Friday, Oct. 31, 2003 | 4:53 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION Nov. 1 - 2, 2003
Prepare to sprint to the finish. The 2003 City of Las Vegas Corporate Challenge is winding down, with a 5K race and tug-of-war finishing the preliminary events this weekend.
This is the 18th year for the local Corporate Challenge, which is loosely patterned after the Olympic Games and is one of the largest amateur athletic events in Southern Nevada.
This year 75 local businesses threw aside their pin-striped suits on weekends and evenings to compete in 26 events ranging from basketball to shuffleboard, track and field to archery. This weekend is the last chance to gain extra points before finals Nov. 8.
The businesses are divided into four divisions -- A through D -- based on number of employees and the size of the company. Spokeswoman Jana Salisbury said the divisions are made to keep the competition fair.
After each event, bronze, silver and gold medals are given to the top three winners of each division in various age categories.
"There are four divisions based on size to keep things even," she said. "It wouldn't be fair to put up a company like MGM Grand, which has 3,000 people, against a smaller business."
The Corporate Challenge started in April with opening ceremonies on Fremont Street. About 14,000 people signed up to participate this year, according to spokesman Perry Coyle.
Coyle said it has been a great year for Corporate Challenge and a close competition, especially among the C division.
According to Coyle, G.C. Wallace Inc. has won the C division title for the past five years. This year, however, Wackenhut Services is battling to win the competition and bump G.C. Wallace off its throne.
"You have to understand, G.C. Wallace has won this for five years and they are going for six," Coyle said. "That's kind of like winning the Super Bowl five years straight. So for Wackenhut to be so close behind, it's a very strong battle."
Coyle said the teams are neck and neck, with G.C. Wallace leading with 169 points and Wackenhut Services with 165.5 points.
"It's very close, the teams are both going strong," he said. "They are all really into the competition. They have pep rallies and are just going full force."
Susan Lechavalier, this year's Corporate Challenge coordinator for G.C. Wallace, an engineering contractor, admits the business is worried about Wackenhut, which provides security and other business services, taking the lead.
"We are absolutely worried," she said. "We've run the numbers -- we're engineers you know -- so we've been looking at the past years and records from Wackenhut and just trying to step it up a little bit."
Lechavalier said G.C. Wallace meets to plan strategies and research the competition.
"We were at one time half a point behind," she said. "We held an emergency meeting to voice concerns and then we stepped it up even more."
G.C. Wallace plans to take the lead this weekend in the tug-of-war event.
"Historically, Wackenhut has not placed in the top six for tug-of-war," she said. "We're looking forward to a great weekend and hope to be successful."
Sherry Wulff, fitness specialist at Wackenhut Services, said she is trying to stay optimistic about the tug-of-war event.
"We're looking forward to the tug-of-war," she said. "As long as we get close to the 2,000-pound limit, I think we'll do very well. That's the key with the tug-of-war."
Wulff said Wackenhut Services always does well in the Corporate Challenge but has never been so close to first place.
"A couple of years ago we placed second, but not this close behind them," she said. "We're right in striking distance right now."
Wulff competes in the running events, including the race Tuesday night and the 5K this weekend.
"I'm a runner, so I'm looking forward to this weekend," she said. "I participate in all of the endurance-based events. We did very well on Tuesday night getting the gold in the mile and silver in the 400. We also took the gold in the pyramid relay."
Corporate Challenge coordinators are worried, however, that the poor air quality as a result of smoke from the California wildfires and dust kicked up by the wind may cause the 5K to be canceled.
"They are possibly going to cancel the 5K this weekend because of weather conditions," Lechavalier said Thursday. "The smoke in the air is causing problems already."
Lechavalier said many runners were coughing during and after running events Tuesday night, complaining of pain in their chests. But in such high competition, businesses are still participating.
Competition is also strong in the A and B divisions, Coyle said. The Bellagio currently leads the A division with 146.5 points with Nellis Air Force Base close behind at 142 points. Yucca Mountain Project holds the first place position of the B division with 148.3 points. Nevada Power Co. is currently in second place with 132.3 points.
Standings are not as tight in the D division, with PBS&J leading with 142.5 points and EEA in second with 122.9 points.
"A, B, and C divisions are all very close," Coyle said. "For them, the first place position is not exactly cinched up yet. They get 10 points for each event they win, so there are still points sitting out there. A lot of movement can still take place, depending on how these teams do this weekend."
So far, G.C. Wallace Inc. has proven its lucky streak, currently leading the C division and winning the Corporate Challenge T-shirt contest with a Route 66 T-shirt to signify its intended sixth year of winning. The Route 66 T-shirt was designed by Elizabeth Lopez, who works in the G.C. Wallace marketing department and graphic arts.
"Liz did such a great job with the T-shirt," Lechavalier said. "She really deserves this recognition."
Coyle said each company designs a T-shirt to represent its team. Awards are given to the best T-shirt of each division based on company pride and creativity.
At the final awards ceremony Nov. 8, T-shirt winners from each division will receive an award and have their T-shirt framed.
United Blood Services is giving teams an added opportunity to get ahead by awarding an extra point to any business that sets up a blood drive among its employees.
Overall awards for blood contribution will be given at the final ceremony. United Blood Services keeps track of units of blood given from each business and will give a final award for the businesses that contributed the most.
Teams can also gain extra points by attending company coordinators and captains meetings, participating in the Parade of Banners and the Torch Relay.
Lechavalier noted that G.C. Wallace is the only company in all four divisions that attended all of the extra meetings.
"That really helped us in some areas," Lechavalier said. "Wackenhut missed six possible bonus points by missing those. Had they gone to those meetings, they would be ahead of us."
Lechavalier said that winning is an added bonus to the other rewards the Corporate Challenge provides.
"I think we here at G.C. Wallace feel it's a value to the community and lets us get to know the people at other companies and have fun with them," she said. "It gets our name out there and it's nice to have a venue to meet other people in the community."
The Corporate Challenge is a good opportunity to bring something back to the company, Lechavalier said.
"It brings a sense of pride and teamwork to our company," she said. "We are prideful and we love our company. We get a chance to meet other engineers and other companies and it's a good way to broaden contacts.
"We'll absolutely be back next year."
For more information about Corporate Challenge, call Jana Salisbury at 229-6706.
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