New 'Business Retention and Expansion' program under review between Carson City Library, NNDA, and Adams Hub

A Joint Operating Agreement is currently under review between the Carson City Library, the Northern Nevada Development Authority, and Adams Hub, to create and manage a “Business Retention and Expansion” program.

At the Board of Supervisor’s meeting on Aug. 1, a presentation was held to discuss a possible joint contract between the three entities, for the creation of a Business Retention and Expansion program, which would be funded by the Hop and Mae Adams Foundation.

Each year, the Hop and Mae Adams Foundation issues a $200,000 grant to the Carson City Library to help with programs and general funding. One of those programs stipulated in the grant is the Business Retention and Expansion Program, which the library has decided to essentially turn over to Adams Hub and NNDA to run, using $60,000 of the grant to fund the hiring of a project manager.

The Hop and Mae Adams Foundation has a hand in several ventures throughout Carson City. Hop Adams and his wife Mae for decades were the owners and managers of the Carson City Nugget. After Hop passed, Mae decided to leave their trust and fortune to Carson City in the hopes of providing educational opportunities, economic improvement, and community engagement.

“The hope of the Hop & Mae Adams Foundation is to utilize its resources to help Carson City entrepreneurs and business owners be proud, responsible citizens committed to the community’s long-term future,” said the Hop and Mae Adams foundation. “Additionally, ‘Mae’ is proud to work with area elected officials and economic development associations to promote the community and attract investment.”

Since its founding in 2008, “Mae” has provided funding to a number of organizations and projects to help fulfill the vision of the Trust, including: Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada, Capital City Arts Initiative, Carson High School Robotics, The Greenhouse Project, Western Nevada College, the Carson City Library, Nevada EB-5 Regional Center, Carson Careers, Carson Incubator 1 (Adams Hub), the City Center Project, and more.

In 2012, “Mae” purchased the old Stewart Title Building at 111 W. Proctor Street for what is now Adams Hub. Adams Hub works in partnership with Carson City Careers and the NNDA to identify and promote new business and business expansion opportunities in Carson City’s downtown area.

It makes perfect sense for the Carson City Library, Adams Hub and the NNDA to partner with this project of Business Retention and Expansion, as it falls perfectly in line with what Adams Hub and NNDA are already committed to bringing to Carson City, and using the funds granted by the Hop and Mae Adams foundation to hire a position follows “Mae’s” vision.

“In the review of the operations we were looking for a unique approach to be able to effectively reach the businesses that are in our community and surrounding area in order to help sustain and improve their position within the community,” said Diane Baker of the Carson City Library.

However, the actual implementation was found to be more complex than any of the parties anticipated, as pointed out by Supervisor Brad Bonkowski at the Board of Supervisor’s meeting.

Instead of the three entities all being in charge of the project with no clear leader, he said, it made more sense that Adams Hub and the NNDA secure the funds directly from the foundation and work on the project between themselves, with Steve Neighbors of Adams Hub as the head of the project.

“It seems this would be a whole lot simpler if we let the two parties deal directly with each other,” said Bonkowski. “I think we’re just creating a more complicated and expensive process to do something that could be done in a more efficient way.”

All parties agreed, and the issue has been tabled while a new agreement is drawn up, and the Library Board must be consulted again on the new agreement before it can move forward with the Board of Supervisors.

Under the new agreement, Adams Hub and the NNDA will receive $60,000 from the Hop and Mae Adams directly to create the project, and the donation to the Carson City Library will be reduced from $200,000 to $140,000.

The issue will be discussed further at the next Board of Supervisor’s meeting.