Archive for October, 2009

In its monthly board meeting of October 21, 2009, the MVEDA Board of Directorsadded two new board members.  Kendall Wallin, Business Banking Manager with Wells Fargo Bank, was elected to fill the unexpired term of Jim Easley. Easley is in the process of relocating to Albuquerque to assume another position with Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo Bank is a Platinum MVEDA Partner.

Gilbert Apodaca, President of the Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces, replaces Rachel Garcia-Banegas as the Chamber’s representative to the MVEDA Board.  Apodaca is the Administrative Director for Memorial Medical Center.  Memorial Medical Center is also a Platinum MVEDA Partner.

MVEDA is governed by a board of directors representing both the private and public sectors. Institutional members represent the City of Las Cruces, Dona Ana County, New Mexico State University, Dona Ana Community College, the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, the Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces, and White Sands Missile Range. Private sector board members represent a wide diversity of business and industry. They serve 3-year terms and are elected by the board.

Office of Mexican Affairs Invites New Mexico Industrial Suppliers to Expo Maquila Trade Mission and Matchmaking Sessions

New Mexican companies interested in exploring supply opportunities with Mexico’s maquiladora (twin plant) industry are invited to participate in a trade mission and matchmaking sessions that will take place November 11, 2009 in El Paso, and November 12 and 13, 2009 in Juarez, Mexico. Organized by the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Office of Mexican Affairs and Trade, in conjunction with the International Business Accelerator and the Juarez Economic Development Department, this event will be designed to put New Mexican suppliers in direct contact with the purchasing managers of maquiladoras.

Up to 30 purchasing managers will be providing lists of the production inputs and industrial processes that they are currently in search of, including plastic injection, packaging, metals, and resins. Based on these needs, companies will then be recruited to participate in the trade mission, which will include one-on-one meetings with the purchasing managers in both El Paso and Juarez. For a copy of these production inputs click here and here.

For more information or to secure your company’s participation, please contact Randy Trask (505-231-0677 or randall.trask@state.nm.us) of the Office of Mexican Affairs or Jerry Pacheco (575-589-2200 or jerry@nmiba.com) of the International Business Accelerator.

The November meeting of the MVEDA Business on the Border Forum will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 from 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM at the Day’s Inn Columbus Conference Center, 901 Avenida de Mesilla.  The meeting will begin with a hot entree buffet, followed by an update by MVEDA staff.

Dr. Tom Burton, Department Head of NMSU’s Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department will be the featured speaker. The first undergraduate Aerospace Engineering (AE) students were admitted to NMSU in Fall 2006. There are now 130 AE majors, including 60+ new freshmen who started Fall 2009. Masters and PhD degrees are expected to be online by Fall 2010. The Department also initiated a joint program with Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua (UACH). They will be sending 20 – 30 AE students per semester starting in Fall 2010.

Luncheon cost is $15.00 per person, payable by cash, check or major credit card. The meeting is open to the public and reservations are not required.

Article Courtesy of Spaceport America

UPHAM, NM – New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) officials announced a successful launch of a test flight vehicle for Lockheed Martin by UP Aerospace from Spaceport America on Saturday, October 10. The brief test flight was a non-public, unpublished event at the request of Lockheed Martin, who is testing proprietary advanced launch technologies. “Saturday’s launch successfully lifted off at 9:45 a.m. during our four-hour launch window,” said UP Aerospace President Jerry Larson.  “This is our third launch for Lockheed Martin from Spaceport America, which is proving to be an ideal location for supplying low-cost, fast-turnaround launch operations.” UP Aerospace plans to double its number of customer launches from Spaceport America to six or more in 2010 as demand for the company’s services increases.

The latest launch represents yet another successful launch from Spaceport America, the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport. NMSA Executive Director Steve Landeene said, “We are extremely pleased to host another launch by UP Aerospace, the third this year, which continues to set the precedent for safe, practical commercial spaceflight at Spaceport America.” Earlier this year, UP Aerospace provided services for the New Mexico Education Launch on May 2, an event sponsored by the NMSA and the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium. On August 4, UP Aerospace had a successful launch for Moog-FTS, and Saturday’s launch was the third. UP Aerospace first launched from Spaceport America in September 2006.

Currently under construction, Spaceport America is the world’s first purpose-built commercial space facility. Spaceport America has been working closely with leading aerospace firms such as Virgin Galactic, Lockheed Martin, Moog-FTS, UP Aerospace, and Armadillo Aerospace to develop commercial spaceflight. Spaceport America’s 10,000-foot long runway is now under construction and is expected to be complete by late summer 2010 with the Terminal Hangar Facility projected to be complete by early 2011.

The City of Las Cruces and Dona Ana County will host the fourth round of Vision 2040 public input meetings the week of October 19, 2009.  All residents of Dona Ana County and Las Cruces who are interested in long range planning and improving their community are encouraged to attend.

These meetings will be led by our consultants at Peter J. Smith & Company.  The primary focus will be a presentation of current draft Vision 2040 documents.  Participants will be asked to provide their comments on the draft documents, as we chart a preferred course for our region.

The meeting schedule is as follows:

Monday, Oct. 19^th, 5pm-8pm; Hatch – Hatch Community Center, 837 W. Hall St.

Wednesday, Oct. 21^st, 10am-1pm; Las Cruces – Dona Ana County Gov. Center, 845 Motel Blvd

Wednesday, Oct. 21^st, 5pm-8pm; Chaparral – Chaparral Middle School, 290 E. Lisa

Thursday, Oct. 22^nd, 9am-12pm; Vado/Del Cerro – Del Cerro Community Center, 180 La Fe Ave.

Thursday, Oct. 22^nd, 5pm-8pm; Las Cruces – Sonoma Elementary School, 4201 Northrise Dr.

Vision 2040 is a long-range, regional comprehensive planning project that is evaluating the needs of the region for the next thirty years, and identifying ways the City and County should act to meet those needs. Specific topics will include population growth and land use, transportation and infrastructure, environmental issues, affordable housing, economic development and many others.

In addition to the public meetings, the City and County are seeking written comments on draft documents.  These documents include the Vision 2040 Regional Plan, City of Las Cruces and Dona Ana County Comprehensive Plans, Inventory, and Appendix.  These documents are available for download from http://vision2040.nmsu.edu/documents.html.  Hard copies will also be available for review soon at the following locations:

• Munson Senior Center
• Mesilla Park Community Center
• Benavidez Community Center
• East Mesa Recreation Center
• City Hall
• City Office Center
• Mesilla Town Hall
• Doña Ana County Planning Office
• Hatch Community Center
• Radium Springs Community Center
• Doña Ana Community Center
• Del Cerro Community Center
• Anthony Water Offices
• Chaparral Water Offices
• Sunland Park Planning Offices
• Organ Community Center
• Rincon Community Center

The public is encouraged to submit comments on these documents by Friday, October 30th.  Written comments may be submitted online at http://vision2040.nmsu.edu/Comments.html, by e-mail to ahume@las-cruces.org, or by mail to Andy Hume, PO Box 20000, Las Cruces, NM 88004.

For more information, e-mail ahume@las-cruces.org, visit http://vision2040.nmsu.edu/or contact Andy Hume, at 575/528-3047. The TTY number is 541-2182.