- Aries Worldwide Logistics will create twenty new jobs for New Mexicans from the onset
- Pedraza Customhouse Brokers’ new customs brokerage distribution center will occupy 8,000 square feet of existing space along the industrial corridor on Airport Road
LAS CRUCES – Two companies recently revealed plans to set up shop in Santa Teresa, furthering the effort to build business and generate investment in New Mexico’s burgeoning Borderplex. Aries Worldwide Logistics, a Houston-based global supply chain solutions and logistics company, and Pedraza Customhouse Brokers, a customs brokerage firm based out of El Paso, both announced in recent weeks their plans to expand to Santa Teresa.
Aries Worldwide Logistics calls expansion a ‘no-brainer’
Aries Worldwide Logistics, a Houston-based leader in global supply chain solutions and logistics, chose Santa Teresa for the site of its latest expansion, the company announced in a news release Tuesday, Nov. 15. This project is part of the company’s strategy to “Better accommodate its robust list of customers who are already part of the high-growth New Mexico Borderplex” and to further establish itself in a major trade lane with confirmed increases in commercial traffic, the company stated.
“It was a no-brainer to expand Aries Worldwide Logistics’ newest branch into Santa Teresa, New Mexico,” said District Director Jose Guzman. “Statistics have shown that the Santa Teresa Port of Entry’s land port volume has quickly risen from 17th to 6th place in national rankings.”
The Santa Teresa project is set to open its doors this November, with an estimated initial capital expenditure of $1.5 million. Twenty new jobs will be created from the onset, with potential for further hiring in the future.
The nearly 40-year-old Texas company offers warehousing, packing and brokerage solutions “via its comprehensive global network that encompasses trucking, rail, cargo ships and airfreight modalities,” the release stated. The privately owned enterprise’s new site in the heart of the Borderplex region will occupy over 145,000 square feet of space and will be the only warehouse in Santa Teresa with designated Foreign Trade Zone services open to all clients.
Within three minutes from both the Union Pacific Rail Depot and Port of Entry, the facility will feature six levels of racking that leverage state-of-the-art information technology and equipment. Guzman estimates initial freight value passing through the location will be in excess of $250 million annually.
“We are proud to promote and maintain this high-value operation in Santa Teresa with our goal to push the Santa Teresa Port of Entry into the top five in terms of land port volume,” Guzman said. “We are excited to contribute to the workforce, the economy, and to help promote Santa Teresa for years to come.”
Pedraza Customhouse Brokers
Pedraza Customhouse Brokers, Inc., a customs brokerage firm with more than 30 years of experience worldwide, also recently selected Santa Teresa as the location for its latest expansion. Also a Texas-based company, Pedraza CHB’s new customs brokerage distribution center will occupy 8,000 square feet of existing space along the industrial corridor on Airport Road, adjacent to the Doña Ana County International Jetport.
“We are very excited to be opening a warehouse in Santa Teresa,” said Pedraza CHB Vice President Mary Frances Allen. “We foresee maintained growth at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry and with it a stronger need for our customs brokerage and warehousing capabilities.”
Melinda Allen, of the New Mexico Partnership, noted that Santa Teresa continues to attract a wide range of industries to the area.
“Pedraza is just one of the many companies that are recognizing the growth and advantages of locating of the border region in New Mexico,” Allen said.
The port of entry continues to break its own commercial traffic records and is expected to continue as congestion increases in nearby El Paso ports of entry. In the previous two years alone, the Santa Teresa Port of Entry has doubled the number of commercial vehicles processed per hour while still maintaining the fastest crossing times in the Juarez-El Paso Customs District.
With its headquarters in El Paso and a secondary location in Laredo, Pedraza’s soon-to-open Santa Teresa location will be the first presence it maintains outside of its home state.
Benefits to the Borderplex
“Aries is notable because they serve global companies and they will be activating a portion of their operation as part of the Foreign Trade Zone,” said Jerry Pacheco, president of the Border Industrial Association and a senior business advisor for the New Mexico Partnership. “Pedraza is notable because more and more customs brokerage firms are choosing to locate in Santa Teresa because of the increasing volume of trade.”
Davin Lopez, president and CEO of the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance, agreed.
“A company like Aries further utilizing the Foreign Trade Zone complements Doña Ana County’s long-term strategies to grow trade when they expanded Foreign Trade Zone 197 to the entire county in 2014 under the Alternative Site Framework. The volume of international companies that Aries serves should only bring more attention to this designation we have.”
If, as Lopez suspects, this serves to raise Doña Ana County’s profile in the international business community, it could inspire other companies to relocate or expand into the area.
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