VEGAS INC Magazine - Latest Las Vegas business news, features and commentaries about gaming, tourism, real estate and more
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/175086
S E P T E M B E R 2 3 , 2 0 1 3 / Y O U R b u s i n e s s - t o - b u s i n e s s w e e k ly SPECIAL FOCUS BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE This month, VEGAS INC highlights commercial and residential real estate. STATE SPENDS $2.5 MILLION on OUTREACH for Obamacare By Andrew Doughman staff writer LEILA NAVIDI A-1 BOSS: Pam Washington, owner of A-1 Janitorial Services, stands in her Las Vegas office. Washington transitioned from being a "solopreneur" to an employer of 50. SWEEPING UP OPPORTUNITIES Entrepreneur finds success in other people's messes By Rob Langrell staff writer W hen Pamela Washington first arrived to Las Vegas, she ran a one-woman show. She was chief executive officer, sales manager, bookkeeper, receptionist and janitor for her cleaning startup, A-1 Janitorial. ¶ Today, the company is a local industry leader, with close to 50 employees and strong profits. ¶ "When I first started out, I knew nothing about cleaning," Washington said. "I was looking to start a business that had some security to it with low start-up costs. There seemed to be a pent-up demand in the early '90s for cleaning services.... No longer could you just rely on the women to clean up in the office." ¶ Washington had a diverse employment history before branching out into janitorial services. see CLEANING, page 14 Nevada's state government is preparing for a huge shopping spree this autumn. All Nevadans must have health insurance in 2014 under President Barack Obama's health care law, and the state is contracting with companies to provide "navigators" who will teach people about the law's requirements and enroll tens of thousands of uninsured Nevadans in insurance plans starting Oct. 1. "It'll be a matter of a family or individual sitting down in front of us with a laptop, and we'll go through the entire application process," said Ted DeCorte, CEO of Consumer Assistance and Resource Enterprise, a nonprofit established specifically to implement the Affordable Care Act and enroll Nevadans in health insurance plans. DeCorte's group is one of seven groups to receive $2,477,000 in grant money — funded by both the federal and state governments — to do the outreach work. DeCorte's organization was awarded $200,000. The state awarded the largest grant to the Ramirez Group, a polling and see HEALTH INSURANCE,page 16 INSIDE TODAY CASINOS OF THE FUTURE | P. 6 G2E returns to Las Vegas with a sneak peek of what's to come in gaming SETTLING INTO NEW DIGS | P. 7 Zappos employees start the process of moving to a new office downtown DATA AND RECORDS | P. 20 Bankruptcies, bid opportunities, brokered transactions and permits THE LIST | P. 23 International and domestic airlines | 23 SEPTEMBER 2013 20130923_VI01_F.indd 1 | 1 9/19/13 1:52:52 PM