New Mexico MEP
Aug 10
Maker's MemoInsight Lighting of Rio Rancho has been a Manufacturing Day participant since 2014. The maker of exterior and interior lighting products for high-end architectural projects has conducted tours of its facility for students, prospective buyers and community groups. Glenn Wright, vice president of operations, said the tours have been beneficial. “The majority of our products…
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Jul 15
Maker's MemoMEP clients who need help resolving issues with products and processes in areas such as but not limited to additive manufacturing, robotics, biosciences, calibrations, and laboratory accreditations can leverage the MEP-Assisted Technology and Technical Resource (MATTR) program. The program offers access to wide-ranging, world-class technical expertise available at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) research labs,…
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Jun 16
Maker's MemoValley Mills has been in LaPlata, New Mexico since the owner purchased the packager of corn products from a vendor distributor in 2006. The company has been roasting yellow, white and blue corn products and delivering them ground and whole to customers via distributor. Owner Teresa Lackey later added two more distributors and expanded into…
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Mar 10
Maker's MemoAlbuquerque’s Build With Robots LLC (BWR) sees automation and human labor existing side by side, even in small and medium-sized businesses. The New Mexico company works with manufacturers and other businesses to enhance their productivity and competitive advantage by incorporating “collaborative robots,” or CoBots, into the labor force to perform the more monotonous tasks so…
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Feb 13
Maker's MemoA second generation family-owned Albuquerque company specializing in precious metal plating, Theta Plate Inc. serves customers from all over the world. In order to access higher margin business and DoD markets, the company obtained ITAR registration and later, at the prompting of company president C. Aaron Velasquez, decided to further its defense qualifications, to include…
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Jan 14
Maker's MemoPESCO has been producing natural gas and oil production equipment in Farmington, New Mexico since 1970. In December, 2018, the manufacturer announced that it will expand its main facility by 20,000 square feet and create up to 180 new jobs. Over the years, the company has been steadily building a reputation for quality and service,…
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Nov 08
Maker's MemoNew Mexico MEP’s annual summit is a networking and think-tank opportunity for manufacturers, economic developers and thought leaders to discuss current issues affecting manufacturers in New Mexico. Typically held the last week of October, the event serves as the celebratory culmination of Manufacturing Day activities that take place throughout the month. Advanced Manufacturing Summit 2019…
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Oct 14
Maker's MemoBy Jason Gibbs, Finance New Mexico With a history of agricultural experimentation dating back to the 1930s and a storied tradition reaching into the depths of New Mexico’s territorial history, Los Poblanos has bridged the centuries and now, with the assistance of New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NM MEP), continues to preserve the past and…
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Sep 17
Maker's MemoMore than a third of young people studying for vocational and technical careers have no contact with potential future employers before they graduate, and only 12 percent have seen the inside of a manufacturing facility. That conclusion, from a 2016 study by the Manufacturing Institute, lends urgency to Manufacturing Day, an annual event designed to…
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Aug 15
Maker's MemoTo encourage small businesses with 250 or fewer employees to take a proactive approach to workplace safety, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides 90 percent of the funds necessary to run the free and confidential New Mexico State Occupational Health and Safety Bureau Consultation Program. The point is to help employers find workable…
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Jul 23
Maker's MemoCooper Fire Protection Services (CFPS) is a 40-year old company serving the Four Corners area from its base in Farmington. The company, which employs about 40 workers, designs, fabricates, installs and maintains fire protection systems in New Mexico and Colorado. Owners Ireke and Shantel Cooper — and Ireke’s parents, who previously owned the company —…
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Jun 11
Maker's MemoPamela Gathings has several businesses: Tethering Ideas, which provides consulting, prototyping, and research and development (R&D); Quick Carriers dba Hauling Accessories, which develops and produces items to expand vehicle storage; and Solar Lights, which provides solar power to the arts industries. Gathings’ businesses fit a niche and solve a community challenge by creating employer diversification…
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May 25
Maker's MemoA scientist with experience in education, healthcare, and technology transfer, Julia Wise joins our team to create, support, and lead programs that further technology-based economic and community development. She has an undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry, and a master’s and doctorate in geology. Prior to moving back to Santa Fe, she worked for The…
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Apr 27
Maker's MemoApplied Technology Associates (ATA) is a precision measurement, sensing, and controls company that furnishes services and products to government and commercial customers. As a privately held small business, ATA has demonstrated a remarkable ability to transition technology to operational use and commercial products by leveraging internal and government-funded research and development. ATA’s products and services…
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Apr 04
Maker's MemoBusinesses that partner with our organization tend to also connect with other economic development resources such as a Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the New Mexico Economic Development Department (NMEDD) — and the New Mexico Small Business Assistance Program (NMSBA). New Mexico entrepreneurs can explore this resource universe at the New Mexico Innovation Expo on April 19 in…
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Mar 28
Maker's MemoAs part of our mission to strengthen and grow New Mexico’s manufacturing and give our state’s manufacturers a competitive advantage through advanced automation, we are partnering with Build With Robots, LLC, to offer collaborative robot (CoBot) seminars and hands-on CoBot application demos. Founded in 2017 by serial entrepreneurs Chris Ziomek & Randy Krall, Build With Robots is a regional authorized…
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Mar 13
Maker's MemoAs we work to help New Mexico manufacturers become more competitive, we also measure the resulting impacts of our work. Here is a sampling of those impacts to illustrate how a small portion of the companies we have partnered with have become more competitive. Continental Machining Co, Inc. – Albuquerque, NM New Mexico MEP supported Continental Machining’s efforts to implement a…
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Mar 06
Maker's Memo> Complete infographic here (New Mexico made the spotlight — see Page 2) Courtesy of NIST
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Feb 20
Maker's MemoNew Mexico MEP Fiscal Year 2019 Economic Impacts New Mexico MEP is part of a national network of: 375 field locations Over 1,400 MEP experts More than 2,100 partners SUCCESS STORIES Navajo Spirit Southwestern Wear is building on deep roots An exercise in Value Stream Mapping generated ideas for new products made from the remnants…
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Feb 19
Maker's MemoTrotting On Innovations LLC invents products primarily for the supplemental oxygen community. The small Bloomfield, New Mexico, company was formed by inventor Middy McFarland, whose background in respiratory therapy and supplemental oxygen use led her to pursue taking ideas to market. Looking for a viable way to develop products for this expanding market, McFarland attended…
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Jan 12
Maker's MemoThough Albuquerque’s Midtown Metal was known primarily as a metal fabricator of roofing materials, they had the capacity to produce metal products for all architectural and building needs with quick turnaround, and in a variety of colors and finishes. By 2016, the company saw an opportunity to grow their product line to better include all…
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Dec 05
Maker's MemoServing multibillion-dollar organizations, scientific equipment makers and art distributors, Albuquerque’s Certified Packing & Crating Inc. (CP&C) has been in the business of packing, crating and customized product handling for 17 years. When the current owners, a husband and wife team formerly employed at Intel, purchased the company in 2012, they knew they needed help. Having…
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Oct 13
Maker's MemoPESCO has been manufacturing natural gas and oil production equipment in Farmington, New Mexico since 1970. Despite fluctuating gas prices, business has grown steadily, and so has PESCO’s reputation. This is demonstrated through well-respected products in the industry, a great reputation for quality and service, loyal employees and customers, and a solid financial footing. Kyle…
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Sep 19
Maker's Memo2016 Mfg Day tour at Glass-Rite; photo Jane Phillips Photography By Damon Scott for Finance New Mexico This October will mark the third year that Albuquerque glass manufacturer Glass-Rite is participating in Manufacturing Day. Steve Hoberg, Glass-Rite’s vice president of sales and public relations, recently spoke about why it’s important. Finance New Mexico: How would…
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Feb 25
Maker's MemoThis family-owned, tooling and injection molding manufacturer in Macomb County Michigan is the latest manufacturer featured in the Heroes of American Manufacturing video series. What started as one toolmaker in his garage, has grown into a 45 person company with a 70,000 square foot facility making prototype and low-volume production products for clients in medical,…
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