Cibola’s Secret Weapon

GRANTS, NM – Cibola County is home to an economy that appears to be thriving, economic data from the third quarter has not yet been released by the New Mexico but new local businesses show that Cibola’s economy is healthy and growing. But in order for the economy to be strong, remain healthy, and create more opportunities for the people who live in Cibola, local businesses need support. Cibola’s local businesses have a secret weapon they can take advantage of, there is a whole network of local businesses and community leaders who want to see a strong economy and support each other. The Grants-Cibola County Chamber of Commerce is putting together a network to support local businesses, especially in the rural areas of Cibola.

In 2020 Cibola County was hit with crisis after crisis stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. One of these issues was a lackluster broadband infrastructure was quickly addressed by local telecom leaders like Continental Divide Electric Cooperative and Sacred Winds Communications. With stronger broadband capabilities, a world of options has been opened to rural communities to support their work but many rural businesses may not understand how to leverage these new opportunities. The Chamber of Commerce has plans to train Cibola’s businesses and help to improve their ability to market themselves.

“This isn’t something I can do alone. This isn’t something one board or one government can do. This is a whole team effort. We succeed together,” Brenda Curtright, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, said.

Secret Weapon: A Strong Network

The Chamber of Commerce is a massive economic engine that has businesses members and individual citizen members. Anyone can become a member of the Chamber of Commerce and join their network of businesses professionals.

By joining the Grants-Cibola County Chamber of Commerce, businesses and member are joining a strong network of professionals who are working together to support each other and the economy around them.

Curtright said, “When I started, we were recovering from COVID – I want to be recovered. We’re working with anything that helps build our local economy. When one business succeeds, we all succeed. If a business can grow and hire more employees, than those employees have more money that they go and spend in another local business; that business has employees who go and spend money at other local businesses. We go full circle; the economy thrives together. I want everyone to know that by being part of the chamber, you are part of a network where you support other local businesses and local businesses support you… We can create a successful circle and really see growth.”

Being part of the network means that businesses will be receiving trainings, like one coming in July where the Chamber will present a training on Artificial Intelligence and how that can be to support marketing opportunities for local businesses. The idea for the training, Curtright said, is practical application of AI in a 21st Century workspace. This training will come in July after a quarterly meeting of the Chamber’s full membership. A meeting not just for members of the chamber board but all businesses and individual members of the origination.

Advocacy

Local government can pass taxes, new zoning for areas in the community, and a number of other actions that impact local business. Curtright said the Chamber exists to advocate for the businesses of Cibola County.

“We want to be more active in our local businesses,” Curtright said, “I want to see growth. We are making the network stronger to improve the capability of reaching out and making the voice of businesses stronger.”

The Chamber advocates on behalf of businesses to governments on a federal, state, and local basis.

To measure their success, the Chamber is preparing a survey for members to help identify where they need to improve and what members expect from the Chamber. With a small staff and a working board, the Chamber of Commerce is doing its best to support local businesses, including in the most rural parts of Cibola.

Businesses in metropolitan areas, like Grants and Milan, need help advocacy. Businesses in more rural areas are also in need of support, and the Chamber recognizes this. The Chamber has begun an outreach push to get support out to the more rural areas of Cibola, including Cubero, Seboyeta, Fence Lake, Pinehill. “We recognize the challenges of being in a rural area, and that these challenges are growing. We are reaching out to rural businesses to bring them in and make them stronger. We advocate for all of our businesses and we recognize that rural businesses are important cornerstones of their communities.”

The Grants-Cibola County Chamber of Commerce can be reached at 505-287-4802. Here, they can be contacted about becoming a member and the benefits they offer. The Chamber of Commerce is a secret weapon that can be leveraged by businesses to supplement their marketing, communication with local governments, and help them to grow and find new resources.