Forces of change continue to undermine the vitality, diminish the prosperity and even threaten the survival of many rural areas in Nevada and throughout the entire South.

Federal, state and local area leaders must mobilize, organize and become better informed to more effectively cope with the challenges posed by the economic transitions confronting their communities.

All too often regional and local economic development efforts focus on energizing and mobilizing local leaders and development organizations without first building from a sound base of information, a good diagnosis of local area problems and a establishing well-grounded understanding of local area trends.

Policies may be misdirected and misguided in the absence of establishing a sound diagnosis and collective understanding of the local economy: