Profile of Advent Solar Inc. and other new businesses, includes picture of Advent Solar building

1. Portrait albuquerque
New Economy
Takes Off
e c l i p s e a v iation p h oto
B i l l T on d r ea u p h oto
B
usiness is booming eventually be more than 35,000
Innovative companies in Albuquerque. In homes in a variety of styles and price
Advent Solar at 2007, for the third ranges. It’s not just a commercial
Mesa del Sol, a in emerging fields such year running, Forbes district, either, though some of the
planned mixed-use
community. magazine named the most innovative new businesses in
Top: an Eclipse as renewable energy city among its top 10 “Best Places for the city are based here, including
500 light jet; Business and Careers” in the United Advent Solar, a manufacturer of solar
Albuquerque increasingly call the States, citing its relatively low cost cells and modules, and Albuquerque
Studios film
production facility of living and its business-friendly Studios. In 2010, Mesa del Sol expects
Albuquerque region incentives to companies to locate to bring 4,000 new jobs, thanks to
here, bringing in good, well-paying plans by Fidelity and Schott AG, a
their home. jobs. In the past few years, large German glass company, to build
national companies such as Tempur- facilities here.
By Paula M. Bodah Pedic have opened facilities in and Mesa del Sol is a complete package
around the city. Innovative companies for living, working and playing,
in emerging fields such as renewable boasting schools, shops, restaurants
energy have chosen Albuquerque and open space in the form of parks,
as the place to get started. And playing fields and trails. Beyond all
companies run by generations of that, the community is designed to be
one family have continued to thrive. highly eco-friendly. It controls light
Below are a few of the Duke City’s pollution, uses alternative energy
success stories. sources and recycles aggressively.
Mesa Del Sol Sacred Power
Planned communities, those Corporation
models of the New Urbanism It should come as no surprise
architectural movement started that one of the companies at the
in the 1980s, are common enough forefront of solar-power technology
around the country. But Mesa del Sol in Albuquerque would be Native
is truly one of a kind. Covering 20 American–owned. “Native
square miles within Albuquerque’s Americans like to think of ourselves
city limits, the complex, developed as the original stewards of the land
by Forest City Covington, is likely and the environment,” says Sacred
the largest and most comprehensive Power Corporation president and
m e s a d e l s o l p h oto
planned community in the nation. CEO David Melton, a recognized
It’s not just a residential member of the Pueblo of Laguna. “It’s
neighborhood, although next year reflected in our religious ceremonies
will bring the first of what will and our culture, and at Sacred Power,
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2. we try to express the same beliefs that
are in our creed.”
That means, he says, “using the
strengths of the father to protect the
gifts of the mother. The sun is the
father and the earth is the mother, so
we try to capture the sun’s strength to
protect our earth.”
Sacred Power does most of its work
in photovoltaic and solar thermal
power. With a recent $3 million
grant from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, the company will install
hybrid solar photovoltaic systems in
Northern Arizona Navajo homes,
bringing clean, renewable energy
to homes too remote to be on utility
companies’ grids. “Our solar power
system is a good answer for their
needs,” Melton says. heart of his city
This year, for the second time, the
company was named to Technology
Venture corporation’s annual list of
the 40 fastest-growing New Mexico
technology companies.
Chris Martinez’s
parents founded
Albuquerque
Tortilla Factory
Bueno Foods;
Albuquerque Tortilla
Company
Among the 23 percent of New
Mexico businesses that are Hispanic-
owned, Bueno Foods ranks as one of
the most venerable. Sixty-two years
ago, brothers from a longtime New
Mexico family started the company
as a neighborhood grocery store
that also served carry-out dishes
inspired by their mother’s cooking.
Within a few years, seizing on the
august 2008 Sky 95

3. Portrait albuquerque
Ran d y Monto y a p h oto
new popularity of frozen foods, New Mexican foods (many free of about 1,100 people currently work CATCHING RAYS
the visionary siblings got the idea preservatives, additives and fillers), there. He estimates that 65 percent of Sandia researcher with
of freezing roasted green chile—an are sent all over the West Coast and them are locals making a “better than R&D in the Desert device to measure solar energy
autumn staple in New Mexican Southwest and as far east as New average wage.”
N
households—to be enjoyed year York. The studio works closely with ew Mexico claims a long, 1970s, its scientists have been working and products firm recently named one
round. Today, Bueno Foods is still the University of New Mexico film proud history at the forefront on anti-terrorism technologies and of New Mexico’s fastest-growing high
owned by the Baca family, and is Albuquerque Studios school to train people who want to of America’s national training. In response to the energy crisis tech companies; TEAM Technologies,
one of the largest producers of New “Wait a minute,” you think. “I work in the film industry. “It’s very security. Albuquerque’s Sandia of that decade, Sandia began research a developer of state-of-the-art
Mexican and Mexican foods in the could swear I just saw Christian important to us that the crew base be National Laboratories has played on solar and wind technology and other mechanical and electronic products
Southwest. Bale walk by.” The Duke City is fast local,” Smerigan says. “We want kids a key role in that history. Sandia, a alternative energies. In 2001, when for commercial and government
The Albuquerque Tortilla becoming a sort of Hollywood of the to understand that if they get trained, laboratory operated by Lockheed Washington, D.C., was in the throes applications; and Applied Technology
Company may not have as old of a Southwest, courtesy of Albuquerque they can make a good wage and build Martin for the Department of Energy, of an anthrax scare, the lab developed Associates, a leading supplier of
heritage, but in its 21-year history, Studios, a full-service film production their lives right here at home. It’s very started in 1945 as an arm of Los a decontamination foam to neutralize precision inertial sensors, optical
the family-owned company has company headquartered at Mesa del important to us that the community Alamos National Laboratory, where the bacteria. And in 2004, Sandia inertial reference units and controls for
grown from eight employees in a Sol. Among the company’s current benefit from the industry.” physicists designed the nation’s first introduced the Sandia Gauntlet, a aerospace and satellite systems.
1,300-square-foot building to a projects is the fourth Terminator He tells the story of a man who nuclear weaponry. By 1949, the protective armor for U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Sandia’s impact on its community
staff of 325 turning out 4 million movie, Terminator Salvation: The was living in his car last year when he Albuquerque outpost, located at Sandia also breeds new companies. reaches beyond science and technology.
flour and corn tortillas every week Future Begins, starring Bale. signed on as a laborer at the studio. Kirtland Air Force Base, had grown Its nonprofit Technology Ventures Senior manager Mike DeWitte says the
in a 189,000-square-foot factory. Albuquerque Studios brings more “In his first year, he made a little over large enough to be designated a Corporation has helped start more company places a high value on being
“Every expansion we do, we feel is than star power and glamour to the $60,000—he has an apartment and standalone lab; it was named for the than 90 businesses in the past 15 a good community partner, noting that
going to be our last,” says company city. It also brings good jobs, many of a cell phone now. That’s the way it’s nearby mountains. Today, the lab years. Spin-offs include: Emcore, a the lab is the largest corporate donor to
vice president Chris Martinez, whose which are filled by New Mexicans. supposed to work, and that’s the way employs almost 8,500 and has an company with 750 employees working United Way of Central New Mexico. At
parents started the business. “Within The studio holds some 360,000 it’s working.” annual budget of $2.4 million. on solar photovoltaic power and last count, in 2006, Sandia employees
12 months, we need more space.” square feet of stages, production As America matured, so did Sandia, fiber-optic technologies; Ktech, an logged more than 120,000 community
The company’s products, which support space and office space. Nick Eclipse Aviation growing more diverse. Since the early employee-owned technical services volunteer hours a year. — PMB
include a new line of frozen prepared Smerigan, chief operating officer, says There’s nothing quite so convenient
96 Sky august 2008 august 2008 Sky 97

4. Portrait albuquerque
Well Prepared Institutions of higher education respond nimbly to the area’s needs
T
he University of New is big,” says Jeremy LaFaver, projects Media Program takes advantage of the
Mexico and Central New specialist in the university’s office city’s growing film industry, training
Mexico Community of the president, especially in the students in all aspects of digital media. A
College work closely with city’s strongest industries, aviation planned film and digital media building
Albuquerque’s businesses and energy. “We’re responding to at Mesa del Sol will make it easy to
e c l i p s e a v iation p h oto
to shape curricula that ensure students Albuquerque’s emerging needs and partner with nearby Albuquerque
Vern Raburn turned
graduate with the skills they need to get industries.” Studios and Sony Imageworks. his passion for
SFT445_DeltaSky(M4si)_adj.qxp:SFT445_DeltaSky 6/25/08 3:31 PM Page 1
great jobs. “Workforce development The university’s new Film and Digital At the university’s Anderson School piloting into a huge
of Management, an annual Technology success with Eclipse.
Business Plan Competition encourages
students to compete for seed money to as a private airplane when you want piston prop planes and can reach
T O P I C | R E L A X AT I O N | T I M E A N D S PA C E T O R E C O N N E C T launch local high-tech businesses. The to get somewhere fast. And when you altitudes of up to 41,000 feet. Demand
2006 winner, Satyrne Biotechnologies, want to get there really fast, nothing for the small jets was instant. When
is working on promising new methods can beat the super-light, super-small the company started taking orders in
for healing broken jawbones. jets designed and manufactured at 2000, 150 people put down deposits
The Science and Technology Albuquerque’s Eclipse Aviation. of $155,000 toward the plane, which
Corporation, a nonprofit entity within Founded in 1998 by Vern Raburn, costs $2.15 million. If you’re in the
the university, creates commercial an amateur pilot who was ready to market for your own “SUV with
opportunities for intellectual property leave his career with tech companies wings,” as the Eclipse 500 has been
developed on campus. After 12 years, like Microsoft and Lotus, the called, you’ll need some patience. The
the corporation has helped form 32 company released its first jet, the company’s almost 2,000 employees
start-up companies. Eclipse 500, in 2002. Eclipse’s light are working to fill some 2,600 orders,
Central New Mexico Community jets can fly at twice the speed of typical and the waiting list stretches to 2010.
T O P L A N A R E L A X I N G T R I P O F Y O U R O W N , V I S I T S A N TA F E . O R G T O D A Y.
College, the city’s second-largest
institution of higher learning, places
an emphasis squarely on career
development, says Samantha
Bousliman, chief communications
Close to Home... Far from Ordinary
officer, tailoring programs to the needs
of specific industries. Eclipse Aviation
relies on the college to train its jet
technicians. The need for technicians in
A Gentle Reminder
that where you reside and where you live
the local film industry is so great that the
don’t always share the same address
college can barely keep up.
Students seeking a liberal arts
experience can look up the road to the
College of Santa Fe and to the Santa
Fe branch of St. John’s College. Both
schools offer flexible programs. St.
John’s faculty rely on the classic great
books of Western culture. The College
of Santa Fe emphasizes educating the
“whole student” and paying attention
to ethical values with a core curriculum
including interdisciplinary, team-taught
courses in the humanities, creative
expression, social and natural sciences. It
offers evening and weekend classes at its
Albuquerque campus.—PMB
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