LV Sands continues quest for growth - Hotel News Now

ATLANTA—With massive expansion under way in Macau, Las Vegas Sands Corporation hasn’t completely closed the door on adding capacity in the United States.

While nothing is imminent, there are a few markets in which LV Sands would seriously think about adding properties, including New York and Miami, said Mike Leven, president and COO, during an interview conducted at last week’s Hunter Hotel Investment Conference.
Leven said the company looked at some downtown Miami sites that it was happy with, but it doesn’t appear the Florida legislature will approve the exclusive gaming license for the site LV Sands is seeking.

“The potential for us in the United States is pretty limited because there aren’t a lot of places where you can put an integrated resort of our size and our financial investment and get a return,” he said.

Mike Leven
President and COO of Las Vegas Sands Corporation

“Now, New York … there’s a little noise in New York now, and we’re going to take a look and see if we can put something … maybe in Manhattan and be able to do maybe something with (the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center) and us and a big place and put our complex in there. If the government wants it, we’d be interested in doing it.”

The plethora of gaming casinos in the U.S.—at least 22 states permit some form of casino gaming, according to the American Gaming Association—has focused on the wrong aspect of the benefits integrated resorts, such as the kind LV Sands operates, provide a market, according to Leven.

“The sad reality … is these state governments are looking for tax revenue, and our business is different,” he said. “We do integrated resorts; we produce tax revenue, but we produce jobs, we produce tourism and (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) business,” he said. “So when we go into countries like Japan or Korea or Vietnam or even Spain like we’re talking about now, that’s our pitch. Our pitch is we’re not just going to generate tax revenue, which we do.”

Las Vegas Sands’ U.S. portfolio comprises The Venetian and The Palazzo on the Las Vegas Strip, as well as Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Eastern Pennsylvania. The company also operates the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.?

Through its majority-owned subsidiary Sands China Limited, the company also owns a collection of properties in Macau, including The Venetian Macau, Four Seasons Hotel Macau, and Sands Cotai Central, a 13.7-million square foot, 6,400-room complex opening in April 2012 at the company's Cotai Strip development. The company also owns the Sands Macau on the Macau peninsula.

‘An economic machine’
Leven said the company’s Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, for example, in addition to tax revenue, produced 10,000 direct jobs and another 15,000 non-direct jobs. The property also sources $400 million in goods in the local market every year.

“We’re basically an economic machine,” he said. “We drive business into the market. We want to bring tourists in. We want to bring people from out of state in and out of country in. That’s really our business model and why we think we’re so attractive to these other countries.”

Marina Bay Sands and the company’s Macau resort generate approximately 90% of the Las Vegas Sands’ annual earnings before taxes, interest, depreciation and amortization, Leven said. Macau—the only city in China where gambling is legal—is where the company’s core integrated resort concept has blossomed, as it owns or is planning to build hotels under the Venetian, Sands, Four Seasons, Sheraton, Holiday Inn and Conrad brands.

“(Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson’s) vision was to put these kinds of properties up, which were not just gaming centers—which represent about 2% of the space in our integrated resorts—but the full-service, convention, meeting, shopping, entertainment facilities that had not been seen before around the world,” Leven said. “His ambition and his vision and our ability to execute (are) really putting us in a position where we can go now to other Asian countries as well as in Europe.”

Two of the hotels—a 1,200-unit Holiday Inn and a 600-unit Conrad, are scheduled to open 11 April. The Sheraton property will open 2,000 rooms at the end of September and 2,000 additional rooms13 January 2013, Leven said.

“So we’ve got the biggest Sheraton, the biggest Conrad and today the biggest Holiday (Inn) opening under our management of Holiday Inn and Conrad and (Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide’s) management at Sheraton,” said Leven..

The 73-year-old Leven, who has spent 51 years working in the hotel industry, said having operations in China is no different than having a presence elsewhere in the world.

“Governments are governments no matter where you go. You can put a different face on or a different culture on, but at the end of the day—I’ve been doing international business since in the ‘60s when I lived in the Bahamas for Sonesta Hotels—what I’ve found as I went around the world and did things is that people are people no matter where you go. If you treat them right, if you deal with ethics and (have) a high regard for individual dignity, no matter what you do whether it’s at the line level or the senior level of the organization, it’s the same basic scenario.”

The Vegas factor
While the company continues to grow globally and looks for well-defined opportunities in the U.S., it also is seeking to maintain its standing in Las Vegas, where it has The Venetian and The Palazzo properties. Operating there is a different scenario than in Asia, Leven said.

“In Las Vegas, for example, 70% of our profitability is from non-gaming. The nature of the customer in Vegas to play is significantly different than the customer in Asia,” he said. “Asians tend to play more and longer and as a consequence in Asia (profitability is) 70/30 the other way.”

The Venetian, which opened in 1999, is preparing for an update that will include newly-designed rooms. Leven wants to buck some current trends in the hotel industry.

“We’re redoing a thousand rooms in The Venetian in Vegas, and I called in my design people and said, ‘Listen. I don’t want any duvets anymore. They run the energy bill up. They heat up the people. When you go into a hotel and you’re under the duvet, you turn the air conditioning down; people throw all these pillows on the floor. … Let’s get out of this thing and let’s try to find a way that will satisfy the guest, make it greener, make it less difficult for the maid,’” he said.

No exact timetable is set for the rooms renovation as the company is still in the testing phase, Leven said.

Leven said the Las Vegas market is still hurting from the recession as average daily rates are 25% below what they were during 2006 and 2007.

“It’s going to be a long time catching up because you have a big supply of the high-end rooms,” he said. “Over time I think the rates will gradually improve and the visitation will continue to improve. There will be more foreign visitors with the new visa rules—China and Brazil, that will help. But it’s a long way back. There’s about $20 billion worth of real estate that’s been built in Vegas since ’07 with very little return, so it’s going to be a long time.

“But you wouldn’t know going in there when it’s convention season or when you go in on a weekend. You think everything will be great because there are tons of people,” Leven added. “But if you get tons of people but not at the right price, it doesn’t help you very much.”

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Police: LV man used social networking site to meet 13-year-old he raped - Pocono Record

A 23-year-old Allentown man who posed as a 16-year-old on a social networking site has been charged with raping a 13-year-old girl he met through the website, state police at Fogelsville said.

Investigators say Ryan T. Mock of 435 S. 18th St. met the 13-year-old girl on myyearbook.com in the summer of 2010, the two exchanged phone numbers and began "sexting," according to a complaint filed at district court in Upper Macungie Township.

Police say the girl invited Mock, who she believed was 16, to her Lower Macungie Township house in August 2010 when her parents weren't home. Police said the girl told Mock she was 13 and that after a period of consensual kissing, Mock restrained and raped the girl despite her attempts to stop him.

After leaving, police said, Mock, who was 22 at the time, texted the girl and told her to wash her sheets.

The alleged assault came to light this month when the girl, now 14, mentioned it during a classroom discussion at her school, police said. The girl's teacher overheard the comment and asked her to speak to a guidance counselor.

Mock was charged Tuesday with statutory sexual assault, sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault, all felonies, as well as corruption of minors and indecent assault of a person under 16, both misdemeanors, court papers say. He was taken to Lehigh County Prison under $250,000 bail following his Wednesday arraignment.

Mock recently completed about 10 months in Lehigh County Prison's work-release program. He was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty last year to two counts of unlawful contact with a minor.

In that case, investigators say, Mock had sexual chats with a 15-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy on myyearbook.com during September 2010, about a month after the alleged rape of the 13-year-old girl.

While being sentenced by Lehigh County Judge Maria Dantos in May 2011, Mock said he made "a complete thinking error" when he joined the social networking site.

Defense attorney Michael Stump during the May sentencing said Mock was found not to meet the criteria for being a sexually violent predator
Dantos ordered Mock to serve two years of probation following his prison sentence. She barred him from having contact with minors and from having Internet access. Mock also had to register with police as a sex offender for 10 years.

Mock in December pleaded guilty in Lehigh County Court to statutory sexual assault, a felony, and indecent assault, a misdemeanor, for an assault that occurred in Allentown in June 2010, according to court records. The victim in that case was under 16, court records say.

Mock is scheduled to be sentenced in that case on April 27, court records show.

MCT Information Services

Reader Reaction We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Rules. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or fill out this form. New comments are only accepted for two weeks from the date of publication.
Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Vegas cab alternative runs into regulations stifling competition - Las Vegas Sun

Steve Marcus

A Bell Trans limousine heads to a passenger area at McCarran International?Airport.

By Joe Schoenmann (contact)

Wednesday, March 28, 2012 | 2 a.m.

A San Francisco company that’s given the limo business a digital-age makeover wants to do business in Las Vegas but has run headlong into regulations that shield cab companies from competition.

Uber Technologies Inc., which already offers its service in nine cities, runs dispatch centers that customers access via a smartphone. To provide the rides, the company partners with licensed companies that use sedans, SUVs or limousines, using those vehicles during the companies' down time. No cash changes hands — the transaction, including tip, is paid for using the phone.

Uber is technically a livery business and as a result would not be regulated as a traditional taxicab company. But because it would be new competition, its efforts to enter the Las Vegas market has ignited a political war of sorts with cab companies.

Uber executives told the Sun they look forward to doing business in Las Vegas. But sources said the company is having “an interesting time” dealing with an old state statute requiring livery services charge a high minimum hourly rate.

Most livery services in Southern Nevada are required to charge a minimum rate of about $40 to $45 an hour. It means that even if a ride is five minutes long, the cost is at least $40.

Whether it was the intent of the law or not, it ensures that limos pose less of a threat to the Las Vegas taxicab business, which, using meters, can provide short rides at lower costs.

Uber executives said they haven’t encountered high minimum charges anywhere else. And no city where Uber operates has a minimum hourly rate. Uber started in San Francisco, where its base fare is $8.

The Nevada Transportation Authority approves rates for each company. Companies can request that regulators set lower minimum hourly rates. But even if a livery company figures it can make a profit with a minimum hourly rate of, say, $15, sources said opposition from the powerful cab companies would make it difficult, if not impossible, to get regulators to go along.

The Nevada Taxicab Authority, which regulates the taxi industry, is looking closely at Uber. Charles Harvey, Taxicab Authority administrator, said an “unregulated, unlicensed quasi-taxi operator is a concern.” He said the agency is doing research on the company and talking to the Transportation Authority, which regulates limousines.

The state’s Office of Economic Development is also interested in the company, but for different reasons.

While it offers transportation, Uber is a tech firm, founded by a man who developed a smartphone application after he was unable to hail a cab. It’s the kind of company that Gov. Brian Sandoval has said he wants to lure to the state to diversify the economy.

Dave Berns, the Office of Economic Development’s communications director, said state officials have spoken with Uber representatives and reached out to the state Department of Business and Industry and Transportation Authority about its interest in moving here.

Uber’s use of technology is a big part of the company’s allure. With Uber, money and credit cards are never exchanged — everything is done through a smartphone application, which already has logged a customer’s payment information. When a customer punches their Uber smartphone application, they can “watch” the vehicle on a map and see how how long it will take for the vehicle to arrive.

How Uber will fare in its effort to do business in Las Vegas is uncertain. But the company has a track record of facing adversity and winning.

In January, the head of the Taxicab Commission in Washington, D.C., Ron Linton, did a “sting” on Uber, towing away an Uber sedan and levying a fine because Linton said the company was doing the same thing as taxi companies but isn’t regulated like a cab company. National Public Radio reported Linton is moving quickly to get credit card machines into taxis to “make them … more Uber-like.” Uber is still operating in Washington, D.C.

San Francisco cab companies fought the company because its former name, UberCab, sounded too much like a taxi company. The company shortened the name to Uber.

Jim Gillespie, general manager for San Francisco’s largest cab company, Yellow Cab Cooperative Inc., said Uber has not hurt his business because the city has too few taxicabs. His company gets 6,000 to 7,000 calls a day but can only serve about 20 percent of those calls.

The city is expected to approve about 500 more cabs within the next year. Gillespie believes Uber will be hurt more by the increased competition because its service is more expensive than traditional cabs.

Sources told the Sun that Uber will know within a week or two whether it wants to try to do business here or go to other cities where regulations aren’t as daunting.

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Leavenworth boys' tennis start at home - Leavenworth Times

The Leavenworth boys’ tennis team opened up the 2012 season this week with back-to-back home meets Tuesday and Wednesday.

First, on Tuesday, the Pioneers welcomed Olathe South, Olathe North and Blue Valley Southwest. Moritz Kaletta held the top spot for LV in singles and didn’t disappoint as he won all three of his matches. He began with a 8-7, 7-5 tiebreaker victory against South’s Michael Serwatka and then defeated North’s Chris Kinzel 8-1 and Southwest’s Conner Davis 8-2.

“Moritz did not lose a match Tuesday which was definitely the bright spot,” Leavenworth coach James Vanek said. “He had the close first match but then really looked good in the next two.”

Josh Benard was the Pioneers’ No. 2 singles player and he fell 8-0 to Conner Petty from Olathe South, 8-1 to Askshay Prabhushankar of Olathe North and 8-2 to Austin Rottinghaus from Blue Valley Southwest.

The Leavenworth No. 1 doubles duo consisted of Brent Gersema and Noah Easterling, who went winless on the day. They lost 8-2 to South’s Brandon Edwards and Tyler Green, 8-5 to North’s Derek Bradshaw and Arnav Singh and 8-1 to Southwest’s Jeff Stevens and Niklas Hagenback.

Phil Tracy and Wesley Barbee, the Pioneers No. 2 doubles set, suffered the same winless streak, yet competed well in its final two matches of the day. Against South’s Brad Garcia and Young Lu the squad lost 8-0, yet versus North’s Dalton Bradley and Forrest Goyer, as well Southwest’s Dharam Patel and Pavan Kota, the LV pair fell by a score of 8-5.

“We had a couple of close doubles matches there, which is good for the first match of the year,” Vanek said. “The effort is there from everyone, but a lot of these teams are just ahead of us because they play year round, so we just need to keep working on improving, improving, improving every day.”

On Wednesday, the Pioneers hosted Shawnee Mission West. It was a rough day for the boys in blue as every Leavenworth competitor lost to its Vikings counterpart.

In singles, Kaletta was dropped 8-0 by Vinny Pham, Tracy tumbled 8-2 to Kevin Cao and Easterling was tripped up 8-1 to Brett Niese. Barbee suffered a 8-1 loss to Kyle Nelsen, Josh Benard slipped up 8-1 to Alex Hand and Michael Rielly was toppled by Brian Smith 8-1.

During doubles action, Kaletta and Easterling lost 8-0 to Cao and Niese while Tracy and Barbee dropped their match 8-0 to Pham and Hand. Benard and Rielly suffered a 8-2 loss to Nelsen and Smith.

“It might not show in the results but we are improving,” Vanek said. “We haven’t reached our peak yet, and that’s fine because we need to peak at the end of the season and just keep getting better week by week leading up to then.”

The Pioneers will next compete at Olathe East on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

The Leavenworth boys’ tennis team opened up the 2012 season this week with back-to-back home meets Tuesday and Wednesday.

First, on Tuesday, the Pioneers welcomed Olathe South, Olathe North and Blue Valley Southwest. Moritz Kaletta held the top spot for LV in singles and didn’t disappoint as he won all three of his matches. He began with a 8-7, 7-5 tiebreaker victory against South’s Michael Serwatka and then defeated North’s Chris Kinzel 8-1 and Southwest’s Conner Davis 8-2.

“Moritz did not lose a match Tuesday which was definitely the bright spot,” Leavenworth coach James Vanek said. “He had the close first match but then really looked good in the next two.”

Josh Benard was the Pioneers’ No. 2 singles player and he fell 8-0 to Conner Petty from Olathe South, 8-1 to Askshay Prabhushankar of Olathe North and 8-2 to Austin Rottinghaus from Blue Valley Southwest.

The Leavenworth No. 1 doubles duo consisted of Brent Gersema and Noah Easterling, who went winless on the day. They lost 8-2 to South’s Brandon Edwards and Tyler Green, 8-5 to North’s Derek Bradshaw and Arnav Singh and 8-1 to Southwest’s Jeff Stevens and Niklas Hagenback.

Phil Tracy and Wesley Barbee, the Pioneers No. 2 doubles set, suffered the same winless streak, yet competed well in its final two matches of the day. Against South’s Brad Garcia and Young Lu the squad lost 8-0, yet versus North’s Dalton Bradley and Forrest Goyer, as well Southwest’s Dharam Patel and Pavan Kota, the LV pair fell by a score of 8-5.

“We had a couple of close doubles matches there, which is good for the first match of the year,” Vanek said. “The effort is there from everyone, but a lot of these teams are just ahead of us because they play year round, so we just need to keep working on improving, improving, improving every day.”

On Wednesday, the Pioneers hosted Shawnee Mission West. It was a rough day for the boys in blue as every Leavenworth competitor lost to its Vikings counterpart.

In singles, Kaletta was dropped 8-0 by Vinny Pham, Tracy tumbled 8-2 to Kevin Cao and Easterling was tripped up 8-1 to Brett Niese. Barbee suffered a 8-1 loss to Kyle Nelsen, Josh Benard slipped up 8-1 to Alex Hand and Michael Rielly was toppled by Brian Smith 8-1.

During doubles action, Kaletta and Easterling lost 8-0 to Cao and Niese while Tracy and Barbee dropped their match 8-0 to Pham and Hand. Benard and Rielly suffered a 8-2 loss to Nelsen and Smith.

“It might not show in the results but we are improving,” Vanek said. “We haven’t reached our peak yet, and that’s fine because we need to peak at the end of the season and just keep getting better week by week leading up to then.”

The Pioneers will next compete at Olathe East on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

70pc of drivers 'clueless' on speed limits - Telegraph.co.uk

But it appears ignorance rather than recklessness may be the cause. More than seven out of 10 drivers failed to identify the legal speed limit for different types of road in recent tests, according to car insurers LV=.

When shown photographs of different roads, one in three could not correctly identify the 60mph speed limit for a single carriageway, while more than one in two did not know the speed limit on a rural road without street lights.

Since 2009, nearly one in 10 drivers have been caught speeding and 17pc of these have been caught two or three times. A freedom of information request by LV= car insurance showed that the number of speeding offences was 6pc higher than in 2010.

John O’Roarke, the managing director of LV= car insurance, described these figures as “alarming” and urged drivers to “take care to know their limits so as to avoid a fine, penalty points or worse.” Recent evidence suggests that insurers will increase car insurance costs significantly, even after just one speeding offence.

Despite a widespread lack of knowledge about the correct limits, close to a third of drivers felt that the 70mph speed restriction on motorways and dual carriageways was too slow. A further 64pc of motorists said they wanted the speed limit on these roads to increase to 80mph. Whilst 41pc of drivers claim to routinely break the 70mph limit a minority of drivers have been caught driving at speeds more suited to an F1 track.

Britain’s worst speeder was caught by Sussex police last year reaching speeds of 152mph. This is not an isolated case though. The Tayside police apprehended one motorist driving at 149mph.

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Comprehensive protection for LV motors - SA Instrumentation and Control

NewElec’s N Series electronic motor protection relays are designed to protect LV motors. They offer the user a choice of protection features, mounting options, and a choice of appropriate motor thermal curves with five models to choose from. When used with their own integrated current transformers, which incorporate an earth leakage core balance CT in the same housing, and the inclusion of a 4 to 20 mA loop for monitoring motor loads, significant space and cost savings are achieved. Designed to IEC 60255-8, the N Series relays are reliable and provide overload protection with user adjustable cold and hot thermal curves linked to a comprehensive thermal memory. The user has the ability of selecting the appropriate thermal curve for the kW of the protected motor. This allows the motor to work hard but within its designed thermal envelope. Excessive jogging of the motor will not be tolerated, and the cooling time after an overload trip is never compromised.Earth leakage protection with a 250 mA sensitivity and a 100 ms trip delay, including harmonic filtering, enables DOL starting of large kW motors without accompanied nuisance trips on startup. N Series relays recognise the potential danger of opening the main contactor on potentially high energy faults. They provide co-ordination so that either the trip is blocked if the earth fault current exceeds a safe level, or use is made of a dedicated earth fault trip contact designed to operate the backup circuit breaker on detection of such faults. If required, LED and remote relay fault indication are available.


Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Local for-sale housing inventory shrinking, data show - Las Vegas Business Press

Monday, March 19, 2012 BY HUBBLE SMITH

Maybe it's a ruse devised by real estate agents to deceive buyers into thinking Las Vegas could run out of homes for sale. Or maybe the market is starting to feel the effects of the robo-signing law that makes it more difficult for lenders to file for foreclosure.

Either way, for-sale housing inventory has been steadily declining, a February report from Keller Williams Realty shows.

Total inventory of homes on the Multiple Listing Service fell to 7,873 in February, a loss of almost 1,700 properties from the previous month and down from 14,036 a year ago.

JERRY HENKEL | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS
David Brownell adjusts a sold sign March 13 on a home at 7221 Silver Valley St. in northwest Las Vegas. The total inventory of Southern Nevada homes on the Multiple Listing Service fell to 7,873 in February, a report from Keller Williams Realty shows. With 3,627 escrow closings in February, that's a little more than two months' supply of inventory, the lowest it's been since David Brownell of Keller Williams began compiling his monthly reports five years ago.

"By the middle of the year, we could be below 5,000 (inventory)," the Realtor said. "That may be lower than any time during the crazy months of 2004, 2005 and 2006."

Also, inventory of real estate-owned, or bank-owned, homes has shrunk to 1,314, less than one month's supply at current sales levels.

About half of existing-home sales in Las Vegas are foreclosures and one-fourth are short sales. That's about to flip as banks figure out how to deal with the new law, Brownell said.

"REO closings are going to drop dramatically in the next 60 days," he said. "It's not out of the question to think that there will be fewer than 1,000 REO units available. There's just no inventory out there."

Scheduled trustee sales have dropped to fewer than 50 a day, sometimes as few as 10 or 15 a day, compared with 200 a day in March 2011. Trustee sales are down as much as 90 percent in recent weeks, Brownell noted.

To really get a good sense of where the market is headed, Brownell points to total new listings (4,663) added in February and total new escrows (6,188) added in the month. Of the new listings, 1,318 were real estate-owned, and 1,814 were short sales. Of those in escrow, 1,807 were REOs and 2,970 were short sales.

Brownell said he doesn't buy into the theory that banks are holding onto a "shadow inventory" of 50,000 to 75,000 foreclosures in order to control prices.

"I have seen commentary on YouTube from a local real estate agent that prices could go up as much as 10 percent or more during these next few months as supply gets tighter," he said. "I am not sure that I agree. Instead, we may see investors taking a timeout as they wait for the next wave of bank-owned properties to come on the market."

HOMEOWNER EVENT

Nearly 3,500 homeowners at risk of foreclosure attended a two-day event at Cashman Center on March 9-10 that brought them face to face with their mortgage servicer or nonprofit housing counselor.

It was the fifth workshop presented by the Hope Now alliance of mortgage servicers, investors and counselors since 2008. More than 20 banks participated in the event, including major lenders such as Bank of America, Chase, Citi, US Bank and Wells Fargo.

"Las Vegas, like so many other markets, has been facing an unprecedented housing crisis for the past few years and the ability of so many groups to come together on behalf of at-risk homeowners is truly remarkable," Hope Now Executive Director Faith Schwartz said.

BUILDING PERMITS

The city of Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency reported 177 new single-family unit building permits and 114 multifamily units in the fourth quarter. Their valuation was $20.7 million and $7.8 million, respectively.

Also, there were three new commercial and hotel-motel permits issued in Las Vegas with a total valuation of $418,000, including additional permits for The Smith Center for the Performing Arts that opened March 10 at Symphony Park.

Of the 995 certificates of occupancy recorded in Clark County in the fourth quarter, 207 were in the city of Las Vegas.

HOTEL BUYOUT

Want to keep uninvited guests out of your wedding party or corporate event?

Consider renting an entire hotel in Las Vegas. It's possible at the 150-room Rumor hotel on Harmon Avenue and the 64-room Artisan hotel on Sahara Avenue, both owned by the Siegel Group.

Rumor, across from the Hard Rock Hotel, is going for $13,000 a night, less than $100 a room, including hotel staff. The Artisan, just off Interstate 15, is available for $4,000 a night, or about $65 a room.

That's something the megaresorts can't offer, Siegel Group business affairs director Michael Crandall said.

"We are the only hotel group in all of Las Vegas that can create this type of offer," he said. "Each property can accommodate everything from a great party to a fashion show by the pool to a concert under the stars."

COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS

Cathy Jones of Sun Commercial Real Estate represented Service First Bank of Nevada in the 22-month lease of a 55,900-square-foot office at 8349 W. Sunset Road. The value of the transaction was $136,444.

She also represented Bank of Nevada and Twin Otter International on a 24-month lease for a 49,300-square-foot industrial building at 2806 Perimeter Road. The transaction was $62,605.

Contact reporter Hubble Smith at hsmith@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0491.

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

EXECUTIVE SNAPSHOT: Terry Culp - Las Vegas Business Press

Monday, March 19, 2012 By CAITLIN McGARRY

Las Vegas manufacturers turn to Terry Culp when they need help making their businesses more efficient and profitable.

As business manager of Nevada Industry Excellence, the Nevada System of Higher Education's industrial outreach program, Culp and his team offer help to small and midsized manufacturing campanies. If a business needs help streamlining production processes, Nevada Industry Excellence heads to the site to offer advice, training and implementation of best practices.

Culp has worked with some of the city's largest manufacturers, including Young Electric Sign Co. and WMS Gaming, and also budding entrepreneurs, to help them "become more globally competitive and more profitable," he said.

JIM MILLER | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS
Terry Culp, business manager, Nevada Industry Excellence "We've got a lot of great companies in the state that have benefitted from what we do," Culp said. "That's what we're all about, and that's what floats my boat."

Nevada Industry Excellence recently launched a new service, ExporTech, to help manufacturers export goods and services. Culp also works with local economic development organizations to recruit companies to move to Nevada and help existing companies expand.

Culp, a Purdue University graduate, came out of retirement to oversee the outreach program in 2000.

When he isn't advising small manufacturers on efficiency practices, you might find Culp at the newly opened Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

"I encourage Las Vegans to take advantage of that wonderful facility," he said.

Las Vegas isn't exactly known for its manufacturing prowess. Is that a common misconception?

The misconception comes from the fact that gaming is so strong and the resorts are so popular. The state of Nevada is a very business-friendly state, especially for manufacturers. We have 1,000 manufacturers up north and about 1,000 in the south.

How have you helped companies survive the recession?

A lot of companies that we have worked with and helped would have been in a lot more trouble through the recession if they hadn't implemented a lot of lean initiatives throughout the years prior to the recession. In some cases, some of the companies we worked with didn't lay off virtually anybody during the recession.

You advise businesses — what is your own business background?

I used to own manufacturing operations in western New York. After having sold those, we moved to Las Vegas. Retirement didn't work too well for me. I golfed myself silly for a year and a half, started doing some consulting work, took some courses at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and connected with this program.

What is your business philosophy?

Regarding the clients, my philosophy is to listen to what they have to say about their business and the issues that they're having. As we get to know them and they get to know us and realize we're there to help them because we're rated on their success, then we become a partner as a result. In some cases today, we have a number of companies that don't move forward with any initiative until they call us first.

Do you tend to work with the same clients over several years?

Yes. Definitely. Our relationships with clients are long. In one case, we started working with a client (Chef Rubber) — he and his partner came to us and took our CEO mini-MBA course. They had a dollar and a dream, didn't know how to price their product, didn't know how to put a catalog together. We showed them how to do all that. They grew as a result, and are now a multimillion-dollar organization. They sell all over the world.

Since growing bored of golfing, what do you do in your free time?

Golf is still one of my favorite pastimes. I love to play the piano and the bass and the organ. I got myself through college playing in bands.

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Comic book store industry doing well in Las Vegas - Las Vegas Business Press

Monday, March 19, 2012 BY LAURA CARROLL

With the exception of Silver Cactus Comics' closure a few weeks ago, the comic book store industry in Las Vegas is doing well.

The longtime Las Vegas shop closed Feb. 25, but owner Tom Tisea wasn't ready to talk to the media. A few customers mentioned Tisea might reopen in another space, but that hasn't yet been confirmed.

Aside from Silver Cactus, other comic book stores in the valley are thriving.

Ralph Mathieu has owned Alternate Reality Comics for 18 years, and said the last couple have been good to local stores.

"They've been pretty great. It's a good time for the industry," he said.

Mathieu said comic books have been experiencing a resurgence in part because of major publisher DC's superhero relaunch in September. Not only has the effort attracted new readers, but it has reinvigorated returning fans.

Later this year, Marvel is expected to roll out a similar relaunch with their more well-known characters. In April, Marvel also is releasing the Avengers versus X-Men, a 12-issue, biweekly series that will lead up to the release of "The Avengers" movie May 4.

Derrick Taylor, owner of Comic Oasis, agreed with Mathieu.

After two rough years in 2008 and 2009, Taylor's sales began to tick upward at the end of 2010. He said 2011 was particularly good for the store.

"Especially the end of the year. The end of the year was really strong," Taylor noted.

He said he thinks it's because people are tired of not spending money and watching every dime. The average cost of a comic book at Taylor's shop is $3.50, and the average sale is $20. Comic Oasis handles between 65-70 transactions per day.

Thus far, sales are up 10 percent over 2011 for Comic Oasis.

Taylor said the Las Vegas comic book store industry as a whole is surviving, if not thriving.

"Comic book stores are agile. If you control your inventory you don't have that much of a risk," Taylor said.

However, depending on when a lease was signed, rent can be a problem. If a store, for instance, signed at the end of 2007 when rents were sky high, that could have a huge effect on business. If an owner signed in 2010, they could be getting a deal.

"That was one of the worst parts of the economy," Taylor said.

Popular items at Comic Oasis include books from the True Blood and Batman lines. Taylor's customers range in age from 14 to 35, and 80 percent of them are male. Today's comic book fan is looking for books with good stories, Taylor said, not just great art.

"They want to have something to read," he said.

For 16 years, Cosmic Comics has experienced growth every year with the exception of one year, according to co-owner Jim Brocius.

"I'm not sure what it is that drives people to take up reading as a form of entertainment," Brocius said of his success. "I'm a hard worker. I've reinvested everything I've made. Selection is the key."

When he first opened Cosmic, Brocius said there were about 28 stores. Since then, he's seen many come and go.

"I've seen dozens and dozens of them fail, probably 50 or 60," Brocius said.

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588.

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Anglo-Welsh LV= Cup results - BBC Sport

Tries:
James 4, Hamilton, Cook Tries:
York, Stegman 2, Smith, Chisholm 2 Conversions:
Clegg 4, Urdapilleta Tries:
Biggs 3, Woodburn, Ovens Tries:
Long, Craig, Elliott 2, Cato 2, Waller Tries:
Wilson, Vickers, Swinson, Gopperth Tries:
Stringer, Melck, Tomkins 2, George Tries:
Batty, Perenise, Woodburn, Donald, Beech Tries:
Buxton, Molenaar, Simpson-Daniel 2, Hazell Tries:
Forsyth, Lewington, Pienaar Tries:
Ewers, Dorrian, Muldowney Tries:
Jones, Dirkson, Walker, Watermeyer Tries:
Warren, Myhill, Pugh, Murphy Tries:
Thompstone 2, Armitage, Bowden Tries:
Helleur, Goosen, Graham Penalties:
Shingler 3, Bowden Conversions:
Shingler, Bowden Tries:
Powell, Penney, Farrell, Vyvyan Tries:
Heathcote, Louw, Banahan, Cuthbert, Skirving, Woodburn, Abendanon Tries:
Artemyev, Hartley 2, Clark Tries:
Hart, Varndell, Filipo, Simpson Conversions:
Davis 2, Robinson Tries:
Cole, Tuilagi, Youngs, Agulla Tries:
Addison, Dickinson, Leota Tries:
Andress, Dollman, Tatupu Tries:
Vainikolo, May, Narraway, Lawson, Lawson, Sharples, Burns Tries:
Vernon, Higgins, Miller Tries:
Urdapilleta, Lindsay-Haugue Tries:
Wilson, Goosen 3, Mayhew Tries:
Woodburn, Banahan, Biggs, Carraro, Spencer, Cuthbert, Perenise Tries:
Murphy 2, Gilbert, Williams, Williams Conversions:
Thomas, Williams 2
Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Q&A with artist and lecturer Erik Wahl - Las Vegas Business Press

Monday, March 19, 2012 BY CAITLIN MCGARRY

Corporations that want to inspire their employees have turned in recent years to an unlikely source: a graffiti artist.

Erik Wahl, who once worked in the corporate world himself as the owner of a brokerage firm, went from negotiating contracts to painting canvases after feeling burnt out and wanting to creatively recharge. Wahl wasn't a painter, but he was inspired to start creating works of art. That was about a decade ago.

These days, Wahl is on the lecture circuit, touring the country and speaking to businesses about applying creative, left-brain thinking to right-brain activities like inking deals and strategizing new plans for the future.

BILL HUGHES | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS
Artist and consultant Erik Wahl makes a point March 7 during his "The Art of Vision" seminar at the Air Conditioning Contractors of America conference at Paris Las Vegas. He compares great artists creating classic pieces to businesses inventing important products.

"Entrepreneurs can use the same kind of thinking to create great opportunities," he said.

Wahl uses art to convey his message, and considers his talks more of a performance than a speech. Onstage, he cues music to match the time it takes to paint. He crafts portraits of famous people while performing; Elvis Presley, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Abraham Lincoln have appeared in his pieces.

Wahl speaks in Las Vegas about once a month, and most recently appeared at the Air Conditioning Contractors of America's convention March 7.

Question: As an artist with experience working in the corporate world, what do you tell businesses when you speak to them?

Answer: It's opening up the channel between right and left hemisphere. How do you create an emotional experience in the right hemisphere and transfer it over into the left logical side? Through our education, business, work, we separate the two. We have emotional fun, outside work experiences and the transactional experiences. Merge those together.

Question: How would you describe your art?

Answer: Graffiti art, performance art. All of my paintings are created in two to three minutes. If I'm painting John Lennon, I'll do it to the song "Imagine."

Question: What do business audiences take away from your performances?

Answer: They haven't seen an artist create something so quickly and passionately onstage and also be able to speak practically to their business. There (are) great business speakers and great artists, but there's no one (else) who can translate that and make it successful.

Question: How can people buy your works?

Answer: I don't sell any of my artwork on the commercial market. The only way to get it is through the live performances I do. I also hide them in various locations around the world. (I want to) engage the community. I want them to get out and look and find something they haven't seen before. (I want to) make it available to everyone.

Contact reporter Caitlin McGarry at cmcgarry@lvbusinesspress.com or 702-387-5273.

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Manning dramatically improves Broncos Super Bowl odds - USA TODAY

Peyton Manning's reported desire to join the Denver Broncos was enough to remake them from Super Bowl XLVII outsiders to serious contenders among Las Vegas oddsmakers.

Sports books quickly reacted to the quarterback's decision, lowering odds that were 50-1 last month with Tim Tebow at QB to as low as 10-1. One of them, Bovada.lv, listed them at 12-1 along with the Houston Texans after posting them at 50-1 on Feb. 6 -- the day after Manning's younger brother, Eli, led the New York Giants to a second Super Bowl victory against the New England Patriots.

The Green Bay Packers (13-2), Patriots (15-2) and New Orleans Saints (10-1) are ahead of the Broncos and Texans according to Bovada.lv

"Our Super Bowl odds have been down for a couple weeks until we knew where Peyton would go, since this signing would have such a huge impact on every team's odds," Bovada.lv Sportsbook manager Kevin Bradley said in an email. "As I expected, the public is taking them regardless as soon as we opened. We were a bit lucky that Denver came out of nowhere in the Manning Sweepstakes so not too many people bet them at 50-1."

Lucky's sports book also has the Broncos at 12-1, with director Jimmy Vaccaro telling the Las Vegas Sun, "there will be no bargains on Denver winning it all now. It's very apparent that we're going to get a lot more money on Denver with the Peyton signing. I relish anything that creates interest. And this might be the biggest free-agent signing of all time."

He's an even choice to win Comeback of the Player award and a 7-1 choice to win a fifth MVP trophy according to Bovada. The Broncos' odds of playing the New York Giants in SB XLVII remain high (50-1) but they're a 6-1 choice to win the AFC and 2-3 favorites to win the West division.

Manning has also sparked a market of proposition bets, with Bovada offering wagers such as whether his first pass in 2012 will be complete (5-9), incomplete (3-2) or intercepted (10-1).

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Headed to the peak - Las Vegas Business Press

Monday, March 19, 2012

The Las Vegas Business Press' annual Rising Stars of Business Awards each year celebrate 10 up-and-coming professionals who are changing the way business is done in their industries.

In the past, we have chosen chief executive officers, presidents and partners, those at the very top of their game. For our sixth Rising Stars class, we looked for men and women whose best years have yet to come.

We sifted through piles of nomination forms to find entrepreneurs and forward-thinking workers who stood out from the pack. We looked at career achievements, philanthropic efforts and community involvement to winnow the pile to 10 from more than 100.

JEFERSON APPLEGATE | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS
Matt Engle, business development executive, Cragin & Pike JEFERSON APPLEGATE | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS
Zachary Delbex, CEO, Repurpose AMERICA JEFERSON APPLEGATE | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS
Nicole Mastrangelo, director, Young Philanthropists Society, United Way of Southern Nevada BILL HUGHES | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS
Aron Ezra, vice president of mobile technologies, Bally Technologies JEFERSON APPLEGATE | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS
Alison Monaghan, account executive, Kirvin Doak Communications JEFF SCHEID | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS
Suken Shah, assistant vice president, online marketing manager, Nevada State Bank JEFERSON APPLEGATE | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS
Dan Palmeri, director, Commercial Real Estate Solutions BILL HUGHES | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS
M. Magali Wysong, associate, Pisanelli Bice JEFERSON APPLEGATE | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS
Tiffany Widdows, director of marketing, Play LV JESSICA EBELHAR | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS
Courtney Murphy, founder, manager, Community Management Group Many of our selections are young professionals making serious waves in fields ranging from gaming and finance to law and real estate. If 2012 truly is the year of downtown, a handful of our award winners will be at the forefront of its renaissance. Others still are advancing their companies into the technological frontier.

Regardless of their job titles or areas of expertise, this year's Rising Stars prove that hard work, especially in these tough economic times, goes a long way in any industry.

Kudos to our 10 winners, who will lead their companies out of the recession and into a bright future.

MATT ENGLE

Business development executive, Cragin & Pike

Matt Engle is passionate about Las Vegas, having grown up here and having attended Western High School and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

He's also passionate about making sure UNLV graduates have a place to go to network and put themselves in front of potential employers. To create that place, Engle in May will launch the Rebel Business Network.

"It's almost like building our own alumni association," Engle said. "The idea is to connect UNLV to graduates in the business community and businesses with alumni looking for interns or employees."

The network will include an online business directory of UNLV alumni-operated business professionals, networking events and opportunities for companies to hire alumni. Engle said there are a number of companies doing business here who are looking to "hire a Rebel."

Engle, who graduated from UNLV in 1991, recently stepped down as president of the UNLV Alumni Association. He admits he's been called "Mr. UNLV" a time or two, because of his close relationship with the university.

He is also a graduate of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Las Vegas Program.

Engle credits his close ties to UNLV with helping him become a successful insurance executive. He's spent more than 10 years in the industry both as a licensed agent and in business management.

Today, Engle works for Cragin & Pike, a commercial insurance and risk management firm in Las Vegas, where he's started a seminar series on Cyber Security for the firm's clients.

He joined the firm almost two years ago after a successful stint at AAA in business management.

Engle said he was looking for a new challenge when Greg McKinley, a fellow UNLV alum and past president of the alumni association, recruited him to join Cragin & Pike.

"I was looking for a niche," he said. "It turns out to be cyber liability insurance. Most companies don't realize that in the event their system is breached they are financially responsible."

Engle said he started the seminars to outline what companies have to do if a breach occurs.

"Most companies didn't know you can buy insurance to pay for those costs," he said. "I held four sessions last year ... now a number of brokers at the firm hold similar seminars." — Chris Sieroty

ZACHARY DELBEX

CEO, Repurpose AMERICA

"I can't do $50," Zachary Delbex told the shopper trying to squeeze out a low-ball price on a table and chair set. "Make it $80. OK, $75."

Haggling with people at a yard sale in front of his home might seem like an unlikely way to spend a Friday morning for someone tagged as having a bright business future. But 29-year-old Delbex will bend his job description as CEO to whatever it takes to keep his nonprofit Repurpose America going.

A week earlier, a major fire at a warehouse next to Repurpose America's in North Las Vegas destroyed a major portion of the inventory stored on an outdoor lot. The yard sale of some of the pieces that survived helped generate some quick cash flow.

"People always say with a fire that insurance will cover it," Delbex said. "But they cover it after the fact and not always on the timetable that you need."

Although he shuns the term recycling, that's what he has built Repurpose America to do. But instead of collecting cans or newsprint so they can be processed down to their base elements and then remanufactured, Delbex gathers the leftovers from conventions that cannot be recycled and changes their purpose.

For example, he took the huge vinyl banners cut for last year's International Consumer Electronics Show, cut them up and reassembled them as this year's credential badge holders. Following the typical pattern, CES donated the banners and then bought the badges to burnish its environmental standing, with the promise of a rebate based on the number of badges it returns. This gives Delbex the chance to find a third use for the same vinyl.

While banners to badges generated the most sales, he looks for other products to try to sell such as vinyl stadium seat cushions and paper board that can be cut into sections and reassembled as shirt folders.

Delbex started the company five years ago, originally under the name Greener Vegas, after driving a forklift for setting up and taking down trade shows.

He dabbled in the idea of trying to find some useful purpose for convention decoration that would otherwise wind up in a landfill before trying to do it full time.

"I'm crazy enough to think that I can change the world and stupid enough to invest in it," he said. — Tim O'Reiley

SUKEN SHAH

Assistant vice president, online marketing manager, Nevada State Bank

Social media is crucial to Nevada State Bank's efforts to reach its customers, attract new business and monitor its online reputation. Overseeing it all is Suken Shah, assistant vice president and online marketing manager.

Shah, a 2003 University of Nevada, Las Vegas graduate, said social media has moved way past being a niche operation for the bank, and has developed into another way of having a "conversation with our clients."

He said the company's pages on Facebook or LinkedIn are about making Nevada State Bank available to its customers online or through mobile or smartphones.

Shah describes the bank's LinkedIn page as its "consumer blog" with links to information about small-business financing, professional banking and business banking.

On Facebook, Nevada State Bank posts photos from employee events and offers advice on how consumers can organize their taxes. Shah said the bank's Facebook page allows it to connect quickly with customers when there is a problem or they have questions.

He said the bank's goal is to be able to respond to a question or complaint within 24 hours. Shah said the goal is to take care of problems quickly so they don't turn into bigger issues.

Social media also attracts a younger demographic, which has helped the bank reach out to new, younger prospective clients in the community, he said.

Shah is familiar with that demographic having taught marketing at UNLV's College of Business for a few years.

He's also part of that demographic that's most comfortable conducting most of its business online or using their smartphones.

"It's funny, ever since I was little, I was interested in computers," Shah said. "I used to ask my parents if I could get online all the time. It started from there." — Chris Sieroty

NICOLE MASTRANGELO

Director, Young Philanthropists Society, United Way

As a native Las Vegan, Nicole Mastrangelo is a born fundraiser.

At 23, she cut her teeth on the craft at KNPR-FM (88.9) as a development associate, where she coordinated public radio pledge drives, secured items for online auctions and coordinated volunteers. None of that, though, bothered her. The on-air pleas for money, though, rattled her a little, at least the first time.

"Are you kidding? It was totally nerve-racking," Mastrangelo said. "They just threw me on KNPR at drive time."

Mastrangelo's first on-air read lasted about eight minutes. She made her case for why listeners should support the station, then explained the donation levels. As nervous as she was, she was a hit. From then on, Mastrangelo was the station's go-to person whenever someone needed a break from on-air duties.

"It showed me not to be fearful of anything. It's a confidence booster," Mastrangelo said.

These days, the Western High School graduate is the director of the Young Philanthropists Society for the United Way of Southern Nevada, a position she's held since January. She helps guide the niche group of 60 donors -- from about 20 to 40 years old -- in their philanthropic pursuits.

"I love this city. I love the philanthropic vibe that's here," Mastrangelo said. "I'm in the relationship business. I love connecting people."

When she's not connecting donors with projects, Mastrangelo is helping promote downtown. For the past 10 years, she's been involved with the Get Back, and can be found at the monthly soul dance party every First Friday.

"I'm a big, big cheerleader for the downtown development," Mastrangelo said. "You will catch me at any of those bars on any given weekend." — Laura Carroll

ALISON MONAGHAN

Account executive, Kirvin Doak Communications

Alison Monaghan is making her dreams come true as an account executive at Kirvin Doak Communications.

At 28, Monaghan specializes in the nightlife industry, working on accounts like the Electric Daisy Carnival. One of her most memorable career moments was working with the event last year.

"Being able to land stories with national outlets like Rolling Stone and The Wall Street Journal -- that's a publicist's dream," Monaghan said.

She didn't always want to be on this side of the coin, though.

"When I was in high school I always thought I would be a reporter," she said.

After her freshman year at the University of Missouri, Monaghan realized she couldn't be satisfied telling someone else's story, she wanted to help craft it. She transferred to Iowa State University for the remainder of her college career and focused on public relations.

At 19, Monaghan organized a three-on-three basketball tournament to benefit her friend Kris Langgaard who at the time had cancer. She raised $6,000 in her hometown of Guthrie Center, Iowa, which went to help Langgaard's family pay his medical bills.

While helping her friend, (who is now healthy) Monaghan discovered a passion for publicity.

"After that I was hooked," she said.

After graduating in 2005, Monaghan applied for publicity work in New York City, but was confronted by potential employers who questioned her ability to move from her small town -- Guthrie Center has a population of 1,500 -- to the Big Apple. Monaghan decided that if she were ever going to move, she would just have to do it and not wait for an employment opportunity.

She landed in Las Vegas and took a job with Vanguard Media Group.

After nine months, she applied for and was chosen for a gig at Kirvin Doak, where she helped with accounts including MGM Grand's nightlife venues and CityCenter. Eventually Monaghan took work as an in-house public relations representative for Wynn Las Vegas.

After about a year there, Kirvin Doak offered Monaghan a management position, which proved to be an offer she couldn't refuse. She now oversees two employees.

"I feel that I'm so lucky that at 28 I love coming to work," Monaghan said. "I love that I don't know what's around the corner." — Laura Carroll

DAN PALMERI

Director, Commerce Real Estate Solutions

Just a couple of months ago, Dan Palmeri moved from Henderson to downtown Las Vegas, snagging a one-bedroom condo at The Ogden high-rise tower and melding into a hip culture that fits the 30-year-old commercial real estate broker's lifestyle.

He dines two or three times a week at Le Thai restaurant, sips espresso at the Beat Coffeehouse and meets up with friends at the Griffin cocktail lounge, all within a block of his home.

"Part of the reason I moved down here is this urban environment," said Palmeri, director of Commerce Real Estate Solutions. "I lived in Henderson for nine years and there's nothing to do after work but go home. Same with San Diego and Los Angeles. Down here, the ability to walk to everything is so enjoyable. It's more fun than I expected."

Palmeri, who is originally from Calabasas, Calif., moved to Las Vegas 10 years ago and went to work at his family's restaurant in Henderson. He's done it all, from busboy to waiter to manager.

"I grew up in the restaurant business, but it's not what I wanted to do the rest of my life," he said. "You're married to it, to say the least. It definitely gives you a great work ethic."

Palmeri got his commercial broker's license and worked at Colliers International for six years before teaming up with Mike Dunn at Commerce Real Estate Solutions. His primary focus is tenant representation.

"I'm providing a fiduciary commitment to the tenant. If you're a tenant, you don't want to be negotiating through the same agent for the landlord. That creates a conflict," Palmeri said. "I know the market conditions, what concessions to ask for."

Palmeri said he soaked up as much knowledge about the business as he could in a down economy.

"There weren't a lot of deals going on, so I pounded the streets and learned the market. I was actually grateful not to know it when it was good. If you don't know what good is, this is good," he said.

Palmeri said his mother always told him that his hard work and persistence would pay off someday. Now he's been selected as a Rising Star.

"Dan is extremely hard-working and dedicated," said Abran Vigil, a Las Vegas attorney who nominated Palmeri for the award. "He is a premier tenant representative, very knowledgeable, an effective negotiator and he secures great results." — Hubble Smith

ARON EZRA

Vice president of mobile technologies, Bally Technologies

Aron Ezra wants to turn your smartphone or tablet computer into a slot machine.

As the vice president of mobile for slot machine maker Bally Technologies, Ezra is overseeing the development of applications that could be at the forefront of legalized Internet gaming. For now, they allow casino customers to play Bally's games for free.

Some of Bally's most popular slot machine titles have been downloaded more than 100,000 times.

"Two-thirds of all phone sales today are smartphones and there are more than a million apps out there," Ezra said. "I read somewhere that on Christmas there were something like 240 million downloads. That's pretty stunning."

The idea behind Ezra's work is to catch the attention of casino customers.

His initial efforts caught Bally's attention.

He joined Bally Technologies after the slot machine maker acquired San Francisco-based MacroView Labs last summer, a 2-year-old mobile technology company he founded with a partner. Ezra, who was the company's chief executive officer, moved with a team of engineers to Las Vegas following the purchase and went to work for Bally.

MacroView was already developing applications and technology for the gaming industry and hospitality companies when it was bought by the slot machine giant.

Ezra reports to Bally's systems division, which provides casino management and slot machine floor management tools to casinos.

"The mobile piece encompasses so many aspects," Ezra said. "We can approach a traditional casino with an application that covers the entire casino, such as marketing and promotions, as well as allowing customers to play games for free."

One avenue could be Internet gaming, depending on what is eventually approved by Congress on a federal level, or by individual states. The smartphone and tablet applications could eventually allow customers to wager online using their mobile devices.

"Right now, free-play gaming continues to mature," Ezra said.

A graduate of Princeton University, Ezra served as a senior vice president with communications firm Hill & Knowlton, and as a director with The Advisory Board Co., a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm. — Howard Stutz

TIFFANY WIDDOWS

Director of marketing, Play LV

By this stage in her career, Tiffany Widdows figured she would be heading a nonprofit organization.

Instead, as marketing director for the company operating the Plaza, Widdows is part of the group trying to revive downtown Las Vegas.

The Plaza underwent a $35 million renovation last year, which includes Oscar's Beef, Booze and Broads inside the property dome overlooking Fremont Street.

Widdows, 28, oversaw the rollout of Oscar's, Hash-House-A-Go-Go and the Plaza's new entertainment aspects.

"I actually just got off the phone with the Mob Museum and we're looking at discussing some type of partnership," Widdows said. "We see the Plaza as a key player in what's happening downtown with the Smith Center, Symphony Park and all that is going on along East Fremont."

A casino was the last place Widdows figured she would end up.

Widdows, a Northern California native, graduated with a sociology degree from the University of California, San Diego, and came to Las Vegas six years ago.

Instead of nonprofit work, Widdows landed a job in marketing at the Stratosphere. The position allowed her to learn the casino business, deal with entertainment and gain an understanding of the hotel side of the business.

With Play LV, the company running the Plaza, Widdows coordinates the resort's marketing efforts, including advertising, direct mail, creative design, digital marketing and website development. She also handles public relations and social media for Plaza.

One of her other roles is working with Oscar's namesake, ex-mob attorney and former three-term Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman.

That aspect of her job, alone, can be a full-time position.

"Working with Oscar is unique," Widdows said. "He knows what he wants and what it takes to make the restaurant successful. I love hearing his stories."

Widdows joined the Plaza before the resort's renovation. She said the new look and attractions allow her to gain a new appreciation of the hotel-casino.

"I was here during the sadder times," she said. "Our best times are ahead." — Howard Stutz

COURTNEY MURPHY

Founder, manager, Community Management Group

Courtney Murphy bounced around college for a couple of years, changing her course of study from chemical engineering at the University of Arizona to business at the University of Nevada, Reno.

It was there that she took a part-time job in homeowners association management, found out how much she liked it and quit school to go into the business.

In October 2009, Murphy founded Community Management Group, a company that manages more than 60 community associations in the Las Vegas Valley.

"I essentially took over another company that was failing," the 27-year-old supervising community manager said in her office at 3360 W. Sahara Ave. in Las Vegas. "It was tough, but it's been a great experience because I learned so much about myself, about life and relationships. It's an eye-opener.

"When you go from working for someone to being someone that people are working for ... my perception has changed and my patience level is astronomically higher than before. You learn how relationships can help develop your company. I put relationships with my staff before everything else. A happy staff means happy clients," she said.

Murphy, a graduate of Basic High School in Henderson, supervises a staff of 27 and has expanded her office from 10,000 square feet to 14,000 square feet.

"We're really proud of our growth. This month is our biggest growth month in terms of clients," she said. "We've just been growing based off our reputation. I do very little marketing because, to be honest, I don't have time for it. I get a lot of clients by referrals, which is the biggest compliment that an owner of any company can get."

Community Management Group helps homeowners associations save money by providing them with cost-saving measures specific to their communities, Murphy said.

She's found ways to reduce HOA assessments by planning finances better, taking more bids on services and being proactive in common-area maintenance.

"We like to think out of the box and be creative to find ways to save money, which is huge in this economy," Murphy said. "We go through each community and find creative ways to help them save a couple of hundred dollars here and there. And that adds up." — Hubble Smith

M. MAGALI WYSONG

Associate, Pisanelli Bice

Magali Wysong's doctor parents expected her to follow them into the medical field.

But Wysong had other plans. After wrapping up her bachelor of science in business administration at the University of Nevada, Reno, she thought she'd give law school a try. She'd always loved reading, discussion and the exchange of ideas.

Her hunch was right on: Wysong thrived at UNLV's William S. Boyd School of Law, serving as managing editor of the school's Nevada Law Journal, clerking as judicial extern for the Honorable James Mahan of the U.S. District Court for Nevada and graduating cum laude in 2009. Along the way, she won a Dean's Award and a Scribe Award from the American Society of Legal Writers.

"Law school had a very cooperative environment," recalled Wysong, 28. "Everyone was very supportive, and we all worked together."

Wysong has taken her collegial approach to two local firms as an attorney practicing commercial litigation. After graduation, Wysong worked as an associate attorney for Holland & Hart. She joined Pisanelli Bice in February 2011. Her work has included providing research and legal support on cases ranging from political-race disputes to developer disagreements. She chose commercial litigation for its variety.

"I knew it would be the most interesting area to me, that I would be constantly writing," she said. "As a commercial litigator, you become a mini-expert in so many different areas. One day you might be working on water rights, and the next day, you might be working on property rights."

Yet, Wysong says the most enjoyable part of her work is a cooperative atmosphere similar to her experiences at Boyd Law School.

"I'm amazed every day at how smart everyone is (at Pisanelli Bice)," she said. "We talk about cases with colleagues, and it's very collaborative. It's very nice to have a supportive system."

Wysong took an unusual path to her career.

A native of Puerto Rico, Wysong left her family at 16 to move in with her aunt in Las Vegas, where she could start earning college credits while in high school.

"That was probably one of the best decisions I ever made," she said. "Had I not made that move, I don't know if I would be where I am." — Jennifer?Robison

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

LV= Cup: Leicester Tigers 26-14 Northampton Saints - BBC Sport

Tries: Mafi, Hamilton Cons: Ford 2Pens: Ford 4Leicester Tigers withstood a barrage of Northampton Saints pressure to win the LV= Cup final at Sixways.

Steve Mafi scored the only try of the first half with teenage fly-half George Ford impressive with the boot as Tigers led 16-9 at the break.

Scott Hamilton ran the length of the pitch to extend their lead but the Tigers spent most of the final half hour defending their line brilliantly.

By the time Christian Day did cross for Saints, it was too little, too late.

Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill had said he would keep faith with the youngsters who had sent his side to the final, but opted to bring in some experienced players to face their East Midlands rivals.

The early stages were all Northampton's and Stephen Myler scored two penalties from distance to give them a 6-0 lead.

Leicester were massively struggling in the scrum, with Boris Stankovich at fault on more than one occasion for a collapse and he was replaced after 12 minutes by Marcos Ayerza with a calf injury.

One Tigers youngster to keep his place was fly-half Ford, who turned 19 on Friday, and he did not let Cockerill down, scoring his first two kicks of the afternoon to level the scores.

Saints went back ahead when Myler overcame the Worcestershire sun in his eyes to make it 9-6.

Leicester made another change in the scrum, with Tom Youngs coming on for Rob Hawkins and after breaking through from a scrum, they won a penalty which Ford converted to level it up.

Then came the opening try after 25 minutes, Billy Twelvetrees' break setting up the move and Mafi dodging Saints tackles to cross. Ford added two more points to make it 16-9.

Leicester could have considered themselves unlucky not to lead by more at the break as Martin Roberts denied Geordan Murphy, who looked set to pounce on his own kick through the defence to cross.

After the break, Saints pushed straight from the restart but failed to cross the line and Ford scored another penalty from distance.

Saints went again but George Pisi's brilliant jinking run ended up in a knock-on after he was tackled and then Scott Amstrong lost his footing when he looked through.

And perhaps the defining moment of the sold-out final came when Hamilton intercepted Myler's pass and ran 75 yards to touch down, with Ford's conversion making it 26-9.

This was the arch-rivals' first ever meeting in a cup final in 132 years

The Tigers defence were magnificent throughout the second half and every time Saints looked destined to score, Leicester won the ball from a scrum or turned possession over near the line.

Vasily Artemyev knocked the ball on when he had a chance and then Soane Tonga'uiha found a gap but was barged out of play by fellow prop Logoviii Mulipola.

Leicester had Murphy yellow carded for conceding a series of penalties but their defence continued to hold firm, with Mafi tackling Armstrong in the corner.

With five minutes remaining, the Saints eventually got their try, with Day crossing in the corner after Pisi started the move.

But Ryan Lamb missed the conversion and Tigers never looked like throwing it away.

Leicester director of rugby Richard Cockerill:

"I was delighted with the performance, delighted for some of those guys on the fringes that were playing in a big game for the first time.

"We were a bit fortunate with the interception taking us out of sight but I thought we were good for the win.

"There was some good grit and determination out there - we were under the cosh for the whole of the second half virtually but the attitude of the players has been outstanding for the last four or five weeks.

"It was a fierce game. I'm sure it was a great spectacle for the neutrals - if there were any in the stadium."

Northampton Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder:

"Sometimes that happens [Myler's misplaced pass that led to Hamilton's try]. I think he saw someone coming out of the line and tried to get the pass over him.

"It just didn't happen for him. It's just unfortunate - I don't blame him for trying it.

"On our day we could easily have won that game, But it wasn't our day.

"If we had looked after the ball a bit better in the first half, we wouldn't have gone in seven points down."

Leicester: Murphy, Agulla, Smith, Twelvetrees, Hamilton, Ford, Grindal, Stankovich, Hawkins, Mulipola, Skivington, Kitchener, Mafi, Newby, Waldrom.

Replacements: Forsyth for Smith (72), Flood for Ford (64), Salvi for Newby (51). Not Used: T. Youngs, Ayerza, White, Green, Steele.

Sin Bin: Murphy (71).

Northampton: Diggin, Artemyev, Pisi, Downey, Armstrong, Myler, Roberts, Tonga'uiha, Long, Doran-Jones, Craig, Day, Clark, Wood, Wilson.

Replacements: Sorenson for Artemyev (66), Lamb for Myler (51), Glynn for Roberts (68), May for Tonga'uiha (66), McMillian for Long (68), A. Waller for Craig (66), Nutley for Wood (68). Not Used: Mujati.

Att: 11,895

Ref: JP Doyle (RFU).

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Selling Timeshares, Inc. Welcomes 4th Hilton Property In Vegas to Hilton Family - San Francisco Chronicle (press release)

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacob Exhibition Gets Surprise Visit from Kristen ... - Gather Celebs News Channel

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

LV White Castle offering free burgers Saturday - Pocono Record

To officially mark the opening of Pennsylvania's only White Castle, officials are giving away some freebies this Saturday.
.
The first 100 customers at the White Castle on Whitehall Township's MacArthur Road on Saturday will receive an insulated tote bag with a coupon for a free sack of 10 Sliders, the chain said.
.
The customer appreciation event is being held from 10 a.m. -- 2 p.m.
.
White Castle has been open for months now. The 2,500-square-foot restaurant, which sits on a flood plain, has been delayed since 2009 for a series of reasons.
.
The Ohio-based chain is known for its small burgers, dubbed sliders, and signature castle-like white buildings. The chain was celebrated in the 2004 comedy "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle."
.
White Castle has announced plans to build a restaurant in the Pohatcong Plaza II on Route 22 in Phillipsburg.
.
The chain, which opened its first restaurant in Wichita, Kan., in 1921, has more than 400 locations around the country.

MCT Information Services

Reader Reaction We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Rules. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment. New comments are only accepted for two weeks from the date of publication.
Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Louis Vuitton exhibit: It's the bag, stupid - CBS News

(AP) PARIS - "Fashions fade, style is eternal," Yves Saint Laurent once said.

An immutable fashion list must include the Ls Vuitton bag, on display demurely but proudly in Paris' Decorative Arts Museum like the historical artifact it should be.

The bag pattern was first patented in 1877 but it can still be seen — almost unchanged — on the Parisian boulevards more than 130 years later. This is thanks to house founder Louis Vuitton, and since 1997, creative director Marc Jacobs.

Both their stories are woven together in a colorful exhibit that spans over a century of fashion history.

The exhibit takes the visitor from the founder's humble beginnings as a case-packer to the fantastical runway shows that transformed the house into one of the world's biggest names, with a revenue last year of euro2.5 billion. Though both men are from different centuries, the exhibition asks whether they have more in common than meets the eye.

There's a small clue in the first room: portraits of the two men hang side by side, both sporting mustaches in the style of their age.

"They're both visionaries, though they would be the last to admit it," said museum curator Pamela Golbin, "and they both lived an exact same story at a decisive moment in fashion."

Louis Vuitton faced industrialization of the 19th century and new train travel while Marc Jacobs was confronted with 1990s' changing demands for marketing "making fashion truly globalized for the first time," Golbin said.

The story began for Louis Vuitton as a trunk-packer for rich Parisians, a job in which he was able to hone a mastery of every bolt, lock and corner of travel cases from across the French capital. He built on his knowledge, finally opening his own house in 1854.

The Orient Express was new and fashionable, and the meteoric rise of haute couture under Charles Frederic Worth meant better-dressed women went on trips with more and more clothes — that needed cases to fit them in.

Such was the demand that the norm in the late-19th century norm, as one display shows, was for a traveling lady to take a staggering 30 large cases on each trip.

From this a thousand trunks were born, all perfectly preserved with their original wax coatings and all viewable at the exhibit: hat trunks, toiletries trunks, trunks that pulled out as a chest of drawers, metal trunks for humid countries. For the trendy yet tired, there was a trunk that folded out into a bed.

As it still does under Jacobs, the house had a sense for the avant-garde as early as 1890: one gargantuan case boasts the title the "Never Full Bag."

Then there was the radical facelift of the 1990s. Glossy fashion magazines landed and globalized demands meant that labels had to up their game and expand, or sink. Creative talent was no longer the only criteria sought by the industry: instead "marketing" became the buzz word.

Enter Marc Jacobs, already a big name in the fashion industry, to design the Louis Vuitton house's first ready-to-wear collection, 143 bag-filled years later.

Using his corporate knowledge and irreverent humor he revamped the bags and shoes — the company's financial lifeline.

A vivid display of mannequins kneeling captures the transformation from past to present perfectly: each model has a classic Louis Vuitton bag placed on her back — covered in graffiti.

The exhibit shows other irreverent sources of musings for the designer, including a 2003 manga film by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami that is used to revamp the traditional LV monogram.

The continued growth of the house comes down to his versatility.

Marc Jacobs fall-winter runway show featured models in Edwardian hats exiting a reconstructed train that might have been the turn-of-the-century Orient Express. So there we have it, the full circle.

But, the designer mused backstage, "Whatever you try, clothes never really can live in the past. They are worn now so they are modern, with a modern take. I'm not nostalgic."

The exhibit "Louis Vuitton-Marc Jacobs" runs March 9-Sept. 16.

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Nicole LV Mullis: 'Old' is in the suitcase - Port Huron Times Herald

I turned 39 this week, an age I considered for maybe 39 minutes. I get it. I?m no longer pushing 40; I?m walking alongside it. Still, it doesn?t really bother me. I don?t feel much different than when I was 29.

Sure, there is extra hair in my hairbrush, extra lines by my eyes, and extra pounds on my scale, but that?s the stuff I notice while brushing my teeth. When I?m done flossing, I?m done caring.

Give me a suitcase, however, and I feel closer to 89.

I never used to pack my pillow. Whatever was around was good enough to dream on, up to and including my coat. A couple years ago, I nudged a disc out of my neck. Despite it nudging back in, I can?t sleep without my special orthopedic pillow. The fact that it is ?orthopedic? screams ?old.? The fact that I won?t sleep without it confirms this.

While I can justify the pillow, I can?t explain the laundry soap. I claim it?s for my daughter who has allergies, which is true, but, really, I can?t stand the scent of anything but original Tide.

Not always; just lately.

If space allows, I pack my own sheets. They aren?t a high thread count but they?re mine. Everything else is too scratchy or starchy or smoothy and I can?t sleep. I don?t know when this happened, just that it did.

If I could, I would pack my bed. I miss my bed more than I miss my dog when I travel. My bed isn?t anything special. I don?t remember researching mattresses. It?s just a queen-sized, poster-whatsits with a poufy top. Point is, it?s the only bed that doesn?t make my hips fall asleep.

And nothing makes me feel older than my hips falling asleep.

I struggle to eat when I?m away from my kitchen. I don?t have food allergies, diabetes, a political agenda or even vegetarianism, but I apparently I have a ?diet? that my body has grown accustom to and punishes me for violating.

I struggle to drink coffee that isn?t mine or even water that isn?t mine. I would never complain to my hosts. That?s beyond rude. Plus, it?s embarrassing. So, I smuggle. The best thing Starbucks ever produced are those instant coffee sticks. And bottled water is my friend. But, honestly, how did this happen? I was never a fussy eater and now I?m lining my suitcase with instant coffee.

Then, there are those foodstuffs I can?t smuggle ? a certain type of yogurt, a certain kind of apple, a certain brand of bread. I find myself making excuses to go to the store to find these items and I?m ridiculously giddy when I do.

Yes! Pomegranate DanActive! I?m saved!

I used to love eating while traveling. Oh, the sweets, treats and overeats! Not anymore. A couple restaurant meals and my grumpy guts grind to a halt. Soon I?m begging a ride to the nearest pharmacy to find ?my medicines.?

Forget 39 candles on a birthday cake. Rooting through acid controllers in a strange pharmacy is real Grim Reaper material.

Oh, well. I?ve made peace with the fact my bones will long for home long before my trip ends. And why not? The food is familiar, the bed is perfect and I feel young again.

Nicole L. V. Mullis can be reached at nlvm.columns@gmail.com

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Louis Vuitton exhibit: It's the bag, stupid - Boston.com

Louis Vuitton exhibit: It’s the bag, stupid - Boston.com HOME/COLLECTIONS/FASHIONLouis Vuitton exhibit: It’s the bag, stupidMarch 09, 2012|Thomas Adamson, Associated PressShareE-mailPrint

“Fashions fade, style is eternal,’’ Yves Saint Laurent once said.

An immutable fashion list must include the Ls Vuitton bag, on display demurely but proudly in Paris’ Decorative Arts Museum like the historical artifact it should be.

The bag pattern was first patented in 1877 but it can still be seen — almost unchanged — on the Parisian boulevards more than 130 years later. This is thanks to house founder Louis Vuitton, and since 1997, creative director Marc Jacobs.

Both their stories are woven together in a colorful exhibit that spans over a century of fashion history.

The exhibit takes the visitor from the founder’s humble beginnings as a case-packer to the fantastical runway shows that transformed the house into one of the world’s biggest names, with a revenue last year of euro2.5 billion. Though both men are from different centuries, the exhibition asks whether they have more in common than meets the eye.

There’s a small clue in the first room: portraits of the two men hang side by side, both sporting mustaches in the style of their age.

“They’re both visionaries, though they would be the last to admit it,’’ said museum curator Pamela Golbin, “and they both lived an exact same story at a decisive moment in fashion.’’

Louis Vuitton faced industrialization of the 19th century and new train travel while Marc Jacobs was confronted with 1990s’ changing demands for marketing “making fashion truly globalized for the first time,’’ Golbin said.

The story began for Louis Vuitton as a trunk-packer for rich Parisians, a job in which he was able to hone a mastery of every bolt, lock and corner of travel cases from across the French capital. He built on his knowledge, finally opening his own house in 1854.

The Orient Express was new and fashionable, and the meteoric rise of haute couture under Charles Frederic Worth meant better-dressed women went on trips with more and more clothes — that needed cases to fit them in.

Such was the demand that the norm in the late-19th century norm, as one display shows, was for a traveling lady to take a staggering 30 large cases on each trip.

From this a thousand trunks were born, all perfectly preserved with their original wax coatings and all viewable at the exhibit: hat trunks, toiletries trunks, trunks that pulled out as a chest of drawers, metal trunks for humid countries. For the trendy yet tired, there was a trunk that folded out into a bed.

As it still does under Jacobs, the house had a sense for the avant-garde as early as 1890: one gargantuan case boasts the title the “Never Full Bag.’’

12Next?AdvertisementMORE LIKE THIS ?Fashion industry prepares lovefest for Marc Jacobs
June 3, 2011NY Fashion Week: Wearable, sellable looks for fall
February 9, 2012Choo-choo chic at Louis Vuitton retro show
March 7, 2012FIND MORE STORIES ABOUT ?FashionAdvertisement? 2012 NY Times Co.Your Ad Choices|Privacy Policy|Contact Boston.com|Index by Date|Index by Keyword
Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

LV='s Graham Ashby joins Ignis - What Investment

Ignis Asset Management has appointed Graham Ashby as manager of the ￡90.6 million Ignis UK Equity Income fund.

Ashby joins the business from LV= where he was lead manager of its UK Equity Income fund.

He will replace outgoing manager Martin Brown, who has been running the fund since October 2008.

Ashby has more than 21 years of investment experience and was recently head of UK equities at LV= Asset Management, where he oversaw ￡1.3 billion of assets.

He was previously head of UK retail equities at Credit Suisse Asset Management and was lead manager of three of its UK equity income funds.

Mark Lovett, CIO for equities at LV= Asset Management, commented, ‘I have experienced his pragmatic and intuitive approach to investment first-hand at Deutsche Morgan Grenfell and he will be a valuable addition to the Ignis UK equity team.’

Ashby added, ‘My aim is simple – to achieve top quartile performance on a consistent basis for the Ignis UK Equity Income fund and to further enhance Ignis’ reputation for investment excellence within the marketplace.’

His appointment follows that of Mark Holden, who was brought on as manager of the Ignis UK Focus fund in October last year.

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags

Leicester book LV Cup final spot by beating Bath - Rugbyweek.com

Email Article | | Print Article | Click here for a Free ?50.00 Rugby bet

Article Published: Saturday 10 March 2012

Leicester Tigers held on to win their Anglo Welsh LV Cup Semi-final clash by beating Bath 16-17 at The Recreation Ground in Bath on Friday.

The result means that Leicester Tigers will meet the winner of Sunday's other Semi-final between Northampton Saints and the Scarlets in the Anglo Welsh LV Cup final.

Leicester Tigers took the bold move of naming a young second string team for this match but the decision paid off.

The opening points of a breathless first quarter came on 18 minutes when another kick-chase led to a penalty and Ford made no mistake with the kick from 30 metres out.

Ford then produced a superb kick to pin back Bath and the hosts made a mistake at the line-out near their own line. When prop Charlie Beech lost possession under pressure from Julian White, Tigers lock Graham Kitchener dropped on the loose ball to score. Ford missed the conversion as Leicester led 8-0.

Fly-half Tom Heathcote got Bath off the mark with a 35-metre penalty after 24 minutes as the game continued to swing in the favour of one side and then the other.

Then Bath claimed the lead for the first time just after the half-hour with a converted try. A line-out on the left provided the platform and a sweeping attack, led by a 40-metre charge from Matt Carraro, took them within range of the tryline, the ball eventually coming to the right for hooker Lee Mears to dart between two defenders to score. Heathcote added a testing kick from out wide to give the hosts a 10-8 advantage.

The home crowd almost had more cause for celebration moments later as a sharp attack on halfway set Matt Banahan into space but, when he kicked ahead, Ford read the bounce of the ball and kept his cool to clear.

Bath enjoyed their best spell in the closing 10 minutes of the half, using Carraro and Banahan to crash the ball up in midfield, and the offloading game among the forwards to keep Tigers on the back foot.

They created two more chances on the right before the half closed with Tigers scrum-half James Grindal winning turnover ball at a close-range scrum and the visitors protecting possession as the clock kicked down to the break.

The home side almost had a dream start to the second half when Scott Hamilton's miscued kick gave away possession on halfway and Bath's Biggs got his side in dangerous territory. The ball was flun to the right butm, with men over, it drifted into touch.

The pressure was unrelenting though as Mears and Banahan got within reach of the tryline, but spirited defence kept Tigers in the game, eventually winning turnover ball near the 22.

Tigers won a penalty at the scrum and, after Ford had taken play up to halfway, international props Logoviii Mulipola and Marcos Ayerza replaced Boris Stankovich and White.

They were rewarded with a penalty at their opening scrum, giving Ford an opportunity to regain the lead with a kick from 35 metres. A big cheer from the travelling support signaled its success as Tigers regained the lead at 11-10.

But it was shortlived, though, when Biggs capitalised on a loose pass from Newby and, when Bath were awarded a penalty on the left, Heathcote struck it well to make it 13-11 to the home side.

The see-saw fortunes continued as Tigers were awarded a penalty from the restart after obstruction in the Bath forwards and Ford struck the kick to make it 14-13.

Back Bath game yet again, with Heathcote nailing a penalty in front of the posts after Kitchener had been penalised at a ruck. And they almost added to it with replacement Jack Cuthbert powering his way up to the 22 and kicking in behind, only for Twelvetrees to rescue Tigers with a race to the ball and then the composure to set up a clearing kick.

Thomas Waldrom and Julian Salvi entered the fray, replacing Ben Pienaar and Newby in the Tigers pack, but Bath had the next opportunity, gaining a penalty at a scrum close to halfway. But Heathcote was unable to maintain his 100-per-cent record, pushing the kick wide.

Steve Mafi had the away support on their feet moments later, cropping up in midfield and gaining vital metres, before Salvi and Mulipola carried into the Bath 22. But Tigers were whistled by referee Dave Pearson just as they looked to gain promosing territory.

Matt Smith replaced Andy Forsyth in the backline before play restarted, but there was no let-up in the pace of the game, both sides looking for the vital score.

The heavyweight contest at the scrum continued, with Bath celebrating prematurely when the referee's whistle blew, only to point first their way then to Tigers after a word from his assistant.

Ford remained the coolest man on the pitch to make it 17-16 to Tigers.

Barely a minute later, though, Bath were given their own chance when Twelvetrees was penalised for taking a man off the ball as Banahan looked to pass. Heathcote, though, hooked horribly wide from wide on the right.

Agulla almost produced a try out of nothing in response, taking a catch on his 10-metre line and racing 50 metres upfield before being tackled into touch barely five metres short.

Bath struggled to clear their lines, Mafi charging down a kick from Michael Claassens, Mulipola thumping the ball up twice and the Tigers forwards retaining both possession and composure as the clock ticked down to the last three minutes.

A series of reset scrums took the clock down to 90 seconds remaining before Tigers were penalised. Barkley kicked to touch, gaining the throw-in on the Bath 10-metre line.

Ball off the top got Bath going forward again but Carraro knocked-on as he met the Tigers defence and Tigers cleared into touch with time up. But there was one more chance as Bath recycled ball in midfield, only for referee Pearson to blow for a penalty.

Ford's punt into the crowd drew cheers from the away supporters and sealed a place in the final of the competition for the first time since 2008.

Final Score Bath 16 (10) Leicester 17 (8)

Scorers

Bath
Tries: Mears
Penalties: Heathcote 3
Conversions: Heathcote

Leicester Tigers
Tries: Kitchener
Penalties: Ford 4

Teams

Bath Rugby

15. Sam Vesty , 14. Matt Banahan , 13. Matt Carraro , 12. Olly Barkley , 11. Tom Biggs , 10. Tom Heathcote , 9. Michael Claassens , 1. Charlie Beech , 2. Lee Mears , 3. Duncan Bell , 4. Dave Attwood , 5. Ryan Caldwell , 6. Ben Skirving , 7. Francois Louw (c) , 8. Simon Taylor

Replacements:16. Pieter Dixon , 17. David Flatman , 18. Anthony Perenise , 19. Guy Mercer , 20. Carl Fearns , 21. Chris Cook , 22. Olly Woodburn , 23. Jack Cuthbert

Leicester Tigers

15 Scott Hamilton , 14 Horacio Agulla , 13 Andy Forsyth , 12 Billy Twelvetreees , 11 Alex Lewington , 10 George Ford , 9 James Grindal , 1 Boris Stankovich , 2 Rob Hawkins , 3 Julian White , 4 Calum Green , 5 Graham Kitchener , 6 Steve Mafi , 7 Craig Newby (c) , 8 Ben Pienaar

Replacements , 16 Tom Youngs , 17 Marcos Ayerza , 18 Logoviii Mulipola , 19 Julian Salvi , 20 Thomas Waldrom , 21 Scott Steele , 22 Jeremy Staunton , 23 Matt Smith

Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags