Business briefly

Moline named No. 4 agent in state

Laura Moline with RE/MAX Realty Affiliates ranked as the No. 4 agent in the State of Nevada for her production accomplishments in 2013.

Moline was a 2012 and 2013 Top Producer, named among the best real estate agents in America by Real Trends. She has 30 years of experience and specializes in all areas of residential real estate, short sales, investments, development and relocation. To reach her, go to RE/MAX Realty Affiliates, 1320 Highway 395 N., in Gardnerville, or call 775-782-8777, or go to www.LauraMoline.com.

Fisher earns Catalyst Broker certification

John Fisher, a broker-agent with RE/MAX Realty Affiliates, has been named a 2014 Catalyst Broker by RE/MAX International, making him one of only 100 brokers in the country to be part of this exclusive group. Fisher’s partners at RE/MAX, Amy Lessinger and Brian Lessinger, also have been named 2014 Catalyst Brokers.

Fisher has been a licensed agent since 1988 and a broker since 1992. He purchased the Gardnerville RE/MAX Realty Affiliates franchise in 1995 and opened a Carson City office in 2004. A member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, Fisher was named Broker/Owner of the Year by RE/MAX in 2003. In 2005, he partnered with the Lessingers to open the Reno location.

The Catalyst Group was created in 2010 for brokers to exchange ideas about how to manage their agents and businesses more effectively. Its next meeting will be held in May. For more information, go to www.realtyaffiliatescarson.com or http://www.realty-affiliates.com.

Ormat makes deal with RET Holdings

Ormat Nevada, Inc. signed an agreement with RET Holdings, LLC to sell the Heber Solar project in Imperial County, Calif., for $35.25 million. Ormat received the first payment of $15 million with the remainder payments expected in the second quarter of 2014.

As a result of the sale, Ormat will record a pre-tax gain of approximately $7 million. The project, which started development in 2011, has a 20-year power purchase agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District for 10 megawatts of solar photovoltaic energy.

Ormat Technologies, Inc. owns, operates, designs, manufactures and sells geothermal and REG power plants primarily based on the Ormat Energy Converter — a power generation unit that converts low, medium and high-temperature heat into electricity.

For more information, call 775-356-9029.

Churchill plant achieves top safety record

Last month, NV Energy’s Fort Churchill Generating Station achieved 27 years of safe plant operation without a lost-time accident. According to the national Edison Electric Institute, the plant has the longest safety record for any fossil-fueled generating station in the nation.

Fort Churchill Generating Station employs 27 people and can produce enough electricity to serve about 135,000 Nevada households. For more information, go to nvenergy.com.

Eric Abowd earns Chairman’s Club award

For the second consecutive year, Eric Abowd, CEO and lead financial advisor at Abowd & Rose Financial Group, was awarded Chairman’s Club status from Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Chairman’s Club recipients represent the top 10 annual producers of more than 5,000 agents nationwide and are considered the pinnacle of MassMutual’s sales force.

Established in 2005 in Carson City, Abowd & Rose Financial Group is a partnership led by Eric Abowd and Steve Rose, who are registered representatives of and offer securities products and investment advisory services through MML Investors Services, LLC. For more information, call Jennifer Wells at 775-885-8300, or go to www.abowdandrose.com.

Development Corporation helps machine shop move

Nevada State Development Corporation partnered with Wells Fargo Bank to assist Foster Machining with an SBA 504 loan, allowing the machine shop to buy a new building at 5070 Sigstrom Drive.

Scott Foster, who runs Foster Machining with his brother, Timothy, said the company outgrew the 7,500 square-foot space it was renting and turned to NSDC to buy a building that could house its 20 employees with shop and office space. Foster Machining was able to move into a 29,500 square-foot building, more than triple the size of the facility they had been renting.

For more information, call 775-246-0300, or go to www.fostermachining.com.