Host Richard Dayoub welcomes John Barela, CEO for the Border Plex Alliance to the studios of KTEP on the 4th out of the 5 shows focused on El Paso’s City Development. Mr. Barela opened up stating that 2025 was “the best year for recruitment of capital and jobs”, and states there are high hopes for 2026’s AI supply chain manufacturing industry after META’s decided to invest 1.5 billion on the construction of a data center in El Paso. Along with Santa Teresa’s Project Jupiter (META Data Center), Chief Executive Officer Barela discusses the USMCA (United-States-Mexico-Canada-Agreement) and expresses his concern with the way our neighbors have recently been treated and if this could potentially threaten the agreement.
Chief Executive Officer Jon Barela has been looking over the Border Plex Alliance since 2016 when he was named the official CEO of the company. He previously served as New Mexico’s Economic Development Cabinet Secretary, and also as the Community and Government Affairs Manager for Intel. Mr. Barela is an avid speaker and commentator on border issues. He has been featured in broadcast and printed media such as CBS Evening News, Dateline NBC, National Public Radio, PBS, BBC, and The Wall Street Journal.
Additional Information/Links:
- To learn more about CEO Jon Barela, click here
- To learn more about the Border Plex Alliance, click here
Originally aired February 7, 2026
