8 minute read
Vegas INC: North Las Vegas takes steps to protect small businesses
BY KELCIE GREGA
Kerri Dahl is determined to spread her appreciation for music to others in North Las Vegas. It’s her life’s work, and something she’s so passionate about, she provides a ordable lessons to community members at her in-home business, Dahl Studio.
But the music stopped in mid-March after Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered all nonessential businesses closed to combat the spread of the coronavirus. That meant no more in-person lessons. No more private lessons. And especially no more group classes at assisted-living facilities.
It also meant a drastic cut in income.
Dahl tried applying for federal aid but quickly became tangled in a snarl of bureaucratic red tape. She initially wasn’t sure if she quali ed for aid because the federal Paycheck Protection Program loans were designed for small businesses with employees.
That’s where the City of North Las Vegas stepped in, lending a hand through its small business outreach initiative.
When the city temporarily closed its o ces to the public, o cials began exploring how sta ers could help businesses a ected by the shutdown.
The city library was converted into a business outreach call center, proactively making 7,000 calls to business owners to notify them of the governor’s order and provide information about federal aid programs.
Goynes-Brown said although the pandemic will have unprecedented economic e ects on North Las Vegas, a signi cant economic downturn isn’t “our rst rodeo.” The city is drawing on lessons from the Great Recession, understanding the importance of cities providing businesses with all the help they can.
The city’s public information o ce has been busy, too, sending weekly email blasts about business-related programs and opportunities from the state and federal government, spokesman Patrick Walker said.
To help businesses weather the crisis, the city is easing certain burdens, like allowing grace periods for paying license renewal fees. It’s also guiding businesses through the federal loan application process.
Lewis said the city wanted to make sure business owners knew not only where to go to get aid, but that there was a limited timeline for securing those funds. “They needed to act right away to make sure they submitted their applications and got all their information together ... before [the money] ran out,” he said. The library is also providing residents with information on how to obtain unemployment bene ts and other general information for the public, Lewis said.
That kind of research is “in our wheelhouse,” said Lewis, noting that the library has also done work over the years on workforce training and development.
“On top of that, we had a lot of our front-line sta — with the public not allowed in the library— nding things that they can do to ... be useful,” Lewis said.
Dahl said the library provided her information about how to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan, a process that was easier than she expected.
The city’s marathon through the crisis isn’t over, Goynes-Brown said, adding that the library will likely be used again as a call center to answer questions once businesses return to some level of normalcy.
“When the governor does lift those restrictions to do a phased approach, we’ll make sure we work on a plan to get people the information they need,” she said. Forrest Lewis, director of the North Las Vegas Library District (Wade Vandervort/Staff) North Las Vegas keeps small businesses from getting left behind
VegasInc Notes
Bridge Counseling Associates selected OneSeven Agency as its agency of record to develop and implement strategic public relations campaigns. Bridge is Nevada’s only Urban Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic.
Clark County School District Police Chief Jim Ketsaa retired after nearly a decade on the job. He started as a campus officer after working as a firefighter and police officer in New York. Since being appointed chief in 2012, Ketsaa spearheaded a number of safety measures, including the random weapons search program, and implementation of the motors unit, K9 unit and SafeVoice. SR Construction, a designbuild general contractor, was awarded a 2020 Vista Award by the American Society for Health Care Engineering for Henderson Hospital. The hospital received Best New Construction recognition. The facility accommodates 170 private beds, an emergency department, six operating rooms and a topfloor women’s department that includes a 12-bed NICU. The Vista Awards recognize significant collaboration in creating optimal health care environments and celebrate teamwork and excellence in health care facility projects. Nevada State College hired June Eastridge, Ed.D., MSN, RN, CNE, COI, as dean of the School of Nursing. She worked for more than two decades as a registered nurse specializing in trauma and critical care in New Mexico. During this time, Eastridge earned her tenure as an associate professor at the University of New Mexico, where she helped develop statewide nursing curriculums. She joined the Nevada State College faculty in 2014 as a lecturer and later became the pre-licensure program director, playing an active role in recent efforts to integrate caring science into the curriculum. Eastridge
Caesars Entertainment received the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional WasteWise Award for sustainable business practices. Caesars is one of three organizations recognized for this achievement in the Pacific Southwest Region. EPA recognizes WasteWise partners who report year-toyear improvement in waste prevention and recycling. Colliers International brokers Mike Mixer, managing executive director, and Grant Traub, senior vice president, were recognized by the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors for their 2019 real estate transactions. Mixer and Traub were recognized in the memberto-member category for having the largest dollar volume transaction, with the collaborative sale of a 50,747-square-foot alternative space for $21.1 million. Mixer was also awarded in an additional category for having the Mixer Traub
largest nonmember-to-member dollar volume transaction, with a 60-acre sale of land for $130 million. Maria Montelongo was promoted to market manager for Nevada State Bank’s retail operations in Southern Nevada. Montelongo joins a newly formed team that includes two other market managers, Donna Haberman and Andrew Chewning, and is led by area retail region manager Ryan Jenkins. In Montelongo’s new role, she will assist bank branches on the northern side of Las Vegas and Mesquite, reinforcing and implementing processes and routines with a focus on growing revenue while providing extraordinary service. The Nevada Department of Agriculture hired Dr. Amy Mitchell as the new state veterinarian. Mitchell will be stationed at the department’s Las Vegas office and travel throughout the state to oversee Nevada’s animal health programs, regulatory procedures and department laboratories. She joins the department from the private industry, where she managed a veterinary relief services busiMontelongo
ness. She brings with her 18 years of experience in various aspects of veterinary medicine, including private practice and teaching. Her background includes large and small animal medicine, as well as herd health management. Clark County School District appointed longtime Nevada educator Brenda Larsen-Mitchell as deputy superintendent of schools. Larsen-Mitchell currently is chief curriculum, instruction and assessment officer for the district. She has been a member of CCSD since 1994 and has held several positions, including teacher, dean of students, assistant principal, building principal, executive director in curriculum and school associate superintendent. Gov. Steve Sisolak appointed Heather Korbulic as interim director of the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. Since September 2016, Korbulic has served as executive director of the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange. She will continue to serve in an advisory role. Larsen-Mitchell
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