When 160,000 pounds of explosives fracture 100,000 tons of solid rock into rubble, locating the gold ore in the huge debris pile is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Over the past 20 years, researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno have worked with mining companies to make finding the needle easier.

“We’ve built systems to model blast movement patterns in open pit gold mining that greatly improve the probabilities of finding the ore,” said Dan Taylor, chair of the mining engineering department in the College of Science’s Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering. “We can tell the shovel operator where to dig. When you blast in an open mine, the problem is where the ore goes and where the waste goes. If we can identify the gold’s location before the blast, then theorize where it will go, we can find it easier after the blast and save millions of dollars throughout the industry.”

The latest study, completed by a UNR graduate student Ananta Yennamani at Newmont Mining Corporation’s Phoenix Mine near Battle Mountain in May, further refines the techniques developed over the past several years.

“With my method, we were able to locate 10 percent more ore than other methods we used,” Yennamani said. “I use a series of transmitters and a detector to find them after the blast, and my Blast Movement Measurement software calculates and shows the movement, using 3-D.”

The transmitters are activated, programmed and installed in the drill holes prior to the blast, and the detector locates the transmitters after the blast. This information helps to redefine the ore boundaries and enable improved ore and waste selection.

“What we’re talking about is conservation of resources,” Taylor said. “We don’t want to leave gold in the ground and we don’t want to process more rock than we have to. We find more ore and we process less waste, which is also good for the environment.”

When blasting in an open mine, an area as large as an acre with as many as 300 holes drilled 40 feet deep is flagged out, and each hole is assayed to determine where the gold ore may be located.

Most gold mines in Nevada don’t have “visible” gold, Taylor explained, which makes the blast movement modeling so important. Several grades of ore and waste are flagged for digging after the blast. Until the 1990s, the flags were placed in the same location in the field as before the blast, but investigations revealed that there was enough movement in the rock that some ore was being lost.

“In 1994, we developed dye-marker bags to more efficiently locate ore,” he explained. “While digging, the shovel operators would simply look for the dye and separate the waste based on what they saw. In ’95, we began predicting using computer modeling and simulations using magnetic markers.”

Taylor and his colleagues used a geophysical magnetometer from the geosciences department at UNR in their earlier studies to track the magnetic markers, which worked OK, he said, in a simple blast movement. More recently, using blast-resistant radio-frequency technology developed by the military, each marker has its own ping, resulting in much more accurate map locations after a blast.

Taylor said the UNR is at the forefront of blast movement modeling research in the U.S., in part because some of the largest gold-mining operations in the world — Newmont, Barrick Corporation and Goldcorp — are in our backyard.

“This is a hot topic in the industry, internationally,” he said. “Research we’ve done here and presented in South Africa a couple of years ago showed these ongoing studies save companies millions of dollars.”

Typical recovery rates vary widely, from about .01 ounces per ton (low-grade leach ore), to over one ounce per ton, said to Lou Schack, director of communications at Barrick Gold of North America’s northern Nevada operation. With a single one-acre blast, about 5,000 ounces could be recovered, and with 10 percent more efficient recovery, that could net a half-million dollars more ore per blast.

The blast-movement modeling also saves energy and decreases processing costs. Barrick found a 5 percent decrease in electric power usage with enhanced blast modeling. The more effective blasting also results in more efficient fragmenting, making the digging in the “muck pile” easier on equipment.

“It’s a balance of too much explosion and not enough explosion,” Taylor said. “Not enough, and you get wear and tear on the equipment as they battle to get to the ore. Too much, and it’s tougher to locate the ore, but easier to dig.”

The mining machines can be bigger than a house, with 20-foot diameter tires. Efficiency is important when operating a truck that carries 400 tons, a loader with a 40-cubic-yard bucket or the electric shovels, with their 73-cubic-yard buckets, which Barrick uses.

The theoretical modeling such as Yennamani’s that combines field studies with numerical codes helps to keep the behemoths moving in the right direction.

In general, the work done by UNR is open for use by mining companies, unless it is patented. Yennamani will present her work at various industry meetings and is working to get it published in a peer-reviewed journal.

“Our research is not just for discovery,” Taylor said. “The other part of our mission as a land-grant university is to disseminate information and knowledge to industry and business, and we’ve been doing that with mining for more than 100 years.”

Mike Wolterbeek is media relations officer at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Jason Geddes, Tom Matter, 8/30/2010

It’s fair to say that our economy is in hot water. But, before you leap to the worst with our area’s record high unemployment and foreclosure rates, consider that Greater Reno-Tahoe boosts abundant natural geothermal energy resources that can help our region emerge from recession to recover.

Geothermal energy is literally the heat beneath our feet and has helped position Nevada as a leader in geothermal power production and development. According to the Geothermal Energy Association, if Nevada were a country, it would be the ninth largest producer of geothermal power in the world today and the growth of the industry in Nevada could be worth up to $22.5 billion over the next 30 years.

Closer to home, Reno has also earned international recognition for being a hub for clean energy. Reno was recently named a 2010 Smarter City for Energy by the National Resources Defense Council and the GEA ranked Reno fourth among world leaders in geothermal municipal development.

So what does this virtual hotbed of geothermal energy mean for Reno and its economic future? Reno and its economic diversification partners including EDAWN and NV Energy are tapping into this clean energy source to create jobs and investment in our community. The advantages that our region has for the geothermal industry to consider doing business here are plentiful: A region is known for the companies it keeps and Greater Reno-Tahoe is home to seven of the largest geothermal operators including: Ormat Technologies, Enel North America, Terra-Gen, Magma Energy, Homestretch, Nevada Geothermal and U.S. Geothermal. The region is also home to many emerging developers including: Vulcan Power Company, Oski Energy, Great American Energy and Standard Steam.

Having a growing cluster of top global companies like these help send a credible message to prospective companies considering relocating or expanding that Reno and its outlying communities are serious about clean energy AND geothermal.

Nevada has an aggressive renewable portfolio standard of 25 percent by 2025. This long-term commitment to clean energy is evident with NV Energy signing its first contract for geothermal power in 1983. If measured on a per-person basis, Nevada leads the nation in the use of geothermal energy.

Today, Reno is the only sizeable U.S. city that produces enough geothermal energy to meet its entire residential load. Its permitted geothermal plants within city limits produce 107.5 MW of geothermal energy. The U.S. Department of Energy recently awarded the University of Nevada, Reno, a $1.2 million grant to develop and operate the National Geothermal Institute, the first-ever geothermal energy training program. The consortium of top geothermal schools will include MIT, Cornell University, and Stanford University creating a centrally located hub for educating and training the next generation of industry workers. The Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy, an internationally recognized geothermal center of excellence, is headquartered at UNR.

Nevada offers up to a 55 percent abatement for up to 20 years on real and personal property for qualified energy companies and storage devices. Nevada has a competitive, pro-business climate, including no corporate, personal income, unitary, franchise, inventory, inheritance, estate or gift taxes. Reno-Tahoe is home to the Nevada Geothermal Council, a repository of geothermal industry expertise that collaborates with government agencies to further the successful implementation of existing policies. The council advocates for the exchange of ideas between the industry and state agencies.

The City of Reno and EDAWN will be taking these advantages on the road when it attends the Geothermal Resources Council Annual Meeting Oct. 24-27 in Sacramento. The conference is the largest gathering of geothermal companies and executives with more than 1,000 attendees expected. Other regional entities attending are NV Energy and the Nevada Commission on Economic Development, as well as Reno-based geothermal companies.

Reno has hosted the GRC 11 times in its history and the conference will return to Reno in 2012. In support of the Reno City Council’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Initiative, Reno will sponsor and exhibit at the GRC for the second year in a row, demonstrating the city’s and region’s support for the geothermal industry. Collectively, Reno and EDAWN representatives will be meeting face-to-face with company executives to learn more about their businesses and discuss how Reno can provide a competitive location to relocate or expand their operations. In addition to being on the floor meeting with executives and attending industry workshops, we’re also hosting a dinner for key company prospects to join us and a few of the top geothermal companies doing business in Reno. It’s a peer-to-peer dinner where companies we’re talking to can meet with their industry peers who are already doing business in Reno-Tahoe and discuss their experience.

Given our region’s geothermal assets and overall business advantages, Greater Reno-Tahoe offers a compelling business case for geothermal companies to consider our region for their next location or expansion. Geothermal is a growth industry and Reno has existing and future office sites and capacity to meet the industry’s future needs.

Our goal is to ensure these geothermal companies are aware that Reno-Tahoe is an ideal location for their investment, offering an attractive and competitive business climate combined with a local culture that supports geothermal and other renewable energies. By attracting and expanding geothermal companies and jobs here, we are further growing and diversifying our regional economy which serves in our market recovery.

Jason Geddes is the environmental services administrator for the City of Reno. Tom Matter is the out-of-market business development manager for the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada.

Rob Sabo, 8/30/2010
After several years of gaining ground on alfalfa production in the state, Nevada’s teff crop suffered a blow this year because farmers were unable to use herbicides on the grass to kill invasive weeds.

Production of teff, a grass native to Ethiopia, has doubled annually in acreage since 2006, says Jay Davison, an alternative crop specialist with the University of Nevada, Reno Cooperative Extension program. In 2009 Nevada’s teff farmers — about 15 to 20 of them, all located in the northern half of the state — produced about 1.1 million pounds of teff grain. This year Davison says production is expected to decline by more than one-third due to regulatory challenges that led to the banning of certain herbicides farmers had used to kill noxious weeds.

“The EPA yanked chemical use on teff, and that really hurt from a weed-control standpoint,” Davison says.

The problem arises because teff is classified as a miscellaneous crop rather than as a small grain, Davison says. That classification led to warning letters from the Environmental Protection Agency telling farmers to cease use of broadleaf weed-killing chemicals (2,4-D and dicamba) that hadn’t been federally approved for teff.

“Even though we had used it for three or five years, it was a mistake, and it was technically an illegal use,” Davidson says. “It’s one of those things we are working through with the EPA and in others states, such as Idaho, Oregon and California, trying to get labeled.”

Once teff is re-classified as a grain, it will be approved for use with those herbicides, says Davison, who expects it will take a year or two for any re-classification to move through appropriate federal channels. “It is go to hurt us for a while,” he says.

And that’s not good news for Fallon-area teff farmers, who lost much of their crop this year to invasive weeds.

Dave Eckert and John Getto, longtime Fallon alfalfa farmers who started growing teff in the mid-2000s, battled hard to prevent weeds from infiltrating their teff crops, but they were largely unsuccessful.

The two farmers pre-irrigated their fields in late spring to spur growth of broadleaf weeds, and once the weeds came up they were killed off with Roundup. The farmer’s first planting of teff still contained a lot of native grasses, so they killed the crop and replanted. That crop, too, suffered from weed invasion.

“This year was pretty frustrating,” Getto says. “We spent a lot of time trying and trying, and we never did get it.”

Adds Eckert: “It’s something we thought we could whip, and you are not going to be able to. You have to go into a relatively clean field and go from there.”

Getto recently cut his whole teff crop of 270 acres for forage and won’t have any grain production, while Eckert lost 50 acres to broadleaf weeds. Getto says crop insurance should defer some of the financial hardship of the failed crops, and that next spring most of his teff fields will be planted instead with alfalfa.

The duo formed Desert Oasis Teff in 2009 as a way to better market teff grain for U.S. users. Desert Oasis Teff primarily sells its teff grain to buyers in Florida, California, Texas, Michigan and Washington.

Teff is either grown and cut as a high-quality forage hay — it yields two harvests per growing season — or allowed to mature and harvested for grain that’s a staple for use in Injera, or Ethiopian flat bread. The grain has no gluten, so it’s also popular with people who require gluten-free diets.

Declines in production could negatively affect future sales for Desert Oasis Teff.

“We were really afraid going into this year that things were taking off kind of slow, and we had inventory left and didn’t want to get too much ahead,” Eckert says. “Now it’s looking like we will end up short.” Marketing sales of the grain also has been a challenge for Desert Oasis Teff, and lack of available supply could force some customers to contract with different suppliers.

“We are the new ones on the block, and it is kind of tough to get into that niche,” Getto says. “We have moved quite a bit over the years, and the phone keeps ringing and more people are calling wanting to know what we have and what we have to offer.”

UNR’s Davison says teff farmers typically average $150 to $160 a ton for teff forage and produce about five tons per acre. Farmers average 40 to 45 cents a pound for the grain, and they can harvest 1,400 to 1,500 pounds of grain per acre. However, harvesting the grain requires a combine and other specialty equipment.

Campaign unites college students for collaboration, education
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Move over, Thomas Friedman.

The next generation of thought leaders is gearing up to lead America’s energy efforts. And biodiesel, our nation’s only commercially available advanced biofuel, is front and center.

Student scientists from Dartmouth College to Oregon State University are leading a new Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel initiative. The group has formed to demonstrate and grow support for biodiesel among tomorrow’s scientific leaders.

Lucas Ellis of Dartmouth, pursuing his Master of Science in Biochemical Engineering, is one of four co-chairs of the effort. “In college there is an eagerness to become an advocate or have a cause, and mine was the environment, science and educating others about sustainability,” Ellis said. “Biodiesel combined all of those and became my passion.”

Since then, his passion has led him to create biodiesel education projects in three states, including organizing laboratories to teach students about the chemistry of biodiesel. At West Virginia University, he created a biodiesel organization that today hosts biodiesel events to help recruit kids into studying science.

Ellis is just one of many such stories of student engagement. Selected by the National Biodiesel Board, the other co-chairs of Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel are:

Bernardo del Campo, Iowa State University (Biorenewable Resources and Technologies)

Mikkel Leslie, Oregon State University (Environmental Engineering)

Jason Strull, University of Nevada – Reno (Material Sciences and Chemical Engineering)

The campaign launched today with 28 founding members signing an on-line declaration of support for biodiesel, which in part proclaims:
Biodiesel from a variety of feedstocks can meet contemporary needs for environmental stewardship, economic prosperity, and quality of life without compromising the ability of future generations to meet these needs for themselves.

“Biodiesel can certainly make an impact on the world,” said ISU’s del Campo of why he wanted to get involved. “I believe biodiesel is helping everyone, environmentally, socially, and economically. I want to be a part of pushing us forward to that.”

“We’re bringing the next generation of scientists together with biodiesel, the only advanced biofuel commercially available in the U.S.,” said Joe Jobe, NBB CEO. “Cementing support among future energy thought leaders is important to biodiesel’s future.”

NBB also wanted to create a forum where students who support biodiesel can collaborate and share ideas.

Any student scientist can sign the declaration, found at www.biodieselsustainability.org. They will then have opportunities to learn from each other, including a virtual conference, scheduled for Sept. 28. A Facebook page also provides students with a forum to discuss biodiesel with each other and view profiles of other students and their biodiesel projects.

The Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel initiative is modeled after the Scientists for Biodiesel campaign. Launched in February 2009, 125 scientists have signed on to the declaration. Both initiatives are led by NBB, and supported by the United Soybean Board and soybean checkoff.

www.biodiesel.org

SOURCE National Biodiesel Board

The Nevada Board of Regents voted to adopt its 2011-13 operating budget without the 10 percent budget cuts requested by Gov. Jim Gibbons, but with the promise to make whatever cuts are necessary when the Legislature determines a real number.

Noting that that 10 percent reduction could grow to 15 percent or 20 percent or more by the time the Legislature convenes in February, Regent Michael Wixom of Las Vegas said it would be fruitless and damaging to ask higher education presidents to begin the painful process of targeting programs and people who might have to be cut.

“Some have said it is disrespectful,” Wixom said of the budget not including the governor’s call for a 10 percent reduction in state funding. “Others have accused us of being on a happy journey through Oz, but I don’t care. Give us a number and we will deal with it at that time, but to do this again and again and again is a painful process.”

The lone vote against the budget was cast by Regent Ron Knecht of Carson City.

He said the Nevada System of Higher Education’s spending has increased by 9 percent and its state funding fell by only 2 percent while jobs in the private sector have decreased by 16 percent in the last three years.

Asked by a fellow regent if those numbers reflect the one-time federal stimulus money of $192 million dollars into the system that won’t be available next year, Knecht said they did.

However, he said the governor and budget office directed all state agencies to submit general fund budgets with “very modest” 10 percent cuts.

“In view of the true picture, adopting the increases proposed today for our budget would be callous — even contemptuous — toward the vast majority of Nevadans struggling with the economic disaster caused mainly by government over-reach in taxing, spending and regulation at all levels,” Knecht said.

Several of the regents said the board has responded responsibly to the several state-mandated budget cuts called for in past years, and will do so again when there is a final percentage determined that has to be cut from the budget to help the state offset what is expected to be a $3 billion shortfall next year when the Legislature convenes in February.

Northern Nevada’s education leaders have repeatedly drawn correlations between quality education and the economic recovery of the region, and University of Nevada, Reno President Milton Glick; Washoe County School District; Superintendent Heath Morrison; and Truckee Meadows Community College President Maria Sheehan will attend “Connecting Education Reform and Economic Development,” a luncheon presented by the Sparks Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa.

Washoe County School District, UNR and TMCC officials have been working to align the strategies of their organizations to find novel ways to create skilled and capable graduates that will boost economic development in the region and throughout the state.

Joining them at the luncheon will be state Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks; Assemblywoman Debbie Smith, R-Reno; and other dignitaries, who will present their ideas about what they see as the role of public education in promoting economic development that will gain momentum on stable and sustained economic growth.

The state faces a potential $3 billion deficit for the 2011-13 biennium.

IF YOU GO
What: “Connecting Education Reform and Economic Development” luncheon
When: 11:30 a.m., Tuesday
Where: Atlantis Casino Resort Spa
Details: Tickets, $25 per person; $200 for a table of eight.
Contact: Call, 775-358-1976 or www.sparkschamber.org

Two large trash recycling plants to serve the Truckee Meadows and Northern Nevada are on track to be built almost across the street from each other on the east side of downtown Reno.

But is there enough garbage to supply both projects?

“There’s more than enough,” said Jud Boies, IMG president, whose company proposes to build a processing and gasification plant to turn its trash into electricity.

“It would be literally shocking to people if they knew how much waste exists.”

Greg Martinelli, Waste Management’s local manager, said he thinks the supply is not large enough, but his company is committed to doing a better job recycling.

“We own the waste stream,” he said. “We are trying to be responsible in managing it.”

The plants

IMG would build its proposed plant near East Fourth Street and Sage Street and hire 85 to 100 new employees. Boies said it would cost less than $120 million to build.

IMG won approval from Reno and Washoe County this week to apply for additional financing, now totaling $73 million in low-interest bonds made available through the federal stimulus.

The bonds must be issued before Dec. 31, and construction completed within three years. Most other companies that originally sought the financing had dropped out of the running.

Waste Management, which provides garbage service for 125,000 Reno, Sparks and Washoe County residents, announced this week it is committed to building a new recycling center to significantly improve the county’s recycling rate.

That announcement, officials said, was in response to the Washoe County District Board of Health setting a new target in July to recycle 35 percent of all trash in the county in five years. About 32 percent of county trash now is being recycled, Martinelli said.

Martinelli said it’s also time to start moving on the project. A local government group has been studying the issue for two years.

“The pace of government is slow,” he said.

Waste Management’s proposed recycling center, spanning 60,000 square feet, would be built as an expansion to its transfer station on East Commercial Row. Organic garbage would be sent to Fulcrum BioEnergy’s planned plant in Storey County and turned into ethanol.

Waste Management processes an average of 1,200 tons of garbage a day.

Even without Washoe County’s 125,000 households, Boies said there’s plenty of garbage in Northern Nevada to supply his plant, including commercial trash, construction site waste, forest slash and used tires.

The owners of the Castaways, a local commercial trash hauler and partners in the project, would be another source, he said.

IMG’s initial proposal was for 250 to 400 tons a day, said Jason Geddes, Reno’s environmental services manager.

“It would be likely there’s enough for both,” he said.

But Martinelli estimated only about 50 tons of commercial trash a day is handled by other haulers in Washoe County.

Local governments

Reno Councilman Dave Aiazzi said he is rooting for both recycling centers.

“Competition, in my mind, is good,” he said.

As the projects move forward, it appears unlikely local governments would be forced to make a choice between one or the other.

Waste Management’s plans are hinged upon Reno, Sparks and Washoe County approving increases in $1.25 monthly trash bills for its customers, Martinelli said.

That would raise $25 million for the plant expansion, eight new trucks and new garbage cans for homeowners.

A study from the University of Nevada, Reno, on the pros and cons of various recycling methods, as well as the cost impacts on customers is expected to be released in a few weeks. That report and a city staff analysis would likely be presented to the Reno City Council in October, Geddes said.

IMG has no franchise agreement, and its project would be approved like any other.

Processes

The IMG project would involve intensely heating waste materials until they become gasified. That produces a high temperature, which is used to produce electricity, Boies said

Tires, medical wastes and other materials could be disposed of this way without putting them in the landfill.

Boies said air quality won’t be an issue as nothing is burned.

Boies said about 40 plants in the world already are using this technology. Partners in his company, he said, have built several plants.

But with the company now in a sensitive financing stage, he said he cannot provide more details.

Waste Management plans what’s called a clean material recovery facility for its residential customers and a dirty material recovery facility plant for commercial customers.

That means residents would put all their recyclables, including cardboard for the first time, in one garbage can, and these materials would be sorted at the plant. Plant workers would sort through all trash coming from commercial customers for recyclables.

Fees

Martinelli said a rate increase would not be significant. The $1.25 recycling fee has not been changed since 1991. He said fees have never been enough to cover costs and said about 10 percent of revenues from commercial customers subsidize recycling.

As the ultimate goal is to reduce the amount of trash in the landfill, Martinelli said customers likely would be charged for any garbage in addition to the two cans.

But Martinelli said he expected some opposition, as residents have been free to add extra cans or bags of garbage for the past 50 years.

One solution, which would not be instituted immediately, would be to add a third container for yard waste that would be collected for composting, he said.

The University of Nevada, Reno will hold its sm@rt 2010: Social Media @ Reno-Tahoe event Dec. 8-10 at John Ascuaga’s Nugget.

Participants will learn about social media marketing during the event, which emphasizes marketing small businesses, nonprofits, tourism and gaming.

The event will feature more than two dozen speakers, including authors, practitioners and strategists from such companies as media corporation Gannett and winter travel destinations company Vail Resorts. Gannett owns the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Cost is $595 before Nov. 1; $695 after

Nov. 1; and $750 on site.

Details: www.smartrenotahoe.com,

775-784-4062 or 800-233-8928.

Many individuals find themselves in the position of retooling or reevaluating their career paths. And as the school season begins, students are pondering what classes to take, asking themselves, “What should I major in?”

Many times students go through the motions of getting their education without stopping to consider that career choices should be based on more than what degree they earn. Employers want to hire individuals with specific skills, interests and passions, as well as specific college degrees.

Whether retooling or just starting college, assessing yourself and what you have to offer should be the first step when deciding which educational and career path to choose. One way to discover your particular talents and strengths is to take personality, interests or skills assessments. Assessments such as the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator, StrengthsFinder and many others are good, but their cost can be barriers to those who are unemployed or on limited budgets.

In Nevada, the Nevada Career Information System is an online tool, www.nvcis.intocareers.org, that provides a wealth of information for all Nevada residents. The site includes free assessments of skills, values, interests and occupational priorities to help individuals identify their strengths and talents, then connects an individual’s results to a list of occupations.

The assessments also provide detailed descriptions of the individual’s strengths or areas of interest that can be used on resumes or in cover letters, and to describe the types of career opportunities that might be right for an individual, without a specific job title.

The system has profiles of more than 500 occupations. Each includes information on the knowledge, skills and abilities required for the job, the wages and outlook for that occupation, and the educational requirements. Many of the profiles also include real-world interviews and videos.

The assessments are designed so individuals can complete them on their own, but the College of Business will offer a free session on completing it from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 17 in the William J. Raggio Building, Room 1006, as part of the College’s “Business Week” activities. The workshop is free and open to all students and to the public.

Space is limited, reserving a spot beforehand is recommended. Contact Bessette@unr.edu or 775-682-9144 for more information.

Jane Bessette is director of career development at the University of Nevada, Reno College of Business.

Northern Nevada business leaders remain strongly pessimistic about the economy and the prospects for recovery, the Sierra Region Economic Outlook Mid-Year Business Survey shows.

After nearly 63 percent of respondents rated economic conditions as poor or very poor, experts this week said the findings serve notice that change, from infrastructure to education, is needed to pull Northern Nevada’s business sector out of the recession.

“It’s another wake-up call for diversification,” said Brian Bonnenfant, project manager at the Center for Regional Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. “We can’t have all our eggs in the construction and tourism basket. We’re not there yet. We’re struggling to find that next silver bullet.”

The center and the UNR College of Business sponsored the biannual online survey of more than 7,700 area business leaders, taken between July 7 and Aug. 2.

The survey drew 689 responses, the highest return in the seven years since it was first circulated.

Responses generally paralleled those from last winter, with at least one brighter trend: About 14 percent indicated that overall economic conditions had improved from a year earlier, up from 9 percent who said the same thing six months ago.

“There’s no evidence things are getting worse. It’s a plateau,” said Greg Mosier, dean of the business college.

But in assessing how to break the economic malaise that includes record-high unemployment, Mosier said, “We’ve lived too long on a couple of industries that carried the burden. It’s time we have someone come in and articulate what the next step is. I’m still waiting for someone to wave the flag.”

Cohesion needed?

Those charged with promoting commerce and luring new companies to the region agreed more cohesion is needed in the business community.

“There’s no real evidence of strategic planning,” said Len Stevens, executive director of the Sparks Chamber of Commerce. “There still is not an integration of the business community. It’s coming. It’s on the horizon. But if we don’t band together, then it’s not going to happen. There has to be some clarity.”

Chuck Alvey, CEO of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, said the Reno-based agency has worked on diversifying the business base for decades, notably in its long-running Target 2010 initiative focusing on six key industries, including renewable energy.

“More people should hear the wake-up call,” he said. “A lot of people appreciate diversification, but those of us focusing on it really do get it.

“We have to get everyone to understand we need to get together. We’re talking about the problem a lot, but I’m not sure we’re getting any traction,” Alvey said. “The community simply has to get away from waiting for things to get better.”

Stevens said education is a key thread to improvement.

“We’ve not utilized education as a resource. We need to utilize education from an investment standpoint,” he said. “The more you improve schools, you’re not just attracting construction jobs but corporate-type companies that require an educated work force.”

Hope, no guarantees

Rob Hooper, executive director of the Northern Nevada Development Authority in Carson City, said his outlook is more optimistic than what is reflected in the survey.

“It’s more a reflection of the national mood than anything else,” he said of the survey. “It’s a measure of how people feel as opposed to what’s actually going on.

“A lot of companies I deal with, business is going good. I am feeling momentum. I’m not buying into the doom and gloom right now.”

Richard Bartholet, director of research development at the Center for Regional Studies, believes Northern Nevada’s long-touted asset of low business costs — notably taxes — doesn’t guarantee an influx of high-paying employers, such as those found in the Boston region and the San Francisco Bay Area.

“When the big attraction to get business here is low cost, what do you attract? Those with low costs, and the vast majority of them are low-wage,” he said. “It’s going to take more than a low-tax environment to get (high-paying businesses) here.”

Alvey said EDAWN in recent years has focused its attention on attracting high-paying jobs, but with the recession, the agency isn’t discounting any level of work.

“We’re looking at jobs, period,” he said. “We’re still looking at high-quality jobs. There just isn’t much of that out there in this economy. You have to do that in these times.”