Albuquerque, NM - Today, Governor Susana Martinez announced that two New Mexico high-tech companies are expanding and creating 70 new high-paying jobs. SambaSafety, a software development company, is adding 40 jobs. RiskSense, Inc., a cybersecurity company formerly known as CAaNES, is adding 30 jobs.
"It's exciting to see two homegrown companies expand their operations and add more New Mexicans to their payrolls. Companies like these play a critical role in building a strong private-sector - which is exactly what we want," said Governor Susana Martinez. "Today's announcement just goes to show that we must continue our efforts to diversify our economy and help small businesses grow."
SambaSafety began operations in 1998 with the help of New Mexico Angel Investors. It has since grown from a local provider of vehicle registration data to a leading driver risk-management software service. SambaSafety serves more than 14,000 customers nationwide and has grown more than 450 percent since 2012.
"We applaud Governor Martinez, Secretary Barela and bipartisan members of the Legislature who continue to make New Mexico the ideal environment in which to develop and expand our business," said SambaSafety CEO Rich Crawford. "Since our founding in 1998, we've become the nation's leading provider of driver risk management software solutions and want to attract the nation's best and brightest talent in software development. We are committed to New Mexico and expect to double our workforce in Albuquerque over the next few years."
SambaSafety will fill highly skilled positions in engineering, software development, customer care, account management, and accounting. Salaries for these new positions will range from $60,000 to $100,000 per year. SambaSafety also plans to relocate all of their customer care operations from across the country to Albuquerque by the end of the year.
RiskSense will receive $583,909 in Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP) to hire and train their new workers, ranging from web designers to security analysts. These positions will have an average annual salary of nearly $70,000.
"We appreciate the support we've received from Governor Martinez, Secretary Barela and others in New Mexico who helped commercialize our technology," said Mark Fidel, RiskSense president. "New Mexico has an impressive high-tech sector, and we're glad to be contributing to the diversification of New Mexico's economy. Without the support and infrastructure that the State, Bernalillo County and the City of Albuquerque provide for start-ups, our effort would be far less effective."
JTIP is an important program that helps companies hire and train more New Mexico workers by providing funds to cover wages for up to six months of classroom and on-the-job training. RiskSense will move to a new 18,400 square-foot facility in Albuquerque to accommodate its growth.
"New Mexico is competitive for these jobs because of our newly attractive business environment in addition to the state's job creation incentives such as JTIP, Local Economic Development Act, High-Wage Tax Credit and Angel Investor Tax Credit," said New Mexico Economic Development Department Secretary Jon Barela. "These companies have the opportunity to locate anywhere, and we are thrilled they've chosen to stay and grow in New Mexico."