Artesia, NM - Today, Governor Susana Martinez welcomed a new manufacturer, CGS Group, to Artesia. The company expects to create up to 50 new manufacturing jobs over the next several years.
"We're working hard to make New Mexico more competitive for business, particularly manufacturers," said Governor Susana Martinez. "CGS is a new company, starting from the ground up right here in Artesia, New Mexico. We're proud of their commitment to the community and welcome CGS as new partners in our continuing efforts to diversify our economy."
CGS manufactures high-quality precision rifles and firearms accessories. The company will use state-of-the-art precision design methods and production processes. With the opening of its first production facility in Artesia today, the company expects to create up to 50 new high-paying manufacturing jobs over the next several years. These jobs will include machinists, gunsmiths, designers, engineers, and others. More information on CGS Group can be found on their website at www.CGSGroup.com.
Governor Martinez's economic reforms continue to show results for New Mexico. These reforms include instituting a single-sales factor for manufacturing, curbing tax pyramiding (which often resulted in the double or triple taxation of goods), and reducing the business tax rate by 22 percent. Following these reforms, renowned professional services firm Ernst & Young recognized New Mexico as the best state in the west for manufacturing, up from third worst in the region before Governor Martinez took office.
The announcement comes just a week after the U.S Department of Commerce ranked three New Mexico cities among the top five U.S. metro areas for export growth. Earlier in the year, the Department of Commerce announced that New Mexico leads the nation in export-related job growth at 107 percent for 2014, well ahead of the next-closest state. And just weeks ago, New Mexico made a big leap in CNBC's "America's Top States for Businesses" rankings, jumping from 37th to 24th in the country. The improvement is tied for the best in the nation.
"We're proud to start our journey here in New Mexico, and grateful for the business-friendly attitude created by Governor Martinez and her administration," said CGS Group President Bobby West.
Earlier this week, Governor Martinez announced that ARCA Space Corporation, which originally started in Romania and located its headquarters to New Mexico in 2014, will build a testing and manufacturing facility at the Las Cruces Airport, creating 100 new jobs. The very same day, the Governor announced that manufacturing company Solaro Energy would be expanding its operations in Socorro by doubling its production and creating 25 new jobs. And just yesterday, the Governor announced that Aircraft Technical Support (ATS), a Florida-based international aviation service and support company, will expand its Roswell operations and expects to hire 140 new workers in the next year.
"Policies put into place by Governor Martinez to assist job creators continue to move New Mexico in the right direction with 33 consecutive months of year-over-year job growth and diversification of the private sector," Secretary Barela. "We are on the right track and look forward to helping recruit and expand more businesses."