Experts to gather for Economic Development Conference

The second annual Nevada Economic Development Conference, scheduled Sept. 20-22 at the University of Nevada, Reno, Joe Crowley Student Union, will address “Building A Stronger Nevada” with a full schedule of featured speakers and breakout sessions.

The nearly three dozen sessions are 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 Diarmuid O’Connell, vice president of business development for Tesla, who will speak on “Accelerating the World’s Transition to Sustainable Transport” on Wednesday morning; 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,” during the Wednesday lunch session; Robert Lang, professor at Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, executive director of the Lincy Institute and director of Brookings Mountain West at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will speak on “Megapolitan America” on Thursday morning; and Brett Kelsey, vice president and chief technology officer for the Americas for Intel Security, will speak on “Cyber Security Trends & Innovations” during Thursday’s lunch session.

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.

Registration is $150. The cost for students and nonprofit organizations is $100. Registration for a single day is $100. Group discounts are also available.

On Sept. 20 there will be two all-day preconference workshops — Supporting Economic Development Through Brownfields Funds & Technical Assistance; and Fundamentals of Economic Development. The are priced separately at $100.

For more information or to register, click here