The utility infielder

New Mexico Business Journal, June-July, 1999

John Garcia brings plenty of confidence and business savvy to the Economic Development Department

John Garcia's seemingly limitless enthusiasm is contagious. Garcia, 40, seems to have settled quite comfortably into his new role as secretary of the New Mexico Department of Economic Development. He says it was an easy transition from Tourism, where he'd been secretary from 1995 to January 1999. The agencies have similar missions, Garcia says - marketing New Mexico. Their differences lie primarily in scope. That the departments target vastly different audiences matters not a writ to Garcia, who is more interested in what he calls the "nuances (of) promotion and development" that apply to both.

It's no great surprise that the governor tapped Garcia to head the beleaguered Economic Development Department, which seemed to chew up and spit out its leaders. Johnson apparently holds great confidence in Garcia's ability to bail out troubled agencies, having used him as a pinch hitter twice before - first as acting senior officer in 1997 for the New Mexico Office of Cultural Affairs and, later that same year, to manage the financially troubled New Mexico State Fair.

When he moved to ED, Garcia took over an unstable department saddled with three different secretaries since 1995. Garcia seems completely unfazed at being New Mexico's fourth economic development secretary in as many years. Goal-oriented, he simply charges ahead, running the department like a private business - a philosophy he shares with the governor. In fact, he repeatedly refers to his department as "the company."

Garcia's current pet project is opening a port of trade on the Mexican border at Santa Teresa. He hopes to accomplish this with a proposed $250 million railroad at the Santa Teresa/San Geronimo port of entry, making New Mexico a rail distribution center. With Chihuahua state as a "strategic partner," he says such a step could open up to New Mexico heretofore inaccessible international trade.

Garcia was interviewed by writer Tamar Steiber.

NMBJ: Why were you chosen to head the Economic Development Department?

Garcia: 'Cause I'm a nut. I held the position of secretary of tourism and I think we moved the organization in a positive way We maintained our market share and we accomplished a few things there that we were very proud of. We won two New Mexico Quality Awards.

I try to focus on getting results; I try to get things done. And I don't like bureaucracy. I try to create organizations that are not bureaucratic - as much as I can in this system. I've been involved in the industry for a long time. I know it pretty well. And I've known Gary Johnson a long time. I helped on his transition team with tourism. He also had me doing Cultural Affairs and the New Mexico State Fair at the same time.

The state fair had been losing $8 million over the years. I tried to put the brakes on (that) and tried to rebuild the fiscal picture. We were able to do that and had a high profit the year I was there. We put it back on track... When we said we wanted to net a million dollars, people didn't see that happening. Yet we netted well over a million that year.

NMBJ: How has the turnover in this position prior to your arrival affected the department and the state?

Garcia: I think it does affect the department - the morale, the system, how it's run. I think the secretary sets the pace for the department. Any company that has leadership turnover over the years is going to be in that position. I'm very aware of that.

NMBJ: Why do you think there was such a great turnover?

Garcia: The pay ain't bad. I'm sure it's not that. It's like any other business. It can be a challenge. I don't think there's any one reason. Everybody who was here had real sincere intentions.

NMBJ: What grade would you have given the department in performance when you first took over?

Garcia: They were doing their job - they were doing C work, getting a passing grade. Maybe even a little better than C because of the talent in that department. I'd say a C .

NMBJ: How do you rate where you are right now?

Garcia: We are positioned to be an A player right now. We're probably not there yet. I think when we have our final strategic plan in June and all systems are go, I think it's only fair to measure us after we've accomplished some of our objectives. Look at us in November and December. I'd say a B is probably where we are right now.

NMBJ: How does your experience at the Tourism Department serve you in Economic Development?

Garcia: To put it simply, tourism is a big industry - one of the biggest in New Mexico. Getting to understand and know the nuances of promotion and development, etc., is very similar to what I do at Economic DeveLopment in that we serve all industries whereas tourism is just one particular industry. My strength is that I understand the system - bureaucracy, government - and that I'm not afraid to challenge the system and change it.

NMBJ: What does the Economic Development Department need to do to be effective?