Economic Development Conference coming in September

The benefits and challenges of agrihood development is just one of many topics on tap for the second annual Nevada Economic Development Conference, scheduled Sept. 20-22 at the University of Nevada, Reno, Joe Crowley Student Union.

The conference is presented by the University of Nevada, Reno, College of Business, UNLV Business & Economic Research, Western Nevada Development District, Nevada Industry Excellence, and USDA Rural Development.

The Agrihoods discussion is a Thursday morning session. Panelists include Lara Hermanson, of Farmscape, LLC., plus Daron “Farmer D” Joffee, a consultant to many agrihoods across the United States, and Amaya Genaro, community service director with Rancho Mission Viejo, a southern California agrihood,. Rick Lattin of Lattin Farms in Fallon will moderate the discussion.

Agrihoods is just one of nearly three dozen sessions grouped under the headings of Agribusiness, Small Business & Entrepreneurship, Economic Development Vitality, Energy Infrastructure/Transportation, Manufacturing and Workforce Development. Speakers and panelists have been pulled from all over the state and beyond.

Keynote speakers are Jens Peter Clausen, vice president of the Tesla Gigafactory, who will speak on Tesla Energy in Nevada; Robert Lang, professor in the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs and executive director of the Lincy Institute and director of Brookings Mountain West at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will speak on Megapolitan America; Brett Kelsey, vice president and chief technology officer for the Americas for Intel Security, will speak on Cyber Security Trends & Innovations; and Dr. Sam Cordes, retired from Purdue University where he served in a number of capacities, will speak on Regional Development, Rural-Urban Interdependency & Deep Collaborations: Keys to Future Successes.

Early bird registration, which ends July 29, is $125. After that date, registration is $150. The cost for students and nonprofit organizations is $75 for early birds or $100 after July 29. Registration for a single day is $100. Group discounts are also available.

Preconference, all day workshops on Sept. 20 — Supporting Economic Development Through Brownfields Funds & Technical Assistance, and Fundamentals of Economic Development — are priced separately at $75 until July 29, or $100 afterwards.

For more information or to register, click here.