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