The UNLV Nevada Small Business Development Center has announced the opening of a new office in Henderson in order to better serve the small-business community there.

Sharolyn Craft, director of the center, announced the opening and the appointment of Bernie Fitzgerald to head the Henderson office, which will provide free and confidential management assistance to small businesses in the area. The office is located on the campus of the Community College of Southern Nevada.

"We couldn't have done it without the help of Dr. Ron Meek, provost of the CCSN Henderson campus; Chris Kelly, CCSN dean of business, industry, and public service; Alice Martz, executive director of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, and Judi Dohn, director of the Henderson Business Resource Center/Incubator," Craft said. "They spearheaded the drive to put together the resources to make it all possible."

Fitzgerald said, "I love the Henderson community -- especially its vitality and 'can-do' attitude."

Craft said Fitzgerald, who recently joined the center, has considerable small business management experience in a variety of areas, including franchised video rental stores, retail golf equipment sales, and commercial photo processing labs. He also is a past president of the Association of Professional Color Imagers.

The center counsels and trains business people in management, financing, and operating small businesses and also provides comprehensive information services and access to experts in a number of fields.

For additional information about the Henderson office or to schedule an appointment there, call Fitzgerald at 651-3520.

For additional information about the UNLV Nevada Small Business Development Center in general, call Craft at 734-7575 or send an E-mail to NSBDC@nevada.edu.