For more information about participating in the program, please contact the following people based on your geographic location in the state:

Central/Northern NM Rep:
Paulina San Millan
(505) 818-2584
email

Maquiladora Supplier Development Reps:
Julio A. Jimenez
(915) 490-1578
email

Karla Almaraz
(915) 490-1578
email

The International Business Accelerator:
Jerry Pacheco
(575) 589-2200
email

Welcome to the Gateway to Exporting Program

The New Mexico Small Business Development Center has teamed up with the Small Business Administration, through the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, to launch the Gateway to Exporting Program. The goals of the program are to significantly increase exports by New Mexico small businesses to Mexico and to increase the number of small businesses doing business with the maquiladora industry. Every year, Mexico imports billions of dollars of products in a multitude of categories from U.S. businesses.

Any New Mexican company is eligible to participate in this program. Services are free of charge through the NMSBDC's International Business Accelerator (IBA), located in Santa Teresa, and the 20 Small Business Development Centers located throughout the state. The international trade experts participating in the program will assist companies in:

Seminars and webinar training in the areas of international business planning, finance, logistics, marketing identification, and secure commerce will also be offered to participating companies. An electronic product and service bulletin board will be available for small businesses who sign up for the services.

Client Success Story: Haulrite of Four Corners

Haulrite of Four Corners, Inc. is a Farmington-based company that was founded in 2000 with the objective of producing affordable, built-to-last trailers for motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, heavy equipment, water haulers, and welders. The company also produces water haulers and gooseneck trailers. In total, the company has over 120 standard models and additional options to meet small to large hauling needs. Although the company's primary market is the western U.S., it discovered contacts in Canada that were interested in its products.

After attending a Gateway to Exporting seminar at San Juan Community College, the company registered to access assistance from this program for its Canadian efforts. One issue that the company was experiencing was identifying a customs brokerage firm, located on the U.S.-Canadian border in close proximity to its potential clients, in order to assist with export paperwork and to formally enter its products into Canada. The International Business Accelerator (IBA), the coordinator of the Gateway to Exporting program, used its contacts in the customs brokerage industry to identify several potential customs brokerage firms on the U.S.'s northern border that could help Haulrite.

With the IBA's assistance, the company was able to begin shipping its products to Canada and develop new buyers in this country. According to Suzette Opdycke, Operations Manager at Haulrite of Four Corners, "Resources from the Gateway to Exporting program are awesome and the people are even better. The Gateway team members have helped me break the ice to start exporting, which can be very scary when you do it for the first time. I would recommend this program to any New Mexican company interested in taking its products to new international markets."

Your local SBDC is one of twenty offices in the New Mexico network, and one of over a thousand offices nationwide. In addition, your SBDC is a certified resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration and is fully accredited by the national Association of Small Business Development Centers. NMSBDC certified counselors can assist your new or existing business with business plan preparation