issioner David Stern Keynote Speaker for Chambers February 14 Membership Luncheon
For the complete event calendar,
see page 16
Features
From My Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3

Chamber News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6

Executive Edge
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8

President's Club/
Board of Advisors Spotlight
. . .
18
Ribbon Cuttings . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20
Photo Gallery
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
28

Quick Calendar
Details on
page 4
Tuesday, February 13
Member Briefing
4:00 - 4:30 p .m . Registration
4:30 - 5:30 p .m . Program
5:30 - 6:30 p .m . Mixer
Location: Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce
Conference Center
3720 Howard Hughes Pkwy
Thursday, February 15
Business After Hours
5:30 - 7:00 p .m .
Location: Nite Tours International
2310 S . Highland Dr .
Wednesday, February 21
Chamber Voices Toastmasters
11:45 a .m . - 1:00 p .m .
Location: Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce
Conference Center
3720 Howard Hughes Pkwy
he NBA All-Star Game is coming
to Las Vegas and the Las Vegas
Chamber of Commerce has a
unique opportunity for you to gain
an inside perspective into the National
Basketball Association (NBA).
NBA Commissioner David Stern is
the featured speaker at the Chambers
February 14 Membership
Luncheon. Stern has cre-
ated one of the best sports
business models in the
nation and leads a league
that is consistently touted
as a model for professional
sports in operations, pub-
lic service, global market-
ing and digital technology.
Recognized for his efforts
to completely revamp the
worldwide image of the
NBA, Stern will share his
business philosophy and
offer insight into how
the NBA has successfully
expanded its brand.
Stern was unanimously
elected the fourth commis-
sioner of the NBA in early 1984. Since
that time he has overseen the addition
of seven NBA franchises, a 15-fold
increase in revenues and a considerable
expansion in NBA national television
exposure. Stern was also behind the
NBAs launch of the Womens National
Basketball Association and the NBA
Development League.
February

2007
Vol . 27 No . 2
Routing Slip
Please share
The Business Voice

with others
NBA Commissioner David Stern
Keynote Speaker for Chambers
February 14 Membership Luncheon
T
continued on page 6
VYP First Anniversary
Membership Services Hotline:
(702) 641-LVCC (5822)
Membership Sales
735-2718
Advertising Sales
735-3803
Administration & Finance
735-4515
Marketing
735-2451
Customer Service Excellence
641-5822
Executive
735-2450
Foundation
735-7586
Government Affairs
735-2460
InfoCenter
735-1616
Leadership Las Vegas
735-1261
Member Health Benefits
796-9100
Editorial Policy:
The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce
welcomes input, ideas and suggestions
from our members . As with any periodi-
cal, we must adhere to strict deadlines
and we reserve the right to edit all
materials submitted for publication .
Commentaries that are marked as such
do not necessarily reflect the opinion
or position of the Chamber, its trustees
or employees . The Chamber cannot
guarantee the validity or accuracy of
the contents of paid advertisements .
Questions or concerns about content
of The Business Voice can be addressed
to Vice President of Marketing, LVCC,
3720 Howard Hughes Pkwy ., Las Vegas,
NV 89169-0916 .
LVCC Member Services
Helpful Hints:

All submissions must be typewritten
or e-mailed and must include a con-
tact name and number . Limit the number of releases you
send to the single most important
happening in your organization . No advertisements will be printed in
the Member News section . No phone numbers will be listed in
the Member News section, with the
exception of non-profit organizations . Outdated material will not be
published . Membership dues must be current
for submissions to be printed .
The Chamber reserves the right to
make the final edit on all submissions .
The Business Voice (USPS #717-970)
is published by The Las Vegas
Chamber of Commerce.
3720 Howard Hughes Pkwy .
Las Vegas, NV 89169-0916
Annual Subscription $25
Periodical postage paid at Las Vegas, NV
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce
3720 Howard Hughes Pkwy .
Las Vegas, NV 89169-0916
Chairman of the Board
Larry Kifer
Lilack, Inc .
Chair - Elect
Fafie Moore
Realty Executives of Nevada
Immediate Past Chairman
John Wilcox
Irwin Union Bank
Trustees
Executive Committee
Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees
Bob Ansara
Ricardos of Las Vegas, Inc .
Charles Atwood
Harrahs Entertainment, Inc .
Leo Brennan
Cox Communications
Bob Brown
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Senator Richard Bryan
Lionel Sawyer & Collins
Doris Charles
Wells Fargo Bank
Robbie Graham
Nevada Title Co .
Kevin Orrock
The Howard Hughes Corp .
Gina Polovina
Boyd Gaming Corp .
Kevin Rabbitt
GES Exposition Services
David J . Smith
DJS Consulting
Bruce Spotleson
Greenspun Media Group
Vice Chair - Finance
John Haycock
Haycock Petroleum
Vice Chair - Government Affairs
Steve Hill
Silver State Materials
Vice Chair - Marketing
Steve Wood
Sierra Pacific Resources
Nancy Wong
Arcata Associates, Inc .
Richard S . Worthington
The Molasky Group of Companies
Vice Chair - Membership
John Thedinga
American Family Insurance
Cornelius Eason
Priority Staffing, USA
Kristin McMillan
EMBARQ
Kara J . Kelley
President & CEO
Membership Services Hotline:
(702) 641-LVCC (5822)
Membership Sales
735-2718
Advertising Sales
735-3803
Administration & Finance
735-4515
Marketing
735-2451
Customer Service Excellence
641-5822
Executive
735-2450
Foundation
735-7586
Government Affairs
735-2460
InfoCenter
735-1616
Leadership Las Vegas
735-1261
Member Health Benefits
796-9100
Vegas Young Professionals
735-2196
Editorial Policy:
The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce
welcomes input, ideas and suggestions
from our members . As with any periodi-
cal, we must adhere to strict deadlines
and we reserve the right to edit all
materials submitted for publication .
Commentaries that are marked as such
do not necessarily reflect the opinion
or position of the Chamber, its trustees
or employees . The Chamber cannot
guarantee the validity or accuracy of
the contents of paid advertisements .
Questions or concerns about content
of The Business Voice can be addressed
to Vice President of Marketing, LVCC,
3720 Howard Hughes Pkwy ., Las Vegas,
NV 89169-0916 .
Kara Kelley
For more than a decade I have been involved
with monitoring public policy on behalf of the
business community, and during that time Ive
watched the face of our elected representatives
change. Every year we see fewer and fewer
people elected to office who have walked in
the shoes of a small busi-
ness owner. Most of our
electeds do not know the
feeling of taking your
own money or taking a
bank loan backed by the
equity in your home and
risk it on a business idea.
So few do we find in Ne-
vadas elected leadership
who have had to forego
a paycheck of their own
to ensure they can pay
their employees. Policy
is being made by people
who, for the most part,
have no personal experi-
ence on what it is like to own or run a business.
This is why they need to hear from you.
Heading into the 2007 legislative session, our
elected representatives are charged with deal-
ing with a number of challenging, complex
issues, many with far-ranging implications.
If they adopt programs and projects that are
only partially or temporarily funded, they may
create momentary goodwill or offer up a tem-
porary fix, but what they are essentially doing
is creating an enormous future burden on tax-
payers most likely, business taxpayers. When
two years go by, and funding for these projects
evaporates, who will the legislature turn to?
One of the prime targets is the business com-
munity.
I cant stress enough the importance of every
business owner taking a serious interest in
what takes place at the legislature in coming
months. Educate yourself on whats going on.
Monitor legislation that could impact your
business. Opt to receive legislative updates
from the Chamber so that youre in the loop.
Understand the facts behind our biggest chal-
lenges.
One of the Chambers key priorities is our
budget surplus. A surplus should not be fun-
neled into new programs and pet projects that
lack future funding support. We should bolster
our rainy day fund and invest the surplus in
one-shot capital improvement projects. A sur-
plus represents an opportunity to proactively
address issues related to critical infrastructure
that we will undoubtedly need in the near fu-
ture.
Second, we must reform Nevadas Public Em-
ployee Retirement System (PERS). Today, the
PERS pension program faces a $5.7 billion li-
ability with an additional significant liability
on the retirement health aspect, as well.
Third, the state must make transportation in-
frastructure funding a key priority. We must
also continue working toward creating equi-
table solutions for addressing issues such as
accessible housing, water availability and im-
provement in health care and education.
Its time to actively engage. Inform yourself
about the issues that could impact your busi-
ness. When we issue a