Jingle bells, time to sell (and hire, as well)

Retailers large and small have begun the run-up to the holiday season by announcing plans to employ more seasonal employees than last year.

The Retail Association of Nevada estimates retailers will add up to 7,600 seasonal jobs in Nevada.

National estimates from employee-placement firm Challenger, Gray &Christmas suggest seasonal employment from October to December could reach 800,000 this year, up 1.8 percent from last year and the highest level since 1999.

Consolidating the major hiring announcements made thus far in the season, the association estimates national retailers will hire about 3,700 seasonal employees in Nevada this year. Seasonal hires by local retail shops and e-commerce outfits statewide are expected to be consistent or better than last year, and anecdotal reports suggest that many of these local hires end up staying on in some capacity after the holiday peak has passed.

The association’s Bryan Wachter said, “Nevada has continued its upward trend in terms of both employment and taxable retail sales. Total employment in Nevada has experienced 44 months of consecutive year-over-year growth, while retail trade employment has shown 47 months of consecutive year-over-year growth.”

On the spending side, he said, overall taxable retail sales have had 49 months of consecutive year-over-year growth.

“The addition of seasonal hires will likely add to overall holiday spending this year,” he said.

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Data deal struck

CenturyLink Inc. and Switch SUPERNAP announced an agreement to establish a new CenturyLink data center presence through Switch’s Las Vegas campus while offering Switch customers access to CenturyLink’s global data center footprint and portfolio of colocation, cloud, managed services and network services.

CenturyLink, a global leader in cloud and colocation services, operates data centers throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Switch is a privately held company based in Las Vegas, where it has a 1.7 million-square-foot data center campus and operates the world’s only Uptime Institute-certified Tier IV Gold carrier-neutral colocation facility.

The strategic agreement benefits customers of both companies as CenturyLink adds the Switch SUPERNAP data center campus to its salable portfolio, letting its customers add hosting and colocation space in the Las Vegas market, where CenturyLink employs about 700 people and operates a substantial network services business. Switch customers access CenturyLink Cloud services or deploy colocation and managed services through CenturyLink’s 57 data centers around the world.

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Green Tie Gala Awards

On Nov. 15, the Urban Chamber of Commerce will host the 2014 Green Tie Gala Awards at Rio.

Honorees include:

■ AA Printing Service, Irenic Consulting Group and National Motor Club for Micro Business of the Year;

■ Branch Benefits Consultants, Gritz Cafe and The Learning Center for Small Business of the Year;

■ Large Businesses of the Year are AC, LLC; Expertise Cosmetology Institute and Thor Construction;

■ Awards West, Gem Printing and Storage West for Family Owned Business of the Year;

■ Las Vegas Sands Corp., NV Energy and Regional Transportation Commission for Corporation of the Year;

■ Environmental Green Awards go to HERServices, Love Engineering and Republic Services;

■Veteran Owned Businesses of the Year are Large Vision Business, Network Mixer, MIH Management Solutions and Trinity Florists &Wedding Boutique;

■ Nonprofits of the Year are Clean Energy Project, Las Vegas Urban League, Macedonia Outreach Social Enrichment Services

■ Minority Business Advocates of the Year are Brian Maddox of Clearinghouse CDFI, Kathleen Carrico of Nevada SBDC and Rosemary Vassiliadis of McCarran International Airport.

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Maverick adds T2 ‘copter

Maverick Aviation Group, the parent company of Maverick Helicopters, Mustang Helicopters and Maverick Airlines, has added its eighth EC-130 T2.

As the next generation of the EC-130, Airbus Helicopters’ T2 model features more powerful performance, improved fuel efficiency and excellent visibility. The aircraft was designed for tourism, equipped for superior passenger accommodations. Features include an active vibration control system for a more comfortable ride, an improved air-conditioning system, right-side cabin sliding door and additional interior improvements.

Maverick Helicopters now owns eight EC-130 T2 models, contributing to a fleet of 42 helicopters. The company has the largest EC-130 fleet in the world and anticipates growing the collection to 47 aircraft within the next year.

Maverick Aviation Group offers expeditions through the Grand Canyon and above the Strip.