Las Vegas business briefs

sgreen@lasvegassun.com

Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998 | 1:35 a.m.

RIO HIRES TALENT AGENCY TO BOLSTER ENTERTAINMENT LINEUP -- The Rio hotel-casino hired the famed William Morris Agency of Hollywood to bring what Morris called "an unprecedented caliber of entertainment" to the resort.

LV CALLED RIPE FOR MORE TIMESHARES -- A new survey suggests gambling communities are untapped markets for timeshare developers. Resort Condominiums International LLC said a recent survey of time-share owners in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Reno found that slightly more than half saw the presence of casino gambling as important in their decision to purchase a time-share. The survey also found many more time-share projects in Orlando, Fla., a non-gambling community, than in Las Vegas. Orlando has 55 time-share projects vs. eight in Las Vegas.

NEVADA SUMMER GAS PRICES AT FIVE-YEAR LOW -- Nevadans are paying an average of $1.21 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline -- down 11 cents from last summer and a five-year low. That's according to AAA, which also said Nevada gas prices remain 13 cents higher than the national average.

APARTMENTS SUED OVER TENANT'S DEATH -- The parents and former roommate of a man who died after a scuffle with an apartment security guard in August 1996 have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Racquet Club Garden Apartments, Presidential Security and B&R Property Management. The Clark County District Court suit alleges Todd Allen Hansen died at University Medical Center days after a security guard placed him in a choke hold that left him unconscious. Hansen had argued with roommate Joseph Pfoutz, who is now the administrator of Hansen's estate. The defendants couldn't be reached.

HENDERSON COMPANY IN O-RING MERGER -- Plymouth, Mich.-based Freudenberg-NOK and International Seal Co. Inc. announced a merger, forming a company headquartered in Henderson. International Seal Co. will be one of the largest O-ring suppliers in the country with sales of more than $60 million. Freudenberg-NOK had supplied rings to the auto industry while International Seal sells O-rings to distributors. The company employs 100 in Henderson and will employ 700 worldwide, said company President Skip Marvick. No plant closures are expected due to the merger.

SESSIONS PLANNED ON Y2K -- The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada is planning two consumer sessions in late September or early October to air Year 2000 computer issues. Commissioner Tim Hay will conduct the sessions at which experts from the state's utilities companies will be available to answer questions about their readiness for Jan. 1, 2000, the date when computers with two-digit dates switch from 99 to 00. Some experts say the switch -- which some are calling the Y2K computer bug -- will be chaotic for any company that hasn't made adjustments to their computer systems. Several public watchdog groups are scrutinizing the utility companies, which they believe to be vulnerable to the bug. Dates have not been set for the sessions.

To contact Sun Business Editor Steve Green, call 259-4083 or e-mail sgreen@lasvegassun.com