NNBW Support Your Local Business Sweepstakes profile: Reno Engineering Corp.

EDITOR'S NOTE: On April 7, the NNBW launched the “Support Your Local Business Sweepstakes” as a way to support local businesses in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the Sweepstakes in April and May, we'll be featuring each of our business partners in a special Q-and-A. Today, we profile Reno Engineering Co.

NNBW: Tell us about your business and some of the most important services you provide?

Answer: Reno Engineering provides consulting engineering services for commercial and industrial projects. This includes hotels, shopping centers and logistic centers. Reno Land & Cattle provides retail and office space for small businesses catering to startup companies. Customers include Hookava, The Arlington Saloon, Dress for Success and The Reno Hive. We also invest in value add projects in the office retail market.

NNBW: What are some of the key things your business does to ensure premium levels of customer service?

Answer: We work diligently to provide a higher degree of service to our engineering developer clients since we are also developers and understand their needs. We are in the same business as our clients and therefore understand their needs better than if we were just engineers providing engineering services. We have the same philosophy with our tenants in our properties, since, like them, we are managing and operating a group of small businesses with employees and payroll. We can better identify with our tenants and the challenges in running a small business.

NNBW: What makes Northern Nevada such a great place to own and operate a business?

Answer: The people, and the independent spirit of Northern Nevada business owners, makes working in Northern Nevada wonderful. There are numerous companies attempting to “go big” and create the next big thing and/or public companies, but still go mountain biking in the Sierra. The people in Northern Nevada have a great work ethic and ambition while still attempting to have balance in their personal professional life.

NNBW: As a local business owner, why do you feel it's important to give back to the community?

Answer: Balance in our lives comes down to thinking of others instead of only ourselves. Our community is strongest when we come together and support each other. We all have some spare time or cash that we can use to raise the entire community up. We have assisted in several philanthropic projects over the past years, and they take up so little time relative to the benefit they provide our community. It's less about creating a feel-good vibe and more about creating a solid foundation in our community.

NNBW: What are you doing to support other local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Answer: We have decided to abate rents for those of our tenants that have been shut down by the State. We have attempted to carry on business as normal as possible by paying our bills, employees and subcontractors. We are also ramping up our efforts on several projects that will get people back to work after this terrible shut-down has run its course. We believe it is imperative that our state renews its commitment to diversify our economy from services and entertainment into manufacturing and industrial, which are less susceptible to economic slowdowns.