On Monday, April 6, 2015, Governor Susana Martinez announced MCS Industries, a leading U.S. manufacturer of picture frames, will invest $11.1 million in expanding its warehousing and distribution facility. The company will also relocate its printing operations from Pennsylvania and construct a 215,000 square-foot facility in the new Westpark Logistics Center in Santa Teresa.
“I am proud that MCS continues to be a partner in diversifying our economy and growing the private sector in New Mexico,” Governor Martinez said. “Results like these make a strong case that New Mexico is becoming more competitive, creating more jobs for our families.”
Santa Teresa was competing with El Paso for the MCS expansion, which is expected to create up to 20 new jobs. MCS is an innovative, green manufacturing leader, producing wall and poster frames for North America’s largest retail chains like Walmart, Target and Michaels. MCS is the largest Styrofoam recycler in the U.S., processing the material into a liquid form to use in frame manufacturing. Styrofoam accounts for 25 percent of the materials in landfills. MCS will locate a Styrofoam collection and processing operation to New Mexico to process materials for its products.
Governor Martinez also signed Senate Bill 52, sponsored by Senator Mary Kay Papen (D-Las Cruces), and Senate Bill 622, sponsored by Senator William Burt (R-Alamogordo).
Senate Bill 52 extends the border overweight cargo zone from six to 12 miles. Since the establishment of the original overweight cargo zone in 2011, 12 companies have moved to the area, creating more than 600 jobs. The overweight cargo zone has helped facilitate and support the growth of the Borderplex and position New Mexico as a leader in international commerce and trade. The newly extended zone will include Westpark Logistics Center and the Union Pacific Intermodal Ramp.
Senate Bill 622 brings New Mexico’s weight limit for oversize load permits in line with federal standards and neighboring states at up to 80,000 pounds. Previously, the limit was only 67,000 pounds, which had not been updated since the 1940s and presented increasing logistical costs and inefficiencies for commercial carriers.
Westpark Logistics Center will be the largest industrial park in New Mexico, and the closest to the recently opened $400 million Union Pacific Intermodal Facility, which has further positioned the booming Borderplex in Santa Teresa as a growing gateway to international commerce and trade. Along with an improved tax environment for manufacturers, New Mexico continues to make important strides in growing the private sector. This includes setting another all-time high in exports in 2014 at nearly $4 billion, and nearly doubling exports to Mexico in one year’s time.
In less than four years, more than one million square-feet of industrial space has grown from vacant to nearly full. Westpark, developed by the Santa Teresa Industrial Development Company, will have an initial phase of 164 acres and be located on Strauss Road, directly across from the existing Santa Teresa Intermodal Park. The MCS construction project will also provide infrastructure that will be installed and ready for future manufacturers.
