The New Mexico Real Estate Insider
We hope you will find our ramblings interesting and informative and that you will visit often.
Here's what's happening right now around town and in the Real Estate Market in Albuquerque New Mexico and the communities that surround the Duke City....
UNM Gets New President
New Mexico Business reports that the University of New Mexico Board of Regents has selected UNM alum Robert G. Frank as the school’s 21st president. The official announcement was made by the university at a news conference Wednesday morning.
Frank, 59, will succeed David J. Schmidly, who announced in April 2011 that he would step down after five years as president.
Frank will assume the presidency in June. He was selected after a six-month search by a 29-member committee that included regents, faculty, students, staff and alumni. UNM Board of Regents President Jack Fortner chaired the search committee.
“The university community looks forward to Frank’s arrival on campus this summer,” Fortner said in a prepared statement. “Frank emerged from a field of candidates as the best person to lead UNM to new heights of academic excellence,” Fortner added. “I am confident that with his passion for education and experience, fostering cutting edge interdisciplinary teaching and research, that he’s a great match for UNM.”
Frank has been the provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Kent State University since July 2007. Prior to holding that position, he was the dean of the college of public health and health professions at the University of Florida.
Frank is a graduate of Mayfield High School in Las Cruces. He earned three degrees from UNM. He graduated magna cum laude with a degree in science in 1974, earned a master’s degree in psychology in 1977 and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1979.
Tim Ross, faculty senate president and member of the presidential search committee, said Frank is a Lobo with roots in New Mexico.
“He has the savvy to run a complex university,” Ross said. “We look forward to working with him.”
Frank said his appointment at UNM is “the most exciting opportunity I can imagine.”
Frank, his wife Janet, and their dogs Lobo and Bailey will reside at University House, which is the president’s residence, on campus.
New Mexico Centennial Celebration
New Mexico is celebrating 100 years of statehood on January 6, 2012. There are several events and partis to commemorate the even and we will showcase some of them here. In the meantime, this is the official party!
Grand Centennial Ball Celebration
The Grand Centennial Ball will take place on Statehood Day, January 6, 2012 at the Santa Fe Convention Center. At this once-in-a-lifetime, black tie ball you can “Take a Step Back in Time for the Future of New Mexico.” All proceeds from the ball will help establish the Centennial Children’s Legacy Fund.
The Centennial Children’s Legacy Fund is an initiative of the New Mexico Centennial Foundation, created to live beyond 2012 in service to children statewide. The Fund will be managed by a New Mexico-based foundation in perpetuity, and accessible to charitable organizations working to enhance the education and welfare of New Mexico’s children.
For more information www.nmcentennial.org
Famous New Mexico Residents
If you want interesting company, New Mexico is the place to live! Some famous people who were born here or spent significant time here include:
R C Gorman, Georgia O'Keefe- artists
Al Unser, Al Unser, Jr, Bobby Unser the race car family (Unser museum is a great stop for those interested in racing history
Brian Erlacher, Chicago Bears -- went to college at UNM
Bart Prince, Anton Predock Architects
Ralph Bunche Nobel Peace Prize Winner
DH Lawrence, Rudolfo Anaya, Ernie Pyle, Tony Hillerman, John Nichols- authors - and Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com was born in Albuquerque
Nancy Lopez, professional golfer
And given that New Mexico now ranks with Los Angeles and New York as a desireable place for filmaking:
Val Kilmer, Dennis Weaver, Shirley MacLaine, Neil Patrick Harris
And that's just to name a few!
New Mexico One of 6 Top Job States
According to REALTOR Magazine:
One factor reportedly holding many Americans back from purchasing a home is job stability. But several states’ future looks bright when it comes to adding jobs.
Texas is expected to add the most jobs over the next five years on a percentage basis, according to Forbes (it edges out Nevada if you do not round up the growth rate). Employment in Texas is expected to increase by 2.9 percent annually through 20150— or add 1.6 million new net jobs in that period, according to research from Moody’s Analytics.
Here are the states expected to grow the most with jobs in the next five years, according to Forbes:
1. Texas
Projected 5-year annual job growth: 2.9%
2. Nevada
Projected 5-year annual job growth: 2.9%
3. Arizona
Projected 5-year annual job growth: 2.8%
4. New Mexico
Projected 5-year annual job growth: 2.6%
5. North Dakota
Projected 5-year annual job growth: 2.6%
6. Utah
Projected 5-year annual job growth: 2.4%
Help to Open Your Small Business in Albuquerque
If you are thinking of moving to Albuquerque here is some help to get your small business started.
Small New Mexico businesses can take advantage of high-quality, low-cost consulting services during the spring 2012 semester at the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management.
The school’s Small Business Institute is accepting applications until Dec. 24 for businesses looking for help with creating business, expansion and marketing plans. The SBI also helps businesses with market research, financial analyses and strategic reviews of operations.
Businesses pay $500 for the program, which assigns a team of graduate and undergraduate students accompanied by faculty advisors to work with companies. The fee covers consulting team expenses, such as travel, and the printing and binding of final reports.
Business owners must meet with the students at least six times during the semester, and provide feedback at the end of the term.
Since its founding in 1978, the SBI has worked with more than 600 businesses, including startups, expanding companies, nonprofits and family firms.
During the fall 2011 semester, students assisted 22 businesses, ranking the SBI as the nation’s second-most active student consulting service, according to the Anderson School.
For more information, call SBI Coordinator David Hammitt at (505) 277-8869, or write to sbi@unm.edu.
Tamaya Resort Reward
According to the New Mexico Business Weekly
The Hyatt Tamaya Resort & Spa north of Albuquerque
The Hyatt Tamaya Resort & Spa north of Albuquerque will be one of two Hyatt properties teaming with Turner Network Television to host a contest based on the shows “The Closer” and “Rizzoli & Isles.”
The Armchair Mystery Weekend will take place at the Tamaya and at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort in California. Each property will host 25 fans who will have a chance to spend a weekend at the resorts working to solve crimes like the characters in the show.
Winners will play the police detectives, while actors will play suspects, witnesses and other players to drive the story and advance the game.
File Photo
Fans can enter the sweepstakes through Dec. 31 by entering online. The 50 winners will get airfare, accommodations, transportation and spending money. The event takes place at Tamaya Feb. 24 to 26. It will take place at the Huntington Beach location between Feb. 17 and 19.
“The Closer," in its seventh season, stars Kyra Sedgwick and has averaged 8.7 million viewers. “Rizzoli & Isles” stars Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. It averaged 8.9 million viewers in its second season.
“We are delighted to bring this unique and exciting experience to the Hyatt Regency Tamaya,” said Jena Marquez, public relations and marketing manager for the property. “This opportunity will enhance the connection fans have to their favorite shows while also allowing them to experience the luxurious amenities that makes the Hyatt Regency Tamaya a great destination for a memorable getaway.”
Albuquerque Ski Area Opens
Sandia Peak will open its 2011-12 ski season Dec. 10.
The recent snowfall has allowed the facility to move up its opening date. Seventy percent of the mountain will be available for skiing, with a 16-inch base of natural and manmade snow. Chairlifts 1, 2 and 3 will be open as well as the Children’s Mitey Mite.
The Double Eagle II Cafeteria, Snow Sports School, Cubby Corner Children’s Facility, Rental Shop and Sandia Peak Sports Shop will all be open.
The ski area will close on Dec. 12 and 13, then open daily from Dec. 14 through Jan. 8. From Jan. 11 through March 18 it will be open Wednesdays through Sundays and on holidays. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ojo Caliente Wins Spa Awards
Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa has been recognized with three spa industry awards by Spa Magazine and SpaFinder.
Each year Spa Magazine asks its readers to pick top spas across the globe in categories such as favorite destination, favorite spa for cuisine, favorite romantic spa and others. The full list of winners is then published in the magazine’s Worldwide Guide 2012 issue.
Ojo Caliente was honored in the following categories:
- 2011 Spa Magazine Silver Sage Reader’s Choice Award for Top 5 Favorite Affordable Spas
- 2011 Spa Magazine Silver Sage Reader’s Choice Award for Top 5 Favorite Mineral Springs Spa
- SpaFinder Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Award for the Top 10 Mineral Springs Spa
The awards were presented at a reception last month at The Four Seasons in Las Vegas, Nev., during the 2011 International Spa Association Conference & Expo.
Ojo Caliente, one of the oldest natural health resorts in the U.S., is located 50 miles north of Santa Fe. The resort employs more than 100 in positions such as customer service, spa therapy, bathhouse attendants, restaurant staff, housekeepers, and landscape and maintenance work.
In September, Ojo Caliente was recognized as one of the “Top 10 Spa Resorts Around the World,” by Away.com.
UNM to host FBI Computer Forensics Lab
FBI to open forensics lab at UNM Dec. 6
via New Mexico Business Weekly
Date: Monday, December 5, 2011
The lab is holding a grand opening event Dec. 6.
The new lab provides digital forensics services and assistance to law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction in New Mexico. Services and assistance cover the areas of terrorism, child pornography, homicide, violent crimes, theft or destruction of intellectual property, Internet crime and fraud.
Representatives said the lab is the second of its kind located on a university campus, and the 16th such facility in the FBI’s national network of one-stop, full-service forensics laboratory and training centers devoted to the examination of digital evidence in support of criminal investigations. It will employ about 12 people.
Officials from the FBI, UNM, New Mexico State Police, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department, Albuquerque Police Department and the state's congressional delegation are scheduled to speak at an 11 a.m event.
The lab is on the UNM south campus at 901 University Blvd. SE.
Albquerque Theater Company wins National Award
Fusion Theater Company National Theater Company Grant
Via New Mexico Business Weekly
FUSION Theatre Co. was one of just 10 theater companies around the country to land an award from the American Theater Wing, and the only one in New Mexico.
The $10,000 National Theater Co. grant honors companies that have articulated “a distinctive mission, cultivated an audience, and nurtured a community of artists in ways that strengthen and demonstrate the quality, diversity and dynamism of American theater.” The funds will go toward general operating support.
“From Philly and New York to Fayetteville, Albuquerque and Watts, Calif., theaters were selected for their uniqueness, courage, creativity and inspiring programs developing new works, outreach and education,” said Lucie Arnaz, chair of the grants committee, in a news release. “It’s thrilling to me to prove, once again, that great theater isn’t just on Broadway between 40th and 50th streets, but that Broadway is a road that is 3,000 miles long.”
FUSION was founded 11 years ago and produces new plays, first runs of regional productions and fresh stagings of classic plays at The Cell Theater at 700 1st St. NW. It’s the only producing professional Equity theater company in New Mexico. It won a Creative Bravos Award earlier this year from Creative Albuquerque. In September, it premiered an unpublished Tennessee Williams play at the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival in Massachusetts.
The company is funded by the Shubert Foundation, the McCune Charitable Foundation, the city of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico Arts, the Actors Equity Association and the Scott Family Foundation
