Posts Tagged ‘Dallas’

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

New Mexico Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Jon Barela announced that Federal Rated Security Technologies (FRST) will be relocating its Dallas Metroplex operations to Alamogordo. The announcement was made during the Otero County Economic Development Council (OCEDC) annual meeting. FRST expects to create 15 to 20 high-wage jobs in its first year and an additional 50 jobs by the end of its second year in Alamogordo.

“We are excited for the work that will take place in Alamogordo that will lead to regional growth and create high-wage jobs,” Barela said. “We intend to continue to work with the high tech industry to bring more jobs and companies to New Mexico and the Alamogordo high tech cluster.”

FRST will focus on the emerging market for dual mode, manned or unmanned operation, utility vehicles for security, military and emergency management operations. FRST is working with a nationwide supplier network to provide key commercial off-the-shelf components to enable the development of an economical solution and accelerate their entry into the market place. Over the next several months, FRST will be finalizing the product design in consultation with its customers to ensure critical operational capabilities are met. The Alamogordo facility will serve as the hub for FRST’s product design, integration, manufacturing and test operations. It is anticipated the facility will serve to attract additional industry partners to Alamogordo as operations grow and manufacturing begins.

Release courtesy of NMSU News Center

WRITER: Justin Bannister, 575-646-5981, jbannist@nmsu.edu
CONTACT: Sara Patricolo, 575-646-2066, spatrico@nmsu.edu

Richard Fisher (Courtesy photo)

Richard Fisher, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas, will take part in New Mexico State University’s spring 2011 Domenici Institute Forum from 2-3 p.m. May 4 at KRWG-TV studios inside Milton Hall.

As president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Fisher serves as a member of the Federal Open Market Committee, the Federal Reserve’s principal monetary policymaking group.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas serves the Eleventh Federal Reserve District, which consists of Texas, Northern Louisiana and Southern New Mexico.

Fisher is former vice chairman of Kissinger McLarty Associates, a strategic advisory firm chaired by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. He was a Weatherhead Fellow at Harvard in 2001, is an honorary fellow of Hertford College at Oxford University and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. A first-generation American, Fisher is equally fluent in Spanish and English, having spent part of his life in Mexico.

The Domenici Institute Forum is an extension of the university’s yearly Domenici Public Policy Conference. Its goal is to engage the public and encourage them to discuss and take part in issues of public interest, specifically when it comes to important policy matters.

NMSU’s Domenici Institute is named for retired U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, New Mexico’s longest-serving senator. The institute brings together some of the best minds in the country to focus on significant national issues.

The Domenici Institute Forum is free and NMSU students, faculty, staff and the general public are encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Sara Patricolo at 575-646-2066.

Project to bring 3,000 construction jobs, 600 operational

Las Cruces Bulletin photo by Niki Rhynes

Article courtesy of Las Cruces Bulletin

By Gabriel Vasquez

Gov. Susana Martinez returned to Doña Ana County for the first time since being sworn in as governor to announce a rail-expansion project that could bring more than 3,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent, post-construction positions near Santa Teresa. The announcement was made Friday, Jan. 7, alongside Union Pacific (UP) officials during a well-attended ceremony held inside an industrial office complex adjacent to the Santa Teresa Airport.

“I’m honored to (be) here to renew the commitment the state of New Mexico made a few years ago to improve the infrastructure and create jobs in the southern part of the state,” Martinez told the crowd of area politicians, industry leaders, state workers and reporters. “These jobs would otherwise go to Texas.”

UP’s investment for the rail expansion is $400 million. UP officials said the project would have an overall economic impact of $500 million on the state. The plans are to expand a rail station near Santa Teresa to add fueling facilities, crew headquarters, an intermodal switching yard and an intermodal ramp for business access.

This sort of “inland port” will facilitate the movement of goods all across the Southwest, but specifically will help border businesses by providing a “truck-to-train” facility in the area, significantly spurring economic development in New Mexico, said Bob Turner, senior vice president of corporate affairs for UP.

“I predict that this will be a catalyst for economic growth the likes of which will amaze you all,” he said. “The goods will come in, be offloaded, re-sorted and shipped to various parts of the country.”

The transfer facility will place southern New Mexico on UP’s “Sunset Route,” one of the oldest rail corridors in the country, which spans from California to Texas. Other Sunset Route facilities similar to the one planned for Santa Teresa exist in Lathrop, Calif., Los Angeles, Dallas and San Antonio, Texas.

“In order for New Mexico to recover economically, we need to take deliberate action and begin gaining back jobs we’ve lost to our neighbors,” Martinez said. “That’s one of our driving forces for the policy decisions being made by my administration.”

Although UP officials are optimistic about the project, it has one more hurdle left to clear. The project is largely dependent on a locomotive diesel fuel tax exemption that will go before the state Legislature when it convenes later this month.

“All that stands in the way from this taking place and moving the project forward … is a legislative fix,” said Martinez, who added she strongly supports the exemption. “As a result, Union Pacific can start building and New Mexicans can start working.”

Martinez added that she encouraged all state legislators “to dot their ‘i’s’ and cross their ‘t’s’ for the project to move forward.

State Sen. Cynthia Nava, who attended the ceremony, said she would support the diesel tax exemption.

“I’m willing to work with all my colleagues to get this job done,” Nava said. “I would assure the governor that we are dotting and crossing and we will get this exemption so this project can move forward. It’s been a long-time coming.”

Aaron Hunt, director of media relations for UP, said the company would have to “strongly re-evaluate” its options if the diesel tax exemption is not passed.

“Historically, we have invested a lot of resources on this part of our system,” Hunt said. “There’s 100 years of history here.”

When UP’s intentions to expand the Santa Teresa rail were first announced in 2006, the state passed a diesel fuel tax exemption accordingly, but it expired in 2010. Due to the economy, which dealt a hard blow to UP in 2008, the project was subsequently delayed with no timetable to move forward. UP officials hope now the Legislature makes the same decisions in 2006.

Theresa Fisher, director of the Anthony Chamber of Commerce, said the project could be beneficial for the whole state.

“This opportunity is excellent not just for Santa Teresa and Sunland Park, but Anthony, as well as the entire state,” she said. “There will be opportunities for employment for our people, and it helps us with economic development and marketing here.”

Fisher, who owns an 8-acre vineyard, is building a wine tasting facility near Anthony and hopes UP will bring future customers as new businesses come to the area to take advantage of the transfer station.

A groundbreaking will be held sometime this summer when construction starts, not with shovels, “but something more exotic,” Turner said. Construction is expected to take place until 2015.

For more information, visit www.up.com.

Private sector funding from the businesses and organizations throughout the New Mexico Borderplex is a mainstay of MVEDA’s ability to continue in its mission of creating new employment opportunities for area residents. MVEDA is proud to announce four new Partners:  Jaynes Corporation; Bohannan Huston, Inc.; The Dwyer Law Firm, LLC; and the Arid Group, LLC.

The Jaynes Corporation is the largest general contractor in New Mexico. Their headquarters are in Albuquerque and they have offices in Farmington, Durango, Colorado, Las Vegas, Nevada, and San Diego, California. They are presently constructing the City of Las Cruces Administration Building, the Las Cruces Convention Center and the Las Cruces Regional Recreation and Aquatics Center.  Rick Marquardt is the President and COO.

Bohannan Huston, Inc. is a full service engineering firm headquartered in Albuquerque. They have offices here in Las Cruces as well as Dallas, Texas and Denver, Colorado. Their Las Cruces office is managed by Rob Richardson, Senior Vice President and Managing Principal. Rob serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce and is the Chair of Leadership Las Cruces.

The Dwyer Law Firm is a new downtown business in Las Cruces specializing in tax law. Licensed to practice law in New Mexico, Joshua Dwyer is a member of the Taxation and Business Law Sections of the State Bar of New Mexico as well as a member of the American Bar Association.

The Arid Group, LLC, located in Las Cruces, is an agricultural research company specializing in water supply and irrigation systems.  Matthew H. Stong is the managing partner.

MVEDA’s Partners are linked from MVEDA’s website.