Online Resource Center Wins Award
Susan Jamerson of Jamerson & Associates, LLC received the SBA’s Nevada Small Business Research Advocate Award in June for the development of a virtual online resource center for small businesses, ItsSimple.biz. The development of the Website was funded by two grants from the USDA Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program. Entrepreneurs who visit this on-line resource center can access how-to guides for business planning, marketing, financing, hiring and accessing capital. Numerous templates and worksheets assist the sites’ visitors with financial spreadsheets, loan applications, tax and employee relations information and government contracting. In addition, ItsSimple.biz offersstart-up or expanding business owners a complete list of business-related service providers in their area and the opportunity for one-on-one, e-mail-based mentoring with successful entrepreneurs. Jamerson also produced Building Business in Nevada, a video that addresses the 10 most frequently asked questions people have when starting or expanding their business. More than 900 copies of the video have been widely distributed at no cost to small businesses and business centers across the state.
Las Vegas Maintains Largest Tradeshow Share
For the ninth consecutive year, Las Vegas has maintained its position as the top-ranked destination for tradeshows. According to Tradeshow Week, the industry’s most widely read publication, Las Vegas captured 35 of the 200 largest tradeshows in the U.S. in 2002, for a 17.5 percent market share. In addition, Las Vegas leased more net square feet of exhibit space than any other destination in 2002. Tradeshows held in Las Vegas utilized nearly 17 million square feet. Five of the 10 largest U.S. tradeshows took place in Las Vegas in 2002, including the top two shows – CONEXPO-CON/AGG (1.8 million square feet, 80,054 attendees) and International CES (1.2 million square feet, 27,835 attendees). The National Association of Broadcasters (901,00 square feet, 60,588 attendees); MAGIC Marketplace Fall (864,000 square feet, 85,000 attendees); and MAGIC Marketplace Spring (862,208 square feet, 80,000 attendees) rounded out the top 10.
Reno City Council Approves Whitewater Park
The Reno City Council has approved building a $1.5 million whitewater park and kayak slalom racing course on the Truckee River in downtown Reno. The council unanimously voted to post a $1.5 million conditional loan consisting of public and private funds that will enable construction to begin this summer. Construction must be finished by the first of November. The $1.5 million cost for the kayak course and whitewater enhancements at Wingfield Park are included in a list of projects recommended for funding under a voter-approved state bond known as Q-1 that designated $10 million for improvements along the Truckee River. The kayak course and whitewater improvements will be a part of city-owned Wingfield Park, situated on an island in the heart of the downtown hotel-casino district. The whitewater project would be the first phase of a Truckee River recreation plan that calls for improvements at eight publicly-owned sites over 24 miles of the river.
Rural Communities Receive Grants
The Nevada Commission on Tourism (NCOT) approved more than $1 million in grants recently to help rural communities promote tourism, Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt announced. “The Rural Grants Program makes it possible for many Nevada communities with limited marketing resources to promote attractions and draw visitors, which helps support local economies,” Hunt, NCOT chair, said. “Communities stretch the dollars by matching each grant with local funding or volunteer efforts.”
Grants included:
- $10,000 to the Tonopah Chamber of Commerce to create The Tonopah Star Trail and pursue a niche market – stargazing – in sparsely populated Tonopah’s extraordinary darkness;
- $6,000 to the Western Folklife Center to help promote the 20th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko;
- $10,000 for the Lake Tahoe Incline Village/Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau to promote the Incline Village Jazz Festival;
- $3,500 to the Central Nevada Mountain Bike Association to advertise and promote Austin as a Nevada “biking capital” whose location on “The Loneliest Highway in America” makes it an ideal site for bicycle racing events.
Nevada Sets Up Office in Hong Kong
The Nevada Commission on Economic Development (NCED) opened a representative office in Hong Kong recently to promote investment and facilitate trade between Hong Kong and Nevada. The director of global trade and investment at the NCED, Alan Di Stefano, said, “Hong Kong is currently [the United States’] eighth largest trading partner. We therefore see Hong Kong as a gateway for most of Asia and the Pacific Rim, not only for two-way trade and investment, but also for tourism. The opening of a representative office in Hong Kong will serve to increase the volume of trade and tourism between Nevada and Hong Kong.” The office is expected to work closely with the private sector and government officials in Hong Kong and Nevada to help companies increase their exports through finding the right distributors, identifying joint venture opportunities and establishing offices, manufacturing or service operations.