Business

Prost (or cheers), the Tahoe Regional Young Professionals will ring in 2013 with a sampling of German-style food and beverages at Himmel Haus for group's Jan. 22 mixer from 7 – 10 p.m.

The evening will also include live acoustic music and networking opportunities. Admission is free for TRYP members and $5 for non-members. Annual TRYP memberships cost $40.

Getting to North Lake Tahoe’s snowy ski slopes just got a whole lot easier with the launch of the region's first area-wide free ski shuttle serving North Lake Tahoe, Truckee and Donner Summit.

The service runs between area lodging properties to 9 different ski resorts on weekends and holiday weeks now through March 31. It was formed through a collaboration of the North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association in partnership with the Truckee/North Tahoe Transportation Management Association and Placer County, the town of Truckee and several ski resorts.

With SnowGlobe set for the weekend, attendees have already begun arriving into town. According to an article in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, we can expect an estimated 40,000 festival goers. As a business owner, you will definitely want to greet them with open arms December 29-31.

Here are some recommendations to help you leverage this opportunity:

1. Consider a SnowGlobe theme

Max Gibson and family were riding the blue. The big blue.
That’s the Big Blue Express, the newest chairlift at Squaw Valley and one of the latest examples of hundreds of millions of dollars in improvements the corporate owners of Lake Tahoe’s premier ski resorts are funneling into their properties.

Max, 10 years old and on his first ski trip, was plenty impressed. He was “mostly staying up” as he and his family skied Squaw’s beginner terrain off the Big Blue Express, which began operation a couple of weeks ago.

“It’s awesome,” he summed up succinctly.

The holidays will be a little brighter for more than 100 underprivileged local children/teenagers thanks to Tahoe Regional Young Professionals (TRYP) raising $5,000 at the organization’s 2nd Annual Winter White Holiday Party.

The Young Professions organized a holiday ‘FUN’draiser to benefit Tahoe’s SkiDUCK, (SKi and snowboarding for Disabled and Underprivileged Children and older Kids) at Riva Grill last month which included an evening of live music, raffle prizes, silent auction items, photo booth, games, food and drinks.

Chase International recently closed the sale of the Osprey Estate in Incline Village, Nev., a deal which marks the largest sale in Lake Tahoe since January 2008.

KLS Capital Partners, the owners of ski resorts Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, has entered into a purchase agreement with Intrawest to acquire 24 percent of shares in Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc.
The deal is for $115,929,375, according to UnofficialNetworks.com. As a result of the sale Whistler Blackcomb Holdings CEO, Bill Jensen, has tendered his resignation as well as directors Wes Edens and Jonathan Ashley.

The City of South Lake Tahoe and Lake Tahoe Community College Connect Community Education are sponsoring the Renovator, Repair, Painter (RRP) course for local construction workers. The Lead Safe Worker 8-hour training for Renovators, Repair and Painters is being offered at LTCC campus on Saturday, December 8th from 8am-5pm.

The cost to attend the training is $50 and up to two workers from each local company are welcome to participate.

UPDATED: The 5th annual Tahoe Chamber Blue Ribbons Awards were held Thursday night, recognizing businesses, individual and organizations for their outstanding service and contribution to the South Shore Lake Tahoe community. The awards presentation recognized all businesses nominated and announce the winners of the eight separate categories.
The winners, finalists and honorable mentions are listed in the attachment below the story:

The Grand Opening Ceremony of the TJ Maxx store in South Lake Tahoe took place this morning at 8am as a crowd anxiously awaited outside.
Mayor Claire Fortier, Mayor Pro Tem Tom Davis, Councilmember’s Angela Swanson and Bruce Grego, Councilmember elect JoAnn Conner, and City Manager Nancy Kerry were all in attendance for the ceremony.

“It’s exciting that we have a full range of clothing options now by a nationally renowned retailer and we are very fortunate to have that here in or town,” said Mayor Fortier.

South Shore Lake Tahoe casinos saw a five percent increase in September gaming numbers, the Nevada Gaming Control Board reports Thursday.
Casinos took in a gaming "win" of $18,011,866 in September, compared to $17,252,560 over September, 2011.
North Lake Tahoe casinos saw a 6.82 pecent increase over September 2011 figures taking in $2,755,365.

18 homes closed escrow on the Nevada side of South Lake Tahoe in October, 2012. This figure shows that interest in real estate at the lake is still strong. To date for the year there have been 127 homes to close escrow in that area, up from 118 in 2011 and 113 in 2010.

Here is the list of homes that closed escrow for the month of October, along with their neighborhood, selling price and asking price (in parenthesis):

148 Tramway #B, Kingsbury Neighborhood, $139,000 ($139,900)

Tahoe Regional Young Professionals will bring the Lake Tahoe community together to raise funds for Tahoe SkiDUCK, (SKi and snowboarding for Disabled and Underprivileged Children and older Kids) Saturday, November 10, from 7 - 10 p.m. at Riva Grill on the Lake.

CARSON CITY – Nevada recorded its 26th consecutive month of taxable sales increases in August, when consumers spent $3.7 billion on goods and services for a 7.6 percent jump over August 2011, the state Department of Taxation reported today.
The last decrease in statewide taxable sales came in June 2010, when a 0.3 percent decline was reported over June 2009.
Taxable sales grew by 8.1 percent in Clark County and jumped double-digits in Washoe County to 10.5 percent.

The County of El Dorado and the Northeastern California Small Business Development Center-Greater Sacramento/Sierra (SBDC) have partnered to offer a No Cost 12-week workshop series and one-on-one business consulting at the El Dorado County Library 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd, South Lake Tahoe beginning November 1, 2012. Workshop titles are below.

What it Takes to Survive in Business
Deciding on a Business
Business Plan: Your Roadmap to Success
Marketing Analysis
Marketing Strategy
Operations: Running the Business
Licenses, Permits, Business Names and Insurance

The Blue Ribbon Award nominations have been tallied, with more than 150 nominations received. Thank you to the businesses and individuals who took the time to nominate those making significant contributions to the South Shore community. The 5th Annual Blue Ribbon Awards Dinner & Ceremony will be held on November 15 at Embassy Suites; all nominees will be recognized and the winners will be announced during the ceremony.

The words recession and economy appear in local and national newspapers daily but rarely do we get an opportunity to delve into our local economy and understand what’s behind the numbers. Similarly, citizens don’t often have a chance to get engaged in economic revitalization concepts.

Gaming profits for South Shore Lake Tahoe area casinos tumbled in August, falling 19.45 percent over profits during the same period last year, the Nevada Gaming Control Board reports Wednesday.
South Shore casinos took in a total gaming profit of $22,016,651 for the month, while in August 2011 they took in $27,331,777.
Statewide casinos saw a 3.11 decrease in "gaming win" over the same period last year, the state's gaming regulator reports. Nevada casinos took in gaming profits of $859,240,472 for the month of August. In August 2011 it was $886,835,278.

Tahoe Regional Young Professionals will spice up October with a mixer at the famed lakefront Beacon Bar & Grill at Camp Richardson Resort, Oct. 17 from 6:30 – 9 p.m. Tantalizing “Rum Runner’s” will be available for $5 and will complement their new menu and food specials during the event.

A staple of the South Lake Tahoe breakfast scene will soon give the Reno-Sparks morning market a try.
Red Hut Cafes, which has cooked up its signature made-to-order waffles and other breakfast/lunch dishes since 1959, plans to open at Lakeside Drive and West Moana Lane in Reno in the first week of November.

Fromarc Insurance Agency has been family owned and operated since 1985, when Tita Anderson started the company as an agent/broker. Since then, the team has grown to include her husband Bob, their daughter Justine, Ann Zion, and Brady Ward. On September 27, forty friends, family, and clients joined them for a Business After Hours and Chamber Ribbon Cutting, and enjoyed stories about their years of success and community service.

The next BAHM! (Business After Hours Mixer) is set for Wednesday, October 17, 5:30-7:30pm at Tahoe Bowl in South Lake Tahoe. Attendees can mix and mingle at the newly remodeled Tahoe Bowl facilities including the 11th Frame Diner and the beautiful outdoor patio. BAHMs are $10 for chamber members, $20 for non-members, and include appetizers, drink tickets, and raffle tickets.

Royston Hanamoto Alley & Abey landscape architects and planners has officially opened their South Lake Tahoe office to better serve the Sierra Region.  Local landscape architect, Brett Long, has joined the RHAA team to head the new office. 

Mr. Long and RHAA teamed together on the El Dorado Beach project at Lakeview Commons that opened June 20.  Lakeview Commons’ rejuvenated waterfront with terraced seating was designed to enhance the natural beauty of the area and now serves as a great gathering space for water sports, live music or just enjoying the beautiful scenery.

The Lake Tahoe Regional Young Professionals will keep the fall feisty with their next mixer at the new Pub inside 968 Park Hotel, Sept. 26 from 7:30 – 10 p.m.
Pizzas, cheese and fruit platters will be bountiful throughout the evening so belly up to the bar for drink specials and sample organic New Belgium Brewery Beers, Organic wine or a cup of Joe.
Non-TRYP members who attend mixers will have a $5-10 cover fee depending on the event, while members are free.