Arrowhead Center invites the public to attend a Networking Mixer, that will introduce the recently expanded on-campus Incubator as a novel way to support the commercialization of faculty, staff and student research in addition to the small business community already being served. Most importantly, it will introduce the entrepreneurial community to the resources and services available at Arrowhead Center.

Join us to learn about Arrowhead business acceleration services: how we can help you turn your idea into a product, start or grow a business, develop and market a technology, or find new applications for research. Tour our newly renovated facility and network with like-minded thinkers.

When:

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Hors d’oeuvres and drinks served at 4:00pm.

Welcome and Opening Address begins at 4:10pm.

Barbara Couture, NMSU President

Garrey Carruthers, Vice President for Economic Development

Where:

Arrowhead Technology Incubator, Genesis Center C, 3655 Research Drive, (click here for map) on the New Mexico State University campus.

For more information contact Zetdi Runyan at (575) 646-7833, or email zrunyan@nmsu.edu.

The Southwest Aerospace & Defense Trade Compliance Forum includes a seminar, networking reception, workshop options and a tour of Spaceport America.

Do you know?

• What are you and your organization’s level of exposure, liability and risk when it comes to international trade and the demanding regulatory driven environment?
• What are the key requirements that you and your organization must abide by?
• What are the ongoing challenging, difficult and sometimes sensitive problems the regulations present?
• What are the potentially devastating consequences if you or your organization get it wrong?

If you need or want answers to these and many other questions, this low-cost, high-quality two-day, hands-on, practical-application and case study-focused program is for you.

Day one seminar topics include:

• Overview and Update on US Export Controls;
• International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) HOT Topics: State Department Trends, Defense Service Exports, Export Control Reform Initiatives, Agreements, Brokering, Third-Country/Dual Nationals, D-Trade, Merger & Acquisition Due Diligence, and much more…;
• Automation & Software Essentials in Trade Compliance;
• Industry Panel – How to Successfully Navigate the ITAR Minefield; Enforcement Update and Latest Consequences of Non-Compliance with Important Case Studies and Lessons Learned.
• Day one ends with a Q&A session followed by a networking reception

On day two attendees have two workshops to pick from:

• TRACK 1 is “Challenges Facing Empowered Officials and Trade Compliance Professionals: Minimizing Exposure, Liability and Risk” and includes sessions on Investigations, Disclosures and Decision Making; What the Regulations Don’t Say and How to Prepare for What’s Ahead, Hands-on Interactive Case Studies and ends with a presenter Q&A period.

• TRACK 2 is “Commercial Space and the ITAR” with sessions on What Every Commercial Space Entrepreneur Needs to Know; USML Categories IV, VIII and XV, as well as Relevant CCL Entries; Obstacles to Export; Interagency and Regulatory Conflicts Launch/Spaceflight Insurance Issues, Defense Services, etc.; Spaceports and the ITAR: Compliance Requirements for the Owner, Operators, Tenants, Suppliers, etc.; Hands-on Interactive Case Studies and also ends with a presenters Q&A.

In the afternoon of day two there is a special Spaceport America tour.

Additional details including registration, hotel information and a complete agenda are linked here.

WRITER: Janet Perez, 575-646-4120, perezjm@nmsu.edu
CONTACT: Sara Patricolo, 575-646-2066, spatrico@nmsu.edu

Small business owners can learn more about how health care reform affects them at the Spring 2012 Domenici Institute Forum. The forum takes place from 4-5 p.m. on Jan. 17 at the KRWG-TV studios on the campus of New Mexico State University. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Bob Graboyes, senior fellow for health and economics for the National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation, will discuss the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and what it means for small businesses.

“Small businesses are dealing with numerous challenges in this difficult economy, including health care reform,” said Garrey Carruthers, dean of New Mexico State University’s College of Business and director of NMSU’s Domenici Institute. “Through this Domenici Institute Forum, small business owners in the region will have the opportunity to learn from a nationally prominent expert how health care reform is expected to impact them.”

At the forum, Graboyes will discuss 12 needed reforms to the health care legislation that are of importance to small businesses.  In addition to his work with the National Federation of Independent Business, Graboyes teaches health care professionals in master’s and doctoral programs at Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Virginia and George Mason University. Graboyes was an economist at the University of Richmond, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Va., the Virginia Department of Taxation and Chase Manhattan Bank.

The Domenici Institute Forum is an extension of the university’s yearly Domenici Public Policy Conference. The goal of the forums is to engage the public and encourage them to discuss and take part in issues of public interest, specifically, important policy matters.

The forum will be taped for broadcast, so those attending must arrive on campus by 3:30 p.m. and be at the KRWG studios in Milton Hall by 3:45 p.m. Taping will begin promptly at 4 p.m. For those who cannot attend the forum, KRWG will broadcast the proceedings at 7 p.m. Jan. 19, 5 p.m. Jan. 21 and 11 a.m. Jan. 22. For more information and a parking guide, log onto http://domenici.nmsu.edu.

WRITER: Janet Perez, 575-646-4120, perezjm@nmsu.edu

CONTACT: Sara Pirayesh Sanders, 575-646-7036, npirayes@nmsu.edu

If you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur in need of assistance, New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center can help.

The Arrowhead Center currently is accepting applications from small business owners and entrepreneurs for its Entrepreneur Venture Program taking place this spring. The deadline to submit an application is Jan. 16. Those selected will receive specialized support and resources to help their businesses reach the next level of development.

The services that Arrowhead Center’s Entrepreneur Venture Program offers are becoming even more critical in this sluggish economy.

“Entrepreneurship and innovation are topics on the national stage, with an emphasis on job creation through startups,” said Sara Sanders, entrepreneurship director at the Arrowhead Center. “New Mexico needs to be a part of that conversation. Over the past decade, New Mexico’s entrepreneurial activity has not grown; in fact, it has decreased. The Arrowhead Center aims to help change that reality through programs such as this.”

According to the Kauffman Foundation’s 2010 Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, New Mexico was one of three states to record the largest decreases in entrepreneurial activity rates over the past decade. New Mexico ranked below Wyoming and just ahead of Alaska. For the year 2010, however, New Mexico fared better, scoring an estimated 320 per 100,000 adults starting new businesses. That was comparable to Arizona and far ahead of West Virginia’s number of 170 per 100,000.

Services for the Entrepreneur Venture Program are customized to fit startups and established businesses alike. The program’s services include business plans, marketing studies, feasibility studies, financial analyses and industry analyses. Businesses accepted into the program are chosen based on a variety of factors, including the degree to which they contribute to economic development in New Mexico.

Since it was established in 2004, the Arrowhead Center has completed more than 300 business research projects involving more than 300 undergraduate and graduate students. It also has fostered the spin-off of a university genetics-testing laboratory that has resulted in a new for-profit corporation, and completed several state-level economic studies.

For more information on the Entrepreneur Venture Program, call 575-646-7036 or visit http://www.arrowheadcenter.org.

The first session is scheduled for December 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the New Mexico State University Albuquerque branch, 4501 Indian School Rd. NE.

New Mexico 9000 was created by the Economic Development Department to provide training and assistance to New Mexico businesses in preparing for ISO 90001:2008. Training will be broken into six half-day sessions over a 3-6 month period.

“This is a great opportunity for New Mexico businesses to access new customers, become more efficient and lower their operating costs,” said Jon Barela, New Mexico Economic Development Cabinet Secretary.

The New Mexico 9000 training program has been completed by 155 companies, creating over 1,000 new expansion jobs.

Trained professionals will conduct ISO 9001:2008 classes in:

• Internal Auditing
• Writing Standard Operating Procedures
• Writing Work Instructions
• Understanding the Standard

ISO is a general Quality Management System. Companies like Intel, Boeing and many other companies are requiring that their first tier suppliers be ISO 9001 certified. In turn, those suppliers are requiring that their suppliers are ISO 9000 certified. In addition, government agencies, such as the Department of Defense, NASA and NNSA are also requiring ISO certification of their providers.

ISO 9000 standards have been adopted by 178 countries. There are now more than 1 million companies worldwide that have registered to the ISO standards. Costs associated with obtaining, maintaining, and renewing ISO registration are tax deductible. The cost of the New Mexico 9000 training classes is based on annual company sales revenue, ranging from $550 to $3,300 for the training.

For more information, or to register for the program, contact the New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership, at (505) 262-0921 or via e-mail, at info@newmexicomep.org.

New Markets Tax Credits have helped developers and business owners gain access to a low-cost source of capital to solve a portion of their capital needs while creating significant community and economic impact in distressed areas. The Collateral Support Participation program is a new program initiated to leverage private lending to help finance small businesses which are creditworthy but unable to obtain the capital required to expand and create jobs.

These seminars are designed to inform and acquaint community officials, planners, economic development professionals, developers, and business owners. A special addendum has been added to these sessions which will focus on the unique interests of investors and lenders of New Markets Tax Credits.

Seminar schedule

Representatives will be traveling throughout New Mexico to provide information on how we can help your business realize the vision of your communities’ needs and growth potential. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming seminar! Please RSVP at least a day prior to the event using the links below.

Monday, November 14, 2011

City Hall – Commission Chambers

1376 East Ninth Street, Alamogordo, NM  88301

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Yes, I plan to attend >

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Morgan Hall

109 E Pine Street, Deming, NM  88030

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Yes, I plan to attend >

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Hotel Encanto

705 South Telshor Boulevard, Las Cruces, NM  88011

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Yes, I plan to attend >

For questions regarding these events, please contact:

John Brooks
jbrooks@nmfa.net
505 992 9638

Celina Sandoval
csandoval@nmfa.net
505 992 9642

WRITER: Janet Perez, 575-646-4120, perezjm@nmsu.edu

CONTACT: Sara Sanders, 575-646-7036, npirayes@nmsu.edu

New name. New attitude.

That sums up the revamp of an annual small business and entrepreneur conference hosted by New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center.

Once called the Business Owners and Entrepreneurs Symposium, the name of the Nov. 4 half-day gathering has been changed to GROW: An Event for Entrepreneurs.

“We’re going to have different experts sit down with people one-on-one to talk about (a business’) specific problem,” said Sara Pirayesh Sanders, entrepreneurship director for the Arrowhead Center. “The intention is for it to be a working, very tangible event. People come in with a problem and they leave with resources. It’s targeted to those who want to start a business or who already may be in business.”

In past years, the setting was more formalized, with a panel onstage taking questions from the audience. This year, the audience will sit through a few presentations and then have the opportunity to stop at various stations and talk directly to the experts. For example, a small business owner who has designed her own brochure will be able to show her work to a marketing expert who will provide a constructive critique and advice.

Theresa Gonzales, vice president of RTD Hardware, was a panel participant last year and is enthusiastic about the GROW changes.

“Not many people asked questions last year, so there really wasn’t much interchange between the audience and us,” she said. “Less formal is always less intimidating for a lot of people. This will probably be a much easier way for people to ask questions. It would have made me more relaxed as well. I’m not really big on speaking in front of people. I prefer one-on-one.”

Despite running a business that has been operating in Las Cruces for 25 years, Gonzales said she is interested in attending GROW so she can learn more from the experts about social media and insurance issues.

“I can see myself sitting in front of an expert and asking questions for my business,” she said.

Among the speakers at the GROW event are Michael Rivera, state director of the New Mexico Small Business Development Center Network; Bill Allen, president and CEO of the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce; and John Woosley, director of the New Mexico district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Chris Penner, director of the Arrowhead Technology Incubator, will give the luncheon keynote address. Penner will discuss his experiences as an entrepreneur. Garrey Carruthers, dean of the NMSU College of Business and vice president for economic development, will give the closing remarks.

For the one-on-one meetings, local experts will be on hand to help small business owners and budding entrepreneurs in a variety of fields such as Web design, marketing, commercial lending, taxes, insurance, information technology and international trade.

In addition to getting free advice from the experts, GROW attendees also will receive a jump drive that has templates, instructions, guidelines, checklists, information on how to open a Facebook account and more, Sanders said.

Along with the Arrowhead Center, GROW is sponsored by the Dona Aña Community College Small Business Development Center and the New Mexico Procurement and Technical Assistance Program.

Peter Ibarbo, president of the Ibarbo Consulting Group in Las Cruces, said small businesses in the area have many resources available to them, but the Arrowhead Center fills a special and needed niche.

“The Arrowhead Center provides a specific, technology-focused type of business incubation,” he said. “I think it is very critical to the economy to attract companies that require that connection with the university to provide them with research and with space.”

GROW: An Event for Entrepreneurs takes place from 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Nov. 4, at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road. The cost is $49 to the public and $35.50 for students. For more information and to register, visit Grow2011.eventbrite.com.

SANTA FE – New Mexico Economic Development Department Secretary Jon Barela announced Tuesday that New Mexico has been approved by U.S. Department of the Treasury to participate in the State Small Business Credit Initiative Program (SSCBI).

New Mexico will receive nearly $13.2 million in federal funds to put toward programs that leverage private lending to help finance small businesses and manufacturers that are creditworthy, but are not able to access the capital required to expand and create jobs. The New Mexico Economic Development Department (NMEDD) will contract with the New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA) to operate the program.

“Small businesses are the backbone of New Mexico’s economy and the engines of economic recovery,” said Governor Martinez. “It is a priority for this administration to create a more business-friendly environment that encourages growth, investment, and job creation right here in New Mexico. This program is an important step toward accomplishing that goal and putting New Mexicans back to work.”

“These funds will help creditworthy small businesses access the lending they need to invest and hire, providing a powerful boost for economic growth and job creation,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal S. Wolin. “Expanding access to credit will help ensure that more entrepreneurs and small businesses can invest in their local communities to put more Americans back to work.”

NMEDD and NMFA have agreed to initially focus the State Small Business Credit Initiative Program funding to a bank loan participation program, branded the Collateral Support Program (CSP), focusing on shorter term working capital loans, particularly for projects located in rural and underserved areas of New Mexico. NMFA will base CSP on its existing loan participation program Smart Money which allows NMFA to purchase from a regulated bank or credit union up to 49 percent of a loan it makes to a New Mexico business or non-profit. The rules limit the amount of NMFA participation to $5 million and that no more than $2 million be directed to any project unless significant economic development will occur as a result. More specifically, the business must create at least one full-time job for each $50,000 invested by the NMFA.  These same guidelines will be used in implementing the CSP.  Additional federal requirements are:

1) the funds are directed to small businesses that do not employ more than 500, and that credit support will not be extended to borrowers that have more than 750 employees, and

2) for every $1 in CSP utilized, it must be leveraged with a minimum of $10 in new private lending.

 “The Economic Development Department worked hard to make this funding available to small businesses in our state,” Barela said.  “The SSCBI funds will go a long way in our efforts to expand economic development throughout the state.”

Under SSBCI, all states were offered the opportunity to apply for federal funds for state-run programs that partner with private lenders and investors to increase the amount of credit available to small businesses. States must demonstrate that every $1 in federal funding will generate a minimum of $10 in new private lending.  Accordingly, the overall $1.5 billion federal funding commitment for this program is expected to result in at least $15 billion in additional private lending nationwide.

“We are in a unique position to help the state develop public-private partnerships for business growth and job creation,” said Denise Baker, chair of the New Mexico Finance Authority. “These new funds will increase our ability to partner with local banks and strengthen communities.”

The NMEDD and NMFA will be hosting outreach sessions for the CSP on the following dates and locations:

Monday, November 14, 2011 in Alamogordo site to be determined at 9 a.m.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at Morgan Hall in Deming, NM at 9 a.m.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011 in at the Hotel Encanto in Las Cruces, NM at 9 a.m.

The symposium will offer practical tools and advice on ways to start, improve and GROW your business. Bring examples of your current business ideas, marketing materials, business plans and any of the other aspects of your business you feel you need help with.  There will be experts on hand to work with you one-on-one to give you the specific tools and advice you need to tackle the problem.

To register for the event, visit: http://2011grow.eventbrite.com/.

The event is sponsored by the Arrowhead Center, the Dona Ana Community College Small Business Development Center (DACC-SBDC), and the New Mexico Procurement and Technical Assistance Program (NM-PTAP).

The maquiladora supplier day is free, but companies are required to match the materials in demand. Flexaust, Genasco, and TECMA will take one-on-one meetings with suppliers.   The commodity buyers have listed the materials they are interested in sourcing in the attached list.  In addition to the B2B meetings, companies can purchase vendor tables to promote their products for $75.  The vendor table reservation form is attached here.

Participation is by invitation only and provided that suppliers meet the criteria on the list of supplies noted above.  There is a limit of two representatives from each supplier and suppliers must RSVP by Tuesday, November 8.

To RSVP or for more information contact Mayra De La Canal: delacanalmx@elpasotexas.gov.