WNDD Economic Recovery Update – March 2021

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Profiles in Resiliency

Greetings Fellow Nevadans,

The March edition of the Western Nevada Development District’s Economic Recovery & Resiliency Update is hot off the press and ready to inform you on WNDD’s efforts to identify and develop strategies to create and build a more resilient economy in our region.

In it, you’ll find information about …
• Available grants
• Data and information regarding economic recovery
• Activities and progress of the WNDD region’s Economic Recovery and Resiliency Council
• Member success stories
• Information and registration links to the March 19th WNDD Webinar: Profiles in Resiliency
• And more!

We look forward to sharing new information with you each month!

Read the Update! 

Meet the Speakers: Profiles in Resiliency

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A Western Nevada Development District Webinar

Friday, March 19, 2021
9 am till 11 am

Presented by the WNDD Economic Recovery & Resiliency Council

To better understand the ability and notion of resilience in a world of community and individual crises, the Western Nevada Development District is pleased to present these experts who will share their experiences dealing with the floods of Hurricane Harvey, the devastating Tubbs Fire and the everyday reality of cyberattacks on our connected communities.

 

Jillian Donatto is lead staffer in administering programs in support of members of the Houston- Galveston Area Council and the Gulf Coast Economic Development District; leading design and execution of a 2-Year Action Plan for COVID-19-related economic recovery; support other programs across the Sustainable Development Portfolio ranging from regional conservation to transport.

 

 

 

 

Sean McGlynn was named Santa Rosa City Manager in 2014. He was previously a deputy city manager from El Paso, Texas overseeing a range of departments including aviation, planning and economic development. Last year, Mr. McGlynn was named City Manager of the Year by the California City Management Foundation for going “beyond the call of duty to lead and serve the community.”ation & land use planning.

 

 

 

 

Mark R. Schonberg (U.S. Army Colonel, Ret.) is President of TerraScale, a clean infrastructure design and development firm that is bringing Project Energos; a 3,700 acre mixed-use development near Fernley NV Reno, NV that aims to enable secure, swift storage and transmission of data between government agencies and commercial client. Schonberg has more than three decades of senior leadership in the United States Military in the IT services, Cyber Security and data center construction.

 

REGISTER TODAY!

 

 

 

Profiles in Resiliency

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A Western Nevada Development District Webinar

Join Us! Friday, March 19, 2021 at 9 am till 11 am

Presented by the WNDD Economic Recovery & Resiliency Council

One of the nation’s most devastating wildland fire events that turned into an urban inferno consuming 5,600 structures, and a hurricane which dumped enough water along the Gulf Coast to depress the earth’s crust, have become lessons in resiliency for the communities of Santa Rosa, CA and Houston, Texas.

In that same year, there was a quieter disaster as consumer credit reporting agency Equifax saw a massive breach to its web application that led to the loss of millions of records containing the social security numbers and birthdates 145.5 million people.

Join Santa Rosa City Manager Sean McGlynn, Jillian Donatto, Senior Planner of the Houston-Galveston Area Council and who will discuss the disaster events of 2017 that caused devastation and tremendous economic injury to their communities and how those recovery efforts are focused on future resiliency. They will be joined by U.S. Army Colonel (Ret.) Mark R. Schonberg, President of TerraScale, who will present the newest element in disaster recovery and resiliency, cybersecurity.

Discussions will include:

  • Crisis events and their impacts
  • Economic challenges resulting from the impacts
  • Recovery efforts
  • Keys to planning for future resiliency
  • Lessons learned – what would they do differently

Explore all Aspects of Recovery and Resiliency

Hurricane Harvey was a Category 4 storm that hit Texas on August 25, 2017. It caused $125 billion in damage according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm dumped 1 trillion gallons of rain on Houston in four days, forcing 32,000 people out of their homes and into shelters There were 61 drinking water facilities that were inoperable and 203 boil-water notices in effect. Another 40 wastewater treatment facilities were inoperable.

 

 

 

 

 

The Tubbs Fire started the evening of Oct. 8, 2017 and burned a total of 36,807 acres in Napa and Sonoma counties — destroying 5,636 structures and resulting in the deaths of 22 civilians Much of the fire’s destruction was in Santa Rosa, particularly in the Coffey Park and Fountaingrove neighborhoods. The estimated cost of the fire’s destruction is between $7.8 to more than $10 billion.

 

 

 

 

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights that we have entered the internet of all things, people and systems. Connectivity is essential for creating and sustaining economic growth and providing improved government services. This has also introduced enormous risks. Business and government agencies are increasingly a target for hackers and cybercrime, both globally and locally: SolarWinds, a major US information technology firm, was the subject of a cyberattack that spread to its clients and went undetected for months. In 2019, the Lyon County School District was the victim of a computer ransomware virus attack.

 

 

 

Register Today!

USDA Webinars to Share Latest Strategic Planning & Community Facility Grant Opportunities

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is hosting two webinars next month that will share the latest information on two grant programs; the Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training (CF TAT) program and the Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI).

CF TAT assists communities with awards of up to $150,000 to assist in identifying resources and planning for community facility needs.

RCDI grants are awarded to help non-profit housing and community development organizations, low-income rural communities and federally recognized tribes support housing, community facilities and community, entrepreneurship, and economic development projects in rural areas. Awards range from $50,000 to $250,000 and do require a local match.

The CF TAT and RCDI webinars are scheduled for Tuesday, February 16, 2021 and Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 2:00 EST, respectively.

Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant (CF TAT) Webinar

Tuesday, February 16, 2021
11:00 a.m. – Noon PST

CF TAT Webinar Registration!

Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) Webinar

Thursday, February 18, 2021
11:00 a.m.- Noon PST

RCDI Webinar Registration!

WNDD Economic Recovery Update – Jan 2021

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It’s time to Rebuild our Region

 

Greetings Fellow Nevadans,

Happy New Year!

We’re proud to share the January 2021 edition of the Western Nevada Development District’s Economic Recovery Update. This newsletter is part of WNDD’s effort to identify and develop strategies to create and build a more resilient economy in our region.

This edition of the Economic Recovery Update highlights the activities and progress of the Economic Recovery and Resiliency Council. The update also shares information and data that can help WNDD members and other regional businesses and organizations plan and implement their recovery and resiliency efforts.

In the update, you’ll find information about …

– Available grants and grants in the works
– Data and information regarding economic recovery
– Relevant news articles
– Member success stories
– And more!

Read the Update!

We look forward to sharing new information with you each month.

Regards,

Roy Edgington
WNDD President
Mayor, City of Fernley

P.S. We want to highlight your success stories or opportunities with other WNDD members. To get in touch with us about what you’re doing to rebuild a vibrant, resilient, sustainable economy, email:

Economic Recovery Coordinator- Don Vetter
DVetter@wndd.org

Vision 2021: The Nevada Economic Forecast

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The Western Nevada Development District is pleased to sponsor the opening Regional Economic Outlook presentation by EDA representatives for Vision 2021: The Nevada Economic Forecast presented by the College of Business at the University of Nevada, Reno.

The webinar is slated for Friday, January 22, 2021 from 8:00am until 11:55am.

The event will feature a special keynote presentation from members of the U.S. Economic Development Administration who will address current economic conditions in the western and intermountain-western United States.

Vision 2021 also features presentations from Nevada State Senator Ben Kieckhefer, representatives from the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development, and presentations regarding the current and immediate future conditions of Nevada’s housing, agriculture, mining, tourism, and healthcare industry sectors.

Registration is only $25.

Register Today! Vision 2021

Update: COVID-19 Relief & Spending Package

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Congress has passed a $2.3 trillion omnibus spending bill…

The bill includes approximately $900 billion in economic stimulus for COVID-19 Relief and several relief provisions, authorizing matters and appropriations to provide aid to small businesses and communities during the pandemic.

From our partners at the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), here is a synopsis of what we’ve learned so far from the COVID Relief Package. We will continue to share updates as more developments take place.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) – Small Business Administration

• 501(c)6 organizations are eligible to participate, including economic development organizations that are registered as 501(c)6 organizations

• Program extended until March 31, 2021

• Tax issues resolved:

• Gross income does not include any forgivable amount of the PPP loan
• Deductions are allowed for deductible expenses paid for by any forgiven amount from PPP loan

PPP Forgiveness Simplified

• Loans less than $150,000 require simple certification in the form of a one-page letter from the borrower to the lender stipulating basic criteria and providing simple, high-level details

• Eligible uses formally expanded:
• Covered operations (software, tech, human resources, etc.), covered property damage (associated with ‘disturbances’ happening during 2020), covered supplier costs (supplies, inventory, etc.), covered health and safety expenses (PPE, testing, etc.) were further clarified as eligible uses of PPP loans and eligible for forgiveness
• Benefits such as life insurance, disability insurance, vision and dental were also clarified to be eligible covered expenses
• Borrower may select their covered period end date, between 8 and 24 weeks after origination

The latest round of PPP is $284.45 billion (program total authorization rises to $806.5 billion lifetime) and includes a number of carve-outs:
• $35 billion set aside for first-time borrowers
• $25 billion is set aside for smaller organizations with 10 employees or less or loans less than $250,000 in low-income areas.
For organizations with less than 300 employees:
• Must have used or will use the full amount of first PPP loan
• Must show at least a 25% reduction in revenue in the first, second, or third quarter of 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019; applications submitted on or after January 1, 2021, may use a fourth quarter 2020/2019 comparison
• 60/40 cost allocation between payroll and non-payroll costs to receive full forgiveness remains

Other Tidbits

Unemployment Insurance

• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is extended until March 14, 2021, and the maximum number of weeks of eligibility is extended from 39 weeks to 50 weeks
• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PUEC) is extended until March 14, 2021 and the number of weeks of eligibility is extended from 13 weeks to 24 weeks
• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation is reinstated at $300 per week from the week after December 26, 2020 and runs through March 14, 2021

“Stimulus” Payments

• $600 to individuals earning $75,000 or less per year and plus an additional $600 for every dependent child; decreasing amounts for those earning $75,001 or more at a rate of -$5 for every $100 over the earning limit

Education

• $22.7 billion for Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, including $1.7 billion for HBCU’s, tribal colleges and universities, and Hispanic serving institutions

Housing

• $25 billion for rental assistance
• Eviction moratorium extended to January 31, 2021

Transportation

• $2 billion for aid to airports, include airport retail
• $10 billion for highways for states to replace lost revenues that would support maintenance, operations, personnel, etc.
• $14 billion for mass transit operations

What isn’t in the bill?

• The $900 billion legislation is a drastically different bill than what has been proposed throughout the spring and summer
• Assistance for state and local governments was completely left out
• The bill is silent on the Economic Development Administration as it relates to COVID-19 — though for full-year appropriations the agency did see an increase from $333 million in funding to $346 million for fiscal 2021

We encourage you to connect with your members of Congress and their staff to acknowledge their hard work in getting this latest bill done, but reminding them that there remains much unmet need for communities, businesses and Economic Development Organizations which are working on recovery and community economic resilience.

WNDD Economic Recovery & Resiliency Council members welcomed by President -Fernley Mayor Roy Edgington and Vice President – City Council Woman Naomi Duerr

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Council to Identify Steps and Strategies for Immediate and Long-term Economic Recovery

The Western Nevada Development District’s (WNDD) Economic Recovery & Resiliency Council kicked off their important work on Dec. 9, 2020 with an orientation meeting featuring presentations from some of the state’s top economic analysts and advisors on what it will take to not only bounce back, but to bounce forward from the Covid-19 economic downturn.

The 14-member council will champion the steps and strategies for not just immediate economic recovery in Western Nevada Development District (WNDD) region, but also how the community can build economic resilience to weather the next pandemic, the next earthquake, the next flood, or the next great recession.

Roy Edgington, President of the WNDD Board of Directors and Mayor of the City of Fernley, welcomed the Council and stressed their unique position in this unique set of circumstances.

“Your skills, knowledge and devotion to our community will be instrumental in helping to shape a coordinated and actionable plan to rebuild and strengthen economic activity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Edgington said.

The Council heard from three economist; Dr. Thomas Harris and Buddy Borden of the University of Nevada Center for Economic Development and Eugenia Larmore, CEO of E-KAY Consultants. Their information tracked the trajectory of the economic impacts thus far and factors that will contribute to recovery, or the continuation of the pandemic-induced recession. They stressed the northern Nevada’s diverse economic landscape has helped the community weather this storm better than other parts of the state and country.

Bob Potts, Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development presented the State Plan for Economic Recovery and how the Council will align with those strategies and be part of future actions and policies to try and have the economy come out of the pandemic stronger than when the pandemic took hold.

Marlene Rebori, from UNR Cooperative Extension, shared the tools at the Council members’ disposal to stimulate dialogue and glean the information and perspectives from each of the business, industry, government groups or economic sectors…the Council Teams.

WNDD is uniquely positioned in this task as an experienced, regional planning leader and portal to grant assistance that can support these recovery and resilience projects, Edgington said, who was joined by WNDD Vice President, Naomi Duerr of the Reno City Council in welcoming the Council members.

The Council members will be building their teams and begin taking input from their groups on issues and challenges experienced in the sector, or issues that became unveiled within the sector, because of the pandemic. A full virtual gathering of the Council team is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2021.

Council Recovery Teams and Council Representatives

Economic Development
Andrew Haskin, Deputy Director, Northern Nevada Development Authority

Government
Bob Hastings, Western Nevada Development District & Lyon County Commission (2012-2020)

Business
Ann Silver, CEO, Reno/Sparks Chamber of Commerce

Health & Wellness
Kitty McKay, Director of Mission Integration, Carson-Tahoe Hospital

Utilities/Infrastructure/Transportation
Lucia Maloney, Transportation Manager, Carson City

Education & Workforce
Dana Ryan, Special Assistant to the President, Truckee Meadows Community College

Financial
Jeremy Gilpin, President-Commercial Lending, Greater Nevada Credit Union

Tourism/Hospitality/Arts & Culture
Carol Chaplin, CEO, Lake Tahoe Visitor’s Authority

State & Federal Lands/Natural Resources
Don Vetter, Western Nevada Development District

Housing
Ron Bath, Founder, Salmon Point Development

Information Technology
Vas Karmyshanov, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Balanced Agency

Manufacturing
Mark Anderson, Director, Nevada Industry Excellence

Mining
Joe Riney, Director of Workforce Engagement, Nevada Mining Association

Building & Trades
Aaron West, CEO, Nevada Builders Alliance

WNDD Economic Recovery Report – Nov 2020

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Building the Bridge to Resiliency and Recovery

 

Greetings Fellow Nevadans,

On behalf of the Western Nevada Development District (WNDD) Board of Directors, I am proud to announce the first edition of the WNDD’s Economic Recovery Report. This monthly newsletter is part of WNDD’s effort to identify and develop strategies to support economic recovery and build a more resilient economy in the WNDD region.

The monthly Economic Recovery Report will announce the activities and progress of the newly established WNDD Economic Recovery and Resiliency Council, a multi-disciplinary team of subject matter experts who will develop a coordinated effort and plan to resume economic activity to the fullest and safest extent possible. The process includes discussions surrounding policy considerations in the overall plan-making and all activities will interface with the Nevada State Plan: Road to Recovery.

The report will also share information and data that can help WNDD members and other regional businesses and organizations plan and implement their recovery and resiliency efforts.

In the report, you’ll find information about …

– Available grants and grants in the works
– Data and information regarding economic recovery
– Relevant news articles
– Member success stories
– And more!

Read the Complete Report

We look forward to sharing new information with you each month.

Regards,

Roy Edgington
WNDD President Mayor, City of Fernley

P.S. We want to highlight your success stories or opportunities with other WNDD members. To get in touch with us about what you’re doing to rebuild a vibrant, resilient, sustainable economy, email
Economic Recovery Coordinator- Don Vetter at: DVetter@wndd.org.

Rural Relief Small Business Grants

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There’s still time to participate the in the next round of the Rural Relief Small Business Grants program presented by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and supported by Lowe’s.

Before you apply, please note:

Only small businesses located in rural communities are eligible at this time. Rural communities are defined as having a population of 50,000 or less. A community is defined as the city/town/village where your business address is located. If the business is mobile (a food truck, fishing boat, ride share driver, etc.), please use the address where your vehicle is stored during non-business hours.

All potential applicants are encouraged to review the FAQ and Grant Information before applying. This program is separate from previous small business grant applications from LISC.

You must submit a new application each round to be considered for a Rural Relief Small Business Grant.

Deadline for this round is: Monday, November 2, 2020.