Vol. 2 | ISSUE 15 | August 2018
Put on Your BIG-BOY PANTS Page 28
What it Takes to Educate using a Global Perspective
LETTER FROM THE
EDITOR
LETTER FROM THE
PUBLISHER
by Corrine Casanova
R i c h a r d W. M o o r e
As we focus on higher education in this issue, it brings me back in time to when I was attending college in Duluth, MN. I wanted to be a journalist and was told time and time again that there was no money there so find another major. However, I persisted knowing how important it was to love my job. I applied to the local university in my hometown and was accepted. Unfortunately, they did not have a journalism major option so I went with the “undecided major.” Eventually, I was accepted by the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and was able to pursue my true passion—journalism.
It is such an honor to live in a state where anything can happen. We live in a state with two Tier 1 universities, our unemployment rate as of our print date is 4.9%, who could ask for more? The state is growing as a technology hub both north and south and finally we are a state which ranks 8th for the single largest export, gold at $6.3 billion. Enough of the gloating.
The rivalry between the University of Minnesota, Duluth and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus which is separated by about 170 miles reminds me of the rivalry between the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Back in Minnesota the two schools weren’t big backers of each other, but they provided great education. The same applies to UNR and UNLV. Both provide high quality education that is desperately needed to produce a skilled workforce in Nevada and beyond. Our feature story on the College of Business provides a snapshot into how this educational institution has global reach. I hope you enjoy it.
This month’s cover features the Dean Greg Mosier of the College of Business at the University of Nevada. We chose this feature as we felt it would be a good idea to help our business readers see why an institution like UNR is so important to business, and how we can tap into its institutional resources. We have also included an interview with the Chancellor of WGU Nevada, Dr. Spencer Stewart. We believe these three institutions offer our business community many opportunities for partnerships, not to mention incredible programs for your employees. A final note, as Chris mentioned in his July letter the opportunity for our readers, sponsors, and advertisers to increase their image, and overall business through our AR (Augmented Reality) offering has really taken flight as the Barracuda Championship in the northern part of the state was the first PGA TOUR event we know of to feature AR, all focused on enhancing the fan experience, needless to say the response has been incredible. If you do not have the AR App, open your phone’s camera and point it at this code for a quick and easy five second download. Once you have the AR App on your device, look for a page with the AR circle on it and hover your device over the ad on that page… Enjoy.
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INTHISISSUE PG 5-9
VOL. 2 / ISSUE. 15
Building Global Education with a Local Perspective
BizNEVADA PUBLISHING TEAM BizNevada Publishing Team PUBLISHERS: Richard Moore and Chris O’Sullivan GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Kaylyn Dazey EDITOR-IN- CHIEF: Corrine Casanova PHOTOGRAPHER: Marcello Rostagni COVER PHOTO: Photo by Marcello Rostagni ADVERTISING Chris O’Sullivan chris@biznv.com Richard Moore richard@biznv.com FEEDBACK/IDEAS We welcome your feedback and ideas regarding BizNevada. Send a message to info@biznevada.com © 2018 Carpe Diem International. All rights reserved.
PG 12-13
Preparing Students to be ‘BIZ-FIT’
PG 14-15
Wanted: Mentors
PG 16-17
JAG Nevada Hits the Jackpot
PG 18-19
A Day of Caring
PG 20-21
Calendar
PG 22-23
OCG Creative, Hometown Roots with a Global Reach
PG 24-25
A Conversation with a PGA Champion
PG 26-27
WGU Nevada: Business Degrees Online Lead to Large Career Path Impacts
PG 28-29
Put On Your Big-Boy Pants and Get Busy Marketing
PG 30
A Riveting Story of a Professional Life Spent Healing the Sick at a Nevada State Prison
CONTACT US info@biznevada.com www.biznevada.com
EXPERT CONTRIBUTORS Jeffrey Benjamin Corporate Training Breakthrough Training BreakthroughTraining.com 775-337-1600 Kyle Reeves Digital Marketing Revolution Online Marketing RevolutionReno.com 775-335-0091 Govind Davis Digital Marketing Big M Marketing bigm-marketing.com/ 415-992-7711 Brent Forbush Certified Public Accountants Forbush & Associates ForbushAndAssociates.biz 775-337-6001
Brian D. Wheeler Financial Advisor Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Agency BoulderBasin.MassMutual.com 775-870-1552 Mike Menath Insurance Menath Insurance MenathInsurance.com 775-831-3132 David Spillers Printing Digiprint DigiprintCorporation.com 775-786-4464 Workers Compensation EMPLOYERS EMPLOYERS.com 775-327-2700
KJ Smith Background Checks Employer Lynx EmployerLynx.com 775-883-3733 Ron Ford HVAC Sierra Air SierraAir.com 775-800-5500 Tim Kirk Credit Card, Merchant Services PaidRight GetPaidRight.com 775-393-9669 Golf Hidden Valley Country Club HVCCReno.com 775-857-4735
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Building Global
Education WITH A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE
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Dean Greg Mosier of the University of Nevada, Reno’s College of Business is proud of his part in building a legacy of globally competitive leaders. A year after becoming dean in 2007, he created the Nevada Global Business Program. This unique study abroad program has students traveling to London, Toronto, New York, Singapore and Sydney where they visit corporations that have an international presence. Often these companies have offices in Nevada and Reno/Sparks too. These include Microsoft (Singapore), Haws Corporation (Singapore), Barrick Gold Corporation (Toronto), Server Technology (London) and IGT (London).
Being both global and local is something for which The College of Business is known. “For a long time we were regarded as a local college choice. That has changed. Today we have faculty and students from all over the world. My philosophy is: Think globally, act locally. We have exchange partners in China, Germany, Poland and Mexico bringing international awareness to our institution. We also have local engagement through the Nevada Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the internship programs we offer, our corporate partners and the Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship,” said Mosier.
“Ultimately, traveling to these places shows the students the connectivity of international business. If you work with one of these companies locally, you are talking to people all over the world. Seeing is worth a thousand words,” said Mosier. The programs include a month-long online classroom commitment followed by a one-week stay abroad with the exception of the London program which is a four-week intensive experience. There are typically about 20 students in each class.
Early on in Mosier’s term as dean, the recession hit and packed a punch. Mosier recalls making a lot of tough decisions at that time which involved cutting programs and personnel. But in the end, the school came out stronger and leaner. Despite the plummeting economy at the time, an online Executive MBA program was born in partnership with Extended Studies. Mosier recognized that students need flexibility as many have full-time jobs and families. Today, 100 percent of the students are already employed
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when they first enroll. The online Executive MBA is getting recognition nationally as well being ranked No. 33 of 199 schools in the “2018 Best Online MBA Programs” category by U.S. News & World Report. It is ranked above Boise State University (#51), George Washington University (#54), Villanova University (#61) and Portland State University (#76). The online MBA programs rankings are based on different factors such as admissions selectivity, reputation among peer institutions and academic and career support services for students. Currently, enrollment in The School of Business is approximately 3,400 students. Mosier would like to see that number climb to 4,000. To accomplish this vision, he shared an exercise he did with his staff. He took out a map of the United States and placed a bow compass drafting tool with the precision point on Reno. He drew a circle around Reno where recruitment efforts will be strong. The area includes the southern portion of Oregon, northern California and all of Nevada. “As the workforce needs are changing, we are adapting. We provide quality
graduates that can fill those workforce needs. In other words, we want enough highly skilled graduates so that employers have a large pool to choose from. We are the first and only Ph.D. program in Economics in Nevada. One of our newest offerings is a Ph.D. program in Business Administration. In Fall 2019, this Ph.D. program will offer a management concentration focused on organizational behavior, strategy, entrepreneurship and behavioral decision making,” said Mosier. The College was founded in 1956 and received accreditation five years later. As gaming plays a big role in Nevada’s history and future, the College incorporated course offerings that focused on the gaming industry. Less than a decade after its inception, the College conducted the first Intercollegiate Simulated Business Games. In 1974, they sponsored the first International Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking. They have close relationships with Reno and Las Vegas gaming companies. In fact, IGT is a corporate partner of the College and utilizes space from the College to facilitate work experience for students who
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have internships or work there. What can we expect within the next two years from the College of Business? For starters, specifics about a new building. The College’s current home, the Nazir Ansari Business Building was built in 1980. While student engagement is an important initiative in the College, the layout of the building isn’t conducive to that and they have run out of office, appropriate teaching, student and outreach space. The faculty are busily preparing for the College’s next 2019 accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business—the gold standard of business school accreditation. They are in the process of expanding their Nevada Global Business Program and adding three more countries to the offering. They are also working
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on faculty endowments from interested supporters and donors which allows the College to make commitments into the future knowing they have the financial resources available to do so. “We have very generous people here and we have big dreams and want to do more. What is often not understood is the complexity and sophistication of our programs. For example, this fall we will host a Fulbright Scholar from Lanzhou, China, Professor He Xin, his research program is in operations management. One of our new faculty hires in economics helped advance our stature in research about entrepreneurship policy. Our faculty come from diverse disciplines and the quality of our academic programs and students is high. Our students not only understand the practice of business as an academic pursuit, they have an opportunity to live it by studying abroad and working on internships in local companies,” concluded Mosier.
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Photo by Marcello Rostagni
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by Madeline Glaviano
What Happens at BIZ-FIT?
What is BIZ-FIT?
BIZ-FIT is The College of Business Freshmen Intensive Transition program, designed to expose incoming freshmen to academic curriculum that relates to all programs of study within the College. The program is designed to simulate a typical Finals Week, allowing students to experience the challenges of time management, college academics, and independence without the actual repercussions. By the end of the program, the students will be prepared for their academic, personal, and professional college careers.
Why Do Students Choose BIZ-FIT? • Gain core skills and knowledge related to The College of Business • Earn a head start on their academics and college experience • Develop professional presentation skills and entrepreneurship experience • Increase study and time management practices to a college level • Network with The College of Business faculty, staff, and advisers • Become acquainted with The College of Business resources What Happens at BIZ-FIT?
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The College of Business BIZ-FIT program is created to simulate the most intense and compact college experience that can be drafted. The BIZ-FIT students participate in actual college academics including lectures, discussions, presentations, projects, and assignments. BIZFIT students also experience the professional environment of mock interviews, elevator pitches, internship opportunities, and career planning. Throughout the program. The BIZ-FIT Mentors embody the best and brightest faces within The College of Business, proving to provide intelligent, realistic, and sound advice to incoming freshmen.
How Does BIZ-FIT Benefit Students?
BIZ-FIT has proven to have a positive impact on the academic experience of the students who participate. The data below has been collected to provide an understanding of the impact BIZ-FIT has had over the past semesters
The performance of students in The College of Business BIZ-FIT program compared to non-BIZ-FIT students. Data courtesy of The College of Business.
What Do the Experts Say? "BIZ-FIT was my first college experience and I would not trade it in for anything in the world. BIZ-FIT is where I made the connections for my first job and BIZ-FIT is where I learned how to manage my time in order to balance all the social aspects of college with the academic responsibilities." - Madeline Glaviano (Biz-FIT Mentee 2014, Mentor 2015-2017)
"You can always tell who the BIZFIT students are once the semester begins - they are familiar with the expectations of the college and stand out in the classrooms. The BIZ-FIT students have the advantage of already knowing the faculty members and tend to be remembered." - Jeremy Tiedt (Director of Advising, Recruitment, and Retention) "BIZ-FIT is the place where we see students transform from adolescents to adults. Although it is only a week-long program, it jump starts them for the semesters to come. They enter the semester feeling more confident than their peers who did not
attend. We challenge them to find their strengths and to be comfortable standing in their own truths, at the end of this program we see students rise to the challenge and stand out amongst the best." - Gregrette PerrySimmons (Academic Advisor, BIZFIT Coordinator) Madeline Glaviano is a recent graduate of the College of Business.
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by Corrine Casanova StartUpNV, Nevada’s non-profit statewide business incubator, is seeking mentors, founders and volunteers for newcomers in Nevada’s vibrant start-up community. They recently took over the reigns of VMS, a Summit Venture Mentoring Service, from the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN). They are currently seeking the following:
Member Companies / Founders • Seeking scalable Nevada based start-ups in any industry. Scalable means the company has potential to grow to 100 or more employees, likely well over $10M in revenue with an exit strategy built around an 8 (or more) figure acquisition or IPO within 10 years.
Seeking High Growth Potential Mentors • Seeking experienced founders / executives from various disciplines (sales, marketing, finance, engineering, design, operations, manufacturing, etc.) from companies that scaled from startup, raised capital, and were acquired or went through an IPO.
Former senior level executives from successful, high growth companies with expertise in a discipline helpful to startups. Angel / venture fund managers or participants.
Volunteers • Seeking Speakers / presenters— industry or discipline authority in a subject matter critical to startup founders such as raising capital, marketing, selling, product development. •
Regional Director—leads membership relawted ctivities and programs for founders and member company leadership. Coordinates program for founders within StartUpNV programs.
•
Volunteer Director—coordinates all volunteer activities. Identifies places where additional volunteers are needed.
•
Other volunteer activities— web development with word press; general administration with web based technologies (hub spot, google forms, word press, etc.); event support (help with tasks at events)
Start-Up NV is excited about helping the startup community in even more ways -- and helping startup founders to grow successfully. If interested in any of these opportunities, please contact Jeff Saling at jeff@startupnv.org. BIZ NEVADA MAGAZINE · WWW.BIZNEVADA.COM · 15
Special To BizNEVADA
Jobs for Nevada’s Graduates (JAG Nevada) is proud to announce it has been named among the first recipients of Tesla’s Nevada K-12 Education Investment Fund. JAG Nevada will receive an initial investment of $200,000, which will aid its efforts in providing students with the practical soft and employment-related skills, and career guidance needed to enter Nevada’s key STEM-related industries after graduation. The Nevada K-12 Education Investment Fund is a $37.5 million investment by Tesla that is focused on initiatives that support K-12 STEM and sustainability education in the state, as part of the Nevada Department of Education
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Gift Fund. The demand for STEM jobs in Nevada will grow drastically in the future, and STEM roles will be needed to support Nevada’s future employment sectors. Tesla has become well known as the manufacturer of several all-electric vehicle models, they also manufacture the batteries that power the vehicles, and have developed infinitely scalable clean energy generation and storage products. Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. But Tesla realized that in order to expand and keep developing new products, they need an educated workforce.
JAG Nevada has worked with Tesla to establish a detailed, multi-year plan to accomplish its mission. Currently, one of JAG’s star alums, Isabelle West, was hired by the Tesla Gigafactory in Reno, NV and is now working and attending Truckee Meadows Community College to learn coding. She aspires to become an engineer and continue her career at Tesla. The investment Tesla has made in JAG Nevada allows for more outcomes like West’s. “We salute Tesla for recognizing and powering the work that JAG Nevada is doing in preparing tomorrow’s talent today,” said Executive Director of JAG Nevada Dr. Rene Cantu, Jr. “JAG is developing Nevada’s high school students via education and skills training into the talent employers want to hire, ensuring better lives for students and their families, and creating a brighter future for Nevada.” With a 94 percent participant graduation rate and 35 years of proven success in schools nationwide, the JAG model is highly effective in preparing Nevada’s future workforce with the workplace skills students need and employers seek. JAG Nevada is a private Nevada nonprofit serving over 3,300 Nevada high school students at 41 high schools in 12 Nevada school districts and was launched by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval in bipartisan partnership with the Nevada State Legislature to help increase Nevada’s high school graduation rates and youth employment.
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Over 2,000 volunteers are coming together to put their passion and skills to work on October 5, 2018. United Way of Southern Nevada’s Day of Caring celebrates the spirit and value of volunteering and encourages residents to get out and change lives in their communities.
The experience of joining thousand of volunteers for one day of giving back is life-changing for many participants, but this year Day of Caring holds a deeper meaning. The date of October 5 was set more than a year ago, but no one could have predicted the events of 1 October just days after the 2017 event ended. Volunteers now have a greater reason to come together, with Day of Caring serving as the focal point of a week of events in remembrance of those lost and affected and offering the opportunity to turn powerful emotions into action. “The community’s tradition of Day of Caring is taking on a special meaning this year,” says Scott Emerson, President and CEO of United Way of Southern Nevada. 18 · ISSUE 15 · AUGUST 2018
“It will serve as a day of healing on October 5th, allowing people to engage and focus those emotions and energies into something positive.” Now in its third year in Southern Nevada, Day of Caring has become a sign of hope for the community. With the large amount of interest in the Las Vegas area, the day has grown into 250 different ways for volunteers to turn their caring efforts into action. Volunteers that participate in Day of Caring are providing the community support that many nonprofit organizations and schools depend on, helping projects get finished that otherwise might not have been
complete these projects,” says Emerson. “Volunteers on Day of Caring are bringing octane to the efforts of these agencies and schools and supporting our entire community for years to come.” While past years have focused on the Southern Nevada community, this year’s Day of Caring is going a step further. United Way and Nevada Volunteers are partnering to take Day of Caring statewide, combining forces to promote volunteering across Nevada. By bringing the already-familiar event to communities throughout the state, Nevada Volunteers aims to have a project in every Nevada county. Volunteers of all ages, skill sets and backgrounds are needed at Day of Caring, since projects range from family-friendly painting and kit packing to complex building and landscaping. Volunteers can choose their own project opportunities with friends, family and coworkers, and use the day as a chance to bond and give back. Half-day and full-day projects are available to fit volunteer needs and schedules. Every volunteer will find a project that interests them at organizations addressing every community need.
completed. The volunteer impact, however, stretches much farther than the physical projects. For the thousands of individuals that visit these organizations each year for help and resources, the visual reminder of the community’s support is more encouragement to succeed. Green Our Planet, an agency which has participated since the very first year of Day of Caring, spreads out across Southern Nevada to plant gardens in elementary schools to beautify campuses and create outdoor learning opportunities. Normally, these gardens take a full semester to complete, but Day of Caring volunteers finish multiple gardens in just one day. Students return to school after the weekend ready to learn in their new school garden.
With more than 75 nonprofit agencies and schools signed up to participate, there will be plenty of opportunities for volunteers to get involved. Most Nevada residents will already be familiar with the organizations driving volunteer efforts on Day of Caring. Over 2,000 volunteers are needed to help Opportunity Village, Three Square, Project 150, and many more agencies and schools across the state. Although Day of Caring’s goal is to make a positive impact in the community, it is also meant to be a fun event for the volunteers. Volunteers in Las Vegas and Reno will kick off the excitement of a day of volunteering and changing lives with a breakfast celebration. Speakers will inspire and energize volunteers before sending them out into their communities to make a difference. Volunteers can sign up to participate in Day of Caring projects starting August 1. To learn more about Day of Caring, please visit uwsn.org/caring.
Leaders in Training, a United Way funded partner, uses Day of Caring to prepare their office space for students. Last year’s volunteers assembled new furniture purchased with Day of Caring funding to fill the space, making it a comfortable place for students to finish homework, meet with fellow program participants and prepare for high school graduation. “It is incredible to see our whole state coming together to solve one of the toughest problems many organizations face, which is having the time and manpower to BIZ NEVADA MAGAZINE · WWW.BIZNEVADA.COM · 19
August/September Ca NCET
AUGUST 20-22 Nevada Economic Development Conference Sponsored by NCET Atlantis Casino Resort Spa
RENO+SPARKS CHAMBER AUGUST 23 Noon-1PM SIERRA VISTA APARTMENTS RIBBON CUTTING 500 Arrowcreek Pkwy. AUGUST 23 Noon-1PM SIERRA VISTA APARTMENTS RIBBON CUTTING 500 Arrowcreek Pkwy. SEPTEMBER 6 5:30-9:30PM DINNER OF CHAMPIONS TO BENEFIT MS Harrah’s Reno – Convention Center 219 N. Center Street SEPTEMBER 19 3-5PM GET YOUR BRAG ON 449 South Virginia St. #300
AUGUST 29 11AM-1PM Nevada Department of Business and Industry CJ Manthe: Emerging Business in Nevada Atlantis Casino Resort Spa SEPTEMBER 12 5:30-7:30PM Tech Wednesday: Switch— Tahoe Reno Industrial Center RSVP by Aug. 26 SEPTEMBER 19 3-5PM Biz Café: Lauren Slemenda and Lisa Bonie How a Diverse Workforce Improves Your Bottom Line Rounds Bakery SEPTEMBER 26 11AM-1:30PM The Internet and You: Protecting Your Privacy, Part 2 Panel Presentation Atlantis Casino Resort Spa SEPTEMBER 28 10AM-5PM NCET Small Business Expo Atlantis Casino Resort Spa
FERNLEY CHAMBER
TUESDAY MORNINGS Tuesday mornings Fernley Ambassadors The Golf Course at Fernley AUGUST 16 6-8PM FHS BOOSTER BBQ/MEMBERSHIP BASH Carpet King parking lot 785 US Highway 95a S SEPTEMBER 2 6-9:30PM ACEBALL WITH NEVADA VETERANS COALITION Greater Nevada Field
WIN
August 24
7-9 AM WIN Breakfast
Chris Dancy, The Most Connected Human on Earth Atlantis Casino Resort Spa
CARSON CHAMBER
AUGUST 17 USAF Band of the Golden West 6-8PM Carson City Community Center 850 E. William St.
alendar of Events AUGUST 23 4-7PM Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening at Farmers Insurance – Bonkowsk 961 Topsy Lane, Suite #442 SEPTEMBER 19 5-7PM Chamber Social Mixer Carson Plaza Retirement Community 2120 E. Long St.
CARSON VALLEY CHAMBER JULY-SEPT Every Tuesday Minden Farmers Market 1604 Esmeralda Ave., Minden EVERY SATURDAY Genoa Farmers Market 2285 Genoa St. SEPT 2 6-9PM Food Closet Night with the Reno AcesGreater Nevada Field
ONE MILLION CUPS Every Wednesday 9AM The Innevation Center
BNI MEETINGS
TUESDAY 7AM Mimi’s Café BizClub Zero Swill Coffee Napa Sonoma South
A MOMENT OF GREATER
WEDNESDAY 7AM Napa Sonoma South Meadowood Courtyard WEDNESDAY NOON Wildcreek Golf Course Famous Dave’s Reno/Sparks Association of Realtors THURSDAY 7AM Swill Coffee Lakeridge 19th Hole The Plaza Hotel, Carson City Mimi’s Café Napa Sonoma South THURSDAY 11:30AM Famous Dave’s
At Greater Nevada Credit Union, we celebrate your business milestones alongside you. We offer financial solutions that fit your business needs today and options for those to come. Flexible business checking options Convenient remote deposit Competitively priced merchant services Cash management tools for 24/7 account access
OTHER EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 8-9 Reno Running Fest 331 E. Liberty St. SEPTEMBER 15-16 Reno Chamber Orchestra 44th Season Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts SEPTEMBER 26 Over the Edge – Rappel for a Cause Roof of the GSR
Get your business ready for its next Moment of Greater. Local branches, open six days a week gncu.org/commercial 800-421-6674
For more complete and up-todate calendar information, visit biznevada.com/events-calendar
COMMERCIAL SERVICES
Federally insured by NCUA
by Corrine Casanova
You may not know much about OCG Creative, but you likely see their work every day. For those who aren’t familiar, OCG is a marketing agency that’s been working in Reno since the mid-90’s. As the digital revolution reshaped the marketplace, the company evolved. Today, OCG Creative is 18 strong, with experts in data science, commercial design, engineering, online media, marketing automation and, of course, web development. On the surface, OCG’s line card reads predictably: web design & development, print, SEO, social media, PPC and so on. But, that doesn’t tell the story. Like any industry, there are 22 · ISSUE 15 · AUGUST 2018
degrees of expertise, and just as in business, technology is complicated. At the end of the day, business owners expect their marketing efforts to generate new business regardless of how an agency goes about it. “Digital agencies tend to obfuscate tangible goals behind a fog of data and technical jargon. Business owners care about new leads and actual sales,” says OCG President, Joe Ross. “Clients don’t ask me to reduce bounce rates or increase conversions. They ask us to help grow their business,” adds Jill Rutherford, Vice President.
Joe Ross and Jill Rutherford lead the firm’s growth, but its success is the product of an exceptionally talented and dedicated staff. “When you hire OCG, you access a team of experts— from engineering to marketing. Many people are surprised at the depth and breadth of the services we offer. We can be an extension of your marketing department or be your entire marketing department,” explained Rutherford. “Fewer than 20 percent of our clients come to us just to design a website. The vast majority hire us to handle most or all of their marketing efforts long term,” she added. OCG Creative serves clients varying in size, spanning a range of industries. The company prides itself on providing value. “To get to know our clients, we take them through a discovery process where we examine their goals and assess the competive landscape in their industry and market. From day one we work toward those goals,” said Ross. Underscoring value, OCG Creative boasts a nearly 100% client retention rate. “Our philosophy is simple,” explains Rutherford, “to make the companies we work with, stronger, more stable and more profitable than when we started.” According to Ross, there are fundamentals that should be considered mandatory in today’s complex competitive environment. “Most business deals, even simple e-commerce transactions, won’t happen until there’s a level of trust,” he says, “and bigger deals nearly always follow weeks or months of relationship-building.” Ross was quick to point out, “CRM [client relationship management software] is so central to the growth of a company, we found a way to make it available to every client, without charging a single penny for licensing. I can’t emphasize enough how important that is.” “It is just too easy to lose track,” says Rutherford. “Businesses miss out on deals because they struggle to manage opportunities. CRM ensures nothing is ever lost or forgotten.” Ross and Rutherford agree that productivity is a key component of OCG Creative’s success. In 2017, OCG developed and published exactly 50 websites. “That’s an average of about one website per week. Speed itself isn’t that big a deal, but the quality we produce is shocking,” said
Ross. He adds, “Our actual development time is typically 30 to 45 days, but we have a lot of sites happening at once. It’s a little like a production line, yet our work is entirely custom. Our portfolio speaks for itself.” The company emphasizes that the short development cycle keeps the team focused on marketing and promotion. Rutherford points out, “great website design should be expected. Success comes from how we drive potential customers to a given website. The sooner we can go about that, the better.” Much of OCG’s business comes through referral, however, the company also spends a significant amount of time reaching out through conferences and trade shows. “We like to target industries we have an interest in, and it helps us expand our reach beyond Nevada.” Ross said. Two of those industries include recreational scuba diving and musical instruments. “It’s a dream job,” according to Rutherford. “This year we’ve had the opportunity to work as far away as Honduras. We recently returned from Nashville and will be taking part of our team to Vancouver B.C. in just a few weeks,” she added. “We are freakish about statistics and probability. Naturally, we leverage the same technologies to promote ourselves that we use to promote our clients. Accordingly, our website produces a steady stream of inbound leads. We can’t imagine doing business without that, yet a lot of companies do,” said Ross. OCG understands that for some clients, web and internet marketing can be daunting. To alleviate that, the company puts a great deal of effort into educating business owners about the digital landscape. Staff is always available to help sort out technical issues and identify opportunities that might be hidden in a sea of data. Even if you aren’t an OCG client, you are invited to take part in OCG’s complimentary 50-minute workshops. The next workshop is “Eleven Steps to Market Like a Pro.” Space is limited to 12 registrants. Call 775-324-1644, or visit ocgcrea4ve.com/11 to register.
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by Richard Moore Recently, I sat down with Chris Stroud, winner of the 2017 Barracuda Championship to talk to him about what it meant to win the tournament at Montreux Golf and Country Club. This tournament is one-of-a-kind as they use the Modified Stableford method of scoring which is different than every other tour event. It awards five points for an eagle, two points for a birdie, no points for par, take away one point for a bogey, and three points for a double bogey or worse. 24 · ISSUE 15 · AUGUST 2018
Up until winning the Barracuda, he had played eleven years and 289 tournaments in the PGA without a win. He joked, “The PGA Tour really stands for the ‘Putting Golf Association.’ You need to know how to putt to win. Every winner is in the top five in putting. For example, back when Tiger Woods was unstoppable he was number one in putting, proximity to the hole, and top five in scrambling. Three of the most important parts of the game he was good at. Even Tiger Woods who won 79 PGA Tour events and is one of the winningest golfers in history, he won only
seven percent of all his games. Golf is one of those sports where you lose more than any other sport.” Being a PGA Tour winner was a game changer for Stroud. “If you win any PGA Tour event, you are an incredibly great player. Good golf is good golf anywhere. It’s just playing at the right time. There are so many parts to the game—the driving, the long irons, the short irons, the chipping, the bunkers, the putting and then there is the physical side of taking care of your body including the walking part. You can’t survive on the PGA Tour without being a good putter,” said Stroud. Clubs are an important tool to a golfer’s success, just like computers, equipment becomes dated. New equipment is being introduced each year. To be on the top of their game, a golfer on the PGA Tour not only has to keep up with the newest advancements in equipment, they need to be comfortable with it. “Every single club in my golf bag has probably between 30 and 60 hours of work just to get it in the bag.” Stroud liked the Montreux course as it reminded him of a golf course he played while growing up in Houston. He liked the big trees and how it suited his eye. He also liked the energy of the crowd. “Every tournament and venue has a different vibe. The vibe at Montreux for the Barracuda is great, it’s summertime and everybody is on vacation and having a good time in the sun. It has a great vibe being in the mountains. I encourage other PGA players to come here and check it out. Since Barracuda became the title sponsor, it’s been a great tournament. There’s good money to be earned and the Modified Stableford method of scoring makes it a lot of fun for us players. It takes the pressure off and it put me back in the game,” said Stroud. As the Barracuda was his first PGA Tour win, it will always hold a special place in his heart. Chris Hoff, Barracuda Tournament Director, turned out to be a great supporter during the media frenzy that followed Stroud right after the tournament. He helped Stroud prepare for interviews and even took care of him after the big win. It was around 10:30 at night and Chris hadn’t eaten for hours. Chris fetched him a bourbon and water and then asked what he would like to eat. He requested steak and mashed potatoes. About 20 minutes later he was eating an incredible meal. That’s the kind of hospitality golfers can expect from Hoff and his staff. Stroud encourages the community to come out and support the Barracuda Championship. “I have been coming here for 8-10 years and this area is one of the prettiest places I’ve been especially when you are up in the mountains looking down. I encourage people to go watch the most talented golfers in the world compete. Go watch someone you never heard of. Everybody is good. You may not know their name as some of them are not well marketed yet, but these guys are really, really good.” Editor’s Note: Chris Stroud tied for 7th place in the 2018 Barracuda Championship.
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by Craig Ruark
Technology shapes the world around us, offering conveniences many did not know before. In fact, college educations can now be fully earned online, making higher education more accessible, flexible, and attainable for many throughout Nevada. Of the many notable degrees that can be earned online are business degrees, which can help those holding jobs in their desired fields but looking for advancements. “Earning a business degree is one of the best ways to increase your 26 · ISSUE 15 · AUGUST 2018
earning potential and expand your career opportunities,” said Rashmi Prasad, Academic Vice President for College of Business at Western Governors University (WGU). “Business degrees add value by building on prior education and work experience and provide a portable skill-set that helps individuals adapt to changes in the labor market. Business degrees are among the most ‘hire-able’ according to major employer surveys, as they develop both technical skills and more general professional skills, like
problem-solving, communication, effective teamwork. A business degree is the right fit for many individuals in helping to manage their careers in the competitive and rapidly changing economy of today and tomorrow.” Many companies, such as Wells Fargo, Apple, Bank of America, and Intel, have prioritized the education of their employees and will pay for them to go back to school to receive a higher education like an MBA. Because of programs such as this,
it is clear why many business majors choose to return to school while still being employed. According to US News, business majors had the second highest proportion of students perusing online bachelors programs, being only one percent lower than health professions and related programs. The real-world applications of a business major make it a clear decision for students looking at balancing their school and work. On average, most schools require between 120-130 credit hours to receive a bachelor’s in Business. That takes the typical college student four years to finish their degree if they pursue their education full-time. With online education being so manageable with people’s schedules, students can take on full- or part-time schooling while still maintaining their job and other responsibilities. Leading the charge in an online platform, WGU offers business degrees within its College of Business. The WGU College of Business has more than 35,000 students in all 50 states, 1,500 of those students are enrolled in Nevada, and to date has awarded more than 30,000 bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The nonprofit, online university pioneered competency-based education, which measures learning rather than time spent in a classroom. Students complete courses as soon as they demonstrate that they have mastered the subject matter, enabling them to move quickly through material they already know so that they can spend more time on what they still need to learn. Designed to meet the needs of busy, working adults, students have 24/7 access to learning resources and receive dedicated one-on-one faculty support. This education model allows for students to be
actively pursuing their education while still maintaining a job or career. More Nevadans are following suit to take the online route as well. “The state of Nevada is a drastically changing market,” said WGU Nevada Chancellor Spencer Stewart. “A growing number of businesses relocating to our state are in need of an educated workforce that can hit the ground running. A business degree can enable a student to have the experience and skills to obtain these high-level jobs within these larger organizations, including technology companies. Employers are seeking these graduates and problem solvers. WGU Nevada provides the education as well as the competency-based model to help turn a student into an employee within a desired field.” The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) tracks the connections between college degrees and employers. In
2017, the NACE ranked “business” as the third most likely degree an employer would look for from a new hire. Additionally, according to a recent survey of small business owners published by American Express’s Open Forum, 61 percent of respondents said they believed having a college degree was important or necessary to succeed in business. While hiring managers will recognize your valuable experience, many industries and companies require validation of that experience with a formal degree in order to make a job offer or award a promotion. The modern job market is competitive, and the need for a college degree has been more vital than ever before. With the rise of online education, a college degree is more attainable, leading to career advancements and promotions. These large career impacts prove the worth of an online degree in business and beyond.
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by Joe Ross If you own a business, chances are you are really great at a lot of things. Marketing probably isn’t one of them. Popular owner attitudes toward marketing vary from indifference to disdain, yet nearly all recognize marketing is critical if a business is to thrive. Of course, there are business owners that are exceptionally skilled marketers. What follows is for everyone else. What is it about marketing that turns so many business owners off? One common perception, particularly among consultants and professionals is that marketing shouldn’t be necessary given the years of training and experience required to be in a given field at all. Some even view marketing as beneath them, or somehow “dirty.” I often hear things like, “I don’t like marketing because it’s not in my nature to convince people to buy things they don’t want.” Who would? But, that’s not marketing. 28 · ISSUE 15 · AUGUST 2018
Let’s begin with a better definition of marketing. Marketing is the collection of efforts that create awareness and build relationships with current and potential customers. A marketing plan is those efforts written down, along with some realistic goals. Marketing is for reaching people that already want your product or service. They’re going to buy it, so make sure it’s from you rather than a competitor. Whether you solve a problem or scratch some other itch, you probably have a clear picture of who your customer is. You know their interests and are well aware of their pain points. You know how to solve their problems or help them choose just the right... whatever it is you sell. Every interaction strengthens the relationship you have with your customers. In turn, word spreads and those relationships beget new relationships and your business grows. This is marketing in its purest form. A simple next step is to ask your best customers to think of others that would benefit by doing business with you.
Efficiency and Getting Beyond Word-of-Mouth It is often said that word-of-mouth is the best form of marketing. That might be true, but it isn’t very efficient. Businesses need a way to let lots of interested people know you have just the right thing for whatever it is that needs doing. You can accomplish this in many ways. Traditional advertising works if your offerings appeal to a very wide audience. However, it is a “spray and pray” approach that can wipe out a budget very quickly. Thankfully, digital disruption is a thing. It is a virtual certainty that your best customers are combing the Internet right now looking for the very solution you provide. I was once told the first rule in a rock fight is to have a rock. Likewise, it is folly to think you can compete in today’s digital world without a website. Depending on the source, estimates suggest between one quarter and one half of businesses still don’t have one. Of those that do, an awful lot are outdated or were pretty bad to begin with.
Building Reach Being there is the first step. Your website is the digital equivalent to showing up. Some business owners get lucky and attract customers just by being there—sort of like dating. Luckily, you can pay people to make your website look good. Still, most people have to work a little harder. Some have to work a lot harder, depending on how competitive your market is. Here’s a secret. Believe it or not, you can build visibility on your own, and frequently achieve top search engine rankings simply by being a helpful, prolific writer. Let me say that again. You can write your way to riches. Google rewards problem solvers, so being generous with your expertise can pay off big. The best way for most non-developers is to become frequent bloggers. Make sure your blog is part of your own website though. Otherwise, you’ll be building interest and traffic to a website you don’t ultimately own. You’ll thank me later. If you’re not sure how to run a blog from your own website, email me (joe@ocgcreative.com) and I’ll get you moving in the right direction.
One popular argument is, “I don’t sell anything online, so I don’t need a website.” Nice try. Did you know about 90% of local consumers visit a business website before they visit the business. Without a website, you’re not even on the field. With a bad one, you’re telling the very people that could become your best customers you don’t care enough to try to impress them. Think gas station toilets and you’ve got the right idea.
Summing Up
Some business owners use Facebook as a replacement for an actual business website. This is certainly better than nothing, but it sends the message that you’re smalltime or too cheap to do web properly. Even an expensive website costs less than the cheapest employee, and the website works for you 24/7. Cheap employees rarely work at all.
Joe Ross is the President of OCG Creative, a digital marketing agency based in Reno, NV with clients throughout the world.
Naturally, marketing involves a lot more than getting your head straight and blogging on your own great looking website. However, you’ll be amazed how much these simple steps can help you grow. Content rules the web. In Internet parlance, persuasive bloggers are called “influencers.” Become one. I promise the payoff will be worth the effort.
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by Eric Lincoln Miller Book Review: 30 Years Behind Bars: Trials of a Prison Doctor By Karen Gedney, MD DRG Consulting, LLC, $14.95, 384 pages
Karen Gedney took the Hippocratic Oath over 30 years ago, and accepted an assignment at a state prison in Carson City that was originally supposed to last 4 years. In a trial by fire as a young woman doctor placed in a men’s penitentiary, she confronted cold indifference at best by prison administrators, and downright hostility by nurses and other medical staff on the yard. It turned out that the State of Nevada had been sued for millions of dollars for not providing adequate medical care for its state inmates. In the era of President Reagan, there was a push to privatize prisons and get government out of the business of running them. To say that life in Dr. Gedney’s prison yard was dysfunctional would be an understatement. In the beginning she didn’t have a supervisor, a handbook of procedures, or anyone to turn to for guidance or questions. She was thrown into a kind of lion’s den and expected to fend for herself. Two years into her assignment she was taken hostage in her office and sexually assaulted by a suicidal inmate. The ensuing lockdown and siege lasted for hours, leaving the inmate dead and Dr. Gedney’s office covered in blood with a big hole in the wall where a grenade had been thrown. This happened ironically on a Friday the 13th, a couple of weeks before Halloween. Dr. Gedney, however, did not miss a beat and she 30 · ISSUE 15 · AUGUST 2018
showed up for work on Monday to find her office in disarray and not one of her coworkers or administrators saying anything about what happened. The remarkable thing is that the ones who really cared, the ones who reached out to her with real sympathy and concern were the inmates themselves. In fact, they were outraged at what their fellow prisoner had done. “He broke the convict code,” one of her patients said. The outpouring of support on behalf of the inmates was completely disarming to Dr. Gedney. They had responded to her because she actually cared about them, she had tried to help them, and this made all the difference. She spent the next 28 years as a dedicated physician in that yard. Dr. Gedney is a great storyteller and she reaffirms by writing her life story that all human beings deserve respect, that even in the harshest of conditions one doctor can heal the mind and body and do the real work of corrections. She never sugarcoats the harshness of life behind bars, she tells it like it was — the gritty politics of “lock them up and throw away the key,” the different personalities of the wardens and administrators who came and went, and the challenges of providing care in a jail environment. She establishes the fact that running a more efficient prison system comes from compassion, the idea of treating everyone with respect and dignity. It turns out that this is a good business practice — it’s cost effective. Ultimately Dr. Gedney not only tells a dramatic and heartfelt story, but she establishes herself as one of the best in the business, starting out as a naïve young physician who survived a world she was ill-prepared for and turned it into a calling.
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