Kirtland Partnership Committee taps new leadership

Three leaders have taken new roles with the Kirtland Partnership Committee, which is designed to help grow Kirtland Air Force Base.

New board leaders include Jim Wible, who will serve as chairman; J. Brad Steward, chairman-elect; and Kevin Yearout as the committee's treasurer.

“The board is thrilled to support our new board leadership as we continue our mission to uphold the important work of KAFB,” said Sherman McCorkle, vice chair of the KPC board, in a statement. “We are lucky to have these high-caliber individuals on our team and we are confident their efforts will elevate KPC’s purpose in our state.”

In December, Wible, director at NAI Maestas and Ward, was named Commercial Association of REALTORS New Mexico's "REALTOR of the Year" for 2017. Wible previously worked for Intel and has been in the real estate business since 2006, according to previous Albuquerque Business First reporting.

Steward is president of Pulakos CPAs PC in Albuquerque. As of July 2017, his company had 30 full-time New Mexico employees, according to Business First's List of Largest New Mexico Private Companies.

Yearout is the CEO of Yearout Cos., an Albuquerque-based mechanical contractor that specializes in nuclear and specialty industries. In December 2016, Yearout was elected to serve a three-year term on the Albuquerque Economic Development as a director, according to previous Business First reporting.

Kirtland Partnership Committee helps enhance existing missions, attract new missions and support legislation at the local, state and national levels. The committee also supports the Air Force Research Lab and Sandia National Laboratories, according to a release.

Kirtland has a nearly $7.8 billion economic impact on the Land of Enchantment.