The Clark County Board of Commissioners approved the Laughlin Economic Development Strategic Plan earlier this year, including its implementation element.

This is the only known economic development plan created for any outlying area under Clark County’s jurisdiction.

The Commission received an executive summary of the work conducted over the past two years by a local committee comprised of 15 residents from various fields, chief Clark County departments and consulting firm, Applied Development Economics. The project included a vast amount of research, input from specialists and a collection of credible data – all used by the whole group to draw conclusions and propose an implementation plan.

Laughlin Town Manager Jackie Brady, who spoke before a large audience at a Laughlin Town Advisory Board in recent months, called the formal acceptance of the plan “a watershed moment for Laughlin.

“The Laughlin Economic Development Strategy will motivate and encourage our community in numerous ways. We now have a template that identifies our main objectives, our necessary partners and the steps needed to diversify Laughlin.”

Plan segments were presented by Laughlin Development Manager Deborah Murray and Management Analyst Jo Elle Hurns.

Both stated that literally hundreds of hours were spent discussing how to diversify the business climate beyond tourism and share key marketing messages with the right audiences that touts Laughlin’s unique recreational offerings. Brady said the Laughlin Economic Strategic Plan is dynamic (it will change as opportunities and conditions change) and it will involve various stakeholders at both public and private levels.

 “We have already taken steps toward economic development in the past decade as we worked to make more public land available, furthered transportation infrastructure improvements and complete our Land Use Plan,” she explained. “Collectively, all these projects, including extensive studies on our regional economic base and its demographics and growth trends, had significant impacts in the timing, credibility and consequence of this economic development blueprint.”

The stated goals of the new plan are to: 

·         Diversify Laughlin’s economic base to ensure economic stability and prosperity into the future. 

·         Encourage the location of retail, professional and business services within Laughlin. 

·         Establish an economic development program for Laughlin.

·         Increase Laughlin’s supply of qualified workers.

·         Encourage renewed investment and development within Laughlin.

·         Collaborate with other agencies, organizations and jurisdictions to achieve the goals of this economic development strategy.

    This effort will considerably intensify the focus of Laughlin’s government hours almost wholly on economic development-related work. Renewable energy, expanding medical facilities and distinctive commercial, retail and residential offerings are priorities of the plan. This strategy itself, compiled by Applied Development Economics, also features an accumulation of existing conditions data as well as an inventory of Laughlin’s land, water, wastewater, utilities and roadway capacities. Projects of regional significance are featured as well.

Brady, Murray and Hurns have shared the plan with other regional entities specializing in fields of work related to development. These contacts will likely be represented on future partnerships or roundtables charged with carrying out the goals of Laughlin's plan.

Educating interested parties and engaging developers or business operators has also been ongoing for months. Murray has been attending major, international-level conferences including the annual Urban Land Institute and American Planning Association gatherings of thousands of representatives. 

Murray explained to the Town Board that the “blue print” will be used to further action and specific projects with partnering entities such as the Nevada Development Authority, the Laughlin Chamber of Commerce, the Nevada Small Business Development Center, leaders in land planning at the University of Nevada, the American Planning Association, the Urban Land Institute, and many other organizations.

     “Laughlin is in an enviable and unique situation,” Murray said. “By having some of our infrastructure in place ahead of growth, we can be the beneficiary of orderly and positive growth that many communities cannot. We have had the opportunity to plan smart and use our resources in more practical ways. We can promote more recreational assets, more residential offerings and improved transportation routes; meanwhile we have worked to see new lands become available. Using our water resources selectively and carefully is of  primary importance.”

     Most businesses seeking to relocate need three basic elements, according to the Hurns: transportation, affordable land and a developing workforce.

 Laughlin’s proximity to rail in Needles, Ca, a major interstate in Needles and Kingman, Az and one of the nation’s largest airports (McCarran) are "fundamental pluses." Laughlin also enjoyed the extraordinary benefit of its economic development plan and a Land Use Plan update evolving at the same time.

Next steps in the economic development plan of Laughlin include marketing the township. Hurns said promoting the 11 resorts and casinos and area golf courses will not be the main messages in this marketing plan. Rather, Laughlin leaders will develop roundtables of stakeholders and create specific messages and collateral, depending upon the audience.

Messages might also promote the County’s recent acquisition of 9,000 acres of Colorado River Commission lands in south Laughlin (recently named "Southlands"), which is to be used expressly for future development. Sharing Laughlin’s unincorporated status in a state consistently ranked among the top three in the nation in which to operate a business (because of its tax structure), Laughlin’s location on the Colorado River just 90 miles south of Las Vegas, its traffic-congestion free reputation as a recreation paradise for “soft-adventure” enthusiasts would also be important assertions in marketing efforts.

     For the Laughlin Economic Development Summary Report, click here or request a copy at the Laughlin Town Manager’s Office at 101 Civic Way in Laughlin, NV 89029 or by calling 702-298-0828.  

“This document may state some obvious goals but they have become memorialized and accepted at a formal level, as has our implementation plan. This is important because no matter what kind of staff changes occur in the market, this will continue to be our accepted accumulation of data engaging all partners in deliberate economic development of Laughlin.

Deborah Murray, Laughlin Development Manager

“The only way to describe the work involved in this implementation plan is “massive”.  We may rely on our Town Board and its committees in new ways. But, they will have to perform long-term and under a kind of pressure that they may underestimate - all for the greater good. We know at staff levels that some projects take a long time and we also anticipate that people like to talk about the negative…like what is not being done, who is to blame for this or that. Rarely do communities unite to promote the positive as they welcome new projects. As this product was created, we realized that our greatest virtue - our people - would make or break it. It requires all of us to genuinely work together!”

Laughlin Town Manager Jackie Brady, December 2007

The bulk of population and household growth in Laughlin has been attributed to the segment of retirement-age (over 65) and middle-age-to-near retirement age (over 45) purchasing homes in the market over the years.

Bullhead City, Needles and even Kingman also are known to have at least 15% more middle-age to retirement age people in their population bases than the average for the rest of the western states. Over the next 20 years, a majority of the population, or 53%, is expected to still be 45 years of age and older.