EL PASO, Texas -- Pat Villalobos runs a busy construction business. As president and owner of Barnhart –Taylor, she has already secured construction jobs at Fort Bliss.

With more than 65,000 military members and their families headed to El Paso in the next few years, she expects her business to grow.

"I think it will take us, growth of about 50 percent," Villalobos said.

Other businesses in El Paso and Dona Ana counties will also see more customers, and that means they'll need more employees to keep up with the demand. That's why the Upper Rio Grand At Work is hosting a Base Realignment And Closure Summit to find out the employment needs of local businesses.

"Health care, professionals in accounting, in engineering, math, science. Those are the fields that are going to be most impacted," Upper Rio Grande At Work Labor Market Analyst David Coronado said.

Thursday, entrepreneurs, elected officials and military representatives will gather at Biggs Army Airfield to brainstorm ideas. So far, more than 250 businesses have signed up to attend.

Experts predict the troop surge will have a $21 billion economic impact on El Paso and create at least 40,000 jobs. They also predict that it will generate more than $47 million in new sales taxes and $200 million in new property taxes.

"The jobs for the higher opportunity for growth are those that demand at least a vocational degree, an associate’s degree or even a master’s degree," Coronado said. “So we need to prepare our community for those changes."

Registration ended Friday, Jan. 18. However, Upper Rio Grande is still encouraging businesses to check for availability at 915-772-2002.