Survey: Business leaders cautious, but not gloomy

Sara Hart, director of research for InfoSearch International, doesn't want to give away the punch line of the annual survey of expectations of northern Nevada business leaders conducted by her firm.

But Hart says the survey to be unveiled during the Directions 2008 event Wednesday finds the region's business leaders are closely in tune with their cohorts elsewhere in the country.

They're not filled with gloom, Hart says, but foresee what she calls "a practical, cautious and conservatively optimistic landscape ahead."

Most respondents still describe the region's economy as "good" or "very good," although the numbers have slipped in the past year.

And Hart says that the majority of business people who responded to the survey believe that the region's economy either will be stable or begin to improve during 2008.

The survey, first conducted in advance of Directions 2005, seeks to provide a method to track the changing expectations of business leaders over the years.

At the same time, Hart says, it's tweaked each year to provide data about significant issues facing the business community.

This year, for instance, businesspeople were asked about the primary method they use to recruit workers as well as an estimate of their companies' spending on recruitment.

Survey respondents said recruitment of qualified workers remains their biggest headache.

Another new question this year asks business leaders about quality of life in the region. That's an important question, Hart says, as the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada woos new businesses to the region.

"It's helpful to know what local business leaders think is attractive about doing business here," she says.

The on-line survey drew 281 responses this year, roughly the same as the previous three surveys. Along with InfoSearch International, a Reno-based market research company, the survey is sponsored by The Glenn Group, an advertising and public relations agency in Reno.

NNBW staff