Vol. 6, No. 2
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November 15, 2008
Nevada's Online State News Journal-- Serving Informed Nevadans Since 2003
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Economic Development In
Nevada Growing
Tough Economy Brings
Out Top Fighters
With Nevada and the nation reeling from the effects of a near depression, the business community of northern Nevada has taken the stance of a Rocky Balboa, and is fighting, if not clawing, its way out of the deep pit. The 24th Annual Governor’s Industry Appreciation Dinner was held on November 6 at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks, and the fight was led by the director of the Nevada Commission on Economic Development (NCED), Mike Skaggs. He had help in the corner from Governor Jim Gibbons and Lt. Governor Brian Krolicki.
At the heart of the dinner is the awarding of Distinguished Business of the Year honors, and this year, there were four categories of winners. What the program featured, more than these winners, is that despite the economic problems being faced by small and large businesses throughout the country, some businesses are able to do well and prosper. Some of the businesses that were honored have been able to expand, while others have capitalized on available resources.
Co-sponsored by the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) and the Northern Nevada Development Authority (NNDA), the dinner brought out almost 700 of northern Nevada’s business leaders. Governor Jim Gibbons spoke of the relationship between government and business, and said business operates best when government interference is least. He put it this way, “Government should be there when it is needed and get the hell out of the way when it isn’t.”
Keynote speaker for the evening was Mike Skaggs who spoke to the energy situation as it pertains to Nevada. He pointed out that Nevada imports most of the energy it uses, whether that be for vehicles or power, and indicated that in the current economic crisis the states facing the least amount of trouble were energy states. He went into detail on the fact that Nevada should be a leader in renewable resources for energy and that the business community should lead the way.
He discussed the fact that southern Nevada could produce enough solar energy to make the state independent of oil, coal, or natural gas. He indicated that wind power in central and southern Nevada could do the same, and that geothermal energy in northern Nevada could power the west. The only thing holding it back, according to Skaggs is a lack of desire to create the new businesses that would be needed.
“This is an opportunity of the Century,” he said, and Nevada should be the leading energy producing state in the country. Along with production companies, and a willingness from distributors to join in the party, would be companies to build, maintain, and operate the transmission lines and the major grids. Skaggs said this is an opportunity that Nevada businesses should not let get by them.
And the winners are:
In the category of Community Support, the winner is McDonald Carano Wilson, a company with over 50 years of service to northern Nevada. They clocked more than 8,000 hours of volunteer service during 2007, and participated in the Fernley Flood Relief programs.
For Educational Support in the Workforce, the winner is Microsoft Licensing of Reno. With a large range of educational and workforce development programs that distinguish the company locally, Microsoft Licensing took its already successful intern program with the University of Nevada, Reno to the next level this year by offering seniors and graduate level students full time internships providing the students hands on experience across all departments at the company.
In the category of Innovation, the award went to Niotan, Inc. Located in Mound House, just east of the Capitol of Carson City, Niotan manufactures tantalum capacitor powder for use in electronic devices. The company says they are the only U.S. manufacturer investing and expanding production of the high tech product. The company says other companies are outsourcing production to Japan and Europe.
The award that generated a great deal of interest from the audience was for Distinguished Start Up, and the winner was Hug Your Kids, LLC. Created primarily to remind working parents to Hug Your Kids, the project has blossomed into a national program, headquartered in Reno and supported by employers, city and government leaders, and many thousands of parents.
There were five finalists in each category and the decisions leading to the winner’s circle were based on specific criteria in each category.
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