We’ve heard this before: Another report says Nevada needs to diversify its economy
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25 July 2011
4:30 p.m.
Sun Coverage
State economic experts and government leaders today got their first look at a report they hope will put Nevada on the path to economic diversification.
Gov. Brian Sandoval and Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki led a meeting teleconference in Las Vegas and Carson City at which participants received preliminary findings on a report being developed by research groups SRI International and the Brookings Institution.
After the meeting, Sandoval said he expects the final report, due in October, will provide the framework for the state’s plans to overhaul its Economic Development Commission.
The preliminary findings didn’t reveal many surprises because the state in March received diversification research two reports, one from the Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization and Regionnovate LLC, the other from the New Nevada Taskforce.
“There are many cars moving on separate tracks,” Sandoval said after the two-hour session.
SRI and Brookings are expected to meet with the state’s development authorities and universities to complete their report, and Sandoval said the findings would help him choose appointees to the new Economic Development Commission as well as its executive director.
The Nevada Legislature approved a comprehensive economic development overhaul that will replace the existing commission with a board that will be guided by the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and top legislative leaders. It also provides a $10 million “catalyst fund” to spur diversification.
The existing Economic Development Commission will continue to operate through June, considering tax abatements and deferrals for companies relocating to or expanding in Nevada.
Once SRI and Brookings complete their report, which is expected to recommend industry clusters compatible to the state’s business environment, Sandoval will be able to choose commission representatives who are knowledgeable about the types of industries the state hopes to attract.
Sandoval said the biggest challenge for the state is planning for 20 to 40 years from now, while also finding quick fixes to boost the economy immediately. Because the state has been well served by tourism, gaming, construction, real estate and retail during prosperous times, Sandoval said it didn’t pay attention to the need to diversify the economy to endure poor economic times.
“Nevada’s reliance on its core consumption-based industries has meant that its innovation-intensive industries have not always received adequate attention and support, as borne out by the state’s relatively weak position in a number of innovations activities,” the preliminary report says. “Nevada significantly lags the national average for every indicator of innovation and (research and development) used in this study. The innovation activities that are taking place in the state are heavily concentrated in the Reno metro area.”
The report applauded UNLV’s strong research competencies in environmental sciences, geosciences and water, but it added that UNLV is weak on technology commercialization activities.
The report listed the Las Vegas metropolitan area’s industry strengths as information technology services, aerospace and defense, medicine and life sciences, and financial and business services sectors. Energy and environment, and transportation and logistics also have strong potential.
Sandoval asked researchers also to explore how changes in K-12 education philosophies could benefit the state’s economy. He said the reinvention of traditional vocational education to become more customized could develop skilled workers to fill jobs that would be part of Nevada’s future economy.
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Ho Hum...another report that will be widely ignored.
How diversified can you get? The machines take ones, fives, tens, twentys, fifities and hundreds!
We cannot accomplish this goal because the GOP has made education the enemy - without education - how is the workforce supposed to learn the new skills needed to diversify? The GOP thinks this will happen by magic. They attack teachers as if they were terrorists and they attack schools as if they were houses of prostitution. I fear Nevada will never work its way out of this mess because the right has a firm hold on much of the government here and they don't want an educated Nevada.
Hello I am retired from Alaska and in Alaska they have a permanent fund dividine check from the oil and the piprline. The fund can not be touched but the interest is split, half runs the state and the other half goes to the people. In good years you get more and in bad years you get alot less. Every person in Alaska gets this check if you have been their for more than a year. Here is what I am leading up to. Yuka mountain could be our pipeline. We save the money for 5 yeaars and the money saved would be invested and would run the states business. This state has spent so much money to keep it out. We should be spending to bring it here and we would not be in this mess we are in now. I know all the people say no but it would be good for the state and it's money problem.........
The real enemy of the education system in Nevada continues to be teachers unions. Respected business people like Lee Iacocca recognize the problem in His book "Where Have All The Leaders Gone?" Iaccoca states "Our schools are in complete disaster because of the teachers unions" When teachers can not be fire or when teacher are more focused on benefits and pay, it's the children who suffer.
People who continue to want to go down the same path that got us to this point are the PROBLEM.
Nevada has no centers of manufacturing, agricultural, or mining excellence. It is not the major center for gaming. Our geographic position is that we are next to but not in California, Arizona, and Utah.
We need to start building our State in a deliberate and coordinated way -- one that does not depend on the federal government to fund things and one which Nevadans of both political parties will follow for the next 50 or 100 years.
1. We need to connect the parts Nevada with rail. This is and will be the lowest cost method of transportation available to us. Without a low cost way of moving freight and people, we might as well break up the State and let the parts join with California, Arizona, or Utah as they once were.
2. We need substantial intermodal facilities in Las Vegas and Reno. Shipments should be able to go from air to rail and from rail to truck -- and vice versa rapidly and at minimal expense in money and time.
3. We need expanded Customs and Inspection Facilities at our airports in Las Vegas and Reno. This will give us the chance to become a transportation hub for world trade in high value goods.
4. We need high speed freight links to the ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach. Ideally, a distributor should be able to land containers at the port, transport them to Nevada, and reship them to customers in less than two days. The only system that could move freight that rapidly at a low cost per mile is maglev.. It would also be useful to have maglev for outbound freight to various points such as Salt Lake, Phoenix, Denver, and as far east as Houston and Chicago.
5. We need to solve our water supply problem by putting a large desalinization plant in the Gulf of California. Maybe one benefit of "global warming" will be greater snowfall in the Colorado River drainage, but we can't count on it. Right now, we are drinking our own sewage tainted with rocket fuel out of Lake Mead . Both desalination and aqueducts are well within available technology and economic cost -- and have been for years.
6. We actually need to build our intellectual capital. The chief problem with our schools is not teachers (unionized or not) but with parents who don't see the value of education. Parents are the keys to their kids' educations. We need to move Nevada from service jobs to distribution, manufacturing, and intellectual jobs in disciplines in technologies that are not even invented yet because our (educated) kids were inspired and enabled to invent those technologies. We need our (educated) kids to put our now marginal desert lands to use growing new crops in new ways. We need our (educated) kids to develop new uses for minerals and new mining and refining methods that will give us the materials we need for new products and advanced technologies.
For over 20 years, I've heard about Nevada's needs to diversify. -- but nothing ever happens but talk.
Whatever they are paying these idiots to tell us what we already know, as a taxpayer I want a damn refund.
What I would rather know is how much of a dent could we be making in the state deficit by eliminating stupid sh** like this in the first place.
Stop wasting time and my tax dollars standing around scratching your heads babbling about it and do something already besides just attacking average middle working class families.
Vegas needs to Dubai itself. Why isn't the biggest mall in the world in Vegas? Why isn't there a massive theme park in Vegas? Why isn't there a massive water park in Vegas? For the party capital of the whole United States, one little strip built over 50 years is pretty pathetic. They've built more stuff in Dubai in 2 years than Vegas has in 50. Why isn't there a massive Zoo or Wild Animal Park in Vegas? The state government needs provides more incentives to invest in Vegas and Nevada. Why no silicon valley in Vegas? I could go on and on with ideas.