Column: One Key to Northern Nevada's Economic Development Success

One of the most effective development tools in Northern Nevada is "strategic listening."

NNDA has concluded that among all the economic development incentives and programs, perhaps the most effective tool we can employ to encourage growth and development is, after all, the human ear. Real economic development, we have determined, is an auditory process where business speaks and we listen.

But just listening isn't enough. Sound economic development strategies require strategic listening. That means sometimes hearing what is not said, perceiving that which is not spoken.

It is a process that takes years of nurturing and trust. It is a process that calls for precision and well-defined actions. Stategic listening means understanding markets, market opportunities and market dynamics. It means understanding your customer, what the business client really wants, and what is really needed to move development forward. It is a process that is inclusive rather than restrictive.

Sometimes creative listening is as simple as moving expeditiously with a routine zoning change when you notice that it is more than just a causal issue with an important client. The zoning change may not be at the top of your priority list, but the client's concern should put it there. Sometimes creative listening is more complex and the signals more subtle.

Gov. Kenny Guinn captured the essence of Nevada's economic development strategy recently when he said, "By listening to our customers and offering them quality programs and services they want and need, Nevada's climate for growth and development has improved dramatically. We simply offer companies the opportunity to succeed. "

Here in Northern Nevada, we are not looking for bragging rights. We are aggressively looking for business opportunities and aggressively listening to our business community to learn how opportunities can be expanded in Nevada. The sheer volume of business expansion in Nevada in the past five years is measurable evidence that economic development in the Silver State is no accident. It is, instead, the marriage of a sound economic strategy tied to private-sector needs.

Economic development demands our full attention. Business and industry in Nevada would not be flourishing if economic development were just one of our priorities. In Nevada, it is becoming the priority because we know all else depends on the health and vitality of our businesses and industries. A healthy business sector means employment, and that means fewer dollars flowing into welfare. A vibrant economy means an expanded tax base, and that means holding down taxes, or lowering them. A thriving private sector may not cure crime, but the prospect of finding a job at the very least offers an alternative to crime.

Giving economic development our full attention in Nevada means creating a welcome and inviting business evironment where the tax structure is fair and equitable. Tax incentives, abatements, deferrals, job training funds and industrial development bonds encourage investment, growth and job creation.

Creating an inviting business environment means improving those government services and agencies that most directly affect business and industry. We are reorganizing and making many positive changes at the State Industrial Insurance System (SIIS).

Another hallmark of our economic development strategy in Nevada is our organizational structure. To meet the needs of our customers throughout the state, we divided the state into 12 geographic regions with a local economic development authority assigned to each area. The Nevada State Commission on Economic Development works hand-in-hand with local development officials (like NNDA) in pursuing leads and working with the local community, educational, business and industry leaders. These local economic development authorities are more than a conduit or a satellite branch operation, they are the backbone of the Nevada State Economic Development Program. Partnership is key to what we do in Nevada.

An underlying and fundamental philosophy we have cultivated here in Nevada is our commitment first to our home-grown companies. Sometimes the temptation is to look for the home-run development by exploring the world for companies and development opportunities beyond our borders. We will not turn those opportunities away, but we have learned over the years that protecting our assets here at home leads to growth and expansion.

In Nevada, we are not content to rest on our laurels or spend too much time basking in the glow of what we have achieved. Our eyes are on the future and what it will take to not only maintain our standing as a progressive state, but to grow and surpass our current successes.

What is happening here in Northern Nevada is not something that happened overnight or by accident. Our success is the culmination of hard work, planning, organizing, caring, nurturing and a lot of strategic listening. Maybe that is why Gov. Guinn is sponsoring "The Millennium Scholarship Program."

Kris Holt is the executive director of the Northern Nevada Development Authority.