New Mexico Economic Development Department Regional Representatives Support Local Business and Community Development

The Economic Development Department has a complete network of economic development experts around the state that are uniquely qualified to assist local governments and community organizations as New Mexico works toward a sustainable recovery.

Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes said the Community, Business & Rural Development program was created by the Legislature to provide the EDD with an expert assigned to each regional economic planning district. When first created, each regional representative had an office in Santa Fe.

Today, there are six Community, Business & Rural Development employees at EDD, working full-time throughout the state. They are known as regional representatives, and are located statewide, with EDD staffers living in Las Cruces, Roswell, Mora, Albuquerque, Bernalillo, and Santa Fe. They assist businesses and communities in a broad variety of economic development needs, providing local support and knowledge within their designated regions.

“The regional reps are EDD’s boots-on-the-ground in all corners of the state,” Cabinet Secretary Keyes said. “They know their communities, they are trusted in their communities, and they are an especially important resource to businesses and local organizations during the health emergency, helping to provide information and assistance as we move forward.”

The team specializes in areas such as passing and using the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) which primarily provides brick and mortar funding for job creation; community infrastructure financing assisted by FUNDIT; starting and maintaining Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) programs; workforce training through the Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP); the LEADS grant program, which funds projects with quick impacts; assisting communities in locating new companies with the support of the New Mexico Partnership; help resolving state regulatory issues; and improving access to other EDD programs such as MainStreet, Arts & Cultural Districts, and the Frontier & Native American Communities Initiative.

Learn more about the Community, Business & Rural Development program administered by the N.M. Economic Development Department, including full contact information for each region and links to other community and business resources.