Bye bye Rio Rancho Economic Development Corp., hello Sandoval Economic Alliance Inc.

Months of discussions between Sandoval County commissioners, local business people and Rio Rancho city officials have come to fruition with the creation of a new nonprofit organization tasked with bringing jobs and businesses to the county and its largest city.

Sandoval Economic Alliance Inc. will build on work done by the Rio Rancho Economic Development Corp., which ceased operations on Monday, said Joe Sierra, Rio Rancho Market President for Century Bank, in a news release issued Thursday.

Sierra is the chairman of the 14-person Economic Alliance board that includes Rio Rancho City Manager Keith Riesberg, Sandoval County Manager Phil Rios and local representatives from businesses such as Intel, Hewlett-Packard, US Bank and Don Chalmers Ford.

The release said the organization will work on adding jobs that bring new money into the area, retaining and expanding existing businesses, and supporting entrepreneurship. It also will work with other local, county and state organizations to enhance and diversify the region’s economy.

City and county leaders hailed the start-up of the group.

“Diversifying the local economy through new job opportunities is paramount for Rio Rancho so that it can remain one of the best communities in the nation,” said Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull in the release.

Read more at the link below:

New nonprofit focuses on RR, county economy | Albuquerque Journal News.