RENO (AP) - John A. Dermody, a Reno industrial developer who
helped usher in a new era of economic diversification in northern
Nevada, died Monday after a long illness at the age of 95.

Dermody was credited for leaving a legacy of business parks,
warehouses and industrial buildings that provided jobs to thousands
of workers. He helped put Reno on the map as an industrial and
warehousing site, and helped eliminate the region's dependence on
gambling.

Dermody started his industrial empire in the 1960s and 1970s by
buying local ranches and turning them into warehouses and
industrial buildings.

His son, Michael, took over the business in 1983. The company,
now called D-P Partners, is among the ten largest private
commercial developers in the country.

John Dermody went with then-Governor Richard Bryan on a trade
mission to Japan and Korea in the 1980s, and also accompanied
then-Governor Mike O'Callaghan on a trade mission to North Carolina
in the 1970s.

The family held a private funeral service. An event to celebrate
his life is being arranged.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)