Western Nevada Development District gets $400,000 in fed funding

CARSON CITY, Nev. — U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) on July 6 announced the Economic Development Administration of the Department of Commerce awarded $400,000 to the Western Nevada Development District to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Nevada has been one of the hardest-hit states in the nation in terms of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our citizens and small business owners,” Cortez Masto in a press release. “I'm glad to see these CARES Act funds get to Nevada's only Economic Development District through the EDA to help pursue strategic investments to bolster our economy and foster good paying jobs in Northern Nevada.”

WNDD Board President Roy Edgington, who's also the mayor of the city of Fernley, agreed, noting that “The Western Nevada Development District is pleased to have received these funds to support our communities in the engagement of strategies that will diversify our regional economy, support workforce training aligned to careers post-pandemic, and to build economic resiliency for the future.”

The goal of the federal EDA program is to spur job creation, leverage private capital investments, and strengthen America's ability to compete in a global marketplace, according to the news release.

WNDD is the only certified Economic Development District in Nevada.

The WNDD Board of Directors is composed of elected and appointed officials as well as agency staff and business representatives from throughout seven counties (Carson City, Douglas, Storey, Churchill, Pershing, Mineral, and Washoe) and five cities (Lovelock, Fernley, Sparks, Reno and Fallon).

Associate members include NV Energy, Nevada Green Institute, Nevada Builders Alliance, and JOIN Inc.

The University of Nevada, Reno Center for Economic Development also serves on the board and partners with WNDD in a variety of technical assistance projects, analysis, and reports.

WNDD work toward creating an environment in which business, industry, and workforce will locate within the region, promoting a vibrant and sustainable economy.