RENO, Nevada— Greater Commercial Lending, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Greater Nevada Credit Union (GNCU), hosted a 2018 National Rural Lenders Association Public Private Partnership (P3) Lending Forum at Greater Nevada Field in Reno. GNCU is the title sponsor of Greater Nevada Field, home of Reno Aces baseball and Reno 1868 FC soccer.
More than 60 commercial financing and economic development professionals representing United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development, banks, credit unions, and investment groups from throughout the U.S. attended the event to learn about partnership opportunities and financing options for community facilities, agriculture, renewable energy, and small businesses.
"We were proud to have been chosen to sponsor and host the West Coast forum in Reno for the second year in a row," said Jeremy Gilpin, executive vice president of Greater Commercial Lending. "The P3 forum is a perfect example of a solid public-private partnership. Many attendees travel long distances to participate, and we appreciate their commitment to learn and come together as a group in order to continue to assist rural communities with much needed capital for infrastructure and job retention."
After two full days of presentations and collaboration, many of the attendees participated in a tour of the Ryze Renewables Biorefinery located in Reno. The Biorefinery tour provided a tangible example of P3 at work, with a finance package including credit unions, USDA guaranteed loan program, and private equity contributions.
"It's vital that Greater Commercial Lending continue to lead the charge for vitality and innovation in rural communities for our members and the communities we serve," Gilpin said.