Belen Plant To Produce Swift-y Little Bird

Things are about to get a lot hotter in Belen, NM... and not just because of the desert heat, or the green chile.

Representatives with LoPresti told ANN Saturday the company will soon break ground on a 100,000 square foot plant in the central New Mexico city of Belen, located about 30 miles south of Albuquerque. The plant, located at Belen Alexander Airport (E80), will produce the LoPresti Fury... an updated, 215-knot variant of the venerable Swift.

“Locating any new factory within a community requires an understanding of how the business and community will interact over time," said CEO Curt LoPresti. "At the end of the day, you need to get past a lot of vague language and find a community you trust, that shares the same values. We believe we have found such a community in New Mexico, and in the city of Belen."

Currently sporting a single 6,600' x 60' runway, Belen's Alexander Airport primarily serves the local general aviation community... but has seen its transient traffic grow in recent years (it's also where ANN Associate Editor Rob Finfrock flew his first solo flight, two years ago). The city aims to expand the airport in the near future... in keeping with the aviation boom that has spread through the central Rio Grande Valley in recent years.

"It is well known that New Mexico is friendly both to new business in general, and to aviation in specific,” said LoPresti.

LoPresti adds the airport is also a major component of the region’s transportation system, along I-25, the city's Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad hub and a soon to be completed "RailRunner" commuter rail line.

Future upgrades to Alexander Airport include completion of a master plan, additional hangars, repaving projects and the addition of a new North/South runway.

FMI: www.loprestifury.com, www.belennm.com/C-airport.htm