When Taylor Adams, president and chief executive officer of the Economic Development Authority of Western nevada, first spoke with his newly hired counterpart in Southern Nevada, it didn’t take long for the two longtime economic development professionals to hit upon the idea of creating a statewide organization to support training and development of others in their unique profession.

Danielle Casey, president and chief executive officer of Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, joined LVGEA at the end of august. She told NNBW last week that during an initial phone call with Adams they quickly honed in on Nevada’s lack of a statewide chapter of the International Economic Development Council, wich brings together statewide economic development professionals and others tasked with bringing new businesses to a region, such as those in commercial real estate development, and offers a wide range of professional development and best-practice continuing education opportunities.

Forming the Nevada Economic Development Council,a joint effort between EDAWN,LVGEA and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development,is crucial because it unifies the state’s economic development organizations and players and provides increased access to training for groups and individuals that may not be able to participate otherwise,Adams said.

NEDA also will promote collaboration between the real estate development community and economic developers since there’s so much overlap,he added.

Taylor Adams

“We are trying to localize industry best practices in order to develop a stronger economic development community across the state of Nevada,” Adams said. “The programming won’t just be for us; it will be for the commercial real estate development community, general contractors, and anyone else who engages in our work.

“It is a really exciting step for the continuing professionalization of economic development in nevada, and everyone in the state can expect a higher quality offering across the state going forward.”

Adams said continuing education has been part of EDAWN’s mission as he took the reins at the organization in summer of 2023. Once a quarter Adams takes the EDAWN team through some type of continuing education training – most recently, a conference on how artificial intelligence is impacting the economic development industry.

“There are only a few economic development authorities in the state that can afford to do that,” Adams said. “Normally, that programming would be administered through a state association where we can make sure everyone in the state has access to continuing education, best practice, and industry updates.”

like adams, Casey has decades of experience in economic development in Arizona, California, and most recently, New Mexico, where she headed the Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance. She’s also chair of curriculum for the University of Oklahoma College of Professional a

New Nevada Council Aims to Boost economic Development Training

When taylor Adams, president and CEO of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, first spoke with danielle Casey, his new counterpart in Southern Nevada, they quickly realized Nevada needed a statewide organization to support training and development for economic development professionals.

Danielle Casey,president and CEO of Las Vegas global Economic Alliance,joined LVGEA at the end of August. She said during an initial call with Adams, they focused on Nevada’s lack of a statewide chapter of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). The IEDC brings together economic development professionals and others who attract new businesses – like those in commercial real estate – and offers professional development and continuing education.

Forming the Nevada Economic Development Council (NEDA), a joint effort between EDAWN, LVGEA and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, will unify the state’s economic development organizations and increase access to training for individuals and groups who might not otherwise be able to participate, Adams said.

NEDA will also encourage collaboration between real estate developers and economic developers, given the overlap in their work, he added.

Taylor adams

“We are trying to bring industry best practices to Nevada to build a stronger economic development community across the state,” Adams said. “The training won’t just be for us; it will be for the commercial real estate development community, general contractors, and anyone else involved in our work.”

“This is an exciting step for professionalizing economic development in Nevada, and everyone in the state can expect a higher quality of service going forward.”

Adams said continuing education has been a priority for EDAWN since he became president in summer 2023. He holds quarterly training sessions for the EDAWN team.