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New Las Cruces-Based Center Will Work To Foster Economic Development

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5vNpAWNWPk

New Mexico State University is launching the Center for Border Economic Development, also known as C-BED. The project is led by longtime NMSU Professor and Economics Department Head Dr. Chris Erickson. Erickson describes the Center’s focus. 

It is an institution within NMSU that is being set up to help with economic development on the border. We are seeking to identify problems that are impeding on economic development, and then we are attempting to identify resources that can be brought to bear on those issues, Erickson said. 

Erickson says the goal of the C-BED is to bring economic efficiency and prosperity to Southern New Mexico’s border region.

We’re looking at the issues of transportation, the COVID pandemic, and other issues along those lines. The point is to identify what is needed and get it there,” Erickson said.

Erickson says the C-BED will include an online database for a wide variety of subjects and resources relating to border economic development.

We also plan on developing a data webpage that people can access and find data about the border easily. These will not be just topics like the number of workers, but topics like air pollution levels. We’re also going to include instances like COVID in the different counties along the border. This will be information that people can have, and we hope to have this update on a regular basis going forward. These are the kinds of research that will be made available,” Erickson said.

Lucinda Vargas, a postdoctoral fellow working with Erickson on the C-BED, discusses the goal of collecting research on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico Border. 

“When we talk about the border, we may lose sight that we are talking about two countries. Yes, Las Cruces, Dona Ana, NMSU, are all situated on the border. That implies two sides of it: the U.S. side and the Mexico side. Our true mandate is to keep databases on both sides. Anything that happens on the North side of the border will affect the South side of the border; similarly, anything that happens on the South side will affect the North side”, Vargas said.

Vargas says the C-BED will also focus on comparing Southern New Mexico’s border with other borders in the United States in terms of economic opportunities.

“As we celebrate our border geographic location, and I say celebrate because we need to think about it strategically as a strategic location, we should think of how we are comparing with other borders. What does New Mexico have that maybe other city borders don’t have that we can exploit to our benefit? But vice versa, what are other border cities doing that we have yet to do that could work for our benefit?” Vargas said.

Vargas says the C-BED will also help foster a more competitive border for New Mexico.

When we talk about a competitive border, we’re talking about more business opportunities and business expansion. We’re recognizing that maybe the international dimension of things has not been recognized by some businesses because it has not been highlighted. We can highlight this by offering data and resources and the possibility of how we can make that work for businesses, and it will be very promising”. Vargas said.

The C-BED project has required hard work and determination, as Erickson and Vargas strive to make a difference in Southern New Mexico’s border economy. 

This is an entrepreneurial type of project. We are out actively seeking to find where we can make a difference. It’s not one of these things where you wait for someone to call you. We’re out in the communities and we’re talking to people. We’ve met with politicians, officials, and many people in the public.” Erickson said.       

“It takes vision. These are not projects that are packaged very easily. We’re talking about being really creative with how we come up with this. These issues need to be addressed” Vargas said.

The Center for Border Economic Development will continue to be developed through NMSU.