Made In Nevada - Nevada Spirit

Spirit

Growing Nevada Business

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NevadaSpirit 2015

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Growing Nevada Business

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Spirit

The staffs at Made in Nevada (MIN) and the Nevada Small Business Development Center (Nevada SBDC), both key supporters of small business start-ups in the state, use the same word — “energy” — in describing the environment today surrounding aspiring entrepreneurs eager to take the plunge.

To foster even more support, MIN is now officially affiliated with Nevada SBDC. This merger brings together two of Nevada’s most respected and established groups, who have long histories of supporting fledgling and established small businesses throughout the state.

Last year the Nevada SBDC created/retained over 450 jobs, started 136 new businesses and identified over $18.7 million in funding to support small businesses.

This coming together of kindred spirits means MIN members

NevadaSpirit™ is a registered publication of Made in Nevada

Made in Nevada Officers and Board Members Jo Anne Hill Hill’s Handcrafted Soaps Made in Nevada, President Sam Males Nevada Small Business Development Center State Director Kimberly Elliott Silver Bighorn Company Advisory Board

NevadaSpirit 2015

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Nevada Entrepreneurs are Energized can access benefits such as free counseling with in-the-trenches business experts, training, marketing opportunities, identifying funding sources as well as enhanced visibility through a statewide organization.

Telling the stories of some of its clients in the pages of Nevada Spirit is emblematic of some of the education, information and support both groups provide to help make young companies market ready and guide existing businesses to grow even more to support our economy.

This edition of Nevada Spirit shows how very cool it is to not only start a business, but to also spotlight the kinds of challenges encountered by manufacturers, entrepreneurs and business people who work every day in Nevada’s

big cities, small towns and the wide expanses of farming, ranching and mining country.

Many new small businesses, and those people trying to start one, are seen as innovators and job creators, which is much appreciated in Nevada, where until recently, unemployment has been relatively high even as the recession the state was in appears to be in the rearview mirror.

We share with you the stories of these special people who continue to build solid reputations as purveyors of high quality products made, caught or grown in Nevada — not only doing a brisk business in the Silver State but also taking Nevada-made products beyond our state’s borders. ●

This publication is underwritten by members of Made in Nevada, an initiative with the Nevada SBDC. Nevada SBDC is a partnership program funded by U.S. SBA, and state and local governments and entities.

Office: Nevada Small Business Development Center University of Nevada, Reno/Mail Stop 0032 Reno, NV 89557-0032 (775) 327-2340 www.madeinnevada.org Content development, graphic design and publication overseen by: Northern Nevada Business Weekly 5355 Kietzke Lane, Ste. 100 • Reno, NV 89511 Phone: (775) 770-1173 • www.nnbw.com The editorial content decisions are those of Made in Nevada.

Copyright 2015 Made in Nevada. All rights reserved.

To obtain additional copies or purchase reprints of Nevada Spirit articles visit the Made in Nevada website.

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Growing Nevada Business

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BVW Jewelers

Reno jeweler offers unique niche

Britten Wolf, owner of BVW Jewelers and a custom designer, uses fire to finish a ring for a customer.

Photos courtesy Anicia Beckwith/Pixella Photography

7 High-tech intersects with the ancient craft of jewelry creation at BVW Jewelers in Reno.

Owner Britton Wolf and his staff of four can take a customer’s general concept for a custom jewelry piece and design it in detail in minutes using a computer automated design (CAD) program.

“Having CAD technology has made custom jewelry a totally different production than even two years ago,” Wolf said.

He demonstrated by designing a diamond band on the computer screen, adjusting its thickness and beveling. The complete design took a couple minutes and the final screen version looked as real as a photograph.

“The trick to a lot of jewelry design back in the day (of hand drawing) was figuring out how many stones was it going to take to fill in a certain space. It’s tricky,” Wolf said. “Now what we can do is see precisely how many stones it will have, plus the metal thickness.

We know how the stones look all the way around.”

From the realistic representation of the jewelry piece on the computer screen — where the customers can see exactly what they are getting — the design goes to a 3D printer. In a few hours, the printer creates an exact, plastic replica of the piece, which is then used as the form for casting, followed by more traditional techniques for stone setting and finish work.

“There’s very little waste, especially of time. We can turn it around very quickly,” Wolf said.

“Our setup here is unique to northern Nevada. Some (jewelry stores) do custom work, but they send it out. We have a design center.”

The showroom of BVW Jewelers is designed to be open and feature original art by local artists. The art is for sale and 5 percent of proceeds are donated to Backpacks for Kids.

Wolf has been making jewelry for 30 years, beginning with his stepparents’ Southwestern-style jewelry store. He moved to Reno 26 years ago, found an apprenticeship, then began making custom jewelry in a home studio for other jewelry stores.

“A lot of the lines that we carry, we try to make very unique, things that other places don’t have.”

Several years ago, he and his wife Michelle, decided to start their own, unique jewelry store. They tapped into the Nevada Small Business Development Center at University of Nevada Reno and the SBA to get started.

BVW Jewelers opened about two years ago in South Reno in the Southcreek Shopping Center. BVW has a staff of four in addition to the Wolfs.

“Up and coming” jewelry artist Jeanette Maxwell Santiago also works in the shop to create original jewelry.

In the jewelry cases, BVW Jewelers displays some of its original designs as well as jewelry from other designers, including Fana Bridal Designs and Diadori.

“A lot of the lines that we carry, we try to make very unique,” he said. “Things that other places don’t have.”

BVW Jewelers was recognized in August as one of America’s Coolest Jewelry Stores

by INSTORE, a magazine for jewelry-store owners. BVW placed fourth in the Small Cool division for stores with five or fewer employees, out of 118 stores entered in the 14th annual contest.

“From its bar-height cases to its custom designs within, BVW Jewelers easily falls into that category,” Ralf Kircher, INSTORE’s executive editor said in a press release about BVW’s “Cool” designation. “But a store wouldn’t really fit our ‘cool’ criteria if it weren’t for such aspects as innovative marketing, superb customer service and a unique work culture.”

BVW Jewelers’ CAD program is not the only thing that makes it unique.

The shop has an open layout. Instead of jewelry cases on the wall, art is exhibited, featuring work by established and emerging local artists with Art Spot Reno co-op. The artwork is for sale and 5 percent of the shop’s commission is donated to the Backpacks for Kids program, operated by the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. Proceeds from watch battery sales also go to the Food Bank. continued on page 8

Growing Nevada Business

8 BVW, continued from page 7 “We believe in giving to the community,” Wolf said.

The BVW staff also seeks to care for the community of the world.

The jeweler supports Diamond Development Initiative International (DDI) in its efforts to better the lives of artisanal diamond diggers in Africa and South America, and thereby fight the conflicts and abuse of large-scale diamond mining.

While providing mined diamonds for customers who want them, BVW also offers gems from Pure Grown Diamonds.

“They’re real diamonds, but they’re not natural because they didn’t come from the ground,” Wolf said.

Grown diamonds have the same physical, chemical and optical properties as mined diamonds. They also receive the same certification.

Whether mined or made, customers can know exactly where their diamonds came from, Wolf said.

BVW Jewelers also provides a variety of services including jewelry repair and cleaning, pearl and bead restringing, watch repair, appraisals, and financing.

BVW Jewelers is located at 35 Foothill Road Suite 3 in Reno. For more information, call 775-622-9015 or go to the website at www.bvwjewelers.com. ●

Three stages in the creation of a “wow” ring for a customer of BVW Jewelers is seen, with a 19 carat pink tourmaline as the featured stone. On the right is the CAD-designed ring.

In the center is the 3D printer version of the ring used for casting the final creation, which is in the photo on the left.

Photos courtesy BVW Jewelers

NevadaSpirit 2015

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Growing Nevada Business

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Space Age writing Cary Fisher remembers his dad, Paul C. Fisher, constantly tinkering with ballpoint pen mechanics to make a better ballpoint pen — one that didn’t leak, glob and dry out. Not all that exciting to a teenager in the 1960s, at least to begin with.

The younger Fisher realized his dad’s tinkering had accomplished something special, “When I started meeting astronauts,” he said.

Fisher is now the president of the company formed by his father, Boulder Citybased Fisher Space Pen. In the 1960s, Paul Fisher owned Fisher Pen Co. in Chicago. He patented a couple product improvements, including a universal pen cartridge, but it was his pressurized pen and special ink formula that paid off.

Paul Fisher’s pen not only solved the problems of regular ballpoint pens, but also worked upside down, in extreme temperatures, on wet or greasy surfaces and without gravity.

At the same time Fisher was perfecting his pen, NASA officials were searching for a safe and effective writing instrument for use in space. Pencil leads tend to easily break off, creating a hazard in 0-gravity, and ballpoint pens don’t work at all. Other writing tools also had issues in space conditions.

NASA tested Fisher’s pens for two years before giving the A-OK. In 1968, Apollo 7 astronauts took Fisher’s pens to space. The following year, cosmonauts began taking them on Soyuz space flights.

The Space Pen even saved the first astronauts on the moon.

Only recently has the story of Apollo 11’s close call been made public. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin climbed back into the Lunar Module one of the astronaut’s backpacks brushed against and broke the plastic arming switch needed to activate the engines to lift off the moon.

Almost all their tools had been discarded to lighten the load for lift off, but they still had their Fisher Space Pens. A scientist at Houston Space Center testing options realized the hollow tip of a retracted pen could be inserted into the mechanism to flip over a metal strip to activate the switch.

It worked, and the astronauts returned to Earth to a heroes’ welcome.

Today, Fisher Space Pens are not only standard equipment in space, but also have found their way into the Oval Office, the Smithsonian, on Mount Everest, on TV shows, in movies, in the pockets of professionals, and gift boxes around the world.

Fisher Space Pen began in Chicago, moved to Van Nuys, Calif., then found a permanent home in Boulder City, Nevada.

Dad “was not happy with California taxes,” Cary Fisher said. “He was looking for some place with a better tax climate and an international airport.”

In 1976, the Fisher Space Pen manufacturing facility moved into a vacant 30,000-square-foot manufacturing plant on 50 acres in Boulder City.

Paul Fisher retired in 1996, turning over the company to his son, Cary. Paul died in 2006 at the age of 93.

Cary Fisher, president of Fisher Space Pen, stands in the Boulder City plant his father, Paul Fisher, started.

The company makes the pressurized pens used in the space program.

Photo courtesy Fisher Space Pen

NevadaSpirit 2015

11 Fisher Space Pen remains a small company with a family feel. Many of its 65 employees have been with the company for decades, including Dock Wong, who co-owns the company with Cary Fisher.

Fisher Space Pens come in a variety of styles including this pen with the U.S. Flag. All are pressurized and usable in extreme conditions.

“We were a stick pen business with pens that sold for 39 cents and $5 was a lot to spend for a pen back then. It took awhile to successfully market it.”

Wong began working at the original Fisher Pen Co. in Chicago 57 years ago when he was a college student. He never left. He moved with the company from Chicago to Boulder City, and from Fisher Pen Co. to Fisher Space Pen. Wong is part of the legacy that ensures Paul Fisher’s Space Pens continue to be made with precision.

The manufacturing process is much the same as it was nearly 50 years ago.

“We have jewelry-finished products,” Cary Fisher said. “We almost have to do that by hand.”

Inventing the pen that NASA used didn’t immediately translate into prosperity for the company, which had invested about $1 million in the pen’s creation.

“We were a stick pen business with pens that sold for 39 cents and $5 was a lot to spend for a pen back then (in the 1960s),” Fisher said. “It took awhile to successfully market it.”

Today Space Pens come in a variety of styles that sell from $10 to more than $200.

The purchase of a quality engraver a few years ago allowed the company to ramp up engravings, Fisher said.

“Before, we only did engraving if it was special ordered,” he said.

Space Pens can still be custom engraved with a name or specialized design. They are also manufactured with themed designs including religious, holidays, American flags, air & space, and even fashionable themes like zombies and hearts.

Although Fisher Space Pen has created products in the past for Star Wars, Star Trek and Apollo 13, the cost of licensing proved unprofitable.

“It is such a niche market, it didn’t pay for the investments,” Fisher said.

On the marketing side, Fisher Space Pen is ramping up promotions to niche industries that should prove profitable.

Because the space pen writes in extreme temperatures and wet conditions as well as upside down, it’s uniquely adaptable to people who work and play in extreme conditions

Photo courtesy Fisher Space Pen

including firefighters, oil-rig workers, mountain climbers, and “anybody who works outdoors,” Fisher said.

The company is also staying abreast with the future of space exploration. Space tourism, being pursued by such visionaries as SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson, will create a new surge in the need for the 0-gravity pen.

“We’re working on some new products and trying to stay in the eye of these guys who are trying to do space tourism,” Fisher said. “But since they’re not flying yet, they don’t have a need for our Space Pens. We attend all the symposiums so when they do fly, I hope they remember us, or we’ll find them.”

Improved target marketing plus a hopeful future for space exploration is helping Fisher Space Pen through new challenges in the modern economy.

“Retailing is going through a huge change,” Fisher said. The growth of the Internet economy has “made it a little harder to grow business. Our biggest customers traditionally are REI, Office Depot, and Staples.

Amazon is making them suffer.”

Outsourcing has also hit the Space Pen company, which strives to get it’s supplies from U.S. sources, Fisher said.

“A lot of suppliers have gone out of business or overseas,” he said. “It’s hard to source parts here in the U.S. We’re making more of our own parts.”

Despite challenges, Fisher Space Pen will continue to be a Nevada product.

Besides the tax and regulation factors, Nevada programs help small businesses in many ways.

The Nevada Industry Excellence (NVIE) programs for training, has “helped our training and to upgrade our staff,” Fisher said.

“I think Nevada is a pretty good place to have a company.” ●

Growing Nevada Business

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Fresh frozen yogurt the formula for entrepreneurs Reno entrepreneurs John Hurst and his brother-in-law, Steve Nabors, started new careers in 2010 when they began designing the Yogurt Beach family-friendly food experience. The goal was to make each store a “10-minute vacation spot” with a whimsical surf-themed atmosphere, excellent customer service and a wide selection of fresh flavors and toppings to satisfy every palate.

In food service sales for years, Hurst was always “passionate” about frozen yogurt.

But he knew the industry was, “90 percent copycats, with cafeteria-type lines, using the same machines and ingredients,“ he says. So Yogurt Beach has taken another approach.

“Our business model is about differentiation — we provide the highest quality products, with the best possible Italian equipment, using our signature recipes made in house and providing a fun, relaxing setting.”

The company is guided by what Hurst calls “the three Ps: we believe in our people first, hiring great young adults and training them well, he says. “Product — offer the very best possible. And the process — managing our daily operations.” He explains that Yogurt Beach pricing is below the industry average of 49 cents per ounce with their pricing running between 39 and 44 cents per ounce, depending on the market.

“Who doesn’t love the beach, especially if you’re land-locked?”

There is an emphasis on innovation at the company so Hurst and his team are always looking ahead to new product ideas. On the horizon are coffee drinks, smoothies and new gelato flavors.

Yogurt Beach doesn’t use traditional advertising to build traffic. Instead, community service has been at the heart of their marketing strategy from the beginning. “We connect with the community we’re in by helping with fundraising in schools, youth groups and local sports,” he says. They do this

NevadaSpirit 2015

Frozen yogurt machines offer a variety of flavors.

Courtesy Yogurt Beach

by partnering with an organization to host an in-store event and contributing a portion of revenue (typically 20-30 percent) for one day or having an organization sell Yogurt Beach gift cards with 25 percent of revenue returned to the partner. In 2014, the company reported donating more than $20,000 to schools and organizations in northern Nevada.

So far the Yogurt Beach concept is gaining traction with five corporate shops in Reno/Sparks as well as licensee sites in Gardnerville, Carson City, Napierville, IL and three in the greater Boston, MA region.

The company has taken a different approach to expansion too. “We decided to offer licenses, rather than franchising,” Hurst says. “We want owner/operators who will be part of their community. We don’t make them jump through as many hoops, so they have more freedom. Unlike a franchise, we don’t take a percentage of sales so they get to keep the fruits of their labors. Our job is to help them maintain the brand.” He anticipates adding no more than three to four shops per year and keeping a small business, locally focused philosophy.

A father of three, Hurst says their focus has always been to make each store a place his family can enjoy and be proud about and he’s gratified by the progress so far. The idea evolved because he wanted to stop traveling and be home more as his children were growing.

“Who doesn’t love the beach, especially if you’re land-locked?” he says. “People tell us we’re helping them make memories and that’s just great!” ●

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Tahoe Trail Bar offers a healthy and tasty snack option for consumers while they are enjoying the adventures of the outdoors.

“I wanted to make a bar that tasted better,” Wes King, the chief executive officer of the company, said. “The taste was suffering in a lot of bars.”

Today, hundreds of thousands of bars are sold in more than 500 retail locations in northern Nevada and northern California.

“I took a risk and said, ‘I am going to see where this can go’ and it is the best thing I ever did,” King said.

Tahoe Trail Bar started out being made by two girls in the kitchen of a local South Lake Tahoe coffee shop. The bar was made in the shape of a pound cake and the coffee shop employees would cut off slices when a customer ordered a piece.

King saw potential for the bar past the small coffee shop market. He got involved with the product and began directly selling to more businesses in the South Lake Tahoe area.

King bought out the product from the girls and started expanding the Tahoe Trail Bar’s reach.

Eventually, King expanded his market base to include North Shore, then to other areas in northern Nevada and northern California.

“I would drive around in my Subaru and sell businesses twelve bars and then go back and make more,” said King.

Due to an increase in sales, he started producing Tahoe Trail Bar in a commercial kitchen in Carson City. He would buy large bulks of Toll House chocolate chips and Quaker Oats from Costco to make the bars.

When King learned the Tahoe Trail Bar could be mass-produced without compromising the quality of the taste he knew that was the way to go.

In 2014, King switched his distribution model from direct store distribution to placing the bars in larger grocery store chains such as Raley’s, Whole Foods, Safeway, Nugget Markets, athletic shops and ski resorts throughout the United States.

“Scaling production yourself can only get you so far,” King said. “Our hand was forced; we could not physically keep up (with demand). I can now focus on branding, on marketing, and on putting the product in front of more people and making sure we are still hitting our target on quality.”

Tahoe Trail Bar forges ahead 2014 was the company’s biggest growth year. They added their product to more than 300 locations and grew by more than 100 percent.

And the company’s growth has not stopped there.

According to King, the company grew by 25 percent in 2015 and they are not only getting new distributors but they are constantly retaining their old distributors.

One of his main goals is to keep the highquality ingredients and good taste.

“I don’t want to change anything,” said King. “I want the business to stay on the smaller side so we can control the quality and make good partnerships.”

The company currently has three employees but King said that he hopes they will eventually employ somewhere between six to ten people. He also hopes to add different flavors and increase the company’s imprint over the new few years.

King makes it a priority to give back to the local community.

Tahoe Trail Bar supports many organizations in the Lake Tahoe Basin such as 1% for the Planet, High Fives Non-Profit Foundation, Tahoe Rim Trail Association, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association and others.

“We like to make others’ outdoor experience better,” King said about Tahoe Trail Bar. “I wouldn’t say that we are that experience, but I like to think that our product does a little piece in (making that experience better).” ●

Tahoe Trail Bars provide consumers with “fuel for the journey” and are sold in more than 500 locations.

Courtesy Tahoe Trail Bar

Growing Nevada Business

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Personal touch makes Roxxy’s cosmetics popular As a massage therapist to the Los Angeles in-crowd, Roxxy McQueen began experimenting with various combinations of natural moisturizers, essential oils and fragrant herbs.

Over the years, she built up a stock of favorite combinations and gradually added to her variety of potions to include, not just massage lotions but also lip balm, face wash, facemasks, bar soap and more, and began selling on the side.

Her customer base grew more sluggishly.

McQueen’s personal principles prevented her from marketing to her captive massage audience.

“It’s not my policy to pitch to my (massage) clients,” she said. After a good massage, they just wanted to relax. “It was not a situation to grow.”

About seven years ago, McQueen stepped out of her comfort zone and headed to Reno to give Roxxy’s Star Cosmetics her full attention. She had a plan that if it didn’t work out in Nevada, she would head to New York, then to Europe.

“It just happened to work out here,” she said. And she got a Nevada bonus.

“I met the love of my life,” she said.

Twenty-five years since she first began experimenting with lotions and fragrances, McQueen blends and packages all her handmade, plant-based, all natural skin-care products herself at her home in Sparks, which

she shares with her husband, Robert and dog, Ozzy. She also designs and makes the labels for each product.

Roxxy’s bestsellers include Amazing Earth Deluxe Clay Facial Mask, Vegan Star Camera Ready Face Wash, LiQuid Body Spritzer, Vegan Star Certified Moisture Replenish Cream, Nevada Black Soap and lip balm — 125 flavors of lip balm!

McQueen sells a few products online at Etsy and her products can be found at the Whole Foods store in Reno, area Scolari’s and she recently received a green light to place Roxxy’s Star Cosmetics in hundreds of Walgreens stores. Specially packaged lip balm products are sold at Wolf Pack shops.

“I like being out there showing my product. It’s the best, finest product and I attract the best people.”

While distribution through major stores is great for business, what McQueen enjoys most is meeting people and sharing her products in person. She enjoys taking Roxxy’s Star Cosmetics to arts and craft fairs.

“I prefer more one on one,” she said, the day after returning from a trip to the Bay Area where she sold her cosmetics at an upscale market on Treasure Island. The following weekend she was headed back to the Bay Area and then to a one-day food, arts and crafts fair in South Lake Tahoe.

“I have a large following,” she said. “I’m busy a lot.”

She still finds time to continue experimenting. Recently she started selling Glitter Goddess, a line of metallic glitters popular with teens and young women, all containing moisturizer to improve skin health while adding sparkle.

“Right now I’m just focusing on getting my cosmetics from my hands to the public’s hands,” she said.

“I like being out there showing my product. It’s the best, finest product and I attract the best people.”

Those interested in checking out Roxxy’s Star Cosmetics can find her online at RoxxysStarCosmetics.com or drop her an email at roxxy@roxxysstarcosmetics.com.

She’d love to meet you. ●

Roxxy McQueen at her booth at the Sample the Sierra event in South Lake Tahoe. McQueen enjoys meeting people and showing her Roxxy’s Star Cosmetics line.

Photo courtesy Jack Barnwell/Tahoe Daily Tribune

NevadaSpirit 2015

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Hall’s Honey is a family run business, which produces and packages honey in Nevada’s Mason and Smith Valleys.

Debbie Gilmore and her husband Andy Joyner run Hall’s Honey with the help of Gilmore’s son Ryan Gilmore, his fiancée Carrie Baker and Gilmore’s sister Linda Romero.

The business goes back to 1918 when Gilmore’s great grandfather and beekeeper, Fletcher Hall and his brother Clarence came to Mason Valley. Fletcher’s son, Ralph Hall, Gilmore’s grandfather, later followed his father to the area and created a business called Ralph Hall and Sons with the help of his two sons Harold and Walter.

The business became known as Hall’s Honey. Over time, it became one of the largest commercial beekeeping businesses in Nevada.

“A lot of it is family tradition,” Gilmore said about the beekeeping and honey business.

“When I was younger it would be (me and my siblings’) job to extract the honey six days a week all summer long.”

Gilmore’s grandfather and her uncle Harold served more than 50 years on the Nevada Board of Agriculture as the representatives for beekeeping and were instrumental in making policies affecting agriculture in Nevada.

In the 1970s, the business was sold to a company in California and remained closed until Gilmore and Joyner restarted the business in 2006.

“We restarted the business because we noticed a lack of pollinators in the area,” Gilmore said. “Increasingly people started asking for honey and we have been trying to increase our number of bees all along.”

Today, Hall’s Honey has 50 bee colonies and is sold in eight northern Nevada retail stories in Yerington, Garnerville and Carson City.

“It feels like you are doing good in the world,” said Gilmore about her business.

They are currently expanding their honey into other products, such as lip balms, lotions and even dog treats.

The buzz about Hall’s Honey Debbie Gilmore (middle) helps Justin and Linda from the Bridgeport Indian Colony set up their own colonies of bees.

Made to order with the features you want by the hands of a Blacksmith

continued on page 30

Hall’s Honey is produced in Nevada’s Mason and Smith Valley and sold in retail stores in northern Nevada.

1875 Dickerson Rd. | Reno, NV | caravancamper.com | 775.323.0270

Growing Nevada Business

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Happy campers: Caravan stays on top of the competition

You could say that owners and customers of Caravan Campers have enjoyed the ride in Reno for the past 60 years.

Mike Devine, owner of the manufacturing business, said 2015 marks the company’s 60th anniversary as a family owned business and a niche provider of tops for pickup truck beds.

Despite the recession, business continues to be steady, thanks to the area’s large population of hunters, fishermen, campers, ranchers and even commercial uses.

“Pickups have always been a big deal around here,” said Devine of a region where people need to haul a lot of stuff around.

Indeed, the tops are a throwback to when quality was king. All are custom made at the Caravan facility at 1875 Dickerson Road.

“Nobody does anything similar to what we do,” said Mike, speaking to the all-steel durability of the product line.

“We are seeing a very small uptick in sales to create another job here,” he said. Mike credits the increase in out-of-market interest to a Web that helps spread the word about the camper tops to as far away as Florida.

The tops (or shells) are built on a rigid frame and bolted to the pickup’s bed. Heavy sponge rubber seals the interior from the weather.

“They are much more durable and stronger and hold up well on Nevada washboard roads and keep the dust at bay,” said Mike, who followed his father Dale into the business.

“Pickups have always been a big deal around here.”

The company office is full of accident photos, sent by grateful owners that testify to the strength of the tops, which in many cases probably saved their lives.

“Eighty percent of the customer base is return clientele,” said Devine, who is grateful that many refer new business to him.

In terms of cost, “our shells are running $5,000 to $6,500, depending on options.”

Because the tops aren’t sold through retail outlets, the company itself handles all sales. The personal touch is important and gives Mike the chance to deal directly with customers.

Like many small businesses, Mike said the company is dealing with the challenges of fluctuating material prices, such as steel.

“The cost of paint is the thing that keeps going up,” he shared. ●

A Caravan top is all steel, built on a rigid frame.

Photo courtesy Caravan Campers

NevadaSpirit 2015

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Proud to be a Nevada owned and operated family business, Huck Salt in Fallon started in 1938 with one man, Elmer J. Huckaby, a shovel, wheelbarrow and plenty of hard work. According to the family’s history, it took two days for Elmer to shovel six tons of salt for his primary customer, IMP Creamery in Fallon. Today the company is run by Elmer’s son John, and John’s sons Tron and Troy, with Troy’s son Kovey now working with the family part time.

What they produce is high-quality sodium chloride that comes directly from an above ground mine outside Fallon. Huck’s is an industrial manufacturer; they don’t process salt for human consumption.

Salt is essential to the operation of a number of Nevada industries including agriculture, infrastructure maintenance and tourism. But homeowners across the state also rely on Huck Salt to maintain their plumbing.

The biggest customer for Huck Salt is the Nevada Department of Transportation, which uses products to keep roads and bridges safe during the winter. Before salt was used to clear roads, snow and ice on the highways endangered lives and slowed or stopped traffic.

Now, salt is used not only to remove snow and ice, but it is also applied in advance of a storm to help prevent ice from developing on paved surfaces. Salt melts ice at pavement temperature down to minus six degrees Fahrenheit. When treated or blended with performance enhancers like calcium chloride and magnesium chloride, salt can melt ice

Worth their salt in even more extreme temperatures. It’s an economical way to keep roads open, and keep resort sidewalks and paths safe—a particularly critical issue to the ski industry.

Cattle especially need salt in their diets to guarantee proper nutrition. Supplementing livestock feed with salt is critical for optimal weight gain and milk production in both beef and dairy cattle. Huck Salt produces a number of nutritional salt products to support livestock across the state.

People who have pools rely on the power of salt to keep them clear, clean, soft and balanced. Salt water pools are popular because they are easier to maintain and more economical than chlorine pools. Huck Salt has designed products specifically for use with electrolytic chlorine generators. Their pool salts condition water naturally so it is gentle on the skin, hair, nose and eyes. Crystals dissolve rapidly and contain a natural stain fighter that helps protect pool finishes. ●

Earn Your Executive MBA. Huck salt is used by a variety of customers.

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO

Courtesy Huck Salt

Growing Nevada Business

18

A vintage opportunity For more than 40 years, Barbara and Bill LaValley have been collecting vintage artwork, books and illustrations from around the world. After retiring and relocating to Reno from Marin County, Calif. in 2003, the couple wanted a way to share their collection with others.

In 2007, the LaValleys and their daughter, Samantha Conway, started their own small business called Vintage Ops. They use the artwork in their collection to reconstruct the images and print them on a variety of merchandise such as tote bags, greeting cards, wine bags and flour sack towels.

“The most rewarding thing is the fact that people love the old artwork,” said Barbara. “We are able to share what we have collected and we are sharing things that people have not seen before.”

Much of the artwork and illustrations in their collection date back to the late 1800s and the early 1900s.

“We always loved rare things,“ said Barbara, “from vintage copies of Vanity Fair to old books that have great illustrations.“ Some of Barbara’s favorite images are the art of Louis Wain, an English artist known for his drawings of large-eyed cats, and illustrations from vintage Alice and Wonderland books.

“We are able to share what we have collected and we are sharing things that people have not seen before.”

She has seven different copies of Alice and Wonderland books. One depicts Alice in chartreuse green instead of the blue dress she is typically depicted in today.

“This is amazing,” said Barbara when she discovered it. “It is so different.”

Over the years, the LaValleys have printed thousands of images onto their merchandise.

One of Vintage Ops’ specialty items is their flour sack towel.

“They are 100 percent cotton and prewashed so they are lint free,” said Barbara.

“They are great as gifts. Everyone can use a dishtowel; they never go out of date.”

Barbara took a lot of time to research different companies who made white flour sack towels that would not only hold the print

NevadaSpirit 2015

Barbara LaValley sorting the Vintage Ops flour sack dishtowels, tote bags and other items to be sold at an art show.

Courtesy Vintage Ops

of her designs but also a towel that would be a good drying towel. She eventually found an east coast company that had the product she wanted.

And the LaValleys are always looking for more images to add to their collection.

“We just came back from vacation with two boxes of artwork,” Barbara said.

Barbara does all of the purchasing and designing and is the sales representative for the business. Bill, a retired business development and electronic engineer, reconstructs the images to restore them and get them ready to be printed.

According to Barbara, many of the pieces of artwork have tears, stains or other markings on the original pieces since they are so old.

Bill takes the pieces and scans or photographs them so he can digitally restore the artwork pixel by pixel on the computer to make the images come back to life.

Most of the products from Vintage Ops are sold online through their website. They also sell some of their products at retail locations in Nevada including Dancing Deer in Genoa, Moana Nursery in Reno and several other locations in northern Nevada.

Barbara also goes to six art shows a year in northern Nevada where she has the opportunity to sell Vintage Ops merchandise and interact with her customers.

“I love meeting people and hearing feedback on what they like and dislike about the products.” Barbara said. “It is mostly very positive.”

She has had customers tell her that they have taken her products as gifts around the world to countries such as Germany and Australia. Many of her customers like her products with prints of Lake Tahoe and other Nevada locations. Barbara enjoys being able to share her art collection with others.

“It is a lot of fun,” said Barbara. ●

19

Mineral County residents Chris and DeDe Hegg are food entrepreneurs who had an idea two years ago to create a mobile 50s-style diner they could take to events — only they have yet to leave Hawthorne, due to local demand.

Despite limited hours, (WednesdayFriday lunch 11:30am-1:30 pm and 5-7 pm dinner) Pepper’s Place at Highway 362 and F St. is a big crowd-pleaser. From the raves on their website (pepzplace.com), the moveable feast is gaining new fans all the time.

The Heggs, who have always been avid barbecue enthusiasts, pride themselves in preparing fresh, preservative-free food from Nevada purveyors.

You won’t find any seasonings on any burgers and fries. “We want the flavors to stand on their own,” Dede says. When they were developing the food trailer concept, they wanted to do something that would enable them to involve their three kids (Pepper’s Place honors their youngest) and use their interest in culinary innovation.

The menu is varied and often features seasonal specials which may be a Taco Salad, Po’ Boy Shrimp sandwich or Pulled Pork and Coleslaw Tacos announced on their Facebook page. Their Facebook page is also where they share news like the post in April announcing that a customer won the 10,000th burger drawing for one free burger every week for the rest of 2015.

This small business is clearly a labor of love for the Heggs. The couple makes weekly treks to the Reno area for fresh bread, meat and other supplies including just-picked organic vegetables from Lattin Farms in Fallon.

And it’s all about the fun, too, as evidenced from the amusing product naming — Area 51, Stud Spuds, Sherry Berry Mother Clucker and Hogg Dogg are just a few that prompt a chuckle.

Chris Hegg and kids at the family’s Pepper’s Place food trailer.

A moveable feast: Hawthorne couple cooks up a storm at food trailer and launches a barbecue sauce

Loaded burgers are a big seller with options like the $6.50 Patriot: two 1/4 lb. patties with two slices of American cheese, grilled to order on a toasted bun; or the $8 Hogg Heaven: a quarter-pound Angus patty grilled to order, topped with cheddar cheese and served on a toasted bun with their signature barbeque sauce, onion ring, bacon, lettuce, tomato, dill pickle and chopped onions.

The business owners have bottled their popular barbecue sauce.

Photo courtesy Pepper’s Place

continued on page 30

Photo courtesy Pepper’s Place

Growing Nevada Business

20

Carving out success Tim Reed made a dream come true when he recently opened his Haus of Reed custom furniture shop in Sparks. A seventh generation woodworker, he grew up learning the craft from his family. He spent 22 years working for a company doing custom interiors for restaurants, bars and casinos and learned every phase of the business from the ground up.

“I did everything from engineering drawing to estimating, manufacturing and project management, “ he says and four years ago started developing his business as a side job. “Finally I took the risk, leased a space and went in full time.”

Reed is “respectful of traditional technique and modern style,” he says. “I want what we build to last for generations…we pay great attention to the details, the richness of the materials we use and the deep, satisfying luster in the finish. Our custom furniture is made from solid wood because, unlike most veneered substrates, it has integrity, depth and strength.” He and two other employees work primarily in solid wood, some veneer, and often in combination with other materials such as metals (they have in-house fabrication capability), glass, upholstery, and favorite GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete) and acrylic.

“Each piece is carefully designed to allow the wood to breathe with changes in humidity,” he explains of the process.

“We seek out woods that have subtle color variations and grain patterns and we prefer to finish them in a way that emphasizes these natural subtleties.” He enjoys every aspect of the process, finding working with his hands particularly gratifying. The wood and most of the materials are sourced locally.

Right now Haus of Reed works primarily with architects and designers to develop and build each concept. But he enjoys engaging directly with homeowners, too.

“Our custom furniture is made from solid wood because, unlike most veneered substrates, it has integrity.”

Reed and his team have completed cooking class work tables with solid end grain maple tops on stainless steel bases for Chef Mark Estee’s new Reno Provisions. Haus of Reed’s end grain black walnut cutting boards are sold at Reno Provisions. Recently they built a coffee table of reclaimed red and white oak over a stainless steel frame that offsets a new outdoor room for a local homeowner. His favorite designs are for tables “because tables bring people together,” whether for work or play.

Imagination is a major element of his life. Awhile back he built a nine foot birch and plywood skeleton of a Velociraptor (named Vinny) for his son Rush’s birthday. Now it’s on display at Reno’s Terry Lee Wells Discovery Museum.

Form and function are always a priority for Reed as evidenced by the round crib he built for his son when the company was just starting. Now he gets a lot of satisfaction from building others (it’s a big seller) to become enduring family heirlooms for customers as far away as Florida. “Kid tested and always approved,” he says with a smile. ●

These cooking class tables were made for a new local Reno restaurant.

Photo courtesy Haus of Reed

NevadaSpirit 2015

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After two decades in business, Verdibased Sports Attack has tackled a large share of the global sports training equipment market.

The company designs, manufacturers and distributes lines of throwing machines for a variety of sports including football, baseball, softball and even soccer and tennis.

Sports Attack’s brand can be found on the fields and courts of just about every level of competitive athletics across the nation, including major college and professional teams. It also has scaled-down models for Little League and high school and club levels.

The enterprise also has drawn a huge interest from overseas markets.

The idea for Sports Attack came about in the early 1990’s after its founder watched the U.S. volleyball team’s failed bid at gold in the Olympic Games. The jump serve in volleyball was becoming en vogue from international teams and the U.S team struggled to adapt to the new wrinkle. So Doug Boehner and some associates got together to develop a machine to simulate the move.

“In volleyball, we saw a niche we could approach and we developed a tool that could really change how they practiced,” said Amanda Pratt, president of Sports Attack.

Boehner had just retired from working at Sparks-based ATEC, a major player in the manufacturing of baseball and softball pitching machines. Boehner found retirement to be a dull existence. He used his expertise in the industry as well as a background in playing and coaching athletics to develop the volleyball throwing machine, even though he had a five-year non-competitive agreement with ATEC. The contraption Boehner and his associates developed replicates the speed of a volleyball as well as angles and ball action that can only be seen in competitive action, giving players a chance to practice a number of drills such as receiving, digging, passing and

The Baseball e-Hack Attack is a programmable pitching machine.

Courtesy Sports Attack

Company attacks sports training market spiking. It also gives coaches the opportunity to stand in close proximity to players and discuss techniques instead of performing drills themselves and having to shout instructions from far away across the court.

After Boehner’s agreement with ATEC expired, the seed of Sports Attack was planted.

Sports Attack, after much research and planning, formed in 1995 and endured its own humble beginnings.

“It’s not easy. It takes time and we didn’t have a lot of money, so you go much slower in your R&D and developing your first products,” said Boehner, who now serves as vice president of manufacturing and engineering. “We started almost in a garage and grew slowly. It was a couple of years before we could go to market with anything.”

Besides the staff ’s background in athletics, they also had experience in manufacturing which Kurt Brenner, a partner in the company and vice president of sales indicated.

“We all had a background in manufacturing and all had entrepreneurial drive, even with other jobs.” Brenner said. “We worked on weekends and did what it took to get it going. There was a lot of blood, sweat and equity.”

Once Sports Attack got off the ground, it began designing and manufacturing machines for other sports such as baseball, softball and football.

Marketing the machines was difficult at first, but once some of the upper-echelon organizations such as the U.S. volleyball team started using their products, the company started to flourish.

Today, Sports Attack employs 25 at its approximately 14,000-square-foot facility at the Verdi Business Park just off of Interstate 80. Pratt said the company chose the Verdi location primarily because most of the executive staff lived nearby and they wanted to stay in the northern Nevada region.

Machine components are manufactured offsite and shipped to Sports Attack. (Sports Attack also tries to employ as many Nevada manufacturers as possible.) Then all machines are constructed and tested at the Verdi facility.

Although throwing equipment technology has been around for about 40 years, the Sports Attack team believes it has advanced the technology that gives the business a leg up on its competition. ●

Growing Nevada Business

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The heat is on What do you do if you’re lost in the wilderness and you need to build a fire to stay warm and survive? If you’re lucky, before setting out, you remembered to pack a few Fire Pucks.

The Fire Puck is a self-contained fuel cell produced by Leach Logistics in Sun Valley.

According to founder Greg Leach, the product is a blend of organic and inorganic fuels that are ignited by an embedded fire button, which is struck (like lighting a match) with an attached striker strip, which in turn provides the high temperature (1400 degrees) to ignite the fuel cell. It burns completely to ash.

The product is 85 percent organic “so it’s good for the environment” Leach says, “but more importantly, it can help save someone’s life.” The advantage is that it’s impervious to wind, rain and freezing conditions. The Fire Puck is primarily being marketed to the consumer for camping, to light fireplaces, wood, coal and pellet stoves and is available at

Need a loan to fuel your business?

Sportsman’s Warehouse, Lowe’s, Home Depot and Scolaris. In addition to other stores, the product will soon be in WalMart and Ace Hardware stores.

According to Leach, his company manufactures, markets, distributes and transports other products. They started in 1980 as Leach and Sons Transportation and grew from there, expanding to South Dakota and Southern California.

Five years ago, the Fire Puck inventor, a petrochemist, Duane Dalbach, approached Leach to develop packaging for the product and Leach was so impressed, he decided to invest in completing development. It took awhile, but the product is gaining traction.

As sometimes happens, one idea breeds another and Dalbach now handles all the research and development for Leach. The next generation of products includes a fireless smoke signal that can be seen for 15 miles. “It can be used by the military and for search and rescue,” he says. “But we realized it would also be great for high schools or colleges to show their colors.” ●

Loans up to $1,000,000

The company makes a matchless fire starter popular with campers.

Call Accion at 702.250.3372 or visit www.us.accion.org NevadaSpirit 2015

Courtesy Leach Logistics

23

When the recession hit, Sal and Valerie Gray both lost careers they had been at for over 25 years.

When they tried to re-enter the work force they were told they were too old, although only in their 50s.

“Well we did what all good Italians do when they get bummed out, we cook and feed friends and family,” Valerie said. “It blesses our Italian Hearts. That is where our company name stemmed from.”

Their friends encouraged them to combine their love of cooking and being together into a business sharing the Italian sauces they loved.

Gardnerville sauce company offers a taste of Italy Sal “Papa Sal” and Valerie “Val” Gray cook one of their three pasta sauces available at their Italian Hearts Pasta Sauce shop at 1425 Industrial Way, Suite C in Gardnerville.

“Our passion was to create fast meals, made locally by us maintaining full control, that are healthy and easy to whip up a fabulous meal from home.”

“We were blessed with great friends, who rallied around us, even paid our mortgage for an entire year,” Valerie said. “Our label came out of a prayer. We asked God to show us if we were to continue to pursue the business with no experience in the field.”

The couple had heart-shaped tomatoes that year in their garden.

They took that as a good sign to keep going.

“After that, hearts appeared to us in the most unusual places, especially at points in time that we needed encouragement as it’s hard to build a small business,” Valerie said.

“We have hundreds of pictures of those hearts that hang in our production kitchen.” It has been two-and-a-half years since the Grays started their business, and now their sauces are carried in 32 stores including Whole Foods and Raley’s, in addition to their Gardnerville store.

“Our passion was to create fast meals, made locally that are healthy and easy to whip up from home,” Valerie said. “This is accomplished by maintaining full control over the process.”

They create three sauces. The Three Meat Sauce is a full-bodied sauce that is gluten free.

Chuck roast, pork spare ribs and mild Italian sausage cook in the sauce.

“This is Papa Sal’s family sauce from Naples Italy,” Valerie said.

The second sauce, Bella Amore, gets its spicy kick from Valerie’s spicy grass-fed beef and organic ground pork meatballs.

Courtesy Italian Hearts

Her Vegetarian sauce is full of chunks of local vegetables including portabella mushrooms, organic onions, organic red peppers and carrots. This sauce is gluten free and vegan.

The sauces are produced in a nut-free production plant in Gardnerville.

The Reno-based couple have a head chef, Suzanne, who works at their Gardnerville kitchen helping make the sauces.

The sauces are canned versus processed which Valerie said is a huge difference.

“We cook our sauce the old fashioned way, which is the same way we do from home, in layers of flavor, low and slow in small hand-crafted batches with care, love and good wholesome, local ingredients,” Valerie said.

Local ingredients include Big Horn Olive Oil, Carson Sausage Factory, Peri Ranch onions, meats from local ranches, High Quality Organic Herbs, organic veggies from surrounding area farms, and farm-fresh local eggs. continued on page 30

Growing Nevada Business

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UNR farm harvests the great indoors

The Desert Farming Initiative at the University of Nevada, Reno, is more than an academic exercise in agriculture — it’s a business experiment, too.

“We always keep business success in mind,” says Jennifer Ott, DFI project manager.

“We track all costs and expenses to determine profit margin and if a crop is desired by our market.”

DFI is a collaboration between UNR’s College of Business, College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources and Cooperative Extension.

The Initiative also works closely with the Nevada Small Business Development Center at UNR to connect with local agribusinesses. Rick Lattin, owner of Lattin Farms in Fallon, has been a long-time advisor.

“He is always lending his expertise and offering suggestions to point us in the right direction,” says Ott.

“The project is meant to be self-sustaining.

The end goal is to create a successful agribusiness that gives a place for people to learn and support the local community.”

DFI’s purpose is student engagement, applied research and community outreach.

Student and community volunteers and interns help operate the farm, located at the Valley Road Field Laboratory, and classes from agriculture to anthropology visit as part of the curriculum.

New classes in horticulture and plant science are being added to the University’s curriculum in order to encourage students’ interest in the subject. One such class will be offered in Spring of 2016 and will have a lab component at the DFI. As part of the industry engagement and applied research component, the DFI has received specialty crop block grants to investigate crops such as lettuce, raspberries and organic seedlings.

NevadaSpirit 2015

Planting seeds and planting a skill set.

Photo courtesy Desert Farming Initiative

The overarching objective, though, is for DFI to do all that as a thriving business.

“The project is meant to be selfsustaining. The end goal is to create a successful agribusiness that gives a place for people to learn and support the local community.”

DFI is growing various crops, including tomatoes, peppers and herbs such as basil on its acre plot and in eight hoop houses and two greenhouses.

Since first planting in October 2013, DFI has harvested thousands of pounds of lettuce, which it sells to the dining facilities at UNR as well as US Foods, a national food distributor, and other area businesses. They also donate vegetables to the Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada Food Kitchen, which is located just down the street from the Farm.

The Washoe County School district used DFI-grown sweet peppers as part of their Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program this fall.

The Initiative is planning a farm stand in the spring which gives another avenue for students to learn.

“Both business and ag students will come together to create an enterprise – providing experience for students and fresh vegetables for customers. It’s a win-win!” ●

Member Directory/Participating Businesses in the Made in Nevada Marketing Cooperative A WILDFLOWER GARDNERVILLE, NV 89410 (775) 782-7579 ALFALFA KING DYER, NV 89010 (888) 682-8170 alfalfa.king1@gmail.com ALPEN SIERRA COFFEE ROASTING CO. MINDEN, NV 89423 (775) 783-7263 christianw@alpensierra.com AMATO’S FAMILY KITCHEN RENO, NV 89521 (775) 853-6360 donnalynnamato@yahoo.com ART GLASS CREATIONS CARSON CITY, NV 89705 (775) 882-5502 ARTS FOR ALL NEVADA RENO, NEVADA 89501 (775) 826-6100 info@artsforallnevada.org AUNTIE D’S ORCHARD DELIGHTS STAGECOACH, NV 89429 (775) 629-9614 da_steele@hotmail.com AZTEC MANUFACTURING CO. CARSON CITY, NV 89706 (775) 883-3327 aztecmfg@usa.net B-DUBB’S DESERT INFERNO HOT SAUCE FALLON, NV 89407 (775) 217-5888 bdubbsnv@aol.com BERES PRECISION, INC. GARDNERVILLE, NV 89410 (775) 782-5378 beresprec@aol.com THE BEST BARBEQUE CATERING & SIERRA GRILL GARDNERVILLE, NV 89410 (775) 335-3179 BLUE ELEPHANT FARMS LAS VEGAS, NV 89128 (702) 809-9818 blueelephantfarms@gmail.com

BOTCHA-CALOOP’S VIRGINIA CITY, NV 89440 (775) 847-9693 botchacaloops@peoplepc.com BVW JEWELERS RENO, NV 89511 (775) 622-9015 bvwdesigns@gmail.com CAMPIE’S LAVENDER PATCH STAGECOACH, NV 89429 (775) 720-2420 campieslavenderpatch@earthlink.net CARAVAN CAMPERS MFG., INC. RENO, NV 89503 (775) 323-0270 caravancampers@hotmail.com CARROL’S CORNER FARM YERINGTON, NV 89447 (775) 463-1265 nevkid@gmail.com CHOCOLATE SHOPPE BY SWEET IMAGES GARDNERVILLE, NV 89410 (775) 267-1002 lynn@sweetimagesltd.com CHURCHILL VINEYARDS LLC FALLON, NV 89406-9280 (775) 423-4000 cpfrey@phonewave.net COMSTOCK SEED GARDNERVILLE, NV 89460 (775) 265-0090 ed@comstockseed.com CREATIVE SPECIALTY APPAREL, INC. RENO, NV 89502 (775) 786-1559 judy@csaconcepts.com DAVIDSON’S ORGANIC, INC. SPARKS, NV 89431 (800) 882-5888 info@davidsonstea.com DEE’S HOGG PRODUCTS HAWTHORNE, NV 89415 (775) 316-0437 chrishegg@hotmail.com

Growing Nevada Business

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26

DEFINITELY CREATIVE MINDEN, NV 89423 (775) 392-1040 rclark41556@gmail.com

HILL’S HANDCRAFTED SOAPS SPARKS, NV 89434 (775) 331-1216 joanne@hillshandcraftedsoaps.com

DEKKO MANUFACTURING LLC LAS VEGAS, NV 89133 (702) 396-2431 marcbugs2@yahoo.com

HORSE TALES GARDNERVILLE, NV 89464 (775) 265-7137 horsetalesltd@aol.com

DESERT FARMING INITIATIVE RENO NV 89511-6025 (707) 280-9479 jottnv@yahoo.com

HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR COFFEE? RENO, NV 89511 (775) 473-3100 getbeaned@takeyourcoffee.com

DYNAGRAPHIC PRINTING RENO, NV 89512 (775) 786-2041 cindy@dynagraphicprinting.com

HUCK SALT COMPANY FALLON, NV 89406 (775) 423-2055 tronjessica_hucksalt@yahoo.com

FELIX POTTERY GARDNERVILLE, NV 89410 (775) 782-5434 lfelixpotter@aol.com

ITALIAN HEARTS PASTA SAUCES, INC. RENO, NV 89521 (775) 233-1895 italianhearts@att.net

FIRE PUCK SPARKS, NV 89431 (775) 352-2866 greg@leachlogistics.com

JAN ROLLENHAGEN MINDEN, NV 89423 (775) 267-4347 rollenhagen@charter.net

FISHER SPACE PEN CO. BOULDER CITY, NV 89005 (702) 293-3011 matt@spacepen.com

JERKY JUNCTION MOUNDHOUSE, NV 89706 (775) 246-7555 info@jerkyjunction.com

FLAG STORE, SIGN & BANNER SPARKS, NV 89431 (775) 355-0506 info@eventflags.com

KC DESIGNS LLC RENO, NV 89506 (775) 771-0787 ken@kcdesigns.com

GREAT BASIN BREWING COMPANY SPARKS, NV 89431 (775) 355-7711 bonda@greatbasinbrewingco.com

KH DESIGNS JEWELRY SPRING CREEK, NV 89815 (775) 340-2239 shimmerkhd@gmail.com

GREAT BASIN SOURDOUGH STARTER CO. CARSON CITY, NV 89701 (775) 721-7503 shdonaldson775@aol.com

KIMMIE CANDY COMPANY RENO, NV 89502 (775) 284-9200 dutra@kimmiecandy.com

HIDDEN VALLEY HONEY RENO, NV 89502 (775) 856-3903 cafoster@jps.net

KNOWLEDGEBROKER, INC. RENO, NV 89511 (775) 852-5711 brad@kbi.com

HIGHLANDER GOLDSMITH VIRGINIA CITY, NV 89440 (775) 847-7575 davoooa@gmail.com

L.B.J. POTTERY CARSON CITY, NV 89721 (775) 885-9597 lbjceramics@yahoo.com

NevadaSpirit 2015

LATTIN FARMS FALLON, NV 89406 (775) 867-3750 lattinfarmsnevada@gmail.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUSAN ZERGA LAMOILLE, NV 89828 (775) 777-1592 susanz@frontiernet.net

MARSHALL MINT & MUSEUM VIRGINIA CITY, NV 89440 (775) 847-0777 cynthia@marshallmint.com

RED ROCK IRON WORKS RENO, NV 89506 (775) 722-6372

MARY JEAN KELSO FERNLEY, NV 89408 (775) 575-4943 mjkel@aol.com MICHAEL AND SON’S RENO, NV 89502 (775) 786-5110 david@michaelandsons.com MICROTECH COMPUTER SYSTEMS SPARKS, NV 89434 (775) 283-8011 info@microtechreno.com NEVADA CANDLE COMPANY RENO, NV 89502 (775) 848-5518 nvcandleco@outlook.com NEVADA MAGAZINE CARSON CITY, NV 89701 (775) 687-0603 jmgeary@nevadamagazine.com NEVADA MUSIC CARSON CITY, NV 89703 (775) 291-7014 nevadamusic.com@me.com NEVADA’S TREASURE PHOTOGRAPHY ELY, NV 89301 (775) 296-7901 nvtreasure@gmail.com NVGIFTS.COM SPARKS, NV 89431 (775) 355-0506 info@eventflags.com PANCHITAS INC., KILLER SALSA MINDEN, NV 89423 (775) 782-0048 fran@killersalsa.com PANTRY PRODUCTS RENO, NV 89502 (313) 595-9597 pantryproductsnv@gmail.com

REFLECTION BY VENTURES SANDY VALLEY, NV 89019 (877) 723-5123 1ventures@att.net RENO ENVY RENO, NV 89501 (775) 682-3800 scott@renoenvy.com ROBIN TRAVIS PHOTOGRAPHY CARSON CITY, NV 89721 (775) 720-7203 robindtravis@sbcglobal.net ROCKING AND ROLLING MINDEN, NV 89423 (775) 267-5144 jameshill2707@charter.net ROLLADEN ROLLING SHUTTERS LAS VEGAS, NV 89146 (702) 878-1072 lvrolladen@yahoo.com RUPERT’S PRECISION GEM CUTTING CARSON CITY, NV 89703 (775) 882-5988 rupertsgems@aol.com SARAH MOREY PHOTOGRAPHY CARSON CITY, NV 89706 (775) 771-9883 sfmoreyphotography@gmail.com SCOLARI’S FOOD & DRUG CO. RENO NV 89511 (775) 785-7318 gilbertj@scolarisclub.com SNOWBOUND BOOKS LAMOILLE, NV 89828 (775) 738-9800 kwilson@frontiernet.net SZ MUSIL MINDEN, NV 89423 (775) 392-3190 thunderpawsnv@charter.net

Growing Nevada Business

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TAHOE RIDGE WINERY MARKETPLACE MINDEN, NV 89423 (775)783-1566 hjachens@tahoeridgewinery.com

TRIMMER OUTPOST GENOA, NV 89411 (775) 782-2518 TrimmerOutpost@gmail.com

TAHOE TOFFEE CANDY CO. GARDNERVILLE, NV 89410 (775) 265-5880 tahoetoffee@aol.com

TWIN COTTAGE INDUSTRIES FALLON, NV 89406 (775) 375-5727 carol@twincottageindustries.com

THE BARREL RACK RENO, NV 89511 (775) 622-1363 diane@barrelrack.com

VERDI LOCAL DISTILLERY VERDI, NV 89439 (775) 247-4628 info@verdilocaldistillery.com

THE CORLEY RANCH LLC GARDNERVILLE, NV 89410 (775) 721-1047 info@corleyranch.com

VINTAGE OPS RENO, NV 89519 (775) 453-3463 barb@vintageops.com

THE GREAT WESTERN MARKETPLACE RENO, NV 89523 (775) 624-1800 info@thegwm.com

WOOD-FIRE ROASTED COFFEE CO., LLC RENO, NV 89502 (775) 856-2033 Tim@woodfireroasted.com

TORTILLAS INC., DBA LOS ARCOS N. LAS VEGAS, NV 89030 (702) 399-3300 gus@tortillasinc.com

YE OLDE TURNINGS SPARKS, NV 89436 (775) 425-5967 yeoldeturnings@att.net

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In 2010, Dave Marson and his son, Sam, became snack food innovators and set a high bar — by creating a fig bar all their own. Now Nature’s Bakery, which up to now focused on grassroots marketing, is upping its game with a NASCAR deal to sponsor Danica Patrick and it’s gotten a lot of play in the national media.

The maker of baked goods — started in Carson City — recently announced it would become one of the smallest primary sponsors in NASCAR, with fewer than 500 employees in the U.S., Sam said the company’s products are in all 50 states and 22 countries.

“Now they are breaking down our doors,” said Sam of the banks who previously didn’t show any interest in the company. With the NASCAR sponsorship, a higher profile will connect the company with a new audience.

That will mean no more neon green paint for Patrick.

When the company co-founded by Dave and Sam Marson sold under other vendors’ labels, it faltered. The company then rebranded as Nature’s Bakery and moved into producing and selling its own brand of healthy fig bars for retail sale.

Self-funded from the get go, the Marsons developed their own product line and shipped out sampling packs to buyers at mainstream and natural foods grocers to get their products on the shelves.

“Like a snowball, product demand picked up traction,” said Sam. They started staffing up. “We went from 12 employees to nearly 500.” Along the way, several private backers provided needed capital to grow.

Sam Marson at the reception area of the company’s warehouse. Fig bar samples are always on offer for visitors.

Photo by Annie Conway

The business wasn’t bankable in the early going, said Sam, so the Marsons had to create their own equipment — buying a machine shop in Carson City to build equipment customized to its manufacturing processes.

“We started getting calls back for orders and then it just took off,” said Sam, 27, The family had a gut feeling the product had a place in the nutrition bar category, vying with giants like Power Bar and Clif Bar.

Bakery expands market, backs NASCAR team Dave and Sam Marson join Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick at the ceremony announcing Nature Bakery’s backing of the NASCAR team.

Photo by Harold Hinson

“Everyone uses it in a different way,” said Sam, referring to the fig bar’s versatility. It can be a nutritious quick pick me up for athletes or a meal replacement for dieters.

For time-starved customers, especially health and fitness enthusiasts, the product fits the bill. Nature’s Bakery line of fig bars include lemon, peach, mango and several berry flavors.

Five years later, Nature’s Bakery biggest challenge is keeping up with demand for its product.

Their Nature’s Bakery fig bars have hit a sweet spot — seeing sales double nearly every year. Business has been so good for the Northern Nevada company that it bought an old Pillsbury Bakery factory in St. Louis last year to keep up with consumer demand at retail outlets, including select Costco stores Whole Foods, Save Mart, Raley’s, Winco and sporting goods stores such as REI and Scheels.

In addition to two factories, the company operates a good-sized warehouse/distribution center in South Reno and also rents administrative space about a mile away in an office park.

Other products are on the drawing board.

Sam said brownies will join the snack lineup for customers needing to conquer those chocolate cravings. In addition to adding to its grocery store business, the Marsons are looking at making inroads with conveniencestore chains. ●

Growing Nevada Business

30 Hall’s, continued from page 15 The business is more than just producing honey. Gilmore and Joyner created a networking community for beekeepers in 2009 called the Mason Valley Beekeepers.

The organization meets once a month between March and October on the first Tuesday of the month. The Mason Valley Beekeepers acts as a support group for new beekeepers in northern Nevada and to provide the resources and knowledge for people beginning their own colonies.

“Beekeepers are a great group of people,” said Gilmore. “There is such an interest in beekeeping and we want people to do it right.”

Hall’s Honey also puts on the annual Mason Valley Beekeepers Conference at

Pepper’s, continued from page 19 Hefty sandwiches are popular too, such as the Angry Bird: a grilled or crispy chicken patty on grilled bun with wasabi sauce, bacon, jalapenos, pepper jack or cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion and a shot of red hot dry rub for $7.25. Hot dogs come in various presentations including the $5 Famous Awesome Dawson Dog (named for their son), an all beef 1/4 lb 10-inch dog topped with nacho cheese and chopped hickory-smoked bacon. Sides like Alien Fries at $3 are covered with Alien 51 sandwich fixings: sauce, bacon, nacho cheese, and a hotwing rub. Standard specials go fast such as Dede’s $4 Special Chicken and Dumplings, a thick creamy soup with pulled chicken chunks topped with puffy dumplings.

Italian Hearts, continued from page 19 “We learned our cooking skills from generations on both sides of our families as we sat at their feet,” Valerie said. “We changed up recipes to make them uniquely our own cooking for good health. No additives, preservatives, hormones, nitrates or antibiotics are used in our products.”

Italian Hearts also sells fully cooked meatballs and organic, fresh pasta.

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the Pioneer Crossing Conference Center in Yerington, Nev. The conference typically draws around 100 to 125 people.

The next conference will be held February 27 and 28, 2016. The conference will include hands-on workshops and talks from Mason Valley Beekeeper and researcher Randy Oliver and author and beekeeper Dr. Larry Connor.

It is also important to Gilmore and her family to encourage future beekeepers. At the 2016 conference, they will award their first ever scholarship to a high school student for $500. The student will maintain a bee colony and become a member of the Mason Valley Beekeepers organization. “(Beekeeping) is interesting,” Gilmore said.

“There is always more to learn.” ●

As often happens, one thing has led to another and the couple has recently launched D’s Hogg Heaven BBQ Sauce, which honors DeDe’s family and her Texas roots. “The Hogg name is such a great name in Texas, with lots of history,” Air Force veteran Chris says. “Dede’s grandmother actually had a barbecue recipe that she gave us.” They are currently working on several additions to the line including an Alien Shake dry rub and Hogg Wild, a fruity hot sauce.

Those who don’t have the good fortune to be in Hawthorne can find Hogg Products at Great Basin Food Co-Op in Reno, MadeInNevada.org, the Flag Store in Sparks, Napa-Sonoma Grocery in Reno and in Fallon at the Just Country Friends store.

An actual bricks and mortar Pepper’s Place may be in the future. The couple is also very excited about working with state agriculture organizations and Made In Nevada on potential international business relationships. ●

Italian Hearts Pasta Sauces is open weekdays 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. except Wednesdays.

They are located at 1425 Industrial Way, Suite C, Gardnerville.

For more information call 775-233-1482, 775-233-1895 or visit them online at www.italianhearts.com.●

Growing Nevada Business

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