The Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center in Storey County, the largest industrial park in the world, continues to grow. It started more than 20 years ago as a public-private partnership between Storey County and the developers.
"The developers had extensive experience in creating large industrial centers, so it was a perfect fit," said Lara Mather with Storey County Business Development. "They started with over 100,000 acres of a blank slate, so they were able to create this industrial center from the ground up, and that's what makes it such an attraction. It's not like industrial centers in the United States where they're kind of mixed in with schools and houses. This is an open area that was designed specifically for heavy industrial, so it's a great location for our businesses to come."
Virginia City, the county seat, encourages visitors to step back in time. But on the other side of the county, it's all about the future.
"We have over 150 businesses here in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center," Mather said. "It ranges from health food to jet fuel. Over the past eight months, we have 13 million feet of buildings coming in at various stages; there's a lot of room for businesses to come in."
Storey County's business development team tries to make investing here as easy as possible.
"We have streamlined businesses coming in," Mather said. "We can have a grading permit in 7 days, a building permit in 30 days, it's unheard of. We have a team that works 24/7 to create a business-friendly environment out here."
And that help doesn't stop when the walls go up.
"If they're looking for employees, I provide those resources," Mather said. "If they want to upskill their existing employees, I help them find those resources. I've found equipment that can move special manufacturing equipment for them into the area. I work closely with the businesses as far as being the connection between Storey County, the state of Nevada and federal agencies."
More than 20,000 people work here, companies of all sizes that have sprouted up in an area that, just a few decades ago, was nothing but open land for miles.
"The businesses are so broad but they have great jobs, very well-paying jobs," Mather said. "The Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center alone has increased the percentage of hourly pay that employees receive in Northern Nevada significantly."
More information: https://www.storeycounty.org/government/departments/economic_development/index.php
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