Business not yet seriously affected by war

From car dealerships to travel agencies, most local business owners say they haven't yet been seriously affected by the Iraqi war.

"If anything, business is better," said Jay Bates, general manager for Michael Hohl Motor Co. "I don't know what to attribute it to. Both service business and sales are good."

Bill Martin, president of Nevada State Bank, said Nevada's economy seems pretty secure, especially when compared to other states. Business is brisk at the bank, especially with respect to refinancing, which he said hasn't been affected by war or market conditions.

"It's a great time to refinance whether people are nervous about the economy or not," he said.

Martin also said he doesn't expect interest rates to go up any time in the near future.

"I just spent three days in business meetings and no one there, thought war would result in an increase in interest rates," he said. "Federal officials are more worried about deflation, than inflation."

Sean French, regional president for Wells Fargo Bank in Northern Nevada, said business is good. He feels consumer confidence is stable.

"I think most consumers and businesses are wary, waiting to see if anything changes," he said. "But we've seen greater loan production this year than last and I think we've gained some market share."

Dawn Payne, office manager for Discount/Design travel, said business has been down slightly the past four to five days, but people seem to be mainly concerned about international travel.

"We're still getting a lot of inquiries on cruises and domestic travel," she said.

Jan-Marie Brown of Uniglobe Happy Travel said business in the travel industry has been brisk in recent months, for the first time since the Sept. 11 attack, but it's slacked off the past few days.

"All we've been getting is cancellation inquiries and no new bookings to speak of," she said.

Candy Duncan of the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau said as far as tourism is concerned, Carson City is a drive destination.

She's worried about gas prices, but a recent study indicates that rising gas prices don't stop travelers. Gas shortages, however, could affect business. January's occupancy figures for Carson City were up 3 percent this year and she can only speculate, about the future.

"In the first few weeks following Sept. 11, things were pretty slow," she said. "But then, people started traveling again. I think they needed to take minds off of what was happening.

"What might impact us more, is domestic terrorism," she said. "Barring that, we'll probably just keep going. That's all we can do."

Businessman Malkait S. Dhami said plans for a new hotel in north Carson City will not be delayed despite the war.

"We shouldn't stop," he said. "We need to keep everyone busy and employed, to keep the economy running in America."