Part II of Our Interview with Doug Rietz

April 13, 2008

Part II of the NewMexicoforBoomers.com interview with Doug Rietz. Read Part I.

What is your best advice for someone who wants to move here?
My advice is to do your research.  Scour the internet for information and opinions.  Join the various groups on the Duke City Fix and post questions about the area.  And most importantly, network with people who live in Albuquerque.

Do you really think Abq is perched on the edge like SF Bay was?
What makes you think that?
I’ve watched the San Francisco Bay Area grow over the last three decades into what it is today.  After that experience, and all of the positive news about Albuquerque’s growing job market, venture capital investment and willingness to attract new employers, I am convinced that Albuquerque is where the Bay Area was back in the 1970’s.  This is the time for people to get in early on a city that is going to be a Mecca for green technology, nanotechnology and other industries that are going to be vital in the 21st Century.  Albuquerque has never seen this type of opportunity before in its 300+ year history.

What other groups are useful for new comers?
In my opinion all of the groups on the Duke City Fix are useful for new comers.  The sheer number and diversity of the groups illustrates the number of talented and interesting people that live in city.

What about the Duke City Fix do you find most useful, most surprising or down right questionable? (changed it from my group to the Fix in general)
I really don’t find anything on the Duke City Fix that is questionable.  The site is very useful and has become one of the resources that I use to stay on top of the developments in the city.

I also believe that the Duke City Fix is one of the best sites that I’ve seen about any metropolitan area.  I love the variety of people who make The Duke City Fix so colorful.  And I think everyone in Albuquerque owes Chantal Foster, and the team that keep the site running, a huge “thank you” for creating a forum that reflects well upon the city.

What’s your favorite thing about ABQ?
There is so much to love about the Duke City.  When I think about it, I always feel that it’s the people who make the city so special.  It’s the diversity in the types of people mixed with three very interesting cultures (Spanish/Mexican, Indian, Anglo) that give our city its flavor.  I have never run into a place like the Duke City in my all of my travels.

Least Favorite?
When people try to convince me that change is not good for Albuquerque.  I remember the old city and compare it with what I see today and I can’t contain my excitement.

Best activities in Albuquerque for Baby Boomers?
The activities for boomers are endless.  The location and climate open up outdoor activities that normally wouldn’t be available year round in other states.  The history and culture of New Mexico is not found in any other state and offers all sorts of new learning experiences for the adventurous.  For those who have dreamed about exercising their creative side, I can’t think of any place better.

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Interview with Doug Rietz - Founder of Moving to the Duke City Group

April 13, 2008

Part I of the NewMexicoforBoomers.com interview with Doug Rietz, the founder of the Moving to the Duke City Group on Duke City Fix.

Background:
- Born in Santa Fe New Mexico and raised in Albuquerque until age 16.
- My family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1978.
- I finished high school in the Bay Area and attended Fresno State University and earned a bachelors degree in Business Administration from the Craig School of Business.
- I have worked in sales for 20 years and have spent the last 17 selling high tech solutions for Silicon Valley based companies.
- Married with no kids but we have Molly the cat.
- My interests vary from history to travel, southwestern culture, sports, food, wine and music.
- My secret for success - I live my life according to the philosophical teachings of the great Yogi Berra (ex-New York Yankee catcher).

Why are you moving back to Albuquerque?
Albuquerque is a perfect fit for what my wife and I are looking for in a major metropolitan area – location, climate, cost of living, job opportunities and lifestyle.

What lead you to choose Albuquerque?
Like many people living in California, we are fed up with the cost of living, pollution and congestion. About 5 years ago we started to look at other places to live outside of the state and were considering Denver, Boise and Salt Lake City. My wife, a native Californian, wondered why we were not looking at Albuquerque. I just assumed that Albuquerque had not changed since the 1970’s. After several trips back and researching the “new” Albuquerque we became convinced that it has more to offer, over the next 3 or 4 decades, than any other city.

Do you visit a lot?
I try to visit relatives and friends at least once a year.

How did you find the Duke City Fix?
In my sales job I am used to being on the internet to prospect for new customers. While I was researching Albuquerque I came across the Duke City Fix and fell in love with the site.

Why did you start the Moving to the Duke City group:
The Duke City Fix recently moved to a Web 2.0 format where users had to join The Duke City Fix. When you register on the site you get your own page. With my own page I can write blogs, build a social network and join or create groups about any topic or interest.

I started the Moving to the Duke City group because I wanted to create a site that could help others get started with their research about Albuquerque.

Continue reading Part II of our interview with Doug

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Get Your Albuquerque Information “Fix” at Duke City Fix

April 13, 2008

Duke City Fix Screenshot

Among the myriad of Albuquerque web sites, Duke City Fix stands out as one web site that anyone thinking of moving to Albuquerque should visit.

Started in 2005, Duke City Fix is a living, breathing (current) look at the city. Volunteers who write regular columns run the site. Additionally, the site is augmented by active forums where the average citizen can have his say.

The site also hosts groups, where Duke City denizens can network and squawk with each other about their favorite (and not so favorite) things. Ex-residents of the frozen north can band together and reminisce about the snow, and bikers (both kinds), farmers, star-gazers and web geeks can all find a fellow ‘Querque-ians’ with whom to compare notes. Wine-lovers, cooks and poets are among the others who have also claimed a corner in the cyber city site.

From restaurant and art reviews and live music, to politics, city growth, business and general rants and raves, Duke City Fix covers it. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, post a question in a forum or group and someone will answer. (This could be handy for the Boomer trying to track down the best homebrew shop or best spa for a facial*, or anyone wanting to know if the Roswell aliens could be alive and well and living in Albuquerque).

The site owners say, “Duke City Fix is a cityblog by the people, for the people. It’s a place to celebrate the kitschy, the funky, the wild openness, and caballero edge of what was once the rough and tumble West.”

But the question probably remains; why is Albuquerque called the “Duke City”?
Nope, nothing to do with John Wayne westerns.

The Duke City team jokes, “It wouldn’t be a good story if there weren’t at least 3 points of view, would it?”

The most popular theory is that the city was named after Mexican viceroy Francisco Fernandez de la Cueva, the Duke of Albu(r)querque.

For more theories, visit the Why “Duke City” page on the web site.

*By the way, the best spa for a facial (or relaxing massage), in our opinion, is A Great New Day. Check ‘em out when you visit and tell them For Boomers Media sent you.

Next up: A two-part interview with the founder of A Duke City Group: Moving to the Duke City

Part I

Part II

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