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.