CITY OF LAS CRUCES APPROVES LAND DEAL FOR Rocket Racing LeagueŽ
The sale of 171.35 acres at the West Mesa Industrial Park to the Rocket Racing LeagueŽ (RRL) for $2.33 million was unanimously approved October 16, 2006 by the Las Cruces City Council. The land will be used to develop the Rocket Racing LeagueŽ "industry cluster" made up of businesses directly related to rocket racing and the League. The planned RRL Aerospace Business Park surrounds the site south of the Las Cruces International Airport where the RRL is building a 50,000-sq. ft. global headquarters and the League's flight operations center, commonly referred to as "RRL Gasoline Alley."
"We are now positioned to attract some of the top manufacturers, designers and other personnel not only for the rocket racing industry, but for aviation and the emerging space industry as well," stated Granger Whitelaw, president and CEO of the Rocket Racing LeagueŽ. "We are grateful to the City Council for its decision, which will benefit both the RRL and Las Cruces. Since being named the #1 small business community in the U.S. by Forbes, Las Cruces is now poised to join Charlotte and Indianapolis as the nation's leading racing cities, with New Mexico becoming the undisputed leader in the new space race."
Rocket Racing Inc., in collaboration with the State of New Mexico and the City of Las Cruces, reached a formal agreement in January 2006 to site the RRL global headquarters in and around Las Cruces. The underlying factors that led to this selection over other qualified areas include a strategic alliance between the X-Prize Cup and the RRL (including a long-term commitment to race the finals of the RRL point series in New Mexico in conjunction with the X-Prize Cup) and an aggressive multi-million dollar economic development incentive package offered by the State of New Mexico and the City of Las Cruces. The West Mesa Industrial Park at the Las Cruces International Airport was chosen as the best location with an excellent airfield, dedicated taxiway and over 300 acres of available land for light industry and office space development.
The industry "cluster" will provide three- to five-acre pad sites for industries that support the League and have other aerospace and aviation interests. The vision for the RRL headquarters operation is "a destination in which the League, the teams and the supporting industries are centrally located in and around its airfield/race operation allowing for racing, development, and management of the League." This build-up of industries into what is known as a "racing industrial cluster" is common to the racing industry and has repeated itself across many racing leagues including Formula 1, NASCAR and the Indy Racing League. Some of the types of businesses that could be located in the aerospace business park include: airframe manufacturers, composite and propulsion manufacturers, avionics and control technologies, maintenance operations, geospatial positioning system companies, telemetry, simulation, film and television production, merchandise design, manufacturing, distribution and delivery, event production and management, transportation, trucking and shipping services, graphic arts, printing and advertising, business and development offices, rocket racing teams, research and development facilities, fabricators, sports marketing firms, and specialty part suppliers.
The economic impact of a racing related industrial cluster on state and local economic development is significant. In 2003 the total economic impact on the North Carolina economy from "NASCAR Valley" where NASCAR is headquartered was over five billion dollars, with more than 24,000 high-wage jobs being created.
The RRL Land Development LLC was created in July 2006 as a separate and distinct company to oversee and manage land development activities of Rocket Racing Inc. The RRL Land Development LLC, in conjunction with the parent company, will assist in raising capital, master planning the Business Park, marketing the property, overseeing improvements and helping to determine the needs of industry cluster members.
Local Las Cruces resident and businessman John Hummer serves as the managing director of RRL Land Development LLC. Hummer, through his company Steinborn TCN, will serve also serve as the listing and property management agency for the RRL Aerospace Business Park. Hummer can be reached at 505-496-7272.
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