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
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