Posts Tagged ‘Sunland Park’

Release courtesy of the New Mexico Economic Development Department

SANTA FE –Gov. Susana Martinez and Economic Development Secretary Jon Barela praised the formal filing of the deed with the Doña Ana County Clerk’s Office on Wednesday to create the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA) in Southern Dona Ana County. The utility authority will provide an independent utility for the provision of water and wastewater services along the U.S./Mexico Border in southern Doña Ana County.

“I am pleased that the final step in creating this utility authority has been taken,” Gov. Martinez said. “It is imperative that we have the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority in place to provide a predictable source of water for residents and businesses in the area. This will help to not only retain the companies we have in the region but recruit new companies to Santa Teresa and Sunland Park.”

CRRUA will oversee provisions of services and utility billing to thousands of customers within the City of Sunland Park and the Santa Teresa development, as well as to thousands more in the rapidly developing areas adjacent to the Santa Teresa Port of Entry.

“We are happy about the collaboration in the creation of CRRUA and look forward to the economic progress that will develop as a result of today’s action,” Secretary Barela added.

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Sun-News

LAS CRUCES – A residential and commercial development project expected to cost more than $350 million is scheduled to break ground next month in Sunland Park. Hanson Asset Management, LP has scheduled the ground breaking for July 8 on its new Santa Teresa/Sunland Park Real Estate Development Project. The construction is eventually expected to include 1,400 homes, 1,200 apartments as well as commercial and industrial projects.

“We will deliver competitively priced, entry-level buildable lots,” said Russell Hanson, principle manager with the company. “The low New Mexico real estate taxes will be an attraction to our target market in the region.”

Hanson Asset Management and El Paso-based Desert View Homes purchased 458 acres from Verde Realty, which includes the four corners of McNutt Road and Pete Domenici Highway in what was previously referred to as Project Checkpoint.

Phase one of the project, referred to as Villa Valencia Unit 1, is a 117-single-family lot subdivision developed by HAM in conjunction with Winton and Desert View Homes. The development of another 100 lots will begin in eight months, when the second phase of the project is undertaken. When completed, the 330-acre residential portion of the project will consist of more than 1,400 homes averaging in price $150,000 and above.

The remaining 120 acres of the project were purchased by Santa Teresa Properties, LLC also managed by HAM, to develop commercial and industrial projects, and more than 1,200 apartments. The company already has sold a portion of these properties to investors that are developing a medical clinic. A regional nursing school also has contracted to build a 30,000-square-foot instructional facility in the near future.

“Projects such as the Union Pacific Santa Teresa facility, the expansion of the Santa Teresa Port of Entry, and the development of the Sunland Park International Border Crossing are making this region one of the most dynamic on the entire U.S.-Mexico border,” said Jon Barela, New Mexico Economic Development Secretary designee. “The development of affordable, entry-level housing and retail services is critical for the hundreds of jobs that will be created due to these projects.”

The July 8 groundbreaking will take place at 9 a.m. on Comerciantes Blvd. in Sunland Park. The event is open to the public, but participants must RSVP their attendance to adriana@nmiba.com.

The International Business Accelerator cordially invites you to the “2011 NAFTA Institute/Supplier Meet the Buyer Conference,” which will take place on June 16, 2011 at the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino in Sunland Park, New Mexico. This event is the largest international trade conference of its type on the entire U.S.-Mexico border. As in the past, it will combine the activities of the “NAFTA Institute Conference” and the “Supplier Meet the Buyer Trade Mission.”

The Conference is designed for the following people:

1.       Businesspeople interested in selling their products to Mexican buyers, importing products from Mexico, and/or becoming a supplier to Mexico’s maquiladora industry. The organizers of the conference will match potential Mexican buyers/sellers with participants in private business-to-business sessions.

2.       Anybody interested in learning the mechanics of doing business with Mexico, Canada, or the U.S. During the event, topical experts will be discussing the various aspects of conducting cross-border business.

3.       Businesspeople wishing to network with counterparts from Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.

Conference Topics:

•Business-to-business sessions:  Meet purchasing managers from Mexico’s maquiladora industry and from local production firms.

•Union Pacific’s $400 million Santa Teresa diesel refueling and intermodal yard project – the biggest project of its kind on the U.S.-Mexico border. Meet and interact with Union Pacific officials.

•The Foxconn project in San Jeronimo (across from the Santa Teresa Port of Entry) – the largest maquiladora in Mexico and the producer of Dell computers.

•Overview of New Mexico and Chihuahua’s cross-border strategies.

•Border security and trade.

•Financing transactions in tough economic times.

•International trade resources for businesses.

•The economic future of the maquiladora industry

Cost:

Conference: $99

Corporate Sponsorship: $1,000 (Includes an exhibition table, space for your banner to be displayed, and admission for five people to the conference.)

Sponsorship: $500 (Includes an exhibition table and admission for two to the conference.)

Banner Sponsorship: $130 (Have your banner displayed at the conference.)

Registration:

To register visit: www.nafta-institute.com/register/

For more information visit: www.nafta-institute.com

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.

MVEDA just completed another successful Business on the Border Luncheon and we are thankful to everyone who had the opportunity to attend.

Our guest speaker on Tuesday was Fred Mondragon, the Cabinet Secretary of Economic Development, who shared some economic data on the status of New Mexico and Southern New Mexico’s economies, and also provided some words of advice as to how we might keep the momentum moving forward in Dona Ana County.  The Secretary outlined and highlighted several success stories for Dona Ana County that included (click on graphic to view presentation):

• A September 2010 unemployment rate in Las Cruces 2% below the national average and more than ½ percent below the State’s average,
• Site Selection Magazine and Business Facilities ranked New Mexico in their Top 10 nationally for:

o    #2 in Solar Energy Manufacturing Leaders,

o    #3 in Workforce Training Leaders,

o    #5 in Alternative Energy Industry Leaders,

o    #6 in Cost of Labor, and

o    #8 in Economic Growth Potential.

• Regionally, Las Cruces ranked in the following areas:

o    5^th in U.S. in projected 2009-2011 employment growth rates.

o    8^th in Milken’s 2010 Best-performing small cities,

o    #9^th in Business Week’s top recovering job markets for 2010, &

o    Dona Ana County ranked 14^th Best County in the nation for job growth over the last nine years by Money Magazine.

The Secretary also praised many of the strides Southern New Mexico has made with respect to:

• The aerospace industry, where he cited Spaceport America and the selection of NMSU as an FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation as the anchors that will spur this industry forward in New Mexico,
• The alternative/renewable energy industry with three new solar projects taking place in the County, the announcement of Johnson Plate and Tower this past January and with Sapphire Energy located at the West Mesa Industrial Park.
• And of course our Borderplex growth at Santa Teresa which has seen cross border goods increase by 256% over the past five years.

Finally, his words of advice to local leadership moving forward were to:

1.    Continue our economic diversification,

2.    Build on regional and local strengths,

3.    Think globally, and

4.    To support less unfortunate communities in the region.

Given that Tuesday was Election Day, it is only appropriate that we discuss both the success we have had in economic development and job creation, but more importantly to focus on the future building blocks we need as a region so that we may continue to grow our economy.   As I have mentioned many times in the past, Southern New Mexico is blessed with some very strong assets by which we can grow upon.  But we need to assure that the tools and legislative support is available to do so.  This includes maintaining a strong State economic development marketing effort, maintaining existing incentives, as well as expanding those incentives to support Southern New Mexico growth in the areas of aerospace, border logistical support, alternative energy, and food processing.   And although in Dona Ana County, we look towards the State to support us in many of these efforts, we must also realize that as a community we are equally responsible for taking steps to prepare ourselves to attract growth and that comes in the form of education, infrastructure, and capacity building.  In this respect, MVEDA continually provides assessment and analysis on the challenges facing economic development in our region.  Although MVEDA’s primary focus is on marketing and attracting economic-based jobs to the region, we nevertheless find it necessary to engage in capacity building activities that will assist us in our long-term goals.  Currently, MVEDA is implementing and working on several capacity building directives that include:

• Colonias/Rural Area Labor Assessment:   With the support of an intern from NMSU, MVEDA has designed a bilingual workforce survey which we will be distributing to residents in rural areas.  We are receiving support from PICO to assist us in survey response.  Our first effort will take place in November in Anthony, NM.  We hope to expand this to Sunland Park and Chaparral before the end of the fiscal year.
• Labor Identification Program for Santa Teresa based Employers:  Working in conjunction with DACC, we will be marketing employment services offered through DACC to Santa Teresa based employers.  MVEDA’s analysis through conversations with employers indicates that 60% to 70% of the existing workforce in Santa Teresa comes from El Paso.  We are hoping to offer employers a one stop solution and first point of contact through DACC when they have future labor needs.
• Investment Interest in Santa Teresa:  A second challenge with the workforce in Santa Teresa is the ability to convert them to New Mexico residents.  This is due to lack of housing that is within proximity to the employment base.  We have begun collaborating with the Border Industrial Association, the Building Industries Association, and the Las Cruces Association of Realtors to potentially identify new programs that could be offered to promote and encourage more development in the area.
• Spaceport America Economic Development Strategies:   Finally, MVEDA has been involved with Spaceport America and their consultants in trying to identify clear strategies that we can jointly implement that will assist our efforts in developing business opportunities revolving around the Spaceport and the aerospace industry.

We are hopeful that some of these efforts lay additional foundation for growth leading into the next administration and MVEDA will continue to work closely with the Economic Development Department and the New Mexico Partnership as partners in this endeavor.  Again, MVEDA thanks the Secretary for his time and for all the support he has provided to economic development in Dona Ana County.  We wish him well in his retirement from state government which was announced by Governor Bill Richardson earlier today.