MARIE WUJEK MORE COLUMNS Advertisement

The Pahrump Valley Times in joint cooperation with Smith's Foods and Dragon Cloud Dojo hosted the Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce Mixer in June.

It's an event in which chamber members come together to break bread and visit with other business folks in a relaxed atmosphere.

Dan Rodriquez, the president of the chamber, said they had filled the position vacated by Kari Frilot the end of May. Dan said they received 35 applications, narrowed them to four and decided on Lucy Ivins.

I want to congratulate Lucy on her new job and congratulate the chamber for making an excellent choice. I have known Lucy both personally and professionally for years. Lucy's can-do, positive attitude is not only refreshing but exciting. She is pro Pahrump and I believe she will do a great job for the chamber and the community.

Dan followed the announcement with a comment referring to the number of talented and qualified people here in Pahrump. That comment really hit home. Dan is right. We do have a bunch of really great, talented and productive people living here.

I would like to know how many Pahrumpians commute over the hill for employment. What kind of work do they do, what is their income bracket and why do they make that daily trip? Different people are motivated by different things.

This information could be extremely valuable in soliciting new businesses and companies to open or relocate to Pahrump.

No matter what, you will always have folks making the commute. People in the construction trade will continue to drive to Vegas as it is a growing area; even being in a recession has not curtailed new projects and homes in the city of lights.

Some Pahrump residents own established businesses in Las Vegas that can't relocate to Pahrump. Others have been with the same employer for years and are loyal to that employer.

The majority of people I have talked with who work in Vegas would love to work in Pahrump. Their employment is strictly based on pay and employment opportunities available in the city. Pahrump doesn't have a large enough job pool for folks in the mid to higher income brackets.

The opening of Home Depot and the construction of the federal detention center may lure some to work locally and forgo that dangerous, tedious drive.

Pahrump needs to pursue some larger businesses to open or relocate -- businesses not solely based on retail, customer service, restaurants or gaming. A manufacturing plant or Intel-type business would provide a good job base as well as competitive wages.

With the tax structure, cost of land and improvements, and the high cost of living in our neighboring state of California, this would be a great area to look for companies and businesses that would be willing to relocate to Pahrump. Promoting lower taxes, no state income tax, land availability, easy access to Las Vegas or Los Angeles, and the lower cost of living could be an easy sell to some of these businesses.

The endless commitment of people like Bob Swadell, Tim Hafen and many others to build a college or university in Pahrump is highly commendable. We need to come together and support their efforts and make this a top priority for Pahrump. Write the governor, your congressmen, senators, any and everyone you can think of to help make this a reality.

A college or university here will not only bring jobs, it will help to keep our young people, the future of our community, in Pahrump.

With our population at or above 40,000, we need to fight for higher education and trade schools. When we lose our youth in pursuit of a degree, we will probably lose more than half of them forever. Four or six years in another place gives ample time for them to establish a new life. These bright, talented, young people are our next generation of leaders, elected officials, school teachers, etc., we need to keep them right here in Pahrump.

Get on the stick and see what you can do to assist the people working so diligently for higher education in our valley.

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Thanks to the county, state, town, or Department of Transportation, any and all who had a part in installing the new blinking red lights on the stop signs in town. With the lack of streetlights on side streets in Pahrump, it can be a nightmare to see a stop sign in the evening. These lights appear to have solar cells powering them, which would be a cost-saving measure. I think they are great and will help prevent accidents and near misses.

Wishing you all a great weekend, try to stay cool. Please watch for kids on the side of the streets -- with school out they are often walking or riding bikes without a safe zone or bike path on the road.

Also, with more motorcycles on the highways, look twice, save a life. Bless you all.