Economic recruiter added for county

Members of the Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation board have hired an economic recruiter who will be responsible for recruiting and retaining businesses in Roosevelt County, along with other duties.

RCCDC President Randy Knudson said Greg Fisher of Tucson, Ariz., has accepted the position after a nationwide search that started in July and brought five candidates to Portales for interviews. He is scheduled to start his new position the third week of October, according to Knudson.

Knudson said he is pleased with Fisher’s hiring and believes his background will allow him to hit the ground running in the position.

“He’s had a bunch of experience and he comes highly recommended,” Knudson said. “One of the things we were so impressed by was he has such a diverse background.”

Fisher is currently the director of the Tucson Department of Transportation. He was also planning and project administrator for the University of Colorado at Boulder, a consultant for KPMC Consulting in Denver and a program manager for marketing with the marketing division of the city of El Paso.

Knudson has said larger local employers like DairiConcepts, Abengoa and Southwest Canners have indicated that they have problems filling positions because of the lack of amenities such as shopping, restaurants and night clubs. He said even the county’s largest employer, Eastern New Mexico University, is experiencing faculty and staff recruitment problems for the same reasons — a reason many faculty choose to live in Clovis.

Among the specific things the recruiter will be tasked with are strengthening ties with ENMU and working directly with the transition teams preparing to relocate Air Force families from Hurlburt Air Force Base as Cannon Air Force Base is transformed to a Special Operations base.

“He’s going to bring a level of expertise to Portales in all areas,” Knudson said. “It’s just another piece of all that’s going on right now,” Knudson told Roosevelt County Commissioners during their meeting Tuesday. “We’re real excited and I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

The the city of Portales, Roosevelt County and ENMU are among the governmental entities with membership in RCCDC. The balance of their membership and funding comes from private enterprise, according to Knudson. For practical purposes, Fisher will be an employee of the city of Portales, the largest governmental contributor.