A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO | | |
Greetings,
If Chicago had not already claimed it, I believe we could aptly rename ourselves the Windy City, based on mother nature's activities this week!
I take it as a very good omen, as we are experiencing strong headwinds in top economic development priority areas for AREA as well as our many partners in the region and across the state. We have worked to keep you apprised on these efforts, and AREA has been vocal about top priorities such as Site Readiness, even submitting a joint op ed on the subject along with our tremendous partner and now officially confirmed Cabinet Secretary Rob Black. We are thrilled to see SB 169 receive astounding support to date and look forward to having an official Site Readiness program for economic development in New Mexico very soon.
Earlier this month, as the sitting Vice Chair of the International Economic Development Council, the largest global organization of economic development professionals, I was honored to represent our region at its Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. Due to that role, I had the great opportunity to sit down with national leaders such as Suzanne Clark, President & CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Joe McKinney the head of the National Association of Development Organizations. I also engaged with Mark Ein, venture capitalist and limited partner of the Washington Commanders, Bo Machayo who heads U.S. Public Affairs for Micron Technology, and yes - even the Prince of Liechtenstein. Holding the conference in D.C. was a strategic move by IEDC to elevate the importance of economic development on a federal level, and I am proud to be part of the leadership team executing on this work on behalf of all communities in the U.S. and abroad.
On the home front, we have continued to create tremendous material to promote the assets and advantages of living and working in our region with a testimonial video series featuring individuals like David Gibson, Deputy Laboratories Director and Chief Operations Officer for Sandia National Laboratories and Dan Long of Gridworks. Please use these and future materials to help us celebrate and share positive stories about our business community.
I hope to see you at our upcoming Quarterly Event on April 3 for a focused and exciting discussion on Downtown Revitalization. Until then, enjoy the windy season - spring is nearly here!
Onward,
| | Danielle Casey, CEcD, EDFP | | |
The 2025 AREA Business Retention and Expansion Survey seeks to gather insights from local businesses to inform strategies that support economic growth in the Albuquerque region. The survey covers various topics, including company contact information, industry classification, facility size, employee headcount, workforce composition, growth plans, employee retention, recruitment challenges, training programs, anticipated sales growth, sales distribution by region, supplier distribution, supplier-related needs, and operational challenges hindering business operations or expansion in New Mexico.
By participating, businesses provide valuable data that can help address challenges and identify opportunities to enhance the local business environment.
Survey is now open until April 15th!
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DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER!
Investors Quarterly Event
| | In 2023, AREA convened a Quarterly Investors event on the top floor of 500 Marquette downtown, when it was a complete vacant shell, and invited downtown business improvement district experts from Memphis, TN and Gilbert, AZ to discuss how their urban cores impact their regions, and ways that they have accomplished great transformations. | | Event will take place in Atrium AT 500 Marquette | | |
This event will be a return to that same facility but with a very different conversation and perspective: the space is now occupied and furnished by FBT Architects, and we will welcome guest speaker Brad Segal, President of Progressive Urban Management Associates which is assisting a working group of downtown property and business owners in their exploration of the creation of a downtown business improvement district – not even something that was formally under consideration in 2023. Learn more about the great progress that has occurred, and what 2025 has in store!
Opening remarks will be provided by Mayor Tim Keller.
Happy hour & light refreshments will be included in ticket price.
Event will take place in the Atrium, guests can feel free to explore top floor at conclusion of the program. Thanks to FBT Architects!
| | RECORD A MESSAGE FOR AREA! | | |
As you may or may not know, AREA is turning 65 this year! Decades of incredible economic growth and progress in greater Albuquerque have put our region at the forefront of conversations around site readiness, talent attraction, and local business attraction and retention!
We are so happy to have partners, like Jessica & Eric,to support our efforts.
Want to send AREA a "Happy Birthday" message? Contact Erin Brubaker, our Digital Marketer: ebrubaker@abq.org.
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DOCUMENTARY COMING SOON:
A History & Vision for Greater Albuquerque's Economy
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For those who attended our 505 Awards, you may have seen a teaser for a documentary we are working on with Comcast about the history of AREA & greater Albuquerque's economic growth. If you couldn't make the ceremony, check it out above.
Special thanks to the participants:
⭐Dale Dekker, Founding Principal of Dekker
⭐Sherman McCorkle, Chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Sandia Science & Technology Park Development Corp
⭐Ron Patel, President of New Mexico United
⭐Danielle Chavez, General Manager at RevelABQ
⭐Debbie Johnson, Vice President with Albuquerque Publishing Co
⭐Kyle Biederwolf, Manager of External Affairs at Comcast
⭐Micah Gray, Advisor with NAI SunVista
⭐Sara Keller, Senior Vice President of Community Engagement at Nusenda Credit Union
⭐Waneta Tuttle, Managing Partner , Tramway Ventures
Be sure and come to our premiere screening event on May 15, 2025 at Revel Entertainment!
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Have you checked out Live.abq.org?
Have you seen our microsite targeted for talent attraction? This site was created as one of many digital tools to:
✅Target talent considering relocation to Albuquerque
✅Offer a resource to local employers for use in recruitment of out of state talent
✅Target employers looking to move their team to greater Albuquerque
Check it Out Here
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NEW Investor Opportunity:
Share Your Services Overview
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AREA is the regional responder to 100 or more new prospective leads and projects as well as expanding local businesses every year that are poised to make significant
investments in the market.
We have created a new online portal for our contributors and partners to upload Statement of Qualifications materials by category that are then shared in our unique, secure online proposal system with ALL client proposals so they can easily identify local providers, from general contractors, to accounting, to healthcare, and everything in between. Take advantage of this special feature!
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Investors: Bundle Your Event Tickets!
Tired of having to register and make payments for various events and programs throughout the year? Would you rather pay ONE invoice and be done with it? No problem! Fill out our new BUNDLE TICKETS BULK ORDER FORM and we will invoice you all at once for all events requiring paid registration (to cover AREA’s hard cost) for the full year.
https://www.abq.org/contact/bundleticketsform/
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Supporter Spotlight
Thank you to our generous contributors
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Special Thanks to Continuing Supporters for Their Recent Contributions:
3D Glass Solutions
Abrazo Homes
Adelante Enterprises
Betty's Bath & Day Spa
BNSF Railway
Chevron U.S.A Inc.
New York Life Insurance Co.
Siarza Social Digital.
TLC Company Inc.
Wilger Enterprises, Inc.
| | IN THE NEWS: HEADLINE HIGHLIGHTS | | |
Senate Confirms Rob Black as Cabinet Secretary of Economic Development: The New Mexico Senate unanimously confirmed Rob Black as the cabinet secretary for the Economic Development Department. Born and raised in Lovington, Black graduated from the University of New Mexico and the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. Most recently, Black served as the president & CEO of the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce, where he led the statewide business leadership and advocacy organization of more than 500 members. During his tenure at the New Mexico Chamber, Black launched the NMCEO, a foundation that partners with the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions to run Be Pro Be Proud, a statewide Career and Technical Education engagement program as well as the New Mexico Organized Retail Crime Association. Congratulations to Secretary Black, who has and continues to be a significant and strong partner to AREA!
Why States Should Evaluate Workforce Development and Job Training Incentives: A Pew webinar found many workforce tax incentives are costly, underused, and have little impact on job growth. Experts suggest grants may be more effective and stress the need for better data collection.
Be prepared when businesses come knocking: (an op ed by Rob Black and Danielle Casey) New Mexico’s strong workforce and low business costs attract companies, but site readiness remains a challenge. Senate Bill 169 establishes a committee to certify development-ready sites, backed by $24 million in funding (House Bill 2) for infrastructure improvements. Senate Bill 170 streamlines regulations and offers loans to boost rural utilities. Similar programs in other states have driven job growth and investment—New Mexico aims to do the same.
New Mexico announces $5 billion investment in manufacturing: New Mexico and BorderPlex Digital Assets will build a Digital Infrastructure Campus in Santa Teresa, creating 1,000 jobs and driving $5 billion in construction over 10 years. The project includes data centers, power generation, and computing infrastructure, boosting economic growth and trade.
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Check out our new videos on Youtube!
Thanks to Studio 519, we have begun to generate a video series. This month we focus on Site Readiness AND COm.
Click Here
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CALLING ALL AREA AMBASSADORS:
Apply Today
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Who are AREA Ambassadors?
AREA Ambassadors are goodwill representatives of the organization, aligned with its mission. They champion AREA’s cause of growing the economy of the greater Albuquerque region. Ambassadors are educated in economic development initiatives, strategies and priorities through workshops and forums. Through these programs, Ambassadors are able to speak firsthand of the work of AREA and can promote the greater Albuquerque area through an economic lens. FIND OUT IF YOU MEET THE REQUIREMENTS, AND APPLY TO SERVE TODAY!
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2024 AREA Economic Impact Outcomes
(2025 TBD)
| | Upcoming Partner Workshops & Programs | | |
SCORE upcoming FREE webinars for business:
| | AREA's Annual Premier Supporters | | |
Diamond
Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM)
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Platinum
University of New Mexico
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Gold
Albuquerque Journal • Bank of Albuquerque
Blue Cross Blue Shield of NM • Bradbury Stamm Construction • Comcast • ExxonMobil
FRENCH Funerals & Cremations • Gridworks • Heritage Real Estate Company • Huning, LLC • Intel • Jaynes Construction • NAI Sun Vista • New Mexico Gas Company • Nusenda Credit Union
Presbyterian Health Services • Summit Electric Supply Co. • Titan Development
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Community Partners
City of Albuquerque • City of Belen • Bernalillo County • Town of Edgewood
Village of Los Lunas • City of Rio Communities • Sandoval County •Torrance County
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Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance
201 Third Street NW #1900, Albuquerque, NM 87102
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