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Business Retention & Expansion |
 The
City's Economic Development
Department welcomes a new
Business Retention and
Expansion Coordinator, Tom
Ingle. Ingle brings years of
local small business
experience to his new
position. "I hope to assist
local businesses to
accomplish their goals
through innovative,
realistic business practices
that add value to our
economy," Ingle said. He
also has years of experience
in manufacturing and plans
on offering local businesses
his "pragmatic advice and
assistance." You can
contact him via
email
or by calling (915)
541-4674.
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Business Attraction
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 Regional
economic development efforts are alive
and well in this region- stronger and
more focused than they have ever been.
REDCo's approach to economic
development has rested on the foundation
that the diverse operating environment
in this region, consisting of three
states and two nations, makes this
region one of the more unique business
locations in the world. With a combined
population of 2.6 million, El Paso/
Juarez and southern New Mexico comprise
one of the largest international
metropolitan areas in the world. Along
with many great partners (City of El
Paso Department of Economic Development,
Desarrollo Economico de Cd Juarez,
Mesilla Valley Economic Development
Alliance, the Greater El Paso Chamber
and more) -- we market the region in a
way that recognizes when one community
in the region benefits-we all benefit.
REDCo
has placed a
concerted focus upon recruiting industry
in the Military/Defense,
Life Sciences, and Automotive
sectors,
and we have done so
by engaging the industry's top
consultants, as well as hiring subject
matter experts in each of these areas to
work on REDCo's staff. We
further rely
upon the
expertise of local and regional entities
(such as UTEP, El Paso Community College
and Texas Tech's Foster School of
Medicine)-and the composition of
our Board of Directors reflects our
understanding that local
leaders on both the
public and private sector work
collaboratively in order to take
our community to the next level. In the
nearly four years of
REDCo's existence-- REDCo has
played a role in creating no less than
17,000 jobs in both
El Paso and Juarez, as well as playing a
key role (with Congressman Reyes and
other partners) in the Army's
decision to grow Ft. Bliss by
more than 27,000
soldiers.Forbes
Magazine recently recognized that El
Paso's job growth (2002-2007) ranked #3
among the top 100 metro areas of the
nation. We thank our partners in
the community for their support
and friendship--
and we
look forward
to a bright future for our region.
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Revitalization |
 Work
continues on the new Federal Courthouse
now under construction in Downtown El
Paso, which is expected to be complete
by May 2009. The courthouse is being
constructed at the eastern end of the
Central Business District, on a 3.5-acre
site located between Magoffin and Myrtle
streets, immediately east of Campbell.
This nine-story building will provide
239,400 gross square feet and allow
court functions to move from the
outdated 1936 courthouse across the
street. The new building will
accommodate 13 judges compared to the
seven judges served by the old
courthouse. In addition to modern
security measures and energy-saving
systems, the building architecture has
won several national awards based on the
original design concept of lead
architect Antoine Predock along with
BPLW Architects and Engineers, both of
Albuquerque, NM. Its design is a civic
monument defining the edge of Downtown.
The design pays homage to El Paso's
natural and built
environment, incorporating local
historic construction materials such as
copper and contains a portal gateway view
that frames the Franklin Mountains.
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Small Business Development
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El Paso is now one of 38
cities in the United States
to have the designation of a
Minority Business Enterprise
Center (MBEC).
The El Paso MBEC is
federally funded by the
Minority Business
Development Agency of the
U.S. Department of Commerce
and will be locally operated
by your
El Paso Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce.
The appointment
showcases that your Hispanic
Chamber is the 'go to'
organization for business
growth.
The program will concentrate
in providing additional
resources to mid-growth
minority business firms with
$500,000 or more in annual
revenues that are generating
significant employment and
long-term economic growth.
For more information on
utilizing the resources
available for your
mid-growth business contact
your El Paso Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce.
The
Greater El Paso Chamber
of Commerce will be
hosting Texas State
Comptroller Susan Combs
for "Conversations that
Count". Join us on
Thursday, May 8th
from 2pm to 3:30pm at
the Greater Chamber
Lockhart Hall. Susan
Combs will engage the El
Paso Community in an
intimate dialogue
regarding the State of
Texas' economy. This is
your opportunity to give
feedback on your
personal experiences and
get answers concerning:
State Franchise Tax,
Margins Tax, and Gas
Tax. To RSVP for this
important event, please
contact
Ms. Ana Salcido at
534-0530.
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Workforce Development
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 Workforce
Solutions Upper Rio Grande
has awarded Therm-O-Link Inc. an
incumbent worker training grant.
Therm-O-Link Inc. produces wire
and cable for the automotive,
marine, construction and
appliance industries. The
$97,000
incumbent worker award
will be used to start Phase 1 of
a Lean Transformation process.
The
training, scheduled to be
completed this fall, will result
in an upgrade of 90 jobs and
create 18 new jobs. "We
at Therm-O-link Inc are
committed to staying in El Paso
and look at our partnership with
TMAC and Workforce Solutions as
a strategic alliance that will
make us more competitive and
able to contribute to this
community with more employment
opportunities as a result of our
growth", said Alex Bustamante
General manager for the El Paso
Therm-O-Link operation. In 2007,
seven businesses shared $286,198
in incumbent worker training
dollars to train a total of 419
employees. Interested companies
should contact Beatriz Lucero at
772-2002.
 Virginia
Melendez, a single mom can
remember being interested in
the medical field from an
early age, hoping that one
day she would become a
nurse. "If it were not for
Project
ARRIBA,
my education, and plans of
becoming an R.N. would only
be dreams." says
Virginia.
Virginia has been fortunate
to work for a local
Ophthalmologist that
supports her class schedule;
this has made it easier for
the prospective R.N. to
support her mother and
daughter. "I know that the
dedication and determination
I have put forth will end up
being my greatest
accomplishment." "I
have never had to wait more
than a day for the answer to
a question, and in return, I
work hard and do what is
required of all Project
ARRIBA participants. I am
looking forward to
graduation, and giving back
to a community that has
given so much to me and my
family!"
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Tourism |
The annual
Spirit of Amigo Tourism Luncheon
and Travel Fair, hosted by the El
Paso Convention & Visitors Bureau,
will be held at noon on Thursday,
May 15 in the Judson F. Williams
Convention Center. In conjunction
with the luncheon, a travel fair
will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Over 700 people are expected to
attend the Luncheon and Travel Fair
in recognition of the "National
Tourism Week" celebration which
highlights the importance of tourism
to the local economy and serves to
educate attendees on the role they
can play in helping bring visitors
to our city. Highlights of this
year's luncheon will include the
Spirit of the Amigo Award being
presented to retiring legendary
broadcaster Gary Warner from KVIA-TV
ABC 7. For more information contact
Blanca Limon at 915-534-0645.
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City/County
Partnership
The City and
County of El Paso have signed an
interlocal agreement to have the
City's Economic Development
Department perform economic
development services for the
county. The City will recommend and
monitor incentive programs, market
state economic development tools
that are only available to the
county and assist the county with
Enterprise Fund candidates among
other duties.
Incentives
The City of
El Paso has an incentives
policy based on Chapter 320
of the Texas State Code,
which allows for rebates of
property taxes. The policy
is geared toward creating
high quality jobs in El
Paso, and incentives are
determined by the amount of
local investment, number of
jobs paying at or above
$10.57 per hour and the
total salaries of qualifying
jobs. In addition,
companies must pay at least
50% of the employees health
care benefit.
El Paso has
traditionally had
unemployment rates above
the national average,
and incomes below the
national average.
Through its incentive
policy, City Council is
working to decrease
unemployment and
increase incomes in El
Paso. Over the past few
years, unemployment has
been decreasing at a
rate faster than the
national average. Nine
companies have taken
advantage of tax
abatement and Chapter
380 grants over the past
two years.
Another El Paso
incentive program geared
towards downtown
revitalization has
been Facade Improvement
Grants. The City and
Downtown Management
District each
contributed $50,000 to
fund this program, which
started in September.
To date 12 companies
have taken advantage of
these matching grants of
up to $10,000. This
minimal investment has
led to hundreds of
thousands of dollars in
visible improvements
downtown.
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Economic Development Director
City of El Paso
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