LAS CRUCES — Reyna Chavez and Helen Chandler said they can frequently be found shopping at Dollar Tree, Dollar General and Family Dollar stores.

“We hit them all,” said Chandler who, like Chavez, lives in Deming but often visits Las Cruces.

“We shop at them a lot, here and in Deming too,” Chavez said as she stood in line at the Dollar Tree on University Avenue in Las Cruces on Thursday. “There’s a good selection; (the stores) have everything and a good price.”

As retailers scramble to attract customers with holiday sales and bargains to offset the effect of the recession, there is one type of store that has done well in the economic downturn: the dollar store.

Except for Dollar Tree, where every item is priced a dollar or less, most dollar stores — which are also known as variety stores — sell a cross section of different products, most of which are priced less than $10. Shoppers can find everything from groceries to house cleaning supplies and soap and toys and holiday merchandise.

“There’s a lot of name brands, stuff you could find at other stores for more,” said Frank Sandoval, a manager with the Dollar Tree store on University Avenue. “The more stuff we put out, the higher our sales are.”

Bruce Huhmann, an assistant professor of marketing at New Mexico State University, said that dollar stores may not replace the larger retail locations that also promote low prices — “Wal-Mart has also done very well through the downturn,” he said — but the dollar stores have been booming during the economic downturn.

Read the article.

New Mexico State University’s With Us campaign celebrates how, in classrooms, labs, out in the field, or working in your community, together we make a difference.

TV Commercial: Dr. Pookie Sautter, Department of Marketing, is part of the NMSU With Us Campaign

See the With Us campaign billboards, outdoor signage, print samples, desktop wallpapers, YouTube videos.

Despite pulling out all the stops, trading junk food for wholesome snacks, making your own meals, and becoming a kickboxing-class regular, you’re still struggling to shed those last 5 to 10 pounds. Don’t assume that means you can’t reach your goal no matter what you do. Experts say that in many cases, the smartest-sounding diet strategies can actually work against you. Fortunately, by adjusting your approach to some of these “healthy” behaviors, you can get the scale moving in the right direction.

It might just be the world’s most oft-repeated diet advice: Eat slowly and you’ll consume less. But while this works when you’re alone, lingering in a group situation seems to have the opposite effect. A review from the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society found that people take in 40 to 70 percent more calories when dining with family and friends.

“People tend to eat more when they’re in pleasant surroundings, such as at a restaurant or dinner party,” says Collin Payne, assistant professor of marketing at New Mexico State University. “Socializing serves as a distraction, making it hard to monitor what’s on your plate.”

Read the article.

Research done by Collin Payne, a marketing professor at New Mexico State University, suggests that making children clean their plates may be bad for their health. (Photo by Darrin Phillips)

Making kids eat all of the food on their dinner plates is supposed to help them grow big and strong. But now a New Mexico State University researcher believes making kids clean their plates may actually harm their long-term health.

“Cleaning your plate may have been a good idea during World War II because of food rationing, but now it’s just a recipe for becoming obese,” said Collin Payne, a marketing professor in NMSU’s College of Business. Payne studied the issue with Brian Wansink, a researcher at Cornell University.

Payne said for the past 25 years, there has been a steady increase in the amount of obesity in the U.S. He suggests that, because Americans have become more busy, we don’t pay attention to what we eat only focusing on convenience and taste.

One of the side effects of a culture of demanding more food is that today’s dinner plates are much larger than they used to be. With larger plates, it takes more food to make the dish look full and children who are made to eat everything on their plates today are actually eating more than their parents or grandparents ever did, without even realizing it.

Payne believes if a person has unhealthy eating habits as a child, they are more likely to have the same habits when they are older. Payne also believes parents should try to do a better job of marketing healthy food to their children.

“It’s amazing to see how flexible our tastes are,” he said. “If you tell your kids to eat their broccoli, they probably won’t like it. If you tell them that it’s not broccoli, but that it’s really a ‘dinosaur tree,’ they are more likely to enjoy its crunchiness and texture.”

Original article.

On October 2-3, NMSU students, faculty and the Talking Stick Institute, in collaboration with the Alma d’arte Charter High School/Youth Center, will host the second annual What’s Art? Convention – “Exploring the Creative and Green Economy of New Mexico,” and the What’s Art? Street Festival. Students in our small business consulting classes will get hands-on experience in service-learning projects directed by David Boje, business management professor. Read more…. and watch a video about the first ever 3-day Arts Convention held at NMSU in 2008.

2009 Domenici Public Policy Conference

New Mexico State University’s 2009 Domenici Public Policy Conference took place September 16-17 on the NMSU campus. The conference brought together some of the best minds from across the U.S. This annual event focuses on public policy matters that significantly impact the entire country. Topics at this year’s conference were nuclear energy, homeland security and the U.S./Mexico border, national security and the U.S. economy and the national debt. A video of each presenter will be archived and available for viewing. Information and updates are provided on The Pete V. Domenici Legacy website at http://domenici.nmsu.edu.

Hall of Fame & Traders Awards

On September 25, 2009, NMSU’s College of Business held its 12th annual Hall of Fame. Receiving the Hall of Fame award for 2009 are Shari Jones, Global Compliance Officer and member of the Strategic Risk Management group, ProLogis Corporation; and Kelly Peña, Vice President, Disney Channels Worldwide Brand Research, Disney ABC Cable Networks Group. Our 2009 Trader’s Award Recipients: Don and Sarrah Kidd, Jerry P. With and Jayann and David Sepich. Read more….

Homecoming: Celebrating the Past… Unmasking the Future

October 22-24, 2009. College of Business homecoming events are available on our calendar at http://business.nmsu.edu/news. Select October 23 as the calendar date to view our events, information and contacts. We’ll be hosting the Dean’s Suite Dedication, our college scholarship luncheon, the student lounge dedication and our distinguished alumni reception.

Get the NMSU events, calendar and contact information.

Hyman named as Stan Fulton Chair in Business at NMSU

Michael Hyman, a marketing professor at New Mexico State University, has been named the Stan Fulton Chair in Business at NMSU’s College of Business. Hyman currently teaches marketing research and sports marketing as well as doctoral level courses in marketing theory and applied research methods. The Stan Fulton Chair was created by a $1 million gift from Stan Fulton, owner of Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. Read more….

Tian named Robert O. Anderson distinguished professor at NMSU

Kelly Tian, a marketing professor at New Mexico State University, has been named the Robert O. Anderson distinguished professor at NMSU’s College of Business. Tian currently teaches courses where students develop marketing strategies for nonprofit organizations and examine the effects of globalization on consumer culture. Read more….

Dorfman named Bank of America distinguished professor at NMSU

Peter Dorfman, a management professor at New Mexico State University, has been named the Bank of America distinguished professor at NMSU’s College of Business. Dorfman has been with NMSU for more than 30 years and currently teaches human resource management and general organizational behavior. Read more….

Ask the Dean

Do you have a question for Dean Carruthers? Email him at cobdean@nmsu.edu.

College of Business enrollment is up 3.6% for the Fall 2009 semester over Fall 2008.

• NMSU’s fall 2009 enrollment jumps 8.3 percent from 2008
• National magazine rankings place NMSU among best colleges

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BusinessWeek: September 14, 2009

“Graduates lucky enough to land a job may find the prospect of responsibility and rapid advancement surprisingly strong….

“Miranda Azzam’s title at Aflac’s (AFL) Columbus (Ga.) headquarters is college recruiter, but that doesn’t begin to describe what she does for the $16.6 billion insurer.”

Read the article.

See the list.


College of Business Notes:

• The top four “Best Places to Start Your Career 2009″ are the Big Four accounting firms: DeLoitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and KPMG.
• Industries listed are Accounting, Consulting, Consumer Products, Financial Services, Hospitality, Insurance, Investment Banking, Manufacturing, Nonprofit/Government, Retail, Technology, Transportation and Utilities.
• The majority of the “Top Degrees Among Entry-Level Hires” were labeled “Business/Economics”.

“Brian Wansink and Collin Payne recently examined the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and eating behaviors at all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets. The researchers found that customers with a higher BMI were more likely to use larger plates and to face the ever-tempting buffet. They were also less likely to use chopsticks (as opposed to a fork) or have a napkin on their lap. Wansink and Payne concluded that, “small changes in one’s environment may lessen one’s tendency to overeat.”

Read the article.

Kelly Tian, marketing professor at New Mexico State University, will serve as the Robert O. Anderson distinguished professor at NMSU’s College of Business. (Courtesy photo)

Kelly Tian, a marketing professor at New Mexico State University, has been named the Robert O. Anderson distinguished professor at NMSU’s College of Business.

“I was thrilled to receive this professorship,” Tian said. “We have a well regarded program here at NMSU and this will certainly be a really exciting role.”

Tian currently teaches courses where students develop marketing strategies for nonprofit organizations and examine the effects of globalization on consumer culture. She is actively involved in shaping the college’s assessment of students’ learning outcomes and will work as the director of the marketing Ph.D. program.

The professorship is designed to promote service that benefits the College of Business. Tian said she is putting together an orientation program for marketing Ph.D. students that will familiarize them with the cultural values of academia, and aid their performance in the domains of service, teaching and publishing.

Robert O. Anderson was a noted New Mexico business leader, political activist and philanthropist who died in 2007. The distinguished professorship was made possible by a donation from Anderson to NMSU with matching funds from the New Mexico Legislature.

“Kelly Tian is central to our doctoral program and the kind of professor you look to for mentoring Ph.D. students,” said Garrey Carruthers, business dean and vice president for economic development.

Tian earned her Ph.D. at Georgia State University-Atlanta and previously taught at the University of Kentucky-Lexington before joining NMSU six years ago.

Michael Hyman, marketing professor at New Mexico State University, will serve as the Stan Fulton Chair in Marketing at NMSU’s College of Business. (NMSU Photo by Darren Phillips)

Michael Hyman, a marketing professor at New Mexico State University, has been named the Stan Fulton Chair in Business at NMSU’s College of Business.

“I’m honored to be the first person selected as the Stan Fulton Chair,” Hyman said. He currently teaches marketing research and sports marketing as well as doctoral level courses in marketing theory and applied research methods.

The Stan Fulton Chair was created by a $1 million gift from Stan Fulton, owner of Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. Earnings from the endowment are used to support the salary of the faculty member holding the chair, as well as program development and other needs.

The Stan Fulton Chair is structured for a senior faculty member to mentor junior faculty members as well as doctoral students. A recommendation for the chair is made by the college’s faculty council and then sent to the dean for approval.

“Mike Hyman completely immerses himself in the scholarship of discovery,” said Elise “Pookie” Sautter, department head for marketing. “His insightful research and writing skills make him highly sought after as a reviewer, as a co-author and an invaluable asset to our marketing Ph.D. program.”

As part of his responsibilities, Hyman will work with Chris Erickson, an NMSU economics professor, to produce New Mexico Business Outlook, an online publication highlighting various aspects of business in the state. Hyman will focus particularly on ethics and public policy, and provide a preliminary venue for faculty members to publish their work.

Hyman earned his Ph.D. at Purdue University in 1984. He taught at the University of Houston and the University of North Texas before joining the NMSU faculty in 1993. Author of more than 100 published scholarly papers and current member of nine journal editorial review boards, he previously held the Wells Fargo and NationsBank professorships in the College of Business. His research interests include consumers’ response to advertising, marketing ethics, survey research methods and knowledge acquisition in academia.

There are four, $1 million or more chairs in the College of Business. They include the Mountain States Insurance Group Endowed Chair, the Garrey E. and Katherine T. Carruthers Chair in Economic Development, the Robin T. Peterson Endowed Chair in Marketing and the Stan Fulton Chair.

Despite pulling out all the stops — trading junk food for wholesome snacks, making your own meals, and regular kickboxing classes — you still struggle to shed those last few kilograms.

Don’t assume that means you can’t reach your goal no matter what you do. Experts say that in many cases, the smartest-sounding diet strategies can actually work against you.

Fortunately, if you adjust your approach to these healthy behaviours, you can move the scale in the right direction.

“People tend to eat more when they’re in pleasant surroundings, such as at a restaurant or dinner party,” says assistant professor of marketing, Collin Payne. “Socialising serves as a distraction, making it hard to monitor what’s on your plate.”

Read the article.

NMSU student workaholics share their confessions

The sour economy has not stopped all college students in the workforce, as some are working harder than ever to ride out the national financial plight.

Although New Mexico suffered a greater increase in unemployment in March compared to February, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site indicates the Land of Enchantment has not slashed as many jobs as other states, a statistic that many working students are taking to the bank. And the food service industry, a mainstay for college students, is among the largest occupational groups, according to the site.

“I feel like, ‘I’m young, I better work now,’” said Debbie Fuentes, 20, a sophomore marketing student attending Doña Ana Community College. “I’m scared that in the future I won’t have money for my studies.”

Fuentes, who holds two jobs, one at Starbucks Coffee and the other as a work-study at the branch, said she is attending the DACC to save-up money for main campus, where she plans on attending when she graduates with her pre-business associate’s degree this summer.

“On Saturday, I worked from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and then I worked from 6 p.m. to midnight,” Fuentes said. “I did that last week twice. It was crazy.”

A Crimson Scholar, Fuentes, who is taking 15 credit hours, said she is scheduled for 19 hours at Starbucks, 15 hours at the branch and she often picks-up about 17 hours at an El Paso Starbucks store.

“Sometimes I pull all-nighters,” Fuentes said. “I make up for it, though. On my days off, I’ll sleep all day.”

Fuentes said she works double shifts frequently, as she often will open at 4:30 a.m. for Starbucks and then work in the afternoon at the branch.

“I try to balance everything out,” Fuentes said. “Sometimes work does take over, as far as priorities.”

The ailing economy plays a role in her decision to work two jobs with long hours, she said.

She’s not alone.

The percentage of people who hold multiple jobs increased slightly in the past year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site.

Ernest Venegas, 21, a junior business student, said he works more than 30 hours a week as a server at Applebee’s Neighborhood Bar and Grill.

“I’m always tired when I go to school because I work late,” Venegas said. “I do a lot of my homework after work at one or two in the morning.”

Venegas, who is taking 13 credit hours, said he works eight-hour shifts. Although Venegas said he has time to do other things, sometimes his school load suffers because of work.

“I have to rush things, so I don’t do it as well as I should,” Venegas said.

While Venegas said he does not believe the economy has played a part in his busy work schedule, he said he has to work to pay for bills and school.

Former NMSU golf coach Herb Wimberly will receive an honorary degree during the spring 2009 commencement ceremony Saturday, May 9, at the Pan American Center. (NMSU Photo by Darren Phillips)

New Mexico State University will honor former NMSU golf coach Herb Wimberly, as well as NMSU alumna and longtime TV newscaster Carla Aragon with honorary degrees during the spring 2009 commencement ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at the Pan American Center. Tickets are not required. The Pan American Center will open an hour before each ceremony.

The morning program will include candidates for degrees from the Colleges of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, Business, Engineering and Extended Learning. The afternoon program will include candidates for degrees from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education and Health and Social Services.

Herbert “Herb” Wright Wimberly will be honored for his tremendously successful career as both a professional golfer and a champion coach, and for his more than 47 years of dedication to NMSU, mentoring students and helping shape the next generation of leaders.

Wimberly, a Professional Golf Association Class A professional golfer, started golfing at the age of 12. In 1962, he was hired by NMSU as the head golf coach and golf professional, where he remained for a 31-year career.

His teams won six Missouri Valley Conference championships, one Big West title and played host to the 1968 NCAA Golf Tournament and the 1990 NCAA West Regional Golf Championship.

He coached the two All-American Golf Teams that played in the first International Collegiate Golf Matches in Chiba City, Japan. He was the recipient of Coach of the Year six times by the Missouri Valley Conference and once by the Big West Conference. Eighteen of his players were awarded All-American honors with two of the golfers, Larry Beem (1964) and Ben Kern (1968), named as first team All-Americans. Many of his golfers have gone on to play on tour.

In 1988, Wimberly, along with his brother Guy, brought the Professional Golf Management program to NMSU, one of only three institutions selected at that time to host the new PGA-certified major.

Wimberly was inducted into the NMSU Hall of Fame in 1985. Since his retirement, he has stayed in the game by assisting with the NMSU Professional Golf Management Program, and continues to represent NMSU when attending PGA golf shows.

Wimberly and his wife, Carleene, are the proud parents of nine children, 22 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Carla Aragon will be honored for her dedication to New Mexico as an outstanding community member and as a television journalist, starting first with KRWG-TV at NMSU and later as an anchor and reporter for KOB-TV in Albuquerque.

A proud graduate of NMSU, Aragon stepped away from the Eyewitness News 4 anchor desk in November 2007 after 35 years in broadcasting. Her new pursuit: a lifelong dream of writing bilingual children’s books on traditions she cherishes from her childhood. Her book “Dance of the Eggshells/Baile de Cascarones” will be published by UNM Press for the 2010 Spring Catalog.

As a journalist, she has covered some of the most significant stories of recent years in New Mexico. One of her most memorable moments covering breaking news was during the bosque fires of 2003 when her own home and neighborhood was being evacuated because of wildfires raging nearby. She remained on the air covering the devastation as her husband packed up some of their valuables, including their dogs. In 2006, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Board honored her with a media award for “Still there … still doing that.”

Before joining KOB-TV in 1994, Aragon spent 11 years in Los Angeles working at KNBC-TV as the morning co-anchor of the top-rated weekday morning newscast, “Today in L.A.,” and as a general assignment reporter. She covered portions of the O.J. Simpson Trial, two visits by Pope John Paul II, the Los Angeles riots and several California earthquakes and fires.

Recently, she was the producer/talent for the Sen. Pete V. Domenici oral history, which is part of the Domenici Archives established at New Mexico State University.

She enjoys gardening, traveling, white water rafting and spending time with her husband, Allen Lewis, and their two rescue dogs.

‘CLEAN PLATE CLUB’ has a DOWN SIDE

“Parents may have good intentions by forcing their kids to eat everything on their plate, but this approach may backfire, according to US researchers. Dr. Brian Wansink of Cornell University in New York and Collin Payne of New Mexico State University asked 63 mothers of preschool-age children the extent to which they tell their children to clean their plates. The researchers then asked the children how much sweet breakfast cereal they would like for their morning snack at day care. Children were able to fill their bowl until they indicated they had enough, and the bowl was weighed.

“We found that the more controlling the parents were about telling their child to clean their plate, the more likely the kids – especially the boys – were to request larger portions of sweetened cereal,” said Wansink in a statement reported by UPI.

“Parents who force their kids to clean their plates at meals may be interfering with the development of self control,” Payne added. “When children have little control over what they eat or don’t eat, they may react by acting out and overeating when away from home.”

Read the page.

Forcing kids to clean plate may backfire

“WASHINGTON: The next time you force your kids to clean their plate and eat the meal, just give a second thought, for a new study has claimed that it may backfire even though you say it for good.

“Parents who force their kids to clean their plates at meals, may be interfering with the development of self-control that children have around food.

“When children have little control over what they eat – or don’t eat, they may react by acting out and overeating when away from home,” according to the study’s lead author Collin Payne of New Mexico State University.

Researchers have based their findings on an analysis of an experiment which they carried out in the US, involving 63 mothers, the media reported.”

Read the article.

Eat Your Vegetables: Preschoolers Love Vegetables With Catchy Names Like ‘X-Ray Vision Carrots’ And ‘Tomato Bursts’

“ScienceDaily (Mar. 4, 2009) — Do you have a picky preschooler who’s avoiding their vegetables? A new Cornell University study shows that giving vegetables catchy new names – like X-Ray Vision Carrots and Tomato Bursts – left preschoolers asking for more.

When 186 four-year olds were given carrots called “X-ray Vision Carrots” ate nearly twice as much as they did on the lunch days when they were simply labeled as “carrots.” The Robert Wood Johnson-funded study also showed the influence of these names might persist. Children continued to eat about 50% more carrots even on the days when they were no longer labeled. The new findings were presented on Monday at the annual meeting of the School Nutrition Association in Washington DC.

…Although the study was conducted in pre-schools, the researchers believe the same naming tricks can work with children. “I’ve been using this with my kids,” said researcher Collin Payne, “Whatever sparks their imagination seems to spark their appetite.”"

Read the article.

New Mexico State University is now offering a variety of mini-semester courses to students that include all the same instruction and content as regular courses.

The courses, which give full-credit, but only last half a semester, will run March 10-May 8, and are currently available for registration.

“The faculty adjust the syllabi to account for the shortened schedule, but the teaching and learning objectives remain the same,” said Robert Moulton, interim executive vice president and provost.

More than 100 face-to-face and online mini-semester courses are available, and are especially well suited for students who have dropped below full-time status required for financial aid.

“Mini-semester classes give students another way to fit courses into their busy schedules. They can also help students boost their GPA and maintain eligibility for financial aid,” said Carmen Gonzales, vice president for student success.

Subjects include communication; criminal justice; education; English; government; health sciences; industrial engineering; hotel, restaurant and tourism management; music; and women’s studies, as well as courses in study skills.

“There are many courses being offered in study skills, and if a student did drop a course for grade reasons, one of these courses could help that student learn skills that would help them become a more effective student,” Gonzales said.

“Mid-semester courses are but one way that we accomplish the academic and service components of our mission,” Moulton added.

For more information, visit http://success.nmsu.edu/mini-semester/.

Study Shows Ballooning Portion Size, Heftier Ingredients in Classic Recipes

“Feb. 17, 2009 — Calorie counts in several classic recipes have crept up over the years, and it may be time for those recipes to go back to the future.

That’s according to Brian Wansink, PhD, of Cornell University and Collin Payne, PhD, of New Mexico State University.

“The serving size and calorie composition of classic recipes needs to be downsized to counteract growing waistlines,” Wansink and Payne write in a letter published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.”

Read the article.

Matt Roloff, star of TLC’s “Little People, Big World,” will visit with middle school and high school students at New Mexico State University on Feb. 20. (Courtesy photo)

When you are only four feet tall, you often feel like you live in a world that wasn’t made for you. That is what Matt Roloff says at the beginning of every episode of “Little People, Big World,” a TV show about him and his family on TLC (The Learning Channel). High school and middle school students from around New Mexico will have a chance to meet Roloff and show him their ideas for products to help little people during this year’s Innoventure competition sponsored by New Mexico State University and New Mexico MESA, Inc.

The competition will be held at NMSU on Feb. 20. Judging begins at 1 p.m. at the Corbett Center Ball Rooms with an awards dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets are limited and required to hear Roloff speak at 6:30 p.m. Student projects will be available for the public to view between 4:30 and 5:45 p.m.

Innoventure encourages students to use science, engineering and business skills to solve problems. This year’s theme is adaptive products, devices and other things used by little people to better adapt to a big world. Each student team will present projects and will be judged on various components, including general idea, feasibility and presentation. Previous themes have included alternative energy sources and toys for use in outer space.

“The student response to this year’s competition has been incredible,” said Marie Borchert, an education specialist for NMSU’s Arrowhead Center, which promotes entrepreneurship in New Mexico.

“They are all being very creative in working to solve the problems of everyday difficulties met by little people. The number of teams in this year’s competition is double that of last year,” she said.

This year, approximately 200 students from around New Mexico will compete. High schools in this year’s competition include Carlsbad, Cobre, Chaparral, Deming, Onate, Ruidoso, Santa Rosa, Socorro, Valencia and West Las Vegas. Middle schools competing this year are from Anton Chico, Cobre, Carlsbad, Deming, Ruidoso and Santa Rosa. Some schools are sending as many as six individual teams.

Borchert said the event helps students understand the process of developing technological products from the idea phase to production. It also gives them a foundation of understanding business concepts as they relate to developing a product and marketing it. The competition develops practical skills of problem solving, business writing, teamwork, meeting deadlines and communication.

For more information on the competition or to purchase tickets to hear Roloff, contact Borchert at (575) 646-7839 or mhaaland@nmsu.edu or Sara Pirayesh Sanders at (575) 646-7036 or npirayes@nmsu.edu.

Promoting entrepreneurship and local economic development is only a small fraction of the several opportunities that the NMSU Arrowhead Center offers to New Mexicans and students.

The Arrowhead Center helps out a wide variety of businesses around the state by providing them with a schematic to develop or initiate their ideas.

“Our mission is to promote economic development in New Mexico by generating jobs and wealth for New Mexico citizens and bring companies to our local area,” said Sara Sanders, director of entrepreneurship at the Arrowhead Center. “We’ve helped start salsa businesses with homemade recipes and created a business plan for the New Mexico Spaceport.”

However, the Arrowhead Center is quite different because most business research projects are developed and created by NMSU students.

“The experience at Arrowhead that students get is unlike anywhere else on campus,” Sanders said. “It exposes students to all different types of industries, business sectors, local and statewide companies. It provides networking opportunities for students and gives them large exposure to research and business plans.”

Albert Mays, a graduate student in economics, has been working at Arrowhead for almost a month.

“I am a research analysis employee,” Mays said. “We help out various companies with developing business and marketing plans. Also, we help out the state with future economic projections.”

Currently working on a policy analysis of sexual education for the Deming School District, Mays is researching different ways to teach sexual education like contraceptive education and abstinence-only education.

“I am getting statistics and I will eventually present them with an analytical report [to the Deming education department],” Mays said.

Also working on developing a future project for NMSU, Deanna Bonjione is a graduate student in accounting.

“I’m working on implementing a new research laboratory, somewhat like a library, which is going to be used by all the grad assistants that work here,” Bonjione said. “It will be for any of the clients that come [to Arrowhead]. It’s going to have a lot of useful resources for them to help them start up their own business.”

Arrowhead helps by providing graduate students with real world experiences and community businesses with feasible marketing plans.

“We work with small business owners, existing businesses and anyone looking at starting a business in New Mexico,” said Matt Elgersma, business research and outreach coordinator for the Arrowhead Center. “Typically what we offer to our clients in business plans is feasibility studies, marketed analysis and strategic plans.”

Elgersma explained if someone is looking into offering a new product or service and want someone to see if it is a viable opportunity then the Arrowhead Center can offer that opportunity.

“We do about 12 to 15 projects per semester as well as in the summer,” Elgersma said. “People can find project submission forms online and how many students we have [coincides] with how many projects we can accommodate.”

Sanders said she highly encourages NMSU students if they have a business idea or looking to join the team to contact the Arrowhead Center.

Elgersma said the center typically looks for graduate degree-seeking students.

“We are always open to a diverse work group,” Elgersma added. “We would like to try to get the most competitive students possible to fill our positions. This is one of the best graduate assistants on campus, as far as I am concerned.”

He explained the hours are flexible and students can gain good work experience, but are very selective in their decision.

“I would like to have all colleges represented beside the business college,” Elgersma said. “We have high expectations and we produced high quality work. If somebody is really interested in what we do, in either working here or presenting a project, I heavily encourage them to come down and talk to us; we’re here for the community.”

For more information about the Arrowhead Center visit the Academic Research Center or check out www.arrowheadcenter.nmsu.edu.

I have great expectations for myself in that I hope to post something to my blog at least 2-3 days a week. My intent is to share with all who are interested something about what is going on with NMSU’s marketing department – be it news about faculty, staff and/or students or just my own stream of consciousness about what is going on in the world of marketing today and how I see it affecting the lives of our department’s constituents. I hope you will find value in this blog and strongly encourage you to respond to posts as you are so compelled.  Bon voyage!