S&P Data to Hire 425 for New Site in Rio Rancho

A Canadian/U.S. company that provides sophisticated customer support and data analysis to Fortune 500 companies worldwide is planning to open its third U.S. location in part of the Hewlett Packard building in the Rio Rancho city center.
The company will hire 100 employees during its first year, rising to 425 employees over the next few years. Average annual pay will be $38,000 plus bonuses and benefits, Gov. Susana Martinez said.
S&P Data CEO Dan Plashkes announced his company’s plan to come to New Mexico at a news conference in Rio Rancho on Wednesday accompanied by the governor and a host of city and state officials.
S&P Data has 1,500 employees and locations in Toronto, Canada; Troy, Mich.; and Cleveland, Ohio. Its clientele includes household names like American Express, Mercedes Benz and McDonald’s.
Martinez said S&P will invest $4.4 million to upgrade the infrastructure for its facility in Rio Rancho and the state will provide $500,000 in Local Economic Development Act funds.
S&P will also apply for job training assistance funding through the state’s J-TIP program. It’s unclear how much funding the company is seeking. Economic Development Department spokeswoman Angela Heisel said S&P will file its application on Friday.
Plashkes said his company chose New Mexico because it is looking for places where its business can create value. The Cleveland facility in that city’s downtown helped spur inner-city revitalization, Plashkes said.
“S&P Data is really excited by its entry into New Mexico. First and foremost, our decision to locate in New Mexico was based on the quality of the people and the availability of technology, research and development,” Plashkes said in a news release later in the day. “New Mexico topped the list for quality of labor and affordability of lifestyle.”
He said during the news conference that the company always studies the educational institutions in a location.
“I think the quality of education here is great,” Plashkes said.
He told the Journal the company will begin hiring in October.
The jobs will require extensive computer knowledge and specialized skills, Sandoval Economic Alliance interim CEO Jami Grindatto said.
City staff expect the new company to be operational within a few months.
“It’s my understanding that they want to be functioning by the holidays,” Matt Geisel, Rio Rancho’s business relations manager, said after the news conference.
Bringing the company to Rio Rancho was a collaborative effort among the state Economic Development Department, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque Economic Development, the newly formed Sandoval Economic Alliance and other state agencies, said AED President Gary Tonjes.
Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Jon Barela praised the collaborative effort saying the state needs to continue to diversify its economy.
“We need to move from a culture of complacency and dependency on the federal government,” Barela said.
In an interview after the news conference, Mayor Gregg Hull said the S&P jobs would help make up for the loss of jobs when Intel reduced its Rio Rancho workforce last year.
By: Rosalie Rayburn (Albuquerque Journal)
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