4 Corners Economic Development lays out recruitment, housing and broadband efforts to Aztec commission

Tim Gibbs, chief executive officer of 4 Corners Economic Development, told the Aztec City Commission on March 24 that the regional economic development organization is focusing on recruiting employers, retaining existing firms and preparing sites and people for growth.

“We’re simply here to make a bigger piece of pie,” Gibbs said in a roughly 45-minute presentation. He told commissioners the organization met with six separate companies in the past year that were evaluating locations in San Juan County and said one prospective employer is now under a nondisclosure agreement as officials vet a potential distribution or manufacturing site.

Gibbs described several near-term tools the agency is using to attract and support investment: a customer-relationship management system to track leads; an online GIS depository that lists properties (he said the last count showed 37 Aztec-area sites); and ongoing work to bring fiber optic service into the region via rights-of-way and rail corridors. He credited partnerships with state economic-development offices, San Juan College and regional partners for those efforts.

On housing, Gibbs said the organization recently completed a 110‑page county housing study that includes Aztec‑specific data in an appendix (he cited page 84 and page 98 for city details). “So that’s a key component this year,” he said, urging local coordination to make housing more affordable so economic development can be more effective.

Gibbs also summarized workforce initiatives and employer engagement: Core Nitrogen hosted two hiring fairs that he said produced roughly 70 family‑wage jobs, and the organization is working with employers on training and incentive packages. He said a workforce study will be available in about two weeks to better map local skills and certification levels.

On funding, Gibbs said the organization recently received $36,000 in seed money from a local energy foundation to support new initiatives. He described regional coordination efforts, a rail initiative being explored with San Juan County, and outreach trips with state partners to recruit international and national firms.

Commissioners praised the presentation and asked for regular updates; the mayor suggested semiannual briefings. Gibbs said he would return for questions and to follow up on specific items.

The presentation opened with an introduction of the city’s new manager, Jay Rubalib, and closed after a brief question period.