NMHU students present their business pitches to ACE Next Generation Business Leaders
Santa Fe, New Mexico –The New Mexico Highlands College of Business held its third annual Cowboy Up! Business pitch contest. The contest was held at Santa Fe Community College on Saturday, April 13th and was hosted by Bill Imada, Chief Connectivity Officer at IW Group. Five student teams presented to a room full of members of his ACE NextGen, an organization of Asian American leaders in various fields in the United States. The winner was John Hall, a NMHU student who runs his own business, his JW Marketing.
Cowboy up! It was launched in 2021 as an extension of the NMHU School of Business’s commitment to entrepreneurship and undergraduate and graduate entrepreneurship program offerings. NMHU students Alice Midiri, Tomma Sojalola, John Hall, Soche Morgan, Elanas Lazar, Lee Truong, and Jack Truong have a complete proposal for their business, from women’s golf to his apparel line to an app for women. He was given two weeks’ time to prepare the presentation. We support elderly people suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and their families.
On Saturday, the students were accompanied by Dr. D. Vina Parbotia, dean of the School of Business, Media and Technology, and Highland University professors Luis Flores Porras and Gerardo Moreira. Each team presented their pitch, which was then scored by ACE NextGen members and asked about their ideas. Most of the members have very successful careers in business. The students then met with her ACE members to ask questions and receive counseling to further develop their ideas.
Dr. Parbotia said: “I want to cry as if I were the proud mother of these students. I was so touched by them. It is a great opportunity to present in a venue of this level. Everything was handled very well.”
John Hall, who received the most votes from the judges, was chosen as the winner. Second place went to Elana Salazar, and third place went to Sorche Morgan. The Cowboy Up! Business Pitch Competition is part of University of New Mexico Highlands’ Business Week, held April 16-19 on the main campus. Business Week will include faculty research presentations, student/alumni interactions, and a business luncheon on April 18 in the Student Union Ballroom with guest speaker Dr. Craig Watters.
