We have often mentioned how lucky New Mexico is to have so many great organizations and groups of people who are committed to seeing our state and communities thrive. This became quite evident to us again as we sat down with Kirstin Keller, Executive Director of the Middle Rio Grande Economic Development Association (MRGEDA), just a few weeks ago. MRGEDA is one of our newest partners, and we are grateful for their incredible support of renewable energy projects. Read their story below.
MRGEDA is a community-based nonprofit whose mission is to enhance the quality of life in the Middle Rio Grande Valley by collaborating with individuals and groups from Valencia, Socorro, Sierra, and Catron Counties. Since 2018, they have worked to put together an economic recovery resource guide, which gives businesses the resources they need to prosper in their area. They also recently released an economic recovery project that reviewed how they could best help their target counties recover from the COVID crisis.
MRGEDA’s efforts center around finding collaborative solutions to ensure the long-term economic prosperity of our communities. For example, their subcommittees work across multiple industries including agribusiness, healthcare, technology, renewable energy, forest products, workforce/education, arts/tourism, and recreation to improve the communities that they serve.
MRGEDA sees “better communication” as fundamental to our state’s economic growth as we look forward to what will hopefully be the final months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have a tendency to become “stuck in silos and be complacent” when it comes to resolving important issues. MRGEDA is working to break this complacency and draw people out, foster communication, adaptability, and cohesion between our communities. They also hope to see more rural economic development prioritized in our state budgets, which includes prioritizing more renewable energy project development. Not only will the growing renewable industry provide more rural jobs and increase the workforce for our communities in need, it will also make our state more desirable for businesses and residents alike.
ReNew Mexico is thankful for our partnership with MRGEDA and our team looks forward to being part of the collaborative movement they started! Stay up-to-date on their work here!