Nevada: Betting on Desert
Isn't a Gamble Anymore

        Nevada -- America's capital city for casino gambling, boxing and big-business conventions -- is now seeking another moniker: commerce capital of the Mountain West.
        Spearheaded by the recent recruitment successes of Las Vegas, Henderson and Reno, Nevada has become the eighth most productive state (based on a productivity index of U.S.=100), according to Economy. com.

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        Whether spinning out of a large corporation already doing business in Nevada or fleeing California and its growth-related problems, companies by the hordes are flocking to Nevada in search of a better deal.
        "For a variety of reasons, these companies see the potential to come over here and experience a vibrant market with a dramatically lower cost of doing business," says Richard Fitzpatrick, president of the Las Vegas-based Internet Business Alliance. "Coming from Los Angeles, San Diego, Silicon Valley and other parts of Northern California, these corporate refugees are heading to places such as Reno and Lake Tahoe."
        Why are they coming? "We see the reality of it every day," says Fitzpatrick, whose statewide non-profit alliance works with more than 700 Nevada-based companies whose primary business is either the Internet or information technology. "Amazon.com came here because we have no inventory tax. So they built a warehouse on our side of the border. You can buy really good office space for $1.25 a square foot and really good warehouse space for $1 a square foot."
        Another company, HelloNetwork. com, decided to set up shop in Las Vegas because it saw an opportunity to capitalize on the convention business.
        "HelloNetwork started two years ago and is doing video streaming that doesn't require any software," says Fitzpatrick. "They now have more than 100 employees and have more than 50 job openings."
        Las Vegas isn't the only city booming from the Silicon Rush, however. In nearby Henderson, high-tech employers are finding that a city known for providing cheap electricity (up to 71 percent lower than in other major Southwest cities) can also be a good place to do business.
        The roll call of recent success stories includes Providian Financial, which last year opened its newest customer service center in Henderson to meet the demands of its Internet-based Aria credit-card operation. The 63,000 sq. ft. (5,853 sq. m.) facility is now home to 700 employees.
        Other recent large business expansions in Henderson include facilities for Ocean Spray Cranberries (300,000 sq. ft., or 27,870 sq. m.), Continental P.E.T. Technologies (300,000 sq. ft., or 27,870 sq. m.), Armand Manufacturing (29,000 sq. ft., or 2,694 sq. m.) and Ford Motor Co. (110,000 sq. ft., or 10,219 sq. m.).
        Altogether, the community of Henderson counted 24 new and expanding businesses in 2000, generating 2,900 new jobs, more than 1.2 million sq. ft. (111,480 sq. m.) of office and industrial space, and an estimated economic impact of $278 million.