Posts Tagged ‘Mexico’

Release courtesy of the NMSU News Center

Top national and state economists will unveil their economic forecasts for 2012 at the inaugural Economic Outlook Conference sponsored by the College of Business at New Mexico State University and Wells Fargo Bank. The free conference takes place from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Jan. 12 at the Corbett Center Student Union on the NMSU campus.

“Wells Fargo’s decision to co-host its economic forecast conference in Las Cruces reflects the growing importance this region has on the overall state economy,” said Garrey Carruthers, dean of the NMSU College of Business and vice president for economic development.

“Wells Fargo is proud to partner with NMSU to present this inaugural economic outlook event,” said Lisa Riley, regional president for Wells Fargo New Mexico. “The purpose of this event is to deliver the very latest information concerning the United States and New Mexico economies. Recent history, current state and future paths of each of these economies will provide the business owner or executive with the best information available to plan for the coming year.”

Delivering the national economic forecast for Wells Fargo will be Eugenio Alemán, a senior economist and vice president for the company. Alemán will discuss the country’s strengthening economy as job creation rises and the housing market stabilizes. He also will discuss the challenges still facing the nation’s economy, particularly the risk posed by a potential collapse of the euro.

At Wells Fargo, Alemán forecasts national, regional and international economic trends. His primary focus is the United States, including interest rates and the economies of Texas and Arizona. He also is an expert on the economies of Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. Within that area, his specialties include the economies of border towns that trade with Mexico and the maquiladora-manufacturing sector along the U.S.-Mexico border. He is based in Charlotte, N.C.

After Alemán’s presentation, NMSU economist Jim Peach will provide the state’s economic forecast. Peach will explain how the national economy affects New Mexico and also will focus on economic growth prospects for the state.  “Three sectors of the state economy – government, energy and construction – will be key factors in both the short- and long-run recovery in New Mexico,” Peach said.

To register for the event, contact Judy Wetzel at 575-521-6849 or at judith.a.wetzel@wellsfargo.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.”

L&M Radiator, Inc. has completed the relocation of its plant in El Paso, TX, to Las Cruces, NM.  L&M is leasing about 52,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space at 2100 South Valley Drive.  The move will give L&M twice the manufacturing space of its former facility.  L&M Radiator manufactures heavy-duty radiators and heat exchangers under the brand name “MESABI®.”

Dan Chisholm, company President, said nearly all the employees from the El Paso plant have chosen to stay with L&M in its move to Las Cruces.  Even so, said Chisholm, L&M will need to increase its Las Cruces work force by about 30% from its current 138 to meet demand. The plant is 100% operational and running three shifts per day, five days a week.  Chisholm said people interested in applying for new positions could do so online at www.mesabi.com, or apply in person at a plant open house scheduled for Saturday, September 24 from 10 AM – 2 PM.

“We are pleased with our decision to relocate our Southwest plant to Las Cruces,” said Chisholm.  “The Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance has been very helpful in helping us relocate and expand here, and the work force has quickly learned our manufacturing processes and is highly motivated.  Doña Ana Community College provided valuable training for new employees.”

L&M’s El Paso plant was L&M’s second US plant when it opened in 1980 and fourth in the world.  L&M also has US plants in Hibbing, MN, Independence, IA, and Yankton, SD, and in Mexico and Australia. It is in the process of opening a seventh plant in northern Chile that will serve L&M’s markets in South America. Total L&M employment worldwide is more than 700, according to Chisholm.

Chisholm said the Las Cruces plant open house on Saturday will give Las Cruces area residents a look at what L&M makes, plus persons interested in job openings a chance to apply.  L&M supervisors will be available to answer questions related to employment opportunities.  The open house will take place from 10AM – 2 PM.  Refreshments will be provided.

L&M Radiator is family owned and now in its third generation of management.  Dan Chisholm’s grandfather co-founded L&M Radiator in 1957. It was acquired soon thereafter by Dan’s father, Alex, who remains active in the business today.  The third family member is Dan’s sister, Laura Chisholm Ekholm.  Plant headquarters are in Hibbing on the Minnesota Mesabi Iron Range – hence the origin of its brand name.

The design concept of the MESABI® radiator originated during WWII desert tank warfare when it was discovered British tanks could be disabled with a single bullet hole through the radiator. The radiator the British developed featured individual cooling tubes held in radiator headers by individual rubber seals.  The seals allowed damaged tubes to be replaced in the field and often without removing the radiator from the tank.  The concept virtually eliminates leaking; MESABI® radiators usually do not need maintenance, other than simple cleaning, for up to 25,000 hours of equipment operation.

 The L&M MESABI® radiator is now used worldwide in all heavy-duty, off-road mobile and stationary equipment. Variations on the design concept include radiators, complete radiator cooling packages, oil coolers, charge air coolers, and tube and shell coolers.  According to Chisholm, the majority of its heat exchangers are used in mining, and oil and gas exploration and drilling.

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.

Release courtesy of the New Mexico Economic Development Department

CHAPARRAL, NM – A welcoming ceremony was held today for Snap Green Industries, LLC, a plastics recycling company, that is establishing new operations in Chaparral. The company is expected to create approximately 40 new jobs at its Chaparral site within three years.

New Mexico Economic Development Department Secretary-designate Jon Barela, along with other local officials, attended the ceremony.

“It’s great to see another business planting its roots in rural New Mexico,” Barela said. “Not only will Snap Green Industries bring jobs to southern New Mexico, but it is also part of a growing plastics recycling industry that is important to this region and the state.”

Snap Green Industries, LLC has been in business for eight years and currently has operations in Juarez, Mexico and a warehouse in El Paso, Texas. Its new operation in Chaparral will recycle different types of plastics such as polyethylene and PET to produce a variety of production inputs that are environmentally friendly. In the first phase, the company will construct a 4,000-square-foot building. In the second phase, the company will construct a 20,000-square-foot industrial building.

“Our new Chaparral site affords us the advantage of being close to our markets in El Paso, Juarez, and southern New Mexico,” said Francisco Alberto Rodarte, the CEO of Snap Green Industries, LLC. “We are very happy with the support we received from the New Mexico Partnership and the Otero County Economic Development Council, which assisted us in establishing our new operations. We look forward to becoming a productive member of the southern New Mexico business community.”

Snap Green Industries, LLC provides other products and services such as recycling systems integration design, the rent and sale of machinery for waste management, the sale of different types of grinders, processed plastics, hoses for irrigation systems and molded parts.

The company expects to start operations at the beginning of August 2011.