Posts Tagged ‘Dona Ana Community College’

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

By Samantha Roberts

When typing “New Mexico green” into a search engine, the first things to come up are websites on green chile. However, the New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce is looking to make another green just as popular – green building, green businesses and green living.

New Mexico has been rated second best of the 50 states for solar power potential; behind Arizona however, in regard to capitalizing on this usage, the state falls next to last. To address this dilemma, the New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce is hosting a green conference, targeting businesses that are interested in sustainability practices and to help educate the public.

“Renewable energy and clean technology is a growing industry that will directly benefit southern New Mexico and more broadly,” said New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce CEO Allan Oliver in regard to having the chamber’s upcoming Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Conference in Downtown Las Cruces. “We are not talking about urban areas or just Albuquerque. This technology will change all of New Mexico. We want to help showcase the benefits that can be accrued and job creation across the state.”

The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, at the Rio Grande Theatre, 211 N. Main St.

“We are thrilled to hold the event in Las Cruces, especially in Downtown and at the Rio Grande Theatre,” said Elisa Cundiff, executive director of the Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce. “Some of the people coming don’t make it to southern New Mexico very often, so we are excited to show them what we have.”  Cundiff said she is especially excited about some of the companies making an appearance at the conference, such as Intel, EMCORE Corp., CFV Solar Test Laboratory Inc. and many more. “These are incredible companies,” she said. “CFV is the leading research testing lab in the world.”

Oliver said the New Mexico Green Chamber is also attracted to the southern part of the state because of the supportive companies in the area. “Southern New Mexico has a lot of land and some great solar distributors,” he said. “There is a strong, vibrant Las Cruces chapter that is well-connected into the community and we wanted to make this a community-based event. That is why we chose Downtown, it’s the heart of a community.”

Oliver said he would like to see 150 people at the conference, and it’s looking to strong leaders to draw people in to the green issues. “If you are looking for who is helping lead the state, the advances at Sapphire Energy cannot go unnoticed,” he said. “New Mexico State University is very strong and there are great solar installers, such as Sunspot Solar Energy and Positive Solar Energy. There was just a really good rationale for having this event in Las Cruces, and we hope people come out and take advantage of the opportunity.”

Cundiff said the conference will consist of two events – an outdoor green business expo and the indoor panel discussions. “There will be 20 ‘vendors’ outside,” Cundiff said. “For example, Doña Ana Community College will be there to talk about renewable energy education. We want the event to be very interactive and fun.”

Also making an appearance at the conference will be the New Mexico Workforce Development green jobs bus. Feature speakers from Intel, EMCORE and 20 more expert panelists from industry, government, and research centers will also be in attendance.

“We encourage anyone or any business interested in making a switch to greener solutions or wanting to know more to come,” Cundiff said. “There will be a panel of all local business owners who have made the switch to green and will talk about how they are making money in the niche market.”

“This is a great opportunity for networking with like-minded people,” Oliver said.

Cundiff said conferences, such as this one, will help make New Mexico a leader in green technology and research. “We have some of the greatest labs right here,” she said, “but as soon as the technology is developed, the programs are sold and developed in the Silicon Valley. I want to move them back to New Mexico.”

Cundiff said part of this problem is also in politics, and a panel, including state Sen. Steve Fischmann, will also be there Sept. 30 to discuss what needs to happen. “Public land is an on-going issue,” Cundiff said. “We want to make sure we address that, too.”

“I am especially excited about Allen Gilbert, the keynote speaker for the event,” Oliver said. Gilbert is the U.S. Department of Interior Senior Advisor for the Rocky Mountains and Southwest and will speak about the renewable energy on public land the potential impact on southern New Mexico.  “This is still a tough time for the economy, but southern New Mexico has seen rapid growth,” Oliver said. “(The conference) is a great opportunity to hear from some of the best minds in the state focused on the audience as well as business experts from academics and national labs. This is the opportunity to hear directly from them.”

Tickets for the conference are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. For more information, visit www.nmgreenchamber.com.

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

By Samantha Roberts

On Friday, Sept. 16, a common topic of discussion was addressed at the White House – jobs. But participants of the discussion were not as common; instead, they were “Champions of Change,” selected members of the southwest handpicked to talk about the status of jobs. Among those champions was Las Crucen John Muñoz, site director of Las Cruces Sitel and president of the Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces. Muñoz was nominated by Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima to be selected as a Champion of Change.

“Being nominated by Mayor Miyagishima in a pool of many other talented business leaders here and across the southwest and then being recognized as a handful of Champion of Change and finding out that the interview I did in DC with Fox TV had over 130,000 audience views has my head spinning,” Muñoz said. “Friends and colleagues around the U.S. have called or written saying he saw an article or an interview. I am amazed at the support and well-wishes.”

Muñoz said a plethora of emotions were running through him. “I was scared and surprised, but mostly honored,” Muñoz said. “The real folks that deserve the recognition are the staff members at Sitel – my Sitel family – board members of the Hispano chamber and members of the community.”

At the White House, Muñoz and other champions from San Diego to Laredo, Texas, met with various members of the Obama administration to highlight some of the good things that were happening in the Southwest border region.

“A few initiatives in Las Cruces really caught interest in the White House,” Muñoz said. “Events such as the Reverse Trade Mission and the Small Business Lending Fair, they saw these as new and innovative initiatives that were pushing job creation and sustainability. “It was an incredible experience to share economic development best practices with administration officials and with a handful of leaders from the Southwest.”

Another attention-getter in Washington, D.C., has been the Hispano chamber’s website, bi-monthly publication El Próspero and TV show – the BNC that aims to promote local businesses and nonprofits.

Though Muñoz said he was interested in programs going on in other parts of the country, such as work with San Diego school systems, he said he was especially proud to share the work being done in southern New Mexico.

“I think North America does almost $1 billion a day in trade with Mexico,” Muñoz said. “It makes sense that we leverage this to the benefit of southern New Mexico and find cutting edge ways to be more competitive. There is so much more to this emerging area of our country. Partners such as Doña Ana Community College, The Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico, The Bridge of Southern New Mexico and Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance have been great resources to Sitel and to the Hispano Chamber. Beyond that, our community has been our bedrock. Sitel remains active in our community because we have been given so much.”

As another topic of discussion, Muñoz said he was able to go into detail about the growth at Sitel and the company’s contribution to job growth. “Sitel focuses on optimal results and strong customer service,” he said. “And because of the hard work, results and consistently high quality, we have produced in Las Cruces we have been able to grow into new ventures and new jobs.”

Since March, Muñoz said the company has promoted more than a dozen local Sitel employees to leadership and support positions as well as hire more than 100 new people.

“And we are not done yet,” Muñoz added. “I have seen new entrants to the workplace; single parents and second and third career employees learn life and business skills over the past five years. Since we employ hundreds of people, I get a bird’s-eye view of the mosaic of people from all walks of life and ages.”

In addition to the economics of the discussion, Muñoz said he was also proud to talk about the natural benefits Las Cruces has to offer, such as the Organ Mountains and sunny skies. “Pristine wild lands, our majestic mountains, great weather and friendly Southwest hospitality make this a great region to do business, to live and to raise a family,” Muñoz said. “In the midst of hard times, there is still a frontier, can-do attitude not waiting for things to get better or to happen. Instead, New Mexicans are making things happen.”

As for the future of southern New Mexico, Muñoz said he is hopeful the unemployed can find work. “Putting Americans back to work is critical – it’s job No. 1. We can work with our community leaders and with the Hispano Chamber and other partners and our local businesses to make this happen. In the sessions, we would able to identify some potential resources, which may help us create additional jobs in southern New Mexico. Entrepreneurs and business people by design or, by choice, make things happen.”

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin
By Samantha Roberts

The Small Business Development Center of New Mexico has developed a program with exports as its focus, making available international trade counselors and an abundance of resources for those looking to start up business with Mexico.

Working as a nonprofit, SBDC is spread throughout the state with 20 locations serving New Mexican business owners and entrepreneurs.

The new program – Gateway to Exporting: Your Key to International Markets – is being spearheaded by Flo Dow, as­sistant director for marketing and professional development at the New Mexico SBDC, and is aimed at developing New Mexi­co’s small businesses and increasing their capabilities to export products and services to Mexico’s maquiladora industry.

“We are trying to let people know this program is up and running,” she said. “We received a federal grant in January for $325,000 and spent the first six months getting things sorted out. Now, we are ready to go.”

As part of the program, the SBDC has designated five team members as international trade consultants and one of them is in Las Cruces.

Fred Owensby, director of the Las Cruces SBDC, will serve as the consultant for southern New Mexico.

“I will be covering all of the south, from Hobbs, N.M., to Silver City, N.M.,” Owensby said. “We hope to bring people in and get their initial questions answered. Then from there, they could work with someone like the (International Business Ac­celerator) to advance further with doing business across the border.”

Another service the program offers is a database, connecting buyers with suppliers, which can be found at www.nmiba.com/ gateway.

The site will also be posting webinars that cover issues such as international business planning, finance, logistics, marketing identification and secure commerce, Dow said.

“We will be very proactive in identifying people and compa­nies that are interested in international business,” she added.

The services being offered are free and open to anyone.

“Anyone and everyone who has the right product,” she said, adding that the international consultants are available if some­one is trying to determine if they “have the right product.”

“They can contact the office and we will do a one-on-one in­terview,” Owensby added. “We will have that conversation and help people figure it out.”

Since safety in Mexico is still of high concern, Owensby said this program provides an alternative to traveling across the bor­der for business.

“We have strong connections with people who are already down there and are willing to help,” he said. “There are two con­sultants in Juárez in the community doing the legwork who are familiar with the industry.”

“We are making in-country connections,” said Bill Dobricky, senior procurement adviser for the Procurement Technical As­sistance Program, a division of the SBDC that assists companies in doing business with the government.

Though the grant will expire two years from its inception, Dow said this is a good start to a program the center hopes to continue.

“We hope to have great success and create a model that will put us in a position for more funds in the future,” she said. “We also hope that this will help people to understand the value of the SBDC. We are providing these services and your tax dollars are at work.”

Also as part of the New Mexico SBDC, additional free work­shops will be held at Doña Ana Community College from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Thursdays, Sept. 8, Oct. 6, Nov. 10 and Dec. 8.

Workshop participants are invited to make an appointment for individual assistance. To make arrangements with an SBDC representative after any workshop, call 527-7676.

For more information on SBDC or the Procurement Techni­cal Assistance Program, visit www.nmsbdc.org.

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Sun-News

By Diana M. Alba

 SANTA TERESA, N.M. – Amid a backdrop of national uncertainty about the economy, a slate of New Mexico’s top elected officials Monday heralded the growth that could originate with a new $400 million Union Pacific project in Santa Teresa.

Republican Gov. Susana Martinez and three of the state’s five congressional representatives – U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Jeff Bingaman, Democrats, and Rep. Steve Pearce, Republican – were on hand to mark the start of construction on a new rail yard and intermodal facility, along the international border.

Bingaman noted he doesn’t attend nearly as many groundbreaking ceremonies these days as he once did, acknowledging the country’s economic situation in recent years. Even so, he seemed optimistic.

“Union Pacific deserves great credit for reminding us, with the investment they’re now making today and the work they’re beginning today, that the economy of this country is going to come roaring back, and they’re going to be ready when it does come roaring back,” he said to a crowd gathered just south of a Santa Teresa industrial park.

The facility, expected to take four years to build, will create some 3,000 construction jobs over a four-year construction schedule, officials said. Some 600 permanent jobs would be created, once operations start.

The facility would serve as a place to refuel locomotives and transfer shipping containers from trucks to rail and vice versa. Union Pacific officials said it will serve as focal point for products being shipped to both the East and West coasts.

Martinez said the southern New Mexico region is ripe for economic growth along the international border, but the state hasn’t taken advantage of that in past years.

“New Mexico has not made the most of its strategic positioning in the region, and that changes today,” she said.

The company awarded 65 percent of its first wave of contracts to local companies and is making a commitment to continue that investment, said Jim Young, chairman and CEO of Union Pacific. Also, it’s working with Dona Ana Community College to make sure residents are trained to work at the facility when it’s done.

“We will do everything we can to hire local,” he said.

In the distance, two Union Pacific locomotives and a tailing train were positioned strategically behind officials, as they addressed the crowd of dignitaries and businessmen.

Instead of the stereotypical groundbreaking with shovels and hard hats, officials signed their names into wet concrete blocks, which a Union Pacific official said will eventually be incorporated into the rail hub.

“We’ll have a wall that will enshrine the folks who are here today kicking off this project in a way that will stay with this facility throughout its life,” said Bob Turner, Union Pacific senior vice president, corporate relations.

Attendee Victoria Perea of El Paso, who retired from El Paso Electric Co. as an economic development liaison, said talk of the rail hub has been in the pipeline for years, but the project is finally materializing. She credited the governor, who she also said is a longtime friend.

“Economic development happens over time,” said Perea, a La Mesa native. “I believe there’s a lot of potential, but the potential is in the future.”

Pearce said in a statement he’s promoted the project since 2005 and is “happy to see this work coming to fruition in the form of jobs for New Mexico.”

“New jobs are the key to economic security, which is why I have made jobs my top priority in Congress,” he said.

Udall, too, highlighted the jobs that will result.

“The best thing is the good news of growing jobs here in New Mexico, which is what we need to do in Washington,” he said. “It’s what we need to do at the local level, because that’s what people want right now.”

The facility will be 11.5 miles long and one mile wide and entail 26 buildings and 200 miles of railroad track, according to a Union Pacific news release.

Monday’s gathering was reminiscent of one in October 2006 in Santa Teresa, when Union Pacific officials said construction on the hub could have started in 2008, if a key train fuel tax break were granted by the Legislature. The project never started.

What put the project on hold in recent years was the national economy, said Aaron Hunt, director of corporate relations and media for Union Pacific. But Hunt said the company certainly is moving forward now.

“We’re in it for the long-haul at this point,” he said.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443

As part of MVEDA’s “Business Connection Series”, New Mexico Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Jon Barela will join economic development representatives from throughout the area and meet with residents to discuss initiatives to create jobs for New Mexicans and to identify ways to provide employment and growth opportunities for small businesses. The Las Cruces town hall will be held on Wednesday, August 3 from 3:00 – 5:30 p.m. at the Dona Ana Community College Workforce Development Center, 2345 E. Nevada.

The meetings will include an introduction by Secretary Barela, presentations by selected panel members and a public comment/input portion. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The information and feedback gathered from these meetings will be taken into consideration for a job creation bill for the 2012 Legislative Session. The goal of this job creation bill is to make New Mexico competitive when it comes to local, national and international job recruitment, retention and expansion.