Business Commons^™

New Business Competition For A Different Generation Launches In Nevada, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

On Nevada Day (October 26), a new competition was announced that is designed to stimulate business formation in the Silver State by offering the state’s largest-ever cash grand prize as an incentive.

The related tagline gets right to the point: “$100,000 cash. Your business idea. A room of investors. 5 minutes. One chance to prove you have what it takes.”

Sunvelope: A Nevada Company Revolutionizes Solar Hot Water Collectors, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

Solar hot water is just not sexy to the general public—and that’s created a challenge for Pete Mokler, director of marketing at Sunvelope Solar. “Our technology can deliver more energy units per dollar invested—whether counted in therms, BTUs, or kilowatt hours—than photovoltaic, wind, geothermal and biomass,” says Mokler, “but you say ‘solar hot water’ and people yawn.”

Nevada's Top Energy Industry Representatives Call For More Collaboration And Education, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

More than 75 representatives from every sector of Nevada’s energy industry gathered at Reno’s Desert Research Institute last week to discuss energy challenges facing the Silver State, opportunities available and actions needed to lead the West and the nation in renewable energy generation, transmission and delivery.

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending October 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• BLM and UNLV met with AECOM on 7/12/12 to review Walking Box Ranch (WBR) project progress, timing of posting of project bid documents, and the anticipated project calendar through December 2012.
• BLM and UNLV met on 9/25/12 to update Mark Spencer, BLM’s new Field Manager for the Red Rock/Sloan Field Office, to brief him on UNLV participation at WBR, and to discuss the status of the operating agreement and major concerns that include timely completion of the operating agreement, which will allow completion of business plan and release of $500K for IT and security by UNLV’s president.
• UNLV is continuing …

Premier, Bo Bernhard, Afsha Bawany, Bobbie Barnes, Elle House, John Fitts, Elijah Tredup, Gael Hancock

Premier: The Magazine of the UNLV Harrah Hotel College

No abstract provided.

Startup Weekend; Hooking Up For Economic Growth, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

The Startup Weekend, a national grassroots business-launching event, is coming to Northern Nevada, September 28-30, 2012. Startup Weekend Elko will connect local entrepreneurs, developers, designers and startup enthusiasts with mentors and resources for a weekend of sharing ideas, forming teams and launching startups. The weekend-long event will take place at the Great Basin College campus in Elko.

Special Edition: National Clean Energy Summit, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

Young Professionals in Energy–Nevada recently gathered for an up-to-the-day report on renewable energy at UNLV’s LEED-certified Science and Engineering Building given by Associate Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research Tom Piechota—just hours after President Obama appeared on campus in support of higher education.

Piechota, who also heads UNLV’s Urban Sustainability Initiative (and is this author’s boss in that capacity), covered all the overlapping curriculum and research going on. Of about 400 total research projects university-wide, 142 involve clean energy, water or environmental science – some at the nexus of all three. Department of Energy remains the biggest source of funding, along …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending July 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• BLM informed UNLV that after investigating a concession contract as the appropriate BLM document for the future operating partner, they have concluded that an operating agreement is the preferred document and they are proceeding to complete such an agreement as soon as possible.
• Following a visit to the ranch with BLM, UNLV has completed temporary repairs to ranch house windows, which should mitigate deterioration of the ranch house from water
• UNLV participated in a one-half day meeting with BLM to review Condit’s Extended Content Package #1. As a result of the lack of progress by Condit, UNLV was requested to …

Pyramids To Players Clubs: The Battle For Competitive Advantage In Las Vegas, Oliver Lovat

Occasional Papers

The evolution of the Las Vegas casinos from owner operator to the institutionally financed and corporately managed casino-resort has been the predominant feature of the evolution of the US Gaming market in the past 30 years. This paper examines the strategic frameworks used by Las Vegas casino resorts and identifies the drivers for competitive advantage moving forward.

Appearances Do Matter! What Libraries Can Learn From Clinton Kelly, Nancy E. Fawley

Library Faculty Publications

One could easily mistake Clinton Kelly’s closing keynote presentation at ACRL 2011 in Philadelphia last March as light fare. Kelly, cohost of TLC’s What Not To Wear, spoke enthusiastically about the importance of one’s appearance and the necessity of making an extra effort in the way individuals present themselves. His keynote address, and the fact that a fashion expert was a speaker at a conference for librarians, sparked debates on Twitter and in the blogosphere.

Do appearances matter? I say they do and add that this applies to buildings and objects, as well. Academic libraries, especially, could benefit from some …

Let Us Buy You Coffee!, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

NIREC is a nonprofit organization that helps Nevada's entrepreneurs to build their businesses. We'd like to better understand the biggest challenges that currently face entrepreneurs, so that we can work on fixing them more effectively.

Pv Costs Overestimated - High-Impact Innovation, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

Current accounting methods often over-estimate the lifetime costs of generating electricity from solar panels, according to “Reconsidering the Economics of Photovoltaic Power.” This new working paper, written by 10 authors with insight into the economics of solar power, appeared on the website Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).

From The Last Frontier To The New Cosmopolitan A History Of Casino Public Relations In Las Vegas, Jessalynn Strauss

Occasional Papers

This research chronicles the history of public relations by the gaming industry in Las Vegas. Reflecting larger trends in the field, public relations efforts by the casinos and hotels in this popular tourist destination have used a variety of communication tactics over time to promote themselves to potential Las Vegas tourists. Based on archival materials from over 30 casinos and gaming corporations, this paper identifies four ways in which public relations is practiced in the gaming industry and four macro-level trends in the evolution of casino public relations in Las Vegas.

Differentiation Of Social And Cause-Related Marketing In Professional Sport, Jennifer Renee Pharr, Nancy L. Lough

Environmental & Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Several studies have focused on cause-related sport marketing (CRM), yet few have examined social marketing in sport. The purpose of this study was to show how both are unique strategies employed in sport to achieve corporate social responsibility. A qualitative content analysis was utilized to analyze the outreach programs of the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB as described on each website. A directed content analysis was used to categorize outreach programs as CRM, social marketing or other community outreach based on five variables that differentiate each strategy. Forty three programs were evaluated. Twenty two (51.2%) were categorized as social marketing, …

Differentiation Of Social Marketing And Cause-Related Marketing In Us Professional Sport, Jennifer Renee Pharr, Nancy L. Lough

Public Health Faculty Publications

Several studies have focused on cause-related sport marketing (CRM), yet few have examined social marketing in sport. The purpose of this study was to show how both are unique strategies employed in sport to achieve corporate social responsibility. A qualitative content analysis was utilized to analyze the outreach programs of the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB as described on each website. A directed content analysis was used to categorize outreach programs as CRM, social marketing, or other community outreach based on five variables that differentiate each strategy. Forty three programs were evaluated. Twenty two (51.2%) were categorized as social marketing, …

Nevada Grown, Cutting Edge Clean Energy Innovation Please, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

The Nevada chapter of Young Professionals in Energy (YPE Nevada) seeks to facilitate the advancement of mid-career energy professionals in the state of Nevada through social, educational, vocational and community service events. YPE Nevada aims to build a cohesive network of energy professionals from students to retired executives, and to create an environment where members can learn from each other’s experiences, share industry knowledge and discuss career matters. By expanding networking between the state’s energy professionals, it aims to enhance entrepreneurial activity.

Join Nevada's Newly Formed Networking Group For All Energy Professionals, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

“YPE Nevada is designed to engage Nevada’s mid-career energy professionals through a variety of career-related, community service, professional education and social events to be scheduled across the entire state. ” said YPE Nevada Board Member Walt Borland, the President and CEO of NIREC that is sponsoring the launch of the new chapter. “And, we expect that this enhanced interaction will help to drive more energy-related entrepreneurial activity in Nevada.”

The Fiscal Forensics Of The Las Vegas Strip Lessons From The Financial Crisis, Dean M. Macomber

Occasional Papers

Hitting with the force of a 100-year storm, the first two years of the financial crisis caused a $5.2 billion swing from profitability to loss for the top 22 performing Las Vegas Strip properties between peak fiscal year 2007 and 2009. By fiscal year 2011 visitor count had almost climbed back to peak levels but the aggregate loss is still stubbornly high at $ -1.6 billion. Other signs of recovery trickle in but are sporadic and volatile. This article is an attempt to disaggregate the variance and look at where Las Vegas has been, where it is now and how …

An Energy Professionals' Networking Group That's Creating A Buzz, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

Bleary-eyed but wide awake at 2:00 am, I reached for my phone for a little social media solace. Clicking into a popular networking site, I typed "energy" in the search field. To my surprise, the search returned a list of over 10,000 options.

As professionals, entrepreneurs and affiliates to the energy industry, let me spare you an early morning quest. There is an industry-related group that has quietly built a network of members 20,000-strong with tentacles reaching throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending April 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• BLM informed UNLV that the type of operating plan that was identified in June, 2011 as the appropriate instrument for future operations, and which was to have been completed by May 2012, prior to beginning construction, would not work for BLM. BLM informed UNLV that they are now considering a concession contract as the appropriate BLM document for the future operating partner.
• BLM and UNLV visited the ranch for a day to examine the continuing deterioration of the ranch house from water, and to discuss how to address this on-going problem. The group reviewed damage owing to water coming into …

Halos, Alibis And Community Development: A Cross National Comparison Of How Governments Spend Revenue From Gambling, Lynn Gidluck

Occasional Papers

This paper provides a cross-national comparison of how governments around the world distribute revenues from state-directed gambling and how these choices have been justified by proponents and vilified by critics. Case studies where governments have popularized gambling expansion by “earmarking” revenues for particular good causes and where the state has collaborated with the voluntary sector to deliver programs from this revenue stream are examined. Lessons learned from challenges of various approaches are considered.

Financial Stability And Casino Debt, David G. Schwartz, Eugene M. Christiansen

Library Faculty Publications

Casino operators have always borrowed money to construct and improve their resorts. Beginning in 1999, however, the Las Vegas-based companies that dominate gambling in Nevada and many other jurisdictions began taking on unprecedented levels of debt. This debt load escalated from 2005 to 2009, and, though it has since leveled off, it has left casino operators more highly leveraged than ever before. Companies with such high levels of debt have consequently high interest payments, which leads to less money available for capital investment; it also makes them susceptible to default, should revenues weaken (as casino revenues did from 2008 onward). …

Pyramids Of Pink Shrimp: A Brief History Of Las Vegas Dining, 1940s-1970s, Su Kim Chung

Library Faculty Publications

Restaurant dining has always been one of the great attractions of Las Vegas. From its budget buffets and 99 cent shrimp cocktails, to the showrooms of yesterday's production shows, and today's haute cuisine restaurants run by celebrity chefs, dining has added a rich and tasty dimension to the Las Vegas tourist experience. Local residents have also long been attracted to the wide variety of restaurants that have grown along with the city since the construction of the first hotel/casino resort (El Rancho Vegas) on old Highway 91 in 1941. Hotels along the Las Vegas Strip (and a few downtown) have …

Cleantech Open's $250,000 Business Competition - Learn More April 5, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

Join us for an introduction to the Cleantech Open, the world's largest cleantech accelerator. You will learn about our annual Business Competition, an opportunity to accelerate your cleantech startup with expert training, national visibility and up to $250,000 of cash and services. Beyond great networking, the event will include a brief presentation about how you can get involved as a volunteer, mentor, judge or more.

Where Are The Jobs? Employment Stagnation After The Great Recession, Gary Burtless

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

The Great Recession of 2008-2009 was the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Unlike most other recessions in the post-war era, however, the recovery has brought back only a small fraction of the almost 9 million jobs lost in the downturn. Gary Burtless will explain the puzzling absence of an employment rebound in his talk. Why has the rebound been so slow? What can we do to speed it up?

Computerizing Chance: The Digitization Of The Slot Machine (1960-1985), Cristina Turdean

Occasional Papers

The digital slot machine entered the gambling floor in the mid-1970s and, within a decade, it became gamblers’ favorite and the main contributor to casinos’ gross revenue. This paper traces the main developments of this transition, particularly the role of the inventors, entrepreneurs, and the business context that made it possible. Decisively shaped by the culture of the casino floor and advancements in computer technology, the emergence of the microprocessor slot machine involved the gradual replacement of mechanical parts with digital components and created new opportunities for casino managers.

Mountain Monitor-4th Quarter 2011, Mark Muro, Kenan Fikri

Mountain Monitor Quarterly

Recovery was firmly underway in the Intermountain West by the fourth quarter of 2011 but its pace varied considerably across the region’s 10 major metropolitan areas. Six of the 10 metros saw job growth in the fourth quarter but only four saw it accelerate over the previous one. Output grew everywhere but only in half of the region’s metros did the pace of growth quicken. The unemployment rate was down across the board from one year earlier. House prices in most markets stabilized. Yet signs of a robust, sustained, and self-fueling recovery remained elusive.

National economic indicators from early 2012 …

Containment And Virtualization Slot Technology And The Remaking Of The Casino Industry, Kah-Wee Lee

Occasional Papers

This paper examines how the casino industry was transformed by slot technology between 1950 and 1990. The criminalization of slot machines in the 1950s led to their massive evacuation into Las Vegas casinos. In this concentrated environment, slot machines revealed to casino operators an automated surveillance technology that could disassemble the player into streams of virtual data, not through any overt means, but through the very activity of play itself. Slot managers and gaming technologists found themselves empowered professionally as they experimented with ways to transform data into profits. From the 1970s to the 90s, this technological development effectively linked …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending January 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV’s President Smatresk has reiterated his commitment to the WBR project and has further committed full funding for IT and security costs.
• UNLV participated in a one-half day meeting with BLM to discuss the future WBR operating agreement between BLM and UNLV; UNLV participated in a 1.5 day meeting to review the 100% Design drawings.
• UNLV continues to wait on BLM for direction on how to mitigate the continuing deterioration of the ranch house.
• Weather station research continues and has produced the following this past quarter. 1) Ground-source heat pump (GSHP) Vs Photovoltaic (PV) technology: A detailed analysis comparing these …

Souls/Soles Of Signs Tell Totems And The Sphinx Wager, Darryl A. Smith M.Div., Ph.D.

Occasional Papers

This paper develops a philosophy of play through an analysis of the foot wager of the Sphinx. Applying a construction of the cosmology of Plato along with a Socratic etymology of her riddle’s answer, it provides a reading of Sphingian contestation consistent with contemporary practices of deception found in modern games like poker. I argue that such deception is constitutive of the excessive illumination of signaling tells in games and that such excess, in turn, is indicative in allied political contexts of a covetous and acquisitive obsession with light. This theory makes use also of Ralph Ellison’s refiguring of Oedipal …