ZZZ - GMG - VEGAS INC 2011-2014

9 | 3 F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 | by Joe Schoenmann staff writer The one company downtown that seems to get work environment right is also the only Nevada company to make Fortune magazine's list of the 100 best companies to work for. Zappos, which last year moved into the former City Hall, smack-dab in the middle of the urban core, was named the 38th best company to work for. Google was ranked No. 1 on the list re- leased last month. Zappos' rank is down from No. 31 last year, but I doubt employees are com- plaining, given this factoid that came with the magazine's announcement: "What makes it so great? Staff at the on- line shoe retailer received a bonus last year of Amazon.com stock equivalent to 20 percent of their pay." Delivering happiness, indeed. JobS ZappoS ranked among Fortune magaZine'S top 100 employerS by eli Segall staff writer Las Vegas' home construction sector had some ups and downs last year, but overall, things were much better than the previous year. Southern Nevada builders sold 7,303 new homes last year, up 32 percent from 2012, according to a new report from Las Vegas-based Home Builders Research. Builders also pulled 6,952 new-home permits last year, up 18 percent from 2012. Sales totals rose almost every month through the summer, from 515 closings last January to 763 in August. Business, however, dropped for much of the rest of the year, sliding to 544 in December. The consumer pullback came amid soaring prices and borrowing costs that, while historically low, are on the upswing. In December, new homes in South- ern Nevada sold for a median price of $298,601, up 37 percent from the previ- ous year, Home Builders Research re- ported. That was the largest year-to-year percentage jump in nine years. Meanwhile, interest rates for 30-year mortgage loans averaged 4.46 percent in December, up from 3.35 percent a year earlier, according to Freddie Mac, real eState report: 2013 an 'exceptional year' For new-houSing market In busIness the government-controlled mortgage finance company. Some people might say Las Vegas' housing market "ended the year with a whimper," but 2013 "will go down as an exceptional year," Home Builders Re- search President Dennis Smith said in his report. "Any time we can report new-home closings increasing by 32 percent, it should make everyone very happy," he wrote. Still, as he often does in his monthly reports, Smith essentially told his readers not to get too excited. He issued "very cautious and conser- vative" projections for 2014, saying that sales and permit activity during the first half of the year will be roughly the same as the second half of 2013. He noted that several clouds hang over the housing market, including that Las Vegas remains America's capital for underwater homes and that local job growth trails the national average. Reno: 775-788-2000 Las Vegas: 702-873-4100 McDonald Carano Wilson LLP proudly welcomes Kristen Gallagher and Amanda Yen as its newest partners. Ms. Gallagher focuses her work primarily in the areas of commercial and complex litigation, as well as employment law. Ms. Yen practices primarily in commercial, complex, and construction litigation. Ms. Gallagher and Ms. Yen continue McDonald Carano Wilson's commitment to our clients and our communities that has been a cornerstone of our Firm for 65 years. Kristen Gallagher Amanda Yen 20140203_VI09_F.indd 9 1/30/14 12:00:15 PM

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