Finalists announced for EDAWN business of the year

Several companies with branches in the Carson City area are finalists for a regional development authority's business of the year award.

The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada announced four finalists for the 2006 large business of the year and three finalists for small business of the year. The development authority recognizes Northern Nevada companies it believes have made the region a better place to live and do business.

The finalists for large company of the year: Dickson Realty, of Reno; Granite Construction Co., of Sparks; Washoe Medical Center, of Reno; and Western Nevada Supply, of Sparks. All the companies have more than 100 employees.

"We are extremely pleased to be nominated. Our team of employees work very hard on the many different projects we have throughout Nevada," said Rod Cooper, branch manager for Granite Construction's Nevada operations. "As a result of their efforts, we complete our projects on time, on budget, with a high regard for safety, quality and the environment."

Granite worked on the first phase of the reconstruction of the Virginia & Truckee Railway and the rehabilitation of the Cave Rock tunnels on Highway 50 between Carson City and Stateline. The company recently completed the Reno railroad trench project.

The small-company finalists are Applied Industrial Controls, of Sparks; Fireplace Distributors of Nevada, of Reno; and Full Circle Compost, of Minden.

"Full Circle is about community involvement," said business owner Craig Witt. "We're pioneering recycling via composting, which we started in 1996."

The company combines agriculture waste with residential waste, such as grass clippings, branches and leaves, to make a compost that holds five times its weight in water, which Witt said is vital for the desert environment.

His business is removing material from the Patagonia construction site in Reno and recycling it at a Carson City compost site at the Nevada State Prison farm.

The development authority will present awards to a large and small business at its annual luncheon May 2 at John Ascuaga's Nugget in Sparks.

Companies were judged based on several criteria, including environmentally conscious business practices, high wages and community involvement.

The authority's annual luncheon will feature keynote speaker Steve Wright, program and technical director of the Salesforce Foundation. Wright will share Salesforce's business strategy of corporate social responsibility and the effects corporate philanthropy has on a company and a community.

Luncheon tickets are $65 a person, or $600 for a table of 10. For information, visit www.edawn.org/luncheon, or contact Gayla Williams at 829-3700 or williams@edawn.org.

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