Page 2 - MVEDA Annual Report

A Letter From

-Our CEO- All of us here at MVEDA enter the new Fiscal Year 2021-2022

with optimism and excitement. As we are all very aware, the past
year has been challenging. Travel restrictions significantly impeded our ability as an
organization to conduct traditional outreach and to provide project management services for
clients engaged in site selection. We had to quickly pivot and transform our operations to stay productive,
relevant, and growing. Trade shows became virtual, Zoom meetings replaced the standard conference call,
and digital marketing became the new method for outreach and marketing. However, as the economy opens
up again, the excitement of meeting with clients face-to-face and building personal relationships has quickly
re-emerged as the preferred method for industry recruitment. This past year has reinforced the fact that
economic development is a business of relationships. Decisions for multi-million-dollar expansions and the
job creations that comes with them require that clients have the opportunity to spend time on the ground,
here in the NM Borderplex, understanding available infrastructure, analyzing workforce skill sets, identifying
facilities, and engaging with local leadership. Zoom meetings just cannot replace this. The old cliché “the more
things change; the more things remain the same” is never more accurate than it is right now. Moving forward
into the new year, we will employ many of the new technology-related marketing tools we have been
utilizing, but our staff is excited to hit the road again with an aggressive calendar of site selector prospecting
missions, industry trade show interactions, and directly discussing all the advantages as to why companies
should invest and locate in Las Cruces & Doña Ana County. Nevertheless, as you read through this report,
you will see that we have had a very strong year for industry recruitment and job growth. Qualified prospect
leads were up 46% over the previous fiscal year. Direct job announcements increased by 45%, annual
associated payroll was up 51%, and capital investments increased by 13%. MVEDA
thanks all our partners and stakeholders for your support and we truly hope you
share in the pride of this success.

We could not have done this without you!

Sincerely,
Davin Lopez

President & CEO

Our Team

Les Baldock Eric Montgomery Brian Garcia Eldelisa Nava

VP Operations VP Business Development Project Management Stakeholder Engagement
& Systems