Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor John Snyder for his recent induction into the National Teacher's Hall of Fame.

Mr. Snyder is the first teacher from Nevada ever to be inducted into the National Teacher Hall of Fame and is one of five educators to be inducted in the Class of 2007. His teaching career began in the early 1980's as an English teacher at Hyde Park Junior High School. At the time, computers were just beginning to proliferate into academic establishments and Mr. Snyder became impassioned to start a computer club at Hyde Park. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Snyder became a full-time computer programming teacher, a position he has held for nearly 25 years. Mr. Snyder has taught computer courses at Charparral and Cimarron Memorial High School. In 1994, he moved to the Advanced Technologies Academy and for over a decade, Mr. Snyder has been greatly enriching the lives of those students attending A-Tech, a nontraditional high school that allows students the opportunity to focus on technical careers.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor John Snyder. His enthusiasm, commitment and personal attention have greatly enhanced the educational experience of countless students. I congratulate him for this well deserved honor, thank him for his dedication and commitment and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor my good friend Patricia Riley, a longtime Las Vegas educator and school administrator.

Patricia was a longtime elementary school teacher with the Clark County School District before joining the staff of Hillcrest Academy in 1999. She earned a Bachelor's degree in human development and early childhood education from the University of Nebraska in 1970 and subsequently earned a Master's degree in education curriculum and instruction from UNLV in 1980.

For over two decades Patricia has been designing curriculum for public and private schools for adults and children. Her career as an educator began as a fifth grade teacher in Grand Island, Nebraska. She later went on to teach math and reading to Army soldiers at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina from 1974-1976. Patricia subsequently moved to Las Vegas in 1978 and operated two pre-school through kindergarten private schools from 1979 to 1984 both in the Spring Valley and Green Valley areas. Patricia left education, pursued a career in real estate and later came back to teach first and second grade at the Mack Elementary School in Henderson, Nevada, where she stayed until moving over to the Hillcrest Academy. After founding Hillcrest Academy and operating the school for over 7 years, Patricia sold the Academy and stayed on as a consultant.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor my friend, Patricia Riley. Patricia is a truly gifted educator and has enriched countless lives. I thank her for her dedication and commitment to educational excellence and wish her the best in her future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Jose Martel, an exceptional maitre d' at the newly opened Michael's Restaurant at South Point Hotel.

Prior to assuming his position with Michael's Restaurant, Mr. Martel served as maitre d' at the Barbary Coast Hotel for 23 years. There, Mr. Martel developed a reputation for a commitment to customer service. As a maitre d', Mr. Martel is known for meeting all of his patrons' needs and has proved himself to be an exemplary model of friendliness, attentiveness, and professionalism.

During his many years of service, Mr. Martel has cultivated a working environment that has distinguished him from others in the field. Mr. Martel's evident dedication to restaurant patrons is unparalleled and his outstanding service was recently honored by a dedication in Casino Connection Magazine.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Jose Martel. His dedication to and respect for his work are commendable and I wish him every continued success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Donna Diaco, who is a distinguished and devoted nurse.

According to her colleagues, Donna Diaco is an outstanding member of the nursing staff at Desert Springs Hospital. Donna is a constant role model in her work in the Intensive Care Unit and always expresses compassion and care for her patients as well as her co-workers. This has earned her the respect and esteem of her colleagues and patients alike. Over the course of her 25-year nursing career, Donna has become an impassioned advocate for her patients and colleagues. Her hard work is complemented by her optimistic ability to find the silver lining in every cloud.

Madam Speaker, it is my honor to recognize Donna Diaco for her service in the Intensive Care Unit at Desert Springs Hospital and the community. Her professional expertise and caring nature have greatly enriched the lives of those in the Las Vegas community. I commend Donna for her efforts and commitment to her patients and to our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Diane Peraza, who is being recognized as a distinguished and devoted professional in her field.

According to her colleagues Diane Peraza is an outstanding member of the nursing staff at Desert Springs Hospital. Diane displays a caring attitude while focusing not only on the health of her patients, but their holistic needs as well. Diane represents quality nursing care and she also demonstrates a respectful manner towards her patients and their families. She is highly motivated and continually expresses a desire to excel in her profession as a heaIthcare provider. Diane's entire nursing career has been defined by a commitment to excellence and dedication to serving the patients first. Her positive attitude and sincerity are evident to her colleagues as she promotes team work and unit excellence.

Madam Speaker it is my honor to recognize Diane Peraza for her service for Desert Springs Hospital and our community. Her professional expertise and caring nature have greatly enriched the lives of those in the Las Vegas community. I commend Diane for her efforts and commitment to her patients and to our community. I wish her well in her continued efforts as an outstanding nurse.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Julie Wilbur, a Registered Nurse who has distinguished herself as an outstanding and devoted professional in her field.

Julie Wilbur is a nurse at Spring Valley Hospital. She has over 20 years of nursing experience and she presently serves as the Charge Nurse of General Medicine and Surgery, Julie has a diverse knowledge of her subject area and is efficient and dependable. Julie has participated in a number of professional development training courses such as the Constructive Criticism Communication Course and Epidural Pain Management Course. Julie is also active as a member in the Academy Med-Surgical Nurses Chapter #413 and as a committee member of the Shared Governance Spring Valley Hospital Coordinating Council.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Julie Wilbur. Over her 20 years in the nursing field, she has greatly enriched countless lives. I commend her hard work, dedication and commitment as a health care provider to the residents of Southern Nevada.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Gil family, proprietors of the Casa Don Juan restaurant, who were named the Small Business Association's Family Owned Small Business of the Year for the State of Nevada.

Over 10 years ago, Maria and Raul Gil moved to Las Vegas from California looking for an opportunity to own and operate a family restaurant. Upon arriving in Las Vegas the Gil's recognized that there was a lack of Mexican restaurants, and subsequently opened Casa Don Juan. Over the past 10 years, Casa Don Juan has built up its clientele with excellent food and service and now employs over 40 people, including the Gil's children, Nancy, Denisse and Billy.

Casa Don Juan is located on Main Street in downtown Las Vegas and has greatly benefited from the recent development and revitalization efforts. The Gil's now plan to expand Casa Don Juan to meet the growing demand from their very satisfied and loyal clientele.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Raul, Maria, Nancy, Billy and Denisse Gil. Their innovative spirit and hard work are commendable and I wish the Gil family continued success at Casa Don Juan.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Jordan Wirsz for being honored by the Nevada District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Jordan began demonstrating his entrepreneurial talents at a very young age. When Jordan was 14 years old, he started his own aircraft brokerage firm. He began brokering helicopters and as a result of his business endeavors, Jordan started to fly helicopters when he was 15 years old. At the age of 16, Jordan conducted and completed his first solo flight. He earned his pilot's license at 17 years old and he also earned his multi-engine instrument license. The following year, he received his commercial pilot's license. After obtaining his commercial pilot's license, Jordan decided to pursue another business endeavor. Jordan subsequently became involved with residential private money lending. Presently, Jordan at the age of 24 years old is the CEO of Diamond Bay Investments.

In addition to his professional endeavors, Jordan also supports several philanthropic organizations and charities in Southern Nevada. He is very active with the Big Brothers, Big Sister's Program as well as the Candle Lighters Childhood Cancer Foundation. Furthermore, Jordan's first book about his professional experiences, The Maverick Millionaire, is due out in June.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Jordan Wirsz. His professional success and philanthropic pursuits are truly commendable. I applaud his efforts, congratulate him for his extraordinary success and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor my good friend Paul Workman who was named the Small Business Administration's Financial Services Champion of the Year for the State of Nevada.

Paul, who serves as Executive Vice President and Director of Sales for Business Bank Nevada, has worked in the banking industry for more than 30 years. Paul's experiential understanding of the banking world has led him to become an integral component of the Business Bank of Nevada leadership team. Business Bank of Nevada, considered one of the best performing independent banks in Nevada and throughout the country, operates through 7 branch offices in the state, Loan Production Offices in Arizona, and is in its 12th year of operation.

In addition to his professional work, Paul has remained active in civic endeavors for the

past 3 decades. He was the president of Business Watch Network and the Paradise Valley Lions Club. Paul also serves on the Board of Directors for SafeNest, the Boulder Dam Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the Police Athletic League of Southern Nevada. Paul has also served on the Governor's Commission on Nuclear Projects and the City of Las Vegas Audit Oversight Committee.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor my good friend Paul Workman. His contributions to both the Nevada business and civic communities are commendable and I wish him continued success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Debra Sillik, President of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Nevada, for giving a voice to minority small businesses.

Debra Sillik began her journey as President of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Nevada just 7 months ago. Over this time, she has made a major impact. Debra has helped give the 9,556 American Indians and Alaska Natives a voice in Nevada. She has provided them with employment and educational opportunities. American Indian businesses have grown 56 percent in the Nevada area. In 1997 when this organization started, they only had 1,231 businesses where as of 2002, they have 1,915 American Indian and Alaska Native-owed businesses. She also began offering education workshops as well as scholarship opportunities. Debra holds monthly networking meetings, educations luncheons, job fairs, and awards banquet, and a Native American trade show. Debra has worked hard to put together a board and has increased the number of members participating. Debra's most recent achievement includes being honored as the Minority Small Business Champion of the Year. Through her dedication and service, she has helped create business opportunities for the Native American population in Nevada.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Debra Sillik for her dedication to helping American Indians thrive in Nevada. I congratulate her for her recent recognition by the Nevada District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration and wish her the continued success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Mary Beth Hartleb who was awarded the Small Business Administration's Women in Business Champion of the Year Award.

Mary Beth received this award in recognition of the ``Women Mean Business Expo,'' an event she created and organized to showcase women business owners. Mary Beth is the founder, owner, and President of PRISM Human Resource Consulting Services, LLC, a consulting firm that offers a wide-range of human resources services to a variety of businesses. PRISM offers its clients, among other services, benefit program analysis and design, training program development, translation services, and OSHA/Safety program development.

Mary Beth, who earned her JD from the William S. Boyd School of Law, a Master's Degree in Human Resource Management, and a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and Business Administration from Upsala College, has spent more than fifteen years in the human resources field working for both Fortune 500 companies and smaller companies. While working with smaller, entrepreneurial ventures, she has been instrumental in developing human resource departments, strategies, and measures. Mary Beth was President of the Southern Nevada Human Resource Association and currently serves as chairperson for the Business Development committee of the National Association of Business Women, is a member of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, and volunteers with Big Brother/Big Sisters of Southern Nevada.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Mary Beth Hartleb. Her dedication to the business and civic community are commendable and I wish her every continued success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Linda F. Branch, managing owner of Customer Service Management Consultants, LLC for her being honored by the Nevada District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration as the Microenterprise Initiative Business Person of the Year.

Through CSMC, LLC, Linda has been dedicated to providing a wide selection of training and workforce development solutions since 2003 throughout Southern Nevada. As CEO, Linda has committed CSMC to bringing quality and excellence in training and staff development solutions to their clients' missions and goals as a service provider. CSMC, LLC is a leading provider of continuing education training for healthcare and human service providers and they provide training solutions that are customized face-to-face and online for front line staff, middle management and upper management.

Linda has 30 years experience as a human resource provider, including facilitation and training in both public and private organizations. Linda is a well-known speaker and facilitator and has written a number of training workbooks that are certified through the Clark County Commission on Post Secondary Education. She has also received continuing education unit certification from the Nevada State Board of Examiners for Social Work on two of her training workbooks. Linda earned her bachelor's degree in Social Work and a master's degree in Organizational Management.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Linda F. Branch. Her dedication to providing continuing education training and commitment to excellence are truly commendable. I applaud her efforts and wish her the best in her future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Panch R. Prasad, C.E.O. of U.S. International Trading Corporation, for his recent professional successes and achievements.

Panch is the President and C.E.O. of U.S. International Trading Corporation. The company was founded in 1990 in Portland, Oregon, however, their corporate offices are now located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since its founding, the U.S. International Trading Corporation has been committed to providing quality hair care, skin care, and cosmetics products. The company's beauty and cosmetics products are sold across the world with the products being available to consumers in East Asia, Europe, South America, the Middle East, and Australia.

Most recently, Panch was honored as the Small Business Exporter of the Year by the Nevada District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Small Business Administration utilizes an independent panel of judges that use several factors in awarding these honors to the recipients.

The panel evaluates businesses on several factors such as the growth in number of employees, increase in sales, current and past financial reports, innovativeness of product or service, and contributions to community-oriented projects. This is an outstanding and well-deserved honor. Panch believes in supporting a commitment to excellence by providing quality distribution and products to U.S. International Trading Corporation's customers. I applaud his commitment to excellence.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Panch R. Prasad. His professional success is truly commendable. I congratulate him for his recent recognition by the Nevada District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Tammy Mathews, who has been named the Small Business Association's Small Business Person of the Year for the State of Nevada.

Tammy, the owner of Puppy Enterprises Dog Salon and Bakery and Small Town Dog Vacation Villas, turned a $50,000 Small Business Association loan into two successful businesses which have flourished over the past several years. Between the two businesses, Tammy's staff consists of more than 20 employees, has a client base of over 1,000 customers, and projected gross sales of nearly $1,000,000. Tammy's company has garnered widespread press attention and her novel approach to pet care has ensured continued patronage from her many clients. Tammy uses her company's success as a vehicle to give back to the community she serves and has worked to raise money to place shelter dogs and abandoned dogs in permanent homes. In addition to the recognition she received from the Small Business Association, Tammy was also named a 2004 finalist for the most innovative company of the year for the Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Tammy Mathews. Her innovative spirit and hard work are commendable and I wish her every continued success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Gina Robison- Billups, for being honored by the Nevada District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration as the Home Based Business Champion of the Year.

Gina attended Loyola Marymount University and, shortly thereafter, began running her parents' home-based entertainment business. Gina then started her own business, the Marketing and Business Development Corporation, which specialized in providing marketing and business strategy services to small business clients. During her tenure at the head of the Marketing and Business Development Corp., Gina noticed that there was no organization that specifically targeted women business owners and she committed to help the 64 million working mothers in America.

In addition to her successful business endeavors, Gina has also established the Moms in Business Network and the International Association of Working Mothers. Through these networks, Gina has provided valuable networking opportunities as well as educational and financial opportunities through the grant program run by the Moms in Business Network. Presently, the network has over 250 members and the International Association has over 1,500 members worldwide.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Gina Robison-Billups; her dedication to helping working mothers is truly commendable. I congratulate her for her recent recognition by the Nevada District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration and wish her continued success in her future endeavors.