Whereas entrepreneurs say New Mexico is a challenging place to build a business — particularly in terms of raising capital and hiring certain types of employees — LQ Digital CEO Katy Keim calls the state "incredibly competitive" for attracting new companies.
Keim's company chose Albuquerque for the placement of 100 new jobs for a contact center. The company uses digital marketing to reach its client's customers and provides lead qualification using its contact centers.
The company considered hundreds of other potential locations, eventually whittling it down to Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and Boise, Idaho. But the Duke City was chosen because of its culture, which Keim characterized as having "humility and a sense of humor," as well as a diverse population with differing perspectives and experiences.
In Albuquerque, Keim also said she "thought [she] saw a lot of female leadership" in business which spurred her decision to bring operations here.
Keim touted Albuquerque Economic Development (AED), an entity that works to recruit businesses to the city.
AED "was instrumental from the get go," she said. "We visited four cities on our final tour and I would say that [AED] outshone all those other cities. They were so helpful, so informative."
Also instrumental was New Mexico’s Job Training Incentive Program, which provides money for classroom and on-the-job training for newly-created positions at expanding or relocating companies. LQ Digital was previously awarded $417,164 in job training funds for 101 positions at an average hourly wage of $15.70.
LQ Digital looked at incentives in the other states it considered expanding to, but found that those programs were targeted at companies bringing more than 100 jobs, meaning it was unable to participate, according to Keim. But in New Mexico, job training incentives will help the company provide what Keim called "very competitive wages."
When asked if Albuquerque's relative affordability had to do with LQ Digital's choice to expand and hire here, Keim said that cost of living was not a main factor in the decision. She added that "we are not trying to reduce our wages or reduce our cost structure."
Still, she recognizes that the company's wages will go further in Albuquerque than other, more expensive metros, making Albuquerque a more affordable location for LQ Digital's workforce. The cost of living in Oakland, California, where the company's headquarters are located, is roughly twice as expensive compared to Albuquerque, according to Sperling's Best Places.
The company is kicking off its local hiring efforts with a hiring event slated for this week. LG Digital is also offering a $1,000 bonus for referrals, Business First reported earlier this month.
In addition to California and New Mexico, LQ Digital also has a presence in Austin, Texas, and Shelton, Connecticut, with about 300 employees in total.
