Souder, Miller & Associates to Occupy “Hyper-Local” Building Project

Albuquerque, N.M. – Tenants of a new, build-to-suit building – Souder, Miller & Associates (SMA), one of Albuquerque’s largest engineering, environmental, and surveying firms; along with New Life City Church, a growing Albuquerque church – will celebrate their new spaces with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 14 at 10 a.m. at 5454 Venice Ave. NE (north of Alameda Boulevard). Nusenda Credit Union provided the building’s financing to developer John Mechenbier and Mechenbier Construction. Mechenbier owns the land and designed and served as the general contractor on the $5.7 million project. The two tenants will be moving into the building later this month. The transaction was brokered by Dave Hill, CCIM with NAI Maestas & Ward for SMA and Mike Leach with Sycamore Associates, LLC for Mechenbier. R Jarrod Cline of arcLine Architectural Design served as SMA’s architect. Additionally, almost all subcontractors, vendors, and suppliers on this 38,000 square foot project were based in New Mexico. James Smith, P.E., Vice President and Senior Engineer at SMA, said the company had outgrown their current location and were looking for a new space to accommodate their 70-plus employees, who are currently spread between three separate buildings. The new office space was designed to let in lots of natural light, Smith added, and includes energy-efficient fixtures, automatic light sensors, a large break room, an exercise room, and an electric vehicle charging station. “John was responsive to our criteria and saw an opportunity to build a building he had shelved in 2008 when the market turned,” Smith said. “The story culminates with us taking over the plan off the shell and having the interior customized to meet our needs. “We’re proud to be named a Top Workplace by The Albuquerque Journal for the last five years, and this new building really gave us a chance to provide our employees with a good, productive workspace.” Smith said that the plan was also a “win-win” because, while his company would need parking space during the week, New Life City Church can similarly use it on the weekends. “It’s been a really good experience, and we’re pleased to have John as our landlord for a first-class facility,” Smith said. “We hear and read so much about the negative things happening in New Mexico – this is a story about hyper-localism, about local businesses, local realtors, local suppliers, vendors and lenders helping the community to come together to spur economic growth.” Chris Clepper, Senior Vice-President of Business Services at Nusenda Credit Union, says the state’s largest credit union enjoys a strong business relationship with Mechenbier and other area developers. “It’s great to be part of a supporting cast for projects such as this,” Clepper said. “It’s just another way that Nusenda participates in making our community a better place to live, work, and play.” About Nusenda Credit Union
Nusenda Credit Union, headquartered in Albuquerque, N.M., is the state’s largest credit union with more than 170,000 members. It has 19 branches throughout New Mexico in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, Taos, Valencia County, and Socorro, and offers over 500 ways to join the credit union. Connect with Nusenda Credit Union at www.nusenda.org; Facebook @NusendaCU; Twitter @NusendaCU; and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nusenda-credit-union . Contact: Michelle Johnson, (505) 797-6673, email mjohnson@jameskorenchen.com.