Businesses show interest in Nevada as Interstate 49 transformation materializes
By Ralph Pokorny
Nevada Daily Mail
A lot of people wonder if turning U.S. Highway 71 into Interstate 49 will help Nevada's economy. Will it bring business? Will it bring jobs?
"It will if we are prepared for the growth," Nevada City Manager JD Kehrman said recently.
"When people see the opportunity, growth and vitality in Nevada, people will want to invest in Nevada. It'll be a no-brainer," Kehrman said.
Some of that activity is already taking place, he said.
The city is seeing interest from businesses that are eyeing the area from two perspectives -- outside enterprises looking for information and "testing the waters," and local businesses that want to expand and remodel and make capital investments, he said.
Kehrman said the city has seen an increase in activity. They're getting more calls and sending out more information to companies. Most of the interested parties are small endeavors, but there are a few big companies that are looking as well.
Pilot and Fastenal are examples of companies that did a lot of market research before coming to Nevada.
There are also a number of local individuals and businesses that have invested money in starting a business or expanding an existing business.
Nevada native David Cherry has recently invested a significant amount of money to open a sports bar in the former AmVets building.
Kathy and Sonny Butler are in the process of remodeling a building on South Cedar Street, where they are planning to relocate this fall.
And Max Motors recently completed a $1 million expansion, Kehrman said.
"People are confident enough in Nevada to invest," he said.
This willingness of local people to invest in their business sends a message regionally that Nevada is healthy and has a bright future, he said.
A second component in Nevada being ready for potential growth brought by the advent of I-49 is the investment by the city in needed infrastructure.
Things like the annual street construction program that is paid for by a 1/2-cent transportation sales tax and by opening new areas of the town to development by installing new sewers, like the Meadow Lane development in southeast Nevada.
The sewers in that project were upgraded from pressurized lines to gravity feed sewers to accommodate the growth in that area, Kehrman said.
He said that the city also is working to bring city sewers to those residential lots that, for a variety of reasons, were never connected to the sewers or lack good sewers.
A third and less obvious component of making Nevada ready for growth brought on by I-49 are partnerships between the city and the Nevada-Vernon County Chamber of Commerce, Nevada R-5 School District, Nevada Regional Medical Center, downtown business owners and other local groups.
Kehrman said that Nevada fits into two job clusters that are targeted for job growth in Missouri -- agriculture and transportation.
Companies like Ag Provisions and Branham Diesel are examples of companies that fall into those clusters.
"I see a bright future -- the immediate future -- not 10 years off, but beginning now," Kehrman said.