Energy efficiency wise move for area organizations

Many Northern Nevada organizations are realizing the wisdom of energy conservation, and they're getting money to do it.

Four nonprofit agencies in Carson City and Douglas County will receive energy efficiency grants from Sierra Pacific Power Co. for a combined total of about $20,000.

Grants will be awarded to the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada, Central Lyon Youth Connections in Dayton, the Douglas County Historical Society and the Nevada Health Centers, an agency based in Carson City that administers rural health programs.

The Children's Museum, which features interactive exhibits, plans to use its $4,842 grant to install energy-efficient double-pane windows on the second floor of the museum. The new windows should reduce its annual energy bill by about $900.

The Douglas County Historical Society will use its $4,800 grant to install energy-efficient lights at the Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center, 1447 Highway 395 in Gardnerville. The historical society will install programmable thermostats, motion sensors that automatically switch lights on or off and exit signs that use LED lights.

The improvements at the museum are expected to save the historical society up to $1,650 per year on its energy bills.

With its $5,000 grant, the Nevada Health Centers will make energy-efficiency improvements at rural health clinics in Gerlach and Austin. The Austin Medical Clinic, 121 Main St., will get a programmable thermostat, double-pane windows, an energy-efficient glass door for its entryway, and replace its current electric space heaters with a more energy-efficient heating/air conditioning unit.

Energy efficiency upgrades planned for the Gerlach Medical Clinic, 350 Short St., include programmable thermostats, weather stripping, motion sensors and compact fluorescent lights.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently awarded $718,000 to the Management Assistance Partnership to assist Nevada food-based manufacturing companies with lean enterprise initiatives. Under the terms of the grant, the partnership will assist individual companies with the implementation of lean techniques and also train the company's Hispanic employees in the culture of lean technology. The partnership is the Industrial Extension Program of the University and Community College System of Nevada.

For information and requirements, contact Bob Blank at 856-5315 or Dave Dwulit at 784-1935.

Thomas Johnson, a member of the Business Bank of Nevada's board of directors and owner of the Carson City and Reno Sperry Van Ness offices, received the 2004 Partner Circle Award. This award recognizes Johnson as one of the top 30 Sperry Van Ness brokers in the U.S. He was chosen for this award from about 500 other Sperry Van Ness advisers.

He is active with the Carson City Planning Commission, the Carson City Redevelopment Agency and has served as a board member of the Northern Nevada Development Authority.

Charity Thrift Store is adding 1,500 square feet to its No. 14 Rand Ave. store, behind Vitamin Villa. There will be specials each week and 25 percent off the inventory on the last weekend of every month.

Charity Thrift Store, which relies on donated items, gives part of its revenue to Meals-on-Wheels and the city animal shelter.

The thrift store can be reached at 885-0220.

After 49 years in the analytical semiconductor probing industry, Micromanipulator is shedding all surplus assets of its original founders' personal research and development labs.

Auction items include optical and semiconductor processing equipment, machine tools, vintage radio and test instruments, portable storage containers and metal scrap.

The auction is 11 a.m. May 25 at the Micromanipulator building at 1100 Corbett St. in Carson City. Auction items can be viewed 9 a.m.-5 p.m. May 24 and the morning of the sale from 9-11 a.m.

An auction catalog with photos will be posted 24 hours before the sale at www.cowanalexander.com.

Tim Davis has joined the Reno branch of BTI Group/Business Team Mergers & Acquisitions. Davis is from Carson City and is formerly an operations manager for Kleinfelder Inc. Davis will serve as a business agent under the direction of Katrina Loftin, who has more than 12 years of experience in business sales, mergers and acquisitions in Nevada and California. Davis will focus on business sales, acquisitions and valuation in the Carson City, Minden, Lake Tahoe and Dayton areas.

n Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.