Businesses disrupted by airport closure

Kevin Ferguson

Thursday, Sept. 13, 2001 | 10:24 a.m.

Suspended air travel and a sullen community coming to grips with the terrorist attacks on the East Coast hampered business for some Las Vegas businesses, notably restaurants and companies that are heavily reliant on air mail.

Merck Medco, which has a large automated medication dispensing operation in Las Vegas, began shipping prescriptions to customers by ground transportation after air service was suspended Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Citibank credit card administration center in Las Vegas was unable to send out some customer statements and reported delays in receiving payments by mail.

Jeff Simek, vice president of public relation for Merck Medco in Franklin Lakes, N.J., said ground transportation is slower than air -- but said most customers order prescriptions well in advance.

"The kind of people who use our service would get a 90-day supply, and order a refill about three weeks before they run out," Simek said.

The company typically ships 120,000 prescriptions per day from Las Vegas using combined air and ground transportation.

The Las Vegas Citibank operation receives 500,000 payments per day, said Barbara Mulholland, vice president of public relations and external affairs for Citibank Nevada.

"There will be a certain amount of backlog if the (air travel) ban is not lifted," she said, noting her office typically receives four mail shipments daily.

Several restaurants that rely on business, convention and tourist crowds reported that business was slow Tuesday and Wednesday.

Businesses in the Hughes Center in midtown Las Vegas shut down Tuesday morning. Many of those workers frequent the restaurants in that business complex.

"Ironically, lunch volume was busy Tuesday. Business was maybe off 20 percent," said Dave Kim, general manager of Gordon Biersch brew pub.

McCormick & Schmick Seafood Restaurant executive chef John Botkin said business was slightly hampered by the nearby businesses closing.

"Our happy hour died down (Tuesday), and of course, there wasn't much to be happy about," Botkin said.