Here is something that I posted over at SSC last week that I also wanted to copy over here. It's a listing that I've put together trying to capture and show all the announced jobs and economic development projects in the Albuquerque metro area. I may be forgetting some and I'm mostly going by memory, so all of the details may not be a hundred percent correct, but I think it's pretty accurate and captures the great economic growth in the metro area over the past few years.
$6,000,000,000 - Facebook - 700 jobs
$3,500,000,000 - Intel - 700 jobs
$2,500,000,000 - Netflix - 2,000 jobs
$2,423,000,000 - Maxeon - 1,800 jobs
$2,000,000,000 - Manna Capital Partners/Ball Corporation - 950 jobs
$500,000,000 - NBCUniversal - 333 jobs
$300,000,000 - Amazon - 3,500 jobs
$254,000,000 - Universal Hydrogen - 500 jobs
$250,000,000 - Vexus Fiber - 150 jobs
$125,000,000 - Kairos Power - 65 jobs
$104,000,000 - Cinelease Studios - 12 jobs
$100,000,000 - Curia - 274 jobs
$100,000,000 - Star Scientific - 200 jobs
$60,000,000 - BlueHalo - 130 jobs
$60,000,000 - Arcosa Wind Towers - 250 jobs
$57,000,000 - Mesa Studios - 774 jobs
$50,000,000 - Array Technologies - 100 jobs
$42,000,000 - Jabil - 120 jobs
$40,000,000 - ABB - 55 jobs
$23,000,000 - 3D Glass Solutions - 139 jobs
$16,000,000 - mtex Antenna - 62 jobs
$10,000,000 - Bueno Foods - 49 jobs
$8,800,000 - Geobrugg - 60 jobs
$2,000,000 - MTX - 250 jobs
? - Fidelity Investments - 775 jobs
? - Sceye, Inc. - 140 jobs
? - LQ Digital - 100 jobs
? - Northrop Grumman - 100 jobs
? - Gigapower/AT&T
That's about $18.5 billion in known investment dollars and about 14,300 new jobs.
To update things a bit, the Maxeon project has recently been submitted for planning approval at the Development Facilitation Team, the Curia expansion is under construction, Netflix is obviously still under construction, Facebook continues its construction as well, with its latest two data halls, numbers 7 and 8 underway, and the Arcosa Wind Towers facility is almost complete and has begun manufacturing operations.
I'd like to see an update on the Manna Capital Partners/Ball Corporation aluminum facility. That project has me a bit worried. It's been awhile since we've heard anything more about it. And of course, the Universal Hydrogen facility at the Sunport.
But overall, most of these economic development projects seem to be coming to fruition. We also haven't had a shortage of new announcements lately, so there's more projects to help bring up the rear and pad things a bit if some of the others don't come to fruition.
The Gigapower/AT&T project is a fiber internet project that was announced just last month. They told Albuquerque Business First that they will be investing "several hundred million dollars" for the project and that they hope to have it up and running by the end of the year. They also say that several hundred people will be involved in bringing the project to fruition, so it's most likely a significant jobs creator as well, at least through the build-out phase.
https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...d-network.html
Quote:
A joint venture between national telecommunications company AT&T Inc. and BlackRock Inc., a global asset management firm, wants to build out a "best-in-class" high-speed fiber network in Albuquerque, in what would represent an investment "in the several-hundred-million-dollar range," the company's chief operating officer told Albuquerque Business First on Friday.
Gigapower, the name of the venture formed between AT&T and BlackRock, launched in May 2023. Albuquerque is among the first markets where Gigapower plans to build a commercial wholesale, open-access fiber network, alongside cities including Mesa, Gilbert and Chandler in the Phoenix metro area; Las Vegas, Nevada, and Wilkes-Barre and Scranton in Pennsylvania.
"It really is a best-in-class network, and that's fantastic because having reliable service to the home that far exceeds today's requirements for our customers, when you think about the evolution of data consumption in the home and connected devices, is building for the future in our capacity," Tom Kearney, Gigapower's chief operating officer, said.
The network will be provided through AT&T Fiber. It'll be a multi-gigabit symmetrical network with a commercial open access architecture, which Kearney said allows multiple internet service providers and other businesses to run on the same network.
Kearney said Gigapower has a right-of-way agreement signed with the City of Albuquerque and is currently working with the City on permitting its first origination sites; the company's goal is to deliver service "as quickly as possible" in 2024, he added.
The company's first origination site for its multi-gigabit symmetrical network is near the interchange of Interstate 25 and Interstate 40, Kearney said. That site is "ready to go," he added, and Gigapower has two other sites — one on the east side of the city and another to the north — in the planning and zoning process.
Those origination sites feed out what Kearney called a "passive network architecture" dozens of miles around where they're built. Having a passive architecture increases the network's reliability, he said.
Gigapower will work with Circet USA, a national telecommunications contracting firm headquartered in Faribault, Minnesota, with an office in Albuquerque at 4725 Lumber Ave. NE, to construct its origination sites and surrounding network. Kearney estimated the project could have several hundred people working on it through a mix of full-time employees, subcontractors and other partners.
In terms of investment, Kearney didn't provide a specific figure when asked by Business First, instead saying it's a "sizable capital investment" across the City of Albuquerque in the "several-hundred-million-dollar range." He added that the project is fully financed.
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More information and details about the Mesa Studios project came to light last week in anticipation of the city council voting on Monday to approve the lease of city-owned land just north of Double Eagle II Airport on the Westside for the project. One of the two partners behind the project is a Hollywood producer originally from New Mexico. Galen Walker is best known for producing three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies between 2007 and 2016.
https://www.cabq.gov/economicdevelop...-the-west-mesa
Quote:
ALBUQUERQUE — Albuquerque’s scenic West Mesa could soon be home to a major film and television production hub. The Mesa Film Studios (MFS) development site is on City-owned property along Atrisco Vista Blvd. The first phase of the project has an estimated capital investment of $57 million on a 60-acre site. In the first year of operations, the studio is expected to create 24 full time jobs and over 750 studio production jobs. The project is expected to have an impact of $531 million through in-state economic activity.
“Film and TV production is happening in full force in Albuquerque, and we’re grateful for partnerships that help us grow so we can keep up with demand,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “This major development on the west side will bring thousands of jobs to the city, and create more opportunities for locals to thrive in the growing industry.”
“This exciting announcement is yet another indication that the film and TV production industry is here to stay in New Mexico," said Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. "New Mexico native Galen Walker’s decision to locate this cutting-edge studio on Albuquerque’s west side is proof that our film industry is not only creating thousands of jobs for New Mexicans, but establishing itself as a major film ecosystem that will continue to generate economic opportunities for businesses of all kinds.”
The film studio property, which will be leased from the City of Albuquerque to MFS, is north of Double Eagle II (DEII)—a small general aviation airport—and will include six sound stages, production office space, backlot, mill space, and a permanent Blue Screen.
“As a fifth generation New Mexican, I’m excited to be coming back home after a long career in Hollywood to establish this film studio, boosting the state’s film industry, and bringing high-quality jobs to the greater Albuquerque area,” said Mesa Film Studios Co-Principal/Co-Owner Galen Walker.
“With the lack of quality soundstages in North America, the new Mesa Studios development in Albuquerque would help New Mexico remain competitive in capturing large-scale, job-rich productions that could otherwise go to competing locations,” said New Mexico Film Office Director Amber Dodson.
“The Mesa Film Studios project is a major boost for Albuquerque's film industry,” said Economic Development Director Max Gruner. “It's not just about creating good-paying jobs—it's about sparking growth that has a ripple effect, supporting other local industries, and adding to the city’s economic prosperity.”
The lease agreement between Mesa Film Studios and the City has been finalized and will be considered by City Council at the upcoming meeting on March 18.
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Here are some pics of the Netflix project over the past few months from various sources. I especially enjoy seeing the first office building come to fruition.
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/new-m...owing-strikes/
https://www.apartments.com/encanto-a...ue-nm/0qwr8g2/
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/n...QjFzJJ9QgC3qxw
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/n...TJNyDq6WzWYrgA
https://www.instagram.com/p/C0OJNZTAb6t/
Here's some screenshots and a link to a video from Klinger contractors on Instagram that they posted recently. It's a fly-through of the Arcosa Wind Towers facility in Belen. It's where I found out that the project is nearly completed and fabrication/manufacturing has begun.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4OvNeJMgyS/