Region’s natural diversity caters to wide variety of whenever Nevada state development authority delegates gather, the most overheard buzzword is diversification, according to John Sanderson, director for Lyon County Economic Development Authority. The objective of every regional economy is to avoid dependence on a restricted economic engine fueled by one or two industry segments. For Lyon County, a number of factors converge to offer the area opportunities not available to other regions in Nevada.
“Lincoln County is financially very healthy because of our local economy’s diverse nature,” asserted Sanderson. “Whenever you go to the state meetings and they discuss what they want to do, they always talk about diversification. They want to ensure they have more than one area of strength, and I think Lyon County has attained that.”
The county has historically found its economic base in farming, ranching and tourism. With the East and West Walker, Carson and Truckee rivers crisscrossing the county, water-use limitations have not created the growth restrictions that loom for other areas of the state. In addition the county is served by 1-80, U.S. 50 and U.S. 95A, making it accessible to visitors from nearby California and the county’s metropolitan neighbors in the Truckee Meadows. These two factors have helped make Lyon County attractive to businesses looking for a lot of land and easy access to their markets.
“Farming and ranching have thrived for decades, and agriculture plays an important role in our economy. Each area [in Lyon County] also supports manufacturing and distribution firms,” Sanderson said. He adds that he is looking forward to more commercial ventures like the Smith’s store in Dayton. “We’re seeing more people considering commercial operations in Lyon County all the time,” he said, adding the area has seen the increase in industrial ventures lead to growth in residential and commercial development.
One of the major developments for Lyon County in the past year has been the opening of Amazon.com’s warehouse in Fernley and the e-tailer’s subsequent expansion of that facility. “Amazon.com attracted employees from a wide range of areas arid put a lot of people to work. They are a good corporate citizen and have participated with us in a couple of different events. They not only provided support for a job fair, the company helped conduct a research project evaluating local businesses and wage scales,” Sanderson said, adding that several other companies have also expanded their Lyon County facilities in the past year as well.
Sanderson says that the region has a lot to offer just about every type of business. “We have quite a bit of industrial land zoned in Lyon County in the different areas. Mound House, for example, has numerous smaller parcels. Dayton has both small and large tracts, as well as the air park. So it’s all different,” he said, adding that the county offers a wide variety of diverse communities that can cater to almost every business need. “We have about every type of land and service available. Several locales have access to rail service, while others offer high-tech amenities like fiber optics, as well as readily available utilities. We also offer a number of remote sites if what you need in your business is seclusion.” He adds that Lyon County benefits from its proximity to the Reno/Sparks area by being able to provide a level of services consistent with a larger city.
Easy access to Northern Nevada’s major metropolitan area also provides Lyon County with a significant source of employees. “Our wage base is a little lower than the state average, but it’s higher than most of the other rural communities,” Sanderson said. In addition, the county’s lower housing prices combined with a competitive wage rate attract people who may have come to the area for a job and decide to relocate because of the lower cost of living. “People like living here, and when jobs are made available, they will move here. We have not had a problem [attracting employees]. Even after Amazon.com moved in, they were able to fill all the positions they had open.”
Though Lyon County’s tax rate is about the same as the rest of the state, Sanderson says that lower land costs result in a slightly lower assessed value on property than elsewhere. “The same million-dollar building in Reno, for example, might be valued at $750,000 in Fernley’ he explained.
“Our county commission is very pro-business. The commissioners understand the advantages of economic development and what businesses require when they come here, so they like to give them in-depth information and make decisions quickly,” Sanderson said.
“We believe that healthy growth is vital for a county and we get quite a bit of support from our local government for doing just that. We also believe that one of the best things we can do is take care of our current corporate residents, so we spend a lot of time making sure businesses are getting what they need. That accomplishes two things for us: it keeps our work force stable and it also helps when new businesses scout the area because they come away with positive feedback from the industries that are already here.”
Though Lyon County’s tax rate is about the same as the rest of the state, lower land costs result in a slightly lower assessed value on property- and thus lower property taxes.
