Las Vegas business briefs

* LV ECONOMIC FORECAST LOOKING UP -- UNLV's Southern Nevada Index of Leading Economic Indicators posted a gain of .16 percent this month compared to August. The Center for Business and Economic Research cited improvements in taxable sales, traffic at McCarran Airport, gasoline sales, gaming revenue and visitor volume. Declines from September 1997 were noted in three measures of residential and commercial construction. The index is a forecast for the performance of the economy in January 1999 based on July data. "The index has been up in four of the last six months," the center said. "Nevertheless, the index continues to follow a flat track -- showing no tendency to turn up or down."

* AGRIBIOTECH POSTS FIRST ANNUAL PROFIT -- AgriBioTech Inc. of Las Vegas, a fast-growing seed company, reported a fourth-quarter loss of $3.9 million, or 11 cents per share, compared to a loss of $1.6 million or 7 cents in the year-ago quarter. Sales jumped from $24.7 million to $65.4 million. The loss was blamed on bad weather caused by El Nino, extraordinary expenses for hiring management personnel, competitive conditions and an accounting change. But for the fiscal year ended June 30, AgriBioTech reported its first full-year profit. Net earnings of $303,000 or 1 cent per share compare with a loss of $5.9 million or 38 cents in the year-earlier period. Annual sales of $205 million were up 211 percent.

* TEMPORARY PERSONNEL COMPANY ACQUIRED -- Sterling-Manhoff Inc., a Las Vegas-based investment group, has acquired a local temporary personnel services company that is expanding in Las Vegas and the West. Terms of the acquisition of the holding company of TLC Staffing Services were not disclosed. TLC had been owned and operated by Texanne, a limited liability company headed by Texanne Renee McBride, a 10-year veteran of the staffing industry. McBride will lead the board of directors and serve as president of the company, which is opening its new headquarters at 4230 N. Pecos Road in North Las Vegas this week and is expanding into Denver next month. The company also is looking to open in Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix. Since the company opened last November, McBride and operations manager Cynthia Lopez have added 86 accounts and 1,656 employees. Under the new ownership, all TLC employees are being retained, McBride said.

* PILOTS APPROVE BIDDING SYSTEM -- America West Airlines pilots have ratified an agreement to implement a flight bidding system that will give them more say in where and when they fly. The preferential bidding system is a computerized pilot scheduling system that is a key component in the pilots' labor contract. Implementation of the system was approved in a vote by the Air Line Pilots Association union, which represents 1,500 America West pilots. America West is the second largest airline serving Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport by number of flights and passengers carried.

* RENO AIR TRIES TO BE GOOD NEIGHBOR IN BURBANK -- Saying it wants to be a good neighbor, Reno Air is dropping plans for a 6:40 a.m. flight from Burbank (Calif.) Airport in order to observe its voluntary noise restrictions. The early morning flight would have broken the airport's voluntary 7 a.m. takeoff curfew. Reno Air officials have instead scheduled the new flight with a 6:50 a.m. departure time, which means it is unlikely the flight will take off before 7 a.m.

To contact Sun Business Editor Steve Green, call 259-4083 or e-mail [email protected]

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