Posts Tagged ‘Business on the Border’

PSL’s Technical Analysis and Applications Center (TAAC) will be the focus of the May Business on the Border luncheon.  The meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 3, 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 followed by a brief update by MVEDA staff.

The Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Technical Analysis and Applications Center (TAAC) was established in 1999 with the mission to promote safe integration of UAS in the National Airspace System (NAS). In order for a UAS to be flown in the USA outside of military airspace, a certificate of authorization (COA) or an experimental airworthiness certificate must be issued by the FAA; COAs have been obtained by New Mexico State University to operate the Aerostar and Orbiter UAS and the TAAC conducts flight operations within restricted airspace. The TAAC has been involved in the testing of various UAS platforms and has produced a certification roadmap that is serving as a framework for UAS certification.

The TAAC is a one-stop shop for:

• Critical technologies testing
• Planning for routine flight operations
• Certification, regulatory, research and validation
• Planning for worldwide operations

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, April 28 by sending an email to rsvp@mveda.com or by calling the office at (575) 525-2852. The meeting is open to the public.

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

Photo courtesy of the International Business Accelerator

By Samantha Roberts

Tuesday, April 5, was a busy day for legislators in Las Cruces, as Economic Development Secretary of New Mexico Jon Barela visited the City of Crosses and Gov. Susana Martinez signed three crucial bills in Santa Teresa.

Barela, who spoke at the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance luncheon, Business on the Border, said he was excited about the future of New Mexico in regards to kick starting new jobs and spending.

Special guests from Union Pacific attended the event, in honor of the new bill Martinez signed later that afternoon that eliminated a tax on diesel fuel in New Mexico and contributed to the arrival of the new Union Pacific plant in Santa Teresa.

“This is a cornerstone to creating jobs in southern New Mexico,” Barela said. “This $400 million project will create 3,000 construction jobs, 600 permanent jobs and many more will stem from that.”

In addition to the diesel tax bill, Martinez also signed the vehicle overweight bill, which Barela touched on during his speech. According to Barela, this bill will spur new job growth and encourage positive trade along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In addition to discussing the bills, including a third bill that will give border authority more power, Barela addressed the audience on key economic principles that he said will keep New Mexico competitive to bring in large corporations, such as Union Pacific.

The first principle is to balance the budget without increasing taxes.

“Although this was a tough session, we did it,” Barela said, adding that New Mexicans can have security in the future of the Land of Enchantment. “We also did it in a bipartisan manner. While Texas, Arizona and California are still dealing with their $1 billion shortfalls, New Mexico is ready for the future.”

The second principle was to establish a competitive regulatory environment, a reason Barela said he established a small business task force.

“We want to make New Mexico more business friendly,” he said, “without compromising people’s health, safety or the environment.”

Third, Barela said he wants to create a competitive tax environment, looking to other states as soft guidelines.

“Arizona has raised the bar,” he said. “Despite their huge debt, they have slashed corporate taxes, income taxes, property taxes, increased funding to job incentive programs and lowered sales tax. They believe the private sector creates jobs, and we need to take that to heart. We can’t ignore what the other states are doing.”

Other principles Barela touched on during his speech, included: a competitive local government structure, a competitive public education environment, increased capital availability and an environment that fosters innovation, an initiative that he said is crucial to the future of New Mexico.

“We are a global environment, and it is important we see it that way,” Barela said. “We need to stay up to speed with global businesses, jobs, etc. The Chinese maybe be able to duplicate things, but they do not have the innovation.”

In addition to his principles, Barela briefly touched on federal issues, specifically the nation’s $14 trillion debt.

“We need to correct the climate in Washington,” he said. “All of the principles can fit together – federal, state and local.”

Following a questions-and-answer session, a majority of the attendees caravanned to Santa Teresa to see Barela’s powerful speech put into effect with the signing of three bills.

Key legislative players who helped getting the bills passed and who also attended the event included Zoe Richmond, Union Pacific’s director of public affairs, Arizona and New Mexico Corporate Relations; Sen. Mary Kay Papen; Rep. Jane Cullbert; Rep. Mary Helen Garcia; Sen. Cynthia Nava; Barela; and, of course, Martinez.

While each bill has weight of its own, together these pieces of legislation marked a monumental day for southern New Mexico.

“We have hit a home run,” Garcia said.

Papen described southern New Mexico as “the stepchild that is often forgotten about,” adding that today would change everything.

“(Senate Bill 179 and House Bill 523 – Locomotive Fuel Tax Gross Receipts Deduction) allows us to compete with Texas,” Martinez said. “We need to be on the same playing field as Texas. They don’t have a tax on locomotive fuel, and, now, we don’t either.”

Martinez also signed House Bill 24, authorizing special permits for the operation of certain overweight commercial vehicles near the southern New Mexico border, and House Bill 322, granting additional powers to the Border Authority.

Jon Barela

Cabinet Secretary Designee Jon Barela will be the featured speaker at the April Business on the Border luncheon.  Barela is Governor Susana Martinez’s nominee for secretary of Economic Development. Barela is a native New Mexican, small businessman and an active leader in the state for more than 25 years. He is committed to making New Mexico a place where business and government can work together to create an environment that promotes a vibrant and healthy job market and economy. Having grown up in Dona Ana County, he knows firsthand the economic impact southern New Mexico and border industries can have on the economy for the entire state.

Barela began his career in public service as a senior aide to then New Mexico Congressman Joe Skeen. In 1987, he returned to New Mexico and joined the Modrall Law Firm. Four years later he became New Mexico’s Assistant Attorney General and Director of the Civil Division. In this role, he led unprecedented efforts to enforce and educate the public about New Mexico’s open meetings and public records laws. In 1993, Jon joined Intel, one of New Mexico’s largest private employers, as its community and government affairs manager. He set company benchmarks for outreach into underrepresented communities and was awarded the Intel Achievement Award, the company’s highest and most selective honor. In 2002, he helped found Cerelink a high-tech startup company and has also been a partner in other business ventures.

Barela has served on numerous non-profit boards of directors and committees and is passionate about making New Mexico a better place to live and work. He has made competitiveness and improving education central themes in his chairmanship of several significant organizations throughout New Mexico.

Barela graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C. with a bachelor degree in History and Diplomacy and earned his law degree from Georgetown while working for Congressman Skeen.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 5, 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 followed by a brief update by MVEDA staff.

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, March 31^st by sending an email to rsvp@mveda.com or by calling the office at (575) 525-2852. The meeting is open to the public.

Arts, Culture, and History meet in designated cultural districts throughout the state.  Lori Grumet, Public Services Director for the City of Las Cruces will present an overview of an Arts and Cultural District option for Las Cruces during the March MVEDA Business on the Border luncheon.

The District, which can be designated locally or at the state level through the Main Street program, provides opportunities for local businesses, and artisans to participate in the development of a strong and sustainable economy within district boundaries.

Lori has been with the City of Las Cruces since 1998, first at Thomas Branigan Memorial Library and since 2006 as the Director of Public Services.  Her areas of responsibility include: Library, Museums, CVB, Senior Programs and Transit.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 1, 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 followed by a brief update by MVEDA staff.

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, February 24^th by sending an email to rsvp@mveda.com or by calling the office at (575) 525-2852. The meeting is open to the public.

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

Click on graphic to view presentation

By Gabriel Vasquez

The HIRE Act and Work Opportunity Tax Credit contain provisions that allow business owners to recoup part of their labor force investment and should not be overlooked by local business owners trying to maximize their bottom line.

That was the message delivered by David Estrada, senior manager for Moss Adams LLP, during the February Business on the Border forum hosted by the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance Tuesday, Feb. 1, at Lorenzo’s de Mesilla.

“The HIRE Act was enacted last year by President Obama and signed into law on March 18, 2010,” Estrada said. “As part of that, businesses now qualify for two new hiring and retention incentives.”

The HIRE Act

The Obama HIRE (Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment) Act has two new tax benefits for employers that hire workers who were previously unemployed or were only working part-time.

Employers who hired unemployed workers last year – after Feb. 3, 2010, and before Jan. 1, 2011 – may now qualify for a 6.2-percent payroll tax incentive, Estrada said. That provision exempts employers from paying a share of Social Security taxes on wages paid to workers after March 18, 2010.

“A bill placed into Congress last week seeks to extend the HIRE Act through the end of 2011,” Estrada said. “But there’s still an opportunity for businesses to take advantage of it this year. Businesses who hire employees that qualify for this should be aware.”

In addition to the unemployed worker incentive, the HIRE act allows employers to claim an additional general business tax credit, up to $1,000 per worker, for every employee they retained last year when they file their 2011 income tax returns.

New hires who fill existing positions qualify for the retention credit as well, and in that case an employer can apply for both credits for the same worker, but only if the workers they replaced left voluntarily or was fired for cause. Family members and relatives of the business owner don’t qualify for the credit, Estrada said.

The two tax benefits are especially beneficial to employers who have grown or expanded and added positions over the year, he said. “This means cash savings, increased cash flow and a potentially large credit for new hires over the year,” he said.

In addition, the HIRE Act requires that an employer get a statement from each eligible new hire certifying that he or she was unemployed for 60 days prior to beginning work, or, worked no more than 40 hours for anyone during the 60-day period.

“These tax breaks offer a much needed boost to employers willing to expand their payrolls, and businesses and nonprofits should keep these benefits in mind as they plan for the year ahead,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman.

Businesses, agricultural employers, tax-exempt organizations and public colleges and universities qualify for the tax benefit for new hires.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit, or WOTC, was signed into law in 1996 and was just extended through the end of 2011, Estrada said. “It’s an incentive for employers to hire individuals who have barriers to employment,” he said.

WOTC provides eligible employers with a tax credit of up to 40 percent of the first $6,000 of first-year wages of a new employee who is a member of a “targeted group” of workers who face difficulty finding a job.

“The new employee must not have worked for the hiring employer anytime in the past and may not be a relative or dependent of the employer,” Estrada said.

The target groups, which are created and expanded every year, were recently updated. Employees who now qualify for the WOTC include:

• A person or member of a family who has recently received financial help through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program
• A person or member of a family who is receiving or has recently received food stamps
• An 18-40 year old person who is a resident of a federally designated “Empowerment Zone”
• A summer youth employee
• A qualified veteran
• A Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipient
• Someone convicted of a felony or recently released from prison

“Single moms and vets typically generate the largest tax credits (for employers),” Estrada said. “There are a lot of dollars out there if you just look, and they generate quickly.”

Estrada said, typically, employers can get back $2,400 for each new adult WOTC hire, $1,200 for each new summer youth hire, $4,800 for new veteran hire and $9,000 for each new long-term family assistance recipient over a two-year period.

For more information on these and other tax credits, visit www.irs.gov or call a tax consultant.