9/14/2012 - Hobbs Chamber of Commerce

JAL
Since 1927
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I
News - S u n
EUNICE
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HOBBS
No. 228
Community News
HEARTS DESIRE INC.
kicks off its first
Saturday meeting on
Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. at
Hearts Desire Recovery
Outreach 1109 S. Main
in Lovington. This is a
gathering of men
meeting from the oilfield and related service areas. The first free
meal is a brisket dinner.
The group will meet
every third Saturday of
the month.
I
LOVINGTON
I
TATUM
I
SEMINOLE
I
DENVER CITY
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
50 cents
Pact has many perks for Lea
I NMJC partnership with
Albuquerque-based solar power
firm brings guidance, business to Lea
BETH HAHN
NEWS-SUN
The stars may be aligning for Lea County.
What began as a partnership between New Mexico
Junior College and Sacred Power culminated in a
new adjunct member of the school’s faculty, a new
student and another new business for Hobbs.
NMJC officials and Richard Fialho announced the
NMJC-Sacred Power partnership and an energy
park at the college Wednesday afternoon.
Fialho, vice president of business
development for Sacred Power, is
now a student at NMJC and serving
as adjunct faculty.
“About a year-and-a-half ago, I had
never been to Hobbs,” he said. “I probably would have had a hard time finding it on a
map.”
NMJC vice president for training and outreach, Robert Rhodes, contacted Sacred Power to
explore the possibility of using the company’s
expertise in solar power to enhance the college’s
alternative energy program.
Initially, Sacred Power would set up solar panels
for the alternative energy program and
guide students. The idea grew into a
full-fledged partnership during
the past 18 months.
Fialho said Sacred Power,
which is based in Albuquerque,
was considering expansion in the
state. When the NMJC opportunity
came up, the company eventually opted to
open an office in Hobbs.
Fialho, who moved to Hobbs a few weeks
ago, also enrolled in NMJC’s energy technology
program.
He thanked NMJC staff for inspiring him to go
SEE PARTNERSHIP, Page 5
ABSENTEE VOTING
begins Oct. 9. Early
voting begins Oct. 20,
and Election Day is
Nov. 6.
EDC: Study
will help
lure firms
to county
LEA COUNTY RESIDENTS are not
required to apply for
an alarm permit with
the Hobbs Police
Department. Only residents who live within
the Hobbs City limits
are required to have
an alarm permit.
LEVI HILL
NEWS-SUN
forward with his original application,” Gallagher said
during Wednesday’s County Commission meeting.
The county’s new liquid waste disposal ordinance will
go into effect Sept. 22 or Sept. 23, Gallagher said.
If the ordinance is in effect before the state
Environment Department receives new plans for
Rancho Dal Paso, the property owner must apply to Lea
County for a liquid waste disposal permit in addition to
a state liquid waste disposal permit.
Gallagher said it is possible that the property owner
changed plans for an open sewage lagoon to another
A new retail study commissioned by
the City of Hobbs and the Economic
Development Corporation of Lea
County will give the county the tools
to lure new retail stores, restaurants
and other national businesses to the
area.
Lisa Hill, vice president of the Retail
Matching Division for Buxton Inc.,
presented the company’s retail study
findings for the first time at the EDC’s
monthly
luncheon on
T u e s d a y.
Braxton was
hired to conduct a retail
Economic
study for the
county
in
Development
2007,
and
Corporation
this is an
update
to
of Lea County
that study,
said Lisa Hardison, EDC president
and chief executive officer.
“The type of data we can get is
invaluable to recruiting companies,”
Hardison said of the near $15,000
study.
Hill said Braxton is an industry
leader in market research and has
more than 2,000 clients including companies such as Lowe’s, Applebee’s,
AAMCO and H-E-B. Her company
uses partners like Visa and
TransUnion to look at communities
on a granular level, identifying buying trends on a consumer-by-consumer basis.
“We look at more than 75,000 individ-
SEE LAGOON, Page 6
SEE STUDY, Page 6
SHERI’S MEMORIAL
FUND, House of Hope
Thrifty Boutique needs
volunteers. To volunteer please call Jan
Lobeck or Kate Provost
at 393-HOPE (4673).
THE N.M.
ENVIRONMENT
DEPARTMENT is offering free water testing.
For more information,
call 505-222-9574.
Inside Today
Obituaries ...........................2
Lottery.................................2
Mark the date ....................3
Fun & Games ......................7
Weather ..............................8
Sports ..................................9
Classifieds..........................14
TV ......................................16
OIL
PRICES
West Texas intermediate
Price Change
Spot
Posted
Sour
N. Gas
$98.31 + 1.30
$95.00 + 1.50
$89.75 + 1.50
$3.307 - .026
TODD BAILEY/NEWS-SUN
Zumbathon
Zumba instructor Claudia Anchondo works her audience Sept. 7 during the Party in Pink Zumbathon benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Sewage lagoon proposal may change
BETH HAHN
NEWS-SUN
LOVINGTON — Plans for a 69,000-square foot open
sewage lagoon in northeast Hobbs could be changing.
County manager Michael Gallagher said the owner of
Rancho Dal Paso, formerly known as Adobe Village,
notified the state Environmental Department that he is
considering new plans for liquid waste disposal at the
apartments.
Gallagher said the notification, though, did not hint at
what the new plans could be.
“At the end of September, we should have a better idea
of if (the owner) is revising his application or moving
JP Stone opening branch bank in Eunice Monday
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JP Stone
Community Bank
executive vice
president Robin
Stone
Willingham said
excitement about
the bank in
Eunice has been
“different than at
any other branch
I have ever
opened.”
NEWS-SUN PHOTO
MATTRESS DEPOT
Norte Vista Plaza • 118 W. Bender • 392-6055
A DEPARTMENT
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LEVI HILL
NEWS-SUN
The economic upturn in Eunice will take another step forward Monday when the James Polk
Stone Community Bank opens its doors on the
newest branch.
Robin Stone-Willingham, executive vice president for the bank, said she expects it to be a historic first day for the bank.
“Generally, when we have an opening — even
like in Hobbs — we weren’t just swamped, but I
think we could be here,” Stone-Willingham said.
“I have had lots of people calling wanting to be
our first customer. There is a different kind of
excitement here than at any other branch I have
ever opened.”
The 1,200-square-foot bank building, which was
moved from Hobbs to Eunice, but when the Hobbs
branch of the Portales-based bank opened, business boomed faster than expected.
“The hardest part of going to Eunice was finding a place,” Stone-Willingham said. “And when
the Hobbs branch took off so well we could justify building a branch and moving our mobile bank
to Eunice.”
The reason JP Stone decided to open a branch in
Eunice is two-fold. First the bank does well in
small communities and second Stone-Willingham
really likes Eunice.
“When I first got to Hobbs, I did a home loan in
SEE BANK, Page 6
FROM
HOBBS NEWS-SUN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
THE FRONT PAGE
5
Partnership
from PAGE 1
KIMBERLY RYAN/NEWS-SUN PHOTOS
New Mexico Junior College president Steve McCleery addresses a large crowd Wednesday
during a ribbon cutting ceremony announcing the NMJC-Sacred Power partnership and
energy park for the college. Behind McCleery is Robert Rhodes, NMJC vice president for
training and outreach.
What’s Up
Lovington?
making it happen!
back to school.
“It’s probably been about 20 years since college was the focus of my life,” he said. “But now
I want to finish a bachelor’s degree and an
MBA.”
Sacred Power joins DCP Midstream,
Marathon Oil Corporation, Lockheed Martin,
the New Mexico Environmental Department,
the J. F Maddox Foundation, the New Mexico
National Guard, Lea County Electric
Corporation and NMJC, among others, to make
the college’s energy park a reality.
The businesses joined the state and NMJC to
set aside a portion of the college’s land for wind
and solar installations. Rhodes said the equipment is not only for practice for NMJC students, but will also provide the campus with
electricity.
Sen. Carroll Leavell, R-Jal, praised the partnership and NMJC energy park.
“It’s going to take all types of energy to meet
the needs of the next 30 to 40 years,” he said.
Rep. Shirley Tyler, R-Hobbs, said the energy
park represents “an awesome vision” NMJC
staff and board members created for the college.
“This is a tremendous opportunity,” she said.
NMJC president Steve McCleery said the energy park is the result of synergy — many parts
Richard Fialho, vice president of business
development for Sacred Power, speaks
Wednesday announcing the NMJC-Sacred
Power partnership.
working together to be a greater whole.
“Lea County has the unique opportunity to be
something special,” he said. “We have to capitalize on every bit of energy that is coming
together.”
Fialho said he is excited to be a part of the
EnergyPlex.
“It’s a package ... of all different technologies
working together,” he said.
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