Located east of Fernley on Highway 50, the Western Nevada Commerce Center is in a good spot, location-wise.
"This is an ideal location because it's regionally located," said Brain Armon, Senior Vice President with NAI Alliance. "So we can hit a lot of different markets from here, and this is serving both local and regional clients."
Industrial Realty Group, LLC, bought the property in November of 2020 and have invested in the rail and infrastructure there.
"In the last year, we've gotten Union Pacific and BNSF approval to improve the existing tract and put in new track," said Justin Lichter, Vice President of IRG. "We've put in over a mile of new track on top of the half a mile that was there before, improved the infrastructure, and are really looking to expand and grow operations on site."
That means more possibilities for warehousing and manufacturing here - and more jobs.
"The jobs that the rails are going to bring here is going to be sustainable jobs, it's going to be careers, not just temporary jobs," said Amy Miller with the Northern Nevada Development Authority. "It adds great value to the quality of life of our society and the culture we have here in Northern Nevada, and it's bringing in other people to enjoy that culture as well."
Rail is by no means a new technology, but it is an efficient one.
"It's of the most sustainable and economic ways to get bulk commodities throughout the country," Lichter said. "You can ship one ton of freight over 400 miles on one gallon of diesel. So it's a pretty amazing way to transport goods."
It also bypasses some of the supply chain issues associated with roads, like congestion, closures, and weather-related delays.
"There's a substantial demand for relieving the issues we currently have in the supply chain, and this is just one way we can do that," Armon said. "This is a transload facility, so commodities can transfer either truck to train or train to truck. It just takes a lot of things off the road directly and puts them on trains which is a much more efficient way to haul loads."
It's a way to capitalize on a site with plenty of room to expand. There are mines to the north, east and south that could play an important role there.
"This is a diamond in the rough out here," Miller said. "There's so many aspects to this. We're able to hit the cultural aspects with the mining that has been key to Nevada's culture, so this will help reinforce an industry we're already had. The community here is really looking forward to the growth and the different opportunities that are going to be provided to families and their children down the road."
