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Much of what is needed to retain and attract business to Nevada County already is here in the quality of life, but solid schools and infrastructure need to remain a bedrock of the area, according to four area entrepreneurs.
One said an initiative to curb development in Grass Valley, sponsored by the Rural Quality Coalition, would be a "black cloud" to economic development efforts.
The four business leaders spoke Friday at the start of a two-day economic development conference between county supervisors and city council members from Truckee, Grass Valley and Nevada City. They also said it was fruitless to try an attract firms from outside the state, given California's tough regulations and reputation for not being business-friendly.
The meeting was a continuation of an economic summit held in February and spurred by a $50,000 report commissioned by the Board of Supervisors. The report from consultant Libby Seifel said the county needs to attract new business, retain and expand what it now has and become less dependent on tourism.
The speakers also said the county needs to keep and bolster its schools, because prospective workers and workers always ask about them right away.
The county already has a strong brand presence in the high-tech video industry because of Thomson Grass Valley, and the entrepreneurs urged it be utilized to attract other businesses and talent.
"The Grass Valley Group has an incredible reputation internationally," said John Abt, owner of AJA Video, who first came here to work for the famous firm and stayed to start his own. "Anyone in the video industry knows Grass Valley."
Abt said the city's name also is a marketing draw and a lure for the engineers he needs.
"When our customers see we're from Grass Valley, that's a good thing," Abt said. "They know the products will be good and it attracts people."
"Hi-tech is a jewel up here," said Dan Castles, chief executive of Telestream, who also moved here to work for Grass Valley Group and stayed.
Western Nevada County is one of the six or seven best places in the world for video expertise because of the Grass Valley Group and the cottage industry spun off from it, Castles said.
Castles also said looking outside the area for business would be tough, and ridiculous outside of the state.
"Cold calls to locate here are a roll of the dice," he said.
Many people who want to live here or came here already had a link to the area, Castles said.
"My family vacationed here and I went to high school here," he said.
Developer Robert Upton built the Nevada City Tech Center because a former business partner knew about local commercial Realtor Locke Richards and the land adjacent to Grass Valley Group in Nevada City.
Upton said the proposed Managed Growth Initiative to curb development for the city definitely would inhibit economic development.
"It's a very bad thing," he said of the initiative. "The message it sends is Grass Valley is doing something outside and beyond the normal planning process. It would be a black cloud over the area."
An initiative like the one proposed for Grass Valley would not have made as much difference to Kevin Marshall, when he brought hit real-estate information business to Truckee. His customers do not live there, but he and the people who work for him do because of the recreational opportunities and the quality of life.
"Our staff came here largely because after college they wanted to decompress," Marshall said. "If you go to the Bay Area and throw a rock, you're going to hit somebody who makes six figures and wants to move to Nevada County."
To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 477-4237.
One said an initiative to curb development in Grass Valley, sponsored by the Rural Quality Coalition, would be a "black cloud" to economic development efforts.
The four business leaders spoke Friday at the start of a two-day economic development conference between county supervisors and city council members from Truckee, Grass Valley and Nevada City. They also said it was fruitless to try an attract firms from outside the state, given California's tough regulations and reputation for not being business-friendly.
The meeting was a continuation of an economic summit held in February and spurred by a $50,000 report commissioned by the Board of Supervisors. The report from consultant Libby Seifel said the county needs to attract new business, retain and expand what it now has and become less dependent on tourism.
The speakers also said the county needs to keep and bolster its schools, because prospective workers and workers always ask about them right away.
The county already has a strong brand presence in the high-tech video industry because of Thomson Grass Valley, and the entrepreneurs urged it be utilized to attract other businesses and talent.
"The Grass Valley Group has an incredible reputation internationally," said John Abt, owner of AJA Video, who first came here to work for the famous firm and stayed to start his own. "Anyone in the video industry knows Grass Valley."
Abt said the city's name also is a marketing draw and a lure for the engineers he needs.
"When our customers see we're from Grass Valley, that's a good thing," Abt said. "They know the products will be good and it attracts people."
"Hi-tech is a jewel up here," said Dan Castles, chief executive of Telestream, who also moved here to work for Grass Valley Group and stayed.
Western Nevada County is one of the six or seven best places in the world for video expertise because of the Grass Valley Group and the cottage industry spun off from it, Castles said.
Castles also said looking outside the area for business would be tough, and ridiculous outside of the state.
"Cold calls to locate here are a roll of the dice," he said.
Many people who want to live here or came here already had a link to the area, Castles said.
"My family vacationed here and I went to high school here," he said.
Developer Robert Upton built the Nevada City Tech Center because a former business partner knew about local commercial Realtor Locke Richards and the land adjacent to Grass Valley Group in Nevada City.
Upton said the proposed Managed Growth Initiative to curb development for the city definitely would inhibit economic development.
"It's a very bad thing," he said of the initiative. "The message it sends is Grass Valley is doing something outside and beyond the normal planning process. It would be a black cloud over the area."
An initiative like the one proposed for Grass Valley would not have made as much difference to Kevin Marshall, when he brought hit real-estate information business to Truckee. His customers do not live there, but he and the people who work for him do because of the recreational opportunities and the quality of life.
"Our staff came here largely because after college they wanted to decompress," Marshall said. "If you go to the Bay Area and throw a rock, you're going to hit somebody who makes six figures and wants to move to Nevada County."
To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 477-4237.
