GGEDC luncheon spotlights business strength, workforce partnerships in Gallup
Gallup’s economic pitch centered on 32 local leaders, McKinley Paper’s rebound and TradePort plans tied to jobs, airport designations and hospital recovery.
At the Sala of Rocket Café, 32 business leaders, industry representatives and public officials used Greater Gallup Economic Development Corporation’s annual Business Retention and Expansion luncheon to measure how much of Gallup’s economy is already moving and how much is still on the drawing board. The May 18 event, part of 2026 Economic Development Week, put local employers, workforce partnerships and industrial plans at the center of the discussion.
McKinley Paper & Packaging Company drew some of the strongest attention. David Martin, the company’s general manager, received GGEDC’s BRE Outreach Program Partner Excellence in Business Award, and board president Tommy Haws pointed to the company’s resilience and growth after the 2020 closure of Escalante Generating Station. That recovery matters in a county where one major closure can reshape the industrial base. State support has also been part of the picture, with New Mexico pledging $5 million in Local Economic Development Act assistance for a new boiler, associated equipment, inbound water systems and wastewater treatment to help sustain long-term operations at the plant.
The company’s operating model has become part of Gallup’s broader economic story. Industry profiles say McKinley Paper’s New Mexico and Wisconsin facilities use about one-fifth of the water required in traditional production and recycle 92% of it, while a company profile says the plant recycles 100% of the water used in operations. For a region watching both industrial retention and long-term utility costs, that kind of efficiency is more than a talking point. It is part of the business case for keeping manufacturing in McKinley County.
The luncheon also turned to the Gallup/McKinley TradePort, which GGEDC says is intended to strengthen logistics, manufacturing and sustainable energy development. GGEDC said its 2025 work on the TradePort value proposition included Foreign Trade Zone and User Fee Airport designation efforts at the Gallup Municipal Airport, with support from the city and county. An October 29, 2024, TradePort roundtable drew 41 participants, signaling how many institutions are now tied to the project.
Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services was another focal point. Wayne Gillis was honored for restoring the hospital’s fiscal health and improving long-term stability, a significant issue in a county where hospital finances and staffing have been recurring concerns. A 2024 report said RMCHCS had nearly erased $34 million in debt and was preparing to reinvest in infrastructure, workforce and patient services. By spring 2026, however, Gillis had resigned effective March 11, leaving the hospital’s turnaround story paired with a leadership transition.
GGEDC said its BRE Outreach Program has been operating since 2013, and the luncheon underscored how much the county’s economic future depends on employers that stay, expand and train locally. In Gallup, the real test is whether those partnerships continue to translate into payrolls, freight activity and lasting investment on the I-40 corridor.
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