CRAIG L. MORAN/ViewJohn Aguero, chairman of the Hi Def Media Group, attends the green technologies seminar held at the World Market Center, 495 S. Grand Central Parkway, on June 15.
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Green is the color of opportunity.
That's the assertion some Las Vegas-area business owners, politicians and residents clung to as they attended the Nevada First Green Technology Symposium at the World Market Center, June 15.
The seminar featured presentations from captains of green industry, such as Hi Def Media Group and TEECO International, two firms that have patented ideas and technologies that company officials claim will bring thousands of green jobs to the Las Vegas Valley over the next three years.
Hi Def Media Group chairman John Aguero said his company currently is shopping for the ideal property in Las Vegas to plant roots and build a series of facilities to manufacture a fleet of green buses, distribution centers and government orders.
The facilities will create nearly 5,000 jobs in the next two years and will serve as the West Coast headquarters of shipping and manufacturing for the Cleveland, Tenn.-based corporation.
"The timing is right, the people are in the right mind-set, and Las Vegas is the place we want to be," Aguero said.
According to Aguero, once a property is chosen for the headquarters and construction begins, so will the hiring process.
"There will be a lot of work to do," he said. "But we are well on our way."
Some of the manufacturing jobs will focus on the building of biodegradable packaging systems, the first of their kind in the United States, according to Aguero.
"These systems are already in high demand and will be shipped all over the world," he said.
Dan Parmley Sr., president of Phoenix-based TEECO International Inc., which is responsible for developing a portable hybrid energy infrastructure called the Energy Tree -- an innovation that can provide power to up to 700 homes by using a combination of traditional fuels, wind and solar energy -- also attended the conference.
Each Energy Tree unit will cost $2 million to purchase, Parmley said.
TEECO International is also looking to set up shop in Las Vegas and is currently searching for real estate that will lend itself to the manufacturing of the Energy Trees.
"Once we get things going, I expect the creation of at least 2,000 or more jobs," he said. "I already have a number of energy and government officials looking at this technology, including the Clark County School District, whom we're in talks with."
The seminar was billed as a "smart technologies unveiling," a label that event organizer and North Las Vegas resident Stan Washington said sums up the future of Nevada's economic diversification.
"Everybody is looking for this technology," he said. "The way to go green, to save money and save the planet. And Nevada has it. We have what the government is looking for, and we want them to know it."
Washington said that one of the main purposes of the seminar was to attract the attention of government officials and business owners who are decision-makers and have the power to implement the Energy Tree technology and other innovations.
Periwinkle Media Group president Jo Cato, who is also a North Las Vegas planning commissioner, helped plan the seminar, and said she felt it was important to participate as both a Nevada citizen and business owner.
"The push to find renewable energy sources in Nevada is a positive movement I wanted to be a part of," she said. "I think we are the number one state in terms of renewable energy opportunities. This is an exciting time with the promise of job creation that will stimulate our economy."
For Las Vegas resident and Ward 5 Chamber of Commerce president Katherine Duncan, the opportunity for growth brought on by the arrival of green product manufacturing plants is nothing but good news.
"For too long we have been dependent on gaming as our only source of revenue, for jobs," she said. "Especially in the Ward 5 area. Those who have had little opportunity in the hospitality and tourism industries to succeed will now have a new beginning."
North Las Vegas Planning Commissioner and green architect Dilip Trivedi said he attended the conference in an effort to stay ahead of the game.
"This is a good thing for my industry and for the state in general," he said. "These companies are promising not just new, cutting-edge green technology, but new jobs. That's hope we need right now."
Contact North Las Vegas and Downtown View reporter Amanda Llewellyn at allewellyn@viewnews.com or 380-4535.
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