Economic Development Department Secretary-Designate Rob Black announced that nine businesses have been approved for Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP) grants to assist in hiring and training up to 94 employees and four interns.
Each month, the JTIP Board reviews and authorizes training reimbursement dollars to qualified businesses. Awards approved a total of $1.6 million with average wages ranging from $20 to $91 per hour.
“JTIP is a highly successful program that assists businesses with job training so they can hire employees faster or train existing workers with new skills at a higher wage,” Black said. “These new awards highlight some of the innovative and future-proof companies that help to diversify New Mexico’s economy.”
The percentage of training costs that JTIP reimburses is a minimum of 50% with higher reimbursement afforded to companies hiring in rural and frontier areas and for positions filled by recent graduates of New Mexico higher education institutions and veterans.
The nine companies receiving awards totaling up to $1.57 million for November are:
Flow Aluminum, Inc., Albuquerque, 2 trainees at an average wage of $35.
Flow Aluminum manufactures aluminum-based batteries for electric vehicles and microgrids. The company's battery is non-flammable, low cost, and has a high energy density in a grid or residential storage configuration, the battery also does direct air capture, enabling clients to revolutionize the energy industry by providing cutting-edge energy-storage keys to the drone, auto, residential and grid storage industries. Award amount: $41,290.
Gridworks, Inc., Albuquerque, 11 trainees at an average wage of $42.
Gridworks provides turnkey solar and energy storage solutions for developers and utility clients through engineering, procurement, and construction as well as operations and maintenance. Award amount: $245,244.
KiloNewton, LLC, Albuquerque, 4 trainees at an average wage of $35 and 4 interns at an average of $25.
KiloNewton is a service-based business providing technical and engineering analysis and software design for the renewable energy sector. The company provides a mixture of consulting and software R&D, primarily focused on optimizing large-scale solar, wind, and renewable technology. Award amount: $154,624.
Pajarito Powder LLC, Albuquerque, 22 trainees at an average wage of $35.
Pajarito Powder is a world leader in developing and commercializing advanced electrocatalysts for fuel cells and electrolyzers. Pajarito Powder manufactures a range of catalyst products using its intellectual property and intellectual property licensed from the University of New Mexico, LANL, and Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique. Award amount: $431,418.
Redwire Space, LLC, Albuquerque, 5 trainees at an average wage of $60.
Redwire Space is devoted to space innovation, focusing on design, analyses, testing, and manufacturing aerospace structural systems and components, particularly those critical to the launch vehicle and satellite community. LoadPath is a wholly owned subsidiary of Redwire. Award amount: $172,242.
Spiritus Technologies PBC, White Rock, 4 trainees at an average wage of $91. Spiritus is a climate technology company at the forefront of Direct-Air-Capture (DAC) technology. The company is partnering with industry leaders in CO2 compression and handling and former oil and gas experts for land use, well permitting, and drilling. It is committed to making carbon removal an accessible and practical tool in the global fight against climate change. Award amount: $207,636.
Century Sign Builders, Albuquerque, 1 trainee at a wage of $29.
Century Sign Builders designs, manufactures, and installs interior and exterior signage nationwide. The company handles signage from design to installation and guarantees its work for the life of the building. Award amount: $15,080.
Golightly Company, LLC, Santa Fe, 5 trainees at an average wage of $30.
Golightly Co. manufactures hand-loomed cashmere knitwear and chocolate confections. Originally an online-only store, the company now pairs chocolate and cashmere in three Santa Fe stores. The company operates a knitting mill and chocolate kitchen to supply its physical and online stores. Award amount: $73,773.
EMPOCC, LLC dba Oasis Cannabis Company, Albuquerque, 40 trainees at an average wage of $20.
EMPOCC, LLC employs over 166 Oasis Cannabis Co employees, with 45 being in the production and manufacturing facility in Albuquerque. The production facility services five stores in Albuquerque and one store in Farmington. Award amount: $229,911.