Economy: Nevada runs on more than gambler misfortune
By Tim Pershing, Outpost contributor
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Those were the days |
As one of the last real "outposts" of the West, Nevada is still viewed by some as a tough, independent cowboy state where the only thing to do is play craps or receive a quickie divorce.
Others see Nevada as a backward desert wasteland fit only for nuclear waste dumps, prostitutes, secret military bases and the Loneliest Road in America.
Dave Abeloe was once one of these people.
Although Abeloe had lived next door to Nevada his whole life, he admits that before he moved here in 1996, he didn't know much about his neighbor to the west. Abeloe, a California native who spearheaded a nationwide relocation search for Patagonia two years ago, equated Nevada with three things: gambling, prostitution and sand. Today, Abeloe and 130 employees of the outdoor clothing manufacturer proudly call Reno their home.
"When I told my friends I was moving to Reno, they said 'How could you move to Reno?'" says Abeloe, Patagonia's Distribution Center Director. "My first reaction to Nevada was to the gambling and the desert. I thought there wasn't much here. I had to come and see it before I believed it."
Because of companies like Patagonia, Nevada possesses one of the strongest economies in the nation. The Silver State is leading the United States in job growth, population growth and income growth per capita.
What was once a state known primarily for its "sins" of legalized gambling and prostitution and for staging numerous atom bomb tests is now home to a burgeoning business industry, countless retirees and millions of tourists plunking down billions of dollars a year in the state's casinos.
After scouring the country searching for a suitable location, Abeloe realized that Reno, with its low taxes, healthy business climate and abundant outdoor activities, was the obvious city in which to set up shop.
"We looked everywhere from Seattle to the South to Salt Lake City," the 37-year-old father of two recalls. "But when it was all says and done, it boiled down to where we wanted to live. The employees and I wanted to live in a place where we could enjoy the outdoors, and Reno fit our business needs. And we didn't view the casinos as a detriment because there are two sides to Reno -- the downtown and the rest of the city."
Abeloe says last year Patagonia saved 35 percent, or $800,000, in operating costs alone and expects to shave $1 million this year. Abeloe attributes this to Nevada's low corporate taxes, the state's minimal warehouse tax and Reno's easy access to freight transportation.
Nevada's journey from a dusty, desert territory in the mid 1800s to the gleaming Silver State of the late 20th century is marked by a continued transition during which Nevada has reinvented itself.
copyright 11/15/97 Nevada Outpost
http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost
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