Sandoval searching for new economic development agency name

By David McGrath Schwartz

Friday, Feb. 4, 2011 | 3:22 p.m.

Rule number one when you start a new venture: make sure you buy the website.

Gov. Brian Sandoval’s administration learned that the hard way, after a Reno man swooped in and secured the name of the new economic development agency the governor proposed in his State of the State speech.

The day after announcing Nevada Jobs Unlimited as a cabinet-level, private-public job recruitment force, Sandoval’s staff tried to buy nevadajobsunlimited.com. It had been purchased on Jan. 24, the day of Sandoval’s speech.

“You have got to give the guy credit,” said Dale Erquiaga, the governor’s senior adviser, said of the buyer. “It speaks to the entrepreneurial spirit.”

The state has not tried to buy the website from the owner, Erquiaga said. And the state will not try to buy the website. Instead, Sandoval is looking for a new name for the economic development agency.

Sandoval said in an interview this week that he will hold a contest to come up with a new name. The entity to drive economic development in the state will be made up primarily of representatives of the private sector, but also with the governor, lieutenant governor, Assembly speaker and Senate majority leader.

“We don’t want to get in a bidding war,” explained Erquiaga. “That would not be an appropriate role for state government.”

Erquiaga, a former executive with the advertising and lobbying firm R&R Partners, took responsibility for not buying the website before the speech.

The website was purchased by Louis Mednick, of Reno, according to the website godaddy.com. A resume of a Louis Mednick in Reno said that he is an IT manager who worked for the state of Nevada until August. Mednick did not respond to an email requesting comment. The phone number listed by godaddy.com was disconnected.

Sandoval has made economic development a key part of his platform.

The now nameless entity would be “largely outside state government. With a private sector mentality, it will be more nimble,” he said in his speech.

Sandoval proposed spending another $10 million on economic development to help create jobs. The new entity would both grow jobs within existing Nevada businesses, as well as recruit companies from out-of-state.