Public Events during 2022 Economic Development Week in Gallup, May 8-14, 2022

Sunday, May 8th- 6am, 8am & 8:30am

IMPACT Radio Show: Training the McKinley County Workforce for Careers in the Trades

Bruce Armstrong, Economic Development Manager at Greater Gallup Economic Development Corporation (GGEDC) and Jeremy Boucher, Operations Director at Southwest Indian Foundation (SWIF) discuss Economic Development Week and the Greater Gallup Industrial Workforce Program with IMPACT show host Sammy C. Chioda. GGEDC & SWIF run a nationally accredited NCCER certification program in that offers general trades and construction training that helps provide the skilled workforce required by McKinley County’s major industrial employers.

IMPACT, a 30-minute Public Affairs Feature of Millennium Media, Inc., covers topical themes that pertain to Gallup, McKinley County, and neighboring Reservation Communities of the Navajo Nation and Pueblo of Zuni. IMPACT airs each Sunday on these stations:

• 6:00 a.m. on 94.5 FM, K Y A T, YAH-TEH-DINE, NAVAJO COUNTRY
• 6:30 a.m. on 93.7 FM, CLASSIC ROCK, 93 X
• 8:00 a.m. on 103.7 FM, CLASSIC HITS K Y V A, KEEVA
• 8:00 a.m. on 98.3 FM & 1230 AM, ROCKIN' OLDIES KEEVA, K Y V A

Monday, May 9th, 4:00pm-5:30pm

Webinar 1: Building the Outdoor Recreation Economy in McKinley County

Evan Williams, Executive Director of the Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments (NWNMCOG) and panel facilitator, will engage statewide leaders and local entrepreneurs in a conversation about the emerging power of Outdoor Recreation to drive community and economic development in McKinley County by building on the region’s unique environmental assets. The NWNMCOG plans and develops the community and regional vision for the counties of and communities in Cibola, McKinley and San Juan. (http://www.nwnmcog.org/)

[Zoom Info:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89534586644?pwd=R3Z3aExWMjU4bC94NXN3RlBXTmxTQT09

Meeting ID: 895 3458 6644 Passcode: 241794 One tap mobile +13462487799,,89534586644#,,,,*241794# US (Houston) +16699009128,,89534586644#,,,,*241794# US (San Jose) ]

Panel Participants:

Axie Navas, Founding Director, NM Economic Development Department - Outdoor Recreation Division. The Outdoor Recreation Division ( https://www.nmoutside.com/) aims to increase the over-all mental and physical well-being of New Mexicans through the power of outdoor recreation, enabling residents throughout the state to hold jobs that afford them dignity, joy, and stability. We strive to commit all residents to protecting their state's natural heritage - its lands and waters, its flora and fauna - and find a future on that path. We aim to parlay this commitment into long-term, sustainable investment, both in infrastructure and education.

James Glover, Co-Director of endeavOR, seeks to expand the Outdoor Recreation (OR) economy and assist the State’s outdoor recreation businesses and organizations to be more successful. endeavOR (https://www.endeavornm.org/why-endeavor) is a recreation business Alliance comprised of individuals, companies, organizations, municipalities, agencies and tribes working together to ensure that New Mexico’s outdoor recreation economy and experiences are getting bigger and better. As a consultant, Glover drives branding, economic development, tourism, and outdoor recreation initiatives for New Mexico communities. He recently contracted with McKinley County to help build local outdoor recreation assets and strategies.

Jeremy Boucher, Director, Southwest Indian Foundation Project Office (SWIF), will be representing both Hozho Academy (https://hozhoacademy.org/ ) and SWIF (southwestindian.com). Hozho is a charter school with a classical curriculum that also has a unique focus on physical fitness for students and staff as an essential part of a holistic education. To that end, we will be building a trail system on the 20-acre campus designed to allow all people to enjoy outdoor fitness no matter their fitness level. We also plan to tie those trails to a new trail system on the City of Gallup Athletic Complex to create a small loop for youth mountain bike racing and practices for local cycling teams and clubs.

SWIF has long supported local outdoor activity efforts through our sponsorship of local running, cycling, and fitness events and support for the Silver Stallion youth bike club and race
teams. Most recently, SWIF obtained a 280-acre farm in the Zuni Mountains which will be the site of agricultural education programs as well as other outdoor adventure opportunities such as camping, hiking and Mountain biking.

Brian Leddy, Executive Director, Adventure Gallup & Beyond (AGB) and a professional photographer. Since at least 2005, AGB has had a homegrown focus on developing and promoting adventure tourism as a regional economic driver. AGB’s mission is to increase tourism and the quality of life in rural NW New Mexico by promoting and utilizing the many trails and outdoor recreation venues in Gallup and McKinley County, New Mexico.

Crystal Carr, CEO, and Bryan Roessel, COO, Ho?dzilei Hiking Strong, LLC, a Dine? woman led and 100% Navajo/Native owned and operated backpacking and hiking company, with a gear design and production component under the philosophy that encompasses the Navajo holistic view of land and stewardship. Operating in New Mexico and Arizona, Ho?dzilei, (www.hikingstrong.biz) recently received a business grant from Embark, a program developed in conjunction with REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) Co-op Path Ahead Adventures and Founded Outdoors. The 3-month virtual program, designed to fuel new entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs, helped the two build a path forward by offering the company the resources and guidance they needed to turn their early-stage ideas into a viable business.

Thursday, May 12th, 4:00pm-5:30pm

Webinar 2: Research Driving Programs & Projects for Tourism Economic Development.

[Zoom Conference Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88907733460?pwd=OUxHQWhZcHlYbzRxVHRoTE10SkVxZz09

Meeting ID: 889 0773 3460 Passcode: 355046 One tap mobile

+16699009128,,88907733460#,,,,*355046# US (San Jose)]

Facilitator: Jennifer Lazarz, Tourism & Marketing Manager, City of Gallup 

Presenters: Jen Paul Schroer, Cabinet Secretary, New Mexico Tourism Department Antoinette Vigil, Deputy Cabinet Secretary, New Mexico Tourism Department

Leveraging the power of research and taking a disciplined approach to develop, monitor and quantify economic impact is fundamental to the New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD) and the New Mexico True brands’ success. This presentation showcases NMTD case studies that demonstrate how to formulate initial research needs; how the research then informs strategy, tactics and programs; how to develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to optimize execution; and how to evaluate strategic performance. Ultimately, research-based strategies bring clarity to the best use of resources, funding and prioritization, while also creating a strong framework to confidently say NO to efforts that won’t deliver a competitive Return on Investment (ROI).

This presentation is directed especially to the hospitality sector; hotels, restaurants, events, and tourism-related businesses.

Jen Paul Schroer and Antoinette Vigil are both seasoned tourism and economic development executives who currently lead the New Mexico True marketing and public relations strategies for the state. With a strong belief in the power of strategic partnerships, Jen’s leadership fosters collaboration between private and public sectors, and across government agencies, to unite executive leaders to advance regional economies.

Thursday, May 12th, 6:00 pm -- at Sammy C's Rock'n Sports Pub & Grille

Press Conference & Economic Development Week Wrap Up

Greater Gallup EDC will present a press release and highlight various events and results of “Building on Our Assets,” the 2022 Economic Development Week in Gallup-McKinley County.

Thursday, May 12th, 6:15 pm -- at Sammy C's Rock'n Sports Pub & Grille

Gallup Economic Development Community Social Hour

Greater Gallup EDC invites the press, public officials, our friends and supporters, and various prime movers of economic development in the region to join us to celebrate all that we all do to improve the quality of life in the greater Gallup area and the 4 Corners region.

Economic Development-Related Articles will run daily May 9th-14th in the Gallup Independent

Contributors include: Jeremy Boucher, SWIF, Francis Bee, Gallup-BID, Bernie Dotson, freelance journalist, Patty Lundstrom, GGEDC, Cyndi Jarvison, SBDC at UNM Gallup; Evan Williams, Northwest NM Council of Governments, and Rose Eason, gallupARTS.

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