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Rio Rancho Chamber warns of workforce leakage, urges unified job‑creation push
Summary
The Rio Rancho Chamber presented countywide data showing large outbound commutes, lost gross receipts tax, and opportunities in high‑skill manufacturing and health care. The chamber urged coordinated recruitment, internships, and expansion of Discover Sandoval to attract and retain workers.
Jerry Shallow of the Rio Rancho Chamber told the Sandoval County Board of County Commissioners that the county is "an awesome place to be" and warned commissioners that a large share of residents leave the county for work, costing the area millions in spending and gross receipts tax.
Shallow presented local and Rio Rancho data showing median incomes, commuting patterns and a roughly 47,000‑person outbound daily workforce that fuels an estimated annual workday spending leakage the presentation put between about $170 million and $284 million. "We have a strong growing workforce," he said, urging action to recruit employers and retain graduates.
The presentation highlighted Sandoval County strengths in high‑skill manufacturing and health care and cited employers including Intel and local hospitals as anchors for higher‑pay jobs. Shallow described Discover Sandoval, the chamber's marketing and recruitment effort, which uses geofencing and national advertising to target hard‑to‑fill positions and bring out‑of‑state applicants to the county.
Commissioners pressed for concrete steps. Commissioner Jones asked for specific strategies to stop workforce leakage and keep recent graduates in the county; Shallow replied that the chamber is working with colleges and employers to expand internships and recruit entry‑level hires and to market Sandoval County nationally. "We have to go to the colleges and universities and have those different businesses...presenting Sandoval County," he said.
Commissioners and the presenter discussed better coordination across six existing economic actors in the region — county and city economic development offices, two chambers, the Sandoval Economic Alliance and the Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance — and several commissioners urged consolidating efforts where they are most effective.
The presentation concluded with a request that the county continue partnering with the chamber on Discover Sandoval and job‑creation initiatives; commissioners expressed support and said they would pursue coordinated action.
The commission did not take formal policy action on the presentation; follow‑up steps were discussed informally during commissioner remarks.
