Jeff Simpson explains why you should be reading In Business Las Vegas

Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007 | 1:16 a.m.

Please indulge me this week as I take a few moments to write about a subject that is very important to me.

The subject may be worthwhile to you, too, if you are a business owner or executive, or a professional, or want to know what is going on in the valley's dynamic business community.

I am executive editor of In Business Las Vegas, Southern Nevada's leading business publication.

Every week our team of reporters, researchers, photographers, designers and editors publishes an information-packed newspaper that should be required reading for any businesswoman or businessman in Greater Las Vegas.

Although I'm hardly an unbiased observer, I challenge anyone to compare the valley's weekly and monthly business publications.

IBLV strives every week to report the most important business news and to present information in a way that can help businesses succeed.

There's just no doubt that week in and week out, In Business Las Vegas presents more news and more useful information to Las Vegas businesses than any other paper or magazine.

We pay particularly close attention to the Las Vegas real estate market, with more real estate content each week than any of our business news competitors - or the city's dailies, for that matter.

We cover the real estate numbers and we cover the trends. We've been on top of the state's home-foreclosure crisis, as well as the failures of sub-prime mortgage lenders and the credit crunch that keeps many potential homebuyers on the sideline.

IBLV also has the best tourism coverage in the market, covering the valley's vital convention and aviation businesses.

Our stories also focus on gaming, law, retail, health care, marketing, utilities and labor.

The IBLV Q&A with leading business and government leaders is a prime example of the features we include every week to keep our readers informed.

Leading business executives, including Mary Kaye Cashman of Cashman Equipment, Richard Rizzo of Perini Building Co., Irwin Molasky of the Molasky Group and Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Gary Kelly have all sat for in-depth Q&A interviews.

And on the government side , our Q&As are equally impressive and informative to readers who want to know what to expect from their elected officials.

During last year's governor's race all five of the top Republican and Democratic candidates answered our questions about their business agendas. Before this year's legislative session, Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, and Sen. Warren Hardy, R-Las Vegas, each had their own Q&A, and we've also recently interviewed mayors Oscar Goodman of Las Vegas, Mike Montandon of North Las Vegas and Jim Gibson of Henderson , as well as Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid.

Respected columnist Jon Ralston explains the intersection of politics and business to our readers in his front-page weekly column, an incisive element our competitors can't match.

Our data sections, lists and annual books of lists are also the best in town. We have a top-flight research staff, experienced and talented, and they work hard to deliver a wider range of data, more inclusive lists and more comprehensive annual books of lists than the offerings thrown together by the competition.

The look of IBLV is clearly the best in class as well. More and better photos and cleaner design make reading the paper as easy on the eyes as it is stimulating to the brain and, we hope, profitable to the bottom line.

Sure, I'm biased. And I'm proud of the work our talented journalists put together each week.

But more than that, I'm confident that In Business Las Vegas has evolved into a must-read publication for folks who are serious about business and their place in the Southern Nevada economy.

Check us out, compare us, and I know you'll want to subscribe.