LAS CRUCES – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday visited Doña Ana County and the surrounding area, meeting with local business leaders and elected officials to acknowledge successes and discuss issues of concern for southern New Mexico and how the state administration can better meet the needs of their communities.

“I wish I could stay another day and help root on the Aggies in their homecoming game tomorrow,” said Gov. Lujan Grisham. “But I am confident they will make us proud, and I am incredibly glad to have had the chance to meet and talk in person with so many folks in Southern New Mexico after so many months of phone calls and Zoom meetings. We have invested heavily in the economic development of this region, and it’s a great thrill to talk with the local leaders who are helping us diversify and revitalize this essential part of our great state.”

The governor convened a meeting with area business leaders in the Santa Teresa border zone, a focus of the administration’s efforts to build New Mexico’s manufacturing base by reshoring jobs from abroad and assisting U.S. companies in relocating or expanding to a region that provides a strategic binational location. Since January 2019, several Taiwanese businesses, including Xxentria and Cymmetrik Technologies, have announced plans to develop manufacturing space in Santa Teresa and create a North American footprint, while the Wisconsin-based packaging manufacturer, Prent Corp., is building a 62,000-square-foot factory with plans to hire 85 workers with state support.

In total, throughout almost three years, the Lujan Grisham administration has injected $10.68 million in Local Economic Development Act investments into Doña Ana County businesses, creating over 1,000 high-paying jobs, and $11 million in Job Training Incentive Program investments in the county to support more than 2,500 jobs.

The governor also met with area elected officials in Las Cruces to solicit their input on the state’s policy direction heading into the 30-day legislative session early next year and how state agencies can continue to effectively serve constituents in Southern New Mexico.

The governor is scheduled on Friday afternoon to travel to the nearby Fort Bliss military base, as well, where the federal government is temporarily housing evacuees from Afghanistan, who are undergoing medical and security screenings before being resettled in the U.S. The governor is scheduled to return to Santa Fe late Friday.