Carson manufacturer wins top honors

Carson City manufacturer Taiyo America Inc. stands out in Northern Nevada. The company will receive the "Distinguished Business Award" at the 19th Annual Governor's Industry Appreciation Awards Thursday evening at John Ascuaga's Nugget in Sparks when President David Rund steps up to the podium.

"We feel very honored," he said. "We consider ourselves a community company and we want to be good neighbors. A lot of our employees are volunteers in the community and we've done things to keep a step ahead and increase our market share here."

Taiyo employs 38 full-time workers and generates an annual payroll of $2 million. About 90 percent of all products sold by Taiyo America in the North and South American marketplace are manufactured at their Carson City plant, corporate officials said.

In addition to providing good employment, these primary jobs have an economic trickle effect that benefits the whole area, Rund said.

"I think it's important for the business community to promote itself to the rest of the community," he said. "And I think it's important for the community as a whole to recognize businesses."

The company makes solder mask, the green coating used on computer and other circuit boards for the electronics industry. Based in Japan, Taiyo Inc. celebrated its 50th anniversary Tuesday and has been in Carson City for 12 years.

The keynote speaker for Thursday's event will be Ralph Whitworth, founder and principal of Relational Investors LLC, an asset management firm with assets of $2.1 billion in San Diego.

Whitworth grew up in Winnemucca and his keynote presentation, "Everything I Ever Needed to Know about Business I Learned in Winnemucca," includes highlights from his career working with corporate titans like Lee Iaccoca, Kirk Kirkorian and Ross Perot.

The event is co-hosted by the Northern Nevada Development Authority and the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada in cooperation with the Nevada Commission on Economic Development.

The awards dinner will recognize about 25 new and existing Northern Nevada companies for moving their businesses to the region and acknowledge existing businesses with substantial growth.

The awards dinner starts at John Ascuaga's Nugget at 5:30 p.m. with a no-host reception, followed by dinner and the program at 6:45 p.m.

Tickets cost $100 per person or $1,000 for a table of 10 and may be purchased by calling Rita Sadler at EDAWN, 829-3733.