Week of June 3

Veterans, awards, budget and more

HOMEOWNERS AWARDED FUNDS

In May, the Nevada State Contractors Board awarded nearly $160,000 in Residential Recovery Fund monies to homeowners damaged by licensed contractors. Appearing before the Residential Recovery Fund Subcommittee on May 18, 2016, 12 homeowners sought financial recourse after licensed contractors they hired abandoned their construction projects or performed substandard workmanship. The average claim awarded was approximately $13,300.

Nearly $100,000 of the awarded funds were granted to five homeowners whose projects were abandoned by Reno Sunrooms, Inc., license number 49308. In every case, Reno Sunrooms, Inc. failed to perform any work on the project after receiving anywhere from 40-100 percent of the contract funds up front. The license of Reno Sunrooms, Inc. was revoked on Feb. 2, 2016, by the Board, at which time the damaged homeowners filed claims for the Residential Recovery Fund.

HUMBOLDT GENERAL HOSPITAL

Northern Nevada Medical Center announced that Humboldt General Hospital (HGH) in Winnemucca, has joined Northern Nevada Medical Center’s TeleStroke Network. HGH can now provide a higher level of care to patients experiencing a stroke as part of NNMC’s robotic telemedicine program. The program gives HGH the resources of NNMC’s Primary Stroke Center and allows HGH physicians access to neurologists 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. HGH joins South Lyon Medical Center, Battle Mountain General Hospital and Plumas District, all in partnership with NNMC’s TeleStroke Network.

CITY NATIONAL DONATES TO STEP2

City National has provided STEP2 in Reno with a $2,500 donation for an expansion project. The funds from City National’s donation will help fund the needed $3 million to build a 20 bed residential housing facility.

STEP2 is a comprehensive residential and out-patient treatment program that provides women struggling to overcome substance abuse disorders, poverty and family violence the opportunity to rebuild their lives. STEP2 is the only program in northern Nevada that allows women to maintain custody of their children while participating in treatment.

ATLANTIS RACE & SPORTS BOOK

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa announced its Race & Sports Book to be the first and only non-smoking Race and Sports book in northern Nevada. Being the first casino to have a designated specialty gaming area is not new to Atlantis, as it was the first poker room in Reno to go non-smoking.

Also, reel and video slot players have two non-smoking areas, totaling the highest concentration of non-smoking slot machines in the region. Atlantis also offers 10 permanent non-smoking table games and two non-smoking bars.

NUGGET RIB COOK-OFF RECOGNIZED

USA Today recognized the Sparks event as one of the best barbecue festivals in the nation. The Nugget Rib Cook-Off was one of the top 20 events nominated by BBQ experts in a quest to find USA Today’s “10 Best BBQ Festivals”. To vote, go to http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-bbq-festival/. You can cast your ballot once a day until Monday, June 20 at 9 p.m. PT.

The 2016 Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off will be held at the Nugget Casino Resort from August 31 – September 5.

RENOWN RECOGNIZED FOR LACTATION CARE

Renown Regional Medical Center, The Lactation Connection and The Pregnancy Center were recognized for excellence in lactation care with the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant certification (IBCLC) Care Award.

Renown has eight IBCLC certified care members on its team.

The IBCLC Care Award is jointly sponsored by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) and International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA).

WETLAB EARNS WBE CERTIFiCATION

Western Environmental Testing Laboratory (WETLAB), a Sparks-based environmental testing laboratory, has been recognized for being a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE). The certification was awarded in February 2016 by the Women’s Business Enterprise Council – West, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

WBENC’s national standard of certification is a meticulous process, including an in-depth review of the business and a site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm that the business is at least 51 percent owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women.

TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM

Nearly $8.7 million in federal transportation funds for projects that improve non-motorized mobility, historic preservation for transportation-related projects, scenic accessibility, safe routes to school and more are available as the Nevada Department of Transportation accepts applications for Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) projects through July 8.

Under the program, there are two broad types of eligible activities: transportation infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects. TAP projects may be part of an existing planned project or a “stand alone” project and must be publicly accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Maximum infrastructure funding will be limited to $750,000 per project. It is estimated that nearly $8.7 million will be available for these projects statewide over the next three years.

For detailed information and applications, visit www.nevadadot.com/tap.

GREATER NEVADA CREDIT UNION SCHOLARSHIPS

This year 88 students applied for scholarships from Greater Nevada Credit Union, and 20 were selected to each receive $2,000 for the 2016-2017 school year. Nearly $300,000 has been awarded to students since Greater Nevada began its academic scholarship program 17 years ago.

The scholarship program, sponsored and administered annually by the credit union, is available to Greater Nevada members and their families. Scholarships are awarded based on each applicant’s financial need, academic performance, community involvement, and educational and career goals. The scholarships can be used for tuition, course registration, special classes or laboratory fees, room and board, textbooks and class materials.

MOUNTAINS & MEADOWS

JoAnn Moore, wedding planner and event coordinator, is making her way to Reno and Lake Tahoe. She is bringing her company, Mountains & Meadows, to the Silver State where she can plan weddings and events throughout The Sierras.

Specializing in high-profile happenings for celebrities and esteemed clients, Moore was recently awarded Wedding Wire’s 2015 Bride’s Choice Award and inducted into TheKnot.com Best of Weddings Hall of Fame. The Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes the top five percent of local wedding professionals from their network that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism.

CITY OF RENO FY 16/17 BUDGET

The Reno City Council and Redevelopment Agency Board approved to adopt a $532.2 million City of Reno budget for Fiscal Year 2016/2017 (FY 16/17), which includes tax levies and the adoption of the Fee Schedule. The FY 16/17 General Fund budget, or expenditures, is $178.8 million, an increase of more than $10 million compared to the FY 15/16 adopted figure of $168.4 million.

The formal budget adoption comes after two Budget Workshops held earlier this month. For “Budget Highlights” visit http://www.reno.gov/home/showdocument?id=59846.

IGT FIRST QUARTER

IGT reported first quarter results. Adjusted EBITDA of $460 million; pro forma operating income up across all segments. Strong global lottery growth, especially in North America and Italy; resilient global gaming revenues. Adjusted EPS of $0.57; reported EPS of ($0.46) reflects non-cash foreign exchange impact. Cash dividend declared of $0.20 per ordinary share. Investor Day to be held on June 21-22, 2016. For the full report visit http://ir.igt.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=119000&p=irol-newsArticle &ID=2172650

NEVADA VETERANS

The U.S. Small Business Administration has recently launched the Boots to Business REBOOT program throughout the country. REBOOTS is designed for Veterans of all eras, and Service members, that include National Guard and Reserves, and their spouses. The Nevada Small Business Development Center is providing this program throughout the state of Nevada in 2016. The program is entirely free.

Boots to Business REBOOT is a 2-step program: Step One is a full-day training event that provides participants an overview of business ownership as a career vocation, an outline and knowledge of the components of a business plan, a practical exercise in opportunity recognition, and an introduction to available public and private resources. Step Two provides the opportunity to enroll into a free, eight-week online Foundations of Entrepreneurship course instructed by a consortium of professors and practitioners led by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University.

To register and find out more information and full details of the REBOOTS program in all Nevada locations please visit the Nevada SBDC’s training calendar at http://nsbdc.org/education-training/business-training-calen dar/ .

DESIGN ON EDGE

Design on Edge announced its new marketing, design and communications partnership with The Regional Alliance for Downtown (RAD).

The service areas in which Design on Edge will further assist the organization are the development of integrated media campaign conceptualization and execution, graphic design, digital illustration, art direction, digital design and website development. The firm will also further develop the website, provide enhanced email marketing services, social media maintenance, marketing assistance and membership. The role of Design on Edge is to share the key messages of the Regional Alliance for Downtown and it’s members and help to expand the brand recognition of the organization as a whole to build grass-roots support, including the local business sector, and educate the community about the organization and the revitalization of the downtown corridor.

RENO SUB-SYSTEMS

Reno Sub-Systems, a developer of high-performance radio frequency (RF) matching networks, RF power generators and gas flow management systems for semiconductor manufacturing, has closed its Series B funding round of $14 million led by MKS Instruments.

Plasma processing is a critical technology in the fabrication of advanced microelectronic circuits. To create the next generation of advanced devices (sub-14nm), highly repeatable, precisely controlled, short-time cycle plasma etching and deposition are essential. Plasma processing environments are characterized by precise gas flows, rapid RF matching and vacuum control.

Reno Sub-Systems’ enabling technologies open the plasma processing door to deep submicron feature sizes and the very short process times necessary for both planar and 3D device architectures. In addition to new process regimes, Reno Sub-Systems’ technologies facilitate “always on” plasma management, fast gas transitions and extremely low-flow management, reducing on-wafer particles, improving film properties and reducing cost per transistor, according to Moore’s law.