Los Lunas pursues incubator study

Village hires consultant to examine feasibility, benefit to Valencia County

LOS LUNAS — The village of Los Lunas is moving forward with a feasibility study to find out if a small-business incubator would benefit Valencia County.

The Los Lunas Village Council last month approved a $24,500 contract with the firm IOTA — Incubation Operations, Training and Applications.

IOTA offers a turnkey approach to building entrepreneurial communities through business incubation, said CEO Russell Combs.

The study will begin this month and include a search for local entrepreneurs, tradesmen and small businesses looking to expand.

“What can happen during the study — you’re finding the entrepreneurs that want to start their business and grow their business immediately,” Combs said. “You’re finding entrepreneurs who want to come in maybe in the second crew, which is usually two years, three years in, and then you’re finding a trend — a critical mass of potential of what can happen in the county by offering entrepreneurial assistance.”

The city of Rio Communities contributed funding. City Manager Bob Skerry said the data can help with economic development efforts.

“The thing that we see as key here is you’re finding out information about your community and your workforce,” Skerry said. “So, no matter whether you’re talking about Keter Plastics or any of the growth in the industrial park ... you’ve got to know what your workforce is and what the skill level is in order to be able to promote your community.”

There are different types of business incubators, including manufacturing, technology, arts, kitchen incubators for food processing, and mixeduse incubators. “There’s some that do just trades like plumbers, electricians, mechanics and stuff like that,” Skerry said. “There’s some that just do computer skills, online website design and that type of stuff.”

Typically, small-business incubators provide office or shop space for fledgling businesses, as well as mentor services.

The survey is expected to be completed by December.