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| Wilson Announces Contract for NM Business |
January 16, 2004 |
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Albuquerque, NM – Congresswoman Heather Wilson today announced a recently expanded Albuquerque business has been awarded a new government contract to build railroad locomotive simulators.
Wilson congratulated Acme Worldwide Enterprises, Inc., for the $1.1 million contract, which brings dollars into New Mexico. If all options are exercised the contract’s value could rise to $1.7 million.
“Each report of economic growth is good to hear, and I’m encouraged by upbeat reports of new jobs, equipment and facilities from Albuquerque business owners in recent months,” Wilson said. “Small businesses start with a dream and are the engine driving our economy.”
Reports of growth have increasingly been a common thread in Wilson’s ongoing tours of Albuquerque area businesses, and a number of owners are telling her they are upbeat and planning for new jobs or purchases of new equipment.
The contract for Acme Worldwide Enterprises is with the Department of Transportation. The simulators will be used for two government missions: a training mission for the U.S. Army and a research mission for the Federal Railroad Administration. The U.S. Army will use a simulator at Fort Eustis, Virginia, for locomotive engineer qualification and refresher training. The other will be used for railroad safety research at the John A. Volpe National Transportation Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The simulators will be designed and manufactured at Acme’s facility in Albuquerque. The nine-year-old New Mexico company expanded to new facilities last month. Acme Worldwide Enterprises has established itself in the simulation industry primarily as a provider of flight simulators and aircraft training devices. This contract enables the company to expand its base of business into the railroad industry, said Randall S. Gurule, president of Acme Worldwide Enterprises, Inc.
Economic estimates released in November showed a 19-year high in the rate of economic growth, and the third quarter of 2003 had a blistering growth rate of 8.2 percent. New Mexico has been a leader in this growth, and UNM economists ranked the state second in job creation last year.
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