4CED Lands Two Precedent-Setting Grants – Stages for Advances in Industrial and Energy Development

On a single day late last month, 4CED was notified it is the recipient of two large economic development grants. The grants support 4CED with vital additive funding that will accelerate its strategic plans for attracting new jobs and business to San Juan County.

The first grant is for $25,000 from the New Mexico Economic Development Department (“NMEDD”). The Local Economic Assistance and Development Support (“LEADS”) grant will provide 4CED funding to develop engineering plans for a 50,000-square-foot spec building to house a new-to-San Juan County or locally expanding business.

The plans 4CED will oversee developing include the design for utilities that can be matched for one or two potential clients, allowing building space to be divided if needed, and will include an expandable wall for additional space to be added to the building.

This concept of flexibility of space and expansion maximizes the building’s attractiveness and utility as the first spec building to be built in San Juan County.  Importantly, the lack of available and ready-to-move-into manufacturing space was identified as a critical gap in the Competitive Asset Assessment conducted by Diane Lupke & Associates and supported by Jerry Szatan, a nationally recognized industrial site location consultant.

The NMEDD grant to 4CED dovetails nicely with a $25,000 grant awarded to the City of Farmington for creating an Industrial Park Master Plan. The Farmington Industrial Park Master Plan will identify and quantify community needs and create a clear development path forward.

The Plan will help bring City of Farmington assets to the forefront and attract commercial and industrial users to the community. The City of Farmington is focusing its planning efforts on an area on the north side of Farmington Airport.

The effective doubling of the NMEDD’s LEADS grant investment in San Juan County to plan and design new space to house manufacturing and/or distribution is reflective of the quality partnership 4CED has with the City of Farmington’s Economic Development Department.

The second grant 4CED received late last month is from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) for $100,000.

This grant will be directed to supporting 4CED’s efforts in defining and amplifying the numerous local competitive advantages San Juan County has to offer in the transitioning energy economy. Included on the list is evaluating carbon capture and utilization technology on the Four Corners Generating Station near Fruitland, New Mexico, with skills training facilitated by the nation-leading San Juan College's School of Energy.

4CED knows there are many opportunities ahead in the new energy economy for San Juan County and its skilled workforce; many energy production equipment manufacturers and servicing companies like PESCO, Walsh Engineering and Lane Electric; and the nation-leading San Juan College School of Energy.