FAQ

Gallup offers low operating costs, strong transportation access via interstate and rail, renewable energy potential, available industrial land, a sizeable workforce that's ready to work, and a business-friendly environment.

Available resources include labor market and wage data, cost-of-living metrics, real estate availability, utility capacity, supply chain insights, and demographic trends. See the stats on our website or contact us for further information.

Gallup EDC provides data, local insight, and hands-on support to help companies evaluate Gallup as a potential location, including coordinating site tours and meetings with public and private partners

Companies can contact the Gallup Economic Development Corporation to schedule an initial consultation. Support includes site evaluation, workforce analysis, incentive coordination, and regulatory guidance.

The workforce in Gallup and McKinley County is diverse, including a range of professionals with varying educational levels and trades experience. Greater Gallup EDC keeps a close pulse on the region’s target industries and business landscape, partnering with local academic institutions to educate, train, and supply workers to the industries that need them.

With support from Kimley-Horn & Associates, Integrity First Consulting & Coaching, McKinley County, GGEDC, IDIADA Automotive Technology, and TradePort partners, the TradePort team is advancing plans for an Automotive Proving Ground and Test Track along Carbon Coal Road in Gallup.  The facility would provide a controlled setting for vehicle and component testing, validation, demonstration, training, and R&D.

The concept builds on GGEDC’s earlier work with a national consultant that drafted the New Mexico Mobility Strategy (2020) and identified the development of an autonomous vehicle test track as a regional opportunity.  For Greater Gallup, the concept has matured into a broader-framed automotive proving ground ecosystem strategy, with plans underway to include a state-of-the-art test track, electronic systems and battery testing, autonomous and connected-vehicle technologies, and other facilities promoting mobility innovation. 

The goal of the automotive proving ground is to create a flexible platform for manufacturers, suppliers, technology companies, fleet operators, and research organizations to test passenger and commercial vehicles, components, batteries, power electronics, advanced driver-assistance systems, connected technologies, charging systems, durability, and performance.

The project is geared to attract private investment, technical jobs, supplier activity, and workforce-development opportunities while strengthening Gallup’s role in automotive research, testing, and technology deployment.
The proving ground could also support complementary activities such as engineering services, instrumentation, component testing, advanced manufacturing, fleet operations, maintenance, and training.

Gallup-McKinley County offers a strong setting for vehicle testing and development, with direct access to I-40, U.S. 491, the BNSF Southern Transcon, abundant, available industrial land, and a high-desert, four-season operating environment.  
Gallup’s transportation assets are an especially competitive advantage.  I-40 provides access to a key east-west freight corridor, while U.S. 491 connects the region to the Four Corners area and beyond.  Current studies suggest that the commercial trucking industry might be an especially promising market.
Combined with available land, industrial infrastructure, rail connectivity, the planning expertise facilitated by Kimley-Horn, and the broader TradePort strategy, Gallup can offer a flexible, scalable platform for current and emerging vehicle technologies.

Absolutely. In addition to actor advantages in workforce development, production costs, and robust transportation infrastructure, Gallup-McKinley County has a plentiful supply of available land and sites suitable for additional manufacturers to operate.

As one of Gallup’s major target industries, manufacturers have access to a range of federal, state, and local incentives and tax advantages. Gallup-McKinley County’s low cost of doing business, along with favorable property and building costs, further supports long-term manufacturing success.

Gallup-McKinley County is positioned on a transcontinental logistics corridor, with convenient access to Interstate Highway 40 and the BNSF Southern Transcontinental Railway. The region also features high-quality education and workforce development access to support the manufacturing industry. 

Available industrial land and utility infrastructure support cold-chain logistics, refrigerated storage facilities, and energy storage/distribution operations. Strategic partners are ready to collaborate on project development

Gallup encourages advanced automation, robotics, and AI integration in warehousing and logistics. We can connect you to workforce training partners and pilot program opportunities with technology providers

No, but regional leadership is actively pursuing a Foreign-Trade Zone designation at the Gallup Municipal Airport.

Gallup is connected to major freight corridors via I-40, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad, and is proximal to regional air cargo facilities. These assets support efficient inbound/outbound logistics and transload operations.

The area offers a central U.S. location with multimodal transportation access, competitive operating costs, workforce development partnerships, robust utilities, and supportive economic incentives. Its connectivity to major markets and proximity to tribal communities foster unique workforce, cultural, and supply chain advantages.

You can email the Gallup Economic Development Corporation, contact staff by phone at (505) 722-2980, or visit our office at 102 W. Hill Ave, P.O. Box 1795, Gallup, NM 87301.

The Gallup-McKinley TradePort is designed to be a northwest logistics hub located in several locations in and around Gallup, including the Gallup Municipal Airport, which has a pending Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) designation, the Gallup Energy Logistics Park, which contains a BNSF Certified Site, and along Carbon Coal Road, the 5-mile, 4 lane highway connecting the Gallup Energy Logistics Park, the Automotive Proving Ground, and the McKinley County Business Park with U.S. Highway 491 and U.S. Interstate 40.

The Gallup Energy Logistics Park is a 2,500-acre, rail-served industrial site in McKinley County, NM. Located five miles northwest of downtown Gallup, the park serves as a strategic multimodal logistics and industrial hub, offering direct access to rail, Interstate 40, and Highways 491 and 602. It includes a 365-acre BNSF-certified site with 20,000 linear feet of rail connected to the BNSF Southern Transcon main line.

Gallup and the State of New Mexico offer a range of incentives, including tax exemptions, industrial revenue bonds, job training grants, and customized incentive packages tailored to project needs.