On Dec. 3, Leadership Albuquerque was in full swing, with members taking part in its Economic Development Day.
The participants had the opportunity to tour Wagner Equipment Co. and Netflix Studios.
David Campbell, Leadership ABQ chair and executive director of the Lobo Development Corporation, began the day by telling the participants that “a growing economy is a good thing. It contributes to rising wages, more home-building and home-buying, a broader tax base, more available jobs, and an increased capacity of government to address persistent social challenges.”
Campbell went on to break down New Mexico’s economy and said the program approaches the economic growth conversation from a challenging foundation:
- New Mexico’s poverty rate is 18%, higher than the U.S. average and one of the top five highest in the country. Median household income is among the five lowest.
- Census: Between 2010 and 2020, New Mexico gained just 58,000 residents. The state’s population growth rate was 2.8%, our smallest growth rate since statehood. (Texas grew by 15.9%, Colorado by 14.8%, Arizona by 12%, and the nation by over 7%. Utah had a growth rate of 18.4%.) We didn’t grow at all between 2022 and 2023. Our population is aging as well.
Other factors: Home building is slow, education quality and child well-being are low, crime is high, etc. - Participants looked at the role that Central New Mexico Community College, CNM, plays in workforce development. Tracy Hartzler, CNM president, then spoke about building an agile and responsive workforce in the state.
The group also delved into the world of taxes — specifically how the state’s tax code is structured. Leadership Albuquerque Director Scott Darnell had a group exercise on designing an ideal tax code for the state.
Then they got an entire session on one of the state’s most important economic development challenges — a lack of doctors and other health care professionals and what can be done to turn this situation around. Fred Nathan, Think New Mexico’s executive director, gave a presentation on addressing the health care worker shortage.
At Think New Mexico, Nathan’s taken on a number of important issues, urging policy changes each session to improve the lives of New Mexicans and improve the functioning of government. He and his staff have worked on everything from infrastructure spending, full-day kindergarten and Lottery Scholarships to water policy, taxes and classroom funding for education.
The group also heard from Dale Dekker, founding principal and architect at Dekker, who spoke about New Mexico’s economic challenges and opportunities.
While at Wagner Equipment, the group also heard from company President Braden Wagner, who spoke about how the company has grown during its time in New Mexico.
The group then got an exclusive tour of the facility.
The group then boarded a bus and headed to Mesa del Sol and Netflix, where Leadership Albuquerque participants got a behind-the-scenes look at the studio’s expansion and heard about the studio’s future.
