Justin has spent the last 30 years focused on sustainability, economic diversification, and workforce development.
As an urban planner, Justin was instrumental in the design of the new Santa Fe Convention Center, the community-based redevelopment of the Santa Fe Railyard, and the conversion of Camel Rock into a new film studio. He advised and served on the Legislative Jobs Council, Pueblo of Tesuque Development Company, and co-chair the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee. sustainability, economic diversification, and workforce development.
We know without good jobs, everything becomes unaffordable: housing, property taxes, water, day-care and every other aspect of life. As founder and owner of Dashing Delivery, Justin knows what it is like to struggle as a small business owner. As the pandemic hit, their national competition decided to expand operations into Santa Fe, threatening their local business, as well as the restaurants they serve. Thankfully, they were able to pivot to match the competition. All while adhering to shifting pandemic restrictions and increasing safety protocols to protect our staff and clients.
Justin's love of food is what drove his desire for an at-home meal delivery solution in Santa Fe 20 years ago. The pandemic impacted Santa Fe County's restaurants on every level with many still operating with limited staff or shortened hours. Santa Fe has always been a premier destination for world-renowned cuisine and art that is one-of-a-kind. Justin doesn't just talk the walk, he walks the walk to make sure our restaurant industry continues to survive and hopefully thrive again soon. Justin is currently developing a solar-powered restaurant incubator to give Santa Feans the opportunity to start and grow their own eatery.
As your Commissioner, Justin is committed to finding solutions to diversify our revenue streams and invest in our workforce and local small businesses.
Workforce Development: Our youth need solutions that create pathways to quality employment. These include paid internships and increased STEM education programs. This will help our local businesses at the same time provide career opportunities for our next generation. It’s time for big ideas. I support recruiting an academic anchor tenant with a focus on workforce development for the redevelopment of the Midtown Campus.
Local Entrepreneurial Support: Start-ups and small businesses are the lifeblood of our community. I support programs that target the key industries and populations that need the help to get their businesses off the ground. These programs can help new businesses launch and also help existing businesses with succession planning for the next generation so that we do not lose our favorite stores and restaurants that make our community special.
Economic Diversification: Our local economy has been lucky to have two major drivers that have endured over the years. As Santa Fe is the state capital and a tourist destination, we have grown dependent on these sectors for our job base. We need to support these areas, no doubt, but also need to find the right new industries that we can build into the future. These include the film industry and the technology innovation sector. These industries use the foundations built by our creative arts and Los Alamos National Labs and provide high paying jobs for our next generation workforce.