NNDA recognizes new businesses

Seven companies that moved to the region in the last year were recognized at a dinner hosted by the Northern Nevada Development Authority Wednesday night.

About 160 people attended the gala inside the Governor's Mansion that featured Bonnie Plants of Silvers Springs, Buffalo Wire Works of Sparks, Fulcrum Bioenergy of Reno, Northwest Territorial Mint of Dayton, Ritemade Paper Converters, Inc., of Reno, Saginaw Control and Engineering of Reno and Sutter Equipment Company, Inc., of Mound House.

Those companies brought 288 jobs with an estimated economic impact of $373 million, according to the NNDA. Other companies were recognized for expanding in the last year, too.

Executive Director Rob Hooper also announced the start of the Dream It Do It initiative at the dinner, which is a marketing program designed to attract students and other workers to careers in manufacturing or the construction, health care, mining, renewable energy and public service industries.

"It's going help prepare kids to get careers in manufacturing, which is where the high paying jobs are, and, by the way, what we need for our economic situation here," Hooper said.

Collie Hutter, the CFO and COO of Click Bond Inc., in Carson City, said the program, designed by the Manufacturing Institute of Washington, D.C., is already underway in 18 other states.

"People in other states are training their workers and we want to have the best skilled workforce ahead of anybody," Hutter said. "It's going to draw other big companies to our area because we have a skilled workforce."

Mayor Bob Crowell said the city also stands behind the concept.

Mike Skaggs, the executive director of the Nevada Commission on Economic Development, said the NNDA's open source economic development model is working by inviting members from the region to form committees through the NNDA and work toward attracting new companies.

Currently, the NNDA has about 190 members who serve on committees that focus on efforts such as seeking out commercial real estate for prospective companies and financing their move.

"In government we understand you are the ones who create the jobs," Skaggs said, addressing the crowd largely made up of local business leaders. "We respect that, we cherish that, but believe me, we understand that. Our job in government is to create the kind of environment where you can do that, and that's a partnership. But without you we're going nowhere."

Gov. Jim Gibbons was expected to attend the event, but was unable to because he is still in the hospital after he was bucked from a horse on Sept. 21 and suffered a broken pelvis.