Issuu

Vol. 1 | ISSUE 7 | DECEMBER 2017

A BIZNEVADA MAGAZINE

Page 4

GETTING INTO THE

HOLIDAY “SpiritS”

IN THIS ISSUE

RENO AREA BREWERY MAP SEE PAGE 20

LETTER FROM THE

EDITOR Corrine Casanova Not only was it fun interviewing some of the best brewers and distillers in northern Reno for this issue, it was a pleasure imbibing in some of the finest “spirits” under the guise of research. But what made it even better was hearing people’s passion for their craft and the science behind it. Each person I interviewed had that fiery passion. For me, one of the best things about being a journalist is being able to tell people’s stories. The most difficult part is leaving many of those stories on the cutting room floor. Worse yet, not having the luxury to interview everyone you wanted to. One of this issue’s articles, Positively Fourth Street, focuses on the revitalization of E. 4th Street. I chose the headline because it ties back to the 1960’s Greenwich Village growing folk music scene which was believed to be the inspiration for Bob Dylan’s single, “Positively 4th Street.” After talking to breweries and distilleries in the area, that positive attitude that Dylan felt is exactly the type of vibe that is required for northern Nevada to become a burgeoning craft beer and spirit destination. Cover photo: Jeff Dow Cover Description: Colby Frey, owner of Frey Ranch Estate Distillery, is a fifth generation Nevada farmer who grows 100% of the grains for his distilled spirits

INTHISISSUE

LETTER FROM THE

PUBLISHER

VOL. 1 / ISSUE. 7

Chris O’Sullivan Well, I’m not gonna lie, it was pretty easy to go to work this past month! Being a self-proclaimed connoisseur of beer, I used the opportunity of this month’s cover story to sample all of our local brewer’s wares. From IPAs to porters to stouts, ales, goses and sours, northern Nevada has become a premier producer of high quality brews and distilled beverages. Trust me. What is even more interesting than just enjoying the local craft brewing scene, is the economic impact of the industry. Tourists in areas like Sacramento and other surrounding areas are booking “Brewery Tours” to Reno, Sparks and Lake Tahoe. As you read through our cover story, you may be surprised to hear that craft brewers and distillers are responsible for creating nearly 3,500 jobs in Nevada, with an average wage of over $44,000 per year. Total contribution to our State economy this year will be $434 million. That’s a lot of barley and hops. And no small potatoes. (Yes, there’s some great vodka produced here as well.)

BizNEVADA PUBLISHING TEAM PUBLISHERS: Richard Moore and Chris O’Sullivan GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Thom Martinson EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Corrine Casanova SALES DIRECTOR: Lora Enget PHOTOGRAPHER: Marcello Rostagni ADVERTISING: Lora Enget at lora@biznv.com FEEDBACK/IDEAS We welcome your feedback and ideas regarding BizNevada. Send a message to info@biznevada.com @ 2017 Richard Moore and Chris O’Sullivan. All rights reserved.

PG 4-8 PG 10-13 PG 14-15 PG 16 PG 20-21 PG 22-23 PG 24-25 PG 28 PG 30-31 PG 32-33 PG 34

PG 36

Get Into the Holiday “Spirits” Positively Fourth Street Next Generation Leadership Why Measuring Your Marketing Matters Brewery Map Non-Profit - Volunteers Make All the Difference Printing Your Business Cards How Entity Type Affects Tax Planning for Owners-Employees Calendar of Events How Northern Nevada Businesses Access “Greater” Financial Services Immunize Nevada - Protect Your Bottom Line from the Flu Retirement Savings - Catch Up: Three Moves

So, pour yourself a double shot of bourbon or a double IPA and read about one of our areas tastier industries. I will continue to conduct random and frequent quality control inspections to make sure you’re getting the finest product Nevada has to offer. You’re welcome. Chris O’Sullivan, Co-Publisher

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by Corrine Casanova Today, Nevada is home to about 37 craft breweries. There were breweries in this state prior to Prohibition in 1920 which banned the production, distribution or sale of alcoholic beverages. After the repeal in 1933, a three-tier system was set in place for the distribution of alcoholic beverages. This system ensured producers (brewers, wine makers and distillers) would sell to distributors who then would sell to retailers who would then sell to consumers. There was no by-passing the tiered system so brewery tap rooms didn’t exist. Despite rather liberal litigation when it comes to public intoxication (it’s legal) and the availability of purchasing alcohol 24/7 Nevada wasn’t very liberal in their policies regarding alcohol production and distribution. Tom Young, founder of Great Basin Brewery, discovered this first-hand back in 1993. At that time, neighboring states California and Oregon allowed breweries to sell their beer

4 • ISSUE 7 • DECEMBER 2017

BIZNEVADA MAGAZINE • WWW.BIZNEVADA.COM • 5

directly to the public, but not Nevada, advocates of the three-tier system were strong here. Virginia City resident Rick Hoover cracked the system a bit when he helped pass a law that if you were in the Virginia City historic district in a building that just happened to once be a brewery and you were properly licensed, you could operate a brewpub. Hoover opened the Union Brewery in 1988. According to Young, “It was pretty much a one-person law. Despite having the only brewery in Nevada, Hoover didn’t make very good beer. He had these feral cats all over the place who would try to drink your beer so you had to hold your hand over it.” The brewery closed around 1995. As a home brewer, Young won amateur nationals for his beer and wanted to open his own brew pub after leaving his career in mining. Young didn’t think he’d be successful in battling the big beer distributors, but a new law was passed with restrictions. If brewers reached a certain production limit, they’d need to cease production and close the taproom. Young saw it as a law that encouraged failure. Despite that, he opened Great Basin Brewery in 1993. Today, they are still recognized as the oldest operating brewery in Nevada.

In June 2017, the Nevada Craft Brewers Association worked with the Nevada Legislature to pass Assembly Bill 431 and Senate Bill 199. Governor Sandoval signed the law no longer limiting brew pubs to two locations and also raising the amount of beer craft brewers can make from 15,000 to 40,000 barrels. Matt Johnson is president of the Nevada Craft Brewers Association and co-founder of IMBIB Custom Brews, which specializes in old-world barrel aged beers. He sees the passing of this new legislation being directly related to vocal consumers who love craft beer and want to protect the industry. He noted, “There is a whole lot of politics in the world of beer and beer distribution that are finely coming to the surface because as independent craft breweries we finally have a large enough voice to be heard.” IMBĪB co-founders Johnson and Jason Green met as their wives both were teachers at Reed High School. Johnson and Green were avid home brewers and after many late nights drinking their creations they decided to open a brewery. Green explained, “We raised $30,000 through crowdfunding. We bought this building in Sept. 2015. Piece by piece we raised money, sold our beer and now we are actually functioning as a brewery.” They have intentionally grown slowly. Starting from brewing 50 gallons at a time, they are now up to 320 gallons. One of IMBĪB’s specialties is making sour beers that can take up to three years to make. They create over 50 different beer styles. There are six staple beers and the rest of the 16 beers on tap rotate. The Silver Peak Restaurant and Brewery debuted in 1999 and their Silver Peak Grill and Taproom opened in downtown Reno in 2004. Head brewer, Sam Soliday, loves the science and creativity when it comes to craft brewing and even enjoys the mechanical side when equipment inevitably breaks down. He feels the camaraderie in the craft brewing community is second to none. Brewers are willing to share ingredients and help each other out and also recommend their customers visit neighboring breweries as each one is unique. One of the newest kids on the block, Revision Brewing Co., opened its doors in Sparks in March 2017. Jeremy Warren, CEO, co-founder and brewmaster sold Knee Deep Brewing Co. in Auburn, CA in July 2015 to open Revision Brewing. Recent accolades include winning a gold and bronze medal at the Brussels Beer Challenge and gold and silver medals from the 21st Annual Great International Beer, Cider, Mead & Sake Competition in Connecticut. The winning gold medal beer in the New England India Pale Ale category was Disco Ninja, a collaboration beer brewed with Revision Brewing and Carson City’s Shoe Tree Brewing Co. Although new to Reno, Warren has his roots in Sparks.

6 • ISSUE 7 • DECEMBER 2017

Mill Street Still & Brew, located in the former RingLee Grocery Store, opened in May 2017. Will Whipple, head brewer, noted, “All our stainless tanks were built here in Reno. We sell about 85 percent of our products through our distribution channels. What makes us unique is that our stills run at ambient, room temperature. We use a proprietary vacuum distillation process that allows the unique flavors of the spirits to shine through. Our vodka speaks for itself. It is very smooth rich, creamy and kind of sweet.” They will soon be packaging and bottling their distilled spirits in a facility in Stead. During Burning Man, they brought nearly 3,000 gallons of beer to the Playa. Original recipes were formulated from there. Whipple noted that 80 percent of Mill Street Still & Brew employees are UNR graduates.

The Frey Ranch Estate Distillery, located seven miles south of Fallon, is not only the oldest legal distillery in Nevada, the Frey Family has been farming continuously in Nevada since 1854. Owner Colby Frey is a fifth generation Nevadan farmer. Frey Ranch is considered an estate distillery because they grow 100% of the grains that go into their distilled spirits. They produce vodka, gin, absinthe and bourbon whiskey on the farm. They received their distilling license in 2006, but it wasn’t until 2013, when a Nevada state law allowed them to commercially sell their product. The passage of AB159 allows craft distillers to sell 10,000 cases of spirits in the state and export 20,000. It’s important to Frey to grow all the grains. He explained, “By growing them ourselves we can grow

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better quality grains for distilling purposes that we couldn’t buy on the open market. There are certain things we can do to increase quality but they almost always lower our quantity. We are okay with that. My family has been growing grains in Nevada for 160 plus years so this information has been passed down from generation to generation. In the process, we’ve learned how to grow the best quality grain.” The farm sits on about 1,400 acres of which 1,200 are farmed. Originally, Frey’s goal was to open a winery which they succeeded in doing with Churchill Vineyards. However, they wanted to make something out of the grain in the fields. That’s when the distillery idea came to fruition. Frey said, “We are really fortunate to be able to be here on the farm and use all our biproducts. I think our footprint is much lower than other distilleries. My wife tells our customers that none of the ingredients in our products have ever left our possession until you take it home.” The Frey Distillery can produce 120,000 bottles a month when at full production. Besides Nevada, Frey’s products are distributed to CA, MI, GA, CO and

IL. Frey concluded, “Right now we have 1,250 full size 53-gallon barrels full of whiskey in storage right now which equates to about 450,000 bottles. We want to age it a minimum of 4 years, if it’s not ready, we will wait longer. We don’t want to release a product until it is ready. There is a saying in the wine industry. You’ve got to like what you make because you might end up drinking it all yourself. The same thing applies to our distillery.” James Silpada is the owner of one the newest distilleries in Reno, Forsaken River. Silpada sources his materials from Reno and local parameters. He distills vodka, Scottish style gin, smoked rye whiskey and plans to introduce a chocolate vodka and a coffee vodka with Blind Dog Coffee. The Reno native opened his tasting room in April 2017. With all the different distillery and brewery options here in northern Nevada, it makes it easy to get into the holiday “spirits.”

FOR A LISTING OF ALL THE GREAT BREWERIES AND DISTILLERIES IN THE RENO AREA, CHECK OUT THE BREWERY MAP ON PAGE 20

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Although Reno’s East 4th Street has a checkered past, the former Lincoln Highway was once a main east-west corridor through Reno. As the landscape changed and blight moved in, buildings along East 4th Street sat vacant and fell into disrepair. Besides better connecting downtown Reno and downtown Sparks, The RTC 4th Street/Prater Way RAPID Transit Project is set to revitalize 4th Street while preserving its rich history. There is a diverse mix of people due to the industrial nature of the area, motels and homeless shelters. In recent years, a brewery arts district has emerged on 4th Street which includes Under the Rose, Lead Dog Brewing Company, several wineries, and The Depot. Most people aren’t aware that prolific architect, Frederic DeLongchamps, designed some of the most prominent buildings along East 4th Street and throughout Nevada. To name a few, the Washoe County Courthouse, Lyon County Courthouse, Fallon City Hall, the Riverside Hotel and the US Post Office-Reno Main. Architect DeLongchamps designed the Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad Depot (built in 1910) that Reno local Chris Shanks purchased in 2013. Because it was once a vibrant train station, Shanks wanted to keep that original vibe throughout. Despite sitting vacant for 23 years, it took only about nine months to renovate. Features include original beams, original wooden staircase, refinished beachwood floors, subway tiles, a vault in the men’s bathroom, maps of the old train station on the walls and all original doors and casework.

by Corrine Casanova

When asked about taking a risk by starting a business on East 4th Street he noted, “I am a firm believer that the more similar uses you have in an area the better it is for the area because you have more people traveling to that destination. It gives people a compelling reason to come to 4th Street. The nearby homeless shelter is more of a visible deterrent than an actual safety concern.”

The Depot is a distillery, brewery and restaurant. Eighty percent of their grains for their whiskeys come from northern Nevada. They use a “farm to glass” approach when it comes to distilling. As far as local competition in the craft beer market, Shanks explained, “The consumer is getting so much more educated. The more competition, the better you have to be and the better it is for the consumer.” Co-founder and brewmaster Brandon Wright earned his credentials at the World Brewing Academy in Chicago. “We always talked about starting our own businesses, the stars aligned with me getting the restaurant experience at Louis Basque Corner and Brandon getting brewing experience in San Diego where he worked with some bigger breweries. That is the genesis of what you have now,” Shanks shared. Across the street, the idea of the Record Street Brewing Company (slated to open this summer), all started about four years ago with Jesse Corletto and Patrick Ogle having a dream of opening a brewery. During a hot summer day at a backyard BBQ, Matt Robison, a

10 • ISSUE 7 • DECEMBER 2017

The Depot photos: David Calvert

BIZNEVADA MAGAZINE • WWW.BIZNEVADA.COM • 11

4th Street

north elevation

home brewer, brought a crisp and refreshing home brewed craft beer that sparked the conversation with Jesse Corletto. After that encounter, Corletto contacted Patrick Ogle and the team was built. Corletto noticed that Midtown was quickly evolving, however, East 4th Street wasn’t experiencing that same kind of renaissance.

Corletto pinpointed the vacant Alpine Glass Company to be the brewery location. There was one problem though. He couldn’t find out who the owner was. He eventually discovered the owner Kenneth Kruger sold the glass business 20 years ago by, but not the building. He tracked down Kruger’s address. He drove to his Midtown home and then proceeded to the front porch. That’s when Kruger answered the door holding a shotgun. Corletto nervously introduced himself and asked if he still owned the Alpine Glass Company building. That’s when Kruger shut the door. As he turned to leave, Kruger came around from the back and handed his son Daniel’s phone number. He said, “You can call him about the building.” Ironically, when Corletto spoke to his son he said they were discussing demolishing the building and giving it to the city of Reno for a parking lot. They worked out a deal and helped Kruger clean out the warehouse which was basically a storage facility for his personal items for nearly 20 years. Kruger died at age 83 earlier this year. They cleared out lots of material from

the 1928 building while being careful to preserve the history as it was designed by architect DeLongchamps. Now that they had beer and a building, they needed a name. Their original intent was Reno Brewing Company but that was taken. As Corletto stood in the parking lot and looked up at the street sign, Record Street he knew right then that would be the brewery’s name. He explained, “It made sense. What we planned to open was a brewery. Music would be an important element to that. I am a music fanatic who grew up playing base guitar and listening to vinyl records. By adding music to the brand it makes a great connection with the consumer.” Instead of looking at their next-door neighbor, the homeless shelter, as a detriment, they chose to embrace it. Record Street Brewery wants to shine a light on the issue of homelessness here in Reno instead of ignoring it. They want the community to realize that It’s part of the culture as the homeless aren’t going anywhere and they are confident that this will spark the community to help the homeless situation even more than the help it already receives. Record Street is different from other brewers in the area as they aren’t brewing beer in Reno now. While they plan to brew small batches at the Reno location, most of their brewing will remain out of state. District Sales Manager Joe Martinez, noted, “Our concern was quality, consistency and logistics. Mendocino Brewing Company, one of the founders of the craft beer market back in the 1980s, met all those criteria. We have released three of our flagship beers so people now can experience Record Street even before we open our doors.” Record Street hired Lance Jergensen to oversee all contract brewing operations.

Record Street Brewing draws inspiration from our flagship location at the corner of 4th and Record Streets in Reno, Nevada on the historic Lincoln Highway. At Record Street Brewing you can not only find fine craft beer, but also a Neapolitan wood-fired pizzeria, and a relationship with The Alpine live music venue. Outstanding beer, pizza, and music are what define us. We believe this trio of uniqueness (great beer, great eats and great music) along with the historic relevance of out location will allow our story to transcend its initial neighborhood 12 • ISSUE 7 • DECEMBER 2017

appeal and be a force nationally in the near future.

by Corrine Casanova In July, Clark/Sullivan Construction was our feature story, where we focused on the transition of leadership from co-founder BJ Sullivan to its other business partners/owners. I thought we’d check back to see if there were any updates on the leadership transition. I spoke with two of those leaders Ted Foor, President of California Operations and Jarrett Rosenau, President of Nevada Operations. Other leaders include Kevin Stroupe, CEO/CFO and Jerry Hogan, Vice President/Chief Estimator. Clark/Sullivan employs approximately 110 employees, about 40% of those employees are located in NV. Having one company with two different branches in two different states can have its challenges, especially when ushering in new leadership, but despite the geographical distance, Foor and Rosenau work closely together to eliminate any “us” versus “them” mentality. When the announcement was made that Sullivan was stepping aside, the leadership team created an organization chart which clearly delineated the employee’s chain of command and roles/responsibilities. Rosenau explained, “In the past people were used to going to BJ when there were issues, we now need to rewire and retrain ourselves to do it another way. In the previous situation with BJ as sole owner, he was also the sole decision maker. Now there are four partners, the new structure of leadership requires strong lines of communication. There needs to be a consistent message from leadership.” There’s a quote by Peter Drucker that seems to sum up Clark/ Sullivan’s philosophy: “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right thing.” Rosenau is no stranger to managing others as he has come up through the ranks in project management, but he realizes the distinction between being a manager and leader. While working in the field, project engineers and the superintendent on the job have a tiered relationship with trade partners and suppliers who are involved in the project. Rosenau shared, “That relationship is leveraged by the contract with them. You are leading them from an indirect standpoint. They are someone you have a contract with to provide service, which is different than having employees. It is a big responsibility and I do my best to make the right decisions. I realize that what is best for me or somebody else might not be best for Clark/Sullivan. In a leadership role, you can’t be all things to everybody.”

14 • ISSUE 7 • DECEMBER 2017

CA President of Operations, Foor describes himself as a servant leader. Servant leaders share their power, put the needs of others first and lead by example. He explained, “I like to get in the trenches with everyone else and do whatever it takes to get the job done. That way I can build my team if I am down there and working just as hard as they are. That won’t change as that’s the way it has always been.” Both Foor and Rosenau view consistency as being a core pillar of every great leader. They aim to be consistent in their message while being deliberate and intentional as possible about communicating what they are doing and why. Foor and Rosenau make it a priority to work on their relationship first and communicate regularly. They freely share resources with each other including their employees. Foor shared, “In the past, there has been an us versus them mentality between the California and Nevada offices. We are just one company who has one set of financials at the end of the year. We need to support each other. That is the beauty of having a company in two different geographical markets.” Rosenau continued, “Construction is an industry where you live on one extreme or the other. You are either not busy and trying to keep the lights on, or so busy you do not know how you will get the job done. Being able to share some of our senior level employee’s knowledge with newer employees makes sense. It’s an exciting time to be in the construction industry and have opportunities in both NV and CA. Unlike 10 years ago, BJ now has the right pieces in place to move the company forward. It’s important for him that the business that he built—his legacy continues. He takes a lot of pride in running a business for so long. He views Clark/Sullivan much like a family and treats them as such. The best is yet for everyone to come at Clark/Sullivan.”

Photo Credit: Jeff Dow

BIZNEVADA MAGAZINE • WWW.BIZNEVADA.COM • 15

by Corrine Casanova For many business owners, marketing often is one of the last considerations, but in essence, it is one of the best ways to generate leads. The problem is that often marketing agencies aren’t clear about the kind of return on investment (ROI) they can provide their customers. RSO Consulting, a digital marketing agency, has marketing down to a science. Govind Davis, Principal of RSO Consulting, explained that scientific marketing is crucial when measuring ROI. “Good marketing generates ROI. This means if you do your marketing right then every dollar you put in you will receive measurable and expected returns. If you aren’t measuring and seeing if you get good results then it is not truly marketing because it doesn’t have a clear quantitative objective,” said Davis. Professionally managed marketing utilizes a scientific methodology that gets results. Essentially, Davis and his team look at how much money their customers are going to make on their product or service, what sales funnel they are using and what their cost per click and conversion rate is. “If I spend $1 on marketing and make $10 it is probably worth doing. If I am going to spend $10 and make $11 then I am not sure it is worth it. If you spend $10 and make $9 it is definitely not worth doing. It’s a pretty simple model but a lot of people don’t understand the depth and the deep process you need to go to that level of analysis,” Davis said. No matter what the size of the business, RSO Consulting’s goal is to offer a strategic level perspective at the start and then find ways to enhance the things that are working for their client today. They also look at ways to receive better value or get new access to customers in profitable ways. For new clients, they begin with a set of questions that focus on business operations to determine the best marketing strategy. To create a strategic marketing plan, Davis relies on the principles in the book, Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business which is built around strengthening the six key components of your business. The responses to those key questions are like puzzle pieces. 16 • ISSUE 7 • DECEMBER 2017

Putting that puzzle together requires asking some fundamental questions, including: 1.

What are you doing today that is working for you?

How are you measuring those results?

What opportunities could improve those results?

What are you doing today or in the past that is not working for you?

What kind of marketing activities would you like to test?

Most businesses have something that is working for them. If you are in business today and making money, then you already have some way that you are getting business. There are ways to test marketing activities without spending a lot of time and effort on it. Their expertise is mostly centered around digital marketing, SEO, pay per click, social media such as Facebook and email marketing. They are a relatively small marketing agency with an experienced digital marketing team with over 15 years of professional experience. According to Davis, “We do not have aspirations to become a large agency. We are very hands on with our clients. We work closely with our clients to provide that ideal critical ROI. We will not sell our services if we haven’t done our homework with a prospective client to determine if they are going to get results with us. We do not want to get into situations where we are just doing business to make money. Our goal is to produce real results, whether its SEO, lead generation, or online sales. If we cannot produce measurable results such as making 10 times the amount of money they are spending on us then we are not doing our job. We bring top notch expertise on a personal level. It is hard to find that kind of expertise in a lot of smaller marketing companies.” Contact Govind Davis, Principal of RSO Consulting at gdavis@rsoconsulting.com to learn more about what RSO Consulting can do for your business.

There are

A LOT of ways to From the rich networking opportunities to the insightful speakers to the chance to join with like-minded citizens who want to create positive change in our community, WIN is a win for just about anyone. Visit WINevada.com or call 359-7117 for upcoming monthly Power Breakfasts and membership information.

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by Corrine Casanova

Non-Profit spotlight

Volunteers Make All

the Difference

Volunteers are at the heart of the Catholic Charities & St. Vincent’s Programs. In fact, typically their staff consists of 50 percent employees and 50 percent volunteers. Barbara Klipfel, Director of Community Outreach & Engagement, has the names of 6,000 volunteers in her database. In 2016, volunteers logged in 52,000 hours with Catholic Charities. All of those hours are through direct service. They have 13 separate programs in three separate divisions and volunteers are in every single one of them.

by Corrine Casanova Marie Baxter, Chief Relationship Officer, shared, “It’s incredible,

we have volunteers that are like our employees. They are fiercely loyal and some have been with us for 17 plus years. During the holidays, we have a feeding families program where we fill 6,000 – 8,000 bags of food which is enough for a full holiday family meal including a ham or turkey. Although we are located in Reno, we provide services to all counties in Nevada except Clark County. We actually have the largest food pantry in the state. About 30,000 bags are distributed monthly and every single piece of food has to go through food pantry here. We have 160 food pantries that are connected back to Catholic Charities so on a weekly basis we have staff that go out and provide food in those pantries year-round. In addition, we have a team of social workers that go out with that food to provide immediate family and individual support services. Our social workers are on site with our larger mission of helping families move out of poverty and toward sustainability. We have 208 employees at Catholic Charities and about an $11 million budget.”

22 • ISSUE 7 • DECEMBER 2017

Klipfel shared her enthusiasm for volunteering, “If somebody wants to volunteer and isn’t sure where, I take them on a tour of the campus. We typically start out in the food pantry and I point out the different types of positions that may be available there. On a monthly basis, individuals and families can pick up supplemental food. With this USDA funded program, different size boxes are provided for the size of the family. We also do repackaging of bulk items like pet food into smaller pouches which are also available to families with pets.” They are flexible with their volunteers because of how many volunteers are needed. Some choose to work in the food shelf or thrift stores while others prefer working in the administrative office helping with mailings, data entry or donor relations. One business was having a conference and invited all general managers to come volunteer for several hours. “Because we are such a large agency we can accommodate having 30-40 people who can come for one day or as little as a few hours. We have an international organization here in Reno who had an international day of service where all of their 18 offices around the world were doing a day of service. They chose us so we had about 30 people helping us in the food pantry all day long. We have other groups, like charter schools that help us out in our thrift stores.”

pleted different tasks at another nonprofit where some helped fix a roof while others painted. They then all went for a bike ride for some physical fitness and then came to Catholic Charities food pantry. The four teams had a competition on who could complete the most repackaging of the food in an hour. They concluded the day in Virginia City where they had dinner and went on a mystery ghost tour. These are the types of events that can make volunteering unique and different. “There is something for everyone here. We have volunteers who work in the immigration office who help people fill out paperwork. We have a doctor from Truckee who volunteers once a month and does a clinic. We have a clinical PA she comes in and does immunizations. So, there are a lot of different ways people can help almost every day.”

Catholic Charities is seeking employment and financial literacy coaches as well. One of their programs that has received national recognition, Crossroads, is one of the best kept secrets in Reno. It is a residential sober living program for people who have drug and alcohol problems who have decided that they are done with that part of life. Residents can live there permanently as long as they are working their case plan and are sober. There are 160 beds located in three separate facilities. Their Learn to Earn program is currently seeking businesses who are willing to take a chance on employing someone who has turned their life around. Catholic Charities is located at 500 E. Fourth St. To learn more about volunteering opportunities, contact Barbara Klipfel at 775-322-7073, extension 238.

One of the most unique events was when a business did a scavenger hunt based on the Amazing Race as part of a corporate team building retreat. They chose four nonprofits in town where they served breakfast at a homeless shelter and then each comBIZNEVADA MAGAZINE • WWW.BIZNEVADA.COM • 23

Every year, starting in late November and throughout the month of December, we print a lot of Christmas cards. We see some amazing designs and we also have our share of “challenges” with artwork that is not set up properly. Here are some ideas to make your cards look great and save a few headaches at your favorite printing company. First, a quick history of Christmas cards. Did you know that sending Christmas cards began in England in 1843? Sir Henry Cole helped set up the British postal system and was wondering how it could be used more by average people. Sir Henry and his friend John Horsley designed the first Christmas card and printed around 1,000 of them. Because the cost of postage had fallen to one penny due to the railroads carrying the mail (instead of a horse and carriage, which made the postage too expensive for average people), mailing Christmas cards suddenly became popular. In the late 1840’s, Christmas cards also began to appear in the United States, but most people could not afford them. In 1875, a printer named Louis Prang started mass producing cards to make them affordable. In 1915, John C. Hall started a new company with his brothers that you might have heard of—Hallmark Cards! (source: whychristmas.com) Now, back to the challenges we see when printing cards. I will touch on three of them. 1. Make sure to leave at least 1/8-inch margins around the edges of the entire card (1/4-inch margins would even be better). Why is that? During the printing process—which for short run postcards is typically a digital process—the paper tends to move ever so slightly when being printed, and the paper also can shrink or get slightly distorted by the heat in the digital printing process. Also, when the paper is being cut, which could be 250 sheets at a time, it could move just a whisker (a technical term in printing!) when it is cut. So, when the card is being cut and the type or image is too close to the edge, even with a perfect cut some of your type could get cut off or your border could look uneven.

2. If you have a background image or color that goes right to the edge of the card, you need to extend it 1/8 inch past the edge of the card (called a “bleed”). For example, if the final size of your card is 5 x 7, if you include the 1/8-inch bleed on all four edges, the size you send to the printer would be 5.25 x 7.25. Besides the reasons listed above, printers print on large sheets of paper then cut them down to the finished size of the card. It would be normal to print several images of the same card on one large sheet of paper. When cutting large sheets of paper, perhaps 250 sheets at a time, with several images on the paper, if the image is not perfectly straight or if the paper moved during the printing process, after cutting the paper you could have white lines on the edge of some of your cards. Even a very slight white line at the edge of the card will look bad. Extending the image past the edge of the card eliminates this problem. 3. Use a professional photographer if possible. In general, professionally taken pictures print great. Often, the photographs taken by us “want to be photographers” are too dark or red, blurry, or do not have enough contrast between the subject and the background. Even the best design can be spoiled by poor photography. I wish you and your loved ones all the best during this holiday season, and a prosperous 2018! DigiPrint is a locally owned printer specializing in quick turnaround and pre-sorted mailings. For more information, visit digiprintcorporation.com.

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by Brent Forbush Making SenSe The single biggest firm receives on an almost daily ofquestion EvEry our CEnt basis from business owners as they set out on Dan the path of busiBrent ness ownership, acquisition of an existing business, or reorga(775)type 337-6001 Longley Ln.,existing Ste. A business, is Tel: 5490 nization of an “What of entity should I www. forbushandassociates.biz Reno, NV 89511 select?” With the sweeping proposed changes in the tax reform act, current thinking may be flipped on its conventional head. We are preparing for changes that could affect long-time business owners with their previous entity selection requiring an adjustment, reclassification, and even reincorporation, starting almost immediately. But for now, let’s discuss the issues as they currently stand. Come tax time, owner-employees face a variety of distinctive tax planning challenges, depending on whether their business is structured as a partnership, limited liability company (LLC) or corporation. Whether you’re thinking about your 2017 filing or planning for 2018, it’s important to be aware of the challenges that apply to your particular situation. The next step is to realize that when you select an entity, that entity is created locally at your state level and now the work has just begun. The next step is to potentially make a classification election with the IRS in order to receive the most beneficial tax treatment of your brand new shiny entity. Let’s discuss the entity types and their tax implications.

Partnerships and LLCs If you’re a partner in a partnership or a member of an LLC that has elected to be disregarded or treated as a partnership, the entity’s income flows through to you (as does its deductions). And this income likely will be subject to self-employment taxes—even if the income isn’t actually distributed to you. This means your employment tax liability typically doubles because you must pay both the employee and employer portions of these taxes. The employer portion of self-employment taxes paid (6.2% for Social Security tax and 1.45% for Medicare tax) is deductible above the line. Above-the-line deductions are particularly valuable because they reduce your adjusted gross income and modified adjusted gross income, which are the triggers for certain additional taxes and phaseouts of many tax breaks. But flow-through income may not be subject to self-employment taxes if you’re a limited partner or the LLC member equivalent. And be aware that flow-through income might be subject to the additional 0.9% Medicare tax on earned income or the 28 • ISSUE 7 • DECEMBER 2017

3.8% net investment income tax (NIIT), depending on the situation.

S and C corporations For S corporations, our preferred tax entity type, even though the entity’s income flows through to you for income tax purposes, only income you receive as salary is subject to employment taxes and, if applicable, the 0.9% Medicare tax. Keeping your salary relatively—but not unreasonably—low and increasing your distributions of company income (which generally isn’t taxed at the corporate level or subject to employment taxes) can reduce these taxes. The 3.8% NIIT may also apply. In the case of C corporations, the entity’s income is taxed at the corporate level and only income you receive as salary is subject to employment taxes, and, if applicable, the 0.9% Medicare tax. Nevertheless, if the overall tax paid by both the corporation and you would be less, you may prefer to take more income as salary (which is deductible at the corporate level) as opposed to dividends (which aren’t deductible at the corporate level, are taxed at the shareholder level and could be subject to the 3.8% NIIT). Whether your entity is an S or a C corporation, tread carefully, however. The IRS remains on the lookout for misclassification of corporate payments to shareholder-employees. The penalties and additional tax liability can be costly. As you can see, tax planning is extra important for owner-employees. Plus, tax law changes proposed and being reviewed by both the Senate and House could significantly affect your entity selection decisions, even if you have been in business for years. Make sure you start on the right foot by selecting the right entity for your business needs. Brent Forbush is the Auditing and Accounting Manager at Forbush and Associates which is a family owned and operated local CPA, accounting and tax preparation professional services firm. Learn more at forbushyandassociates.biz.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

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NCET DECEMBER 13 2-4PM Biz Café Rancharrah 5:30-7:30PM Tech Wednesday: CustomInk 4855 Longley Lane JANUARY 10 5:30-7:30 Tech Wednesday: Noble Studio 50 W. Liberty St. #800 JANUARY 17 2-4PM Biz Café Rancharrah JANUARY 24 11AM-1PM Biz Bite: Kandis Porter Atlantis Casino Resort Spa

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30 • ISSUE 7 • DECEMBER 2017

JANUARY 26

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CARSON VALLEY CHAMBER DECEMBER 12 4-8PM Chamber Holiday After Hours Event Wa She Shu Casino, Gardnerville DECEMBER 14 6:30-9PM Chamber Movie Margarita Night Ironwood Cinema, Minden DECEMBER 20 11:45AM-1PM General Membership Holiday Luncheon Carson Valley Inn

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OTHER EVENTS DECEMBER 13 5:30-7:30PM Nevada Builders Alliance Holiday Party Club NoVi @ Eldorado Casino DECEMBER 14 10:30-11:30AM WCSD: Groundbreaking Ceremony NEW Spanish Springs Middle School 1000 Kiley Pkwy., Sparks 6-8PM Don’t Let HR Kill Your Business! Innevation Center DECEMBER 20 5PM bizNEVADA Content Deadline DECEMBER 22 5PM bizNEVADA Contract Deadline JANUARY 11 5:00 - 7:0PM Breakthrough Networking Mixer Famous Daves BBQ 4925 Kietzke Ln. Reno

For more complete and up-to-date calendar information, visit www. bizNEVADA.com/events-calendar

WEDNESDAY 7AM Napa Sonoma South Meadowood Courtyard WEDNESDAY NOON Wildcreek Golf Course Famous Dave’s Reno/Sparks Association of Realtors

BIZNEVADA MAGAZINE • WWW.BIZNEVADA.COM • 31

GREATER NEVADA CREDIT UNION HOW NORTHERN NEVADA BUSINESSES

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“Greater Nevada Credit Union is honored to serve our rural communities,” said Jeremy Gilpin, Vice President of GNCU Commercial Services. He continued, “With the help of our credit union and banking partners across the United States, GNCU was able again this year to create and/or save 1,500 jobs totaling $120 million in payroll on an annual basis. These programs are important in keeping rural America vibrant and strong.” GNCU was also named a State of Nevada Small Business Administration (SBA) Lender of the Year in 2016. Gilpin says that was due in no small part to the personal approach taken with every business member in assessing their operational and lending needs. The number of businesses turning to GNCU for their commercial banking and lending needs continues to grow, as anyone living or working in any Nevada county is eligible to become a GNCU member. That includes business members, and especially those who prefer a local banking partner that provides branches throughout the area, online tools for convenience, products and services that add value and professional relationships with a personal touch. To learn more about Greater Nevada Credit Union Commercial Services, please visit www.gncu.org/Business/Banking or call 775-882-2060.

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by Greater Nevada Credit Union Small to medium size businesses are critical to the northern Nevada economy, and Greater Nevada Credit Union (GNCU) is committed to helping those businesses thrive and grow. It starts with understanding the unique banking needs of local businesses in our region and then ensuring that they have access to the right products and services. For instance, GNCU’s Cash Management tools provide 24/7 account access to originate direct transfers (ACH), initiate wire transfers, detect fraud, generate transaction reports and much more to help keep companies running smoothly. Other commercial banking products and services offered by GNCU include three different flexible checking account options; merchant services that are competitively priced and provide fast payment collection from nearly any device; and remote deposit capture that is both easy and economical to use.

32 • ISSUE 7 • DECEMBER 2017

Products and services that provide additional benefits to a business’ employees, which can be especially important for hiring and retaining talent, include health savings accounts, financial planning and education and free credit union membership. On top of that, employees can access Greater Nevada Insurance to compare quotes and coverage from a variety of quality insurers for everything from property to automobiles, life and more. Businesses can also get free quotes for general liability, business automobile, director and officers, errors and omissions, commercial property and workers compensation insurance. From the commercial lending side, GNCU is helping a variety of businesses in rural areas throughout the country access funds through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Loan Guarantee Program. In fact, GNCU is the 2016 and 2017 USDA National Lender of the Year, increasing loan obligations by nearly 400% year over year.

by Immunize Nevada As a good manager, you’re always looking for ways to cut costs and raise revenue, but there’s a good chance you’ve overlooked an obvious drain on your resources. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that “the flu costs the United States more than $87 billion annually and is responsible for the loss of close to 17 million workdays each flu season. Tens of thousands of people are hospitalized and thousands die from flu-related illnesses each year in the United States.” So, one of the easiest ways to save money for your business is to encourage your employees to get vaccinated against the flu. “Years of research have shown vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza—for ourselves, our family members, co-workers, and anyone we interact with in our daily lives,” said Immunize Nevada Executive Director, Heidi Parker. “Flu season is here, so make sure you put getting a flu vaccine on your to-do list.” There are a number of opportunities to get protected and Immunize Nevada makes it easy with its Flu Vaccine Finder on its website, influencenevada.org, which allows Nevadans to input their zip code, generating a list of locations nearby offering the flu vaccine. If you want to ensure the most participation though, you might consider hosting a flu clinic at your place of business, making it easy for all your employees to get vaccinated. Great Basin Orthopaedics (GBO) is one business that provides free flu shots onsite every year for its staff. “We’re exposed to hundreds of people every day, many of whom are already struggling with some kind of injury or pain,” explained billing manager, Kelsey Reese. “We don’t want to add to their problems by exposing them to additional germs.” This obviously goes both ways as the proactive approach helps keep GBO healthcare and ad-

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ministrative personnel healthy. “If a staff member is out with the flu, that creates all kinds of challenges, including scheduling of patients,” Reese added. And the flu is serious business. It’s not just a sore throat and a few days of achy joints. The common signs of influenza are high fever, severe body aches, headache, being extremely tired, sore throat, cough, runny or stuffy nose, vomiting and/or diarrhea (which is more common in children). In addition to the flu vaccine, the United States Department of Labor recommends these workplace controls:

• • • •

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Encouraging sick workers to stay home Promoting hand hygiene and cough etiquette Developing a policy for workers and clients who become ill in the workplace Keeping the workplace clean

With a growing local company committed to fresh flavors and exceptional service, MaryBeth has seen her business thrive. She needed a health insurance company with the same drive, dedication and service-first mentality that she had. She chose Hometown Health as the right fit for her company for plenty of reasons – value, access to Renown and locations right here in northern Nevada – something that aligns perfectly with Roundabout. Like her catering business and new restaurant, Roundabout Grill, Hometown Health gives MaryBeth options and service that go above and beyond.

If someone is sick with a fever and respiratory symptoms, they should stay at home until 24 hours after their fever is gone without taking medicine.

Immunize Nevada offers an online toolkit with more resources for your business at influencenevada.org/toolkit/business. Protect yourself, your employees and your customers from the flu. It’s one of the best things you can do for your bottom line. And your people.

PA RT O F T H E R E N OW N H E A LT H N E T WO R K

MaryBeth Smith Owner, Roundabout Catering and Roundabout Grill Hometown Health Member

TALK TO YOUR BROKER OR WATCH THE VIDEO AT HOMETOWNHEALTH.COM/HEALTHYBUSINESS 775.982.3100 |

34 • ISSUE 7 • DECEMBER 2017

BIZNEVADA MAGAZINE • WWW.BIZNEVADA.COM • 35

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RETIREMENT SAVINGS CATCH UP: THREE MOVES

by Vera Gibbons One rule thumb says you should have six to nine times your salary tucked away in a 401(k) or other savings accounts by your mid50s to early 60s. In a 2014 national poll conducted by Bankrate, more than a quarter of survey respondents age 50 to 64 said they had not started saving for retirement.1 Of the many things you can do play catch up, here are three of the most effective, applicable financial moves that will help ensure your retirement is as you envisioned…

Max out tax-advantaged retirement accounts. One of the most straightforward ways to catch up on retirement savings is to contribute the most money you can to tax-advantaged accounts. That means maxing out the 401(k)s (at least contribute enough to capture the company match!), individual retirement accounts or Roth IRAs. If you’re self-employed, look into retirement plan options such as a Simple IRA plan, a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan or a solo 401(k). Those aged 50 or older are allowed to make additional, “catch up” contributions to these retirement savings plans.

Look to your home equity. If you’ve got equity in home your home, you may be able to tap it for retirement money in any number of ways. One option is to downsize. After all, selling your house for $350,000, and replacing it with one costing $275,000 boosts your retirement nest egg by $75,000. Plus, the first $250,000 in profits are tax-free ($500,000 if married). Would you rather stay in your home as you enter retirement? Consider a reverse mortgage. These government-backed loans

36 • ISSUE 7 • DECEMBER 2017

allow older homeowners (62 years or older) to convert some of their home equity into cash. (The bank makes payments to you and you can use the tax-free funds however you would like.) Unlike other kinds of loans, you don’t have to pay back the debt immediately. Rather, the balance must be repaid when the last surviving borrower dies, sells the home or moves out.

Be strategic about Social Security. While you may be tempted to start collecting Social Security benefits as soon as you qualify, try to resist this temptation. After all, waiting can pay off. Consider this: Between the ages of 62 and 70, your Social Security benefits rise about 7 percent or 8 percent for each year you defer taking them. Where else can you get such a high return (guaranteed!) in today’s environment? Wait until age 70, and your monthly benefit can be 76 percent higher, on an inflation-adjusted basis, than if you claimed at age 62. If it’s not financially possible for both you and your spouse to delay, one of you can take the benefits early to bring cash into the household and alleviate the financial pressures while the higher earner holds off until age 70. His or her benefits will grow and later ensure the largest possible survivor’s benefit.

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Letter from THE PUBLISHER by Richard W. Moore

The Loan Closers ONE NEVADA COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE JUST CLOSED

The bizNEVADA family and staff would like to join with the rest of the community in expressing our deepest sorrow by the passing of former University of Nevada, Reno President, Joe Crowley. So many Nevadans have been touched by the work of this wonderful man over the years; to say that he will not be forgotten is an understatement. President Crowley led by example, from the beginning of his career in our great state until the very end. I will miss Joe for the mentor he was. When I was a young partner in an architectural firm many years ago our firm was selected by the state to work on several university projects. Speaking candidly, our firm may not have been the best qualified for the work, however, once we were selected he was going to make sure that we not only succeeded, he worked tirelessly to ensure we exceeded all expectations. Upon the completion of these projects, we were all far better at our jobs, we were all better Nevadans, and clearly, we were all better human beings. He will be missed and he certainly will never be forgotten. Thank you, President Joe Crowley, for working so tirelessly, ensuring that we as a community have a better place to work and live in! Richard W. Moore, Co-Publisher

JUST CLOSED

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38 • ISSUE 7 • DECEMBER 2017

Northern Nevada

Michael Zufelt

Southern Nevada

(775) 537-1450 (702) 948-5339 MichaelZ@OneNevada.org

Celebrating the magic and beauty of the season

Warm wishes for the very best this holiday season and a prosperous New Year. Wells Fargo Center • 5340 Kietzke Lane • 775-689-6333 www.biznevada.com