Economic

Development
Action Account
Progress Report
July 2017
 TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Economic Development Action (EDAct) Account: Background.. 4

The Economic Development Action (EDAct) Council 6

Meaningful Mix of Programs... 8

Workforce Development. 12

BowTie. 12

Innovate + Educate... 14

SINC.. 16

Small Business Resource Collaborative for the Central Corridor... 18

StartUp Teen. 20

The Grants Collective 22

LEDA Closing Fund. 24

Canon Information Technology Systems Inc. (Canon ITS).. 24

Eclipse Aerospace.. 26

Entrepreneurship/Retention & Expansion 28

ABQid. 28

Albuquerque Economic Development 30

Coming out of a sluggish economy in fiscal year 2012, I saw this as an opportunity to try Creative Startups. 32
something very different instead of just sinking money into the General Fund and doing
createABQ 34
business as usual, said Mayor Richard Berry. Previously the City lacked a closing fund and
now EDAct has enabled us to fund programs that were generally never considered in the Launch ABQ/New Mexico Technology Council... 36
past, and the impact on our community is beyond anything any of us could have imagined
NM Start-Up Factory II 38
four years ago.
TEAM Accelerator... 40

thrive!ABQ. 42

This has really been an engaging process for the community in many different ways. Weve Marketing. 44
been able to support a wide range of programs - from teenage entrepreneurs to folks mak- Development Counselors International (DCI) 44
ing their first actual product to take to market. And Im particularly pleased with how these
Marble Street Studio... 46
programs have really help launch the creative industries in our community, said City
Council president Isaac Benton. The Loop 48

National Marketing Campaign.. 50

A Changed Community.. 52

3
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTION (EDACT) ACCOUNT: BACKGROUND

The Economic Development Ac-
tion Account (EDAct) was initiat-
ed by Mayor Richard Berry with
the support of the City Council in
2013, as a fund to promote eco-
nomic development. It is credit-
ed as being the first of such rein-
specific project guidelinesboth
innovative and community-
focused. EDAct has to date
funded 20 programs designed to
equip Albuquerque businesses
and entrepreneurs for success
and/or market the City as a
that closed down before the
terms of their agreements with the
City ceased. EDAct was funded
with these 2013 termination pay-
ments.
FUNDED
The claw-back monies could
have simply reverted to gen-
eral funds, but instead the
Mayor proposed, and City
Council approved and passed,
an ordinance placing those
dollars in a fund to focus on the
bility of all other businesses -
small and large - in the com-
munity depends upon the suc-
cess and growth of economic
base companies, whether
through creation of additional
locations, relocations of com-
come in the form of new pro-
grams and projects, or via an
infusion of funds to bolster a
successful existing program.
The City Council ordinance al-
so created the EDAct Council
to review and make recom-

vestment programs utilized in
New Mexico, providing initial
startup resources for a host of
business and marketing support
programs.
Since the funds inception,
EDAct contracts have been at
work in our community support-
ing projects designed to meet
20
place to start a new business, or development of economic panies into the Albuquerque
mendations to the Economic
grow as an existing one. base companies. region, expansions of existing
Development Department on
companies or development of
EDAct was made possible in 2013, The City recognizes that eco- the expenditure of the EDAct
startups.
when the City of Albuquerque nomic base companies, which funds.
export the majority of their EDAct represents a way for the
collected about $5.52 million in
In 2016, the City Council ap-
termination payments, or goods or services out of the City to utilize a predominantly
clawbacks, from companies
PROGRAMS region or state (thereby bring- one-time funding source to
proved an additional $1 million
appropriation for the EDAct
that had received City incentives ing additional money into the support innovative approaches fund due to its success at spark-
to locate in the community but community), provide the eco- to economic development, ing creative economic develop-
nomic foundation for the entire company growth, and job cre- ment approaches.
area economy. In fact, the via- ation. These initiatives can

COLLECTED

$5.52 million
$1,000,000 ORIGINAL PROJECT
FUNDING

$5,521,686 ADDITIONAL COUNCIL

APPROPRIATION

IN TERMINATION PAYMENTS

5
THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTION (EDACT) COUNCIL

The Economic Development
Action Council consists of
the mayor or designee; two
city councilors chosen by
the president of the Albu-
querque City Council; and
two members of the public,
appointed by the mayor,
who have expertise in eco-
nomic development pro-
grams. A representative
from the City's Economic
Development Department
serves as a non-voting tech-
nical advisor to the EDAct
Council.
Entities seeking EDAct fund-
ing submit applications to the
Economic Development De-
partment. The purpose of the
application is to describe the
benefits of the project, the
uses for which the funding will
be put if approved and to
help the City evaluate its
merit in comparison with oth-
er projects in the applicant
pool. EDD reviews the pro-
posals to ensure they address
at least one of four EDAct EDD EDAct Council
target components:
STEP 1 STEP 2
STEP 3
Proposal Review
Submission

National Marketing: an expanded marketing program promoting the Albuquerque area as a

positive business location to national and international company executives, entrepreneurs
and site selection consultants;
LEDA Closing Fund: assists with the recruitment and expansion of significant economic develop-
ment projects utilizing the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA);
Entrepreneurship/Retention and Expansion: community programs for the retention and expan-
sion of existing economic base companies, and the growth and development of technology
-based entrepreneurs;
Workforce Development Programs: support to build the education, skills and experience need-
ed by current and future employees for the Citys growing companies. EDAct Council

STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6

If a proposal addresses any
of the above criteria, EDD
can then forward it to the
EDAct Council for further re-
view and presentation.
Once submitted to the EDAct
Council, projects are sched-
uled for review and presenta-
tions. The EDAct Council
makes a recommendation for
approval to fund the project,
and any recommended
changes to the project (such
as matching funds require-
ments).
The Economic Development
Department, with consulta-
tion from the EDAct Council,
approves expenditures for
the EDAct Account. The Eco-
nomic Development Depart-
ment acts as staff to the
EDAct Council and is respon-
sible for administering any
contracts or programs arising
out of the EDAct Council's
recommendations.
If the EDAct Council recom-
mends a proposed program,
then EDD prepares a contract
for professional services with
Presentation Approval
the entity that applied. The
contracts are for services for
the community, not grants. EDAct Account Appropriations 2013-Present
Any contract greater than
$75,000 requires City Council
approval.
Thank you to EDAct Council
members: Donald Power,
Debbie Johnson, City Counci-
lors Isaac Benton and Trudy
Jones, and Gilbert Montano. R&E/ENTREPRENEURSHIP
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
MARKETING
LEDA

7
MEANINGFUL MIX OF PROGRAMS

Creative Startups (Entrepreneurship/Retention and Expansion): Development of a globally un-

Since its implementation, EDAct has secured contract services and supported the creation of a host of inno-
precedented program to jumpstart and support the creative economy ecosystem, particularly
vative and creative projects and programs. These have not only assisted hundreds of individuals and busi-
where it intersects with technology. This includes development of a creative database, educa-
nesses but have also fostered the creation of several new economic development resources that have
tional and networking sessions, marketing materials and a business accelerator for the creative
transformed the economic development ecosystem in Albuquerque.
economy, including film, music, multimedia, design, video games, fashion and artists.
April 2015-June 2017
ABQid (Entrepreneurship/Retention and Expansion): Development of a series of programs Funded: $225,000
for the growth and development of high growth companies led by local entrepreneurs
createABQ (Entrepreneurship/Retention and Expansion): Accelerator for early-stage creative
who desire to create and grow their companies in Albuquerque. This includes an intensive
entrepreneurs.
business accelerator that helps to identify entrepreneurs and validates the existence of a
February 2017-December 2017
market for their ideas.
Funded: $100,000
September 2014-June 2017
Funded: $1.8 million Development Counselors International (DCI) (Marketing Program): Study of perceptions of Al-
buquerque by corporate site selection consultants outside New Mexico.
AED (Business Retention and Expansion): Expand support for highly successful existing busi-
June 2013-September 2013
ness retention and expansion program providing assistance to local economic base com-
Funded: $40,655
panies.
March 2016-September 2018 Eclipse Aerospace (Local Economic Development Act [LEDA] Project): Incentive provided to
Funded: $300,000 support job creation, and business retention and expansion of existing aviation manufacturing
company.
BowTie (Entrepreneurship/Retention and Expansion): Provides technical support services
March 2014-December 2017
necessary to assist in the development of new web mobile applications by new and ex-
Funded: $238,208
panding companies.
January 2016-January 2017 The Grants Collective (Workforce Development Program): Accelerator training program for non
$1.8M Funded: $197,185 -profit organizations focused on increasing national philanthropic investments in New Mexico.
Intensive training for existing organizations programs seeking grants.
Canon Information Technology Services, Inc. (Local Economic Development Act [LEDA]):
July 2016July 2017
Recruitment project to support job creation for customer service and technical support ser-
Funded: $175,000
vices in both English and Spanish across a wide array of Canon products.
April 2014-August 2018 Innovate + Educate-TalentABQ/TechHire (Workforce Development Program): Continuation of a
Funded: $200,000 nationally-recognized innovative skills-based workforce assessment and workforce develop-
ment program.
July 2017-June 2018
ABQid

Funded: $200,000

$300,000
$225,000 $238,208
$200,000 $200,000
$197,185 $175,000
Creative Startups
AED

Innovate+Educate
The Grants Collective
Eclipse
$100,000
Canon
BowTie

createABQ

$40,655

DCI
9
MEANINGFUL MIX OF PROGRAMS

LaunchABQ/StartUp (Entrepreneurship/Retention and Expansion): Contract with NM Tech Coun- Small Business Resource Collaborative for the Central Avenue Corridor(Workforce Development
cil to support the creation and operations of a 12-month program to support technology-based Program): support for continuation of successful business assistance program, an alliance of Albu-
companies. querque's leading nonprofit small business development organizations, local business advocates,
June 2014-June 2015 business consultants and small business owners. SBRC provides locally-owned Central Avenue
Funded: $20,000 businesses with marketing assistance and development of solid bookkeeping and financial prac-
tices. Positioned as a pilot program, SBRC plan is to be eventually implemented city-wide pro-
The Loop (Marketing Program): A locally integrated marketing concept that uses a patented
gram of services.
social media platform to promote positive stories about Albuquerque via a broad array of com-
February 2016-February 2018
munity members social networks.
Funded: $250,000
September 2014September 2015
Funded: $144,000 SINC/Rio Grande Community Development Corporation (Workforce Development Program):
Nonprofit helping innovative social impact organizations scale ideas to address some of New
Marble Street Studio (Marketing Program): Free image library of more than 600 community pho-
Mexicos most pressing needs. The program focuses on seeking to improve the rate of national
tos and videos to be used by residents, businesses organizations and institutions throughout the
philanthropic funding to local community organizations.
community to promote Albuquerque as a positive place to live, work and play.
July 2017-June 2016
December 2016-December 2017
Funded: $50,000
Funded: $150,000
StartUp Teen (Entrepreneurship/Retention and Expansion): Support for student scholarships at-
National Marketing Campaign (Marketing Program): Initiative to position Albuquerque as a vi-
tending the StartUp TEEN Entrepreneur Summer Program, where teens form teams to develop
brant center for entrepreneurship, and as a city standing at the forefront of innovation-based
companies from ideas through potential launch. This program was the first of its kind in the US.
economic development investments and entrepreneurship.
July 2014
September 2016-March 2018
Funded: $3,000
Funded: $1 million
TEAM Accelerator (Entrepreneurship/Retention and Expansion): Hardware accelerator to assist
NM Angels-Start-Up Factory II (Entrepreneurship/Retention and Expansion): Technology business
manufacturing companies with developing minimum viable products through a variety of design,
accelerator to commercialize technologies from New Mexico research institutions and form
engineering, prototyping, machining and electronics manufacturing services.
new business startups.
January 2017January 2019
February 2016-February 2018
Funded: $275,000
Funded: $200,000 $1M
thrive!ABQ (Entrepreneurship/Retention and Expansion): Public-private program with the City to
support small businesses. The project included a searchable database website of all registered
National Marketing Campaign

businesses in Albuquerque. The website, thriveabq.com, also supports the Citys business recruit-
ment efforts by connecting local suppliers to companies.
March 2013March 2014
Funded: $20,000

$250,000 $275,000
$200,000

TEAM Accelerator
$150,000
$144,000
NM Angels
Marble Street Studio

SBRC
$50,000
The Loop

SINC
$20,000 $20,000
$3,000
LaunchABQ 11
StartUp Teen thrive!ABQ
BOWTIE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

60 20%
OVERPERFORMANCE
MORE THAN 60 OF THE CONTRACT
entrepreneurs and small businesses are
newly webbed, growing, or sustaining their
business on their new BowTie sites.
BowTie is a homegrown web app hosting company and developer of a nationally-
recognized software development platform, known as BowTie. BowTie provides coding sup-
port to help software developers and companies get their apps to market more quickly. It
was made available to the public under a one-year contract in December 2016-December
2017.
More than 60 small businesses, previously with zero or minimal web presence were shown
how to build, launch and operate functional websites. Of the businesses that sought the
platform, two-thirds were startups, and one-third were mainstreet-type businesses, including
a few non-profits. Companies that received customer design/development work as part of
the contract for professional services included:
One Can (https://onecan.bowtied.io) An innovative new technology and design for
gas cans that brings safer storage and transportation to the consumer. BowTie devel-
opment work for the site included architecture and hosting.
Tic Tac Grow (tictacgrow.bowtied.io) A baby clothing company that focuses primarily
on the first year of a baby's life. BowTie produced the companys marketing/landing
page, connections to a new online retail store, in addition to the website architecture
needed to host social media channels.
Indebeats Productions (https://yourmusic.live) A company with a vision of bringing
emerging music artists and fans together. The companys desire was to create a mar-
ketplace for any young music artist to post album covers and other engaging materi-
al. The website created by BowTie helps users discover new artists.

13
INNOVATE + EDUCATE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

SINCE 2011
Thank you for all you have done to advance
skills-based hiring in NM. We will forever be
INNOVATE +
grateful to the City, and we will continue to
work hard to assure there is sustainability and
EDUCATE
that ABQ is recognized for its work that started HAS PROVIDED
with Mayor R. J. Berry.
CLOSE TO
~Jamai Blivin, President/CEO
40,000
SKILLS ASSESSMENTS
This nationally-recognized program was the first of its kind in the nation, and it is now being replicat-
ed in communities across the country. Innovate+Educate is a nonprofit, 501c3 focused on helping IN
individuals and employers seeking innovative and productive ways to connect to the job market
through skills-based assessments and job readiness programs. ALBUQUERQUE
The Job-Ready Hire Fair is designed to give young adults, ages 18-24, an opportunity to apply and
get work based on their skills rather than their experience, reinforcing the importance of skills training
as an alternative for job seekers to find employment and for employers to find talent. As part of a
national effort to promote skills-based hiring, I+E asked employers to drop barriers to employment for
entry and mid-skill jobs and use a filter in approach that considers traditional qualifications, as-
sessment on core competencies, natural skills/abilities, and informal learning/life experiences.

Innovate+Educate is funded through philanthropy, state and city government, and the U.S. Depart-
ment of Labor. Innovate+Educate works as a focused regional implementation of services to meas-
ure the skills and competencies of citizens, provide access to free training, and skill-up job opportuni-
ties. It ensures employers are willing to hire based on skills and competencies, and provide citizens
with quality employment and advancement opportunities.

Innovate+Educate received an EDAct contract in April 2017 in the amount of $200,000 for profes-
sional services to support its continued work in skill-up site management, and access to assessments
and aligned training, both cognitive (Work Keys) and non-cognitive (CoreScore). The funding will
provide the continued technical team support needed to oversee the Talent ABQ website, tracking
of candidates, delivery of assessments and training. Since 2011, Innovate+Educate has provided
close to 40,000 skills assessments in Albuquerque.

www.innovate-educate.org/#innovate-educate

15
SINC WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

EDAct funding will allow SINC to work with prov-

en, successful nonprofit projects and attract in-
vestment from out of state funding sources to
make a social and economic impact locally.

SINC works with 32 nonprofit entrepreneurs to

grow their impact in NM. EDAct funding will help
leverage and attract $2 million in out of state
funding to support the 32 nonprofits in the SINC
incubation program.

~Tim Nisly, Chief Executive Officer, SINC

The Rio Grande Community Development Corporation was established in 1987 by a group of com-
munity members with a mission to improve the quality of life for local residents, particularly in Albu-
querques South Valley. In November 2015, the organization rebranded as SINC (Social Impact Non-
profit Community), an Albuquerque-based nonprofit startup incubator that supports entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs
launching socially minded ventures. The organization helps innovate and scale social impact ideas
to address some of New Mexicos most pressing needs.

SINC began providing service support for nonprofits in 2012 and helped generate $5.39 million in out- with
of-state grants and contracts to serve the people of New Mexico.

SINC
With an annual operational budget of $293,000, SINCs demonstrated growth from 18 to 31 assisted
programs from November 2015 to April 2017 identified the need to expand services. SINC received
an EDAct recommendation for funding in the amount of $50,000 on April 2017, to continue and grow
its work to expand existing economic base nonprofit companies.

SINCE projects include Desert Forges work with veterans, We Are This City, initiatives to help artists
grow their businesses, TEDxABQ, the Mixing Bowl Community Kitchens food startups and the South
Valley Economic Development Center.

The nonprofits working with SINC works remain focused on Albuquerque, with a majority of their ef-
forts providing support for low-income and disadvantaged community members.
www.sincnm.org/about.aspx

17
SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCE COLLABORATIVE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

The Small Business Resource Collaborative (SBRC) is an alliance of Albuquerques leading nonprofits,
small business development organizations, local business advocates, business consultants and small
business owners. The purpose of the SBRC work is to prepare independently-owned businesses along
SBRC Program Stats
the Central Avenue Corridor (Coors to Louisiana) for the Albuquerque Rapid Transit construction,
which began early 2017.

SBRC launched in February 2016, with the purpose of providing locally-owned Central Avenue busi- Nice to Meet You!
nesses with two types of services: marketing strategies to maintain and grow customer bases, and
assistance with development of solid bookkeeping and financial practices to best manage impacts
336 Number of Businesses Meetings Along
Central Ave.
Were Here For You
from the construction. Number of SBRC Navigator Client
SBRC is a collaborative led by community experts, small business nonprofits and administered by a Meetings
team of business professionals funded by the City of Albuquerque. SBRC received a contract for Working Together

1,330
$250,000 in April 2017 to support its work for the remainder of the ART construction. The success of
the program has led to its consideration as a city-wide expansion. 211 Businesses that invited SBRC back to
develop custom strategies
www.sbrcabq.com

Central Avenue Loan Fund Implementing Your Ideas

149 Businesses implementing custom
Loan Applications Loans Approved SBRC strategies

15 $ 14

19
STARTUP TEEN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

StartUp Teen
StartUp Teen, a program administered by the Bosque School, began with an EDAct contract for ser-
vices in 2014 to create and launch the worlds first summer teen entrepreneur bootcamp program
and to support scholarships for underrepresented students. The program celebrated the start of its "I am so thankful for the scholarships to attend the Startup Teen Entrepreneurs
third StartUp Teen Entrepreneurs weeklong summer program May 2017.
program each summer. This was my third time to attend and I love it. I've been
EDAct funds are credited for having jumpstarted a program that has supported more than forty five involved in creating three different business ideas. I'll be entering high school
students from a variety of middle schools and high schools in the Albuquerque area over the past
next year and hope to continue attending these Startup Teen programs at
three years. These students joined the entrepreneurial program not really knowing anything about
what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Many of the students were recommended by teachers or par- Bosque School for the next four years." ~ Jasmine
ents to try this out because they have very creative ideas on how to solve problems. The program
provides students from a variety of walks of life with the confidence to continue pursuing their pas-
sion and the skills to present and defend their ideas in front of large groups.

EDAct program assistance is credited with allowing event organizers to broaden efforts to grow stu-
dent scholarship opportunities for StartUp Teen Entrepreneur Summer Camp.

The StartUp Teen Entrepreneurs program through Bosque School was started by Taylor Chavez, then
13 years old. She attended an ABQid Startup Weekend in 2013, with her father and left that experi-
ence determined to start a Teen Startup Weekend. That idea grew into the Teen StartUp summer
camp program teaching children how to be entrepreneurial thinkers and how to use their own ideas
to solve problems.

www.bosqueschool.org

21
THE GRANTS COLLECTIVE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

At The Grants Collective, we use federal and philanthropic investment in nonprofit or-
ganizations to bring out-of-state money to Albuquerque. We could not have launched
our programming without the support of the EDAct Council. So far, the return on invest-
ment for our EDAct contract is 142 percent. we are proud to partner with the EDAct
Council and Economic Development Department on making Albuquerque a place of
economic security and excitement for the future.
-Tara Gohr, President and CEO, the Grants Collective
The Grants Collective is the nonprofit arm of The Grant Plant Inc., a successful Albuquerque-
based grant-seeking firm that has secured more than $80 million for New Mexicos nonprofit or-
ganizations. In recent years, about 80 percent of grants secured in New Mexico were from fed-
eral or out-of-state sources. The Grants Collective seeks to help New Mexico nonprofits expand
upon this success by using proven methods to help build organizational capacity for successful
grant seeking.
New Funding for Talent Academy Non-Profits
The Grants Collective received an EDAct recommendation for funding in the amount of
$175,000 in July 2016 for a one-year contract. The contract was to support the launch of an ac-

$503,250
celerator program for established non-profit organizations to significantly increase capacity for
securing new sources of grant funding.
TOTAL GRANT
To receive EDAct funding, the project was required to secure project match funds of $175,000
from outside funding sources. FUNDING SECURED
The EDAct-funded accelerator program included creation of the Talent Academy. It served as

$425,000 FROM OUTSIDE

an intensive fellowship program aimed at local grant writers and fundraisers. The Talent Acade-
my curriculum made possible by EDAct funds was delivered to six nonprofit professionals. The
proposals they wrote while part of the cohort have been funded to the tune of $503,250 (with
more still pending). And $425,000 of that sum is money from outside New Mexico. NEW MEXICO
Talent Academy also provided clients with access to a Cooperative Network, an online plat-
form for fundraising professionals and grant writers. The Cooperative Network facilitated in-
person meetings with clients and fostered opportunities to the non-profit sector industry to work
together in a shared resource environment.

The final piece of the EDAct-funded program was the launch of the Grants Collective Impact
Fund. The fund is a network of New Mexico-based nonprofits available to help secure the re-
sources for needed consultations with subject matter experts and evaluators to increase com-
petitiveness within the local ecosystem of grant writers. The goal of the Grants Collective is to
increase local professional knowledge and technical capacity required to secure untapped
grant funding sources. The opportunity to attract more out-of-state funding resources to the
state effectively grows the pool of new funds available. Once funded by EDAct, the Grants Col-
lective was able to leverage City support with matching funding from the Nusenda and McCu-
ne foundations.

www.thegrantscollective.org

23
CANON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS INC. LEDA CLOSING FUND

Albuquerque emerged through our site selection process as an ideal location

for Canon's second Customer Support Center. With a diverse and well -prepared
workforce, a stable climate, and strong infrastructure the City was a clear
choice. The Economic Development Action funds provided by the City of Albu-
querque made our choice even stronger. The funds have helped to offset the
renovation costs, enabling us to make additional investments in our employees.
We have also focused our initiative to provide dual language customer support,
which is a higher wage position, in our Albuquerque location.
~Brian Griggs
Sr. Director, Business Development,
Corporate Communications Business Development

A commitment to operate for a minimum of

In 2014, Canon ITS utilized LEDA funding for a new customer and technical support operation at
4041 Jefferson Plaza NE in Albuquerque. The company made a commitment to operate for a
10 yearsand create
minimum of 10 years and create 150 new jobs. The State of New Mexico joined the City and Ber-

150 new jobs

nalillo County in putting together a package to finalize Canon ITSs location decision. Together,
the three government entities investment of $600,000 ($200,000 each) went toward eligible
building renovation expenses.

A key component of Canons decision to locate in Albuquerque was the ability to find bilingual
workers to serve its clients. CNM and the States Department of Workforce Solutions are collabo-
rating on this project.

Canon ITS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canon USA, world famous for its cameras, printers,
copiers, and other office and consumer products.

Canon ITS direct investment into the Albuquerque operation included $4.5 million in renovation
of 33,600 square feet of facility space and purchase of equipment. The job creation require-
ment to employ 150 new employees by 2017 is also on track to as an accomplished deliverable.
The Canon ITC LEDA legislation helped advance an economic development project that fos-
ters, promotes and enhances local economic development efforts, and provides job growth
and career opportunities for area residents. The Albuquerque City Council reviewed the project
and approved the project ordinance March 17, 2014.

25
ECLIPSE AEROSPACE, ONE AVIATION LEDA CLOSING FUND

Eclipse Aerospace Inc., applied to the City for LEDA funding in 2013 to support the expan-
sion of its aircraft manufacturing operations. The City was to provide up to $238,208 of assis-
tance toward eligible partial rental costs for facilities the company leases at the Albuquer-
que Sunport. The City was also to act as administrator for up to $397,014 in State funds ap-
propriated for the same purpose. The maximum amount of partial lease assistance was for
10 months. This was in exchange for the companys commitment to expand operations in
Albuquerque, increase employment by at least 100 over the companys baseline of 175,
pay at least 40 percent of monthly lease costs, and commit to operate for a minimum of 10
years. In April 2015, the company was merged with Kestrel Aircraft to form One Aviation.

The Very Light Jet market has continued to struggle since the recession. While there was
some employment expansion early on and the City reimbursed the company for a total of
$254,137 in lease payments, there have since been reductions. City reimbursement was
based on the addition of at least 10 employees per month. Reimbursement stopped when
employment decreased. Still, the company employs more than 100 people in Albuquer-
que, the 2016 annual payroll was $14.23 million, and a company spend for purchases of
over $9 million in local goods and services. The company has until the end of 2017 to meet
employment projections to receive any of the additional funding.

27
ABQID ENTREPRENEURSHIP/RETENTION & EXPANSION

Exceeded goal by
$400,000 $250,000
$350,000

$300,000

538
$250,000
$250,000

$200,000

TOTAL MENTOR HOURS

$150,000

ABQid, a New Mexico non-profit, is an early-stage business accelerator program working to identify and devel-
op high-growth, early-stage businesses and invest in them with the knowledge, resources and connections
they need to succeed. The organization also develops, implements and promotes a series of support activities
to grow Albuquerques entrepreneurial systems and businesses.
Toward this end, ABQid offers a variety of programming open to the public, as well as a flagship 12-week ac-
celerator program. This intensive program is designed for high-growth startups that empower entrepreneurs to
develop their businesses and launch their products while being supported by a network of mentors, advisors
and business experts. The goal of the ABQid Accelerator is to create high-growth companies led by local en-
trepreneurs who desire to create and grow their companies in Albuquerque.
ABQid received an EDAct contract in the amount of $1.9 million in April 14, 2014, to fund a three-year business
accelerator program. Contribution match requirements for ABQid under its EDAct agreement were to raise an
additional $250,000 in private sector funding by June 30, 2016, and provide verifiable information regarding
the fundraising status.
As of June 2017, ABQid reported it had exceeded the program year goal by raising a total of $400,000
$250,000 more than the EDAct contract requirements. ABQid also has completed its due diligence required for
submitting an application to the Catalyst Fund, a State of New Mexico venture capital resource fund.
The organization has raised more than $4 million in external capital ($5.3 million including ABQid capital).
ABQid completed a successful June-August 2016 accelerator program that culminated in Demo Day on
August 26, 2016.
As of May 2017, the accelerator has put 30 high-growth startups through its 12-week, intensive business- www.abqid.com/about-abqid
acceleration curriculum.
As of June 2017, ABQid has facilitated four entrepreneurial bootcamps with 54 startup company at-
tendees, and is hosting a bootcamp designed for a teen audience in Summer 2017.
The three-year total for entrepreneurs served by ABQid bootcamps is 412.
Four Bootcamps
$100,000
Goal Raised by
June 2017
PROGRAM FUNDS RAISED
As of June 2017, ABQid has facilitated 8 Idea Hacks, serving 7 entrepreneurs. Idea Hacks have sparked a lot of
focused attention on our entrepreneurs and provided solutions to their business challenges. Surrounding entre-
preneurs with creative thinkers and experienced business people to 'hack' a problem facing their company
has proven incredibly valuable for both the participants and our entrepreneurial ecosystem. One Idea Hack
led to the formation of a venture-backed company, and another inspired a local winery owner to focus full-
time on his business (which is growing quickly). Strong connections are formed at Idea Hacks, leading to long-
term mentor/mentee relationships and continued engagement with ABQid.
ABQid also continues to host monthly resource events for startups in addition to personal coaching hours twice a week.
As for the ABQid Accelerator:
23 of 30 graduating companies are still in business.
Those companies have hired 55 employees.
37% are/were led by underserved populations (racial minorities, veterans, and/or disabled individuals).
30% are/were led by women.
ABQid continues to coordinate and host the worlds only Ski Lift Pitch events to attract out-of-area investors
and give local entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their company ideas while showcasing our great quality
of life in New Mexico.
Three Startup Weekends

412 70
ENTREPRENEURS SERVED
ENTREPRENEURS SERVED AS OF JUNE 2017

= 2 entrepreneurs
= 4 entrepreneurs

29
ALBUQUERQUE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Thanks to EDAct funding, AED was able
to assist more than 100 local employers
between March 1, 2016, and March 31,
2017, supporting their efforts to expand
their businesses, succeed in our commu-
nity and create jobs for our neighbors.
~ Bob Walton, Vice President, AED
Albuquerque Economic Development (AED) is a private, non-profit corporation founded in 1960,
originally for the purpose of recruiting economic base businesses to the Albuquerque metropolitan
area. For the last 12 years, AED also has operated a highly successful program to assist existing local
companies with retention and expansion efforts.
AED provides timely assistance to existing companies in three main areas: 1) state incentives, 2) fi-
nancing, and 3) business-to-business connections. As of January 2016, the AED business retention
and expansion team had assisted nearly 1,500 local companies.
The City Economic Development Action Council approved an EDAct funded project for AED on
June 17, 2015. The funding request was $100,000 per year for three years, or a total of $300,000. Its
purpose is to expand AEDs highly successful existing business development program focused pri-
marily on manufacturers.
Under this program, AED connects local employers with the tools and resources they need to grow
and succeed. During personal visits with local employers, AED consultants provide guidance and
advice on financing, workforce training, business programs and incentives, and other topics. They
also help business owners make valuable business-to-business connections.
AED is the only organization within the community operating an education and outreach program
to help local economic base companies grow and retain jobs. AEDs business retention and expan-
sion program works to foster, promote and enhance a local economic development effort, which
supports job growth and career opportunities for area residents.
www.abq.org
SNAPSHOT OF PROGRAM OUTCOMES
MARCH 1, 2006-MARCH 31, 2017:
Area Under EDAct Contract
Consulting with Local Em-
ployers
JTIP Training for Employees
Workforce Connection
SBA 504 loans
Education
ENTREPRENEURSHIP/RETENTION & EXPANSION
Outcome (for period of March 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017)
As part of its EDAct contract with the City of Albuquerque, AED
consultants visited 134 companies within the Albuquerque met-
ro area between March 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017, to learn
about their opportunities and challenges and to ensure they
are taking advantage of the local, state and federal programs
and incentives that are available to them.
119 of the companies visited by AED (89%) are economic base.
AED consultants discussed the Job Training Incentive Program with
103 companies and assisted them with applying for program
funding when appropriate.
Seven companies that AED consultants visited under the EDAct
contract have received JTIP awards from the state of New
Mexico, receiving a combined total of $758,584. These seven
companies will use JTIP funding to train a total of 60 employees.
AED consultants referred 68 companies to Workforce Connection
of Central New Mexico One-Stop Centers.
AED consultants referred 17 companies to Small Business Admin-
istration lenders for SBA 504 loans.
AED developed and conducted a Connect to Success workshop
on May 12, 2016, to educate local employers about resources
and programs that will help their companies grow. The event
was attended by 77 people.
The workshop featured two educational tracks: Financial Tools for
Business Growth and Building Your Workforce. Four courses
were offered in each track, covering topics such as hiring prac-
tices and HR law, alternative lenders, JTIP, and new markets tax
credits.
The City of Albuquerque was recognized as a sponsor of the work-
shop.
31
CREATIVE STARTUPS ENTREPRENEURSHIP/RETENTION & EXPANSION

41
ENTREPRENEURIAL
VENTURES
created

160 JOBS
The Creative Startups accelerator is a program for the creative industries, designed to rapidly scale
startups at from prototype and early users into the market. It is the first program of its kind in the

Raised over $10 million in

world.
Creative industries include sectors like film, music, education technology, advertising, publishing, tel-
evision and radio, designincluding industrial, fashion, graphic and product design, software appli-
cation or apps, video games, performing arts, architecture, digital media, photography, museums
and culinary arts.

investment capital
The programs are ideal for startups just getting moving in the market, providing entrepreneurs a
framework for building a customer-centric company with the skeleton essential to scale. The accel-
erator program is unique in that the majority of classes are online, making them accessible to work-
ing adults who may want to launch a new business to support themselves and their families or to
those who have a creative business but need assistance and mentorship to take it to the next level.
Creative Startups also focuses on marketing its program to underrepresented residents.

MeowWolf, the internationally recognized immersive art experience in Santa Fe, was one of the
companies that went through the first accelerator program.

The Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship DBA Creative Startups was founded in 2007. Crea-
tive Startups is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based in New Mexico with offices in Albuquerque and
Santa Fe.

Creative Startups received an EDAct contract in the amount of $225,000 in May 2015 for a three-
year program. As of June 2017, the organization has worked with 41 entrepreneurial ventures, which
in turn have created 160 jobs and raised $10 million in investment capital.

www.creativestartups.org

Like any healthy ecosystem, diversity is our strength. We

need characters of every race, and blend of races, gender
and non-gender, all religionsyou name it! We need our
culture to reflect the real world, in all its multiplicity, tackling
the hard issues. EDAct has allowed us to expand our pro-
gramming and reach a more diverse population and grow
the creative economy right here in Albuquerque.
~Alice Loy, PhD, Co-founder & CEO

33
CREATE ABQ ENTREPRENEURSHIP/RETENTION & EXPANSION

Through the years we started seeing

an underserved population of incredi-
bly passionate entrepreneurs who
were just not ready for an accelerator
program. With EDAct's help, we were
able to start catering to this group
through workshops, meetup groups
and our pre-accelerator program
Creative Startups LABS. Now we are
able to serve startups at idea stage
and encourage even more young
companies to grow and succeed in
the creative economy.
-Amy Slater, Director of Operations

In partnership with the Citys EDAct funding of $100,000, Creative Startups launched createABQ, the
Citys leading creative economy resource offering:

Creative Startups LABS, a new bootcamp-style program for creatives who are not yet ready for
an accelerator;
Monthly workshops, a speaker series and networking events like Creative Mornings, the most well-
attended event of its kind in the Southwest;
Partnership with UNM Innovation Academy, bringing the LABS on campus to move idea-stage
entrepreneurs to prototype/first revenue and engage college students in our entrepreneurial
ecosystem;
Promotional activities positioning Albuquerque as a leading creative economy market.
Creative Startups and createABQ provide Albuquerque-based creative businesses the necessary re-
LABS helps nascent startups prepare for growth and to be truly ready to participate in a full-time ac- sources and support for their growth and success in the global creative economy. This results directly in
celerator. job creation and cultivation of a vast network of entrepreneurs, investors and creative-cultural leaders
who are determined to collectively support Albuquerques creative entrepreneurs.

Before EDAct funding, these key networks were not organized for this critical sector of Albuquerques
economy to grow and expand their positive impact on Albuquerques economy. People around the
world are now contacting the Creative Startups team to learn about how to set up these programs in
their communities.

Albuquerques success with its creative economy is catching national and international attention. Win-
ston-Salem, N.C., was the first city outside New Mexico to launch its own Creative Startups accelerator,
with the first cohort graduating in Fall 2016. It is anticipated to serve the Southeastern United States and
is the first of what will likely be eight expansion sites globally. Kuwait is the first international location of
Creative Startups, with the first cohort beginning in Fall 2017. Baltimore is set to be next in line, with a
partnership with Maryland Institute College of Art. Serious discussions are also occurring with Portugal
and Malaysia.

www.createabq.org

35
LAUNCHABQ, NEW MEXICO TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL ENTREPRENEURSHIP/RETENTION & EXPANSION

NEW AND UNIQUE CONTENT ABOUT

ALBUQUERQUES TECH ECOSYSTEM

185,000 106
READERS REACHED STORIES CREATED
OVER 12,000 VIEWS
OVER 4,000 SHARES

LaunchABQ, a program delivered by the New Mexico Technology Council, received initial EDAct
funding for a one-year technology entrepreneurs resource initiative in 2014. LaunchABQ created a
collaborative online platform called ElevateABQ, which serves as a library of stories about the peo-
ple and projects that make up Albuquerques technology community. LaunchABQ also created an
online framework and forum for those providing entrepreneur resources within the ecosystem and
looking to create events for local tech entrepreneurs.
"EDAct funds help the New Mexico Technology Council support our developing
technology industry through promotion and educational programming."
Our recent granting of EDAct funds will allow us to bring the technology communi-
ty together for a week of educational programming this September 2017 - showcas-
ing the best of New Mexico tech and technology companies!

With the Citys EDAct support, LaunchABQ created Albuquerques first digital technology communi- ~Nyika Allen
ty space and a weekly television program called ElevateABQ.
President & CEO
In May 2015, KASA-TVs This Morning program began broadcasting ElevateABQ as a weekly fea-
tured program. ElevateABQ can also be accessed online at https://www.newscastic.com/nc/
NMTC. An estimated 185,000 online readers receive new and unique content about Albuquerques

9
technology ecosystem through ElevateABQs featured Facebook page.

Since 2016, there have been 106 technology feature stories created for ElevateABQ, with more than
12,000 average monthly users and another 4,000 shared content users accessing the program con-
tent online. In addition to ElevateABQ, the New Mexico Tech Council created ecosystem partner-
ships to create nine ecosystem-building events in 2016.

The New Mexico Technology Council (NMTC) is a member-driven association of businesses, organi-
zations and technology professionals working together to promote the growth and success of New
Mexicos technology business sectors. The New Mexico Tech Council believes Albuquerques tech-
nology community is a catalyst for inspiration and leadership that transforms our state into a world-
ECOSYSTEM
center for business innovation, creative thinking, community involvement and educational support. BUILDING EVENTS
www.nmtechcouncil.org

CREATING LASTING PARTNERSHIPS

37
NEW MEXICO START-UP FACTORY II ENTREPRENEURSHIP/RETENTION & EXPANSION

CABQ EDAct Funds have been instrumental in

NMSUF's success. EDAct has enabled us to suc-
cessfully bridge the gap between technology Innovate ABQ and EDAct are the two most successful activities in the state for
transfer and commercialization to quickly cre- startup creation. We believe that continuation of this program will enable job cre-
ate and build job creating companies in Albu- ation, increased technology transfer, and continued attraction of capital to the
querque. These companies employ talent from area. It's not just an educational program EDAct is getting things done.
within the State and have even brought in
large amounts of capital from resources out- ~Dorian Rader, Executive Director, New Mexico Start-Up Factory II
side the State - all of that money is being de-
ployed in Albuquerque. The target populations of the program are scientists, entrepreneurs, research institutions
~Dorian Rader, Executive Director,
and New Mexico investors. EDAct funds were used to support costs to vet technologies,
New Mexico Start-Up Factory write commercialization and business plans, recruit talent for the companies, and pro-
mote the companies to potential investors. No EDAct money was used to fund any indi-
vidual company or specific technology. The project was managed by the New Mexico
Start-Up Factory II, a program of the New Mexico Angels, brings laboratory technologies to Angels and its Start-Up Factory program.
market by working with scientists looking to commercialize their technologies. Through the
program, technologists are coached through validation of the technology and market, and
are paired with an appropriate management team. A commercialization and business The program remains focused on recruiting high-level, C-Suite talent, as well as invest-
plan/model is formed, and if all signs point to a sound market and promising technological ment dollars and the scientists needed to create new companies in the area. The pro-
development, a company is launched. Companies and scientists that successfully com- gram serves Albuquerque by creating and developing technology-based entrepreneurs
plete the educational piece of the program are open to investment from the Start-Up Fac- and new job creation.
tory Fund. www.nmsuf.com

New Mexico Angels is the only New Mexico-based, accredited angel investors group fo-
cused on investing in early-stage companies in the Southwest. Since 1999, New Mexico An-
gels has invested more than $15 million in New Mexico startup companies.

The two-year EDAct project funding of $200,000 for Start-Up Factory II was contingent upon
$200,000 in matched contributions from other private sector sources. In its first year as an
EDAct funded project, New Mexico Start-Up Factory II launched a program to focus on the
commercialization of eight technologies and a plan to create companies around them.

39
TEAM ACCELERATOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP/RETENTION & EXPANSION

TEAM Technologies Inc., is an advanced engineering and electronics manufacturing company located
in the Sandia Science and Technology Park in Albuquerque. The firm serves aerospace, defense, energy,
national laboratories, industrial, automation, medical and industrial commercial clients.

TEAM Technologies received a contract in the amount of $275,000 in January 2017 for a two-year hard-
ware accelerator project to help companies develop minimum viable products, demonstration products,
or production ready products for Albuquerque-based startup ventures. Local match funding and com-
pany resources were provided.

TEAM Technologies, Inc. opened the EDAct-funded TEAM Accelerator, a hardware accelerator in Febru-
ary 2017 and started working with six companies in March 2017. Two additional projects were added in
May 2017 for a total of eight projects, and two more were under consideration as of June 2017. The TEAM
Technologies product-focused startup program teaches the industry standard of product development
cycle and technology readiness levels.

The range of projects and stages of companies and technologies represents a high mix of candidates for
success and touches a broad cross section of the community. For example, TEAM is working on three
sports- related products: an optics-based high precision first down measurement tool that will be seen
again by the NFL; a skullcap with pressure sensors to be worn under helmets and measure impacts to the
head; and an ergonomic stadium fan seat that has been accepted into the University of Oregon Ducks
store.

Other high-tech products in the program include an advanced optical telecommunications technology
that enables 10 gigabit data transmission at a fraction of the cost of fiber, and an advanced sensor for "TEAM Technologies Inc., has been running a self-funded hardware
intelligent homes and Internet of things. These companies are all early stage, with some rapidly advanc-
ing towards customer adoption and investments - truly an accelerated time to market.
technology accelerator for many years. EDAct funds have ena-
bled TEAM to formalize the approach and develop a program that
The value of this program is recognized by the participants in the program and is truly an envy of other is scalable. This important funding helps us see even more ways to
communities. With the immense research and development activity in the City, the move toward manu-
facturable products involves a unique design for manufacturing and assembly experience, facilities and reduce the time to market for startup ventures."
equipment. This program adds a tremendous capability towards building a diverse manufacturing-based
-Patricia Knighten, Chief Business Development Officer
economy.

www.team-technologies.com

41
THRIVE !ABQ ENTREPRENEURSHIP/RETENTION & EXPANSION

thrive!ABQ.com is an easy-to-use, searchable database of all registered businesses in Albu-

querque. The primary purpose of thriveABQ.com is to increase local purchasing at all levels,
from large buyers such as the City of Albuquerque to local residents.

Originally launched in March 2011, the website was an element of a larger economic devel-
opment initiative by the City of Albuquerque Economic Development Department. The initi-
ative and the website were generated through a public / private partnership.
thriveABQ.com
EDAct funds were used to develop and implement a marketing strategy for thriveABQ.com.
The implementation of a comprehensive marketing strategy would benefit Albuquerque
businesses large and small. The goal was to increase exposure for Albuquerque overall in
web searches, increase outside dollars spent here, and decrease local spending lost to In-
ternet sales and out-of-state competition.

EDAct funding led to additional business profiles and usage. As usage and site visits in-
creased, it improved Albuquerque businesses web presence and their ability to market to
customers within and outside of the metropolitan area.

The primary strategies for the marketing campaign were billboard and radio advertising; a
direct mail campaign through the monthly Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Water Utility Au-
thority bill; and an internship program to conduct outreach to specific industries and busi-
ness types to encourage the creation of thrive!ABQ profiles.

www.thriveabq.com

43
DEVELOPMENT COUNSELORS INTERNATIONAL (DCI) MARKETING

ALBUQUERQUE
ranked ahead of Tucson and Portland on Business Climate

71% of site selectors surveyed had visited Albuquerque. Of those people:

2% 5%

8%
for Business
One of the first programs funded through EDAct in 2013 was an analysis of the perceptions of Albu- for Vacation
querque as a place to do business: What did site selection consultants and corporate site location 14% for Convention
managers think of our community and our state, how familiar were they with us, and what were our for Education
perceived strengths and challenges? EDAct funded $40,655 to launch a national survey and to Other
begin a national public relations strategy. 71%

The work conducted with Development Counselors International (DCI), the countrys premier firm
focused on public relations strategies for economic development entities, produced some results
that confirmed some things we knew and shed light on some opportunities to increase positive per-
ceptions.
61% had considered Albuquerque for a clients location needs
A significant portion of the respondents (36.2%) thought that our business climate was improving,
and that was before the positive tax changes that the state legislature adopted in recent years.
Twenty percent didnt know much about Albuquerques business climaterepresenting a great op-
portunity for additional marketing to make them aware. The top three strengths associated with our
city were the cost of living and doing business, a good workforce, and our quality of life. Challenges
mentioned were the distance to large population centers and sometimes the availability of a large
pool of workers or very specialized workers.

DCI also conducted three local focus groups to get their sense of the business climate. The three
groups included technology companies, organizations involved in business recruitment, and those
working with the retention and expansion of existing companies.

The DCI work set the stage for the expanded National Marketing Campaign (See page 52).

45
 MARKETING

The EDAct program funding has increased Marble Street Studios visibility in the business communi-
ty. We hear all the time that people are genuinely appreciative of having access to free high -
quality images and videos.
This project would not have come together were it not for the EDAct funds provided. Now we are
seeing our images everywhere being used by large and small business and nonprofits of all sizes.
This tells us that we have done something good for them and our community.
~ John Yost, Marble Street Studio

STILL PHOTOS VIDEO CLIPS

Marble Street Studio Inc., is a local commercial photography and video production company in business in
Albuquerque for more than 30 years. Through a public/private partnership among the City of Albuquerque,
Bernalillo County, Marble Street Studio, and area businesses and organizations, the studio recently created the
Free ABQ Images Library to be a first-of-its-kind economic development tool.
5,429 686
The library is an online collection of professional photos and videos of the Albuquerque area that can be
downloaded and used by anyone at no charge. It is especially useful for small businesses that do not have a
budget for high-end photography and for people in the business of marketing our city. Tourism agencies, Real-
tors, ad firms, economic development groups, and City government are a few examples. The visuals can be
used to enhance websites, social media, advertisements and other marketing materials, or for personal use.
TOTAL DOWNLOADS TOTAL DOWNLOADS
Marble Street Studio applied for and was awarded $150,000 in EDAct funds to launch this project in December
2016. Marble Street Studio was also required to raise matching funds of $150,000 to receive EDAct funding.
These private sector partners included more than 35 local businesses and organizations, making this a true
public/private partnership.

At its launch, the Free ABQ Image Library consisted of more than 400 still photographs and 100 time-lapse/
video clips. As a requirement of the contract, Marble Street is committed to creating new imagery by dedicat-
ing 60 days of shooting and an additional 30 days of post-production work. Marble Street Studio will also pro-
vide five final, edited video pieces on the subjects of economic development, entrepreneurism, education,
quality of life, and recruitment for medical professionals.

The Marble Street Studio EDAct project released a 66-second video production to be used as a roadshow
piece on March 10, 2017. The production was designed with input from the Citys industry recruiters as a quick-
paced video short of Albuquerques existing industry, quality of life, culture and history.

The Marble Street Studio EDAct project hit a major milestone in April 2017 by reaching its 5,000th download.

The Free ABQ Images Library can be found at www.freeabqimages.com

47
THE LOOP MARKETING

"Albuquerque is an incredibly special place to live and work. EDAct funds have
given us an opportunity to spread that message by empowering the city's fans
to share the good news about our city throughout the nation."
-Steve McKee, President of McKee Wallwork + Co.

The Loop is a locally integrated marketing concept that uses a patented social media plat-
form (Swell Starter) to promote positive stories about Albuquerque. The patented technolo-
gy enables the website administrator to post selected content to a defined group and al-
lows members of the group to share that content through their social networks.
The Loop launched as an EDAct project with an award of $144,000 in 2014.
Today the program is a featured component of the City of Albuquerque National Marketing
Campaign.
The Loop is promoted and maintained by a group of passionate social media influencers
whose mission is to positively impact the way our beloved city is perceived. Rather than
waiting for the traditional news media to share our citys endearing qualities, weve taken to
our social networks to affect change and share the good news about its rich character, cul-
ture and innovation.
Once a participant signs up, the individual receives an email invitation from The Loop. Par-
ticipants simply follow the emails link to confirm basic contact information and to set up
preferred social media channels. Once complete, The Loop starts serving content into a
designated social media hub and allows followers to engage with and share good news
stories with contacts within their entire social network.

http://theloopabq.com

49
NATIONAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN
Albuquerque has developed a
vibrant entrepreneurial ecosys-
tem in the past few yearsone
of innovation created and per-
petuated by entrepreneurs as its
leaders. It is a community that
encourages and applauds diver-
sity and empowers individuals
with ideas at all levels of society,
regardless of education, back-
ground or interest. Here, there is
a collaborative and inclusive ap-
proach to economic develop-
ment, supported by public-
private partnerships, community
organizations, investors, govern-
ment and academia, and driven
by every-day individuals.
Because Mayor Berry, the EDAct
Council, and the full City Council
wanted more entrepreneurs and
innovators to know about Albu-
querques unique assets, they
designated $1 million for a Na-
tional Marketing Campaign to
spread the word.
A request for proposals led to
two companies being chosen to
collaboratively spearhead the
effort: Rough Draft NYC LLC,
which has broad national con-
nections and brings an outsiders
perspective to the campaign,
and McKee Wallwork & Compa-
ny, a local firm that innately un-
derstands the mission.
McKee Wallwork is focused on
expanding an exciting social
media network of people who
love Albuquerque and then uti-
lizing their networks to broad-
cast positive stories and beauti-
ful images to the nation and the
world. The platform is called The
Loop (see above) a locally inte-
grated marketing concept that
uses a patented social media
platform (Swell Starter) to pro-
mote positive stories about Al-
buquerque, its people, places,
businesses, amenities, quirkiness
and delights. Stories to date
MARKETING
On a national level, the entrepreneurial landscape
is cluttered and disparate. Funding the National Mar-
keting Campaign has allowed us to identify who our
audience is and craft and execute a targeted ap-
proach to reach them in a compelling way. Our al-
ways-on strategy integrates owned and partner so-
cial media channels enhanced with sharable creat-
ed content, PR, paid and earned traditional media,
advertising, national event sponsorships, paid search
have included business success and content marketing that all drive back to our reg-
stories, technology and innova- ularly updated website. Rallying our efforts among
tion information, national
various Albuquerque startups, groups and organiza-
awards, rankings and recogni-
tions ensures our message remains authentic, which
tion, economic statistics, tourism
and convention information, has proven to grow avidity locally and affinity on a
entrepreneurship, film and me- national scale. So far, the National Marketing Cam-
dia, and business location, ex- paign has exceeded 3 million impressions.
pansion and investment from.
From January to June, more -Glenn Pajarito,
than 4,200 trackable shares of Co-Founder of Rough Draft NYC
content have occurred, deliver-
ing more than 15 million impres-
sions across various social net-
work channels.
McKee is also creating monthly
content in the form of videos,
memes, articles and the like
around a variety of Albuquerque
-centric themes. These have in-
cluded entrepreneurism, wom-
en/gender equality, music and
resiliency.
www.inovativecentralabq.com
51
NATIONAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN
Rough Drafts work launched in
January 2017, in conjunction
with the official kickoff of the
campaign. The agencys focus
has been on identifying and
creating an array of content for
target markets/audience de-
mographics, social media chan-
nels, digital advertising, social
and podcast influencers, and
nationally renowned startup
conferences. All content so-
cial posts, videos, collateral ma-
terial, booth displays, etc are
created 100 percent by the
agency and designed to at-
tract the kind of individuals, en-
trepreneurs and innovators who
are looking for a supportive and
vibrant place where they can
be an integral part of the com-
munity and see their ideas blos-
som.
Part of Rough Drafts integrat-
ed, multi-pronged strategy is to
engage with the campaigns
target audience face-to-face,
to meet them in their environ-
ments and share information
about Albuquerques entrepre-
neurial ecosystem with them in
a way that feels genuine. To
achieve this, a portion of
Rough Drafts budget is being
spent on sponsorship of three
nationally acclaimed and/or
world-renowned conferences
aimed at entrepreneurs: Colli-
sion Conference, the worlds
largest tech conference, at-
tracting more than 22,000 peo-
ple; Next Gen Summit, the first
conference for young entre-
preneurs (ages 15-25); and Hus-
tleCon, an event for non-tech
startup founders.
Results are showing both an
increased awareness of Albu-
querque as a competitive,
viable city for startups as well
as heightened interest in our
entrepreneurial community
from thousands of innovative
minds, not just within the U.S.
but also abroad. Metrics from
Collision Conference alone
show more than 100,000 so-
cial media impressions were
achieved and more than 300
face-to-face conversations
were had.
To further the direct engage-
ment with the target audi-
Mayor Berry speaking at National Marketing Campaign news conference
MARKETING
ence, the campaign is giving zines; and a bi-weekly newslet-
away a trip to Albuquerque, ter shoots out across the coun-
including a curated tour of try highlighting Albuquerques
the entrepreneurial ecosys- ecosystem, Innovation Cen-
tem, to three winners drawn tral, a hub for entrepreneur-
from databases of contacts related activities and thought
collected at each of the leaders.
events.
All campaign content and more is
Finally, weekly video vignettes housed at abqic.com.
are being developed to show-
case the diversity of talent of
our own people and their
achievements, and illustrate a
place full of ingenuity across a
mix of cultures; strategic media
abqic.com
buys are being made in Inc.
and Southwest Airlines maga-
53
A CHANGED COMMUNITY A CHANGED COMMUNITY

The Economic Development Action Fund marked an evolution in how economic development is practiced.
This initiative was groundbreaking because it actively engaged the community to improve the economy and
financial well-being of city residents. Part of the rationale behind the program was that if the government can
serve as a catalyst for efforts launched in the community, as opposed to always pushing ideas into the private
sector, then those efforts are likely to see greater long-term success and sustainability because they are al-
ready integrated among the people. EDAct is just one of the vanguard strategies implemented recently by
the Citys Economic Development Department, and it is abundantly clear that it is working.

The economic development landscape in Albuquerque has been fundamentally changed as a result of
EDAct. From teenagers working on their own startup companies in the worlds first Teen Startup Bootcamp; to a
creative accelerator being replicated internationally; to would-be manufacturers having someplace to de-
sign, engineer, and build their prototypes; to a national marketing campaign spotlighting the amenities and
diversity of our entrepreneurial ecosystemAlbuquerque has been transformed forever.

Then and Now
Before the EDAct program, it was difficult for people in the creative industries to find targeted business assess-
ment and development. Now there is the worlds first established program for these entrepreneurs - Creative
Startups. People from as far away as Dubai and Indonesia want to know what we are doing here and how
they can start programs like it.
The Future
As envisioned from EDActs start, many of these programs are now well established in the community. The goal
has always been that City funding would decrease over time as these programs are embraced, nurtured, and
sustained through the efforts and funding of others. However, it is likely that some lower level of City funding
can help solidify these outstanding community-generated efforts. The opportunity to continue this ground-
breaking approach to community economic developmentand the funding for itshould be pursued vigor-
ously.

Before the establishment of EDAct, there was no organized program where our community could collectively
share good news stories on social media about Albuquerques business climate, entrepreneurial opportuni-
ties, and associated quality of life, places and events. Now, with the expansion of The Loop, nearly 3 million
positive impressions have been shared. There is also now a wealth of beautiful community photos and videos
that businesses (and residents) can use for free to promote their company and our city around the world,
thanks to the Rights Free Image Library. Now the successful AED Retention/Expansion Program, which has as-
sisted more than 1,100 great Albuquerque local economic base companies, has been able to double its out-
reach and assistance.

With the EDAct program, ABQid is now an Albuquerque accelerator focused on high-growth potential com-
panies, and started the worlds first Ski-Lift Pitch event to match local entrepreneurs with venture capital
resources. And we have an expansion of a program focused on developing companies that are commer-
cializing technologies out of our national laboratories, with seed funding from New Mexico angel investors.

Now, more than 150 employees are working at Canons Information Technologies Technical Assistance Cen-
ter with a focus on bi-lingual services. We also now have an accelerator program focused on assisting and
training our established non-profit organizations to greatly increase the amount of money Albuquerque
philanthropies bring in from out-of-state.

Albuquerque is celebrating a transformation in economic development, and the EDAct Program has been
key to this. While this profound change has been catalyzed by the vision of Mayor Berry and City Council,
and administered through the Citys Economic Development Department, it is appropriate to frame it as
community barn-raising: EDActs programs extend deeply into the community and are being implemented
by many wonderful individuals and organizations.

55