The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada celebrated their 11th annual Existing Industry Awards on Thursday.
Thursday night's event honored 69 local companies and organizations. One of the winners Aqua Medals shared why northern Nevada the perfect place for their business is.
"We've been here for quite a while," said President and CEO of Aqua Metals Steve Cotton. "We've actually relocated the company from California to Nevada in 2018. It was founded originally at an auto shop in Oakland, and we've been building battery recycling technologies that are fully decarbonized."
Cotton said their company not only recycles batteries, which is good for the environment, but also maintains a safe and clean environment for their employees.
Aqua Metals received the 'Leader in Sustainability- Small' award.
Cotton told us that northern Nevada is a great area for their industry to grow due to all the resources it provides such as lithium, battery manufacturers, and miners.
Multiple companies agree it's a very business-friendly area, including an aerospace company that contributes to national defense- known as Valley Tech Systems.
"It's a very business friendly environment," said David Rosenblatt, director of business development for Valley Tech Systems. "We have a really strong partnership with the university of Nevada, Reno, and like 10 of our 40 engineers are from there so great talent, a lot of enthusiasm, and a great place to basically test and develop our technology."
Both of these small businesses said that they feel honored to be recognized, be a part of this event, and be part of northern Nevada.
