Economic Development

It's been three years since Gov. Brian Sandoval unveiled plans to remake Nevada%u2019s economic development efforts, launching a Governor%u2019s Office of Economic Development and regional authorities like the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance to oversee efforts ranging from job creation to workforce education. Today, representatives from both offices took inventory of their progress, challenges and the road ahead in the first State of Economic Development Address.

In his State of the State Thursday evening, Gov. Brian Sandoval announced that Switch, a major data center provider, picked Northern Nevada as the location for its next major expansion.

The announcement is considered a big win among economic development circles for a region that has focused on diversifying away from gaming, tourism and construction after the recession.

The University of Nevada, Reno’s College of Business has named Mehmet Tosun, associate professor and chair of the Economics Department, the Barbara Smith Campbell Distinguished Professor of Nevada Tax Policy. The four-year professorship is designed to assist in tax policy research at the state and local level, with a primary focus in Nevada.

As both an undergraduate and graduate instructor and researcher, Tosun believes the professorship is another way to bring tax policy research into the classroom.

Melody Harkreader has been named to the Nevada Rural Housing Authority Board of Commissioners as its rental housing representative. She was jointly appointed earlier this month by the Nevada Association of Counties and Nevada League of Cities.

“What NRHA offers is wonderful. It has blessed and helped so many families,” Harkreader said. “The Home at Last program is fantastic for first-time homebuyers, by giving families the opportunity to have their own home. And I'm very excited about the work they do with the homeless.”

The Brewery Arts Center's annual fundraiser, Winter, Wine, Spirits, and All That Jazz, is kicking it up a notch this year with more than 25 distilleries and wineries, music, performances and more and is seeking community support through sponsorships. Tickets are available now for the Jan. 17, 2015 event for $40 in advance and $50 at the door. You can access tickets through the Brewery Arts website at www.breweryarts.org. Pre-purchase is recommended, as tickets are limited.

The City of Yerington and Lyon County are pleased to announce that Friday, the U.S. Senate passed the Congressional legislation to transfer 10,400 acres of land from the federal government to the City of Yerington.

The same bill passed the House of Representatives on Dec. 2014. Section 3009, the “Land Conveyance to Yerington, Nevada” was included in the National Defense Authorization Act and will now go to President Obama for signing before year-end.

Western Nevada College has grant funding available for individuals who have lost their jobs and seek enrollment in an accelerated Machine Tool Technology or Welding Technology program.

Up to 12 students can receive up to $2,250 for the semester to cover student tuition, fees, books, and supportive services, and do not require income verification. Funds are limited and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to qualified participants who fulfill application requirements. Dislocated Worker programs for the spring semester begin on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the Carson City campus.

By suspension vote, the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday passed the Nevada Native Nations Lands Act, legislation sponsored by Congressman Mark Amodei of Nevada's second district.

The legislation includes six tribal land measures, as well as a smaller conveyance to the City of Elko. The bill was amended to match the Senate version, which was reported out of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in August.

CARSON CITY, Nev. – The Nevada Department of Transportation has promoted two staff members to executive positions overseeing department operations and planning, respectively. Reid Kaiser has been appointed as NDOT assistant director of operations and Sondra Rosenberg will serve as assistant director of planning.

UPDATE: The League of American Bicyclists on Tuesday recognized Carson City with a bronze level Bicycle Friendly Community award, joining more than 325 visionary communities from across the country. With the announcement, Carson City joins a leading group of communities, in all 50 states, that are transforming our neighborhoods.

This week's guest on Women to Women is Dianne Hillard, director of admissions at Western Nevada College. Dianne is originally from California, but has resided in Carson City with her husband for nearly 30 years. She holds a B.A. in Psychology, and a M.A. in Counseling from the California State University in Chico.

Northern Nevada Development Authority is excited to host the 2014 Pioneer Awards Dinner recognizing outstanding businesses and individuals throughout the Sierra Region of Northern Nevada on Thursday at the Carson Nugget.

NNDA will recognize Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell as the special honoree and 2014 Pioneer of the Year for the continual difference he makes in Carson City and the Sierra Region. Also attending will be United States Congressman Mark Amodei as a special guest and presenter and John Tyson as our Master of Ceremony.

Nevada's new Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation director, Don Soderberg, begins his duties today, Oct. 13. He was appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval last month and will serve serve as a member of the Sandoval's cabinet overseeing the daily operations of the employment division which includes more than 1,000 staff members in multiple offices statewide.

The inaugural Nevada Governor’s Conference on Agriculture will be Nov. 13 at the Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa in Reno, the Nevada Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday.

“I am pleased to announce the very first Nevada Governor’s Conference on Agriculture,” said Gov. Brian Sandoval. “Agriculture is one of Nevada’s leading industries, contributing more than $3 billion to the state’s economy. This includes our rich and diverse agricultural industries, from ranching and farming to all the associated businesses that keep these industries vibrant.”

CARSON CITY — Tammy Lancaster has been appointed to the position of Director of Finance for the Nevada Rural Housing Authority. Prior to joining NRHA, she served as Corporate Controller for Rite of Passage, an operator of residential treatment facilities, qualifying houses and schools for at-risk youth around the country.

More than $4.4 million in federal funding will enable Western Nevada College to offer students more services to meet the skilled labor demands of today’s businesses. WNC in Carson City was selected as Nevada’s lead community college in the nation-wide $450 million job-driven training grants, as part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training program.

Administered by the Department of Labor, Nevada’s four community colleges will receive a total of $9,921,831 from October 1 through September 30, 2018.

Carson City was among five cities selected Tuesday to receive federal assistance to help spruce up William Street. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will provide technical assistance to Carson City through the Greening America's Capitals program, which helps cities to develop environmentally-friendly infrastructure that will contribute to greener, more vibrant neighborhoods and increase resiliency from the impacts of climate change.

Hi…I’m Dave Cook….
Candidate for Nevada Assembly, district 40 (Carson
City, and south Washoe County), democrat, age 64.

I am a fourth generation Nevadan. I have lived in Carson City for thirty-five years, where I raised my two daughters. Both are now college graduates.

I'm a retired emeritus awarded college professor of business and
economics from Western Nevada College, where I taught for almost
thirty years here in Carson City.

I graduated from UNLV with bachelor degrees in Accounting and Political Science, and an MBA in Business and Economics.

Carson City's unemployment rate fell slightly to 7.5 percent in August along with Nevada's overall unemployment rate which also dipped to 7.6 percent, the lowest since August 2008 and down 2.2 points from a year ago, the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reports Friday.

Described as a historic package of Northern Nevada lands bills — six introduced by Congressman Mark Amodei and one by Rep. Steven Horsford — will be up for final passage in the House as a bipartisan suspension bill on Monday, Sept. 15.

University of Nevada, Reno alumni Fatih Ozmen ’81 M.S. and Eren Ozmen ’85 MBA have pledged $5 million to create a new entrepreneurship center in conjunction with the University’s College of Business. To date, this is the largest gift the College of Business has received.

Northern Nevada Development Authority, Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, and Nevada Industry Excellence have partnered again to bring the 2014 Manufacturing in Nevada Conference.

This year’s conference will be held on Oct. 1-2 at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks. The event has been expanded to feature an Unmanned Aircraft Systems/Unmanned Aerial Vehicles conference with some of the field’s top experts, as well as showcasing exhibit booths both days.

Nevada will receive $29.3 million in funding for northern and southern Silver State transportation projects, Sen. Harry Reid announced Tuesday.

The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County will receive $16 million to develop a rapid bus transit service connecting Reno and Sparks. This will construct the a 3.6 mile 4th Street/Prater Way RAPID Transit BRT project and may include upgraded electric buses and additional electric charging infrastructure, as well as construct accessible sidewalks and bike lanes.

Tesla Motors has officially chosen Nevada as the location to build a $5 billion battery plant for its electric vehicle batteries.

“The gigafactory is an important step in advancing the cause of sustainable transportation and will enable the mass production of compelling electric vehicles for decades to come,” said CEO of Tesla Motors Elon Musk.

Here's the video of Thursday's press conference in Carson City announcing Tesla's plans to build a gigafactory in Storey County.

Tesla has been in negotiation for months with four other states including California, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. CEO Elon Musk announced in spring that two sites would start to be constructed before a final winner was declared.

In July, Tesla broke ground at the Reno Tahoe Industrial Center, but the company did not publicly commit to building in Nevada. The Silver State ultimately won the battle for the major economic development.

“Tesla's decision to open a huge battery plant in the Reno area is exciting news and a game changer for all of northern Nevada. I congratulate the Nevada economic development team on landing this high technology company for our area.

I would expect short term issues to affect our region as we absorb such a large addition to our manufacturing community. Labor migration and availability will be a challenge to our existing base.

CNBC is reporting that Tesla has chosen Nevada as the site for the company's $5 billion lithium-ion battery plant, quoting a source inside Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval's office.

The report says the governor will hold a news conference on Thursday in Carson City, Nevada to make a "major economic development announcement."

It had been previously revealed that ground work had been completed in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center to make way for the factory, that could bring as many as 5,000 jobs to the state.

Three northern Nevada development agencies have partnered to bring the 2014 Manufacturing in Nevada Conference to Sparks, Oct. 1-2. The event will coincide with a Unmanned Aircraft Systems/Unmanned Aerial Vehicles conference.

The events are being hosted by the Northern Nevada Development Authority, Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, and Nevada Industry Excellence. The conferences feature the field's top experts, as well as showcasing exhibit booths both days.

Western Nevada College Professional Skills Program will offer Beginning SolidWorks, Level 1 solid modeling CAD software on Thursday evenings this fall at the Carson City campus. This 3D drafting application is popular across a wide range of industries for engineering design, documentation and simulation.

Experienced professional Bill Perez will lead students through the basics of SolidWorks 2013-2014. Classes meet in a lab setting with a workstation available to each student.

It will meet Thursdays, Oct. 16 – Dec. 18, 7-9:45 p.m. The course fee is $199.

A Carson City couple have made a commitment to take on the toughest job they're destined to ever love. Warren and Anita Shaul have been accepted into the Peace Corps and will begin work in Nicaragua this month as volunteers.

Warren Shaul says he was motivated to join the Peace Corps because when he has traveled, he enjoyed experiences where he had the opportunity to stay in one place and build friendships with the people he worked and lived with.