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Michael Rivera

MICHAEL A. RIVERA NAMED STATE DIRECTOR OF NEW MEXICO SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER NETWORK

Michael A. Rivera is the new State Director of the New Mexico Small Business Development Center network (NMSBDC), which operates twenty statewide centers serving small business owners and those wishing to start small businesses, along with an International Business Accelerator near the Mexican border. Mr. Rivera will direct the network from the NMSBDC Lead Center at Santa Fe Community College. SFCC President Sheila Ortego announced his selection after a lengthy search.

Mr. Rivera has 23 years executive, administrative and managerial experience in small business and economic development. He is the outgoing Chief of Staff of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, which regulates insurance companies, utilities, telecommunications, transportation services and other industries. Earlier he was Tribal Administrator at Nambé Pueblo, where he reported to the Tribal Council and the tribe’s Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Mr. Rivera was the owner and president of Albuquerque-based consulting firm Professional Service Associates, serving small businesses, government agencies, school districts and non-profits. In the early 1990s, Mr. Rivera was Chief of Staff at Los Alamos National Laboratories. He also worked as Director of the La Jicarita Enterprise Community in Mora, bringing opportunities in entrepreneurship and college education to over 5,000 northern New Mexico students, and was the founding President of the Mora Valley Chamber of Commerce. As Director of the Luna Community College Small Business Development Center in Las Vegas, New Mexico, Mr. Rivera's job showed him how much the SBDCs could do to boost the state's economy, and he was inspired to set his sights on a statewide position with the NMSBDC.

Mr. Rivera earned his Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of New Mexico's Robert O. Anderson School of Management and his Master of Public Administration, also from UNM. He has owned and managed successful small businesses including a videography firm, a real estate management company, and a deli, bed and breakfast and hostel. With his consulting service he has provided one-on-one training and development to hundreds of small business clients throughout New Mexico and the western US.

President Sheila Ortego of SFCC stated, “Mr. Rivera’s expertise in management, combined with his passion and experience in developing small business, makes him an excellent choice for State Director of the SBDC. He knows first-hand the challenges and opportunities faced by the business sector in New Mexico. We are pleased to have him lead this important statewide enterprise, and look forward to working with him to build distinct and progressive new initiatives in New Mexico’s communities.”

Mr. Rivera stated, " Throughout New Mexico, the NMSBDC is the pinnacle of economic development through small business growth. The NMSBDC statewide infrastructure is the lifeblood of success for anyone in business or wanting to start a business. In this key position, I hope to do much for all small businesses, including new and existing enterprises, young entrepreneurs and rural businesses." Mr. Rivera lives in Corrales with his wife Rosita and their three daughters.

New Mexico's Small Business Development Centers, on the web at nmsbdc.org, provide existing and new small businesses with expert counseling in planning, marketing, financing, licensing, accounting, government contracting and many more areas. The NMSBDC is funded by the New Mexico State Legislature as well as the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

New Files from NMSBDC: