PODCAST · government
Nevada Means Business
by Nevada Department of Business and Industry
Nevada Means Business is the official podcast of the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, hosted by Director Kristopher Sanchez, highlighting the people, policies, and partnerships driving Nevada’s economic vitality. Through conversations with business leaders, state officials, and industry experts, the podcast explores workforce development, economic diversification, innovation, and the programs shaping opportunity across the Silver State.
Episodes
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What Actually Works for Nevada's Economy Beyond the Las Vegas Strip With Thomas Burns
Nevada economic development is shifting beyond hospitality and gaming into critical minerals processing, advanced manufacturing, and data centers. Tom Burns, Director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development, breaks down the state's strategic plan for economic diversification in a...
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What Actually Works for Nevada Farmers & Ranchers with JJ Goicoechea
Nevada farming faces a generational crisis as the state's beef herd nears all-time lows, sheep numbers have dropped from millions to roughly 90,000, and fewer young producers are entering the industry. JJ Goicoechea, Director of the Nevada Department of Agriculture and a fourth-generation Eureka...
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Nevada Parents: 5 Priorities to Fix K-12 Education Statewide with Victor Wakefield
Nevada's Superintendent of Public Instruction Victor Wakefield sits down with Kristopher Sanchez to address a question that haunts every parent and employer in the state: why does Nevada rank near the bottom in education, and what is the Department of Education actually doing about it? The...
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Las Vegas Transportation: Why Nevada Is Merging Its Taxi and Transit Agencies with Todd Park
Nevada's Transportation Authority and Taxicab Authority are closer to merging than at any point in their combined history, and administrator Todd Park — the first person to run both agencies simultaneously — explains exactly what that merger would change for Las Vegas transportation regulation,...
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Running a $400 Million State Highway Program with NDOT Director Tracy Larkin-Thomason
Nevada Department of Transportation Director Tracy Larkin-Thomason explains why the state's 5,400 miles of highway face a growing maintenance challenge — and what it will take to keep pace with explosive population growth, a surging mining industry, and stalled infrastructure funding. With a fuel...
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Las Vegas Airport Director James Chrisley: 5 Projects Transforming Harry Reid International Airport
Harry Reid International Airport faces a massive modernization challenge as Terminal 1 facilities designed in the 1960s strain under modern aircraft carrying nearly double the passengers they were built to handle. James Chrisley, Director of Aviation for Clark County and a former U.S. Air Force...
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Las Vegas A's President Marc Badain on Building a $1B Ballpark From Scratch
Las Vegas A's president Marc Badain explains how the city transformed from a nascent sports market into one of the most dominant sports and entertainment destinations in the country — and what the new Las Vegas A's stadium means for the local economy, small business owners, and aspiring sports...
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Autonomous Vehicles and Outdated Regulation with Vaughn Hartung, Nevada's Transportation Chairman
Nevada's transportation regulatory framework faces a collision between a 1919 utility structure and the rapid rise of autonomous vehicles and rideshare platforms — and the Chairman of the Nevada Transportation Authority is working to fix it before the 2027 legislative session. Vaughn Hartung,...
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Small Business Owners: Every SBA Loan and Program Explained by Deputy Admin Bill Briggs
Small business owners in Nevada looking for SBA loans, federal contracting opportunities, and veteran business programs will find direct answers from SBA Deputy Administrator Bill Briggs in this interview with Nevada Department of Business and Industry Director Kristopher Sanchez. Briggs details...
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What the Nevada Department of Business & Industry Does for Entrepreneurs with Marcel Schaerer
Marcel Schaerer, Deputy Director of the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, breaks down the free resources, licensing steps, and support networks available to Nevada's 353,000 small business owners — and explains why most entrepreneurs never access the tools their own state government…
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What the Nevada Bankers Association Actually Does for Small Business Owners with Phyllis Gurgevich
Phyllis Gurgevich, president and CEO of the Nevada Bankers Association, breaks down how Nevada banks evaluate small business loan applications using the five C's of credit — character, capacity, collateral, capital, and conditions — and explains the specific steps entrepreneurs should take before...
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How LVGEA Is Building a 30,000-Job Diversification Pipeline with Danielle Casey
Danielle Casey, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, breaks down the specific economic diversification strategy Southern Nevada is pursuing to move beyond tourism dependence — including the 30,000 new jobs needed across target industries to shift the region's…
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Las Vegas Small Business Owners: How the Latin Chamber Advocates for You with Peter Guzman
Peter Guzman, president of the Latin Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas, breaks down how the chamber transformed from a financially struggling organization into a 2,500-member advocacy powerhouse by treating its membership like shareholders in a publicly traded company — and why that same mindset…
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Why Nevada Was Chosen as the Site for the $230 Million Deep Synoptic Array with Dr. Katie Jameson
Dr. Katie Jameson, lead project manager of the Deep Synoptic Array, explains how a 1,650-dish radio telescope being built outside Ely, Nevada, will map the entire radio sky multiple times per year at unprecedented sensitivity—and why rural White Pine County became the ideal location for what…
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How 320,000 Adults Can Finish Their Degree Without Starting Over With Matt McNair
NSHE Chancellor Matt McNair explains how Nevada's Credit for Prior Learning initiative could help 320,000 adults with some college credit finish a degree without repeating coursework, and why the state's eight-campus higher education system is restructuring around workforce alignment, AI…
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What Nevada DMV Looks Like After Modernization with Tonya Laney
Nevada DMV modernization has reached a milestone that most state agencies only talk about — the average Nevada resident now needs to visit a DMV office in person only once every 16 years. Director Tonya Laney sits down with Kristopher Sanchez, director of Nevada's Department of Business and...
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What the Guinn Center ACTUALLY Does for Nevada Policy with Jill Tolles
During each biennial session, Nevada's legislature processes up to 1,500 bills in just 120 days, yet 85 to 97 percent pass with bipartisan support — a statistic that contradicts nearly every national headline about political gridlock. Jill Tolles, former three-term Nevada Assembly member and...
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3 Policy Shifts Creating MASSIVE Impact in Nevada Real Estate with Sharath Chandra
Nevada's Real Estate Division oversees roughly 40,000 licensees, regulates 3,800 homeowner associations covering nearly 700,000 residents, and is now pushing to move almost every licensing function online. Sharath Chandra, administrator of the division within the Department of Business and...
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Why Everyone Underestimates Nevada's Critical Mineral Position with Caleb Cage
Nevada's lithium loop — the closed-cycle supply chain spanning extraction, processing, manufacturing, and recycling — positions the state as the only place in America with companies operating across all seven stages of the battery economy. Caleb Cage, president of the Nevada Battery Coalition,...
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The Reality of Rural Economic Development in Nevada with Sheldon Mudd
In this episode, Kristopher sits down with Sheldon Mudd, the CEO and President of the Northeastern Nevada Regional Development Authority, to discuss the unique challenges and massive opportunities within rural economic development. Sheldon shares his fascinating journey from the United States Air...
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Las Vegas Transit: AI Tech, High-Speed Rail & The 2028 Transit Challenges with MJ Maynard-Carey
In this episode, Director Sanchez sits down with MJ Maynard-Carey, the CEO of the Regional Transit Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada, for a deep dive into the complex infrastructure that keeps the Las Vegas Valley moving. MJ explains what makes the RTC entirely unique, noting that it is the…
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Navigating Nevada OSHA, Workplace Safety & DIR Careers with Victoria Carreon
In this episode, Director Sanchez is joined by Victoria Carreon, the Administrator of the Division of Industrial Relations, to unpack the massive scope of her agency. Victoria explains that the primary objective of the Division of Industrial Relations is to put safety and health first by ensuring...
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Inside Nevada’s Global Science Hub: Wildfires, AI & Water Solutions with Kumud Acharya
In this episode, Kris Sanchez welcomes Dr. Kumud Acharya, the President of the Desert Research Institute (DRI), to discuss the vital role the institute plays in solving environmental challenges across the state and around the globe. Dr. Acharya provides an inside look at how DRI’s team of over…
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The Future of Nevada Mining with Amanda Hilton
In this episode, Kris Sanchez is joined by Amanda Hilton, President of the Nevada Mining Association, to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of the mining industry. Amanda kicks things off by sharing her personal journey from starting as a staff accountant to becoming the General Manager of…
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Addressing Nevada's Affordable Housing Challenges with Steve Aichroth
In this episode, Kris Sanchez is joined by Steve Aichroth, the Administrator of the Nevada Housing Division, for a comprehensive discussion on the state's urgent efforts to tackle the affordable housing challenges. Steve breaks down the two main avenues the division utilizes to help residents:...
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The Future of the Las Vegas Economy: Tourism, AI & Economic Forecasts with Andrew Woods
In this insightful episode, Kristopher sits down with Andrew Woods from the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to discuss the current and future economic landscape of Southern Nevada. Andrew dives deep into the data behind the Southern Nevada...
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Inside Nevada's "No Debt" Apprenticeships & The Culinary Academy - Toni Giddens & Dr. Bobbi Damrow
In this episode, Director Sanchez explores the booming world of debt-free career training with two incredible guests: Nevada State Apprenticeship Director Toni Giddens and Dr. Bobbi Damrow, from the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas. Toni kicks off the conversation by explaining how Nevada's unique...
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Tackling the Wildfire Challenge: Insurance, Technology & the WUI with Matthew Portteus
In this episode, we sit down with Matthew Portteus from the Western Fire Chiefs Association to discuss the highly complex issue of wildfire risk management in the Wildland Urban Interface, also known as the WUI. With Nevada ranking in the top five states for wildfire risk and boasting over…
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The Vegas Loop, NBA Expansion, & Billions in Strip Investments with LVCVA CEO Steve Hill
In this episode, we sit down with Steve Hill, CEO and President of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), to discuss the massive economic and technological shifts happening in Southern Nevada — and how those developments reflect broader momentum across Nevada’s economy. Steve...
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Costs, Claims & Consumer Protection - Insurance Commissioner Ned Gaines
In this episode of the Nevada Means Business Podcast, we dive into the world of insurance with Ned Gaines, Nevada’s Insurance Commissioner. He shares insights on the rising costs of auto insurance, the impact of accidents, and the challenges facing consumers across the state. With a focus on...
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Preventative Care, Protections & Partnership - Brett Harris, NV Labor Commissioner
Welcome to the Nevada Means Business Podcast! In this episode, we sit down with Brett Harris, Nevada’s Labor Commissioner, to explore how the office supports both employees and employers through preventative labor care, protections, and partnership-driven programs. From apprenticeships to AI—and…
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Transforming Nevada's Business Landscape
In the first episode of Nevada Means Business, Director Kristopher Sanchez sits down with Peter Guzman, President of the Latin Chamber of Commerce, to talk about the podcast’s goal: connecting government with Nevada’s business community. They discuss how collaboration, innovation, and modernizing...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Nevada Means Business is the official podcast of the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, hosted by Director Kristopher Sanchez, highlighting the people, policies, and partnerships driving Nevada’s economic vitality. Through conversations with business leaders, state officials, and industry experts, the podcast explores workforce development, economic diversification, innovation, and the programs shaping opportunity across the Silver State.
HOSTED BY
Nevada Department of Business and Industry
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Nevada Means Business have?
Nevada Means Business currently has 32 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Nevada Means Business about?
Nevada Means Business is the official podcast of the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, hosted by Director Kristopher Sanchez, highlighting the people, policies, and partnerships driving Nevada’s economic vitality. Through conversations with business leaders, state officials, and industry...
How often does Nevada Means Business release new episodes?
Nevada Means Business has 32 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Nevada Means Business?
You can listen to Nevada Means Business on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Nevada Means Business?
Nevada Means Business is created and hosted by Nevada Department of Business and Industry.
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