Posts Tagged ‘economic development’

Release courtesy of the NMSU News Center

New Mexico State University students and recent alumni with a small business (or even a good idea for one) are encouraged to apply for a spot in the university’s Studio G.

Studio G, operated through the Entrepreneurship Institute at NMSU’s economic development hub, the Arrowhead Center, is the first business incubator in New Mexico targeted toward college students at any level from all academic disciplines. The incubator was created last year to develop energized, connected and creative student entrepreneurs looking to launch startup companies. Full-time NMSU students and alumni who graduated no more than five years ago have until May 23 to apply for the limited amount of slots still available at Studio G.

“Our goal is to arm students with the entrepreneurial tools needed to kick-start a thriving business,” said Sara Sanders, entrepreneurship director at the Arrowhead Center. “A business incubator is where a company can begin in a safe environment, where it is nurtured and supported until it is ready to launch into the ‘real world.’”

Applicants must have a commitment to exploring or pursuing an entrepreneurial career path, have a quality and viable business plan or concept, and have the ability and willingness to add to the education and experience of others in the incubator.

Candidates for Studio G should have a minimum two-person operation, with at least one member being a full-time NMSU student or alum for the duration of a business’ tenancy. After an applicant team is selected, it will receive workspace, phone and Internet lines, a conference room and other administrative resources needed to start a business. In return, students must be willing to dedicate 10 hours a week during normal business hours to their operation.

Incubator residents will be accepted on a single-semester basis, with additional semesters granted upon assessment of progress by Arrowhead officials. Businesses can stay in the incubator for up to six semesters. Companies may petition for more time in the incubator if it will benefit the company, the incubator, NMSU and/or the economic development of the region. The director of Studio G will review petitions for extended residency on a case-by-case basis.

MBA candidate Brittain Catron and his wife have been operating their small business making tools for wheelbarrows out of Studio G since last year. He welcomes the camaraderie and advice he receives from other tenants.

“We met some people who really want to get out there and start a company,” he said. “It’s neat to meet these people, because you don’t feel so alone trying to do something.”

Students and alumni interested in applying or learning more about Studio G can call 575-646-9100 or email mhaaland@nmsu.edu. Additional information is available at http://www.studiognmsu.com.

Release courtesy of the NMSU News Center

New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center, the university’s economic development hub, is accepting applications from small business owners and entrepreneurs for its Entrepreneur Venture Program taking place this fall.

The deadline to submit an application is May 14. Those selected will receive specialized support and resources to help their businesses reach the next level of development.

“Small businesses and entrepreneurs are a critical component of our nation’s economy,” said Sara Sanders, entrepreneurship director at the Arrowhead Center. “NMSU and the Arrowhead Center are committed to helping small business owners and entrepreneurs in our region thrive in order to ignite job creation.”

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 Marie Borchert at 575-646-9100 or visit http://www.arrowheadcenter.org.

Release courtesy of Spaceport America

LAS CRUCES, NM – The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) has announced three contract awards to companies located in the State of New Mexico. The contracts include Information Technology (IT) Services, Space Operations Services, and the Southern Road Environmental Analysis.

Fiore Industries of Albuquerque was selected as the IT Services contractor. Fiore will be tasked with the development of the necessary policies and procedures for operations and maintenance of the IT infrastructure and applications, plus the management of the computing facilities and associated network at Spaceport America. Fiore’s time and materials contract has an estimated value of $310,000 over two years.

The Space Operations Services contract was awarded to White Sands Research and Developers, LLC (WSRD) of Las Cruces. WSRD will provide policy and procedure development, support for airfield control, horizontal and vertical launch operations, flight safety and launch-site licensing preparation. WSRD’s time and materials contract has an estimated value of $698,000 over two years.

The Southern Road Environmental Analysis contract was awarded to Parametrix of Albuquerque. Parametrix will provide environmental compliance, services, and analyses, including the assistance of the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the spaceport’s southern road, which is County Road 39 from I-25 Upham exit. Parametrix will operate under a time and materials contract at an estimated value of $192,000 for one year.

About Fiore Industries

Fiore of Albuquerque, NM has over 22 years of successful operations experience and achievement. The company’s Information Technology Division provides high-level Oracle consulting services and IT support services that include applications software development, and help desk services to government IT users. Fiore was named as one of NM Business Weekly’s “Top 25 Technology Companies” from 2002 to 2006. They were named the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year for 2009. For more information, please visit www.fiore-ind.com.

About White Sands Research and Developers, LLC (WSRD)

WSRD is based in Las Cruces, NM and is experienced in a wide range of services. They have provided service to White Sands Missile Range, NASA Johnson Test Faculty, and New Mexico Space Grant Consortium. WSRD services include engineering modeling, simulation and related analysis; technical support, training and software development. Their expertise includes modeling, simulation & analysis of conceptual, historical or modern vehicles. This includes estimation of aerodynamic characteristics, estimation of mass properties, performance prediction, trajectory analysis, accident simulation and environments modeling. For more information, please visit www.wsrds.com.

About Parametrix

Parametrix of Albuquerque, NM possesses many multidisciplinary capabilities including: natural and cultural resources; transportation; environmental engineering and sciences; water, toxicology and sciences; community building; surveying and interdisciplinary services. In 2008, Parametrix added cultural resources to the core services offered through the company’s acquisition of Taschek Environmental Consulting in New Mexico. For more information, please visit www.parametrix.com.

About Spaceport America

Spaceport America is the first purpose-built commercial spaceport in the world. It is situated on 18,000 acres adjacent to the US Army White Sands Missile Range. Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard Branson’s company, is the spaceports anchor tenant. Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. Phase One of the construction for the spaceport is expected to be complete in 2012. Phase Two of the construction and pre-operations activities has begun and includes improvements to the vertical launch complex, the paving of the southern road to the spaceport, and the development of a world-class Visitor Experience for students, tourists and space launch customers.

To date, there have been 14 vertical launches at the Spaceport. Customers include Armadillo Aerospace, UP Aerospace, MOOG FTS and Lockheed Martin. The Spaceport also hosts a student launch annually in concert with the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium. Last year there were over 800 students and teachers participating. The Spaceport presents a tremendous opportunity to excite and inspire our students in science and math. The Spaceport Visitor Experience is strongly focused on this objective. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on the promise of economic development to the people of New Mexico. Over 1,000 jobs for New Mexicans have been generated to date. For more information, please visit: www.spaceportamerica.com

For more information on public tours of the Spaceport, please visit: www.ftstours.com

Facebook: Spaceport America, or follow us on Twitter: @Spaceport_NM

Release courtesy of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority

LAS CRUCES, NM — The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) has issued a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for the General Services contract at Spaceport America. The scope of work required for the General Services contract includes providing labor, supervision, management, supplies, materials, tools and equipment to perform:

· Development of policies and procedures for all general services activities

· Maintenance planning and scheduling

· Building and utility maintenance and repairs

· Interior and exterior building maintenance

· Janitorial services

· Fuel storage operation and maintenance

· Motor vehicle and aircraft fueling

· Foreign Object Debris (FOD) removal

· Grounds-keeping and landscape maintenance

· Sustainability management, including on-site materials logistics and waste management

· Roads maintenance

· Airfield, runway and taxiway/apron maintenance

ISSUANCE: The Request for Proposals will be issued on February 24, 2012.  Firms interested in obtaining a copy may download the RFP on that date at: http://www.generalservices.state.nm.us/spd/

ONLINE SPACEPORT AMERICA BUSINESS REGISTRY:

The New Mexico Spaceport Authority has also established an online business registry so local businesses can post contact information and the level and type of experience they offer. Through the registry, larger companies can identify potential sub-contractors and suppliers with the capability to provide specific goods and/or services. http://www.spaceportamerica.com/bidder-registry/index.html

ABOUT SPACEPORT AMERICA:

Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. Phase One of the construction for the spaceport is expected to be complete in early 2012. Phase Two of the construction and pre-operations activities will follow, including the development of a world-class Visitor Experience for students, tourists and space launch customers, the vertical launch complex improvements and the paving of the southern road to the spaceport. When Phase Two construction is completed in 2013, Spaceport America will become fully operational.

Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with entrepreneurial space leaders like UP Aerospace, Virgin Galactic, and Armadillo Aerospace, as well as established aerospace firms like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and MOOG-FTS to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on the promise of economic development to the people of New Mexico.

For more information, please visit: www.spaceportamerica.com

For more information on Preview Tours of the Spaceport, please visit: www.ftstours.com

Facebook: Spaceport America, or follow us on Twitter: @Spaceport NM

Release courtesy of Spaceport America

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, NM – The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) Board of Directors reviewed plans today to design, build and program the Spaceport America Visitor Experience. The plan includes two off-site Welcome Centers located in the Village of Hatch in Doña Ana County and in Truth or Consequences in Sierra County, plus an on-site Visitors Center and specially developed behind-the-scenes tours as well as the chance to visit the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space.

The Spaceport America Visitor Experience will be a professionally designed immersion into the excitement of the world’s first purpose-built, commercial spaceport. Guests will be invited to explore the history, adventure, potential and inspiration of both the next space-age. Officials project attendance will grow to more than 200,000 visitors annually.

“The Spaceport Experience begins on-line long before a guest arrives at a Welcome Center” explained Bob Allen, IDEAS Chief Storytelling Officer. “There will be a robust virtual environment offering games, mobile apps and content so that especially our younger guests will already feel a part of the new space age by the time they come for a visit.” Kelly Pounds, IDEAS Vice President of Learning, noted that a lot of the content will have an educational focus. “We’ll have a special section for educators incorporating lesson plans, instructionally and designed interactives as well as a way for teachers to establish a dialogue with Spaceport for long-term collaboration.

“The Welcome Centers are the “mission briefing” areas where guests become part of the spaceport crew, get updated on current activity, get their credentials and catch a shuttle,” said Allen. The shuttles, designed as traveling theaters are an integral part of the experience. Because Spaceport America is a part of a rich portfolio of regional tourism, the Welcome Centers will also feature a “regional trailhead” where guests can learn about and plan multi-day itineraries. Once guests arrive at Spaceport America, they enter the onsite Visitors Center, which will feature hands-on access to space technology and artifacts from recent launches, the opportunity to create a payload and manifest it for flight, interactive and simulation based experiences and a theater. From the Visitors Center, guests can take a guided in-depth shuttle tour of the entire spaceport finishing at the entrance to the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space where they will get a chance to see in depth into the exciting reality of the world’s first passenger spaceship fleet. Allen noted that, “we are designing a learning-enriched, hands-on immersion into what space is going to be about for the next twenty years. We want a relationship with our guests that lasts generations.”

Comprised of nine companies with rich experience in the design, development, operation and marketing of location-based entertainment, TEAM IDEAS was hired by NMSA to create a memorable visitor experience for Spaceport America, and to create a plan that will meet the needs of visitors and enhance regional tourism. The team evaluated six potential Welcome Center sites in Hatch and eight sites in Truth or Consequences using metrics and criteria developed in the destination hospitality industry before recommending a site in each community with proximity and easy access to I-25 to enhance guest wayfinding and brand visibility.  Officials with NMSA and TEAM IDEAS emphasized a focus on the commercial success of the visitor experience as the best way to make a positive impact on local communities.

The NMSA Board of Directors indicated their support for the plan, with NMSA Chairman Rick Holdridge saying, “After reviewing the TEAM IDEAS recommendations and reconciling it with our budget and commitment to the two counties, we are confident that we have a winning solution fulfilling the promise of economic development, tourism and education.”

Next steps in the development process include the release of Requests for Proposals (RFP) targeting outside investment in Visitor Experience facilities from private developers, the development of a unified visual spaceport brand identity, and continued refinement of the plans as presented. The initial Spaceport America Visitor Experience is expected to reach operational capacity in 2013, about the time Virgin Galactic is intending to begin their commercial operations from Spaceport America. In the meantime, Spaceport America Preview Tours will provide visitors a taste of the project until the full Visitor Experience is ready.

About Spaceport America

Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. Phase One of the construction for the spaceport is expected to be complete in early 2012. Phase Two of the construction and pre-operations activities will follow, including the development of a world-class Visitor Experience for students, tourists and space launch customers, the vertical launch complex improvements and the paving of the southern road to the spaceport. When Phase Two construction is completed in 2013, Spaceport America will become fully operational.

Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with entrepreneurial space leaders like UP Aerospace, Virgin Galactic, and Armadillo Aerospace, as well as established aerospace firms like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and MOOG-FTS to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on the promise of economic development to the people of New Mexico.

For more information, please visit: www.spaceportamerica.com
For more information on Preview Tours of the Spaceport, please visit: www.ftstours.com
Facebook: Spaceport America, or follow us on Twitter: @Spaceport_NM

About TEAM IDEAS

IDEAS is an innovation studio using the power of story to provide creative, design and production services for entertainment, marketing and learning clients. IDEAS was created in 2001 in a management buyout from The Walt Disney Company and serves clients in enterprise and government worldwide. The company operates from its studio headquarters in downtown Orlando’s Creative Village.

Other team members include: Integrated Insight, Inc.; ORCA Consulting LLC; Cordova Marketing Group; Exline Design and Architecture; MYDesign, Inc.; and Blackhorse Worldwide. Team members from New Mexico include SMPC Architects and Larry Littlebird of Albuquerque, NM. The contract called for companies to create partnerships to provide a wide range of services to develop the spaceport’s Visitor Experience.

TEAM IDEAS members have provided a broad range of services in experience development for a list of clients that includes every major Walt Disney theme park & resort around the world, major Universal Studios theme parks, NASCAR, the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, the U.S. Capitol, the Statue of Liberty, the United States Air Force and the United States Navy. This caliber of relevant experience makes the team well-suited to develop the story, design, market analytics, operational strategy, and facilities of the Spaceport America Visitor Experience.

For more information, please visit: www.ideasorlando.com

Facebook: Ideas Orlando