Save the date for Economic Development Week - May 6-10, 2024!

By Bruce Armstrong, Economic Development Manager, Greater Gallup Economic Development Corporation

Since 2016, each May, Greater Gallup Economic Development Corporation (GGEDC) collaborates with multiple community partners to present Economic Development Week (EDW). Activities throughout the week give local professionals a platform to showcase to our community the contributions their organizations make throughout the year to grow our economy. 

Created by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in 2016, Economic Development Week helps to increase awareness of local programs that create jobs, advance career development opportunities, and improve the quality of life in communities everywhere.

Over the last eight years, GGEDC has collaborated with the City of Gallup, McKinley County, UNM-Gallup, Gallup McKinley County Schools, the Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments, gallupARTS, the Small Business Development Center, the Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce, the Southwest Indian Foundation, the Gallup Business Improvement District (BID), the New Mexico Departments of Workforce Solutions, Tourism, and Economic Development, as well as local industrial employers to highlight the importance and impacts of economic development in Gallup-McKinley County.

This year, daily in-person events include a Job Fair at UNM-G, a workshop on starting arts businesses in Gallup, an open house showcasing how the Industrial Workforce Program provides training in the trades while building homes for families in need (see article on facing page), and a City of Gallup Tourism and Marketing Department presentation on emerging opportunities in the outdoor recreation and tourism industries. Highlights include a kick-off dinner hosted by the Gallup-McKinley Chamber of Commerce, and a keynote address by Sarita Nair, Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. A complete listing of Economic Development Week Events will be available at VisitGallup/Economic-Development-Week.

GGEDC applauds the very special relationships we enjoy with our multiple partners that help foster economic development. Impactful collaborations have generated positive, concrete results, including the construction of Carbon Coal Road, a critical 5-mile-long link for heavy truck traffic between U.S. Highway 491 and the Gallup Energy Logistics Park (GELP). Partners have contributed to planning, designing, and installing critical infrastructure in McKinley County’s three industrial parks: GELP, McKinley County Industrial Park, and an Industrial Park in Prewitt, New Mexico.

GGEDC has provided technical assistance to the City of Gallup to help plan the redesign of the Gallup Municipal Airport and to house a U.S. Customs and Border Protection office associated with an anticipated Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) designation. The FTZ will help create new opportunities and tax advantages for manufacturing and warehousing operations throughout the region and will also help attract industrial employers.

These economic-base companies sell products and services beyond McKinley County, infusing new money into the local economy. The companies provide good-paying jobs and promising career opportunities. Each economic-base job typically generates over three local service sector jobs. This results more restaurants opening, increased real estate development and shopping opportunities, and a growing local tax base that enhances government services.

We invite you to participate in Economic Development Week to learn about new opportunities to grow jobs, businesses, and commerce throughout McKinley County.