Leadership Albuquerque participants visited Netflix Studios in Mesa del Sol on November 5 to learn about economic development strategies in New Mexico. The event, known as Economic Development Day, included presentations from business leaders, healthcare professionals, educators, and state legislators.
Jeremy Oswald, chair of Leadership Albuquerque and market president for Citizens Bank in Albuquerque, addressed the group about the importance of economic growth. “We should want our economy to grow – for your own future, for the future of your businesses and organizations,” Oswald said. “So that your children and grandchildren might be able to succeed economically and achieve their dreams – right here in New Mexico.”
Oswald highlighted several challenges facing New Mexico’s economy. He noted that the state's poverty rate is 18%, among the highest in the nation, and median household income is also low compared to other states. Between 2010 and 2020, population growth was minimal at just 2.8%, which is significantly lower than neighboring states such as Texas or Colorado. Other concerns include slow home building rates, low education quality, child well-being issues, and high crime rates.
“We have a lot of room for improvement when it comes to creating a more thriving and diverse economy,” Oswald said. “It’s been my experience that, when you’re not where you want to be, you have to do some things differently to get yourself to a better place.”
Dale Dekker of Dekker spoke about both challenges and opportunities for economic growth in New Mexico. Nick Autio from the New Mexico Medical Society and Troy Clark from the New Mexico Hospital Association discussed healthcare access issues including shortages of medical professionals across the state.
Oswald emphasized how these workforce shortages affect broader economic development: “As you likely know and have experienced, New Mexico does not have enough doctors, nurses and other health care professionals,” he said. “Our health care workforce shortage absolutely impacts economic development – it hinders our state from attracting and retaining new businesses, new investments and new workers. When people move to a community, they want to feel safe, send their children to good schools, and be able to find a doctor and access medical care in a timely fashion.”
Participants also heard from Zachary Vernon of Quantinuum on photonics technology before learning about workforce training efforts from Joy Forehand at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) and Kyle Lee at CNM Ingenuity.
“CNM is an integral partner in the economic development mission,” Oswald said. “We’re fortunate to have a helpful partner in CNM that is capable of turning on a dime to help produce qualified workers in key industries. … We’re focused on the role that CNM plays in developing workers and supporting economic growth in our community.”
After touring Netflix Studios with their service project groups, participants engaged in an exercise led by Scott Darnell—Leadership Albuquerque’s director—on designing an ideal tax code for the state.
State Senator Michael Padilla (Senate Majority Whip) and Representative Meredith Dixon (Vice Chair of House Appropriations & Finance Committee) discussed policy tools available for supporting economic growth such as incentives for business relocation or expansion; infrastructure improvements; technology commercialization; housing; and healthcare.
The day concluded with remarks by Steve Chavez of Mesa del Sol about ongoing developments within this master-planned community—including amenities like Isleta Amphitheater—and its appeal as both residential area and commercial hub.
“It’s not easy to start a community from scratch. You have to have a little bit of a ‘if you build it, they will come’ mindset,” Darnell said. “That’s especially the case in a state that isn’t seeing a lot of year-over-year population growth. But Steve Chavez is making it happen. It is his vision and ingenuity that is paying off for this area and building a new community where people can live, work and play.”
The next Leadership Albuquerque session will focus on public safety leadership later this year.
