Jim Gillis

Nevada Grants for Founders Looking for funding? Here's a quick guide to #grants and #programs available in Nevada, including resources for a diverse range of business owners: Federal Grants: #SBIR and #STTR programs offer seed funding for tech startups. Link: SBIR.gov State Initiatives: The Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (#GOED) has programs like the Nevada Small Business Credit Initiative (#SSBCI) to help local businesses. GOED Link: goed.nv.gov SSBCI Link: nevadasbdc.org/ssbci Local & Targeted Programs: Don't forget about city-specific grants and programs for diverse-owned businesses. City of Las Vegas #SBDC: sba.gov/district/nevada City of North Las Vegas #SBDC: https://lnkd.in/gxxUGd8g Minority-Owned Business Loans: https://lnkd.in/gPjBVDSC Women, Minority, & Veteran Business Assistance: https://lnkd.in/gMSZbZdM #Nevada #Grants #Funding #Startups #SmallBusiness #Tech #Founder #VeteranOwnedBusiness #DisabledVeteran #MinorityOwnedBusiness #WomenOwnedBusiness #LGBTQOwnedBusiness #BusinessFunding #NevadaBusiness #UnderservedCommunities #NativeAmericanOwnedBusiness #RuralBusiness #Community #PayItForward #TeachTheYouth

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For almost 20 years, MyDirectives has focused on one single problem in the national #healthcare system: ensuring that the voice of the #patient, whether it's recorded in an advance directive, an advance care plan, a mental health advance directive, a #POLST or #MOLST, or some other document or media, is seamlessly and securely accessible whenever and wherever it's needed so our emergency first responders, doctors, nurses, and anyone else who needs it to make goal-concordant and medical order-concordant treatment decisions can get it. It's been a long . . . LONG road, but a growing number of states are choosing MyDirectives' nationwide registry over a siloed solution, a growing number of healthcare providers and payers are acknowledging the benefits of advance care planning at scale, when it works as it's intended to work, and a growing number of #EHR and #ePCR vendors are answering the call of their customers to embed MyDirectives' scalable, interoperable ACP solutions into their platforms so this critical information is recorded and shared. I'm personally grateful for the support and collaboration of Justin Keller and everyone at the Oregon Health Leadership Council, Abby Dotson, Ph.D. and the Oregon POLST Registry, and all our partners at Carequality and eHealth Exchange who made this happen. More exciting announcements from MyDirectives are coming soon. My mother would be so proud of us all. 😊 https://lnkd.in/g8TubPKV

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NEW: The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has issued a draft resolution that risks millions in utility ratepayer investments. The resolution—which concerns necessary improvements to an important grid transparency tool called an Integration Capacity Analysis, or ICA—continues a multi-year trend of failing to resolve known issues. This is a critical moment in California utility regulation that will determine whether additional years go by in which ratepayer funds are wasted on a tool that does not work as intended—or whether the Commission will hold the state’s utilities accountable. Interested parties can submit comments by March 9th to encourage the Commission to take meaningful action (we've made it easy with instructions and template comments you can customize here: https://ow.ly/g8al50YpSX7! Learn more in our press release at https://ow.ly/vBxE50YpSX4.

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“I’ll leave you with this: for low-income and elderly residents, a failed septic system can feel like the beginning of losing everything—their home, their health, and their safety. Programs that support septic and well repairs don’t just fix properties; they protect watersheds and whole communities.” Today I was at the legislature advocating for Craft3 ’s Clean Water Loan program. This testimony from one of the contractors we work with captures why the work matters — and why continued funding is so important. “Another project involved an elderly couple in a 1970s single-wide. Their septic tank had collapsed and was draining into a pond that feeds a creek. Their community well, which serves 15 homes, tested positive for human fecal contamination. With septic and well assistance, a new system and UV treatment were installed. Now all 15 homes have safe drinking water again.”

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How California’s Politicians Got Labor Unions to Back CEQA Reform California’s new CEQA reform is being called a breakthrough for speeding up housing approvals. What often gets less attention is how policymakers like Governor Gavin Newsom, State Senator Scott Wiener, and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks convinced labor unions, who have often opposed entitlement streamlining, to support it. Here’s what made this possible: ✅ Early and consistent support from the Carpenters For years, the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters has pushed for faster approvals. In Los Angeles, they backed the Transit Oriented Communities program because they saw CEQA delays costing thousands of framing jobs. Their position was clear: more housing approvals mean more carpentry work. ✅ Other trades needed leverage to protect their interests Groups like the Building and Construction Trades Council have historically used CEQA litigation as leverage. For example, in the Bay Area, several large multifamily projects near BART stations faced CEQA lawsuits that disappeared only after developers signed Project Labor Agreements guaranteeing all-union labor. For many trades, this tactic has been a way to secure work and enforce standards. ✅ Lawmakers crafted a tradeoff everyone could live with To get all the unions on board, Newsom, Wiener, and Wicks promised: Faster entitlements and fewer lawsuits, which the Carpenters wanted Stronger labor protections and direct developer liability if subcontractors do not pay workers, which the other trades demanded One example: Under the new rules, if your framing subcontractor goes bankrupt and misses payroll, you as the developer can now be sued directly for unpaid wages even if you already paid the general contractor. That is a much broader liability than just mechanics liens. ✅ What this means if you are active in entitlement-heavy markets This change will draw a clear line between developers prepared to manage higher compliance exposure and those who are not. It is likely to become a due diligence item for investors, lenders, and equity partners evaluating whether to back urban infill projects. If you are pursuing the new fast-track approvals, you will need stronger controls over subcontractor payments, bonding requirements, and risk management practices. For some teams, this will be an acceptable cost of certainty. For others, it may be a reason to stay with the traditional entitlement process despite longer timelines. Question for developers, lenders, and GCs: Will this tradeoff, speed plus liability, actually accelerate housing or just shift the complexity onto project sponsors?

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Big News for Energy Resilience in California! ⚡ The California Public Utilities Commission just unlocked $200 million in funding through the Microgrid Incentive Program — aimed at helping vulnerable, tribal, and local communities build resilient energy systems. This is a game-changing opportunity for Indigenous Nations and underserved areas to take control of their power future and benefit directly from clean energy. 🛠️ Funding supports community-led microgrid projects 🌎 Designed for resilience, reliability, and local impact 💰 Limited budget — early action is key 🔗 Learn more from the CPUC: https://lnkd.in/fuzZPHM 📘 Explore how Indigenous Nations can benefit: https://lnkd.in/gQmeVsa5

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https://lnkd.in/gsa7kd-m Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) has agreed to acquire select Washington state generation, transmission, and electric utility operations from PacifiCorp (a Berkshire Hathaway Energy subsidiary) for $1.9 billion. The deal includes three key generation facilities (Chehalis natural gas plant ~477 MW, Goodnoe Hills wind ~94 MW, and Marengo I/II wind ~234 MW), ~4,500 miles of transmission/distribution lines, and service to approximately 140,000 customers across ~2,700 square miles in Washington. #UtilitySector #EnergyTransition #MergersAndAcquisitions #CleanEnergy #InfrastructureInvestment #PacificNorthwest #ElectricUtilities #InvestmentNews #RenewableEnergy

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Six bureaus. Six websites. One confusing permitting journey. We partnered with the City of Portland to redesign around resident tasks, not org charts, delivering a clear roadmap for a simpler, more accessible experience: https://lnkd.in/g73Rgr2u

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⏰ URGENT REGISTRATION DEADLINE ⏰   Nonprofits using online platforms to fundraise in California should confirm good standing with the state’s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers no later than January 15.   The requirement stems from California AB-488, a.k.a. the Charitable Solicitation Registration Act, which took effect in 2024. The state is developing a portal that will simplify the process, but for now nonprofits should confirm their status through California’s Registry Search: https://lnkd.in/eF2w3aku   Learn more here from The Nonprofit Times:   https://lnkd.in/eCueWni6   #nonprofit #onlinefundraising #compliance #california

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