Posts Tagged ‘Alamogordo’

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

By Todd G. Dickson

Technology is increasingly more common in the battlefield while the future of government funding is becoming more unknown, said White Sands Missile Range’s new Commander Col. John Ferrari.

Speaking at the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce annual military update luncheon Thursday, Dec. 15, Ferrari said the range’s people are working to keep the range a key player in conducting tests of the new technology while becoming a more efficient military installation.

Ferrari, who became the range’s commander Aug. 18, said it’s all the skilled and creative people who will be making the range successful in meeting the new objectives and roles. He also acknowledged the strong support the range gets from the local population. “In the end, it’s all about people,” Ferrari said. “It’s the people of New Mexico and the people of this community that allow us to complete our national security mission.”

Along with WSMR, neighboring Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo and Fort Bliss in El Paso are seeing their missions change and expand. “We’re going to change, because we have to change, because the world around us is changing, too,” he said. High-tech testing will continue to be WSMR’s main mission, he said, and so the base as an organization is looking for ways it can continue to offer value and find new funding. At its current level of operations, he said, WSMR’s contribution to the local economy is estimated to be worth about $1.8 million a day.

NewTec, a company that provides technical support to the range, alone employs about 520 people, said Charles Garcia, company president and CEO. Personnel at WSMR also provide important analysis for the government, especially in the area of countering attacks and protecting systems and weapons from the effects of attacks, he said. That work includes testing building construction and materials to be able to withstand an explosion or finding new methods to detect bombs, he said.

The base has a strong medical community for the more than 900 employees, Ferrari said, who are not only there for the soldiers and the families stationed at the base, but they play a key role in occupational safety along with caring for those who may get injured in testing activities. He said the medical personnel also provide services to local veterans. The range is home to the Navy’s only commissioned naval vessel on land for testing systems before they actually go to sea, he said.

One of the most recent and significant changes for the base has been the addition of the 2nd Engineers Battalion, most of whom have just come back from Afghanistan. Members of the battalion have the dangerous job in war to find and disable or contain improvised explosive devices. Ferrari remarked that most of the battalion is made up of young soldiers who volunteered for the service knowing they would certainly go to war and perform a hazardous job. They do that dangerous work because they trust the technology and engineering, he said.

“We’re creating those systems that they’re entrusting their lives with,” Ferrari said The main base covers 3,200 square miles of land, but “that’s not even enough to do what we do” he said, so a few times a year, the range must ask surrounding ranchers for their help when the testing requires 5,000 square miles. “We’re even doing tests up in Cloudcroft,” Ferrari said. “That’s why we appreciate the graciousness of the people of New Mexico.”

Where much of the past testing has been on missile systems, much of the future testing will be on the reliability of electronic technology in the field and protecting them from being jammed or disabled, Ferrari said. That also includes communications, which is critical to systems such as GPS, he said.

WSMR has a tradition of excellence it must maintain as it adjusts to the changing “fiscal environment,” he said. “We have to protect that brand image,” Ferrari said “We do things here that can’t be done anyplace else, anywhere.”

Besides improving general efficiency, WSMR is training existing employees to be less specialized, he said. The challenge, he said, is to break the military paradigm of caring too much about organizational structure and focusing on accomplishing the mission with the workforce on-hand. That makes the quality of local education even more critical, he said. “We’ll get through this difficult financial environment together, because we will not get through this separate from each other,” Ferrari said.

The New Mexico Finance Authority, New Mexico Economic Development Department, and Baker Tilly invite you to attend a complimentary seminar to learn how to access nearly $100 million in funding through New Markets Tax Credits and Collateral Support Participation programs for your qualified business or real estate development.

New Markets Tax Credits have helped developers and business owners gain access to a low-cost source of capital to solve a portion of their capital needs while creating significant community and economic impact in distressed areas. The Collateral Support Participation program is a new program initiated to leverage private lending to help finance small businesses which are creditworthy but unable to obtain the capital required to expand and create jobs.

These seminars are designed to inform and acquaint community officials, planners, economic development professionals, developers, and business owners. A special addendum has been added to these sessions which will focus on the unique interests of investors and lenders of New Markets Tax Credits.

Seminar schedule

Representatives will be traveling throughout New Mexico to provide information on how we can help your business realize the vision of your communities’ needs and growth potential. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming seminar! Please RSVP at least a day prior to the event using the links below.

Monday, November 14, 2011

City Hall – Commission Chambers

1376 East Ninth Street, Alamogordo, NM  88301

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Yes, I plan to attend >

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Morgan Hall

109 E Pine Street, Deming, NM  88030

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Yes, I plan to attend >

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Hotel Encanto

705 South Telshor Boulevard, Las Cruces, NM  88011

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Yes, I plan to attend >

For questions regarding these events, please contact:

John Brooks
jbrooks@nmfa.net
505 992 9638

Celina Sandoval
csandoval@nmfa.net
505 992 9642

Release courtesy of the New Mexico Economic Development Department

SANTA FE – New Mexico Economic Development Department Secretary Jon Barela announced Tuesday that New Mexico has been approved by U.S. Department of the Treasury to participate in the State Small Business Credit Initiative Program (SSCBI).

New Mexico will receive nearly $13.2 million in federal funds to put toward programs that leverage private lending to help finance small businesses and manufacturers that are creditworthy, but are not able to access the capital required to expand and create jobs. The New Mexico Economic Development Department (NMEDD) will contract with the New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA) to operate the program.

“Small businesses are the backbone of New Mexico’s economy and the engines of economic recovery,” said Governor Martinez. “It is a priority for this administration to create a more business-friendly environment that encourages growth, investment, and job creation right here in New Mexico. This program is an important step toward accomplishing that goal and putting New Mexicans back to work.”

“These funds will help creditworthy small businesses access the lending they need to invest and hire, providing a powerful boost for economic growth and job creation,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal S. Wolin. “Expanding access to credit will help ensure that more entrepreneurs and small businesses can invest in their local communities to put more Americans back to work.”

NMEDD and NMFA have agreed to initially focus the State Small Business Credit Initiative Program funding to a bank loan participation program, branded the Collateral Support Program (CSP), focusing on shorter term working capital loans, particularly for projects located in rural and underserved areas of New Mexico. NMFA will base CSP on its existing loan participation program Smart Money which allows NMFA to purchase from a regulated bank or credit union up to 49 percent of a loan it makes to a New Mexico business or non-profit. The rules limit the amount of NMFA participation to $5 million and that no more than $2 million be directed to any project unless significant economic development will occur as a result. More specifically, the business must create at least one full-time job for each $50,000 invested by the NMFA.  These same guidelines will be used in implementing the CSP.  Additional federal requirements are:

1) the funds are directed to small businesses that do not employ more than 500, and that credit support will not be extended to borrowers that have more than 750 employees, and

2) for every $1 in CSP utilized, it must be leveraged with a minimum of $10 in new private lending.

 “The Economic Development Department worked hard to make this funding available to small businesses in our state,” Barela said.  “The SSCBI funds will go a long way in our efforts to expand economic development throughout the state.”

Under SSBCI, all states were offered the opportunity to apply for federal funds for state-run programs that partner with private lenders and investors to increase the amount of credit available to small businesses. States must demonstrate that every $1 in federal funding will generate a minimum of $10 in new private lending.  Accordingly, the overall $1.5 billion federal funding commitment for this program is expected to result in at least $15 billion in additional private lending nationwide.

“We are in a unique position to help the state develop public-private partnerships for business growth and job creation,” said Denise Baker, chair of the New Mexico Finance Authority. “These new funds will increase our ability to partner with local banks and strengthen communities.”

The NMEDD and NMFA will be hosting outreach sessions for the CSP on the following dates and locations:

Monday, November 14, 2011 in Alamogordo site to be determined at 9 a.m.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at Morgan Hall in Deming, NM at 9 a.m.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011 in at the Hotel Encanto in Las Cruces, NM at 9 a.m.

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Sun-News

By Brook Stockberger/Business Editor

How difficult is economic development in southern New Mexico? For one thing, liqueur licenses are too expensive, some with purchase prices as high as $700,000, said Mike Espiritu, executive director of the Otero County Economic Development Council.

“I cannot get a grocery store in Alamogordo because of the price of a liqueur license,” Espiritu said. “A liqueur license is an economic development issue, (but) the legislation hasn’t been changed since the early 1980s.”

Davin Lopez, CEO and president of the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance said that competition is intensifying in the Southwest.

“Arizona has put its flag in the sand and said, ‘We’re back in business,’” Lopez said. “And, on the other side, we have Texas (working hard.)”

So what should the state with the lowest population in the Southwest do to build momentum in job creation? Here in southern New Mexico, a spirit of cooperation has taken hold among competitors. And while it’s not exactly Macy and Gimble shaking hands in “Miracle on 34th Street,” Lopez, Espiritu and John Mulcahy, executive director of the Sierra County Economic Development Organization, have made the effort to work together for the good of the region.

The three men spoke about economic development during MVEDA’s monthly luncheon on Tuesday at Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces.

“We devote time to regional development,” Lopez said. “While I’d rather not lose a deal, I’d want to lose it to these guys rather than Arizona or Texas.”

Lopez said that MVEDA has recently finished one of its best fiscal years ever for capital investment and in other areas. Still, there is a lot of work to be accomplished, including efforts for Spaceport America.

“Virgin Galactic has been using our office for a series of companies they’ve been meeting with,” Lopez said.

“Davin and I have been working on spaceport needs,” Mulcahy said. “We met with contractors last week.”

Brook Stockberger can be reached at (575) 541-5457

The September MVEDA Business on the Border Forum will feature a Southern New Mexico economic development update.  A panel of regional economic development professionals will discuss recent changes in the area’s economy. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 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.

Featured panelists will include:

Davin Lopez is the President/CEO of the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance (MVEDA), in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  Davin serves on the board of directors of New Mexico Partnership, the private economic development business attraction arm of the State of New Mexico.

John Mulcahy is the Executive Director of the Sierra County Economic Development Organization (SCEDO) in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. John is currently the Co-Chairman of the Spaceport America Regional Economic Development Group working with Dona Ana County and the Spaceport America Director and staff.

Mike Espiritu is the President/CEO of the Otero County Economic Development Council (OECDC) and the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Mike serves on the board of directors of the New Mexico Industrial Development Executives Association (NMIDEA).

Luncheon cost is $20.00 per person, payable by cash, check or major credit card. Due to space limitations, reservations are required. Please confirm your attendance no later than Thursday, September 1 by sending an email to rsvp@mveda.com or by calling the office at (575) 525-2852. The meeting is open to the public.