Latest News
White Knight Two Touches Down in NM Desert
Article courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News By Diane Alba, Staff and Wire reports UPHAM - Virgin Galactic's Sir Richard Branson, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and prospective astronauts gathered in the southern New Mexico desert Friday to celebrate the completion of the runway at the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport. Spaceport America is the world's first facility designed specifically to launch commercial spacecraft. The celebration of its nearly-two-mile-long runway comes less...
Space Gathering Posts Largest-Ever Attendance, Official Says
Article Courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News By Diana M. Alba LAS CRUCES - Michael Blum's conference name tag dubs him as an "astronaut-in-waiting."He's one of Virgin Galactic's customers, and, if all goes well, he and five friends will launch into suborbital space about a year after the company begins its commercial space tourism operations at Spaceport America in southern Sierra County. Personal interests are part of the reason Blum, an investor from Singapore, has traveled to Las Cruces annually...
City Approves Land Lease for SunEdison
Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Sun-News By Steve Ramirez LAS CRUCES - The lease approved Monday may be just the start of plans by SunEdison to build two solar power plants in Las Cruces and sell the power to El Paso Electric Co. Along with the one-year option on a lease agreement approved Monday by the Las Cruces City Council, there's also an agreement in place between the worldwide solar energy company and El Paso Electric for SunEdison to provide 24 megawatts annually, in renewable...
November Business on the Border Forum Features Cabinet Secretary
The November MVEDA Business on the Border Forum will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 from 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM at the Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces, 705 S. Telshor. The meeting will begin with a hot entree buffet followed by a brief update by MVEDA staff. Fred Mondragon, New Mexico Economic Development Cabinet Secretary, will be the featured speaker. Secretary Mondragon brings over 36 years of visionary leadership to his post. A native of New Mexico, Mondragon was nominated Secretary...
Foxconn Vice President Proposes Big Ideas, Gains Little Ground
Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin By Gabriel Vasquez The Santa Teresa Port of Entry could be a model for effectual cross-border transportation and economic development, if only the right pieces fall into place, said Francisco Uranga, Foxconn vice president and chief business operations officer for Latin America. Uranga, speaking during an economic forum held by the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance Friday, Oct. 8, urged local business leaders to rally local, regional and...
Southern NM’s Biofuel Industry Has National Implications
Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin By Gabriel Vasquez Momentous scientific and manufacturing advances have marked the trail blazed by American innovation over the last 200 years. That innovation continues in the arid desert of southern New Mexico, where private and public research firms are investing their expertise and money into developing green crude from algal fuel. “There is a biofuels revolution in New Mexico,” said U.S. Rep. Harry Teague during a biofuels roundtable discussion...
Las Cruces Named One of ‘Best-Performing Cities’
Article courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News By Brook Stockberger LAS CRUCES - The economy may not be great, but compared to other parts of the country, the Las Cruces area has fared well. For the second straight year, the Las Cruces area has been placed in the top 10 of the Milken Institute's 2010 Best-Performing Cities list. Las Cruces is ranked No. 8 this year on the Smallest Metros list. Last year the city was No. 9. The Milken Institute reports that, "Researchers found that metros whose...
2010 New Mexico State Planning Conference – November 3-5, 2010
Registration is now open for the 2010 NMAPA state planning conference which will be held November 3-5, 2010 (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) in Las Cruces at the Ramada Palms Hotel, 201 East University. The theme of this year’s conference is Best of Planning for New Mexico 2010: Planning Gets Spicy and the conference planning committee is organizing a conference that will offer up to 14 CM credits, including ethics and law credits. The Conference Agenda is now available! Registration...
CEO’s Report – October 2010
MVEDA would like thank everyone who was able to attend Friday’s Regional Economic Development Forum, titled “A Tale of Two Ports.” Those who attended were able to hear directly from leading experts on both the opportunities and challenges we face in Southern New Mexico in growing our region’s two commercial ports of entry, both the Santa Teresa Port as well as Spaceport America. The MVEDA Board of Directors and Staff want to give special thanks to our key note speakers: • Francisco Urango,...
ISPCS Public Forum – October 19, 2010
Release courtesy of the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium New Mexico Space Grant Consortium will host the fifth annual FREE ISPCS Public Forum (previously named the Leonard R. Sugerman Public Forum) on Tuesday, October 19th, 1:30-3:00 at the Pan American Center on the campus of New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Discover how the future of commercial spaceflight will impact our community. The mayor of Titusville Florida will present on what happened when NASA came to...
