I have recently been given the opportunity to serve as a board member on the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce’s Spaceport Community Council. I believe that the Spaceport America and the commercial space industry are positive economic forces for Las Cruces and Southern New Mexico. I am extremely excited about this opportunity to serve the Las Cruces area.
The council will hosting quarterly information forum beginning Jan. 26. We are looking forward to as much public input as possible. Here is some more information about our first public forum:
The Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce’s Commercial Space Committee will hold its first 2010 Doña Ana County Spaceport Community Council Meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, in the commission chambers at the Doña Ana County Government Center, 845 N. Motel Blvd. The meeting is a free forum that is open to the public to present the newest in formation available on Spaceport America and the burgeoning aerospace industry in southern New Mexico.
The evening’s presentations will focus on tourism-related activities taking place in the area and across the state that are focused on the one-of-a-kind combination of Spaceport America and New Mexico’s unique tourism assets.
The two-hour event will be hosted by Bob Diven, and start with an update on construction and business development progress from Steve Landeene, executive director of Spaceport America. Additional presentations will be given by an outstanding set of panelists including:
• Jennifer Hobson – New Mexico Tourism Department
• Randall Hayes – New Mexico Museum of Space History
• Bob Pofahl – Picacho Mountain Development
• Jerry Brown – Spaceport America Hard Hat Tours
• David Hicks – Las Cruces Convention Center
• Davin Lopez – Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance (MVEDA)
• Dr. Janet Green – New Mexico State University’s Department of Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management
The remainder of the evening will be devoted to a question-and-answer session for those in attendance to learn more about the project and its impacts on local/regional tourism. Questions will be gathered from attendees as they enter and will be presented to the panel by Diven.
The event will be taped and will air at a later time on CLC-TV cable channel 20 for those that are unable to attend.
The Spaceport Community Council Meetings will continue to be a regular quarterly event allowing the community to stay current with the status of Spaceport America and stay engaged in the process of “building a spaceport community.” Future meetings scheduled for 2010 will focus on educational and economic development impacts of the growth of Spaceport America and a new commercial space industry in the region.
Click here for more information or contact the Greater Las Cruces Chamber office at 524-1968.