We are delighted to be hosting this event at the Albuquerque Balloon Museum. The Museum is celebrating its 5th anniversary in October with new special exhibitions and events. Plan to explore the Balloon Museum with a special guided tour before the event. Learn more about all the Balloon Museum has to offer by visiting www.cabq.gov/balloon.

Date: Thursday, July 15
Time: 6-8 pm (Special Balloon Museum tour begins promptly at 5:30 pm.)
Venue: The Albuquerque Balloon Museum
9201 Balloon Museum Dr. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87113
Directions: Map
Cost: $22.50 in advance, (credit card payments); $25 at the door (cash and check only).

Join us to learn more about the realities of social media marketing. Our panelists, Will Reichard of Crosscut Communications, Gary Ebersole of veloGraf Systems and Mick Thompson of Collecta, will discuss the benefits of social media marketing and the challenges of implementing effective programs.

Date: Thursday, June 17
Time: 6-8 pm
Venue: Prairie Star, 288 Prairie Star Rd, Bernalillo, NM
Directions: Map
Cost: $20 in advance (credit card payments); $25 at the door (cash and check only).

CVF is now on Twitter: Please follow us @CVF_NewMexico.
You can also connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Please also join us in using the hashtag #cvfnm to track our event conversations. Our speakers Will Reichard, Gary Ebersole, and Mick Thompson are also on Twitter.

Date: Thursday, March 18
Time: 6-8 pm
Venue: Prairie Star, 288 Prairie Star Rd, Bernalillo, NM
Directions: Map
Cost: $20 in advance (credit card payments); $25 at the door (cash and check only).

Meet leadership in emerging innovation, global trends and opportunities across the new energy spectrum.

GLOBAL NEW ENERGY SUMMIT
March 21-23, 2010
Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Lunch Keynote:
“Toward a More Objective Means of Technological Choice”
J. Doyne Farmer, Professor, Santa Fe Institute

Partial Speaker List:

Directors of Energy Programs, Los Alamos National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oakridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories

Susan Rochford, SVP, Energy and Sustainability, Council on Competitiveness

Robert Wegener, Secretary of Energy, State of Oklahoma

Pablo Otin Pintado, Country Manager GA, Solar

Dick Williams, President, Shell WindEnergy, Inc.

Carl Huslig, Executive Director, ITC Grid Development

Rob Peterman, Head of Clean Energy Group, Toronto Stock Exchange

Mike Mendez, VP of Technology, Sapphire Energy

Andy Chu, VP Marketing and Communication, A123 Systems

For more information or to register, visit http://gnes2010.rmtech.org/

Economists Arnold Baker of Sandia and Larry Waldman of the UNM BBER will share their insights and a local perspective on the trends that will influence the New Mexico, U.S. and global economies.

Date: Thursday, January 21
Time: 6 – 8 pm (Networking & hors d’oeuvres followed by presentation)
Venue: Prairie Star, 288 Prairie Star Rd, Bernalillo, NM
Directions: Google Map
Cost: $20 in advance (credit card payments); $25 at the door (cash and check only)

Featured Speakers

Dr. Arnold Baker, Chief Economist, Sandia National Laboratories
Arnold B. Baker is the Chief Economist of Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is a Deputy to the Senior Vice President and Deputy Laboratories Director for Integrated Technologies and Systems, and serves as principle political economic advisor. He is a Past President (2005) of the International Association for Energy Economics and former President of the United States Association (2002). He holds a BA in History and MA and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Prior to joining SNL in 1996 he served for 17 years at Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), holding a number of challenging positions including Director of Political Economic Analysis, Director of Public Issues, Director of Energy Market Analysis, and Manager of Strategic Planning (ARCO Oil and Gas Company). His assignments included market analysis and scenario based planning, as well as chairing internal planning studies on the future of the oil, natural gas, coal and electricity industries. Prior to joining ARCO he served at the U.S. Department of the Treasury as Special Assistant to the Undersecretary for Monetary Affairs, and as a staff economist at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. He has written book chapters and articles on energy, economic policy and global change.

Dr. Larry Waldman, Senior Research Scientist, UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER)
Larry has been with BBER since 1988, where he has spent most of his time managing the FOR-UNM Economic Forecasting Service. He produces an economic forecast of the New Mexico economy each quarter, which is distributed to clients of the service. He also publishes an economic forecasting newsletter, The FOR-UNM Bulletin, which is available to the public on a subscription basis.

Larry writes four or five articles annually relating to the New Mexico economy for publication in New Mexico Business, Current Economic Report, the BBER monthly economic update newsletter. In addition, he also writes press releases, does numerous interviews for radio and TV, and makes a dozen or so personal appearances each year, explaining recent developments in and the outlook for the New Mexico economy, to professional, civic, and governmental audiences.

We look forward to seeing you at this interesting event that launches CVF’s 2010 program calendar..

Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Location: UNM Campus, Albuquerque
Jackson Student Center – Building 87
(next to the Anderson School of Business Building – Building 76)
Map Link (UNM Campus Map)

About the Speaker

Dr. Lowell Catlett is a Regent’s Professor/Dean and Chief Administrative Officer at New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. An exciting futurist, his knowledge of technologies and their implications on the way we will live and work is addressed in his varied and upbeat presentations. Dr. Catlett works on behalf of corporate and association audiences internationally, presenting his take on trends in healthcare, agriculture, the environment, education and more.

Dr. Catlett received his doctorate in Economics from Iowa State University, and has twice received the Don C. Roush Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Burlington Foundation Faculty Achievement Award for Outstanding University Teaching. In 1994 he was one of two Western Regional recipients of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges “Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences Award.”

He recently received the College of Agriculture and Home Economics Advisor of the Year as well as Teacher of the Year at New Mexico State University. He was one of six senior faculty members to be named New Mexico State’s first Regents Professors.

He is a consultant to the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, the Interior, Defense and Labor. He has also been a consultant to many Fortune 500 companies.

Date: Monday, August 17, 2009
Time: 11:30 – 1:30 pm
Venue: Embassy Suites,
1000 Woodward Pl
Albuquerque, NM
Map: Google Map
$25 in advance (credit card payments)
$30 at the door (cash and check only)

Please RSVP ASAP to confirm your space!

• Lunch Included
• $25 per person in advance; $30 at the door (Cash or Check only, pending space available)
• Online reservations are now closed. We have a few seats remaining so please show up!

About This Event

Sen. Bingaman will speak, followed by a panel discussion led by Rusty Schmit, CEO of CleanSwitch. The panelists include Brian Birk, Managing Partner of Sun Mountain Capital, Gary Geernaert, Director of the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Gary Tonjes, President of Albuquerque Economic Development.

New Voice of Business

New Voice of Business promotes economic, social and environmental sustainability in the United States. Our mission is to inform, engage, and mobilize an influential network of business people—a unified, new voice of business to advocate for a sustainable economy and encourage triple bottom line business practices. Our focus in 2009 is on energy policy that meets the challenge of global warming while promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth.

Emerald Sponsors

Pew Charitable Trusts, UBS, Technology Ventures Corporation, Los Alamos National Bank

Green Sponsors

Am Energy, CleanSwitch, Earthstone, Miox, Moss-Adams LLP, Schott Solar, SkyFuel

Recruiting top-drawer employees doesn’t stop just because hiring slows or freezes. The recession, however bad, isn’t permanent, and forward-looking executives realize that the most ambitious and productive workers—the ones they hope to attract—remain alert to opportunities from companies that market themselves vigorously and confidently no matter what the economic climate.

The following are some trends that will affect hiring as the economy rebounds:

1. Don’t expect the best candidates to accept a smaller salary in return for additional stock options. Given the stock market’s performance over the past year, most employees would rather have a dependable source of income than gamble on stock options that might prove worthless. They also value their personal time and will likely negotiate for more vacation.
2. The Internet has made it possible for job seekers to be more connected than ever through social- and professional-networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and various blogs. It’s also offered ways for job hunters to dig up all sorts of information about companies that interest them. An employer can use this as a qualifying tool: Given all the information that’s available online and elsewhere about most businesses, a candidate has no excuse for coming ill-prepared to an interview.
3. Workers today expect more from their jobs than a steady paycheck and opportunities for advancement based on a willingness to sacrifice for the good of the company; they also want to feel that they matter personally to their employers. Knowing this, a savvy recruiter will craft job descriptions that define goals instead of listing tasks.
4. Employers might be wary of people who drift from company to company, but they’re becoming more common than workers who spend many years or a whole career at one company. Rather than dismissing a job hopper outright, a wise recruiter will determine what the candidate is looking for that his or her company could provide—an opportunity that breeds long-term commitment.
5. In today’s sluggish housing market, many prospective job seekers are willing to stick it out in an unsatisfactory job when the alternative is to sell their house at a loss for a slightly better job in another city. It’s the employer’s responsibility to demonstrate why the opportunity he or she offers is too good to pass up—and even to sweeten the deal to decrease the employee’s risk and make the offer more compelling.

Businesses that continue to actively recruit, even in a sluggish economic climate, are the ones that are more likely to benefit from the rewards provided by a workforce made up of people who genuinely enjoy their jobs.

• Brian Birk, Managing Partner at Sun Mountain Capital
• Greg Kulka, Director – Alternative Investments Portfolio at the New Mexico State Investment Council (NMSIC)
• Stephanie Spong, Principal at Epic Ventures and current President of NMVCA

Description:
What are the trends? What is getting funded? What’s hot? And what’s not? Join us to learn the insights from some of New Mexico’s most influential Venture Capitalists

Description:
Please join us to hear one of the foremost experts on venture capital & IP. Joe Bartlett will cover a wide variety of topics, as well as take questions from the audience. Co-sponsored by the “New Mexico Venture Capital Association”:http://nmvca.org/.

Description:
A Townhall discussion with a panel of experts from the labs and entrepreneurial community to share ideas and best practices concerning licensing, IP and technology transfer.

Presenters:
Darlene Collins a CVF director since 2007, joined Psilos Group Managers LLC in October 2005. Ms. Collins leverages over twenty years healthcare experience and a national network of government and industry relationships in support of Psilos’ investment activities. Continue reading here.

Francine Sommer, a CVF Director since 2006, is a Special General Partner of Village Ventures Fund II, responsible for investments in New Mexico. Ms. Sommer has over 20 years of experience in the venture capital industry. She is a founder of the predecessor to newyorkangels.com and is a past President of the Venture Investors Association of NY. Continue reading here.

Tom Stephenson, a CVF Advisor and Director since 1998, is Managing General Partner for “Verge”:http://www.vergefund.com/, a New Mexico based technology seed fund. Prior to founding Verge in 2003, he was a General Partner for Murphree Venture Partners, managing their New Mexico office. Before returning to New Mexico to join Murphree, Tom served as Director of Education and Research at the Austin Technology Incubator. Continue reading here.

In 1992, Bo founded Tripod, Inc., one of the original social networks. Tripod was sold to Lycos in 1998 for $58 million. Bo then became Vice President of Network Strategy for Lycos, which was sold to Spain’s Terra Networks for $12.5 billion in stock in 2001. In 1998, Bo co-founded Streetmail (now called Waterfront Media); in 2000, he co-founded VoodooVox; in 2004, he co-founded FullTurn Media; and in 2006 he co-founded UplayMe. Bo also co-owns Mezze, Inc, a hospitality group consisting of three award-winning restaurants.

Description:
This event was held at the Digital Arts Center at the University of New Mexico. Bo Peabody, co-founder and Managing General Partner of “Village Ventures”:http://www.villageventures.com/, will talk about entrepreneurialism in DIGITAL MEDIA. A successful venture capitalist, author and CEO, Bo will address the trends, challenges and opportunities in this growing sector.

Presenting Technology
BROOM Software – A software-based tool developed by Sandia National Laboratories for managing the collection, visualization, and analysis of environmental sampling data. The system was developed to help decision makers during the planning phase and throughout actual cleanup operations to speed up reoccupation and return to service of contaminated buildings and facilities. The tool provides an efficient and scientifically defensible approach to planning and executing sampling and cleanup activities. To date, there has been no comprehensive system for handling and assisting with this process. Read the “BROOM Software news release here”:http://www.sandia.gov/news/resources/releases/2006/broom-commercial.html.

Description:
The Solar Energy sector is outpacing even many optimistic predictions. Last year venture capital firms invested more than $1.5 billion in clean-tech companies (source: VentureOne). In 2005, public solar companies achieved impressive volume, revenue, and profit growth. Clearly, the Solar Energy sector offers entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and professionals exciting opportunities. This event was held in Albuquerque at the offices of Advent Solar.

Description:
Business development objectives can often be achieved more easily with an effective public/private partnership. The New Mexico State Investment Council has been working diligently on a variety of initiatives that aim to increase investment options for New Mexico businesses. Greg Kulka and Brian Birk will review the SIC initiatives and the results to date. They will discuss the impact of these efforts on investors and the business investment environment in New Mexico.

Description:
People issues are one of the critical factors for investors when examining a start-up. The existing team’s experience, track record, and abilities can determine whether the company even receive funding. This program will cover the challenges in creating the initial team,the risks in hiring, the issues surrounding transitions, and the special hiring challenges in New Mexico.

Description:
A startup’s marketing strategy and plan provides a road map for connecting their products or services to interested customers. The speakers will discuss why that plan is essential to investors and the key elements investors expect to see. Topics include how to pull a marketing plan together, where and how to get vital data for that plan, key questions and answers to consider, and how a marketing strategy can drive operational activities.

About the Presenters:
David Van Avermaete, VeraLight CEO, has 22 years of experience in the diabetes field
with specific expertise in home blood glucose monitoring and medical diagnostics. He is
a former US president of the LifeScan division of Johnson & Johnson, who during his 13
year tenure grew annual sales from under $100 million to over $1.0 billion.

Mike Connolly runs the NM offices for vSpring Capital, an early-stage venture
investment firm. He previously served as technology commercialization executive at Los
Alamos National Lab. Before relocating from Silicon Valley, Mike cofounded 7
biomedical companies, including Novacept (acquired for $325M) and Cohesion
(acquired for $40M). Y

Description:
The program focused on the positives and negatives of the different rounds of funding, the changes (elevated) expectations from one to another and what additional contacts/networks the institutional investors bring. Cash is the fuel of any business. Whether you are looking for equity investment now or in the future, whether that investment will come from friends, angel or institutional investors, you can learn from “those who have gone before” how the entrepreneur and the investor look at the issue of valuation.