Business as UNusual:
A Town Hall on Rural-Urban
Economic Development

Keynotes and State Officials

Bill Fruth is the President of POLICOM Corporation, an independent economics research firm located in Palm City, Florida, which specializes in studying the dynamics of local economies.

He has personally evaluated more than 600 local economies in the United States, created more than 150 economic and community studies, and, since 1998, has provided presentations and workshops for state-national associations and community forums in 31 states.

Diane D. Denish is the first woman elected Lt. Governor in New Mexico. Raised in Hobbs, Ms. Denish has demonstrated her commitments to rural economies. She owned a successful small business for 12 years, and later as lieutenant governor, Ms. Denish held 25 small business forums throughout the state. She successfully pushed for programs that provide microloans and other forms of capital to businesses. Named one of the Top 100 New Mexicans, the Lt. Governor has served as Chair of New Mexico First, New Mexico Community Foundation, and the New Mexico Tech Board of Regents.

Secretary Fred Mondragón, NM Department of Economic Development, was appointed to his position in May 2007 by Governor Bill Richardson. Mondragón comes to the Department from the Office of Economic Development, City of Albuquerque, where he participated in the recruitment or expansion of Tesla Motors, Verizon Wireless, Eclipse Aviation, Advent Solar, and Albuquerque Studios. Mondragón served three terms in the New Mexico House of Representatives where he represented District 16.

Panelists

Ryan Gleason was appointed by President George W. Bush to be the State Director for USDA Rural Development-New Mexico in 2006. As the State Director, Gleason is responsible for delivering USDA Rural Development's wide array of programs throughout New Mexico.  He oversees a staff of fifty-four employees located in six offices throughout the state.  In 2007, USDA Rural Development delivered over $50 million for housing, businesses, utilities and community facilities in New Mexico.

Jami Grindatto is the New Mexico Corporate Affairs Director for Intel’s New Mexico site in Rio Rancho, directing government affairs, media & communications, education and community relations.  The recipient of the 1999 Intel Achievement Award, Jami is very involved in economic development activities, and is a member of several executive boards, including the Governor’s Business Executives for Education, Rio Rancho Economic Development Corporation, New Mexico First, Association of Commerce and Industry, and he was the 2007 Chairman of the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce.  He earned a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of New Mexico.

Mark Lautman, CEcD, is currently the Director of Economic Development for Forest City Enterprises, Mesa del Sol, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since becoming a professional economic developer 24 years ago, Mark Lautman has started and managed four business attraction programs in New Mexico: Grants, Rio Rancho, Santa Teresa, and at Mesa del Sol. Mesa del Sol is a new community being developed on Albuquerque’s southwest mesa. The master plan is approved for 100,000 residents, 38,000 homes and over 18 million square feet of commercial development. He is also the current chairman of the New Mexico Economic Development Commission.

Richard Luarkie is currently serving as the 1st Lieutenant Governor for the Pueblo of Laguna on a two year term ending December 2008.  Prior to serving in this role, Richard served as a member of the tribal council.  Richard has a BA in Economics from the University of New Mexico, and an MBA from New Mexico State University, with a concentration in Strategy and Business Development.  In 1999, Richard started his company with one person, and it has since expanded to include eight employees.  Clients of his firm have included the Department of Defense (Army, Air Force), US Forest Service, Los Alamos National Laboratories, Dept. of Energy – NNSA, Indian Health Service, and Bureau of Reclamation.

Bob Mang is the principal owner of Regenesis, LLC and co-founder of the Regenesis Group, an international consulting company to developers, communities and regional jurisdictions. Bob currently serves on the Board of Directors of AMC, Ltd., a real estate development company in Calgary, Alberta. He is also an organizing member of New Voice of Business in New Mexico, serves on the Board Conservation Voters of New Mexico, Education Fund and has authored various articles on community and ecological development.

Town Hall Leadership

Garrey Carruthers,former Governor of New Mexico, is Dean of the College of Business at NMSU. He also serves as the Vice President for Economic Development at the university. He served in the Reagan administration twice, in the Departments of Agriculture and Interior. He was a successful Governor of New Mexico, serving as the last constitutionally limited, four-year single-term governor. He holds degrees in Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business.

Linda Kay Jones is the Special Assistant to the President--Institutional Advancement, Economic Development and Community Affairs, at Western New Mexico State University.  She is currently coordinating the first ever seven-year capital campaign and acts as the University liaison for funding at the federal, state, and local levels.  Linda Kay was named Economic Developer of the Year in 1997 and 2004 and brings over twenty-five years of smart economic innovation to New Mexico’s communities.

As Implementation Team Chair for the town hall, Ms. Jones will lead the post-town hall effort to advance the recommendations with state and local leaders.

Michelle Henrie practices in the areas of water law, land use, real estate development, planning and zoning, appeals, administrative law and local government, and environmental law and natural resources. Ms. Henrie is now practicing as Michelle Henrie, LLC, a single-member New Mexico limited liability company, which is Of Counsel to Atkinson & Thal, P.C., a New Mexico professional corporation.

As Master Recorder for the town hall, Ms. Henrie is responsible for reviewing and compiling all the recommendations generated through the town hall. She is the lead author on the final report to policymakers.

Heather Balas is President and Executive Director of New Mexico First. A fifth-generation New Mexican, Heather worked in Washington, DC, and San Francisco for several years before returning to her home state. She has over 15 years experience in public policy work, including citizen outreach, voter education, coalition-building, and policy research. Previous employers include the Commission on Presidential Debates, the California Center for Civic Participation, and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. She holds a Masters in political communication from the University of Maryland.