Greater Gallup EDC Highlights Financing Tools for TradePort Projects in Santa Fe

Patty Lundstrom, executive director of the Greater Gallup Economic Development Corporation, and Tommy Haws, president of the GGEDC board, convened the organization’s 17th Economic Roundtable in Santa Fe on Friday, February 6, 2026, to spotlight public and private financing tools aimed at accelerating local development projects. The event, themed “What’s in the Financial Toolbox for Building our Economy?”, featured two panels and drew either 70 participants, as reported by GGEDC in a February 11 press release, or 60 civic and business leaders as reported in local coverage; the host and local outlets both provided those figures.

The program organized eight experts into two panels titled “Tools of the Trade” and “Getting It Done,” with a second panel that explicitly included Marquita Russel, CEO of the New Mexico Finance Authority; Mark Valenzuela, principal with Bosque Advisors; Ryan Mast of Sustainability Partners; and Tim Gourley of Gutami USA, who also served as keynote speaker. Panelists described models and programs that can be combined and “stacked” to accelerate projects, and Lundstrom called the meeting “the strongest program‑based meeting we have ever had. The presentations, program and agenda were excellent!”

Organizers tied the roundtable’s financing focus to the ongoing Gallup‑McKinley County TradePort effort, a multi‑year project titled “Designing and Moving the Gallup‑McKinley County TradePort Forward.” Local planning for the TradePort includes a county‑owned business park, an automotive proving ground, a hydrogen and multi‑fueling hub, recruitment of import‑export industry, establishment of a foreign trade zone, and development of critical infrastructure. A steering committee with representatives from GGEDC, the City of Gallup, McKinley County, Gallup Land Partners, BNSF Railway, and the New Mexico Department of Transportation has conducted site visits and consulted with John C. Martin & Associates, Hatch Consultants, Kimley‑Horn, and Integrity Consulting & Coaching.

The TradePort project has been selected for an IDEA Rural Project of the Year award, with a public presentation slated for September 25 at the governor’s annual Economic Development Conference in Isleta, New Mexico. Haws said the award “acknowledges a tremendous body of work undertaken by the staff of the GGEDC, our public and private partners at the local, state, national, and international levels, and our expert consultants,” and added, “It’s something our community can be proud of, because it demonstrates our vision and our willingness to forge new economic opportunity for our people – even in the midst of all the turmoil and change in the global economy. The roundtable itself was a big success, providing deep information and insights into the TradePort initiative, along with interactive workshop discussions involving all participants.”

After the Feb. 6 roundtable, roughly a dozen participants remained to meet with the GGEDC team to discuss practical local application of the finance tools presented, and the press release included a group photo caption naming local leaders in attendance: Rick Murphy, Tony Tanner, Tim Gourley, Tommy Haws, Frank Chiapetti, Maksim Yashirin, Sierra Yazzie Asamoa‑Tutu, Jeff Kiely, Bobby Baca, and Bruce Armstrong. The presence of Marquita Russel from NMFA and a BNSF regional manager indicates state and rail industry engagement, a governance mix that GGEDC leaders and consultants will likely lean on as they stack financing programs and pursue the IDEA award recognition through the rest of 2026.