Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin
By Samantha Roberts
Since Gov. Susana Martinez signed a bill to lower taxes on diesel fuel, everyone in southern New Mexico is talking about Union Pacific (UP) coming to Santa Teresa, but there is a lot more happening on the border that people don’t know about.
On Thursday, June 16, more than 700 people gathered at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino for the annual NAFTA Institute/Supplier Meet the Buyer Conference. With two floors full of business-to business networking, speakers and economic leaders, there was never a dull moment at the conference.
“This event creates the opportunity for companies to make transactions and get introduced to new businesses,” said Fred Shepherd, Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance business development manager. “Companies can come and display their products and also hear an overview of business opportunities.”
First-time attendee Reinhard Peter, CEO of Solarzentrum North America, said he was pleased with the success of the event. “There are so many people here,” he said. “Since cost is always an issue, events such as this one help a large number of people get together to network.”
Reinhard, who sells hybrid solar panels that produce hot water and useable electricity, said his focus on the environment got him into the business. “I want to preserve the environment for our kids,” Reinhard said. “We are in one of the sunniest cities of the world, no? We have so much sunshine, and it’s free. We are supplying a product that people use daily, and free is good, no?”
In addition to all of the vendors, UP was also there, representing its new facility in Santa Teresa and answering questions to curious participants.
Zoe Gisela Richmond, UP public affairs director, said UP representatives were also pleased with the turnout and excited about educating people on their upcoming facility. “We are hoping UP coming to the area is the catalyst for more opportunities in southern New Mexico and that it will attract more companies to the area,” she said. “We are shooting for an early August date for the groundbreaking of the facility.”
Though the main goal of the event was to make relationships and establish connections, some companies were able to make more use of their time.
For Erlinda Portillo, coordinator of donor services and special events at Dona Ana Community College, and Ken Tellez, manager of planning and development at DACC, the community college struck manufacturer gold at the event. Portillo said Maria Elena Vargas, a business owner in Mexico, has agreed to donate manufacturing equipment to DACC.
“We made the connection through Jerry Pacheco,” Tellez said. “We talked a little before, but this event allowed us to finalize the deal and discuss transportation of the equipment from Juarez to Las Cruces.”
The conference also hosted a bevy of guest speakers, including New Mexico Secretary of Economic Development Jon Barela, who gave an overview of Martinez’s administration in regard to border and economic development objectives.
“I am proud to announce several hundred new jobs in Dona Ana County,” Barela said. “We have recently passed a board of jobs package that includes the locomotive fuel tax reduction. This will allow New Mexico to be more competitive with Texas and has helped bring Union Pacific to the state. “To me, job creation is a priority in southern New Mexico, and overall I want to help provide a better regulative climate, reducing the cost of compliance for businesses without sacrificing the health, welfare or beauty of New Mexico to do business.”
Other guest speakers included Bob Queen, from the United States Department of Commerce; Jose Contreras, from Border Security Consultants; and Brent Eastwood from the International Trade Office from the State of New Mexico. Richmond also gave an update about UP, an addition that plant manager Alex Sierra is very excited about.
“The new railroad lines are going to run through my ‘backyard.’ The new rail will cut one month off travel time for me,” said Sierra, who runs a car seat manufacturing plant in Santa Teresa. “We are in the ‘belt buckle’ of the Americas and it only makes sense to grow this area.” Sierra said he has been coming to the event since its inception. “This is a great time for me to make 50 to 60 phone calls in one day,” he said. “It is well worth the $100.”
Also attending the event were employees from the New Mexico Economic Department ready to connect business owners and guests of the event with whoever they were looking to talk to. “We have business-to-business networking going on over here,” said Steven Montano, senior advisor of the New Mexico Economic Development division, in regards to dozens of tables filled with business men and women making conversations in both English and Spanish. “People here are really making deals, and although they may not be creating jobs today, they are creating jobs down the road, and that is very important for New Mexicans. “This event really has a history of success, and I think that is because there is such an emphasis on the economy.”
Though times may still be tough in America, forward-thinking people in southern New Mexico and the surrounding area are expanding their horizons and looking to change the state of the economy one job at a time.
