Magazine providing a PR boost for Reno

When the new edition of Men's Journal ranked Reno third among the nations' 50 best places to live, the folks who promote the city went to work to capitalize on the publicity windfall.

The Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority and the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada almost immediately distributed a press release to national media trumpeting the ranking.

The reason? With limited marketing budgets, the two groups look for every way they can to use the free publicity.

"When something is out there we try to leverage it further so more people will see it," said Chuck Alvey, the president and chief executive officer of EDAWN.

The press release touting the No.

3 ranking from Men's Journal, for instance, also focused on an Inc.

Magazine article that ranked Reno the seventh-best city to start and grow a business.

"It creates a synergy," Alvey said.

"We're hitting both the lifestyle and the businessfriendly climate."

How much will an article or two to boost the region's economy? "They plant seeds," Alvey said.

The Men's Journal ranking represented more than a year of work by the RSCVA, said Deanna Ashby, who heads marketing for the tourism agency.

The magazine's readership upscale, outdoor-oriented is one that RSCVA seeks to attract with its new focus on the Reno/Tahoe region as "America's Adventure Place."

Ashby said RSCVA has tried to convince Men's Journal to do a full-blown article about Reno, and the recent ranking shows that the magazine's editors got the point.

"They recognized that Reno is a lot more than people thought," she said.

In fact, the magazine said its high ranking of Reno is based largely on the multitude of outdoor activities available only a short distance away from the city.

"Rankings such as this separate Reno from other destinations and help build our tourism base and support our overall economic vitality," said RSCVA President and CEO Jeff Beckelman in the press release distributed after the rankings were announced.

Men's Journal also noted that the city's economy is strong, and it cited the presence of both Microsoft and International Game Technology as proof.

Reno trailed only No.

1 Boulder, Colo., and No.

2 Flagstaff, Ariz., in the Men's Journal rankings.