Homans to join rubber recycling company

Rick Homans is leaving his job as director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority to work for a Malaysia-based company that plans to build a rubber recycling plant in Gallup and its U.S. headquarters in Albuquerque.

The state’s Economic Development Department announced today that The Petra Group plans to house both facilities in New Mexico, and will make a formal announcement Wednesday in Albuquerque. Michael Henningsen, spokesman for the department, confirmed that Homans would join the company, and said he would release more details later today in a news release.

Homans said he could not comment until after that happens.

The company has its fingers in a lot of projects, but one of its divisions focuses on environmental technology. According to its Web site, the company’s rubber recycling techniques can create reusable rubber at a third of the cost of similar rubber compounds on the market.

Interestingly, actor Mel Gibson is apparently an investor in the company. According to an article in the Gallup Independent, he and three business associates were in Gallup in May to check out a potential site to locate the plant. Gibson also met with Gov. Bill Richardson in May on unspecified business.