CEO
Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN)
Type of Business: Regional Development
Authority
Based: Reno
Hails from: Columbus, Mississipi
Years Org. has been in Nevada: 40
Months with Organization in Nevada: 6
Employees in NV: 15
What is your professional background?
I started my career in banking/finance and then in the insurance business, [which is] sort of an extension of banking. Then I spent the last 20 years of my career helping communities grow. Exactly what I do here.
What are your plans for EDAWN for the next 12 months?
When you’ve got a team that’s performing as effectively [and] at as high a level as this one, the big thing is, don’t break it right out of the gate. [So, I’ll] continue to support the professionals we have. Just this week, we have initiated a rewrite of our strategic plan. Our current strategic plan predates the pandemic, and where it’s a really good plan, it needs to be updated. We’re [also] going out to our core stakeholders to make sure the way we’re defining success is consistent with how they’re defining success. Then, we’re going to go through a strategic planning process and, hopefully, come out of that with a road forward.
What do you most enjoy about northern Nevada?
The people here are just amazing. I’ve never met a more welcoming community than I’m finding here in northern Nevada. It’s an authentic, genuine warmth that serves the region so well.
Why is it important to work with the business community?
This is one of the places where EDAWN is, not just a leader in Nevada, but a leader across the country. Two-thirds of our funding comes from private business interest here in the community – that’s just over 65 percent of funding [that] comes from companies. The other third of our funding comes from the public agencies here. I’m fortunate to be able to use that investment from both public and private sector interest.
What do you think a recession might look like for northern Nevada?
The thought of a recession truly is occupying a lot of space in my head right now. There’s nothing we can do at the local level to prevent it. What we’re doing at EDAWN is trying to make sure we’re doing all that we can to have the resources in place to ensure that our northern Nevada businesses survive it.
What advice would you give yourself at the beginning of your career?
My dad — recognizing early on that I was probably not going to be an academic superstar — used to love to say to me that I could accomplish anything with the right mix of hard work and common sense.
