Business briefs for April 5, 2001

Thursday, April 5, 2001 | 10:55 a.m.

Homeowners sue over flooding

Three Elkhorn Springs homeowners sued their builder Rhodes Homes and Rhodes Design and Development Corp., alleging they were penalized by their homeowners' association for failing to complete landscaping of their property after Rhodes' construction work allegedly caused their property to be flooded.

In a Clark County District Court suit, Dorothy Marbury and Roy and Franchesta Hammonds also sued Elkhorn Springs homeowners Francis and Rosemarie Nascimento, alleging the plaintiffs' property was flooded from runoff coming from the Nascimentos' adjoining and adjacent property because Rhodes failed to provide adequate drainage.

Rhodes officials could not be reached for comment. The Nascimentos declined comment.

Las Vegas brokerage sues Realtors over award

A member of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors sued to stop the association from enforcing a $59,000 arbitration award and to protect its membership privileges.

Liberty Realty, which said it entered an agreement to sell a Las Vegas property at 424 St. Andrews Court and a 4 percent commission ($56,600) was to be paid to a broker, said a legal dispute over ownership of the commission has hampered Liberty's attempt to retrieve the funds and comply with the award.

The suit said two real estate brokers, each claiming to have brokered the sale, sued each other for ownership of the commission. They also sued the sellers of the property. The sellers, in response, deposited the funds with their attorney for safekeeping while the matter is litigated.

One of the two brokers then requested an arbitration hearing with the real estate association, and was awarded $59,000 on March 13.

Liberty Realty, which said its membership privileges could be revoked if it failed to comply with an order by the arbitrators to either pay the award to the real estate agent or deposit the funds with the association, said it could not retrieve the funds because the sellers' attorney has refused to relinquish the funds due to the pending litigation.

The association's officials could not be reached for comment.

Engineering firm expands to Vegas

A former Clark County traffic engineer has been named to head a new branch of an East Coast transportation engineering firm.

Rich Romer, who served 10 years with the county and also held the post of assistant traffic engineer for the City of Las Vegas, is directing an office of 106 employees for Orth-Rodgers & Associates in the Bankwest of Nevada building at 7251 W. Lake Mead Road.

Orth-Rodgers, based in Philadelphia, opened its Southwest Regional Office in Las Vegas last month.

Romer said the company would handle engineering projects and traffic studies in the public and private sector.

The firm, which has offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida as well as Nevada, specializes in traffic and transportation engineering, transportation planning, highway design, land-use planning and landscape architecture, environmental planning and design and structure and bridge design.

Employers Insurance earns $40.5 million

CARSON CITY -- Employers Insurance Co. of Nevada announced pre-tax profits of $40.5 million for 2000, the first year the company has been a private firm.

The company, which converted from a state agency to a private firm, said it collected $206.7 million in premiums and Chief Executive Officer Douglas Dirks said, "We are very pleased with the financial results and retention of business."

Uniform company expands to Henderson, Vegas

Cintas Corp., Cincinnati, a workplace uniform rental company, has developed a new division that stocks first-aid cabinets and has opened an office in Henderson.

Cintas formed Xpect First Aid & Safety Services earlier this year by acquiring and consolidating the No. 2, 3, 4 and 5 companies in the industry.

Dan Barr, national marketing manager for Cintas, said the company, the largest uniform provider in the nation, has a large presence in Las Vegas due to the size of the hospitality industry. The company opened its Xpect office at 730 Valle Verde Drive, serving the entire Las Vegas area, and competes locally with Zee Medical Service Co. Inc., the industry leader.

Barr said Cintas is the first uniform company to enter the first-aid industry, but it appears to be a good fit, since uniform suppliers make frequent visits to offices that also need first-aid products.

Xpect also offers classes in first aid, CPR and OSHA compliance.

Defects alleged in lawsuits

Several construction defect lawsuits were filed in Las Vegas in recent weeks.

Newport Townhomes Owners Association and five homeowners sued Newport Townhomes Ltd. Partnership, Robert V. Jones Corp. and its owner Robert V. Jones, alleging their 96-unit residential development in Henderson contained defects.

The defendants could not be reached for comment.

Longford At Paradise Springs Homeowners Association and three homeowners sued Wexford Homes Inc. also known as TBW Enterprises Inc. of Las Vegas, alleging numerous defects in their 74-unit condominium development at Pecos Road and Tropicana Ave.

Wexford Homes could not be reached for comment.

A Las Vegas couple sued Diloreto Construction and Development Inc. of Carson City, alleging shoddy construction work damaged their home at 2913 Cape Verde Lane.

The defendants could not be reached for comment.