Mark Hansel

Story Archive

WMC reports slight attendance dip for Winter Market: Friday, Feb. 20, 2009; In this topsy-turvy economy, it seems down really is up. When World Market Center Las Vegas officials announced that attendance figures were down 2 percent from the January 2008 market, they did so with fanfare that would have been reserved for a significant visitor increase in better times.
First Costco Business Center in Las Vegas opens: Friday, Feb. 20, 2009; By the time you read this, the first Costco Business Center in Las Vegas will be open. The store, one of only seven in the country, is on Martin Luther King Boulevard in the same space that was occupied by a traditional Costco for more than 20 years.
Costco Business Center plans Thursday opening: Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009; The first Costco Business Center in Las Vegas is scheduled to open Thursday. The store, one of only seven of its type in the country, is located on Martin Luther King Drive in the same space that was previously occupied by a traditional Costco for more than 20 years.
WMC to open Design Salon: Friday, Feb. 13, 2009; World Market Center Las Vegas has announced plans to open a Design Salon at the Las Vegas Design Center.
The transformation of downtown’s Gold Spike: Friday, Feb. 13, 2009; The change that has taken place at the Gold Spike Hotel in downtown Las Vegas is so dramatic it is hard to describe.
Efforts of LV Redevelopment Agency lauded in study: Friday, Feb. 13, 2009; An independent study of the economic and fiscal efforts of the Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency praised the agency’s efforts to improve the city’s core.
Las Vegas bested 47 cities to land call center: Friday, Feb. 13, 2009; Las Vegas beat out dozens of other cities to become the site for a new Telus call center through a coordinated effort by city officials and the Nevada Redevelopment Authority that company officials say blew away the competition.
Consumers want green, and builders comply: Friday, Feb. 6, 2009; Tight credit markets and the prolonged slump in the housing market have builders focusing on consumer demands more than ever.
Star Trek and Telemundo make for strange bedfellows: Friday, Feb. 6, 2009; Neonopolis has taken networking to a whole new level.
Rohit Joshi, the owner’s representative for Neonopolis, welcomed Telemundo to the downtown Las Vegas property last week and announced he has a signed contract to house the Star Trek Experience.
What makes the deal so unusual is that Telemundo is owned by NBC, while rival network CBS owns the rights to the Star Trek brand.
Receptionists probably won’t like this product: Friday, Feb. 6, 2009; At a time when many companies are looking for ways to cut costs, a Las Vegas-based company has introduced an alternative to a paid receptionist.
World Market Center to open Design Salon: Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009; World Market Center Las Vegas has announced plans to open a Design Salon at the Las Vegas Design Center.
Study to look at economic effect of city projects: Monday, Feb. 2, 2009; The City of Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency will unveil an independent study at its Wednesday meeting that focuses on the economic and fiscal impact of Redevelopment Agency projects.
Manufacturers scramble to make every possible sale: Friday, Jan. 30, 2009; One of the best ways for manufacturers and suppliers to lessen the effects of an economic downturn is to maximize channels of distribution. This particular slump has been so far-reaching, however, that almost every outlet for merchandise has been affected.
Encore Esplanade shops reveal sense of discovery: Friday, Jan. 30, 2009; When Dan Barteluce was given the task of designing Encore Esplanade in collaboration with Wynn Design and Development, he knew he had a rare opportunity. Because there was no design plan for the individual retail shops at Encore, Barteluce of Barteluce Architects and Associates started with a blank slate.
Bob Maricich: World Market Center chief executive; Friday, Jan. 30, 2009; Bob Maricich is chief executive of World Market Center Las Vegas. Maricich replaced Harvey Dondero last year after more than 30 years in the furniture manufacturing industry. He talked to In Business about the state of the home furnishings industry and his goals for the World Market Center.
Wireless retailers advised to emphasize great customer service: Friday, Jan. 23, 2009; The wireless retail seminar at the recent Consumer Electronics Show provided information that would have been valuable to just about any merchant. Kristin Williams, a training and development manager for Celluphone, moderated the best in class seminar titled “A Look at How to Create the Dream Wireless Retail Experience for Your Customer.”
Fresh & Easy lets patrons shop for schools: Friday, Jan. 23, 2009; Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets has introduced a program to benefit local schools. Shop for Schools gives participating public, private and parochial schools an opportunity to receive a $1 cash donation for every $20 spent at a Fresh & Easy store, up to $5,000 per school.
Goodman stays positive despite tough economy: Friday, Jan. 23, 2009; The messages at Las Vegas’ State of the City address last week were not that different from previous years. A lot has changed since the last State of the City speech, however, and despite the positive spin Mayor Oscar Goodman put on the evening, it’s clear some challenges are ahead.
Big plans for Barcelona Hotel: Friday, Jan. 16, 2009; The purchase of the Barcelona Hotel on Craig Road near Nellis Air Force Base by the Siegel Group Nevada is the latest expansion of that brand in Southern Nevada. The property is the second hotel for Siegel Group Nevada. The company purchased the Gold Spike in downtown Las Vegas for $21 million in February, just six months after the previous owner had paid $15.6 million for it.
Digital conversion delay hot topic at 2009 CES: Friday, Jan. 16, 2009; President-elect Barack Obama turned a lot of heads recently when, through his transition team, he asked Congress to postpone the shut-off of analog TV broadcasts, scheduled for Feb. 17. In a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, John Podesta, co-chairman of the transition team, cited the lack of funding for a converter box coupon program and insufficient consumer support and education.
Old opinion could bite union with ballot issue: Referendum on plan for redevelopment would be unconstitutional, it said; Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009; The Culinary Union’s ballot initiative to repeal the Las Vegas Redevelopment Plan could be derailed by a Nevada attorney general opinion on a previous voter-led effort to end the redevelopment plan.
Referendum faces legal hurdle: Friday, Jan. 9, 2009; The Culinary Union has expressed confidence that a referendum to repeal the Las Vegas Redevelopment Plan would win voter approval and is circulating a petition to put the issue on the ballot in the spring. The 60,000-member Culinary also believes obtaining the 3,000 signatures needed to get the referendum before voters, along with another ballot initiative requiring voter approval on future redevelopment projects, is just a formality. A 1995 opinion by the Nevada attorney general, however, establishes a precedent that could derail the referendum. The opinion, which refers to the U.S. Constitution, the Nevada Constitution and a 1973 decision by the Nevada Supreme Court, addresses a previous attempt by voters to repeal the redevelopment plan.
Buddy, can you spare a tetradrachm?: Friday, Jan. 9, 2009; Rare coins and beautiful jewelry are highly sought by collectors, and for more than a dozen years, a Las Vegas retailer has been offering shoppers the best of both worlds. Ancient Creations purchases rare coins and artifacts from auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s and transforms them into handmade jewelry.
Opening of project in Summerlin area delayed: Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008; The developers of Tivoli Village at Queensridge, the $850-million mixed-use project on Rampart Drive at Alta Drive, have announced that the opening date for the center has been rescheduled for spring of 2010.
Citizen advocate, former mayoral candidate dies: Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008; Longtime Las Vegas resident, political candidate and citizen advocate Tom McGowan died today. He was 76.
Steinman to fill Ward 4 seat on Las Vegas City Council: Council fills seat on interim basis until spring city election; Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008; The Las Vegas City Council today unanimously approved Planning Commissioner David W. Steinman to fill the Ward 4 council seat of outgoing Councilman Larry Brown on an interim or “caretaker” basis.
General Growth announces completion of loans: Friday, Dec. 12, 2008; General Growth Properties announced today the completion of approximately $896 million of mortgage loans.
Fretwell named as Las Vegas city manager: Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008; The Las Vegas City Council today, in a unanimous vote, chose Elizabeth “Betsy” Fretwell to replace Douglas Selby as city manager.
Design Center to open this weekend for charity: Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008; Las Vegas Design Center at World Market Center Las Vegas will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 21 and 22 for a special sample sale that benefits three local charities.
Las Vegas city manager resigns: Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008; City of Las Vegas officials announced Thursday that Las Vegas City Manager Douglas A. Selby has announced his resignation, citing a desire to pursue other options.
Volunteers sought for Lake Mead cleanup: Monday, Oct. 27, 2008; Volunteers are encouraged to assist with a clean-up effort on the beach at Lake Mead on Tuesday, Oct. 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Henderson Zappos exec to appear on Oprah Winfrey show: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008; Tony Hsieh, Zappos.com chief executive, will be featured on the Oprah Winfrey show Thursday.
AT&T to bring 350 call center jobs to Las Vegas: Company retrieving some outsourced jobs; Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008; AT&T opened a High Speed Internet Technical Support Center on West Charleston Boulevard and Towne Square today.
Telemundo deal at Neonopolis makes mayor dance: Other tenants also announced for downtown development; Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008; Telemundo announced at today’s Las Vegas City Council meeting that it plans to move into Neonopolis in February.
City quietly ends arena talks with REI Neon: City now free to pursue other potential arena options; Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008; The Las Vegas City Council today officially terminated the Las Vegas Events Center Request for Proposal process. This brings to an end the 14-month negotiation between the council and REI Neon, the group that was chosen as the preferred arena developer.
Las Vegas Market to move from summer to fall for 2009: Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008; World Market Center Las Vegas has announced that starting in 2009 it will host the Las Vegas Market in fall and winter instead of summer and winter to better serve the home furnishings industry.
This bass guitar will cost you $250,000: Luxury instrument is hand-crafted and inlaid with gold and diamonds; Wednesday, July 30, 2008; The jeweler who brought the $650,000 slot machine watch to Las Vegas now is offering a bass guitar inlaid with gold and diamonds. The $250,000 bass guitar, the Flora Aurum, was built by Jens Ritter, a luthier, or stringed instrument maker, from Germany.
NBA Summer League draws hoops fans from all over: Friday, July 18, 2008; The fact that people will fly across the country to check out a few Kevin Loves and a lot of Malick Badianes, Hunter says, demonstrates the value of Las Vegas as a venue for the league. About 3,000 people per day attend the games.
For $625,000, a watch for the slot-addicted: One-of-a-kind sold at Wynn lets buyer spin reels endlessly; Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008; Wristwatches long ago became more than clocks. You can get them today with pulse monitors, GPS features, cameras and more. But a Swiss watchmaker has now gone one better.
Bam! He makes people happier: Monday, Feb. 4, 2008; Emeril Lagasse will soon open his third restaurant on the Strip — Table 10 at the Palazzo, and the celebrity chef’s shows on the Food Network reach more than 85 million homes daily.
Where art and architecture converge: Friday, Jan. 18, 2008; The two 18-story residential condominiums at Rampart Boulevard and Alta Drive tower over the neighborhood. But the real treasures are inside and on the project’s grounds.
Understudy waiting in wings for arena developer to falter: Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007; If REI Neon/Warburg Pincus Joint Venture cannot deliver on its plan to develop an arena in downtown Las Vegas, at least one group is ready to step in and take over the project.
City didn't ask, so REI didn't tell of Michigan project's woes: Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007; When REI Neon /Warburg Pincus entered the bidding to build an arena in downtown Las Vegas, company officials probably hoped that the city would not ask tough questions about an $800 million REI project in Michigan that has been in limbo for two years.
LOOKING IN ON: CITY HALL: Monday, July 2, 2007; Nevada will officially transfer ownership of Floyd Lamb Park to Las Vegas today.
Will someone please pick up?: Sunday, July 1, 2007; If you have ever wondered why some officials at Las Vegas City Hall seem more accessible than others, you are not alone.
Lady's luck is changing: Friday, June 22, 2007; CIM Group, a Los Angeles-based developer, is prepared to purchase the North Third Street property that has been vacant for more than a year, city and company officials said Thursday.
Deadline for club's sale looms: Tuesday, June 19, 2007; Time may finally be running out on a strip club that is open around the clock.
Good intentions aside, Las Vegas parks another law that won't fly: Monday, June 18, 2007; Las Vegas has not had a very good track record lately in passing laws that are, well, legal.
Local grocer vs. big chain: Tuesday, May 29, 2007; If the competition to bring a grocery store to West Las Vegas were a boxing bout, it would shape up as a serious mismatch.
LOOKING IN ON: CITY HALL: Wednesday, May 23, 2007; The late mobster Al Capone is credited with the phrase "vote early and vote often," a reference to the ballot stuffing that allegedly took place in the days of the Chicago political machine.