Archive for January, 2010

Article courtesy of the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce’s Commercial Space Committee will hold its first 2010 Dona Ana County Spaceport Community Council Meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 26, in the commission chambers at the Dona Ana County Government Center, 845 Motel Blvd.  The meeting is a free forum that is open to the public to present the newest information available on Spaceport America and the burgeoning aerospace industry in southern New Mexico.

The evening’s presentations will focus on tourism-related activities taking place in the area and across the state that are focused on the one-of-a-kind combination of Spaceport America and New Mexico’s unique tourism assets.

The two-hour event will be hosted by Bob Diven, and start with an update on construction and business development progress from Steve Landeene, executive director of Spaceport America. Additional presentations will be given by an outstanding set of panelists including:

• Jennifer Hobson – New Mexico Tourism Department
• Randall Hayes – New Mexico Museum of Space History
• Bob Pofahl – Picacho Mountain Development
• Jerry Brown – Spaceport America Hard Hat Tours
• David Hicks – Las Cruces Convention Center
• Davin Lopez – Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance (MVEDA)
• Dr. Janet Green – NMSU’s School of Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management

The remainder of the evening will be question-and-answer time for those in attendance to learn more about the project and its impacts on local/regional tourism. Questions will be gathered from attendees as they enter and will be presented to the panel by Diven.

The event will be taped and will air at a later time on CLC-TV cable channel 20 for those that are unable to attend.

The Spaceport Community Council Meetings will continue to be a regular quarterly event allowing the community to stay current with the status of Spaceport America and stay engaged in the process of “Building a Spaceport Community”.  Future meetings scheduled for 2010 will focus on educational and economic development impacts of the growth of Spaceport America and a new Commercial Space Industry in the region.

For more information, contact the Chamber office at 524-1968.

Release Courtesy of the Governor’s Office

January 8, 2010
Alarie Ray-Garcia (505) 476-2248

SANTA FE- Governor Bill Richardson today announced Johnson Plate and Tower will build a wind tower manufacturing facility in Santa Teresa. The facility is expected to create dozens of construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs.

“I am pleased that Johnson Plate and Tower chose New Mexico to build its new wind tower manufacturing plant and plans to create 150 new jobs in our state,” Governor Richardson said. “This announcement shows that our aggressive efforts to create jobs, especially during this global recession, are paying off. Manufacturing of green technology is an important component of building a green jobs economy here in New Mexico.”

Today President Obama announced that Johnson Plate and Tower is one 183 projects that will share $2.3 billion in Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits for clean energy manufacturing projects across the United States. Johnson Plate and Tower was awarded $2,385,000 in credits for its Santa Teresa facility.

Johnson Plate and Tower will build its more than 84,000 square-foot manufacturing facility on 22 acres in the Verde Logistics Park. The company expects to employ 40-50 people during the construction phase and then move to a full time operation employing 150 people in the manufacturing of wind towers for wind farms across the country.

“We are excited that Johnson Plate and Tower chose to locate in our growing industrial border-plex region here in New Mexico,” Economic Secretary Fred Mondragon said. “I want to commend Dona Ana County for the passage of the Local Economic Development Act that helped make this project possible.”

Happy New Year and welcome to 2010.  As we start a new year it is always important to reflect upon the past year’s events, both the challenges and the opportunities, and use these experiences to change strategies and/or direction where they are needed to become more productive and successful.

We started 2009 with what I believe were a greater amount of “unknowns” than “knowns”;  fears following a stock market crash, government bailouts, mass foreclosures, growing unemployment rates, and discussions of a recession was the topic of many conversations.   These were the challenges over the past year that all communities, businesses, and economic development agencies had to deal with, not just MVEDA.  As a region, Dona Ana County was not immune to this crisis.  We began the year at 5.5% unemployment and ended the year hovering around 7%.  However, compared to a 7.8% unemployment rate at the State level and a 9.4% rate at the national level (as of November), Dona Ana County actually fared pretty well.  And although we experienced the loss of a large employer with the Frontier Airlines’ reservation center closing here in Las Cruces, we were also balanced by increases in hiring by other service centers including Sitel, CyraCom, and Convergys.  We also experienced some decline in production/manufacturing jobs and the loss of Multi-Plastics.  However, we also experienced an unprecedented level of interest by companies in the emerging alternative energy sector which has led to some key opportunities; earlier in the year eSolar and NRG Energy announced a 92 megawatt solar project for Santa Teresa and earlier today, Johnson Plate and Tower announced their plans to build a wind tower manufacturing facility, also in Santa Teresa.    Sapphire Energy has invested $8 million in its research and development facility at the Las Cruces West Mesa Industrial Park and will invest another $100 million in Southern New Mexico to produce biofuel from algae.  Along with other alternative energy groups who have identified the region for their projects, Dona Ana County could realize up to 200 new jobs and up to $300 million dollars in new capital investments in the years to come as a result of 2009 activity.

At MVEDA, we enter 2010 optimistically.  After dropping out of the top five rankings of the best performing small cities by Forbes and the Milken Institute between 2002 and 2006, the Las Cruces NM MSA has again made the list of the Milken Institute’s top ten “Best Performing Small Cities.”  As Spaceport America comes on-line and if some of the other projects in our pipeline materialize, it should lead to regaining a top five position in the near future.

But we also realize that we have not yet fully escaped the economic crisis of the past year.  We know that economists are now beginning to talk about a recovery.  We know the current holiday shopping season experienced a 3.5% increase over last year’s holiday season illustrating an increase in consumer confidence.  We know from reports that foreclosure numbers will decrease from the levels experienced in 2008 and 2009.   We also know we have a pipeline of projects and companies that we are working with who are considering the region for growth.  We know that there is a growing alternative energy industry with its eyes on New Mexico and that MVEDA has been aggressive in gathering the attention of this industry.  But we also know that we still have a lot more to do.   But at least we enter the New Year with a few more “knowns” than the “unknowns” of 2009.

Career Connections is a two day Career Fair, cosponsored by the College of Engineering and Career Services. It will be held January 26 & 27, 2010 in the Corbett Center Ballrooms from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM.

Photo by Darren Phillips

Tuesday, January 26, offers a forum for discussions between employers and candidates with majors in Business, Agriculture and Liberal Arts. Wednesday, January 27, focuses on Engineering, Science and Technology majors. The event will take place from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm on both days.

Career Connections offers excellent opportunities for candidates of all academic classifications to network with employers in different career fields. It provides an avenue for students who are unsure about choosing a career to directly interact with employers who will share up-to-date information on their organizations and related opportunities.

In addition to providing general information, employers may be willing to discuss opportunities for internships, cooperative education positions (co-ops), or professional employment. Those seeking candidates in multiple disciplines may wish to attend both days. In any event, candidates will have the advantage of initiating job searches at a convenient location where many employers will be present.

Employers may register on-line.  Parking information and maps available on-line http://careerservices.nmsu.edu/fairs/parking.html.

For more information, contact Roseanne Bensley, Event Coordinator, Career Services, (575) 646-1631 or by e-mail: connect@nmsu.edu.