Posts Tagged ‘Las Cruces’

MVEDA’s Business on the Border Luncheon on March 2nd featured a commercial real estate update.   The discussion shined a positive light on the economic environment surrounding the real estate market and where we can be looking for opportunities ahead.

The panel consisted of:  John L. Hummer, Owner/Broker with Steinborn TCN Commercial Real Estate; Gil Jones, Associate Broker with NAI 1^st Valley Commercial Real Estate; Donnie Brainard, President/Qualifying Broker with Alameda Property Group; and Rick Stoes, Managing Director for Grubb & Ellis.

Economic highlights from the discussion included:

• National and regional retailers are beginning to show activity,
• Improvement in new store openings and slowing of store closures compared to last year,
• Strip retailers are more aggressive on store openings,
• Stabilization of lease rates,
• Growth at Ft. Bliss expected to boost regional economy by $4 billion annually,
• Significant increase in venture capital money looking to be placed. Majority of which is coming out of Mexico, and
• Conventional financing will continue to be difficult to obtain.

The panelists graciously agreed to let us post their presentations and they can be down-loaded by following these links:

• John Hummer’s presentation (PDF - 570 KB)
• Gil Jones’ presentation (PDF - 935 KB)
• Donnie Brainard’s presentation (PDF - 1.5 MB)
• Rick Stoes’ presentation (PDF - 1.3MB)

As for the first two months of 2010, MVEDA’s lead generation activity has been quite high.  Entering the month of March, our lead generation is 176% higher than this same time last year, and our prospect activity is at 111% of our YTD goals.  In the month of February alone, we had over 14 new leads and 5 site visits by companies interested in the region.  Renewable energy continues to lead the way representing 1/3rd of all our new lead generation, followed by manufacturing and logistics firms.  Over the past couple of months we have also seen some increased interest in the aviation and aerospace sectors.

MVEDA’s marketing efforts remain aggressive.  Since mid-January, MVEDA participated in two prospecting missions with the New Mexico Partnership to Southern California and Dallas regions.  We also attended the Medical Design and Manufacturing Trade Show in Anaheim and participated in the National Security Technology Conference that took place in Las Cruces last week.

Although lead generation and prospecting activity is quite high, the difficulty in closing deals and in job creation surrounds financing.  This became a topic at our Business on the Border luncheon and has been a growing challenge over the past year.  As economic developers, we are being asked more and more to identify financing solutions for our clients which as a result is forcing us to identify alternative financing routes, such as through State and Federal programs, or through equity programs and grants.  Suffice it to say that this will be a continuing discussion, but enables us to retool, as well as, rethink strategies that will create new opportunities and future growth in Dona Ana County.

The New Mexico Environment Department Air Quality Bureau (NMED-AQB) is hosting a public meeting on Thursday, March 4, 2010 from 2-4pm at the Sunland Park City Hall Chamber.  The purpose of this meeting is to outline the new proposed federal ozone standards and update the public about ozone pollution and “nonattainment” in Dona Ana County.  The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed more stringent national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone.  EPA will accept comments on the proposal until March 22, 2010.  A direct link to the proposed rule is available here: http://www.epa.gov/air/ozonepollution/fr/20100119.pdf.  Directions on how to submit comments are on the first two pages of the proposal.  More supplementary information on the proposal is available at the EPA website: http://www.epa.gov/air/ozonepollution/actions.html#jan10s.  Please confirm your attendance to ensure proper space will be available by using the contact information below.

Michael Baca

michael.baca1@state.nm.us

Environmental Analyst, NMED AQB

1170 N. Solano Dr. Suite M, Las Cruces, NM 88001

Office: (575) 647-7983

Announcement Courtesy of WESST, SBDC, and SCORE

National news sources have reported a staggering decrease in bank lending to small businesses in 2009.  Small businesses have faced a variety of challenges during this latest recession and are hopeful the lending will improve in 2010.

What can small businesses expect from lenders in 2010?

• What has changed in lending, if anything?
• What do banks expect from borrowers?
• What lies ahead in small business loans?
• What SBA programs or guarantees exist now? In the future?

A panel of local lenders and Small Business Administration (SBA) officials will answer many of these questions during a “Free Lender’s Forum” on February 4, 2010. The forum will be held at the Dona Ana Community College Workforce Development Center, 2345 E. Nevada in Las Cruces, New Mexico from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Food and beverages will be provided, but space is limited. Please pre-register by calling 541-1583.

Release Courtesy of NMSU Communications & Marketing Services

Photo Courtesy of NMSU

Bulldozers are rolling through a chunk of desert owned by New Mexico State University. The heavy equipment is building a new road and laying utilities to better connect NMSU’s Arrowhead Business and Research Park with the rest of campus. The project is also expected to help attract new investments, new clients and eventually thousands of high-paying jobs to the park.

The road will extend south for approximately one mile from the intersection of Payne and Wells streets to Sam Steel Way, which runs parallel to Interstate 10. Construction is scheduled to be complete in March 2010.

The project represents nearly $2 million in investments, including a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Other money for the project came from the state of New Mexico, local road funds, the New Mexico Department of Transportation and NMSU.

“The road will really open up the whole park,” said Kevin Boberg, Arrowhead Center’s CEO. “We can’t do any other development without the utility backbone the road delivers.”

The business and research park is located on the south end of NMSU’s Las Cruces campus between Interstates 10 and 25. The first 11 acres of the 257-acre park are already in development. The most recently completed building, Spaceplex 2, is home to General Dynamics and opened last summer.  The next building scheduled for construction will be nearly 8,000 square feet and be broken into smaller, 1,700-square-foot pads for businesses intending to establish themselves before jumping into larger spaces.

Other plans for the research park include working with the Las Cruces Public School District to construct an early college high school where high school students could take college-level courses for credit.

“Without the infrastructure, we wouldn’t be in a position to take advantage of these opportunities,” said Vickie Galindo, Arrowhead Center’s director of workforce innovation and business development. “We would not have been able to make this happen without the EDA and help from New Mexico Secretary of Economic Development Fred Mondragon.”

Article Courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

Denten Park

MountainView Regional Medical Center announced last week that health care executive Denten Park has been appointed as its chief executive officer. Park has served as the hospital’s chief operating officer since June 2008.

“It’s been a pleasure to serve this community, medical staff and hospital staff over the past 18 months,” Park said in a statement. “We have some of the finest physicians and employees in Las Cruces, and I welcome the opportunity to work with them to continue the success and outstanding care they provide patients at MountainView.”

On Jan. 14, after almost two years at MountainView, then-CEO Randall Hempling quit to take a position as CEO of Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, Calif. Subsequently, Carol Schmoyer of Western Medical Center in Bullhead City, Ariz., served as the hospital’s interim CEO. Schmoyer was replaced by veteran health care executive Jim Geist, who recently stepped down.

“We’re very supportive of Denten, and are looking forward to the advantages of his strengths and history with our hospital and community,” said Dr. Ismael Lopez, chairman of the hospital’s board of trustees, in a statement.

Prior to his arrival in Las Cruces, Park was associate CEO at Payson Regional Medical Center in Payson, Ariz., and interim CEO at Mountain West Medical Center in Tooele, Utah. He served as the administrator of both a long-term care facility and a center for developmentally disabled in Evanston, Wyo. He also has a background in private retail business.

“We’re delighted,” said Dr. Denise Leonardi, chief of medical staff at MountainView. “Denten brings continuity and a fresh perspective.”

Park has a bachelor’s of arts degree and master’s degree in business administration from New Mexico State University.