Last year Churchill County and the City of Fallon partnered up to hire an economic development consultant and create a joint structure to promote the community to outside industry. Churchill Fallon Economic Development, CFED, was born, and former sportscaster, mayor, and perpetual state agency director, Bruce Breslow was hired to “drag it home and kill it,” as local elected officials like to say about landing a company.
Breslow reported to the county commission last week on his efforts on behalf of the community over the past year, saying, “I’d say we are looking at between 1,500 and 2,000 new jobs in the next five to ten years with all the activity. That’s what has attracted new homebuilders to the City and County.”
Currently, Breslow is working with several companies interested in the industrial land surrounding Hazen. Industrial Realty Group bought the rail park along with 250 acres and is looking to purchase 500 more acres that cross the Lyon County line. Additionally, TerraScale, a green energy data center serving high-security military clients, has purchased a large tract of land in the area north of Hazen and is working toward identifying water to fit their needs.
Enviorsafe DeMil is a company located on land purchased north of Fallon on Highway 95. The company has recently negotiated a $200 million contract from the Army to dispose of ammunition. They intend to construct a $20 million building and employ 60 local residents.
Also, Breslow says he is working with two California companies that sell e-commerce products and a company named PergoRoof that is looking to create a showroom for selling franchises nationwide. He continues work with Tim Tucker, who is developing an industrial park in Hazen he calls CHIP (Churchill Hazen Industrial Park) and the Sky Ranch housing development.
To serve the housing needs driven by these projects, Breslow told commissioners he is working with a regional home builder that is “sincere about building a modern apartment complex with amenities like a gym and a pool.” He said that he toured a national home builder through 100 lots within the City of Fallon and met with the mayor and the Captain of the base, Even Morrison.
“The base [NAS Fallon] is 230 houses short of what they need,” said Breslow. “There are 30 people living in barracks who have left their families behind because there is no affordable housing available.”
Breslow said the county hired EKAY Economics to do a housing study in 2019, which came out before the Navy announced it would add up to 1,300 new jobs before 2025 at NAS Fallon.
Sara Bebee, operations manager of Churchill Economic Development Authority/Small Business Development Center, reported on her activities over the past year, including the last Farm Conference prior to COVID. She said between March 15 and May 11 of last year, her SBDC office assisted 15 businesses with COVID support, saving 64 jobs and obtaining over $1 million in CARES Act funding. The CEDA office also administered the City/County COVID support grant for eligible businesses, helping 25 local businesses with relief funds.
The Chamber of Commerce has moved into the CEDA building on Williams Avenue, and CEDA continues working with the Fallon Food Hub and the Main Street program. Currently, the Food Hub staff is working with Frank Woodliff on the design and the construction details for the new Food Hub facility, which will be located on South Maine Street.
The CEDA Business Council currently has 75 members. CEDA will be working on a strategic planning process this year, updating their plan that is now five years old.
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