June 2010 Update
The City of Rio Rancho continues to distinguish itself as a great place to live and work, with recognitions stemming from national media and data organizations.
In 2009, the city survived one of the most difficult economic periods in our nation’s history. The RREDC saw hindered, but continued activity throughout 2009 as financing mechanisms dried up and stalled otherwise potential deals. In late 2009 and early 2010 however, the RREDC experienced a major influx in prospect development and is currently nurturing a relatively large number of highly probable projects.
The RREDC is seeing an influx of foreign companies interested in locating in New Mexico. The RREDC has received and responded to a number of renewable energy company requests for information, which the RREDC attributes to: 1) the State’s initiative to target green companies, and 2) Intel’s presence in our community.
On April 13, 2010 Cerelink announced its collaboration with DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. using its cloud technology to produce the hit movie “How to Train Your Dragon.” This movie represents a major milestone for computer-generated animation in Cerelink’s data center located in Rio Rancho. With the success of this film, Cerelink plans to expand cloud service capacity tenfold to service growing demand.
A highlight of the 2009 calendar year was the December transition of Hewlett-Packard (HP) from its temporary facility in Albuquerque to its newly constructed 218,000 square foot facility in Rio Rancho’s central business district (CBD). A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on December 2. The company has hired more than 800 employees to date.
The RREDC continues to aggressively court target industries, find creative ways to close deals, and increase Rio Rancho’s exposure as a place to do business. With the presence of HP and soon, Green2V, in Rio Rancho, the RREDC is preparing to field back-office and “green” inquiries, monitor perceptions of Rio Rancho, and funnel potential location opportunities through this office as the corporate world takes note of a Fortune nine company and a unique, vertically integrated “green” company in the City of Vision.
Noreen Scott
