology and Bioscience Consortium
28. Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce
29. Association of General Contractors
30. Employees Services Management Association

Calendars on Business Networking in Las Vegas:

Joel Jarvis’s The Link Networking Calendar
In Business List of Meetings
Las Vegas Business Press Calendar
Networking Las Vegas Calendar
Las Vegas Review Journal Community Calendar
Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Calendar

John Laub is President of the CEO-CFO Group
http://www.ceo-cfogroup.com/

Turnaround Management Meeting-Moved to Tuesday- Sept 25th

2007-09-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

The Nevada chapter of the TMA is also a Co-Sponsor of iiBIG's "2007 Distressed & Turnaround Investment Forum" which will be held in Las Vegas (at the Flamingo) on September 24-25. After this forum on Tuesday, September 25th at 5:30 the TMA Nevada will hold its monthly meeting at McCormick & Schmicks at 335 Hughes Center Drive.

Marvin Davis from Grisanti, Galef, and Goldress will give a talk on “Distinguishing Train Wrecks from Derailments: Deciding How to Invest & Head off Buyer's Remorse.”

The cost for the meeting is $25.00 members, $30.00 non-members. $5.00 late charge. To RSVP call Chris Hinojos at 702-952-2480 or email
chris@alternativemanagement.net. For info the Nevada chapter: http://www.turnaround.org/index.asp?viewmode=chapter&chapterID=43

For more information on the "2007 Distressed & Turnaround Investment Forum"
Go to: http://www.iibig.com/conferences/F0701/overview.html

Not Everyone is a leader: Lessons in Leadership from Black Hawk Down

2007-09-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Colonel Daniel McKnight is a leader, whether it was leading a convoy in Mogadishu, Somalia or dropping into Panama City on a mission to pick up General Manuel Noriega. Colonel McKnight’s message to the Business Club in Las Vegas on September 14th, 2007 is that people are not managed- things are managed- people are led. There are good and bad leaders. The good leaders have values of loyalty, duty, responsibility, selfless sacrifice, honor, integrity, personal courage, commitment, accountability and decision making ability.

Colonel McKnight had trained his people for the mission in Mogadishu, Somalia. The United States was asked to intervene. The country was in the midst of a famine. The warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid was taking the food meant for the starving refugees. Already 24 Pakistanies that had belonged to the United Nations Force had been massacred. Although they knew what they were getting into, he said that that one day in Mogadishu was the toughest day of his life which was covered by the book and later, the movie, "Black Hawk Down." He said we fought for our country, but more importantly, we fought for the people around us. Good leaders build teams.

In attendance from the CEO-CFO Group, were John Laub, Leo Schafer, Mike Marcellette, Jim Lamb, Steve Zak, Dulcinea Almazan, Dave LeGrand, Bill Goff, Phil Cohen, Sandee Tiffany, Margaret Hilton, John Shea, Jeff Jarvis, Ken Walther, Verner Dixon, Bill Granda, Les Harris, Ed Gibbon, Loren King, Tom Thorn, Roland Kirk, Chris Steely, David Chavez, Allen Kaercher, Marsha Hamilton, Ron Egge, Leo Bletnisky, Kathy Haglund, Vincent Mills and many, many others.

John Laub is President of the CEO-CFO Group
http://www.ceo-cfogroup.com/

CEO-CFO Cocktail Party & Show: The “Little Legends” at Planet Hollywood

2007-09-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

The CEO-CFO Group went to see the “Little Legends” show at the Harmon Theater at the Krave Nightclub at the Planet Hollywood. The “Little Legends” is similar to the other “Legends” show on the strip except these entertainers are little people, under 4’3.” There was a mini-Tina Turner, Alanis Morrissette, Madonna, and Brittany Spears plus a mini-Elvis, Tom Jones, Michael Jackson and Mili Vanilli. The Village People number was a lot of fun and the Sony & Cher duet which was hilarious.

The emcee, Jeff Hobson (normal sized), was a cross between Liberace and Paul Lynde (Hollywood Squares fame). Hobson as emcee pulls the show together to make it a rip-roaringly funny time. Hobson does comedy and some magic in between the songs. In one of his skits he pulls up someone from the audience for a few magic tricks. One of the times that we watched his act, it was so funny that one of the members of our group fell out of his chair he laughed so hard.

Jocelyne Uy is a partner in the Harmon Theater. She and her partners are taking the previously unused theater in the Krave Nightclub, formerly the Blue Note Jazz Club, and have begun producing shows. Their first show is the “Little Legends” show. They have plans to bring in several more shows such as “Dog Gone Silly” a show with dogs and another comedy dance show. Uy passed her Nevada Bar exam in 2005 and was the chief operating officer of the V Theater also at Planet Hollywood.

In attendance, John Laub, Leo Schafer, Matthew Waymire, Jim Lamb, Stu Waymire, Terry Culp, Mike Marcellette, Joel Roussel, Chris Hinojos, Steve and Ana Esch, Karen Roehl, Elizabeth Hoyt, Russ Lombardo, Paul Yeager, Steve Zak, Seth Horn, Bill Stieren, Cathie Bobson, Linda Rubinson, Vincent Mills, Charlie Bass and many, many others.

Las Vegas-A Disaster Waiting to Happen (by Jonathan Bernstein)

2007-09-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Bernstein, a former military intelligence ‘covert ops” agent writes about the exposure Las Vegas has to a terrorist attack. His piece coincides with CEO-CFO Group’s October Speaker, security expert, George Haskell, who will speak on the vulnerabilities of Las Vegas and his experience of running security at Radio Music Hall in New York before and after 9/11.

Consider the following lead from a Reuters story on August 15, 2007:

“In July, a possibly suicidal man stood above the casino floor at the 2,024-room New York, New York hotel in Las Vegas and fired 16 shots from a semiautomatic gun, wounding four people.”

“This month, a dispute over a woman at a nightclub in the famed Caesar’s Palace hotel ended with two men shot. In May, an explosive device in the parking lot of another Strip hotel, the Luxor, left a Mexican fast-food employee dead.”

“During each of these incidents, private hotel security heavily supplemented a local police force struggling to keep up with a rapidly growing population in one of the world’s most prominent tourist destinations.”

At this point in world history, does anyone doubt that it’s a matter of time before suicide bombers are a fact of life in the United States, just as they already are in many other Western nations? Bombers were a reality even “back in the day” when I was part of Military Intelligence covert ops that sought to stop a group called the Baader Meinhof Gang from blowing up military bases — the threat is obviously worse today.

There is probably no location in the United States more representative of the luxury centered, “decadent” lifestyle abhorred by the fanatics who have sworn to kill us than Las Vegas. There are few locations where so many people are congregated in such small places, optimizing the horrific impact of shrapnel. Tragically, other “All American” locations are probably also high on the target list, to include major theme parks such as Disneyland and renowned shopping malls such as Mall of the Americas, both of them icons of Americana. Still, the economy of Las Vegas, the economy of Nevada, the economy of all gambling-centered towns and even countries, could be dramatically harmed by a successful terrorist attack on Las Vegas.

No matter how much we loathe the terrorist forces which threaten us, no one thinks they’re stupid people. Quite the opposite. They have proven themselves, usually, to be smarter than the governments who are trying to destroy them. People that smart must realize the impact of an attack on Las Vegas. It’s too bad that the businesspeople who control Las Vegas don’t seem to realize that.

The Reuters article reported some improvement in private security. But a reliable source of mine who spoke on condition of anonymity (wow, does that hearken back to my investigative reporting days), a true “Vegas insider,” said, “I haven’t noticed any increased security. In fact, the only security, other than plainclothes and uniforms in the casino, I’ve seen is at the Venetian, where a security guard simply waves cars into the parking lot.”

It seems like a ‘this can’t happen to me’ view at each casino, where clearly the focus is on everyday crime, e.g. rowdies, fights, disorderly conduct, cheaters. They don’t want to do anything to upset the gaming industry. Frankly, any Caucasian, well dressed and clean, could walk into virtually any casino with a suitcase and wreak havoc.

There’s clearly a desire not to impede visitors from giving away their money by, say, subjecting them to more stringent security measures prior to entering establishments. There’s also a definite sense of denial and delusion regarding crisis preparedness - i.e., development of crisis communications plans to be implemented in the event of an actual incident, with related training and simulations. Such planning, along with improved screening and education of both visitors and residents, can at least reduce risk and minimize the long-term impact of a successful attack.

I am going to get absolutely no satisfaction out of saying “I told you so” when the inevitable occurs. I only hope that, in the interim, we hear the loud “POP!” which occurs when heads come out of……the sand.

Jonathan Bernstein is President of Bernstein Crisis Management and can be reached at http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/. This article was previously printed on “Stern at Glance blog” on September 5, 2007 http://asternglance.com/. Stern and Company have a strategic relationship with Jonathan Bernstein. This article was printed by permission from Jonathan Bernstein.

Las Vegas Business Events- September 2007

2007-09-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

Monday, September 10, 2007

Construction Financial Management Association Luncheon 11:30 to 1 PM
"Addressing the Pressing Needs of Nevada's Construction Industry for Qualified Personnel" Lawry's at 4043 Howard Hughes Parkway
RSVP http://cfmalv.org/RSVP/rsvp.htm ($30 to $45)

Republican Mens Club Luncheon 11:30 to 1 PM. Nevada State Senator
Barbara Cegavske. $25.00. Lawry's at 4043 Howard Hughes Parkway RSVP
http://www.republicanmensclub.com/

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

CEO-CFO Cocktail Party at the Harmon Theater at Krave at Planet Hollywood to see Little Legends. Joint party with the Internet Chamber of Commerce.
4:30 Cocktails – 5 PM Show. Limited number of tickets.
Must RSVP to John at John.Laub@ceo-cfogroup.com.
See http://www.ceo-cfogroup.com/

B.U.S.E. Meeting at the Stirling Club at 6PM to 7PM John Kinde, Comedian
Free, must register http://www.vegasvipevents.com/resource/buyitnow.asp?AFID=1&RID=1489

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Membership Power Lunch 11:30 am - 1:00 pm"Fiscal Wake Up Tour" Speakers: Robert Bixby, Alison Acosta Fraser, Isabel Sawhill and David Walker. Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Cost: $40 for Chamber members $55 for non-members. RSVP at http://www.lvchamber.com/ or call (702) 641-5822, option 2

Friday, September 14, 2007

Business Clubs America Breakfast with "Black Hawk Down" Commander Colonel Daniel McKnight. INVITATION-ONLY Opportunity to Network with Principals, Partners and C-level Executives. 7:00 AM at the Emerald at Queensridge in Las Vegas. Contact Steve Zak for more information and invitation at steven@southwestbca.com

Monday, September 17, 2007

Las Vegas Internet Chamber of Commerce Mixer 6:00pm to 9:00pm Cash Bar - Ricardos of Las Vegas - Flamingo & Decatur (NW Corner) RSVP and more information at http://www.lvicc.com/

Tuesday September 18, 2007

Las Vegas Largest Mixer III 5:30 to 9:30PM at The Plaza Hotel Downtown
702-769-7799 $15 paid at the door. http://www.lasvegasmixer.com/

No B.U.S.E

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

TBAN (Technology Business Alliance of Nevada) Luncheon Mike Legg CEO of Petroglyph Games 11:45 am - 1:15 pm Lawry's The Prime Rib 4043 Howard Hughes Parkway $35 Pre-paid reservation$45 walk-in. Register and Pay: http://www.tban.us/

Thursday, September 20, 2007

NDA (Nevada Development Authority) Breakfast Meeting: Four Seasons Hotel 3960 Las Vegas Blvd. South, cost $35.00 per person, 7:00 AM. Networking, 7:30 AM. Meeting. Governor Jim Gibbons. RSVP by calling (702) 791-0000 Payments will be accepted at the door. Space is limited-first-come, first-served basis. http://www.nevadadevelopment.org/

The Southern Nevada Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties NAIOP) Breakfast Meeting, 7 AM-8:30 AM. at The Orleans Hotel & Casino, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave. Cost: The Mayor's Panel: Mayor James B. Gibson, City of Henderson; Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, City of Las Vegas; Commissioner Chip Maxfield, Clark County Commission; Mayor Michael Montandon, City of North Las Vegas. $25 for members & $40 for non-members. Info & RSVP: 798.7194 or http://www.naiopnv.org/

Friday, September 21, 2007

BYU Management Society at Lawry’s Prime Rib Restaurant
11:30 am to 1:00 pm Joseph J. McLaughlin, CRPC Chairman, Nevada Development Authority and Regional Managing Director, Merrill Lynch-Southwest "The Nevada Development Authority” RSVP by Tuesday 9/18/ 2007 at ms.byu.edu/lasvegas
Contact Teresa Hardy at 258-4455 for more info
$25 for members, $30 for non-members

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Nevada Policy Research Institute Annual Dinner with Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the U.S. Congress. Tickets start at $150. 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. At the Venetian Hotel. RSVP and more information call (702) 222-0642 or http://www.npri.org/

Turnaround Management Association of Nevada Chapter Meeting. 5:30PM to 7:00PM. McCormick & Schmick’s Restaurant 335 Hughes Center Drive. $25.00 members, $30.00 non-members. $5.00 late charge. Marvin Davis from Grisanti, Galef, and Goldress “Distinguishing Train Wrecks from Derailments: Deciding How to Invest & Head off Buyer's Remorse.” To RSVP call Chris Hinojos at 702-952-2480or email chris@alternativemanagement.net. For info the Nevada chapter: http://www.turnaround.org/index.asp?viewmode=chapter&chapterID=43

B.U.S.E Meeting at the Stirling Club from 6PM to 7PM Valerie Weiner, NV State Senator Free, must register
http://www.vegasvipevents.com/resource/buyitnow.asp?AFID=1&RID=1489

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Turnaround Management Association of Nevada Chapter Meeting. 5:30PM to 7:00PM. McCormick & Schmick’s Restaurant 335 Hughes Center Drive. $25.00 members, $30.00 non-members. $5.00 late charge. To RSVP call Chris Hinojos at 702-952-2480
or email chris@alternativemanagement.net. For info the Nevada chapter: http://www.turnaround.org/index.asp?viewmode=chapter&chapterID=43

Friday, September 28, 2007

CEO-CFO Luncheon Meeting with David Teed of Dauntless Capital Partners. Lunch is $35 and you can pay online at http://www.ceo-cfogroup.com/ 12 PM to 1 PM. Lunch is at McCormick & Schmicks. 335 Hughes Center Drive. ( No American Express at the door.)

David Teed is the co-founder of Dauntless Capital Partners. Starting out as a lawyer, he has taken companies public and has led and managed a number of major corporate turnarounds including the turnaround of Core-Mark International Inc., a $2.5 billion consumer products distributor in Canada and the U.S and Loomis Fargo & Company Inc., which is today one of the largest armored transport providers in North America.

2007-09-05T17:02:00.005-07:00

It's No Ordinary Trader Vic's That's Coming to Las Vegas

2007-09-05T17:02:00.004-07:00

Trader Vic's restaurants can be found in over 30 cities around the world; however, the Trader Vic's in Las Vegas will be unlike any other. The Las Vegas location will include three separate dining and entertainment venues featuring a ground-level restaurant and a Strip-side patio that opens onto Las Vegas Boulevard and a second-level Tiki Club-ultra lounge, both will provide customers with panoramic views of the Bellagio Fountains, the Eiffel Tower and City Center. The Las Vegas Trader Vic's will have the similar tropical island motif. In addition, it will have towering wooden tikis, two DJ booths, a 20-foot outdoor bar and balcony surrounded by palms and the upstairs Tiki Club-ultra lounge. The restaurant is scheduled to open in early October 2007 at the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino.

The Las Vegas Trader Vic's is the vision of Doc Wiener. Beginning in 2001, Mr. Wiener was instrumental in the founding of Pure Management Group which has since become one of the nation's top night club developers. Pure's first venture was Coyote Ugly at New York-New York Casino Hotel in Las Vegas. To this day, Coyote Ugly continues to draw steady crowds and grosses more revenue per square foot than any other bar or nightclub in the nation.

Following the success of Coyote Ugly, Mr. Wiener helped finance and co-develop the Pure group's next two night club concepts, Pure at Caesars Palace (2004) and Tangerine at Treasure Island (2005). Since their debut, both have become preeminent night spots in Las Vegas.

Mr. Wiener has shifted his development focus with the founding of DW Enterprises (2007) which is the company behind Trader Vic's in Las Vegas. His vision is to take Las Vegas nightlife into a new era with new restaurant and nightclub concepts. Under DW Enterprises, Mr. Wiener is also developing a Rooftop Nightclub at the Cosmo Beach Club and two restaurants at the new Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino. Doc Wiener is the son of the late Louis Wiener, an attorney in Las Vegas from 1941 to 1996, who was an influential figure in shaping Southern Nevada.

John Laub is the President of the CEO-CFO Group

1. "Legendary Trader Vic's Redefined for Las Vegas." Company Press Release. PRNewswire. September 5, 2007.

2. "Doc Wiener, CEO/Managing Partner, DW Enterprises." http://www.tradervicslv.com/.
August 16, 2007.

3. http://www.tradervics.com/

Black Hawk Down Commander to Speak in Las Vegas Sept 14th

2007-09-05T17:02:00.003-07:00

Colonel Daniel McKnight, commander of the 3rd Ranger Battalion, became famous when the operation which he led became embroiled in brutal, urban street fighting in Mogadishu, Somailia when he attempted to rescue the pilots from a downed UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. His ordeal and heroism became part of the book and later movie, “Black Hawk Down.” Colonel Daniel McKnight has chosen to speak on “Leadership: The Positive Effect on the People around You” on Friday, September 14th at 7:00 AM at the Emerald at Queensridge in Las Vegas.

"Black Hawk Down" is the story of a group of elite U.S. soldiers who were sent into Mogadishu, Somalia to abduct two key members of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid's staff. The country was in the grips of a bloody civil war and a crippling famine, and Aidid and his murderous cronies were stealing United Nations relief food supplies.

Included in the mission were the Rangers, under McKnight's command, along with covert Delta Force soldiers and members of the 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment), who pilot the "Black Hawk" helicopters.

It was supposed to have been a simple, 30-minute mission but it turned into a 16-hour nightmare of chaos and carnage. The final tally: Eighteen Americans and an estimated 500 Somalis dead.

Actor Tom Sizemore plays Lt. Col. Danny McKnight, as a stoic, clear-thinking man who puts his men's safety ahead of his own. McKnight told the New York Times, "I like to think that I was fairly calm during it, because they look to certain people," McKnight explained. "They're going to look to the boss, per se. And his reactions mean a whole lot. My soldiers told me, 'Sir, we appreciate the way you were, because you gave us the impression everything was going to be OK. Even as bad as it was.' "

Colonel Danny McKnight will be in Las Vegas to speak at the Breakfast Club’s monthly meeting on Friday, September 14th at 7:00 AM at Emerald at Queensridge , 891 Rampart Blvd. For more information or how you can attend this event, email Steve Zak of the Breakfast Club. You must RSVP by September 12th for the 14th breakfast. You can RSVP by sending an email to Steve Zak. The Breakfast Club is invitation only-networking organization. Unlike traditional networking groups, the Breakfast Club members make a special effort to meet and do business with their members.

1. “The real thing: Vet recounts ’Black Hawk Down’” Bill DeYoung. New York Times. 2002.

Las Vegas’s Top 25 Free Attractions

2007-09-05T17:02:00.002-07:00

Everybody who lives in Las Vegas is required to take visitors on a tour of Las Vegas. These are my top free attractions in Las Vegas.

1. The Bellagio Fountains Photo 2
2. The Bellagio Glass Chihuly Ceiling Exhibit Photo 2
3. The Bellagio Conservatory Photo 2
4. Bellagio’s Chocolate Fountain Photo 2
5. The Forum Shops-Curving Escalator Photo 2
6. Atlantis Aquarium and Show at the Forum Shops # 2
7. The Statue of David at Caesar’s Palace Photo 2
7. The Brahma Shrine at Caesars Palace
8. Paris Hotel & Lobby
9. The Flamingo Wildlife Habitat
10. Venetian Hotel’s Grand Hallway
11. Venetian’s Grand Canal Shops, Ceiling & St. Marks Square # 2
12. The Volcano at the Mirage
13 The Sirens of TI (Treasure Island)
14. The Wynn Conservatory
15. The Wynn Hotel
16. Lion exhibit at the MGM
17. M & M World
18. Rain Storm in the Miracle Mile Shopping Center
19. Circus Acts at the Circus Circus Hotel
20. The Crazy Girls Statue at the Riviera
21. The Rock and Roll Collection at the Hard Rock Hotel
22. The Fremont Street Experience Light Show
22. The East Fremont Street Neon Display
23. The Shark Tank at the Golden Nugget
24. The Largest Nugget of Gold on Display in Las Vegas
25 A Piece of the Berlin Wall at Main Street Station
25. The Pinball Hall of Fame with over 50 Working Pinball Machines

John Laub is the President of the CEO-CFO Group
http://www.ceo-cfogroup.com/

CEO-CFO Group sees the Little Legends at Krave at Planet Hollywood

2007-09-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

Last night a group of us from the CEO-CFO Group went to see the Little Legends show at the Krave Theater at the Planet Hollywood. Matthew Waymire of United Business Brokers was able to secure a block of seats. The show was one of the most entertaining shows I have seen in Las Vegas. The impersonators are little people, under 4’10.”

The emcee, Jeff Hobson (normal sized), was a cross between Liberace and Paul Lynde and he was funny. He also does some magic and comedy in between the songs. He pulled up Steve Zak of the Breakfast Club of Las Vegas, on stage in a session that was so riotously funny, that one of the members of the group laughed so loud that he fell out of his chair and kept on laughing.

The little people were generally pretty good impersonators; there was a mini-Tina Turner, Alanis Morrissette, Madonna, and Brittany Spears plus mini-Elivis, Dean Martin, Michael Jackson and Mili Vanilli. The topper was the Sony Cher duet which was hilarious.

Mike Marcellette of Service 1st Bank of Nevada was the unofficial host for the show and made sure that everyone was enjoying themselves.

Las Vegas Blogs: Business, Politics, Culture, Real Estate and Events

2007-09-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas has numerous blogs covering the city. These are some of the best:

Las Vegas CEO-CFO Blog: Las Vegas business news

A Stern Glance: Steve Stern was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. He covers a range of topics from Las Vegas businesses to national trends.

Nevada Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology Blog: Up-to-date information on what is happening in technology.

Vegas Pundit Blog: Jon Ralston’s blog on Nevada politics.

The Vegas Eye covers the food and beverage industry

Las Vegas Advisor News

Vegas Today and Tomorrow Updates on new projects

Robin Leach's Luxe Life in Las Vegas

Bob Beer's Blog Inside Nevada Politics

Las Vegas News

Las Vegas High-Rise Blog Condos in high rises

Las Vegas Real Estate Blog devoted to real estate

Las Vegas Real Estate

Las Vegas Blog on what’s happening in Las Vegas for locals

Eating in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Popular Culture Blog on Las Vegas popular culture

Everything Las Vegas Blog on shows, neon, fads and trends.

The Los Angeles Times Blog on Las Vegas

The Las Vegas Blog: Inside information on Las Vegas

Living in Las Vegas Blog on the “All the Strip Action”

Vegas Rex Las Vegas blogging with a sense of humor

Las Vegas Logue for visinting Las Vegas and information

Nevada High Tech blog: Nevada Blog on Technology

Las Vegas Citylife Blogs Alternative weekly columnists

Las Vegas Gleaner Blog: Progressive News and Opinion

Inbussiness Las Vegas Blogs

Hotel Chatter Blog News on hotels around the worlding including Las Vegas

Budget Watch Nevada

Edwatch Nevada

For more Inside Information on Las Vegas
http://www.ceo-cfogroup.com/

David Teed of Dauntless Capital Partners to Speak at CEO-CFO

2007-08-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

David Teed, co-founder of Dauntless Capital Partners will be speaking at the CEO-CFO Group meeting on September 28, 2007 at noon at McCormick & Schmicks. He will be discussing his experiences with turning around companies.

In North America in Mr. Teed led and managed a number of major corporate turnarounds including the turnaround of Core-Mark International Inc., a $2.5 billion per annum consumer products distributor in Canada and the U.S. He also led the turnaround of Loomis Fargo & Company Inc., which is today one of the largest armored transport providers in North America. Mr. Teed served as Chief Executive Officer of both Core-Mark International and Loomis during their turnaround periods.

He also led the acquisition of Kimpex, a manufacturer & distributor of after-market parts and accessories to the snowmobile and ATV market, which he grew and ultimately took public.

David Teed studied law at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, is admitted to practice as a barrister & solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria and High Court of Australia and thus, began his career as a lawyer in Melbourne, Australia.

In 1985, he co-sponsored a publicly listed investment company and oversaw investments in a range of industries including manufacturing, distribution, software development, tourism and real estate.

He is also the principal investor and co-founder of Dauntless Capital Partners, a private equity sponsor and has sourced, structured and financed acquisitions in manufacturing, distribution, service and education companies.

David is also a member of the Association for Corporate Growth and a Director of the Nevada Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association.

For more information: www.ceo-cfogroup.com

Las Vegas, Henderson & North Las Vegas Mixer a Big Success

2007-08-29T21:38:00.001-07:00

Nearly 1,000 people attended the Tri-City (Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas Mixer) Chamber mixer on August 28, 2007 at the Red Rock Hotel. The mixer had plenty of appetizers and no-host bars. At times the noise level was a bit loud which caused the master of ceremonies, Bruce Spotolson of Greenspugn Media to have difficulty starting the meeting, the crowd would not stop talking. He did thank the sponsors, made a few comments and ran a video of Congressman Porter.

In attendance that I saw (it was tough getting around) were Governor Jim Gibbons, State Controller Kim Wallin, North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon and State Senator Jo Heck.

Also in attendance were Stuart Olson, President of Service 1st Bank of Nevada; Dulcinea Almazan, Director of Lovitt & Touche; Terry Graves of Graves Communication and Tom Axtell, Manager of Channel 10.

In addition, Jody Mack of CardioVascular BioTherapeutics, Steve Zak of the Breakfast Club, Charlie Bass of the Las Vegas Internet Chamber of Commerce, Arnold Lopez of Nevada Power, Bob Kasner of Melon Financial; Jim Lamb of Regis University, Karen Roehl of Headhunterz, Allen Kaercher of Kaercher-Campbell, Pat Ochal of Service 1st Bank of Nevada, former State Senator Sandee Tiffany and many others.

Mr Chow to Come to Las Vegas

2007-08-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

Mr. Chow's restaurant is coming to Las Vegas according to Michael Politz's weekly "Eye on Vegas" column. He notes that there are strong rumors that the ultra hip Beverly Hills restaurant, Mr. Chow, will open a restaurant in Las Vegas. Politz's sources tell him that the restaurant would be located at the CityCenter Project in the Light Group's hotel, The Harmon.

Mr. Chow has restaurants in Beverly Hills, New York and London. The concept, which started in London in 1968, serves sophisticated Chinese food in a European setting. Mr. Chow is the creation of Michael Chow. "The man and Mr. Chow the dining experience are both international icons of todays cultural landscape." The Light Group that is developing the property into a hip boutique hotel sees Mr. Chow's as a crucial element of the property. The Light Group also runs the Light Nightclub at the Bellagio, the Fix Restaurant & Bar at the Bellagio, the Caramel Bar & Lounge at the Bellagio, the Jet Nightclub at The Mirage, the Stack Restaurant & Bar at The Mirage and the Mist at the Treasure Island. Las Vegas will continue to improve its hip and cutting edge image with the addition of Mr. Chow.

John Laub is the President of the CEO-CFO Group. (www.ceo-cfogroup.com)

1. "Welcome Mr. Chow: An Eye Exclusive." Michael Politz. Eye on Vegas. July 23, 2007.
2. www.mrchow.com
3. www.thelightgroup.com

Las Vegas Housing Market Hits a Rough Patch

2007-08-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

The Las Vegas housing market has slowed down considerably since last year (2006). Sales are off by 40 percent and prices continue to fall and home builders have sharply cut back on construction. Las Vegas was ranked among the top four at-risk housing markets by PMI Mortgage Insurance Co. The others are Phoenix, Riverside and West Palm Beach, Fla.

The inventory of unsold homes has reached 30,000 in July 2007 which includes homes on the Multiple Listing Service plus new homes from homebuilders and condos. It is reported that nearly 40 percent of them are vacant. Sales of homes have sunk to a low of 1,400 in June 2007, normally a brisk month for home sales. At the current rate of home sales, Las Vegas has close to an 18 month inventory of homes. The national average is 6 to 7 months currently.

Real estate consultant John Burns said home prices in Las Vegas must drop by 33 percent, or about $100,000, before the market returns to normal conditions as he told the Associated Press. He said the housing cost-to-income ratio in both Las Vegas and Reno is 50 percent, meaning people spend half their income on housing. The national average is around 30 percent.
Analysts are in a disagreement about when the market in Las Vegas will come back. Las Vegas continues to see population increases. A number of new hotels will open in the next three years and employees will need housing which will offset the loss of commercial construction jobs. The meltdown in subprime lending will delay buyers coming into the market as credit standards have been tightened and the affordability of housing will be another factor.

It's been a rough market for home builders. Richmond American announced a $106 million loss for the quarter ending June 30, 2007 which included pre-tax charges of $161.1 million for asset impairments and $6.4 million for write-offs of deposits and pre-acquisition costs on cancelled land option contracts. This loss combined with the first quarter's loss, totaled a net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2007 of $200.5 million, which included pre-tax charges of $302.5 million for asset impairments and $10.5 million for write-offs.

John Laub is the President of the CEO-CFO Group. (www.ceo-cfogroup.com)

1. "M.D.C. Holdings Announces Second Quarter 2007 Results." Company Press Release. PRNewswire-FirstCall. July 25, 2007.
2. "Price Drop May Signal Correction." Brian Wargo. In Business Las Vegas. August 10, 2007.
3. "Housing Inventory Hits Record as Sales Slow." Brian Wargo. In Business Las Vegas. July 13, 2007.
4. "Las Vegas Inventory (Sales)." Bubble Markets Inventory Tracking. www.bubbletracking.blogspot.com. August 10, 2007.
5. "Analysts See No End in Sight to Las Vegas Housing Slump." Associated Press. July 15, 2007.

The Unbloody Streets of Las Vegas by Doug French

2007-08-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

The temperature has been especially hot this year in Las Vegas. Day after day, by late afternoon thermometers hit 110 degrees or more. For those of us who have been here a while, we may be annoyed, but resign ourselves to dealing with the dry heat, and congratulate ourselves for not having to shovel snow in the winter.

For the 200 people per day that move here the heat is shocking: especially for the 35 percent that move in from temperate California. There is no lonelier day than the day a person moves to Las Vegas in the summer: a glaring sun, oppressive temperature, and a rental truck full of furniture that must be toted to an upstairs apartment from a parking lot a football field away, and no new neighbors offering to help. Las Vegas doesn't start easy for anyone, and for some it gets no better. A few years ago a study found Sin City one of the top five most stressful cities in the United States, with the highest suicide and divorce rates in the study, as well as a great deal of alcohol use.

But people continue to migrate to Las Vegas, immigrants from the economic mismanagement of states both near and far away. Economists over at UNLV, Keith Schwer and Bob Potts, estimate that 50,000 jobs were created in Las Vegas last year. And more jobs are on the way as the LV Strip's latest building boom begins to bear fruit starting this December with the opening of LV Sands' $1.8 billion, 3,025-room Palazzo. By 2012, 45,000 more hotel rooms will be constructed on the Strip.

With the demographic winds at their backs, casino operators aren't worried about filling the rooms with tourists, but finding employees will be a challenge. According to a report authored by Deutsche Bank Securities, the casino industry will need 113,500 more workers to fill the spots created by the new resorts that are now under construction. Unless the city's population growth begins to accelerate, 25,000 of these jobs will go unfilled according to the investment bank report.

By the time MGM Grand's massive $7.4 billion CityCenter project comes on line in late 2009, competition for employees could be keen, and the gaming giant will have 12,000 spots to fill at the multi-use project. A year later, Boyd Gaming's Echelon Place will come on line and they will be looking for over 10,000 workers.

Despite a red-hot economy and prospects for more of the same, to read the financial press and listen to Wall Street pundits the Las Vegas housing market couldn't be colder. But is it? In many ways the Las Vegas housing market is just simply returning to normal after the irrational exuberance of 2005 when just short of 39,000 new homes and condos were sold and 58,522 resale homes changed hands.
Back not so long ago in 2000, with the Venetian not a year old and Steve Wynn buying the Desert Inn property with only an idea in his head, new home sales in Las Vegas were 20,520 and resales totaled 29,515.

Through June of this year, 10,395 new homes and 14,556 used homes have been sold. If this pace continues, just short of 50,000 homes will change hands in 2007, an almost identical amount of sales to the number in year 2000, a year that was considered at the time a strong housing year.

Back in 2000 there were 130 builders selling homes in the Las Vegas market, according to Home Builders Research, Inc., but by last year the number was down to 77. And all but one of the top ten builders last year were large publicly traded builders, with the top ten accounting for nearly 56 percent of all new home closings. Thinking the boom would never end, these public builders bid up the price of land hoping to gain or maintain market share and now, according to Larry Murphy at SalesTraq, there are 572 different competing subdivisions in the market, nearly twice as many as the 295 when the boom was just beginning in 2003.
With housing market en fuego in 2005, 60-70 people a week visited each subdivision. Now MetroStudy says only 20 per week are bothering to look for a home. So, instead of the average subdivision selling two to three homes per week, now builders feel fortunate to sell that number in a month.

Builders are pulling out all the stops to rid themselves of inventory, giving away thousands in incentives and in some cases lowering prices. With significant drops in the prices of lumber and other materials, combined with a very hungry subcontractor workforce, decent profits can be had selling new homes at $150 per square foot and below. At the end of June, builders had only 2,164 units in standing inventory, a one-month to six-week supply according to SalesTraq's Larry Murphy.

Meanwhile the Multiple Listing Service reached a record 23,642 homes in June, with reportedly 40 percent of those homes sitting vacant. No doubt, speculators bought many of these homes in 2005 for $200 per square foot believing housing prices could never decline.
But while housing analysts point at Las Vegas as the poster child for the housing bust because of the number of foreclosure filings, local real estate expert, Marketing Solutions executive vice president Stephen Bottfeld points out that a review of the foreclosure filings reveals that some individual out-of-town investors have as many as 40 homes being foreclosed upon.
Dennis Smith of Home Builders Research pointed out at a seminar earlier this year, that selling homeowners are greedy and won't give away buyer incentives, while builders will move houses any way they can. Besides, most people prefer to live where no one else has "cut their toenails," as one builder has his sales staff remind buyers, if the customers are waffling between his new product and a resale home.
With an eye on their declining stock prices the publicly traded builders have all but stopped pulling building permits and started thinning their employee ranks. According to In Business Las Vegas magazine, "Some major builders have eliminated more than 100 jobs or more than 40 percent of their Las Vegas workforce in the last six to nine months."
It's likely that builders in Las Vegas will pull fewer than 20,000 new home permits this year for the second year in a row. No wonder that compared to the fourth quarter of 2005, there were 39 percent fewer framing contractors, 20 percent fewer painting contractors, 19 percent fewer general single-family home construction workers, 14 percent fewer foundation contractors and 10 percent fewer plumbing and heating workers.

Before last year, the last time there were fewer than 20,000 new homes permits pulled during a calendar year in Las Vegas was 1999, when the median new home price was $139,500. This May, the median price was just short of $309,000, only a 4.4 percent decrease from a year ago. Real estate consultant John Burns believes home prices in Las Vegas are too high and must drop by 33 percent, or about $100,000, before the market returns to normal conditions, given a median family income of $50,465. But Burns shouldn't hold his breath. Hispanic families are solving the affordable housing dilemma by buying homes with one or two other families. And an angry Stephen Bottfeld told his July Crystal Ball crowd last week that there is "no way homes will lose 30 percent in value this year, or next year or the year after… or all three years put together."

The residential real estate business may be punk out in the suburbs, but on the Las Vegas Strip it's as hot as the weather. The New Frontier closed its doors forever at midnight on July 15th. El Ad Properties paid Phil Ruffin $33 million per acre or a total of $1.2 billion for the aging property he bought in 1998 for $167 million. The Israeli company intends to spend $5 billion constructing a replica of New York's famed Plaza Hotel on the property.
Condo sales are so brisk at MGM Grand's CityCenter the company has assembled 78 acres on the north Strip to do another massive mixed-use project. "Just two years ago we would never have conceived of buying more land on the Strip," company CFO and president Jim Murren told the Las Vegas Sun. But after selling more than a billion dollars worth of condos at CityCenter in just a few months, Murren says, "We can do this all over again."

The Nevada gaming market is rocking, setting a record in May by winning $1.14 billion from gamblers. The majority of that win came from the Las Vegas Strip that has consolidated even more than the homebuilding market. MGM Grand and Harrah's together control three quarters of the hotel rooms on the Strip, and MGM holds an incredible 865 acres on the Strip, with 250 of the acres being undeveloped. But unlike the large homebuilders that wish they had a few less acres, Mr. Murren says, "Anyone who has ever sold land (on the Strip) has lived to regret it." Strip land "goes up slowly or rapidly, but it doesn't ever go down."

According to Bottfeld, "what happens on the Strip gets mirrored in the housing market." He predicts the Las Vegas housing slump that began in April of last year will begin to recover when the Palazzo opens later this year and will be fully healed by August of next year. And to the naysayers on Wall Street and beyond, who say the Las Vegas housing market slump will persist indefinitely, Bottfeld contends another Las Vegas boom is right around the corner in 2009.
The old saw repeated often by Las Vegas old timers is that if there are high-rise cranes on the Strip, it's a good time to buy real estate. Dozens of them continue to dot the skyline. Number crunchers stress that each new hotel room creates 2.5 jobs, and that each new hotel/casino job creates another 1.5 jobs off the Strip. The people who will ultimately fill those jobs don't live in Las Vegas yet. When they pull into town in their rental trucks they will need places to live.
Baron Rothschild advised that one "should invest when there is blood in the streets."
It won't be bloody in Las Vegas much longer.

Doug French is an executive vice president of a Nevada bank and is an associate editor of Liberty Watch Magazine. He is a recipient of the Murray N. Rothbard Award. This article is reprinted by permission from the authored and first appeared at www.lewrockwell.com on July 21, 2007.

Las Vegas has 8 of the Top 25 Grossing Restaurants in the US

2007-08-23T21:38:00.004-07:00

Tao Nightclub and Asian Bistro at the Venetian was the top grossing independent restaurant in the United States at $55 million according to Restaurants and Institutions magazine. New York's Tavern on the Green was second at $38 million. Seven other Las Vegas restaurants were also in the top 25 grossing restaurants for 2007.

Although no other Las Vegas restaurant could come close to Tao's $55 million, the Mix restaurant was in the top 10 with $20 million. Rounding out the top 25 for Las Vegas were Mon Ami Gabi at $18 million, Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab at $17 million, SW Steakhouse at $17 million, Delmonico Steakhouse at $15.8 million and the Prime Steakhouse at $15 million. Who would have thought that the restaurant business could generate such sales? The Tao Nightclub and Asian Bistro took over their location from the Warner Brothers restaurant which had struggled at that spot. However, it goes to show that Las Vegas has turned into a much greater restaurant town; it now has 21 restaurants on the list of the 100 top grossing restaurants which is more than twice as many as it had in 2000.

John Laub is the President of the CEO-CFO Group. (www.ceo-cfogroup.com)

1. "R&I Top 100 Independent Restaurants-2007." www.rimag.com.
2. "Setting Restaurant Records by Selling the Sizzle." Joe Drape. The New York Times.July 22, 2007.

First of the Casino Openings: Venetian's Palazzo to Open in Dec' 2007

2007-08-23T21:38:00.001-07:00

The Venetian's Palazzo tower will open December 20, 2007 in the first of a wave of hotel tower openings. Wynn's Encore is scheduled to open in late 2008, MGM's CityCenter and the Fontainebleau will open in November 2009 and Echelon Place will open in September 2010.

The Palazzo is a $1.8 billion project which has been described as a "world-class luxury hotel, casino and resort with a design and ambiance reminiscent of high-end locales such as Beverly Hills, Bel-Air and Rodeo Drive." The 50 story hotel will be the second tallest building in Las Vegas, after the Trump Tower. The additional 3,068 rooms will make the Venetian and Sands Expo and Convention Center the largest resort and hotel complex in the world, with approximately 7,074 hotel rooms.
Some of the new features of the Palazzo will be a 60 foot glassed domed entry lobby featuring a two-story fountain. There will also be a 450,000 square foot enclosed shopping, dining and entertainment complex, which will have around 80 shops and restaurants. The retail mall which will be connected to the Grand Canal shops will open in January 2008. The Palazzo will have a new 4,000-space underground parking garage in which elevators and escalators will carry visitors from the garage directly to the center of the casino.

John Laub is the President of the CEO-CFO Group. (www.ceo-cfogroup.com)

1. "Palazzo, Venetian, Sands, News." www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com
August 5, 2007.
2. www.lasvegassands.com/palazzo.html