The Great Recession greatly impacted the economy of the state of Nevada. The state’s governor redesigned the state’s economic development office and insisted that regional development efforts be formulated. This panel will discuss and show how elements of the USDA-Rural Development’s Stronger Economies Together and EDA’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy programs were employed to develop a cohesive regional economic development strategy and provide necessary data and collaboration to complete a CEDS for the Western Nevada Development District.

1. COMBINING STRONGER ECONOMIES TOGETHER
(SET) and COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (CEDS) PROGRAMS TO
DEVELOP A REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGY

4. HISTORY THAT HELPED

9. How To Get Regional Efforts Out of Area
that Did Not Like Regionalism

10. DISCUSSION TODAY

11. SIERRA PACIFIC MEGAPOLITAN
AREA

12. Western Nevada Development District
SET Program Overview

13. WNDD Region
Carson City
Churchill
Douglas
Humbolt
Lyon
Mineral
Pershing
Storey
Washoe

14. SET Program Highlights
• February – October, 2012 (9 months)
• Monthly workshops – rotation
• Average 25-70 each workshop
• Rural/Urban interface
• Received $50,000 grant form Nevada
Governor’s Office of Economic
Development

16. WNDD Vision Statement
Western Nevada is an innovative, regional
economy, rooted in sustainable development
and enriched by the area’s abundant natural
resources and the collaboration of its
independent unique communities. Region-wide,
these prosperous communities
demonstrate a forward-moving commitment
to quality of life and to opportunity for all
residents.

18. Regional Goals
Capacity Building Goals
• Access to Capital
• Communication and
Networking
• Infrastructure
Improvement
• Workforce
Development
Economic Sector Goals
• Agribusiness
• Energy
• Manufacturing
• Tourism
• Transportation and
Logistics

19. SET Video – 13 minutes
I am having our tech people
save it to CD. Also we might
want to send with presentation
and see if they can load it?

20. WESTERN NEVADA DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
SET & CEDS
Nine Counties and six incorporated municipalities, plus nine CDP
Estimated 467215 residing in incorporated municipalities and CDP 72.6% living in urban
environment
WNDD always up front in seeing the value of the SET process to develop the WNDD CEDS
First Meeting in Fallon, 16 February 2012, last meeting in Fallon, 28 November 2012
11 SET Meetings were conducted over a 10 month period at least once in each of the WNDD
counties
Nine work groups were formed to work on implementation of the SET strategies

21. WESTERN NEVADA DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
SET & CEDS
Four Capacity Development goals were developed
Five Economic Sector Goals were developed

22. WESTERN NEVADA DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
SET & CEDS
Capacity Building Goals
Access to Capital –Work group formed but did not coalesce
WNDD is forming a revolving loan fund program to provide alternative business
financing from USDA RBEG and Small Cities CDBG
One loan (locksmith) approved and five pending applications
Communication and Networking –
USDA RBEG to create a small business, locally owned and operated web site
Listing of business and services
www.buylocalruralnv.com
Listing - Food/Farming LOCAL-Organic
Custom Gardens Farm, Silver Springs, website
Lattin Farms LLC, Fallon, website (a leader in produce production
in the region)
Rambling River Ranches, Inc, Fallon
Workman Farms, Fallon, website

23. WESTERN NEVADA DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
SET & CEDS
Capacity Building Goals (cont)
Infrastructure Improvement – Infrastructure Improvement has been combined with Transportation
and Logistics into a single work group
Tesla (Storey), Nevada Copper (Lyon) and on-going development at Tahoe Reno Industrial Center
(Storey), will make for a very active work group
Preliminary discussion at 8 October 2014 Board Meeting, discuss impacts of these three major
economic development projects upon the region’s infrastructure
Local governments are responsible for installation (with other resources), operation, maintenance
and operation of additional infrastructure
Infrastructure needs will be at the forefront for regional discussion and implementation
WNDD working to develop a region wide conference (January 2015) to begin addressing
infrastructure issues on a regional basis
Broadband issues are a part of this work group discussion

24. WESTERN NEVADA DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
SET & CEDS
Capacity Building Goals (cont)
Workforce Development – The three economic development projects are creating work force
needs
Western Nevada College – seven WNDD counties
Truckee Meadows Community College –Washoe
Great Basin College – Humboldt
All three community colleges and Nevada Department of Employment, Training and
Rehabilitation (DETR) and private sector are components and partners for workforce
training
UNR College of Engineering – developing a minor in Unmanned Autonomous
Systems (UAS), we are seeing more use of robotics in some of the larger
distribution centers in the region

25. WESTERN NEVADA DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
SET & CEDS
Economic Sector Goals
Agribusiness – Awarded $5,000 grant to implement a regulatory food map project.
Provide a data base regarding regulations, permits, fees for small producers to sell
product at local farmers markets
Producers will access data base of regulations to sell locally grown, produced food
throughout the region
Work group evaluating legislation to aid the development of the wine, micro-brew
and distilling industry in the region and the state
Evaluating vita-culture industry for the region and state

26. WESTERN NEVADA DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
SET & CEDS
Economic Sector Goals (cont)
Energy – Original focus was upon large alternative energy projects, solar and geo-thermal,
to produce energy and sell out of state
Group focus has changed since inception
Focus is now upon generating energy on-site for use on-site
Implementing a video competition for area high schools for videos to be posted on
YouTube Videos to be in the areas of: commercial, institutional, residential
Group will next address energy regulations and their impact upon on-site generation
Manufacturing –Work group has not yet functioning
The three economic development projects cited earlier provide the need for this group

27. WESTERN NEVADA DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
SET & CEDS
Economic Sector Goals (cont)
Tourism – Group has been meeting and discussing regional tourism issues
Bike trails, ATV trails and events under discussion
Transportation and Logistics –Work group has been combined with Infrastructure
Region has a large number of distribution centers
Wal-Mart, 1,000,000 SF
Pet-Smart, 900,000 SF
Nevada does not have an inventory tax thus providing an incentive for distribution
centers

28. WESTERN NEVADA DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
SET & CEDS
RESULTS
Four of eight workgroups are active
Four of eight, two of which are inactive, have seen projects resulting from their efforts
or others have worked to implement the strategies
Nine identified goals coming from SET may be to many and may dilute efforts at
implementation
It is evident from the last year that work groups who have champions are the active
work groups working to implement projects
SET goals and the WNDD CEDS are going to be impacted by the three major
economic development projects occurring in the region
SET work groups will be re-convened 6 November 2014 to:
Report current work group activities
Proposed activities for the next year
How the SET work groups can coordinate with others in the region to
prepare for the impacts of the three major economic development projects

29. WESTERN NEVADA DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
SET & CEDS
Did SET provide a basis for greater regional collaboration?
YES
Commuting Linkages in WNDD With Washoe County – the one data set where
participants could see the economic linkages, where people live and where they work,
commuting patterns
The WNDD region, at the start of the SET project, February 2012, consisted of
eight counties
We requested the UNR University Center to prepare data sets for the SET project
As we started we requested the University Center to prepare data sets for the eight
counties and adding Washoe County data for all data sets

30. WESTER NEVADA DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
SET & CEDS
WNDD Board of Directors, at the request of Washoe, Reno and Sparks, voted to
include Washoe County as part of the WNDD region
The inclusion provided a basis for WNDD and the UNR College of Engineering,
as co-applicants to submit an Investing In Manufacturing Communities Partnership
(IMCP) application in April 2014
Although not awarded the partners from across the region want to re-submit in the
next round
Tesla, Nevada Copper and on-going business development at Tahoe Reno Industrial
Center (TRI) provide the need for greater regional collaboration in the future

31. WESTERN NEVADA DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
SET & CEDS
Stay tuned
Film at eleven
Check with us in five years