|
Over the intervening years, San Juan County has overseen major capital improvements to the former heavy-equipment maintenance shop building. These include HVAC, lighting, broadband internet and commercial natural gas service.
The improvements total $5.1 million. Of that total, San Juan County invested $700,000 as a required grant match and strategically secured the balance through major grants from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and the New Mexico Economic Development Department. An added benefit for San Juan County residents is the coming availabilty of natural gas utility service along the La Plata Highway.
Once facility improvements were completed, San Juan County issued a Request for Applications through a public process. Last month it announced that it will be awarding a lease to PESCO for 45 acres and the building. With PESCO moving in, San Juan County will recoup its investment through lease payments and will then see the SJIP serve as a revenue stream to support County operations including potential other opportunistic economic development investments.
“We’re trying to increase employment for PESCO employees, and we’re trying to grow economic development in San Juan County and New Mexico, so it’s a big deal,” said Kyle Rhodes, PESCO President & CEO.
PESCO's plan is to bring 80 jobs and around $5 million in revenue a month.
This isn’t the first time PESCO is using part of the San Juan County Industrial Park. But, this time, they’re going to be manufacturing something completely different.
“We’re developing a product with a company in Albuquerque that will treat frack water using ozone,” said Rhodes.
From 2010 to 2020, PESCO built oil field storage tanks at SJIC, but the facility proved too expensive to operate because it was heated by propane and lacked broadband internet. San Juan County listened to PESCO’s feedback and used it to guide its investment in improvements and to develop the successful grant applications.
“The economics of that building are totally different now than they were then,” Rhodes said. “With these infrastructure improvements, we decided to bid on it and got it.”
Rhodes says the work they will be doing will have a major impact on our state.
“For manufacturing, each manufacturing dollar raises another $2.74 in spending other places, both upstream and downstream. And so it’s bringing in economic development. But all of this stuff is shipped. Mostly it’s shipped outside of the state, so it’s bringing money into San Juan County. It’s bringing money into the state from other places,” said Rhodes.
All in all, it’s a BIG win-win for an important San Juan County business and for San Juan County citizens.
| 
