Business View Civil and Municipal | September 2022

119 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 It offers restricted rents for creative entrepreneurs and their families, and will soon house a makerspace, meeting rooms, exhibit space and performance space. “All of the tenants there are either self employed or somehow affiliated with a creative entrepreneurship type of profession,” Ladd explains. “I love this project because it brings together so many objectives and priorities for the city.” The project is the first 100 percent solar tax credit project in the state, with all of its energy needs coming from solar panels. It also uses water catchment systems to irrigate landscapes. Industry clusters like Siler Yard don’t stop with the arts. Santa Fe is currently working on growing its bioscience and bio-tech industry with the creation of an “innovation village.” Part of that hub includes Specifica Inc, a group that specializes in the creation of antibody libraries. “They are at a growth path that is far exceeding what anyone had thought,” Brown declares. “We are working with them to expand their footprint in the city. We are trying to nurture that industry sector. Specifica is one, and we have six other biotech companies that are located at our incubator. But Specifica is our shining star.” To help ensure Santa Fe’s employers have a steady stream of employees to choose from, the city has been directing American Rescue Plan Act funds towards workforce development and job training. They have put in place high school student internships, as well as more involved internships with local businesses for post-high school students. They’ve also partnered with Santa Fe Community College for workforce development. “We’re currently in the process of updating a survey to our local businesses to figure out what the need is,” Brown says. “We don’t want to just do training and then all of a sudden there are no jobs.” All of these efforts are coming together to make Santa Fe’s history and culture work to its own benefit. Looking toward the future, Brown says he hopes to continue on this path, while helping to encourage more workforce development, industry cluster development, and an overall good quality of life. He has a plan in place to make it all happen. “It’s hard and soft development, it’s getting specific, keeping everyone supported on a path to grow even further,” he explains. “That includes efforts of economic mobility, which is getting our citizens on a path to generating wealth and an improved quality of life. All of these elements align with housing, workforce development, arts and culture, etc. That’s what I’m excited to see in three to five years.” SANTA FE , NEW MEX I CO LOVE OF CITY, CULTURE AND PEOPLE www.santafehispanicchamber.org info@santafehispanicchamber.org | 505-920-9486 David Fresquez, President Richard Borrego, Treasurer Dwayne Trujillo, Secretary Board Members: James R. Borrego, Elizabeth Camacho, Bob Clifford, Andrea Martinez, Emily M. Mascarenas, Doris Vigil McBride, Marcos Zubia