Wednesday, December 11, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Printing contract delayed

Officials put off magazine decision

CARSON CITY -- The state Board of Examiners held up approval Tuesday of a contract to let a Minnesota company print Nevada Magazine.

Gov. Kenny Guinn and Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa both hope a Nevada company will print the state's official magazine at a competitive price.

"We need to be doing everything in Nevada," said Guinn, chairman of the Board of Examiners.

He acknowledged he has received a largely negative response to the board's recent decision to award a nearly $1 million public relations contract for the state Department of Public Safety to a Beverly Hills, Calif., company.

"After going through what we did with the out-of-state advertising agency contract, I would suggest we hold this up," Guinn said.

Del Papa cited printing firms in the Reno area.

R.R. Donnelley & Sons in Reno prints the National Enquirer, Globe and advertisements for Mervyns, Target and other major stores. Quebecor of Fernley prints Parade magazine for Sunday papers across the country.

Banta Publications of Long Prairie, Minn., had the lowest of six bids on the magazine.

Under the proposed contract, Banta could have been paid as much as $1.2 million for the printing work over the next two years.

Banta has been printing Nevada Magazine for at least the past 10 years. In recent years, the company has received about $500,000 a year for printing the state magazine.

Nevada Magazine Publisher Rich Moreno said the decision to let a Minnesota company print Nevada Magazine is a "dollars-and-cents issue."

"We are run like a business," Moreno said. "I have to look at what makes the most sense businesswise. Banta does a good job."

Banta is one of the largest magazine publishers in the nation and has its own post office, he added. Nevada Magazine is sent straight to subscribers from the plant.

Moreno added the coming contract is higher than previous years because it includes a tourism guide insert for the state Department of Tourism.

Greg Smith, a state Purchasing Division official, said two Nevada companies, Creel Printing of Las Vegas and Craftsmen Press of Stead, submitted bids to print Nevada Magazine. Smith said their bids were "significantly higher" than Banta.

Moreno maintained the bids were too high for the magazine to pay all its bills.

Tom Lesher, president of Creel Printing, said his bid was competitive with Banta.

"I can't imagine we can't get close to them," Lesher said "We need that business. That contract belongs in Nevada."

Lesher said his company has tried for years to win the Nevada Magazine contract. Creel now prints Show Biz Weekly, distributed in hotel rooms, and other publications.

While Creel does not have a post office, Lesher said, the company can address the magazines and the post office is "10 minutes away."