NAIOP Rio Rancho roundtable tours Rio TECH

NAIOP New Mexico’s monthly Rio Rancho roundtable session took a little field trip Thursday morning.

NAIOP New Mexico usually meets on the first Thursday of each month at Rust Medical Center, where members of the real estate development industry are provided with a visionary, beneficial and responsive association serving developers, owners, investors and commercial real estate professionals.

About four dozen people Thursday morning gathered in the parking lot of Rio TECH, formerly known as the Career Technical Education center, for the June meeting.

Rio Rancho Public School Superintendent Sue Cleveland and CNM President Tracy Hartzler spoke to the large crowd, which included state Rep. Joshua Hernandez, Sandoval County Commissioner Dave Heil, City Councilor Nicole List and former school board members Catherine Cullen and Ryan Parra, who were instrumental in making Rio TECH a reality.

“I didn't have these opportunities, and I wanted these opportunities when I graduated. It was never there. So when I got on the board, I said, 'These kids are gonna get the opportunities I didn't; whether I get credit or not, I don't care. I want them to have the opportunities,” Parra said. “The fact that we're at the front of this means that Rio Rancho is gonna be on the edge of whatever develops in the future; we're always gonna be relevant and we’re always going to attract the best business and the brightest minds, whether it's a four-year degree or vocational. It just means we're gonna have a better, stronger community.”

Rio TECH, with TECH an acronym for Technical Education Career Hub, sits on a 23-acre piece of land with the buildings on it to serve as the centers for vocational studies and careers.

The former CTE building, a 74,000-square-foot structure that previously housed Victoria’s Secret (1997-2012) and Alliance Data (2012-21) call centers, is in the process of a lengthy and pricey renovation that will house Rio TECH, a new Rio Rancho Public Schools high school specifically for students interested in skilled trade jobs.

The CTE complex became a serious topic for the district about five years ago. In that time, what had been an $8 million project has grown to be a $100 million complex.

That extra amount won’t cost taxpayers.

In the 2019 bond election, the Rio Rancho community voted to support CTE in RRPS with $12 million, partially to alleviate student populations at Cleveland and Rio Rancho high schools.

In 2023, voters in Sandoval County and Bernalillo County decided to approve the CNM General Obligation (GO) Bond on Nov. 7.

The GO bond will provide $80 million for projects at multiple CNM locations in both counties, including funds for the Rio TECH campus.

The campus will be shared by RRPS students and adult CNM students. CTE trades programs at CNM will be offered to RRPS students as dual credit opportunities, and the facility will also be used to offer CTE programming to CNM students and job seekers in the Rio Rancho and Sandoval County community.

“We have very talented students who not only seek greater opportunities, but are also excited about helping us build our community and build our space, and so we look forward to the differences it is going to make in the lives of our students,” Cleveland said. “Adults will also have access to this program, so it will also be an opportunity for adults who maybe are underemployed or wanting to change their career and go in a different direction. We can't wait to make this a reality.”

CNM is moving its entire auto mechanic, diesel mechanic and brand-new electric vehicle mechanic programs to the Rio TECH campus. The automotive trades building, to be built west of it and run by CNM, will eventually get its own name.

The two entities will share expenses to operate the facilities. Three hundred high school students will share teachers and space with 300 CNM students at Rio TECH.

“We know that this partnership is really important to Sandoval County. We are really proud that we're working with Dr. Cleveland to provide programming that is meaningful and responsive to not only our high school students, but also the adults who are seeking to be retrained, upskill and to find a more stable pathway to success,” Hartzler said. “So that's what's really exciting about this partnership here is that not only are we doing this to serve our high school students but also to serve adults who are looking for another way into really sound, sustainable careers.”

The target opening date is fall 2025.