Infrastructure allowing area to thrive stressed in Carson City

Mayor Bob Crowell discussed Carson City’s commitment to providing the infrastructure needed for manufacturing and entrepreneurship to thrive at the monthly Nevada Business Connections breakfast Wednesday.

He cited the Carson City Industrial Airpark and the Adams Hub incubator downtown as success stories.

“People say our industrial airpark is overlooked and sometimes I think it is,” said Crowell speaking at the Gold Dust West. “It is one of our biggest employers. If you want to know what’s going on go there around 5 p.m. and see.”

He said manufacturers bring new dollars into an economy while other businesses, like his own legal profession from which he’s retired, just trade dollars.

The mayor said innovation should be encouraged but so should cooperation.

“We need to make sure to promote not just entrepreneurship, but promote a culture of mutual respect for competing ideas,” he said.

Crowell said northern Nevada is finally seeing the economic diversification that’s been buzzed about for decades.

“What you’re seeing is a renaissance,” he said. “In my view that’s a good thing.”

In the primary Tuesday, Crowell received 45 percent of the vote and in November will face off against Chris Carver, who received 34 percent.

Ray Bacon, executive director, Nevada Manufacturers Association, talked briefly about the groundbreaking of the USA Parkway, which will provide access to the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center from Silver Springs, as well as hiring there by Panasonic, which is working on the Tesla Motors battery.

He said Panasonic is hiring 400 this year and plans to hire 2,000 in 2017.

“Skilled labor is going to be a challenge. You might want to hire before the road goes in,” Bacon told the room full of manufacturers and businesspeople.

David Williams, chairman, Aervoe Industries, Inc. in Gardnerville, gave an update on the Williams Ridge Technology Park he’s developing.

Williams moved his company, which employs 150 workers, from California to Douglas County 35 years ago.

Since then, he’s purchased 293 acres surrounding his business to develop the technology park.

The newest additions coming soon are Google Loon, a new project from Google Inc. to provide Internet access in far-flung places via a network of balloons, and CRC Industries, a $1 billion automotive electronics maker which is locating its western distribution there.

Williams said about 40 acres of the 293-acre park has been developed so far.

“It won’t be me that builds this out. It probably won’t even be my son, but hopefully it will be my grandson,” Williams said.

Williams said he moved his company to Nevada because of onerous environmental restrictions in California.

On his way back to California after scouting locations here, he stopped at Carson Valley Inn to have breakfast and sat next to a Coldwell Banker broker at the counter who told him about a recently vacated, 40,000 square-foot building.

“He took a napkin to draw on and showed me how to get there,” he said.

Williams drove there, found an abandoned building and a herd of wild horses, and turned right around to find the broker.

“He was still there drinking coffee,” Williams said. “And I asked him if it was for sale.”