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Name Elaine Barkdull
Title Executive Director
Company Elko County Economic Diversification Authority (ECEDA)
Type of Business
Non-profit economic development organization representing Elko County, Elko, Wells, Carlin and private industries
Location Elko
Years in Nevada 28
Years with Company: 1
Biggest Business Challenge:
Rural Nevada is not quite on the radar screen of many site selectors from around the country. ECEDA’s greatest challenge is introducing them to the potential of the northeastern side of our great state.
What do you like best about your job?
The job is very challenging, and I never know what the day is going to bring. I could receive a call from a potential new business or I could make a recruiting call that leads to a great opportunity. It is unpredictable, but when it happens, it makes for a great day. Networking with other people in industry is also a plus. We all celebrate each other’s successes.
How do you spend your time when you’re not working?
Reading, enjoying the outdoors and thinking about work.
Favorite Business Book:
Time Tactics of Very Successful People, by B. Eugene Griessman
Best Business Advice
A challenging job is like a sport. The better you become at it the more you enjoy it and the more you want to play.
What would you like your legacy to be?
Helping to diversify the Northeastern Nevada region by initiating the concept of the Port of Elko County Multimodal Transloading Facility and Industrial Park. The facility will impact Northeastern Nevada by providing rail service to all companies within a 200-mile radius.
What new developments are planned for Elko County?
The city of Elko is experiencing retail and housing growth, and the smaller communities have witnessed new business and growth as well. ECEDA, the county and the individual cities are working at improving their industrial properties and planning infrastructure projects. We are preparing for new industry and the diversification of our region.
Name Mark Hedge, P.E.
Title Principal
Company Lochsa Engineering and Surveying
Type of Business Civil and structural engineering, surveying services
Location Las Vegas, Nev. and Boise, Idaho
Years in Nevada 20
Years with Company 10
Biggest Business Challenge:
Our biggest challenge is satisfying all of our clients’ needs. Employee retention runs a close second, since there is a definite shortage of qualified technical people. It is an employee’s market.
What do you like best about your job?
As an engineer, I enjoy seeing vacant land transformed into a successful development. There is nothing I enjoy more than driving around town and pointing out towers and parking lots that Lochsa helped develop.
How do you spend your time when you’re not working?
Golf is my hobby. I also like to read novels, trade publications and business magazines. If I don’t read the paper every day, I feel lost.
Favorite Business Book :
I recently read Conspiracy of Fools, by Kurt Eichenwald. It’s the horror story about Enron.
Best Business Advice :
Create a quality professional team around your business. This includes qualified accountants, attorneys and insurance agents. It’s not only what you know, it’s who you know.
What would you like your legacy to be?
It would be nice to be known as someone who had a part in changing the skyline and landscape of this dynamic city we call home.
What special challenges do engineers face in high-rise construction?
The biggest challenge is probably designing an economic structure from bottom to top that meets code requirements but stays within the project budget. The rise in steel and concrete prices has forced the design community to provide the most efficient product possible without sacrificing structural integrity and aesthetics.
Name: Jeff Eigenman
Title: Project Manager
Company: Voit Development Company
Type of Business: Commercial real estate development
Location: Reno
Years in Nevada: 39
Years with company: 3
Biggest Business Challenge:
Our biggest challenge is locating new development opportunities in the Reno/Sparks market. The market is tight, land is scarce and the competition in the market is fierce.
What do you like best about your job?
The creativity required in the development business and the autonomy of being the project manager are the largest benefits. There is an endless amount to learn, many bridges to build and doors to unlock. The challenge of creating something that will improve the area allows each day to be one of discovery and growth.
How do you spend your time when you are not working?
I enjoy traveling, spending quality time with friends and family and participating in recreational activities, including beach volleyball and alpine ski racing. I am an accredited professional alpine race coach with the United States Ski Association and Canadian Ski Coaches Association. I enjoy coaching junior athletes.
Favorite Business Book:
Capitalist Fools: Tales of American Business, From Carnegie to Forbes to the Milken Gang, by Nicholas Von Hoffman.
Best Business Advice:
Listen, listen and then listen some more, especially before you speak. One must also be humble and able to take criticism in order to learn.
What would you like your legacy to be?
I want to develop projects for Voit that make business sense and, most importantly, build lasting relationships with people in our community.
With land prices rising in Northern Nevada, where will new commercial development take place?
The Reno Tahoe Industrial Park in Storey County is going so successfully that many developers are looking to expand into that market. Northeast Sparks, Stead and North Reno are markets that are experiencing an increase in development because prices are affordable and land is available. In addition to raw land, there are opportunities for redevelopment of underutilized properties in infill locations.
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