Torrance County, New Mexico - industrial development

New Mexico Business Journal, July, 1992 by Georgia Overlander

Torrance County, once primarily the domain of grain and potato farmers and cattlemen long before New Mexico became a state, is arming itself to attract new business and industry.

Located less than an hour's drive east of Albuquerque, the state's business hub, Torrance County wants to court new businesses to come to this rural area where property values are reasonable and opportunities excellent.

A lot of what Torrance County may become before the turn of the century depends on a 12-member team of bankers, farmers, a printer and other business visionaries on the Economic Development Board chaired by Jim Summers.

The board is often joined by the mayors of the county's small towns; ex-officio members lend expertise in how to attract new businesses, new industries and expanding those companies already operating.

In particular, business, political and civic leaders are setting their sights on grabbing the attention of manufacturing industries employing 20 to 50 workers, including out-of-state metal stamping companies, food processor companies, fabricators of structural metal products and associated businesses.

Today, it's a coordinated effort -- whether the subject is locating in Moriarty, Mountainair, Estancia or Duran; the small towns of Willard, Punta, Manzano, Torreon or Tajique; Abo, Stanley, Cedarvale or Encino.

If it's vision, Torrance County is going for it.

"We're moving in a positive direction," says Summers.

Pat Vanderpool, coordinator for economic development programs for Torrance County, says the effort to pull the county's communities in the same direction is working.

The New Mexico Department of Economic Development helped local residents assess the economic and business needs and set goals; chambers of commerce are pitching in to help meet local goals.

The newly established Edgewood Chamber of Commerce is concentrating on helping local businesses to market and expand.

The Greater Moriarty Economic Development Association pushes civic pride, promoting the annual Pinto Bean Fiesta, the Fourth of July Parade, Estancia Valley Business Fair and Christmas Shop at Home.

At Estancia, there's an Old Timer's Celebration in July; the county fair brings hundreds to the county in August; the Mountainair Jubilee homecoming celebration brings the community together.

"For economic development, we can now pool our resources," says Vanderpool. Along the way, he participates in the Cooperative Economic Development Alliance (CEDA), sponsored by Plains Electric.

Torrance County undoubtedly is changing.

Sparking rural development initiatives is no easy undertaking, says Vanderpool, who is also closely alligned with a six-state federal program under the Rural Development Administration.

"The traditional way of measuring (rural development initiatives) is through quantifying jobs created and increases in gross receipts," says Vanderpool. "A new way of measuring is to consider that you are trying to create a community.

"Your goals may be quality of life issues or they may be preservation of traditional values and cultures."

One of the strategies for economic development, says Vanderpool, is trying to recruit businesses through targeted mailings, using a targeted industries computer program developed by P.H.H. Fantus, a national relocation broker.

"We fully expect to see more high tech industries because of the quality of the workforce shown in the 1990 census information," says Vanderpool of the regional effort.

Community profiles in the data bank give clients an opportunity to weigh the advantages of certain geographic areas, including the Torrance County area and adjoining counties.

If business and industrial growth is targeted, Torrance County still isn't forgetting to encourage its own opportunity to capitalize on tourist dollars.

The strategy is to use cooperative advertising funds from the state for additional highway billboards, a tourism marketing assessment and development of a brochure for promoting the "Salt Mission Trail" tour loop.

Clines Corners Operating Company is a major source of gross receipts and gasoline taxes for the county while Moriarty's motels and restaurants service tourists and business travelers.

The Manzano Mountains and Manzano State Park are major attractions to visitors with almost 100,000 coming to campgrounds and picnic areas of the Cibola National Forest during 1991.

Another 56,000 visitors stopped at the Salinas Pueblo Missions Center in Mountainair and its three monument sites in the vicinity.

Meanwhile the Tajique Fine Arts Institute expects to attract visitors with a gallery of artwork, a foundry for bronzes and a lithographic workshop.

Major service areas for the trucking industry are available in the county, including Rip Griffin's Truck Service Center and Ted's Truck Center.

Torrance County covers over 3,300 square miles with most of its population of 10,285 living in the northwestern portion.

While eastern Bernalillo, southern Santa Fe and western Torrance counties have over 26,000 residents, a trend is surfacing with families moving to Torrance County areas because of the rural lifestyle, excellent school system and access to Albuquerque to the west by Interstate 40.