PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE TITLE TITLE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: NMBANKERS.COM DAVID HOCKMUTH President New Mexico Bankers Association We wanted to personally thank legislators for their service to the state and bankers for their continued support of the NMBA. Before I was sworn in as NMBA President, a number of past presidents told me that one of the highlights of my year would be the President’s annual statewide “road trip” to meet with bankers and legislators in their hometowns. My predecessors were right and the purpose of the meetings was quite simple. We wanted to personally thank legislators for their service to the state and bankers for their continued support for the NMBA. I have decided to treat this edition of the President’s Message as a bit of a travelogue. In November and December, John Anderson and I spent multiple weeks traveling to Carlsbad, Roswell, Clovis, Farmington, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Las Cruces. During each meeting, we learned of local needs and the economic situations of particular regions within the state. In Carlsbad, we found a community that was booming: traffic jams, new hotels and restaurants, man-camps, jammed parking lots, and "Help Wanted" signs in many retail windows. Of course, prosperity brings a real strain on infrastructure, schools, and roads. Hopefully, the legislature will provide capital outlay for additional funding in 2023 to meet these needs. Then, we were off to Roswell! We had an outstanding turnout of bankers and legislators at our stop. We had a lively debate concerning the local economy, the importance of oil and gas to our state, the general election results, and the NMBA legislative agenda – with particular emphasis on the state bank. Finally, we were treated to an evening with the recently elected Mayor of Roswell, Tim Jennings. Tim served 35 years in the New Mexico Senate and has been a board member of Pioneer Banks for 41 years. He will assist John Anderson during the 2023 session as a part-time NMBA lobbyist. Next stop: Clovis. We had a wonderful meeting with Senator Stuart Ingle, LE TOUR DE NEW MEXICO 6
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