PEOPLE IN BUSINESS

People in Business is an occasional feature in the Business section of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

■ Affinity Gaming recently selected Chris Horning as corporate vice president of food and beverage. In his new role, Horning will oversee all aspects of food and beverage operations across Affinity Gaming’s 11 properties.

Horning has more than a decade of experience in culinary, hospitality and upper-level management. With his knowledge of the food and beverage industry, Horning has been influential in the success of multiple high-volume properties, including Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Bravo Brio Restaurant Group and, most recently, LifeWorks Restaurant Group.

While with LifeWorks, Horning was general manager and executive chef before being appointed culinary director.

■ Joseph Amato, Nevada district director for the U.S. Small Business Administration, introduced Nevada’s new senior area manager, Rachel Dahl ,on March 5. Dahl will work out of Carson

City and will serve Northern Nevada cities, towns and rural communities.

Also, Dahl will assist the district director with multiple outreach initiatives, including state government, local communities and other stakeholders serving Nevada’s underserved businesses.

■ Nevada State Bank has promoted James Rensvold to senior vice president and private banking manager and Raine Shortridge to senior vice president and professional banking manager.

Rensvold leads The Private Bank by Nevada State Bank in serving the financial needs of high-net-worth and high-income clients, providing them with financial services for their business and family. He brings nearly 20 years of banking experience to his new role, including as a certified medical banker specializing in helping health care professionals.

Shortridge leads the bank’s Professional Banking Group, which serves the financial needs of executives, medical and legal professionals. With more than 20 years of banking experience, Shortridge is a certified medical banker and has been providing personalized service and product specialties to meet the needs of health care professionals.

■ Golden Entertainment Inc. has hired one of the Strip’s top culinary artists, naming award-winning kitchen master

Johnny Church as the company’s new corporate executive chef.

In his newly created role, Church will oversee the company’s restaurant program at its eight casinos and the nearly 60 taverns operated in Nevada by PT’s Entertainment Group. Initially, Church will have direct involvement in Golden Entertainment’s plans to upgrade and enhance the restaurant offerings at the Stratosphere.

Church has worked with some of the Strip’s best known celebrity chefs and has won several awards for his unique take on traditional American cuisine. Many of his culinary creations have been recognized by local and national dining publications.

Before moving to Las Vegas, Church rose through the ranks of kitchen operations to executive chef positions at

Bradley Ogden’s Root 246 in Solvang, Calif., and Michael Mina’s XIV in Los Angeles. On the Strip, Church was executive chef at RM Seafood and Rx Broiler Room at Mandalay Bay for Chef

Rick Moonan.