Data entrepreneur Charles Rath has accepted a lead role on the Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance's Technology and Innovation Advisory Council.
"The idea behind this council is to identify those impediments that are getting in our way in terms of attracting great technology assets and building great technology assets in our state," Rath said.
AREA, which rebranded from Albuquerque Economic Development last December, announced Rath's appointment as council chair on May 31.
Rath, who is the president and CEO of Albuquerque data science firm RS21, mentioned a couple of aspects to consider: the lack of a thriving downtown as well as a lack of capital in New Mexico to make investments in new startups.
"That's just a taste of some of the things that we will highlight as this group and with the hope of really galvanizing some action ... to turn our situations around here in our area," Rath said.
There will be two major meetings, one in July and another in November, he said.
"Most people that I think are looking for jobs in technology ... are looking for areas where they can live, work and play," Rath added later in the interview. "They want to live in an area with a thriving downtown, where they can go grab a happy hour with their buddies after work and catch a show or a concert. And the lack of those assets in a concentrated area in our city makes it hard to recruit people and for people to stay in Albuquerque."
For RS21, the data science company has gone remote and people can work anywhere. But, according to Rath, not having a "thriving Downtown atmosphere definitely is not helping the tech sector in New Mexico in any way."
RS21 ranked first among Business First's fastest-growing companies in the "medium" category last year with more than 263% revenue growth from 2018 to 2020, according to our List.
Three of the company's executives are nominees for Albuquerque Business First's inaugural C-Suite Awards. A total of 55 executives were nominated for the 2022 C-Suite Awards. Six winners will be unveiled at a private ceremony at Casa Rondeña Winery on July 14. The winners will also be featured in a special publication of ABF on July 15.
Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance ranked No. 5 on Business First's 2022 List of New Mexico Economic Development Agencies after reporting a budget of $1.75 million in 2020.
