GOED hears company expansion pitches from Citex, Dealer Tire, NeuroGum and Tensorwave; tax-abatement requests outlined

The Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development board on May 8 heard presentations from four companies seeking director-level approvals and related tax-abatement packages, including details on planned investments, facility sizes and job projections.

Tom Burns, the agency director, opened the director-approval portion of the agenda and introduced Citex International Nevada (presenters identified as Mike Berruto and Parker Smythe). Company representatives said they acquired roughly a five-acre site in the Reno-Tahoe industrial area and are planning an approximately 80,000–82,000-square-foot facility. They told the board the company will invest nearly $15,000,000 in capital equipment over the first five years and expects to hire at least 10 employees at an average wage of $44.50 per hour.

Heather Brown, first vice president at the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, introduced Dealer Tire LLC, which is requesting a package that includes sales-and-use, modified business tax and personal property tax abatements. Dealer Tire told the board it will invest roughly $2,300,000 in capital and create 18 new jobs within 24 months at an average wage of $35.56 per hour. Board member Jenny Sargent asked whether Dealer Tire had already identified a facility; the company confirmed it has identified and begun operating at a 116,000-square-foot distribution building in the Las Vegas area.

Also introduced by LVGEA, NeuroGum cofounder Kent Yoshimura described plans to expand distribution in Southern Nevada. The company requested sales-and-use and modified business tax abatements, saying it will invest about $295,000 in capital equipment and create 32 jobs within 24 months at an average hourly wage of $40.38.

Tensorwave (transcript spellings include Tensor Wave/TensaWave/TenserWave) presented an application for a headquarters facility in Las Vegas; company president Peter Tomasik said the board will see a later application for a data center. For the headquarters request, Tensorwave seeks the same set of abatements and told the board it expects to invest $1,000,000 in capital equipment and create 60 jobs within 24 months at an average wage of $58 per hour. Tomasik said the headquarters will house strategic, recruiting and operations staff and that the company plans to recruit from local universities such as UNLV and UNR.

Board members asked operational and local-impact questions: Governor Joe Lombardo clarified Dealer Tire’s customer focus and asked why the company limits distribution to dealerships; company president Jerry Holman said Dealer Tire’s contracts with manufacturers restrict distribution to dealer channels. Jenny Sargent and others pressed presenters about confirmed facility sizes and timing; several presenters confirmed site locations and near-term operational activity.

Director Burns told the board that some director-level approvals are handled administratively and that the board would hear these introductions as part of the director-approval docket. No board-level abatements were presented for final vote at this meeting; these items were presented as introductions and to record requests and projected commitments.

The board adjourned after completing the agenda.