Downtown beautification

The Carson City Redevelopment Authority invested $5,000 in baskets of petunias, continuing the effort to beautify downtown.

Carson City Supervisor and Redevelopment Authority Chairwoman Robin Williamson said the baskets were installed Sunday on lamp posts in front of the first 10 businesses that agreed to water them.

"This is a first-year pilot project to see how the baskets fare and to determine the response of the public and the businesses," said Williamson. "The authority paid for the hanging brackets and the flowers and we are asking that the businesses do the daily watering."

If the project is successful, more hanging flowers will be added next year.

The baskets are located near the Carson Nugget, The Basil, The Carson Horseshoe Club, Encore Consignment Boutique, Carson Jewelry and Loan, Coldwell Banker Best Sellers, Comma Coffee, Mom and Pop's Diner, Hanifin's Antiques and the Westwall Militaria.

The baskets were made by Mark and Debbie Speicher of Reno Flower Baskets. Williamson said she couldn't find a local florist who had time to do the project.

For more information call Williamson at 887-2100.

Mike Colson, owner of Colson's Senior Insurance Nevada, recently completed requirements to be a national Medicare supplement accredited adviser. He has worked as an insurance professional for more than 16 years. Colson specializes in the senior market, specifically in the sale and service of Medicare supplement insurance. He lives and works in Washoe Valley and serves most of Northern Nevada. His agency is at 1460 Eunice Way. Contact him at 849-1994.

Colson's new designation is achieved by completing and passing two concentrated courses on Medicare and Medicare supplement educational information.

Casino Fandango recently became the 1,000th member to join the Nevada Retail Network Self Insured Group.

This exceeds the network's original growth expectations from its inception in 1995. Membership in the network comes along with savings in workers' compensation costs.

The Retail Association of Nevada offers insurance on workers' compensation liabilities, proactive safety/loss prevention services, expert claims administration and consistent premiums.

Applicants undergo strict underwriting to certify that the stability of the group will be preserved. This strict underwriting and expert management has resulted in an exceptionally low loss ratio of 28 percent, the network reported. The group's low loss ratio has also resulted in a financial surplus that has been continually passed on to members in the form of payment holidays, dividends and reduced rates. Most recently, eligible members of the group have received an overall 10 percent payment holiday based upon their performance in fiscal years 2000 to 2003, which totals $2.4 million in dividends dispersed since 1995.

For more information visit www.saveoncomp.com or call 1-800-859-3177 in Northern Nevada.

Recent estimates from the Better Business Bureau show that counterfeiting costs U.S. businesses as much as $250 billion every year and results in the loss of 750,000 jobs.

The BBB encourages consumers and businesses to combat product counterfeiting and intellectual property theft.

The consequences can be serious and even fatal. Knock-off perfumes have been found to contain urine and counterfeit children's clothing typically lacks flame retardant. Other counterfeit products can cause direct physical harm to consumers. Counterfeit auto parts, notably brake pads, have led to serious injuries. Counterfeit pharmaceuticals can cause illness or even death. Extremely prevalent, such drugs account for about 10 percent of all pharmaceuticals, according to the World Health Organization. Examples include fake pain killers and toxic children's medications, made of sugar pills or refrigerant coolant, disguised as medicine.

To help stop these crimes, the BBB offers the following tips to businesses and consumers alike:

• Deal with reputable companies. Make sure the item you are purchasing is the real thing. If in doubt, contact the manufacturer of the name brand product you are interested in purchasing and verify which vendors are authorized to sell that brand.

• Keep in mind that virtually any product can be counterfeited. According to the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition, the following may signify a fake product: blurred or torn labels; misspelled or altered product names; unannounced changes in product content, color, smell or packaging; missing codes, 800 consumer numbers or trademarks.

• Be skeptical of unrealistic prices. Carefully research any seller or business offering name brand products at extremely low prices. Check them out at www.bbb.org before you make the purchase.

L. Lance Gilman Commercial Real Estate Services recently completed sells in phase one of the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center.

With completion of phase one, which totals 2,000 acres, Lance Gilman will begin selling 2,000 acres in phase two.

"I think we even amazed ourselves as to how fast phase one was sold out," said Gilman. "We never had time to catch our breath or slow down before selling land in phase two."

The 104,000-acre Tahoe Reno Industrial Center is located in Storey County, 10 minutes east of Sparks on Interstate 80.

Companies in phase one include Wal-Mart, with a $1 million square foot distribution center. Firms that sell their products through Wal-Mart and need to be close to its new distribution center have purchased land close to its site.

Some of the other companies in phase one include: Alcoa, APL Logistics (Dell Computers), Duraflex International, Frontier Fence, Frank-Lin Group, James Hardie, Royal Sierra Extrusions, the Morgan Stanley Naniwa power plant, Golden Gate Petroleum, First American Collection Bureau, Trans Western Polymers, Acertion Connect, Kal-Kan, Raindance Enviroscapes and Tri West Water Treatment Plant.

DRGM Advertising took home 10 awards at the Gallery of Superb Printing Awards, including a Gold Award that also won best of show.

"Our goal is to create results for our clients," said John Glenn, chairman and chief executive officer. "If we win an award in the process that's an added plus."

The Gallery of Superb Printing Awards is one of the largest printing events in the world, with more than 3,000 entries each year. Each entry starts at a regional level and those winners are submitted to the international awards.

Along with the best of show and gold awards, DRGM won seven silver awards and one bronze award. Many of those were submitted for judging at the international level next month in Jacksonville, Fla.

n Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.