Posts Tagged ‘DACC’

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin, by Samantha Roberts

Union Pacific, which recently began construction of an all-new rail facility outside Santa Teresa, announced a $100,000 donation to Doña Ana Community College as part of Las Cruces Day in Santa Fe during a press conference Monday, Jan. 30, at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe.

The donation, which Zoe Richmond, UP director of public affairs, said was given to DACC to use as the institution sees fit. However, the underlying message at the press conference was creating jobs to sustain UP’s new intermodal facility.

“Doña Ana Community College is excited to be the recipient of such generosity from Union Pacific,” said DACC President Margie Huerta. “We plan to use the funds for scholarships and workforce development to ensure our students have the knowledge needed to qualify for the jobs this new facility will bring to the region.”

There were several key players who helped make the donation a possibility, including Sens. Cynthia Nava and Mary Kay Papen, Rep. Mary Helen Garcia and New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Designate Jon Barela as well as Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance CEO Davin Lopez and Border Industrial Association Executive Director Jerry Pacheco and Juan Massey.

“Union Pacific and Doña Ana Community College is an example of a great private-public partnership,” Lopez said. “We are proud to be a part of this.”

“Right now, we are moving 4.1 million cubic yards of dirt,” Richmond said about developments in Santa Teresa. “We hope this donation strengthens our long-term commitment to southern New Mexico.”

As another part of Union Pacific’s commitment to grow New Mexico, Richmond said seven of the 10 subcontractors working on the project are from New Mexico, which translates to 66 percent of $40 million that has been spent in the Land of Enchantment. The intermodal facility is expected to be completed by 2015, bringing in 600 permanent high-paying jobs.

“The average employee will be making $100,000 in wages and benefits,” Richmond said. “We like to say where we have rails, we have ties.” Richmond said UP chose DACC as a recipient because “DACC is a neighbor” and she is looking forward to a good working relationship with the community college.

“Thank you for your generosity,” Huerta said during the press conference. “The Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce as well as many others have given their help and been so supportive – Davin Lopez, Jerry Pacheco, Juan Massey, (Rep.) Terry McMillan.

“Donations like this will have an immediate impact on southern New Mexico. Developing the workforce in southern New Mexico is critical, and this gift of $100,000 is a huge investment and will yield positive return. “In Doña Ana County, we work with a collaborative spirit to improve the community.”

Nava, former superintendent of Gadsden Independent School District, said the example set in southern New Mexico is remarkable. “The rest of the state should listen,” Nava said. “I fought to get Union Pacific here, and I will fight to hold them accountable to their promises. This check is a great start, and it is about jobs, economic development and the opportunity for students to succeed.”

To help bring UP to southern New Mexico, Gov. Susana Martinez signed into law in 2011 a bill granting Union Pacific a locomotive fuel tax deduction that allowed the company to move forward with an investment of $400 million in the construction of a 2,200-acre rail facility west of the Santa Teresa Airport, which will include fueling facilities, crew change buildings, locomotive inspection tracks, an intermodal ramp and a switching yard.

“This new facility will strengthen our long-term commitment to deliver premium service to our customers,” said Scott Moore, vice president of public affairs for Union Pacific. “Upon completion of this new infrastructure, New Mexico will take its place among the leaders in the goods movement industry.”

A key player in getting the locomotive fuel tax deduction bill passed was Barela. When the bill was passed, Barela called it “a cornerstone to creating jobs in southern New Mexico.”

“Doña Ana County has great potential and thank you to our great corporate neighbor – UP,” Barela said. “The facility is a solid anchor project on the entire Mexico border – all 2,000 miles of it.”

It is with a great deal of excitement that I present to you MVEDA’s First Quarter results of the 2011-’12 Fiscal Year.  It seemed it would be very difficult to match the performance level and results of our last fiscal year, one of MVEDA’s best years ever.  In the last fiscal year we experienced our second best year ever in terms of job creation.  It was by far our best year ever in terms of capital investment made into the region.  Additionally, it was our best year ever in terms of average salaries created which is a direct impact on wealth creation for the region and its residents (please see attached FY 11 Annual Report).   But if this first quarter is any indication of how the rest of the year will proceed then we will have just as much success to look forward to and with great anticipation.

Let me first start off by saying that the “job” of job creation in economic development takes an organized and consolidated approach and it requires the efforts of many groups working together.  In this respect I want to recognize all the team players that make this possible here in Doña Ana County.  They include the New Mexico Economic Development Department, the New Mexico Partnership, the Border Industrial Association and of course our partners at both the City of Las Cruces and Doña Ana County.  They also include our educational and training partners at NMSU and DACC.  And of course it takes the support of all of MVEDA’s private sector partners.

COMPLETED PROJECTS AND SUMMARY OF ACTIVITY

As of September 30, 2011, MVEDA has assisted in the creation of two new locates representing 279 new jobs to Las Cruces.  They include:

• Vangent, a back office support center based in Arlington, VA.  The company announced the decision in early July of this year and have currently hired over 90 employees to date.
• L&M Radiator, a manufacturer of industrial radiators that recently relocated out of El Paso to Las Cruces.

With these two locates, we are far ahead of production levels compared to this same time last fiscal year in terms of project completion, square footage absorption, employment numbers and capital investment.

MARKETING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

As a result of the several locates that have taken place over the last nine months, the MVEDA staff had spent considerable time and energy in project management functions.   Entering the new fiscal year, we have now returned our focus to the marketing efforts of the organization and the re-building of our project pipeline.  Although lead and prospect generation is slower year-to-date compared to this same time last fiscal year, we are once again beginning to see new opportunities.

We have been quite aggressive in our marketing efforts and reaching out to target markets where we believe there is potential for near term growth opportunities.  At MVEDA’s Board Strategic Planning Retreat in June, the staff outlined the following primary targets:

• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/Systems (UAV/UAS):  The Las Cruces International Airport is the only municipal airport in the US where UAV’s can be tested in the public airspace.  Along with the expertise in systems operations provided by the Physical Science Laboratory, the Las Cruces region becomes a unique opportunity for UAV companies seeking to not only test but to conduct R&D and assembly operations.

• Logistics & Warehousing:  The announcement of Union Pacific this past fiscal year affords us incredible future growth opportunities and we are taking steps to position ourselves for success in this area.

• Renewable Energy:  Over the past 12 months, MVEDA and the region have experienced tremendous success in the development of solar projects.  We continue to aggressively seek out opportunities in this area.  However, we are seeing a shift in new interest from bio-mass companies exhibited by the growth in research in new fuel related agricultural crops.

• El Paso Market:  Over the last 18 months, Las Cruces and Doña Ana County have benefited greatly from growth pressures in El Paso that are squeezing the industrial base.  Early results have included Alaska Structures and L&M Radiator expanding into Las Cruces as well the recent announcement of TE Connectivity’s consolidation into Santa Teresa.

This quarter, we have also participated in prospect trips to Chicago, Boston, Washington DC and San Francisco.   More recently MVEDA also participated in Virgin Galactic’s Industry Day at Spaceport America and the ISPCS conference.

As evident from the above, we are experiencing renewed growth and interest in the region, primarily in the manufacturing sector.  Eighteen months ago, the City of Las Cruces had over 360,000sf of industrial space sitting idle.   Of that space, 300,000sf is now occupied by Alaska Structures in our West Mesa Industrial Park.  Vangent has taken over the former Frontier Airlines reservations center and L&M now occupies the former Multi-Plastics facility.

The Union Pacific project at Santa Teresa further positions Doña Ana County to be a major hub for future distribution and logistics companies.   More recently, but falling within our 2^nd Quarter activity, TE Connectivity officials along with Governor Susana Martinez announced their plans to consolidate their operations in Santa Teresa thereby making their Doña Ana County facility their largest North American distribution center.  We also expect one to two more announcements before the end of the calendar year.

Again, we cannot accomplish our goals without the support of our partners and stakeholders.  We thank each of you for your continued support and we look forward to continuing the mission of job creation for Doña Ana County and New Mexico.

Davin Lopez

President and CEO

Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance

Las Cruces Bulletin photo by Samantha Roberts

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

By Samantha Roberts

You have to see it to believe it. The research on algae biofuel at Sapphire Energy could change the world, literally. Research and development measures at the compound could lead to replacing millions of gallons of transportation fuel a year with pond scum.  Currently, New Mexico is a leader in the world in terms of algae-based production because of its environmental conditions.

“Algae like the hot weather and lots of sunshine,” said Tim Zenk, vice president of corporate affairs for Sapphire Energy. “It even likes the slightly cooler temperatures during a New Mexico winter.”

“Algae also like brackish water,” said Denise Gitsham, Sapphire’s director of corporate affairs and legislative council. “Southern New Mexico has an abundance of salty water perfect for algae growth. And we are only using land that can’t be used for other purposes. We are not competing for drinking water or agricultural land. “We are creating the first above-ground renewable oil field.”

These reasons have led Sapphire Energy to name Las Cruces as its research and development facility, a component that will remain when the Columbus, N.M., site, which is currently under construction, is completed. Sapphire Energy started in 2007. The company has 155 employees across three facilities and more than 50 employees in Las Cruces.

“Sapphire purchased 10 acres at market value and promised to invest $6 million and create 30 jobs in three years,” said Christine Logan, economic development administrator for the City of Las Cruces. “In exchange, the city made 90 acres available at no cost. Sapphire surpassed their (promise) short of a year and a half.”

Las Cruces serves as a testing and development center, operating plot farms. The area is small in comparison to commercialization of the algae product and what will be done in Columbus but large by world standards, Zenk said. “We understand the business principles to make commercialized algae biofuel successful,” Zenk said. “We know we have to be concerned about crop protection, (fuel) extraction and crop yield as well as the biology and engineering behind the process. “Historically, 99 percent of crude oil has come from diatoms and algae. If Mother Nature can do this naturally, then so can we in petri dishes. And then take that to small ponds, to large ponds and to commercialization.”

Currently, the Las Cruces facility is operating at four different levels – petri dishes, small ponds, runway ponds and large ponds. The Columbus facility will have more large ponds connected back to back. “Our (final) goal is to produce 5,000 gallons of oil per acre per year,” said Bryn Davis, New Mexico operations manager.

Once the biofuel is capable of being produced on a large scale, Zenk said Sapphire’s initial target client will be the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). “The DOD has led the way for every energy change,” Zenk said. “There is strategic planning going on right now for the next (energy) transition. There will be an opportunity to be at the forefront of this technology, and a big proposal will soon be released by the U.S. Navy asking for large scale efforts to supply biofuels.”

The Navy is going to look at communities with the technology and the community support. They don’t want to push a technology on a community that doesn’t want it. Therefore, it is very important for the Las Cruces community and southern New Mexico to rally around our efforts and see the benefits for all sectors.”

Zenk said the request for information was due at the end of September. “The (request for proposal) will be released around the beginning of next year,” he said.

The Columbus site is expected to open by the spring or summer of 2012 with 100 acres and will spread over 300 acres upon final completion in 2015. Columbus is expected to produce 100 million gallons of diesel fuel per year. At phase three, the Columbus site will be a demonstration facility that Sapphire hopes to use as an example, attracting investors.

“At that scale, the site will demonstrate operations for a larger facility,” Davis said. Davis said there is little time to talk about algae because developments are happening so quickly. “We are competing with other nations,” he said. “When we broke ground in Las Cruces, I was already shopping for the land in Columbus. We have to think about the next step because there is not a lot of time.”

“China’s No. 1 objective is to develop a new source of energy,” Zenk said. “It is us versus them. We can fight over energy or develop a new source. It is the only hope for our military.”

New Mexico State University also has a large role to play in Sapphire’s success.

“Our goal is to create a center of excellence with advanced biofuels,” said City Councilor Nathan Small.

Currently, more than $15 million has been invested into the Las Cruces community, and Sapphire Energy has hired more than 50 people – many NMSU and Doña Ana Community College graduates – for the Las Cruces facility. Spin-off business will also be created through growth of Sapphire and commercialization of the algae biofuel.

“We use a large amount of CO2,” Zenk said. “To produce one gallon of algae fuel, we use about 20 to 25 pounds of CO2. Finding a consistent source of carbon dioxide is crucial. The pipeline in Lea County is very valuable to us. I can also see a business in managing CO2.”

Gitsham said she expects to see more graduates of NMSU and DACC staying in southern New Mexico as a result of the work at Sapphire.

“We are still at the dawn of the algae business,” Zenk said. “The biology is only four years old, and there is still a lot more ahead of us. If someone told you they knew everything about algae biology, they are probably lying.”

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

By Samantha Roberts

Since Gov. Susana Martinez signed a bill to lower taxes on diesel fuel, everyone in southern New Mexico is talking about Union Pacific (UP) coming to Santa Teresa, but there is a lot more happening on the border that people don’t know about.

On Thursday, June 16, more than 700 people gathered at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino for the annual NAFTA Institute/Supplier Meet the Buyer Conference.  With two floors full of business-to business networking, speakers and economic leaders, there was never a dull moment at the conference.

“This event creates the opportunity for companies to make transactions and get introduced to new businesses,” said Fred Shepherd, Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance business development manager. “Companies can come and display their products and also hear an overview of business opportunities.”

First-time attendee Reinhard Peter, CEO of Solarzentrum North America, said he was pleased with the success of the event.  “There are so many people here,” he said. “Since cost is always an issue, events such as this one help a large number of people get together to network.”

Reinhard, who sells hybrid solar panels that produce hot water and useable electricity, said his focus on the environment got him into the business.  “I want to preserve the environment for our kids,” Reinhard said. “We are in one of the sunniest cities of the world, no? We have so much sunshine, and it’s free. We are supplying a product that people use daily, and free is good, no?”

In addition to all of the vendors, UP was also there, representing its new facility in Santa Teresa and answering questions to curious participants.

Zoe Gisela Richmond, UP public affairs director, said UP representatives were also pleased with the turnout and excited about educating people on their upcoming facility. “We are hoping UP coming to the area is the catalyst for more opportunities in southern New Mexico and that it will attract more companies to the area,” she said. “We are shooting for an early August date for the groundbreaking of the facility.”

Though the main goal of the event was to make relationships and establish connections, some companies were able to make more use of their time.

For Erlinda Portillo, coordinator of donor services and special events at Dona Ana Community College, and Ken Tellez, manager of planning and development at DACC, the community college struck manufacturer gold at the event.  Portillo said Maria Elena Vargas, a business owner in Mexico, has agreed to donate manufacturing equipment to DACC.

“We made the connection through Jerry Pacheco,” Tellez said. “We talked a little before, but this event allowed us to finalize the deal and discuss transportation of the equipment from Juarez to Las Cruces.”

The conference also hosted a bevy of guest speakers, including New Mexico Secretary of Economic Development Jon Barela, who gave an overview of Martinez’s administration in regard to border and economic development objectives.

“I am proud to announce several hundred new jobs in Dona Ana County,” Barela said. “We have recently passed a board of jobs package that includes the locomotive fuel tax reduction. This will allow New Mexico to be more competitive with Texas and has helped bring Union Pacific to the state.  “To me, job creation is a priority in southern New Mexico, and overall I want to help provide a better regulative climate, reducing the cost of compliance for businesses without sacrificing the health, welfare or beauty of New Mexico to do business.”

Other guest speakers included Bob Queen, from the United States Department of Commerce; Jose Contreras, from Border Security Consultants; and Brent Eastwood from the International Trade Office from the State of New Mexico. Richmond also gave an update about UP, an addition that plant manager Alex Sierra is very excited about.

“The new railroad lines are going to run through my ‘backyard.’ The new rail will cut one month off travel time for me,” said Sierra, who runs a car seat manufacturing plant in Santa Teresa. “We are in the ‘belt buckle’ of the Americas and it only makes sense to grow this area.”  Sierra said he has been coming to the event since its inception. “This is a great time for me to make 50 to 60 phone calls in one day,” he said. “It is well worth the $100.”

Also attending the event were employees from the New Mexico Economic Department ready to connect business owners and guests of the event with whoever they were looking to talk to.  “We have business-to-business networking going on over here,” said Steven Montano, senior advisor of the New Mexico Economic Development division, in regards to dozens of tables filled with business men and women making conversations in both English and Spanish. “People here are really making deals, and although they may not be creating jobs today, they are creating jobs down the road, and that is very important for New Mexicans. “This event really has a history of success, and I think that is because there is such an emphasis on the economy.”

Though times may still be tough in America, forward-thinking people in southern New Mexico and the surrounding area are expanding their horizons and looking to change the state of the economy one job at a time.

Las Cruces Bulletin photo by Chris Mortensen

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

Las Cruces Public Schools is reporting that all 112 freshmen in its early college high school will be returning to begin classes in its new building on the New Mexico State University campus.

A community group of educators and business leaders called The Bridge pushed for the creation of an early college high school as a national best practice for academically focused students to take classes at a university or college campus environment. Early college high schools enjoy a 95 percent graduation rate, nationally.

LCPS opened the new school last July before construction began on its building at NMSU’s Arrowhead Center. Dona Ana Community College provided classroom space for the first group of students.

The Arrowhead Park Early College High School (APECHS) prepares students to graduate with both a high school diploma and a two year college degree in four years. APECHS students completed their first college-level dual credit course, ninth- and 10th-grade honors English classes and posted district-leading attendance rates. “I like that we’re a small community and we all know each other,” said student Marina Calderon. “We’re like a big family. Here we all communicate with each other, and we’re all under four teachers. Our school motto is ‘We are the Trailblazers.’ So without the teachers taking that risk for the first-year students, we wouldn’t be anything.”

Four of its initial 116 students left the school because of moves or transfers. Most APECHS students are the first in their family to attend a college class and those “at risk” for not completing high school nor pursuing a college degree. Their average grade point average is 3.167. Almost one-third of the students had higher than a 3.5 GPA, and almost two-thirds held higher than a 3.0.

In a comprehensive high school, the freshman year is when almost half of the total dropouts in a class occur. Based on the most recent countywide dropout rate of 49 percent, statistically 27 of these students should have dropped out in a traditional environment.

The new $18 million APECHS campus reflects a 16 percent savings on cost per student, or $42 million in savings to the district. The cost per square foot of the 64,260-square-foot campus is half that of the new $100 million Centennial High School, which is also under construction.

“This is the way we need to think about education for the future of our city, our county, and our state,” said LCPS Superintendent Stan Rounds. “The early college high school model is extremely effective in other parts of the country. In fact, 10 percent of incoming juniors at UTEP are graduates from El Paso’s five early college high schools.”

APECHS is the first early college high school in New Mexico. “We are so proud of the students and staff of this school,” said Kari Mitchell, one of the founders of The Bridge and its current board vice president. “They’ve done an incredible job this year, and we are looking forward to having these well prepared, highly motivated students become part of our county’s future workforce.”

APECHS is a collaborative effort between LCPS, DACC and NMSU.

“These students really rose to the challenge of excelling in their first college-level course this year,” said DACC President Margie Huerta. “They are going to lead the way for the rest of the state. They are proving how important it is that we continue to offer dual credit courses for high school students to give them a real jump start into their college education.”

Discussions are currently under way for more early college high schools in the Las Cruces, Gadsden, and Hatch districts. There could be as many as four countywide opened over the next five years.