WHO'S WHO IN NORTH LAS VEGAS:
Commissioner works up from maid to boss
By AMANDA LLEWELLYN
VIEW STAFF WRITER
Photos by David Becker/ViewTop, North Las Vegas Planning Commissioner Jo Kato sits in the conference room of her friend?s law office. Along with her planning comissioner duties, Cato runs her own marketing agency. Below, Cato talks about her duties.
Photos by David Becker/ViewTop, North Las Vegas Planning Commissioner Jo Kato sits in the conference room of her friend?s law office. Along with her planning comissioner duties, Cato runs her own marketing agency. Below, Cato talks about her duties.
Advertisement
The ad read, "No experience necessary. Will train."
Five simple words printed in an East Coast newspaper served as the catalyst for then 24-year-old Jo Cato to pack up her two small children and make the move from New York state to Sin City.
"I wanted to become a showgirl," said Cato, who is now a North Las Vegas Planning Commissioner. "Never mind that I'd never had any formal dance training or anything like that. I thought I had the body and the looks, at that time. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening."
That was 17 years ago. The showgirl ad, according to Cato, wasn't entirely accurate.
"Even if it was, I never made the cut," she said. "So, I ended up with a fine career as a social engineer, also known as a maid, working for the Lady Luck."
Cato said that she worked in the service industry for approximately six months before an odd twist of fate sent her down a strange, but blessed career path.
"My phone had been turned off, and I had to go to the phone company building to have it turned back on," she recalled. "But the irony of the situation was that the company was hiring at that time, and I was interviewed and hired on the spot for a customer service agent."
The job was with the Centel Corp., which eventually became Sprint and is now Embarq, where Cato spent 13 years working her way up from customer service to eventually become the vice president of marketing.
"It was a great career," Cato said. "I learned a lot in my years at the company. I was afforded many opportunities I may not have otherwise had."
Opportunities like a fully funded higher education. Cato earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the UNLV and a master's from George Washington University School of Business.
"All courtesy of Centel," Cato said. "They did a lot for me. Going to school was tough with three kids, but I made it through."
Cato survived the halls of academia to open her own business, Periwinkle Marketing and Public Relations, a niche company that provides small businesses with marketing strategies and public relations services.
"We opened in 2000 and have been very blessed to not be as vehemently affected by this slow economy," Cato said. "Very, very blessed."
Cato works full-time, juggling responsibilities as the mother of four children, including a 14-year-old named Kai and a 2-year-old named Zoe, business owner and planning commissioner.
"I'm a busy lady, but I love my life," Cato said.
Fellow planning commissioner and friend Steve Brown said that Cato is always on top of her game, no matter what problem she's tackling.
"She's very thorough and she cares about this community," Brown said. "She's a unique individual in that she really puts herself out there for people. That's rare. Or, more rare than people think."
Cato was appointed to the commission in 2001 by Mayor Pro Tem William Robinson after years of public involvement.
"There was an issue in the '90s that really got me going and I just never stopped," she said. "Eventually, Shari Buck appointed me to a parks and recreation committee and my political ambitions just blossomed from there."
When asked where she sees herself in five years, Cato said she hopes to have run a successful political campaign and be a member of the North Las Vegas City Council, a race she's entered during past elections and lost.
"Along with my aspirations to serve on city council, I plan to grow my business into a world class marketing agency and raise my kids to be successful and be cognizant of their community," Cato said.
* Factoid: Commissioner Jo Cato doesn't turn left in ther car. She refuses to make left turns for fear that her car will be hit. Cato said that she will drive around a city block before making a left turn, given the choice.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
