Economic Development

As Prepared for Delivery Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013:

Madam Speaker, Mr. President, Distinguished Members of the Legislature, Honorable Justices of the Supreme Court, Constitutional Officers, Senator Heller, honored guests…...

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today released budget data that had been sought by state lawmakers after a weeks-long disagreement over whether the information was public.

The state of Nevada will introduce a new “brand” in the spring that will include a marketing campaign to help boost tourism and economic development, Gov. Brian Sandoval told an audience at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism on Tuesday at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks.

Other tourism officials said the brand will include a new statewide slogan and logo. Tourism officials said the campaign to roll out Nevada’s new brand has been in the works for more than a year.

CARSON CITY – The city of Reno has been selected as one of only 100 recipients of IBM’s prestigious Smarter Cities Challenge grant for 2013.

Partners in the project include the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, University of Nevada, Reno, EDAWN, Desert Research Institute and the Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization.

CARSON CITY – A federal emergency unemployment benefit program will expire on Jan. 2, cutting off about 25,000 Nevadans from the program, a state agency reported today.

I attended a League of Women Voters' meeting last week ( October 16th). I may be have been dreaming, but people were mostly civil to each other. It was a refreshing change from so many discussions I've observed over the past two years. . . mostly angry shouting matches. Marilee Swirczek wrote recently about the "shout-out" at WNC which turned unruly when some opponents of the City Center Project started pushing and shoving an invited guest. I'm glad I wasn't there.

CARSON CITY – From double-dipping employees to the questionable use of credit cards, the newest edition of the Nevada Policy Research Institute’s “piglet book” released today offers highlights of recent questionable government agency actions.

Carson City Library Director Sara Jones was named the 2012 Nevada Library Association’s (NLA) Librarian of the Year at its 67th annual conference, held Oct. 4 & 5 at the Sahara West Library in Las Vegas. Jones joins the ranks of an elite group of librarians recognized for effective advancement and extension of library services; exemplary library management; notable activity in recruitment to the profession; statewide planning and for broadening the scope of library and information service to the community.

Northern Nevada has earned its developing economic comeback the old-fashioned way: building on its strengths, looking to the future and taking common sense steps to coax and reward entrepreneurialism and innovation. It’s paying off.

A Carson City family trust wishes to trade the historic Pioneer Cemetery and a 19-acre hill site south and west of Ormsby Boulevard and Kings Canyon Road. The Potter Family Trust would receive the equivalent in city land if such a land trade were to happen.
As part of the process, Carson City leaders will decide when they meet Thursday whether to appoint Stephen R. Johnson and Associates as the indendent appraiser for the potential exchange.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency announced the winners of the Lake Spirit Awards honoring “real people making real progress protecting Lake Tahoe” at their second annual Community Appreciation Day event held on Sept. 27 at TRPA’s office.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval’s trade mission to the People’s Republic of China has announced two business agreements for companies located in Northern and Southern Nevada. A collaborative research agreement with the Desert Research Institute (DRI) was also expanded.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s unemployment rate ticked up one-tenth of a percentage point to 12.1 percent in August from July, the second month of increases in the jobless rate after hitting a three-year low in May, a state agency reported today.

CARSON CITY – On the first leg of his trade mission to the People’s Republic of China, Gov. Brian Sandoval and the Nevada business delegation met with members of the U.S. Embassy staff and representatives of the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Treasury, Agriculture, and the divisions of  Economics and  Public Affairs of the Department of State, his office reported today.

Sustainable industries and the future of energy-savings for businesses and companies will be the focus of a luncheon for regional industry and corporate leaders on Wednesday in Reno.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today met with members of the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce to discuss his upcoming trade mission to the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Korea.

CARSON CITY – A state lawmaker has requested a bill be drafted to implement a “Buy American Act” in Nevada for public works projects.

Assemblywoman Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas, said today that details will have to be worked out in the 2013 legislative session, but the idea is to create some level of preference for bidders on state government construction projects who use American made products and materials.

CARSON CITY – Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said today that any “green energy” policy that leads to higher electric bills for Nevadans who are looking for work in tough economic times is the wrong energy policy for the state.

“Nobody is anti-green,” he said. “We struggle to compete with the cost of a kilowatt hour when we talk about economic development. And economic development has something to do with jobs.”

Lake Tahoe will be thrust in the spotlight again when scientists, public agencies and elected officials meet Aug. 13 for the 16th annual Lake Tahoe Summit. To be discussed with great interest is the protection and health of Lake Tahoe's fragile environment and economy.
“The health of the environment and the health of the economy at Tahoe are linked,” Derek Kauneckis, political science professor and researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno said. “And the collaborations that have been established at the Lake have set the stage for future efforts.”

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval and a host of elected officials and dignitaries joined in dedicating the new I-580 freeway connecting the capital to Reno today, although motorists won’t get to drive on the 8.4-mile stretch of new roadway until mid-August.

CARSON CITY – The state Board of Economic Development today unanimously signed off on a package of tax breaks to bring Apple to Reno, but the panel found it had little authority over the deal reached after several months of closed-door negotiations.

CARSON CITY – A new report from The Council of State Governments exploring the successes that 13 Western states have had with tax incentives to encourage economic growth found that Nevada has fewer such programs in large part because of its tax structure.

CARSON CITY – There were no takers today for the chance to weigh in on $89 million in tax breaks being offered to Apple in exchange for the company building a data center and related facilities in the Reno area that are expected to bring $1 billion in investment over the next decade.

The hearing on the proposed sales and personal property tax abatements, made as part of a deal to bring Apple to Northern Nevada, did not generate a single comment.

CARSON CITY – A broader measure of Nevada’s unemployment picture, including those who have given up looking for work, showed slight but continued improvement through the second quarter of 2012, a federal report released today shows.

New local resources for California companies exploring expansion or relocation to Nevada are now available in the San Francisco Bay Area and Orange County, the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) announced today.

GOED has retained James Renzas and John Schuetz, principals in The RSH Group business consulting firm, to provide information and initial assistance to California companies interested in Nevada opportunities. Renzas is based in Mountain View, Calif., and Schuetz in Irvine, Calif.

CARSON CITY – Nevada today affirmed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s automatic drought disaster declaration, which applies to all 17 Nevada counties.

A series of classical music concerts featuring a 38 piece symphony orchestra of world-renowned artists highlights Lake Tahoe SummerFest in August. Weekend performances include Friday and Saturday night symphonies and Sunday programming for families.

CARSON CITY – Local elected officials representing the Northern Nevada workforce development agency have endorsed a plan to restructure the delivery of job training funds to Nevadans, including eliminating the two local boards now involved in the process.

CARSON CITY – The House of Representatives today passed H.R. 4039, the Yerington Land Conveyance and Sustainable Development Act, the first piece of legislation introduced by Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., since taking office after a special election in September 2011.

CARSON CITY – The Governor’s Workforce Investment Board today unanimously approved a plan to consolidate two local boards in an effort to free up $5 million in federal funds to train the unemployed.

The move, which requires approval from the U.S. Department of Labor, is opposed by Workforce Connections, the Southern Nevada workforce investment board.