Rick Thomas named SVP of Nevada State Bank – NNBV people briefs for Dec. 2018

EDITOR’S NOTE: Northern Nevada Business View people briefs are published on a monthly basis and compiled from submissions emailed to the newsroom at editor@nnbw.com. Please note that submissions are published at editorial discretion, and some briefs may publish online only due to print space limitations. Below are people briefs for December 2018.

Dr. Daniel Cepela and Dr. Jennifer Mendoza

The Tahoe Fracture & Orthopedic Medical Clinic has welcomed Dr. Daniel Cepela and Dr. Jennifer Mendoza to the Carson City practice.

Cepela graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 2012, completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Albany Medical College in 2017, and most recently finished an upper extremity and microvascular fellowship at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine in 2018.

Mendoza graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in 2010, completed her anesthesiology residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2014, and finished her obstetrical anesthesia fellowship in 2015 at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Patricia Hurley

Washoe County Manager John Slaughter recently announced the selection of Patricia Hurley as new Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations at Washoe County.

Hurley will be responsible for the development and delivery of countywide human resources strategies, services and programs. Previously serving as interim Director of Human Resources, Hurley began with Washoe County 16 years ago, with the last 14 serving in Human Resources.

Hurley earned her MBA from UNR and has received Certification as a Labor Relations Professional (CLRP). She was also appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval to serve as a Commissioner for the State of Nevada Personnel Commission.

Chris Waldschmitt and Makenna Backstrom

SVN Commercial Associates, with offices in Reno and Carson City. recently announced Chris Waldschmitt as Associate Advisor and Makenna Backstrom as Broker Services Coordinator.

Waldschmitt specializes in leased investments in the Carson-Tahoe region. He began his career in commercial real estate investment at an early age.

Backstrom joins SVN Commercial Associates with over three years of experience in property management, residential and commercial real estate. She is currently earning her Nevada Real Estate and Property Management license.

Tiffany Banks

Tiffany Banks, general counsel of the statewide Nevada Realtors, has been appointed to the board of directors for the Nevada chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Her responsibilities and goals include promoting the organization and helping to develop quality programs for chapter members in Northern Nevada.

Banks has been an attorney in Nevada for seven years. The Northern Nevada native is a graduate of Arizona State University and the Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

Adam Carlsen

Stark & Associates Commercial Real Estate welcomes Adam Carlsen as the newest associate to the firm. He will specialize in industrial, office and investment properties.

Prior to his career in real estate, he experienced success as General Manager with Evergreen Carpet Care, working in insurance sales with A and H Insurance, retail marketing with Berry-Hinckley Industries, and hospitality management with Ritz-Carlton and Hyatt Hotels. He graduated with honors from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, earning a B.S. in Business Administration.

RSAR 2018 award winners

The Reno/Sparks Association of Realtors (RSAR) recently announced its 2018 annual award winners at the Association’s dinner. Winners included:

John Graham, RE/MAX Premier Properties, who was named Realtor of the Year for demonstrating high involvement and activity in RSAR, and for his business accomplishments and commitment to local civic affairs.

Nick Serrano, vice president of Mortgage Lending for Greater Nevada Mortgage, received the Affiliate of the Year Award, recognizing his spirit, activity in the Association, business accomplishments and local civic activity.

The Educator of the Year Award was presented to Dan Rider, Realtor with Nevada Home Connections, in recognition for his outstanding efforts in consistently demonstrating an exceptionally high standard instructing peers in the real estate industry.

Jim Forbus, Realtor with Krch Realty Ventures, LLC, was awarded the Mat Gibbons Good Neighbor Award, recognizing his high ethical and professional caliber, and for his distinguished volunteer service to the community.

Kevin Sigstad, president of RE/MAX Premier Properties, was honored with the Abraham Curry Award for his distinguished service to the real estate industry. Abraham Curry was known as the “Father of Carson City.”

Sarrah Bridge

PacStates announced that Sarrah Bridge has been named Telecom Solutions Consultant.

Bridge joins PacStates with 12 years of experience in the telecommunication industry. In her new role, she specializes in providing the best combination of telecom services with hosted solutions to foster clients’ business goals.

She has previously worked as an account manager for AT&T Reno, as well as a manager for a local telecom agency. Bridge earned a B.A. in Sciences/Liberal Studies from San Francisco State University.

Margot Yapp

NCE, a Reno-based consulting engineering firm, announced that Margot Yapp, P.E., will succeed Claude Corvino as President/CEO when he retires on June 1, 2019. Yapp currently serves as Vice President of NCE.

Yapp joined NCE in 1994 and opened the firm’s first California office. She will take over for Mr. Corvino, who has successfully led the firm’s steady growth into new services and geographical areas since 2002.

Ms. Yapp received her B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering (Pavements) from Oregon State University, and her M.P.P. from UC Berkeley. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Public Works Association and the Transportation Research Board.

James Feser and Eduardo Nava

Miles Construction recently named James Feser as Project Manager and Eduardo Nava as Project Engineer, both in the company’s commercial construction division.

Feser has a broad range of construction experience including project management and engineering roles for several master planned communities. Prior to joining Miles, he was facilities manager for the Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau. He received his Bachelor of Technology in construction management from Western Nevada College.

Nava is an experienced builder who most recently worked for Prosser Building Development, where he specialized in the construction and restoration of commercial and residential projects. He graduated from UNR with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics.

LeAnne Hines

Liberty Group of Nevada has announced LeAnne Hines as office assistant at their downtown Reno office. Hines will be responsible for the day-to-day management of internal operations and client communications.

Hines earned a B.A. in sociology and criminology from the University of Colorado in Boulder. She previously owned Clean & Green Home Cleaning in Lafayette, Colorado, and Reno, Nevada.

Andy Walden

KPS3 in Reno has announced Andy Walden as vice president of client strategy, joining Ayse Caglar as the second of two vice presidents of client strategy at KPS3.

Walden brings more than 12 years of communications and marketing experience to the agency. He will collaborate and engage with the agency’s clients to lead client services and strategy for traditional, social, digital and technological solutions. Walden joins KPS3 from Noble Studios, where he served as an account lead and client success manager.

Walden earned his B.A. in journalism from UNR in 2005 and his M.S. in information management from the University of Washington in 2007.

Rick Kohler

Rick Kohler has been named new Branch Manager of Greater Nevada Credit Union’s (GNCU) North Carson Branch at 4131 N. Carson St.

Kohler joins GNCU with more than 20 years of financial services experience, including regional and retail branch management, human resources and insurance and investment sales. He serves on the board of the Friends of the Nevada State Railroad Museum and is an active steam crew member. He is also past-chair for the Northern Nevada March of Dimes with more than 2,000 lifetime volunteer hours.

Wes S. Brogan

The Reno office of Lee & Associates has announced the addition of Wes S. Brogan as vice president, focusing on industrial real estate and tenant representation. A native of Northern Nevada, Mr. Brogan comes to Lee & Associates Reno from the U.S. Air Force, where he served on multiple deployments overseas. While serving his country, Mr. Brogan served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rick Thomas

Nevada State Bank has named Rick Thomas senior vice president and Northern Nevada executive. He is the bank’s top executive in Northern Nevada.

A seasoned banking professional with 30 years of experience, Thomas oversees Nevada State Bank’s Northern Nevada corporate and small business relationship managers. He joined the bank in 2003 and previously served as a corporate banking relationship manager.

A resident of Northern Nevada for more than 32 years, Thomas is active in the business community, and serves as a board member of WIN (Western Industrial Nevada). He earned a bachelor’s degree in managerial sciences and finance from UNR.

Mathew Anderson

Greater Nevada Mortgage (GNM) has added Mathew Anderson to its team of field mortgage consultants at GNM’s Reno office at 10385 Double R Blvd., Ste. 100.

Anderson, licensed in both Nevada and California, has experience in originating mortgages for all types of homeowners. He is also a member of the Reno Tahoe Young Professional Network and a Board Member for Disabilities Resources LLC.

Cherie Williams and April LaBrie

The Reno/Sparks Association of Realtors (RSAR) has announced that Cherie Williams will retire as CEO on Dec. 31, 2018, and April LaBrie will succeed her. The RSAR building located on Riggins Court has been named the Cherie L. Williams Building in her honor. Williams has been CEO since 2002.

April LaBrie started at RSAR in 1998 as receptionist. Since, she rose to executive administrator learning all aspects of the Association. She has obtained her ePRO and Certified Professional Standards Administrator certification, along with her Realtors Certified Executive and Certified Association Executive designations.

Matt Sutherland and John Britt

CFA, a Reno-based real estate and engineering consulting firm, recently welcomed Matt Sutherland as Civil Engineering Project Manager. He specializes in earthwork analysis, grading, stormwater detention and utility design.

Matt has managed and designed a variety of public and private projects since he graduated from UNR in 2009 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Nevada and Texas.

John Britt also joins the CFA team as a Senior CAD Designer. His 25 years of experience include producing design solutions in planning, mining, commercial and residential development, and waste management, as well as many other sectors.

Michael Brown and Catherine Raw

Barrick Gold Corporation recently announced management changes within the Company’s North America region.

Michael Brown, currently President of Barrick U.S.A., will retire on Dec. 31, 2018. Brown has been with Barrick since 1994, and has played a key role in the growth and development of the company’s U.S. operations over two-and-a-half decades. He became President of Barrick U.S.A. in 2015.

Catherine Raw, currently Chief Financial Officer at Barrick, will take over responsibility for Barrick’s U.S. operations on Jan. 1, 2019, in the newly-created position of Chief Operating Officer for North America.

NNBV people briefs are published on a monthly basis and compiled from submissions emailed to editor@nnbw.com. Please note some briefs may publish online only.