A Letter from AED Chair, Ray Smith
We’re thrilled that Facebook has selected Los Lunas as the location for its newest data center!
The announcement is the culmination of a year-long effort that began when Governor Susana Martinez led a delegation that first visited the company headquarters on August 25, 2015. She was joined on that trip by Chief of Staff Keith Gardner, former Cabinet Secretary Tom Clifford, outgoing Cabinet Secretary Jon Barela, the City of Rio Rancho’s Matt Geisel, and AED President Gary Tonjes.
This is an incredible day for Los Lunas, the Albuquerque metropolitan area, and New Mexico. AED expresses its sincere thanks to Facebook, and to the dozens of people we worked with who helped make this day possible. Additionally, I’d like to thank Secretary Barela for asking AED in early January of this year to lead the recruitment effort to win this project. As Board Chair and a business leader, I thank AED’s team for their extensive work behind the scenes on this incredible project. This world-class company will give a tremendous boost to the community and the construction industry, and their decision will motivate other technology companies to consider the Albuquerque metro area as an outstanding place to grow their respective businesses.
Los Lunas representatives were fantastic partners throughout the process, and unwavering in their dedication to win the project. Special thanks go to Los Lunas Mayor Charles Griego and the Village Council, along with the Village of Los Lunas staff and its advisors.
This also would not have been possible without PNM, which had dozens of staff members heavily involved for months in an effort to win the project. PNM and company officials worked closely together preparing an application for an essential energy agreement approved in August by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission., which also deserves our thanks, in a race against Utah.
In addition to its initial minimum commitment of 30 jobs and $250 million in investment, Facebook expects the Los Lunas data center to support thousands of indirect jobs by way of construction, operations and services. Here are two examples of the company’s economic impact in two other data center locations:
Prineville, Oregon
- Total capital expenditures were approximately $450 million from 2009 to 2013 (encompasses construction period; does not include server expenditures).
- This project has generated a total gross economic impact of $637 million and supported 3,800 jobs across Oregon.
Forest City, North Carolina
- Total capital expenditures were approximately $526 million from 2011 to 2013 (encompasses construction period; does not include server expenditures).
- This project has generated a total gross economic impact of $707 million and supported 5,000 jobs across North Carolina.
Here’s a great way to see what the company is planning to bring to the area: www.facebook.com/LosLunasDataCenter.
As always, thank you for your support of AED, which is generating jobs and opportunities for the Albuquerque metro area.
Best regards,
Ray Smith
Chair, Albuquerque Economic Development, Inc.
