MVEDA just completed another successful Business on the Border Luncheon and we are thankful to everyone who had the opportunity to attend.
Our guest speaker on Tuesday was Fred Mondragon, the Cabinet Secretary of Economic Development, who shared some economic data on the status of New Mexico and Southern New Mexico’s economies, and also provided some words of advice as to how we might keep the momentum moving forward in Dona Ana County. The Secretary outlined and highlighted several success stories for Dona Ana County that included (click on graphic to view presentation):
- A September 2010 unemployment rate in Las Cruces 2% below the national average and more than ½ percent below the State’s average,
- Site Selection Magazine and Business Facilities ranked New Mexico in their Top 10 nationally for:
o #2 in Solar Energy Manufacturing Leaders,
o #3 in Workforce Training Leaders,
o #5 in Alternative Energy Industry Leaders,
o #6 in Cost of Labor, and
o #8 in Economic Growth Potential.
- Regionally, Las Cruces ranked in the following areas:
o 5th in U.S. in projected 2009-2011 employment growth rates.
o 8th in Milken’s 2010 Best-performing small cities,
o #9th in Business Week’s top recovering job markets for 2010, &
o Dona Ana County ranked 14th Best County in the nation for job growth over the last nine years by Money Magazine.
The Secretary also praised many of the strides Southern New Mexico has made with respect to:
- The aerospace industry, where he cited Spaceport America and the selection of NMSU as an FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation as the anchors that will spur this industry forward in New Mexico,
- The alternative/renewable energy industry with three new solar projects taking place in the County, the announcement of Johnson Plate and Tower this past January and with Sapphire Energy located at the West Mesa Industrial Park.
- And of course our Borderplex growth at Santa Teresa which has seen cross border goods increase by 256% over the past five years.
Finally, his words of advice to local leadership moving forward were to:
1. Continue our economic diversification,
2. Build on regional and local strengths,
3. Think globally, and
4. To support less unfortunate communities in the region.
Given that Tuesday was Election Day, it is only appropriate that we discuss both the success we have had in economic development and job creation, but more importantly to focus on the future building blocks we need as a region so that we may continue to grow our economy. As I have mentioned many times in the past, Southern New Mexico is blessed with some very strong assets by which we can grow upon. But we need to assure that the tools and legislative support is available to do so. This includes maintaining a strong State economic development marketing effort, maintaining existing incentives, as well as expanding those incentives to support Southern New Mexico growth in the areas of aerospace, border logistical support, alternative energy, and food processing. And although in Dona Ana County, we look towards the State to support us in many of these efforts, we must also realize that as a community we are equally responsible for taking steps to prepare ourselves to attract growth and that comes in the form of education, infrastructure, and capacity building. In this respect, MVEDA continually provides assessment and analysis on the challenges facing economic development in our region. Although MVEDA’s primary focus is on marketing and attracting economic-based jobs to the region, we nevertheless find it necessary to engage in capacity building activities that will assist us in our long-term goals. Currently, MVEDA is implementing and working on several capacity building directives that include:
- Colonias/Rural Area Labor Assessment: With the support of an intern from NMSU, MVEDA has designed a bilingual workforce survey which we will be distributing to residents in rural areas. We are receiving support from PICO to assist us in survey response. Our first effort will take place in November in Anthony, NM. We hope to expand this to Sunland Park and Chaparral before the end of the fiscal year.
- Labor Identification Program for Santa Teresa based Employers: Working in conjunction with DACC, we will be marketing employment services offered through DACC to Santa Teresa based employers. MVEDA’s analysis through conversations with employers indicates that 60% to 70% of the existing workforce in Santa Teresa comes from El Paso. We are hoping to offer employers a one stop solution and first point of contact through DACC when they have future labor needs.
- Investment Interest in Santa Teresa: A second challenge with the workforce in Santa Teresa is the ability to convert them to New Mexico residents. This is due to lack of housing that is within proximity to the employment base. We have begun collaborating with the Border Industrial Association, the Building Industries Association, and the Las Cruces Association of Realtors to potentially identify new programs that could be offered to promote and encourage more development in the area.
- Spaceport America Economic Development Strategies: Finally, MVEDA has been involved with Spaceport America and their consultants in trying to identify clear strategies that we can jointly implement that will assist our efforts in developing business opportunities revolving around the Spaceport and the aerospace industry.
We are hopeful that some of these efforts lay additional foundation for growth leading into the next administration and MVEDA will continue to work closely with the Economic Development Department and the New Mexico Partnership as partners in this endeavor. Again, MVEDA thanks the Secretary for his time and for all the support he has provided to economic development in Dona Ana County. We wish him well in his retirement from state government which was announced by Governor Bill Richardson earlier today.
