Photo courtesy City of El Paso
Mayor Dee Margo launches Economic Task Force, releases names of participants
On Wednesday, Mayor Dee Margo convened a task force to discuss rebuilding the El Paso economy.
Members of the task force include representatives from all sectors of the business community, including builders, contractors, Hotel/Motel Association, finance, insurance, Restaurant Association, manufacturing and healthcare.
“The health and safety of the community is my first priority, and must be taken into account when deciding how we rebuild our economy,” Margo said. “I am grateful to all the members who have agreed to serve and provide invaluable input on how we safely reopen businesses.”
Mayor Margo and County Judge, Ricardo A. Samaniego, will serve as ex officio members. Rick Francis, Chairman and CEO of WestStar, and member of Governor Abbott’s Strike Force to Open Texas, will serve as Chair of the Mayor’s Economic Recovery Task Force.
“We are focused on putting El Pasoans back to work, opening the businesses that have been forced to close and doing it in a safe manner for our community,” said Rick Francis.
Wednesday’s meeting was the first step in rebuilding the El Paso economy, while maintaining safety as the number one priority. The City will continue to follow CDC guidelines, while incorporating best practices for reopening businesses.
Mayor’s Economic Recovery Task Force
Rick Francis, Chair – Economic Recovery Task Force, WestStar
Ray Aduato, El Paso Association of Builders
Gabriel Ayub, El Paso Hotel and Lodging Association
Jon Barela, Borderplex Alliance
John Balliew, El Paso Water Utilities
Bill Burton, Burton Mithoff Partners
Alvaro Bustillos, Vaquero Trading
Richard Castro, McDonalds
JJ Childress, Microsoft
Julio Chiu, Seisa Medical
Roberto Coronado, Federal Reserve Bank
Alejandra De la Vega Foster, Gobierno del Estado de Chihuahua
Leo Duran, L&J Café – Restaurant Association
Edward Escudero, Sierra Finance
Miguel Fernandez, Transtelco
Joe Gudenrath, Downtown Management District
Jessica Herrera, City of El Paso Economic Development
Josh Hunt, Hunt Companies
Andrea Hutchins, El Paso County Economic Development
David Jerome, El Paso Chamber
Renard Johnson, Meti
Matt Keats, Keats Southwest
William Kell, Franklin Mountain Management
Dr. Richard Lange, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Crystal Long, GECU
Don Margo, HUB International
Mando Martinez, North East Business Association/Mimbela Contractors,
Leila Melendez, Workforce Solutions Borderplex
Ricardo Mora, Technology Hub
Madhi Nair, Esperanto Developments
Jared Nieman, Abundant Living Faith Center
Elizabeth O’Hara, Texas Gas Service
Dan Olivas, El Paso Association of Realtors
Shawn Ollis, Prudential
Raymond Palacios, Bravo Auto
Eric Pearson, El Paso Community Foundation
Christian Perez Giese, CBRE
Cindy Ramos Davidson, El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Adrian Rodriguez, El Paso Electric
Allen Russell, TECMA
Michelle Savage, Savage Goods
Bishop Mark Seitz, Catholic Diocese of El Paso
Dr. William Serrata, El Paso Community College
VJ Smith, Marathon Petroleum Corporation
Brad Taylor, El Paso Chihuahuas
Nico Tejeda, Tenet Healthcare
Cary Westin, City of El Paso
Dr. Heather Wilson, The University of Texas at El Paso
Bob Wingo, SandersWingo Advertising Inc.
Gene Wolf, Kemp Smith LLP.
Tracy Yellen, Paso del Norte Community Foundation
Marco Zaragoza, Windstar