A Texas-based technology consulting firm has selected Albuquerque as its base of operations in the Southwest, and is planning to hire 250 employees in the city with an average salary of more than $100,000.
City and state leaders welcomed MTX Group Inc., which provides technology designed to help partner organizations modernize their operations, to Albuquerque at an event Monday morning. Das Nobel, CEO and co-founder of MTX, said the company plans to use its Albuquerque office as a hub for operations taking place in Nevada, Utah and other parts of the Southwest.
To staff the office, Nobel told the Journal that MTX plans to begin hiring soon for a wide variety of roles, from project managers to more technical positions. Alicia Keyes, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Economic Development Department, said during the event that the company expects to have around 250 employees at the office, with an average annual salary of $106,000.
“The MTX expansion means opportunity for New Mexico, a place that is affordable, engaging, culturally rich, and blessed with open spaces and outdoor recreation,” Keyes said.
Mayor Tim Keller added that MTX’s expansion is part of a larger shift toward attracting higher-paying tech employers.
“We are now investing in the future, and we’re not trading on being a low-cost labor provider anymore,” Keller said.
Nobel, who emigrated to the United States from Bangladesh as a teenager, said MTX started growing quickly about two years ago, and the company looked to establish regional offices to keep up with that growth. MTX looked in other Southwest markets, but ultimately settled on Albuquerque.
Nobel cited a few reasons for the choice, including financial support from the state, a pipeline of talent from Central New Mexico Community College and University of New Mexico, and shared cultural values. He said the company places a lot of value on creating a familial environment, with generous maternity and paternity leave programs, adding that he believes New Mexico echoes those values.
“Going through the process that we went through, it just made a lot of sense,” Nobel said.
To support the expansion, EDD has pledged $2 million in funding through its Local Economic Development Act job-creation program and additional financial assistance through the Job Training Incentive Program. Additionally, CNM announced a workforce collaboration with the company designed to make it easier for qualified graduates to find work at the company.
“Workforce training and support is vital as companies look to bring on new workers in these uncertain times,” Keyes said.
MTX is still looking for an office space in the city. Nobel said the company has narrowed its search to three sites, located mainly in Downtown Albuquerque and near CNM and UNM. The company plans to make a decision on an office space in the next several weeks.
