TCED is supporting a number of community economic development projects. Take a look below to see what we're up to. Please reach out using the contact info below if interested in working together.

Business Innovation & Resources Center (BRIC)

In partnership with the Town of Taos, Taos MainStreet, Small Business Development Center at UNM-Taos, Taos County Chamber of Commerce and UNM-Taos HIVE, TCED is working to create a one-stop business services center located at 115 Civic Plaza Drive in Taos. This hub will serve as a centralized location for all the partners listed above, and provide streamlined services for entrepreneurs, start-ups and existing businesses. Taos County has contributed funds towards the renovation of 115 Civic Plaza, as well as initial operational planning support to Taos MainStreet; who will be the primary operator of the BRIC. Planning and development is underway, and partners hope to open 115 Civic Plaza for services by late 2025. 

Business Retention & Expansion Program Development

TCED received generous grants from the LOR Foundation and from the New Mexico Economic Development Department to create the strategic framework and pilot a Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) program. A BRE program is designed to provide information gathering tools that allow economic developers to identify needs and opportunities for job and wage growth, risk analysis, and visionary opportunities for the whole community. Without thoughtful, industry-specific information gathering tools, a considerate approach, and a place to hold the information, economic development strategies are reactionary, rather than driven by data and real-time business needs. 

TCED is working with Anwar Kaelin to design this program. In Spring, 2025, TCED will work with Jessie Hook to pilot the program within the creative industries sector, thus connecting previous NMEDD-funded work. This initial pilot will provide feedback about the creative industries and the effectiveness of the BRE tools, and how to improve them. TCED anticipates having a plan for additional industry evaluation by mid-year 2026. 

American Rescue Plan Act Community Investments

TCED is working closely with community partners to invest a portion of the remaining funds that were allocated to Taos County from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). ARPA was signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden on March 11, 2021. It was designed to enable all Americans to respond to and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. By law, all entities that received Federal ARPA funding must obligate (contract or encumber) any remaining funds no later than December 31, 2024.

Taos County's community focus is to support the development of youth-to-adult career and business development services that will create economic recovery and resiliency, and career readiness for Taos County residents and businesses.

These investments include $800,400 via the Taos Community Foundation to distribute sub-grants to Taos Center for the Arts (TCA), Amigos Bravos, Friends of the Rio Grande del Norte, and an open grant opportunity for workforce development and recovery. Funds to the TCA and Friends group will focus on youth work-based learning opportunities in the creative and outdoor recreation economies. Funds to Amigos Bravos will support planning and design for a walking and nature path along Los Pandos Road that will connect pedestrians from Paseo del Pueblo to Witt Rd. This project is part of a larger effort to increase safety along Los Pandos Road, and leverage potential grant funding to address watershed health and vitality of the Rio Fernando de Taos. Additional investments confirmed by the Board of Commissioners include 4 funding agreements between the Town of Taos and Taos County to direct $200,000 to Taos MainStreet for tourism industry development and small business recovery, and $50,000 to support the development of a small business development hub. The total of these obligations is $1,150,400. 

Read the full press release >

Economic Recovery Corps

Taos County is among 65 host sites selected as part of the inaugural Economic Recovery Corps to receive help in advancing a project critical to the economic recovery of our community. We are the only community in New Mexico to be selected. ERC projects represent the interconnectedness between economic development and the pressing needs in communities of all sizes, including workforce development, entrepreneurial ecosystem building, housing, childcare, climate resiliency, broadband, and access to capital. Each project across the U.S. receives a dedicated fellow (fully funded for 2.5 years from the ERC program) who serves as a field catalyst to enhance, strengthen, and coordinate relationships and local efforts alongside the host community. We are delighted to be matched with local Taoseña Contessa Trujillo, who brings a wealth of expertise and passion to help us and local stakeholders on a Cultural & Outdoor Asset Mapping Study for Equitable Development for the next 2.5 years. Building off her work with the Paseo Project, the Destination Stewardship Plan, and her deep roots in this community, Contessa is the ideal candidate to create a rich and broad asset identification study of the outdoor, artistic and cultural treasures throughout Taos County.

Project Description:
As we begin a County comprehensive planning process, and to ensure inclusive community engagement, and equitable resource distribution and development going forward, Taos County sought capacity to conduct a Cultural and Outdoor Asset Mapping Study. This study will identify tangible assets such as venues, vacant facilities, trails, underutilized resources, and community centers that support the outdoor and creative economies. The study will also aim to identify places that are valuable intangible assets: those that hold historical meaning and memory, and are considered cultural treasures for which we do not want to lose to development. Taos County is at risk of being “loved to death” by our tourism economy. There is an urgency to safeguard the lifeways that have existed here for centuries, while understanding that growth and development are inevitable. This research-informed approach will give us an opportunity to make mindful decisions, combat gentrification, and move with intentionality.

View all 65 Host Community Projects and Meet the Fellows >

The Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) Fellowship program aims to build capacity in economically distressed areas across the U.S. while cultivating the next generation of economic development leaders. The program connects 65 host sites nationwide with diverse practitioners and leaders with the passion, skills, and vision to create new ways of doing economic development. The ERC Fellowship was launched in 2023 through a $30 million cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). It is led by the International Economic Development Council and supported by 6 other national economic development organizations.

Rolling Still Distillery & True Taos Radio

In May of 2023, Rolling Still purchased a 3-acre, blighted warehouse property in El Prado with the intent to restore and renovate the property in order to house production and warehousing operations. In addition to the warehouse structure, there was also an abandoned retail gas station space. The smaller retail space was sold to KNCE, True Taos Radio with the intent to repurpose that building in the future. 

Taos County Economic Development began working with Rolling Still and KNCE in the late Summer, 2023 to explore a range of financing and resource opportunities that would assist in the redevelopment of the property. 

With the understanding that the property served as an old gas station, and with questions about what materials might exist in the old warehouse building, Taos County acted as an authorizing partner between Rolling Still and KNCE, and the New Mexico Environmental Department’s Brownfield Program. By working together in partnership, TCED was able to assist Rolling Still and KNCE in securing over $17,000 worth of Phase I and II environmental assessment services and reports. These reports will allow the businesses to be eligible for other public funding and/or loan opportunities as they continue to revitalize a significant property along the main corridor in El Prado. 

TCED supported a successful application to the USDA Rural Business Development Grant Program, and is acting as fiscal agent on behalf of Rolling Still and True Taos Radio. Taos County will provide administrative oversight and facilitation of the Federal award. TCED will continue to support the development of this property as additional partnership opportunities continue to arise.  

Destination Stewardship Plan

Taos County is pleased to participate as a partner with the Town of Taos and many community groups to develop the Destination Stewardship Plan. This plan will provide an important framework for our region to create economic benefit for our local residents, while managing tourism in ways that increase respect, appreciation, and responsible growth for our community. 

Trails+ Grant

In September, 2023, TC Economic Development was awarded a $99,000 Trails+ Grant from the NMEDD Outdoor Recreation Division. According to NMEDD, “This grant program supports projects that enhance communities' outdoor recreation opportunities. Trails, river parks, wildlife viewing areas, and more contribute to economic development, prosperity, and wellness. This grant funds shovel-ready projects that directly add to that access.” 

Our project involves the planning and design of a .34-mile trail and construction of temporary recreational interventions as the first phase of an eventual 9-acre multi-use workforce housing development on the vacant lot behind the County Complex at the corner of Albright St and Gusdorf Rd. The site is central to a cluster of housing and social service organizations — it is well-positioned to become a nexus of multigenerational, socioeconomically diverse civic life. The proposed planning and design process will be centered around a potential walking path and other recreational amenities to ensure that the multi-use site that will be developed in subsequent phases honors the community’s vision of maintaining the historical connection with the area’s most precious natural resources such as its water and land while providing access for enjoyment by all. The Rio Fernando is an historic waterway which flows directly adjacent to the proposed project site which opens opportunities for other community uses such as educational youth programs.

While the proposed project site is intended to welcome all, it will be focused on meeting the needs of local residents compared to those of visiting tourists. The community trail will encourage walking and biking, and connect the neighborhoods behind the County Complex to nearby commercial activity along Paseo del Pueblo Sur. Ultimately, this full workforce housing development project will aim to mitigate the negative effects that tourism and short-term rentals have wreaked in the community by focusing on amenities for local residents while attracting workforce populations that bring renewed energy and innovation which further contribute to economic development of the region. In addition, several local businesses will benefit economically from the increased density and customer base the workforce housing development will attract. The long-term economic benefits of this project are significant since the project will not only create jobs but most importantly, it will help attract the desired talent and skills necessary to grow the tourism, outdoor recreation, and other complimentary industries the region relies on economically.

Taos County anticipates the initial and temporary walking path to be completed no later than December, 2026, per the grant guidelines. Initial site planning for the full 9-acre workforce housing development will begin in late Spring, 2024, and will incorporate all community input from the trail development process.

NM Tourism Department's Destination Forward Program

TCED is supporting two successful grant awards from the NM Tourism Department's 2024 Destination Forward Program. TCED won a $500,000 grant to support interior finishes for the Historic County Courthouse on the Taos Plaza. TCED is acting as fiscal agent for a $100,000 grant awarded to the Peñasco Valley Historic Preservation Society to create design and construction documents to support the renovation of the historic St. Anthony School in Peñasco. These projects will take place through 2026.

Past Projects

NMEDD Creative Industries Grant FY24

During the 2023 NM State Legislative Session, HB8 was passed and as a result created a new division within the Economic Development Division called the Creative Industries Division. An initial distribution of $2 million for the 2024 fiscal year was provided to this new division. As a result NMEDD conducted an open call for grant applications. 18 grants of $100,000 each were awarded.

Taos County is a proud recipient of an inaugural Creative Industries Grant. Taos County’s project is a two-pronged program that will expand upon and continue a youth internship program currently underway at the Taos Center for the Arts (TCA) that places young people in paid internships with arts and cultural organizations. The second part of the project will offer three in-person, weekend-long business development workshops across the County for artists and creative entrepreneurs between January-May 2024. The Taos Arts Council will administer the various projects within the grant, including hiring a part-time Project Coordinator. Taos County and the Taos Arts Council are working with the Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) through their Artist Inc Express program to deliver the three creative entrepreneur training workshops.

The Chamber of Commerce will be an important partner throughout both pieces of the grant project to cultivate and support the network of both youth interns who may be interested in further career development in the arts, and the creative entrepreneurs who are seeking to build relationships with the broader business community. Taos County is committed to equitable access to the business development workshops, and has dedicated funds in the grant budget for transportation, child and/or elder care, and other needs that may arise that would otherwise prohibit individuals from participating and advancing their creative practices. 

The two project pieces will offer a continuum of direct workforce development opportunities that build the capacity of the County’s cultural institutions for the long term, helping create a trained and sustainable workforce to enhance the fabric of its creative community. The workshops are specifically designed to serve artists and creative entrepreneurs from across disciplines and at all points in their career trajectories.

This opportunity will also allow Taos County and partners to explore the long-term viability of establishing its own creative entrepreneur program that could be led and operated locally, with revenue-generating opportunities for local partners. This initial grant funding is a unique moment to provide high-quality training for local businesses, work-learning experiences for youth, and the County’s own education as service providers to ensure business and workforce development programs such as these for the foreseeable future.

This project took place between January - June, 2024.

Red River Brewing Company

In 2022 and 2023, Red River Brewing Company underwent a massive expansion of their operation, which included a new distillery and tasting room. Taos County Economic Development was pleased to partner with RRBC as a fiscal agent in coordination between RRBC and New Mexico Economic Development Department (NMEDD) on a $150,000 LEDA award. 

Have a project in mind and want to work with us?

If you are interested in learning how your business can work with Taos County, you are looking for resources, have a specific project and/or grant in mind that needs government support, please contact Taos County Economic Development Director, Jessica Stern, at jessica.stern@taoscountynm.gov or book an appointment online to discuss.