Envisioning Tomorrow

An Albuquerque native, hotelier Jim Long continues on his quest to create ventures and experiences that enhance our city. And he says there's more to come.

There may not be a better visionary in our state than Jim Long. The entrepreneur and real estate developer not only owns New Mexico’s best portfolio of hotels—including Old Town’s gorgeous Hotel Chaco— but his business interests include the food hall Sawmill Market, plus countless office buildings, properties, and other ventures. Always looking ahead, the CEO of Heritage Properties already has plans to add an ultra-modern, extended-stay hotel in ABQ, as well as a European-style apartment complex that includes a plaza filled with food and shopping choices. And with several thousand New Mexicans on his payroll, the Albuquerque native is heavily invested in the progress and well-being of our state. We caught up with him recently in his offices in Downtown for a chat about all things ABQ—both now and in the future.

ATM: Like the rest of the world, Albuquerque’s economy has gone through quite a shift in the last three years. Many workers changed careers, then companies had a hard time filling jobs. As a large-scale employer, is the dynamic of the workplace starting to return to normal?

JIM LONG: It was a little rough in the beginning because we had a lot of incentives for people to stay home and not come back to work. And, of course, we had the health concerns. But I think people now are coming back to work. They’re ready to work and we’ve filled all of our positions that we have now in our company, so we’re very happy to be in a stable situation right now.

ATM: Many employees of local companies shifted to working from home for a time. How did you see that affect life in Downtown ABQ?

JL: I think that a little bit of the shine of urban living, unfortunately, was affected during the pandemic, where many employers were offering remote work. You saw this throughout the country where people were leaving urban areas to go back to a suburban lifestyle. But you’re starting to see now a return to urban living again.

ATM: Downtown ABQ is central to your business interests, and you’re a proponent of the area, including Old Town. What are a few simple things that could be done to help create the Downtown that everyone wants?

JL: I think there are a couple of things that could transform Downtown fairly quickly. The first thing is that projects downtown are going to need some public support, whether that’s from the City of Albuquerque or Bernalillo County, either through IRBs (industrial revenue bonds) or LEDA funds (Local Economic Development Act) or some other kind of assistance. I think that you’re going to have to have a successful public/private partnership to really bring Downtown back to where it needs to be, because it’s competing with so many other parts of the city that have their own desirability.

ATM: And the second thing?

JL: It’s a very simple idea, but it’s the most significant and quickest thing we can do to completely turn around the viability of downtown: eliminate all fees for parking. We should have free public parking. Our parking garages were built with public bond money, and they were paid off years ago. If we do that, that will be one of the more transformative things as we compete for retailers, as we compete for office tenants. our state from that permanent fund. It’s a great resource we have as a state that is being totally underutilized.

ATM: Our Downtown scene changes drastically during the nighttime hours, with younger people frequenting nightclubs and bars. Like many American cities, Albuquerque has had problems with violence and crime in the hours after downtown bars close, creating a stigma. Your thoughts?

ATM: There’s more than $25 billion in that fund. Why isn’t more being used toward Downtown ABQ?

ATM: So, the trade-off of making it easier to come experience Downtown without parking fees would outweigh the revenue generated from parking.

JL: The little money that we’re actually deriving from these parking fees is offset by the costs of metering enforcement. We’re losing Gross Receipts Tax, Lodger’s Tax, property taxes and other forms of taxation that a more robust Downtown area can certainly have. So, with the right incentives, you’re going to get that money back ten-fold.

ATM: There’s probably a good amount of positive PR (public relations), too. Plenty of people mention that Nob Hill creates free street parking during the holidays each year.

JL: Sure. It’s just like Old Town, which has no paid parking on the streets, and you have a lot of visitors returning to Old Town. It’s important to not have that.

JL: Downtown Albuquerque needs to identify its energy and its focus. And I don’t think late night nightlife is what’s necessarily going to make our Downtown attractive, and certainly is not going to make Downtown attractive to people that are coming to an Albuquerque convention. They’re not looking for that, they’re looking for more activities to do.

ATM: What makes Downtown more attractive to investors?

JL: One of the great misnomers is that government needs to build something to attract investments. Over the years, we’ve had city administrations that believed that building large downtown hotels would automatically attract conventions here. The truth is, if there is a market for something, private enterprise will fill that capital need. If there’s not a market, just building supply doesn’t artificially create demand. We need to tap into our New Mexico Permanent Fund, which is probably now one or two of the largest permanent funds in the entire country. And yet, very little investment is going into

JL: I just don’t think there’s been enough dialogue that has taken place, about how to invest and use that money. And some of it, of course, is going to education, which is an important part of our community, but it can also be (used) to support infrastructure.

ATM: Let’s talk about our beautiful Bosque a little bit. You’re a visionary—tell us your thoughts on how we can better use the areas around the Rio Grande to improve experiences in our city.

JL: The BioPark, the Zoo, and the National Hispanic Cultural Center all sort of connect to the Bosque, so we have an amazing opportunity to capture an area of the community into what could become one of our greatest attractions. You’re seeing wonderful examples of other places doing this, like Jackson, Wyoming, which has the most amazing bike trails that I’ve ever seen, that take you all the way to Yellowstone National Park. The trails are completely separated from roads so that you’re able to enjoy the beauty. Well, our Bosque travels the whole state of New Mexico, so what an interesting opportunity, potentially, to use that space to create one of the most amazing outdoor environments anywhere in the United States. We obviously need to work with government agencies, wildlife organizations and other groups that are protective of the environment—that’s really important. But at the same time, it could become an amazing attraction to be enjoyed by all ages, whether it’s biking, walking, whatever it might be.

ATM: It seems like brick-and-mortar shops are struggling, with the rise of Amazon and internet shopping. How do our local businesses adjust their business models to compete, and what does the future hold for retailers?

JL: Well, I think when you look at retail as a commodity, the person who can deliver the product the cheapest and fastest is always going to win that battle. But I think where New Mexico has an opportunity to shine is through the artisanal retail products. At Sawmill Market, for example, we created micro-vendors to provide food choices for our visitors. We can do the same thing with our retail, fashion, art, etc. We can really use the strengths we have in New Mexico to expand those categories with a little bit of creativity and capital support. We can create a really interesting industry, because it’s hard to duplicate an artisanal product which has not been manufactured.

ATM: The vacation rental business like AirBNB and VRBO has exploded over the past decade. What has that meant for the hotel business?

JL: I think it’s provided a great alternative. It has introduced more people to travel than ever before, and it’s given people more choices, and so it has probably lifted the tide for everybody. It has lifted the demand even for hotels, and we are seeing more multigenerational travel taking place. All good things for the travel industry.

ATM: Lastly, what are your thoughts on the ongoing idea for a sports venue in Downtown Albuquerque? Perhaps something that can host basketball, concerts and other events.

JL: I hope we see venues that can attract and sustain those kinds of activities, whether it’s a stadium, a performance hall, a symphony hall of some kind, or all of those. I think that they all can be vital to a community, so I would certainly be supportive of that. There is a beautiful vacant piece of ground on the north side of Civic Plaza that should be an important location for something of significance for our community.

Familia de Futbol

New Mexico Runners owner Andres Trujillo is building a family-run legacy in Rio Rancho with the fast-paced, high-scoring matches (and, yes, family fun) of indoor soccer.

PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

From the time Andres Trujillo was in grade school, his parents instilled in him the importance of participating in an activity every year. His sisters chose dance and taekwondo, but for Trujillo, it was all about sports. Baseball, basketball, football, you name it, and Trujillo has probably played it. Fast forward to his professional career, and he says the philosophy employed by his parents influenced his path in the world of sports. “That just stuck with me—I’ve seen how sports provides a pathway for individuals that didn’t grow up with money or too many opportunities to rise up and make something of themselves,” he says. “I wasn’t blessed with incredible athletic abilities or else I’d be playing in the NFL or playing soccer professionally or something like that, but I’ve utilized my talents in another way, which is building sports teams and running them for the betterment of our community."

Trujillo has worked on more sides of the sports industry than most could count, from being a radio show host and producer for ESPN radio here in Albuquerque to his current roles as the President and CEO of New Mexico Runners Professional Arena Soccer, the Executive Director of the New Mexico games (think Olympics on the state level), and owner of his own social media digital marketing company.

The dizzying amount of work Trujillo takes on in a day is made possible with his family as his backbone. “New Mexico Runners is family operated: it’s myself, my wife’s my game operations director, my mom is my ticketing director, my aunt is my fan engagement coordinator, my nephew is my mascot, my cousin is my alternative mascot,” he says. “Having my family’s support has a huge impact on how I’m able to do everything that I do.”

Being involved with an indoor football team like the New Mexico Stars and co-founding the Duke City Gladiators— also an indoor football team—in the 2010’s allowed Trujillo to get a sense of what owning his own team might look like.

After a break from the sports scene in 2017 after leaving the Duke City Gladiators, Trujillo bit the bullet and decided to go all in. “That break was kind of short lived when I realized that I wanted to do something that’s run properly, that has a proper direction, that’s family-driven, that’s for the community and it’s not about egos or anything like that,” he says. “I was actually looking into other sports avenues here locally and seeing what we were missing, and one thing we were missing—we obviously had arena football, basketball, all these different sports, and I’m like ‘ok, well what do we have that’s available?’”

Trujillo saw the lack of indoor soccer teams in Albuquerque and took steps to attain a Major Arena Soccer League franchise. The rest is history, and the Runners, who play at the Rio Rancho Events Center, are one of 26 elite teams in North America representing the highest level of arena soccer in the country.

Having hands in all parts of the sports industry has more pros than just an incredible amount of experience; it has also allowed Trujillo to organize his business ventures in a way that’s beneficial for everyone. “One thing about sports is that even though they’re separate entities, they all still work in tandem,” he says. “My partnerships with the NM Runners help partnerships with the NM Games and vice versa, which is part of my philosophy that we can all work together hand in hand no matter where we’re at.”

To those who have qualms about working with family, Trujillo says this: “There’s this stereotype that families working together is a bad thing—in reality it’s not. For us, family is extremely important, and we want to be the example that families can work together and build legacies together.”

Trujillo has his fair share of challenges, but the biggest one of all is invisible— people not believing in one another. “There's this mentality that New Mexico doesn’t have sports talent or New Mexico doesn’t have anything nice or we can’t have anything that we can be proud of,” he says. “In reality, all of us here know that we have talent, not just in sports but in all industries.” The adage “a rising tide raises all ships” is one Trujillo uses generously, as it represents an ideal that he’s working toward both in his career and in his personal life.

As President and CEO of New Mexico Runners, you might expect Trujillo to fall victim to a team’s worst nightmare: micromanagement. Turns out the opposite is true, as Trujillo preaches the idea that coaches coach and owners own. “If I didn’t stay hands-off, I’d be in danger of getting the Jerry Jones syndrome where you involve yourself in everything, and that can go south a lot of the time,” he says laughing. “I’m very big on keeping those separate—coach knows best, I don’t. I don’t know the game as well as coach.”

That might be the understatement of the year—head coach Steve Famiglietta is a United Soccer League Hall of Famer who has kicked the ball indoors, outdoors, and traveled the world playing the sport he’s coached for over 40 years.

Time off isn’t something Trujillo sees much of, but when he has downtime, he likes to devote most of it to his son Ezekiel. “Even though he’s only one, he’s still like my best friend,” he says.

Running the Runners is all about the folks in the stands for Trujillo, who attributes the excitement he gets from the job to the fans. “When you see kids running up to our mascot and saying ‘Rio! It’s Rio the Roadrunner!’ wanting to get a hug and take a picture, that’s such a rewarding thing,” he says. “Watching the light shine in people’s eyes when they meet these players and they meet the mascot and then they’re proud of the New Mexico Runners and what they stand for, that’s why I do this.” —EMMA

TREVINO

BY DON JAMES/ATM