Northern Nevada is experiencing a strong and steady recovery from the recent economic downturn caused by the pandemic. The region’s economy has bounced back as a result of diversification and the relocation and expansion of new companies bringing high-quality, high-paying jobs to Northern Nevada.
This didn’t happen by accident. It’s the intentional work of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN). A nonprofit formed in 1983 as a public-private partnership, EDAWN’s mission is to support, grow and maintain a vibrant and sustainable economy in Northern Nevada. The organization is working toward the long-term health of the region by balancing economic expansion with environmental stewardship, infrastructure capacity, workforce readiness and quality of life.
EDAWN: A Full Recovery
Like every other region across the country – and worldwide – Northern Nevada had to rebuild after the devastation wrought by the pandemic. Today, Taylor Adams, president and CEO of EDAWN, said the region has “returned to trend” since the dips in the first half of the decade.
Adams compared Nevada’s recovery from the economic downturn of the early 2020s to that of the housing crisis decades ago with one major difference: industry power.
“If you went back to 2010 and 2011, as our economy was coming out of the Great Recession, the data is clear that we relied on warehousing, distribution and logistics,” Adams said. “That drove the industrial growth in our community.”
Northern Nevada now relies on that foundation rather than being defined by it. “What’s fascinating is we still see about a third of our pipeline directly attributable to the warehousing and distribution industries, but in addition, almost the entirety of the remainder is attributable to technology and advanced manufacturing,” he said.
This new economy isn’t just built to last, but to grow. Part of the growth strategy is what Adams called the “professionalization” of Northern Nevada, an endeavor EDAWN is undertaking which will benefit Northern Nevada in the near future. “Professional office use is trending, and we’re watching that expand nationally,” he said.
“We’re set to benefit from that.”
Northern Nevada has reached a “critical mass” for industrial workers, Adams said.
The expansion into professionalization is a diversification move. “The older economy built on the logisticians, distributors and warehouses is invaluable. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to expand into professionalization — there wouldn’t be this need for a broader professional services community now.”
These professional services are coming from across the state, country and even internationally, in all sizes. The biggest point of growth, though, are headquarter relocations.
Attracting Companies
“Over the last two years, we’ve been attracting smaller manufacturers to move their global headquarters here, to Northern Nevada,” Adams said. “This is huge for our economy because it’s not just a new location or expansion – which, understand, is also great – but it’s the entire company. This communicates that our region is worth not just an investment, but a generational investment.”
EDAWN is instrumental in organizing these relocations. “We are the hub on a wheel, with spokes going out everywhere,” Adams said. “Our job is to be a great connector in this community.”
It’s a team effort – EDAWN itself has dedicated business development, business retention and expansion as well as entrepreneurial development teams who work to keep Northern Nevada connected and growing.
Adams explained, “At any point, our teams can be in multiple countries, 15 different states, looking for our next opportunity. It’s our job to be actively engaged in the industry, to know what’s out there.”
Adams said his goal is to make the business environment worthy of becoming a company’s home for perpetuity. “We have to find companies that are right for this community,” he said.
Caesar Ibarra, a partner at Eide Bailly’s Reno, Nevada office, primarily works with private companies, private equity firms and small businesses – many of the types of companies EDAWN is attracting to Northern Nevada.
Ibarra and Eide Bailly’s relationship with EDAWN have meant that these new companies often approach them first.
“New businesses need services,” Ibarra said. “When companies relocate their headquarters to Reno, we’re perfectly situated to provide our accounting services. The visibility we get from being a major investor [with EDAWN] is a massive benefit – we’re easily found by the companies who need our help.”
While its client base continues to see a positive impact, Ibarra said it’s not just Eide Bailly that benefits from EDAWN’s work.
Keeping it Local
“Our construction clients are a great example of how EDAWN has impacted the local business environment,” Ibarra said. “All of the development, the new buildings, the infrastructure, the growth of the city and surrounding areas – there’s a demand for construction work.”
Ibarra has served on EDAWN’s board for two years. In that time, he’s seen significant progress.
“Parts of town have just exploded – there’s no other word for it,” he said.
“We’ve gone from raw dirt to tech centers, hubs, logistics and manufacturing facilities. It’s amazing, and EDAWN has been part of all of that.”
Without EDAWN functioning as a connector, Ibarra said it’s unlikely the area would have grown at the pace it has – or at all. “Supporting EDAWN is synonymous with supporting business in Northern Nevada,” he said. “Their work helps everybody – rising tides lift all ships, and we really see that here in our community.”
This local community is what’s at the core of EDAWN, Adams said. While bringing more companies from outside the state is what keeps it growing, it’s also important those companies have a positive impact on the communities in Northern Nevada.
“For us to have true growth and success, we have to make sure that, not only are new companies relocating and calling Northern Nevada home, but that existing companies and businesses are, too,” Adams said. “If the promises we make to companies we’re attracting don’t hold true for our incumbent business community, then we’ve missed the mark.”
Building a Worthy Workforce
Whether a company is relocating its entire business or thinking of starting from scratch in Northern Nevada, Brian Sandoval, president of the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), said business leaders always have the same first question: “Where am I going to get my workforce?”
“We have to be adaptable to the needs of companies,” Sandoval said. “Students need to be graduating both with foundational knowledge, but also with the skill to change and grow in what is truly the exponential age.”
It’s not all on the students – UNR, along with other higher education institutions across the region, are leading the pack when it comes to company-catered curriculum.
“We get feedback from companies about what they want in an employee, what skills they need, and we’re happy to recruit faculty members to design beneficial courses,” Sandoval said.
That’s how UNR ended up with a battery technology minor in the college of engineering. “When Panasonic and Tesla came to the region, we noted that gap in curriculum,” Sandoval said. “So, we created the minor and put together the course offerings to make students better prepared for those opportunities.”
A logistics curriculum motivated by ITS Logistics, a homegrown company with global reach, was also recently reinstated, along with autonomous vehicle courses. Another big move in the last year to make students ready for the workforce was AI training through PACK AI.
“All of our faculty and students will be exposed to artificial intelligence through this program” Sandoval said. “It’s not just a cursory knowledge – students graduate with digital literacy.”
Updates to academic offerings have already paid dividends when it comes to placing students in long-term careers. “These academic changes make it much more likely for students to land internships,” Sandoval said. “And for these internships to turn into permanent offers.”
Sandoval said companies often let UNR know how students perform once placed, and it’s almost always a perfect report card. “Our students are impressive,” he said. “They’re hardworking, reliable, smart, and committed to staying in the region. That’s what they’re looking for.”
UNR’s efforts are in direct partnership with EDAWN leaders, who Sandoval and Adams said make a point to include higher education in their prospect meetings. “It’s our obligation to ensure the region is providing a great employee from day one,” Adams said. “We know that companies will train their employees on specifics, but we want to make sure that our graduates are as ready as they can be, whether it’s out of high school, college, or trade schools.”
Abbi Whitaker, co-founder of the Abbi Agency, a full-service marketing agency, said whether its Abbi Agency’s interns, fulltime staff, or leaders, the quality work her company produces has the higher education system to thank – and EDAWN for connecting them.
“A lot of talent comes out of UNR,” Whitaker said. “We have hired many graduates, and they often go on to do even bigger things. I’m really proud of the schools, especially the higher education, we have here.”
Education is something that many economic development workers tend to pass over, Whitaker said. EDAWN is different. “Businesses themselves are just one part of the equation when it comes to successful economic environments,” she said. “It’s everything from highways to rivers to hospitals, and yes, to schools, that determine whether a community will have a strong economy.”
Seats at the Table
To Whitaker’s point, none of EDAWN’s work happens in a vacuum. Adams explained, “I want to emphasize how we work to connect. We gather information, and then we go to the people in the region that are best suited to sign-off, or brainstorm, or otherwise add to the conversation.”
Whitaker said EDAWN more than understands that these leaders exist. “Their teams know they shouldn’t be the talking head for everything,” she said. “They allow the experts in each field, including us business owners, to speak up, to put in our own opinions and give advice.”
The regional outreach co-op, an effort to change messaging around Reno’s image, was spearheaded in part by EDAWN. “We were not controlling our narrative, and the leaders of EDAWN had the foresight to understand how important perception can be,” Whitaker said. “Positioning was important, and EDAWN had my back – they had the confidence in me to run the co-op.”
The result was that, a decade later, more and more companies and individuals are taking Northern Nevada seriously. “I’ve always been respected, and everyone else around the table is, too,” she said. “Elected officials, large-scale company owners, small business folks, community members, we’re all represented and listened to here. That shows in EDAWN’s outcomes.”
EDAWN wants to keep that conversation flowing. “Our team has a charge to meet with 400 local companies every year,” Adams said. “Next year, it will be 600. We grow into these numbers.”
These meetings aren’t passive checkins. They are designed to support companies in strategic industries bringing in high-paying, quality jobs with more than half of their revenue generated outside of Nevada. EDAWN makes a point to truly hear out these companies. “It’s a lot more than ‘how are you doing?’” Adams said. “It’s ‘what do you need’ and ‘how can we connect you to the right resources?’”
That’s what keeps Whitaker invested in EDAWN year after year. She said paying her investment is proving her commitmentto Northern Nevada. “I’m a small company, and I use my own money to keep my investment,” she said. “It’s not like someone else is footing that bill – I am. I feel it’s worth every penny. It’s That’s what keeps Whitaker invested in EDAWN year after year. She said paying her investment is proving her commitmentto Northern Nevada. “I’m a small company, and I use my own money to keep my investment,” she said. “It’s not like someone else is footing that bill – I am. I feel it’s worth every penny. It’s an organization committed to making life better for the people here and the environment strong enough to bring people, not only from out of state, but from around the world.”
Without community buy-in, none of EDAWN’s work is possible. “In addition to business leaders, we have amazing partners like the CEOs of the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority and the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority, elected officials in all of the municipalities and counties,” Adams said. “It really does take a village to do what we do.”
The Story Continues
Adams chose to come to the west coast – and particularly Nevada – because of its potential. “In the last two decades of my career, I served in amazing communities over there,” he said. “They were old communities, like most are on the east coast, and in many ways, their stories were already written. Those communities have a long history. They know who they are, who they want to be, and what fits.”
Nevada, and especially Northern Nevada, has more blank pages. “The pioneer spirit is very much alive here,” Adams said. “The story is still unwritten and provides the exciting opportunity to shape our community into the best version of itself. That’s what we are working to do every day at EDAWN, and we couldn’t be more blessed.”
