EDEN-Economic Development Nevada

1301 S. Highway 160 (2^nd floor) :: Pahrump, NV 89048 :: Toll Free 888-900-EDEN(3336) :: 775-751-1923

EDEN Sponsored Events

Amargosa Business Tour

On November 30, 2006 EDEN proudly hosted a tour of some of Amargosa Valley's major employers. The primary purpose of this tour was to familiarize our local representatives and EDEN board members with these businesses and with their potential and their needs. Invitations were sent to the Nye County Commission, the town boards and Chambers of Commerce of Amargosa, Beatty, and Pahrump, members of the EDEN Board, all EDEN partners, and representatives of Valley Electric. We were pleased with the turnout, 14 people attended. All the feedback we received was positive.

The tour started at the IMV Nevada mill where we were shown the milling process for bentonite, saponite, and sepiolite clays. For those unfamiliar with these clays, they are used in a diversity of products including salt water drilling fluids, stucco plasticizers, mortar mixes, and even fertilizer and animal feed. The IMV Nevada mill and mine employs approximately 30 people in the Amargosa Valley.

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Our next stop was Horizon Academy, a private year-round boarding school for grades 7-12, specifically designed to help teens that are struggling academically or socially in the public school system. The school employs approximately 80 people and had an enrollment of 203 students for the 2006-2007 school year. The academy has made a positive impact upon the Amargosa Valley both economically and socially.

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Next we visited the Ponderosa Dairy. There are actually 3 dairies at this location the Amargosa Dairy, Ponderosa Dairy, and the Moapa Dairy. The dairy accounts for 115-120 of the areas employees. It produces milk and beef as well as fertilizer.

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Lunch was a wonderful beef brisket meal at Cathy's Short Branch Saloon in Crystal. Following lunch we toured the IMV Nevada mine where we were able to see up close the raw product and watch the scraping procedure.

All in all, the tour was a great success. Everyone found it informative and enjoyed the tour. We want to thank everyone who participated in this event and especially our tour guide Tom Powell.