Today, Bitwise Industries (www.bitwiseindustries.com) announced it has partnered with local investors to acquire 201 N. Church St. Las Cruces, NM 88001, overlooking the popular Plaza de Las Cruces, as the home to its local operations in the city. Earlier this year Bitwise announced its expansion into Las Cruces and this latest development demonstrates the company’s continued commitment to provide tech services to the area, while developing a locally grown tech workforce. The new building is expected to house the full breadth of the Bitwise ecosystem as well as serve as a space for mission aligned companies and people to find community.
“We are happy to announce our permanent location and begin building the local Bitwise presence. We hope that this space will allow us to impact the lives of people in Las Cruces who may not have seen tech as a career option, but could benefit from the high growth, high wage jobs the industry provides,” said Amy Thelen, Senior Vice President of City Expansions, Bitwise Industries. “Our model brings new tech jobs to underserved communities and this building gives us a local base to begin providing access to those opportunities.”
Construction of the 45,217 sq ft space will begin this year and be completed in the next two years. The building will be modeled on existing Bitwise locations and will likely offer: reservable conference rooms, private office space for lease (including current tenants), daycare services, murals from local artists, classrooms for tech training, a coffee/juice bar, spaces for community gatherings and more.
“I appreciate Bitwise and how they will not only train our future workforce through technology, but these team members will also receive a competitive salary while they learn; what an incredible opportunity!” – Kenneth Miyagishima, Mayor, City of Las Cruces.
“For nearly a year, since Bitwise first announced its move to Las Cruces, the company has been offering local workforce training programs online and this decision to locate their operations in the heart of downtown highlights their desire to support economic growth in the region,” said Brad Beasley, CPA. “Big changes are coming and with the technology industry evolving, there is no better time for this expansion into Las Cruces. The location is the perfect spot for people to gather and the tech scene to take root.”
Bitwise Industries has renovated over 1M square feet in previously vacant, blighted historical spaces within underestimated cities across the country. The company has trained over 10,000 individuals to date, 80% who’ve found technical employment after completion. This accounts for over a-quarter-of-a-billion-dollars in aggregated wages mostly going to women and people of color. Bitwise spaces unite communities, while spurring economic and business growth through digital transformation.
“We are very excited to welcome Bitwise to Las Cruces and the investment they are making in our downtown,” said Davin Lopez, President & CEO of the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance. “Their innovative apprenticeship program to train, grow, and employ local high-tech talent will not only provide new career opportunities for our residents but will additionally foster an ecosystem that is attractive to future companies looking at our region for growth.”
For more information about Bitwise Industries or to sign up to take online classes while development of building continues, please visit our website at: www.bitwiseindustries.com
About Bitwise Industries
Bitwise Industries creates a bridge between humans from marginalized communities and stories of systemic poverty to skills and resources necessary to access opportunities in the tech industry. By leveraging public-private partnerships, Bitwise provides paid apprenticeships to students to learn tech skills, connects them to meaningful tech opportunities, and builds vibrant buildings in underestimated cities to house their work. By upskilling disenfranchised humans, it empowers them to change their own lives—which ignites and transforms the regional economies of the cities in which Bitwise serves.
Bitwise has raised more than $100M in support of this important work; expanded its model to serve ten cities (California cities: Fresno, Bakersfield, Merced, and Oakland, Toledo, OH, Buffalo, NY, El Paso, TX, Greeley, CO, Las Cruces, NM, and Cheyenne, WY); and built a tech apprenticeship engine that will drive national jobs/economic recovery in 2022. To learn more about Bitwise Industries, check out www.bitwiseindustries.com.
