U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans Announces $1 Million Investment to Boost Business Development and Job Growth in Rural New Mexico Communities

U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans today announced a $1 million Economic Development Administration (EDA) investment to the New Mexico Rural Development Response Council of Grants, N.M. The investment will help the council develop an economic development strategy needed to boost business development and job growth in rural New Mexico counties.

"The Department of Commerce is pleased to partner with the people of New Mexico. This investment is a great example of Senator Pete Domenici and Congresswoman Heather Wilson's commitment to help the Bush Administration empower local communities with the necessary tools to grow their economy, attract investments and create jobs in rural New Mexico," said Evans.

The investment will forward New Mexico's Rural Readiness Program by helping assess the infrastructure and assets of communities, identify potential business and industrial prospects, and develop marketing tools to enhance private sector investments and create jobs.

"Job growth and business development are key to ensuring positive livelihood opportunities within our rural communities," Domenici said. "It's apparent that many of our state's small and rural areas are lacking good jobs. This hefty federal investment is a tremendous step in the right direction in terms of building on local and state efforts to create new jobs and economic activities in New Mexico's smaller towns."

"Business owners and workers in rural areas can find themselves very isolated from mainstream markets and have unique needs," said Wilson. "The Rural Readiness program can help these communities tap into new opportunities, grow jobs, and improve their quality of life.

EDA serves as a venture capital resource to meet the economic development needs of distressed communities throughout the United States. EDA partners with states, units of local government and community nonprofit organizations in economically distressed areas, regions and communities in order to alleviate conditions of poverty and substantial and persistent unemployment and underemployment.

Additional information on how EDA investments are helping distressed communities create a positive and sustainable economic future can be accessed at: http://www.doc.gov/eda.