Business Briefly July 31

Rivera joins Carson AAA insurance team

Dawn Rivera has joined the Carson City AAA insurance team after spending more than four years as a travel agent with AAA. Rivera is an active member of Women Entrepreneurs of Northern Nevada and the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce, as well as being involved in youth sports in the Dayton area for more than 10 years.

Rivera can be reached at Dawn.Rivera@goAAA.com or 888-6404.

Northern Nevada Appliance Outlet in new location

Northern Nevada Appliance Outlet has finalized its purchase of the former Sierra Nevada Spa building and has completed moving the entire inventory from its old location. NNAO is open for business in the new location, 3270 S. Carson St., next to Applebee's. The store is fully operational for sales, parts and service. NNAO can be reached at (775) 841-2220 or nnao.net. NNAO serves all of Northern Nevada and North Eastern California.

Minden insurance agent earns distinction

Mike Eddy, an American Family Insurance agent in Minden, has been recognized for customer satisfaction excellence under the J.D. Power and Associates Distinguished Insurance Agency Program.

Eddy has been an agent for American Family since October 2000. His office is at1560 Highway 395, Suite A, in Minden.

"Industry-leading service is our standard across the board," said Jack Salzwedel, American Family president. "Almost two-thirds of American Family agents made the commitment to achieving this award, and that speaks volumes about their dedication to our customers."

Eddy has qualified for this award for five years.

The service excellence distinction was determined through an evaluation process conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. The process consists of a customer satisfaction survey that measures customers' overall experience with their current American Family agent. Agents must meet or exceed the standards measured on a national benchmark established by J.D. Power and Associates' annual auto and home insurance customer satisfaction studies. Only agencies that perform in the top 20 percent of all insurance agencies are eligible to become a Distinguished Insurance Agency.

Change Companies' contract

The Change Companies, headquartered in Carson City, won a $1.4 million contract from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to provide journals for use in drug-treatment programs.

- Northern Nevada Business Weekly

Hodges wins Army contract

Hodges Transportation of Silver Springs won a contract worth $98,785 to provide the U.S. Army with vehicular components.

- Northern Nevada Business Weekly

BBB Accredited Businesses

New BBB Accredited Businesses with the Better Business Bureau serving northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe basin include:

Reno: Alexander S. Vaughn D.D.S., Allure Medspa, D & G Maintenance, Darby Law Practice Ltd., Law Office of Cotter C. Conway and The Lodge At Galena.

Sparks: 1st Connect LLC, Arthur Products Inc. and Bighorn Towing Inc. Carson City Duenas Mobile Home Set Up.

Elko: Barbara W. Gallagher Esq. and Robert J. Wines Professional Corp. Silver Springs: Leach Drilling Inc.

Winnemucca: Little Red's Excavating.

South Lake Tahoe: Steve Dillon's Carpet Cleaning & Water Damage Restoration.

Smith: Walker River Resort.

- Northern Nevada Business Weekly

City seeks planning commissioners

The Carson City Board of Supervisors is seeking applications from people interested in serving on the Carson City Planning Commission.

This commission oversees all matters pertaining to Carson City's planning and zoning, land use and growth management. Meetings are at 5 p.m. on the last Wednesday in the Sierra Room of the community center.

There are two openings to fill a term that will expire in June 2015.

Appointees must be residents of and registered voters in Carson City.

Volunteer applications may be obtained from the Carson City Executive Offices, 201 N. Carson St., Suite 2, or on the city website www.carson.org. Applications will be accepted until Aug. 26.

Ruby natural gas pipeline running in Nevada, Utah

RENO (AP) - A natural gas pipeline that links Wyoming to Oregon is up and running in northern Nevada and northern Utah after three years of preparation and construction.

Officials from the Bureau of Land Management say the $3.7 billion Ruby Pipeline went online Thursday, running nearly 680 miles from Opal, Wyo. to Malin, Ore.

The pipeline's parent company, El Paso Corp., says the Ruby Pipeline is environmentally friendly, with emissions offset by carbon credits and other means.

Some environmental groups and ranchers had criticized the project during construction.

El Paso was able to settle the disputes with payments to trust accounts of the various groups.

A company spokesman says the Ruby Pipeline provides Rocky Mountain natural gas producers a pathway to move their gas to California and the Pacific Northwest.