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For Immediate Release
Contact: Kris Absher, Communications Director, Office of the Lt.
Governor, 702-486-2400
Bob Shriver, Executive Director, Nevada Commission on Economic Development,
775-687-4325
NEVADA PREPARES FOR THE NEW ECONOMY
Lt. Governor Hunt Helps To Create Strategies To Support Entrepreneurship
In Nevada
Rising to meet Governor Guinn’s challenge to improve the entrepreneurial
climate of Nevada, Lt. Governor Lorraine Hunt headed up a team of
private businesspeople, government officials, educators, and entrepreneurs
at the State Policy Academy on Entrepreneurship facilitated by the
National Governor’s Association Center for Best Practices and
sponsored by the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership.
Teams from nine other states – Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan,
Minnesota, Mississippi, Utah, Washington and Wyoming – joined
the Nevada Academy in an intensive three-day session to craft strategies
that will improve the entrepreneurial climate not only in Nevada
but throughout the United States. "The new economy is dominated
by knowledge-based industry and commerce," said Hunt. "Nearly
70 percent of current economic growth is driven by entrepreneurs
who are small businesses focused on assembling resources and creating
new innovative products or services that will lead to further investment
and growth," she continued. "Nevada will be prepared to
meet this unique opportunity."
Although many policies in Nevada support entrepreneurs, Hunt and
the Nevada team focused on policies that would create an environment
that fosters the notion of entrepreneurship from elementary school
students to high-growth entrepreneurs. Strategies addressed were:
"The Policy Academy on Entrepreneurship was
the first step in preparing Nevada for the new economy," said
Bob Shriver, executive director for the Nevada Commission on Economic
Development. "The opportunity to strategize with other states
was invaluable. It was also an eye-opener. I learned that many other
states – whether they were eastern, rural or urban communities
– are facing the same issues of access to capital, workforce
development and improved standards in education as Nevada.
The Nevada Academy team – Mike Chipman, Dr. Gary Valiere of
Sierra Nevada College, Bob Goff of Sierra Angels, Tom Gutherie,
President of the Southern Nevada Development Corporation, Christine
McKiernan, Vice President of the Nevada Development Authority, Louis
Castle, Executive Vice President of Westwood Studios, Bob Shriver,
Executive Director of the Nevada Commission on Economic Development,
and Lt. Governor Lorraine Hunt – will meet once again in December
to fine-tune the strategies created during the three-day academy
and develop an implementation plan. Once completed, Hunt and the
rest of the team will make preliminary recommendations to Guinn.
Another NGA-Kauffman Academy for 10-selected states is planned for
June 2001. At that time final recommendations will made to the governor.
The National Governors Association (NGA) is a bipartisan organization
founded in 1908. Through NGA, governors identify priority issues
and deal collectively with issues of public policy and governance
at both the national and state levels.
For more information regarding entrepreneurship in Nevada, please
call Bob Shriver at the Nevada Commission on Economic Development,
775-687-4325.
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