Shrunken EDAWN back to core mission — jobs, jobs, jobs
A “save the date” e-mail for the annual Directions economic forecasting event distributed last week was noteworthy in at least one respect:
The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada won’t be among the lead organizers of the big annual event on Feb. 10.
Faced with a budget that’s been cut in half, fewer staff and an urgent need to battle the 13 percent jobless rate in the Reno-Sparks area, EDAWN is focused entirely on recruitment and retention of employers.
“It’s about the core mission. We gotta get jobs created,” says Chuck Alvey, the president and chief executive officer of the Reno-based economic development group.
Five of the eight staff members of spend EDAWN most of their days talking with prospective new companies or looking for ways to keep existing employers from leaving the area. The other three staff handle support responsibilities. Read more:
