AREA update to Los Lunas Council highlights talent

LOS LUNAS — The economic future looks bright for the village of Los Lunas, according to the leader of Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance (AREA).

Chad Matheson, interim president and CEO for AREA, presented the economic non-profit’s annual update to the Los Lunas Village Council on Thursday, Nov. 18, detailing a robust economic development pipeline for Los Lunas and the Greater Albuquerque region.

Matheson outlined several key strategies for long-term growth in the area, with a specific focus on manufacturing and talent development. He pointed out that the organization is currently managing 75 investment opportunities, with billions of dollars in capital investment potential and about 10,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector alone.

“Manufacturing (is) holding that near 80 percent share of projects in our pipeline,” Matheson stated. “But a very healthy capital investment figure there, just north of $7 billion in capital investment potential in nearly 10,000 jobs that we’re managing in the manufacturing sector as well.”

Matheson emphasized that many of the opportunities are competitive economic development projects.

“That’s where, again, it’s always so important to engage public members, like councils and commissions,” he said, “but also public works, planning, permitting, having the subject matter experts at the table to really drive things forward in a positive way.”

He mentioned the recently announced gains in the technology sector, including the recent addition of Pacific Fusion’s manufacturing plant on the north side of Los Lunas and Project Ranger in Sandoval County, as positives for the area.

“One thing that we were very happy to deliver on behalf of Pacific Fusion and Ranger was development Gantt charts (for project management),” he said, emphasizing that AREA worked with its local, municipal partners and the companies “to understand the time line of development” for the projects.

“This was a really important one for Pacific Fusion, certainly absorbing the space in the Merillat building to do that assembly work,” Matheson said, noting the “tremendous regional economic impact” of the project. “That will be so important for when they start moving dirt at the Mesa del Sol site there, once that facility is up and running,” he concluded.

A central theme of the presentation was the importance of competitiveness, defined by the attributes of speed, simplicity and certainty in the business climate. A primary challenge identified for the village of Los Lunas to remain competitive is infrastructure readiness.

“Having roadways developed or infrastructure adjacent to a property line — that can really matter as it relates to speed, and so that’s a big one,” Matheson said in response to Councilor James Runyon’s question about local weaknesses.

He also stressed the importance of proactively planning for roadways and infrastructure adjacent to property lines to improve “speed-to-market” development.

“So always at a localized level, being in tune with those rhythms is extremely important and is one that I’m really happy to support you guys on in any way we can… to help with some thought processes on who and how the village can grow, over the next five, 10, 20 years. I think that’s exciting, and we’re working hard on that,” Matheson said.

Matheson pointed to two key legislative initiatives AREA championed in the most recent session to address these challenges.

Senate Bill 169, the Site Readiness Act, which provides funding for pre-development work on strategic sites, and Senate Bill 170, utility pre-deployment, which allows utilities to build infrastructure without a signed contract from an end-user in a proactive way.

In addition to physical infrastructure, Matheson talked about the importance of “talent development,” a critical factor for companies looking to move into the area, which AREA is addressing through its Talent Insights Advisory Council (TIAC).

He concluded his presentation by looking forward, noting that the group’s current five-year strategic plan is “sundowning” and will be replaced by one with a broader economic strategy focused on cultivating and strengthening partnerships.

Council members commended AREA and the village’s Economic Development Director Victoria Archuleta for the recent success Los Lunas has seen. Councilor Cruz Munoz, who is also chairman of AREA’s Public Sector Advisory Committee, stated, “Los Lunas has positioned itself quite well for the future.”

“This is what we need,” he continued. “We need this economic development to sustain the growth that we are going through right now at the moment. Our younger people that are coming in here are relying on us to bring in this economic growth,” he said. “I think we’ve been able to do that, and you’re a big key to this. We’re positioned for some exciting times, and I have nothing but thanks for allowing me to be a part of your alliance.”