EL PASO- Bob Cook's job is to create jobs in El Paso. He works for the El Paso Regional Economic Development Corporation. To do that, he got defensive.
"Defense companies have been one of our primary objectives from the very beginning," Cook says.
He lures businesses to El Paso. His usual pitch takes an hour, but for us he summed it up in two words.
Fort Bliss.
"Where the federal government is going to be spending dollars, and if it's at Fort Bliss, then these companies want to be where those dollars are being spent," Cook says.
Over 40 companies are eyeing El Paso to set up shop. Cook puts their ETA around 2012. That's about the same time Fort Bliss will finish its expansion.
"It's when all that is on the ground and operational that the full value will be in place, and that will cause the defense companies to begin making their investments," says Cook.
Investments mean jobs, with the industrial industry dominating. Skilled workers will be hired to weld, fasten, and fix.
"So you have R&D, manufacturing, and the maintenance and reset, which in the short to medium term, the larger opportunities will likely be there," Cook says.
34,000 soldiers use a lot of equipment. And when it wears out, somebody has to repair it.
That means lots of work for El Pasoans. White collar jobs will open up too. UTEP and NMSU graduate 1,200 engineering students each year.
They'll be in high demand, as companies seek talented people to help design new technology.
"The multiplier effect of bringing the defense industry here is much greater than just those projects on the ground. There's the potential to grow other high tech operations," Cook remarked.
He hopes these jobs will help create more. El Paso gave Fort Bliss the space it needed to grow. REDCo plans to help Fort Bliss return the favor.
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