Spotlight New Mexico—employment changes across the state

All info © NM Apartments—permission to reprint is required in writing—more info at www.nmapartment.com

Mary’s Map

2004—August

Text Box: Hobbs-Construction of the Zia Park project is underway in Hobbs, near the New Mexico Junior College. A 20,000-square-foot casino is being erected during phase one of the project. When the facility is completed, as many as 400 people could be employed at Zia Park during the racing season. 
Text Box: Albuquerque-Albuquerque’s old municipal jail will now be used to house federal prisoners. Houston-based Cornell Company will operate the jail, and two hundred people will be employed in the Albuquerque Regional Correctional Center. The U.S. Forest Service has selected Albuquerque as the site for its consolidated financial services center. About 400 financial operations jobs from several smaller centers in offices around the country will be brought to Albuquerque. Madstone Theaters closed all of its 10 theaters, including the eight-screen Albuquerque multiplex. The theater’s 15 employees were notified of the closing on the morning of June 7 and the last show was that afternoon. Envirco Corp. will lay off about 20 workers and move production jobs to China. With this move, the company, which manufactures clean air systems, will have pared its Albuquerque work force from about 120 workers in 1998, to 25 in 2004. Plans for Tempur-Pedic to build a 535,000-square-food mattress factory have been shelved in favor of decision to build a larger 750,000-square-foot plant. The cost of the factory is estimated at $56 million and the company still estimates that it will need about 300 workers. 
Text Box: Clovis- Sun Pac, a clothing store, will open and plans to hire about 20 workers to staff the Clovis store. Work on the Southwest Cheese processing factory is proceeding on schedule. About 100 workers are employed on construction projects at the site. 
Text Box: Silver City- Over the next 12 months, Phelps Dodge plans to hire as many as 365 new workers for its Grant County mines. The company expects to fill 100 positions by the end of this year and the rest in 2005. Some of the positions needed include electricians, mechanics, equipment operators and other entry-level Text Box: Deming- It’s packing season at the Border Foods chile processing plant. The company usually employs about 500, but during this season it adds about another 700 workers. Wages at Border Foods average $9.88 per hour.
Text Box: Rio Rancho- Perfection Honda has started construction of a car dealership on American Road by Don Chalmers’ Ford. About 100 people will be needed to staff the Rio Text Box: Pecos- Frankie’s Coffee Shop has moved to the old Casanova Bar building, and is now Frankie’s Casanova and Southwestern Grill. The new location seats about 100 patrons and Sandoval plans to triple the number of staff, going from four to 12 employees. 
Text Box: Santa Fe- Santa Fe’s CleanAIR Systems and the Japanese firm of Itochu Corporation have struck an agreement for Itochu to market CleanAIR’s emissions reducing device for diesel engines in Japan. The agreement is expected to generate about $20 million in new revenues annually and may lead to the creation of 60 to 80 high paying jobs in Santa Fe.  Lopez LaFollette Family Funeral Services will open and is locally owned with three full-time and six part-time employees.

Employment Stats

Locale

Employment

Change

NM

94.6%

 

Albuquerque

95.1%

 

Santa Fe

96.8%

 

Las Cruces

94.1%