Centerlines - March 2009 - (Page 19) COVER STORY places get hit,” said Brian Pratte, Manager of Air Cargo Development at Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority. “But we also have companies producing the things people need: pharmaceuticals. And people still need their medications.” Pratte attributes the mix of local businesses served by Reno to the hospitable Nevada tax climate. “Going forward, from a commercial real estate perspective, I think we will see a lot of positive growth from the shaking up of the supply chain,” Pratte said. “Unfortunately it takes a down economy shock to help jump-start that program. “We’re not doing any major capital projects as it relates to cargo, but we will be proactive and encourage cargo development from both the carrier and user perspective. But relatively speaking we are doing better than most.” ■ Anchorage statistics show a cargo drop of up to 20 percent for three months in a row in 2008 over the same period in 2007. The financial crisis has further impacted an already weak economic environment with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey experiencing cargo numbers drop 5.7 percent in 2008 versus the same September YTD period of 2007. on the presence of the largest agribusiness sector in eastern Canada, the largest greenhouse industry in North America, and one of the largest freshwater fisheries in the world. “Perishable demand is growing, especially in markets within Asia and Russia, where every day North American products such as strawberries and roses are deemed exotic,” Nazzani said. “The beauty of food is that it is one of the only industries that is recession-proof. It is pretty hard to stop eating just because something is happening in the economy.” Stateside, carriers serving Reno-Tahoe International Airport are keeping above the fray by distributing recession-proof, Nevada-based cargo people need rather than want. “We’re not benefiting from this economy as we have a lot of consumer-driven entities like Amazon. com and Barnes & Noble, and when consumer spending is down, those & & www.aci-na.org | CENTERLINES 19 http://www.pbsj.com http://www.aci-na.org
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