[EDAWN Column for the Reno Gazette-Journal for Sunday, April 10, 2011]
What are we now and what do we want to become as an economic region? One of those is an important question and the other is a critical answer. Recently, I attended DCI Summit 2011 in New York City, a two-day roundtable hosted by Development Counsellors International, the firm that handles national media relations for the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN). CEO’s from six economic development organizations from throughout the United States met with 12 site consultants - executives who represent companies looking to relocate or expand. We shared ideas and trends in site location, industries and marketing.
What we are now, is an important answer, because it is how such corporate site selection experts perceive Nevada as a potential place to do business. About 30 percent of company expansions and relocations are managed by such independent experts. EDAWN has worked for years to develop and maintain relationships with these consultants. At Summit 2011 they reported that while they like to receive information from communities like Greater Reno-Tahoe, they emphasized that the information should be “actual vs. aspirational.” Too often communities and states claim what they want to become in terms of economic sectors rather than reporting what they already are. Aspirational messages don’t help site consultants or companies build confidence in considering operating in Nevada. For the record, the consultants indicated EDAWN sends actual not aspirational messages.
The Target2010 industry sectors were chosen in 2006 based largely on what Greater Reno-Tahoe already “is,” beyond gaming and tourism, with a touch of what our region realistically can and wants to become. Thanks to a national consultant, 1,200 citizens and a 45-member steering committee, the community selected six target industries. We conducted a full market analysis of what exists locally, a cluster industry analysis, looked at national and regional industry growth trends and studied local assets that match growing clusters. The question we asked to make this effort actual vs. aspirational was, “Does Greater Reno Tahoe have the assets – vendors/suppliers, infrastructure – to support the appropriate target industries that we want to grow here?” That focus was re-emphasized by Mark Sweeney, from the national site selection firm McCallum Sweeney, during EDAWN’s recent Business BUZZ “Beyond Target2010” forum. He validated the industries we had selected as viable, realistic and worth continued pursuit. Sweeney said the down economy hampered us, not the targets, and our efforts should continue.
At a legislative hearing this week on the statewide economic development reorganization bill AB449, Senator Horsford, one of the sponsors, stated that in their effort to create a new statewide economic development plan, he wanted industry targets that were appropriate to our state. That is a key element of the plan. The legislative leadership, the Governor’s commitment and the bi-partisan nature of this new emphasis from the state is just what we need and this bill should be supported.
We need to ensure that we know what we already are as a state, before we can work toward what we hope to become. If we work together, as the Governor and Legislators are demonstrating, we can turn our aspirations into something actual.
[Chuck Alvey, CEcD, is President and CEO of EDAWN
The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada]
