Portales and Roosevelt County
Business and Industry: Economic Trends and Drivers

There are several key trends and drivers to consider when thinking about doing business in Portales and Roosevelt County. These factors include:

Growth at Cannon Air Force Base
Cannon Air Force Base (CAFB) is located 12 miles north of Portales. The Air Force Special Operations Command will be adding approximately 500 new airmen each year to the area population through 2014. Many of these airmen choose to live in Portales because of its low crime rate, high education rate, and college town atmosphere. This has driven demand for new, affordable housing, retail services, and entertainment venues at a rate far above the national average in 2009.

Growth at Eastern New Mexico University
Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) has over 4,300 full-time students (with more enrolling all the time!) and is becoming known throughout the southwest as a high-quality, low-cost educational opportunity for students seeking a personalized educational experience in diverse areas of study. ENMU now offers over 60 specialized degree programs in subjects ranging from Education, Music, Theatre and Broadcasting to Biochemistry, Agricultural Science, and Nursing. The international student population at ENMU is growing steadily, and the school offers a robust English as a Second Language (ESL) program.

Growth in Value-Added Food Processing
Portales is home to several of the nation's most important food processing facilities. Roosevelt County contains 40 of the largest dairies in the country, as well as the nation's largest organic peanut butter plant, powdered milk plant, and the nation's largest cheddar cheese plant. The success of these businesses has encouraged them to hire new employees from the area, with the added bonus of attracting other world-class companies to the area such as Tamaki Control USA and Automated Dairy Systems Inc., both of which opened offices in Portales in 2009!

Low Cost of Living and Land
The cost of living in Portales was just 83% of the US average in 2008, with some of the lowest rents and home prices in the nation. This makes Portales a highly affordable location to live and do business. Home prices have remained very steady throughout the national recession. Additionally, large tracts of rural land can be secured at some of the lowest remaining prices in the country. Factor in the top quality of life ranking the area supplies, and you have one great place to live and do business!

Renewable Energy Stampede
Roosevelt County is well-known in the wind, solar and biofuel industries as a high-quality location for new facilities. The Blackwater DC Tie north of Portales connects the nation's eastern and western electrical grids, and is one of only two locations that do so in the state of New Mexico. Padoma Wind Power operates a 140 megawatt wind farm near Elida, 20 miles south of Portales. Abengoa Bioenergy maintains a 30 million gallon-per-year biofuel plant at the Portales Industrial Park.  The RCCDC is working with numerous energy firms to develop new, affordable wind and solar installation and transmission sites in Roosevelt County. Few locations in the nation offer Portales/Roosevelt County’s winning combination of existing electrical grid access, affordable land, and high-value wind and solar energy as well as biofuel feedstock potential and logistical infrastructure.

Steady Wage and Job Growth
While wages in Eastern New Mexico are historically below the national average, wage growth in Roosevelt County was 8% in 2008, making it among the highest rate of growth in the state. The area has also defied the effects of the national recession and has continued to grow in the professional services sector. Even the local unemployment rate was under 3.2% in 2009, one of the best in the nation!