Students at the Anderson School of Management are getting real-life experience while working to market a New Mexico product that reduces water use and develops healthier plants and soil. Humate is carbonaceous shale which contains beneficial organic compounds. New Mexico has some of the highest quality deposits of these materials in the world. Humate is beneficial to both sandy and clay soils, it improves soil consistency and improves plant quality and yield.

Anderson School students, Japji Hundal and Debra Au, are working with local New Mexico company Enchantment Organics to create an Expeditionary Marketing Report for its product, Huma Soil Life. The humate used by Enchantment Organics comes from mines near Cuba, New Mexico.

Hundal, an electrical engineer who is currently pursuing his MBA in Management of Technology (MOT), is helping Enchantment Organics research possible clients for its Huma Soil Life product including homeowners, nurseries, and golf courses.

The project is part of the New Mexico Small Business Assistance (NMSBA) program funded through Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. NMSBA funding allows UNM Anderson to offer technical assistance, based on its areas of expertise, to small New Mexico technology businesses in their quest for larger markets and better financial returns.

Timothy Strosnider, a co-owner of Enchantment Organics, says the Expeditionary Marketing report developed by Hundal and Au gives him, and his business partner, Michael Meyer, valuable insights into growing a business with large potential both to New Mexico and the agriculture industry.

"With the tremendous soils deficit we have throughout our country, Huma Soil Life will assist in the development of healthier soils," says Strosnider. "The end result is, increases in plant quality, higher yield and greater drought resistance. Our products have been approved for use on organic farms in New Mexico. Initial feedback from farmers and backyard growers has been great and we hope the market for Huma Soil Life products will continue to grow."

Faculty advisor Dr. Craig White says the program provides students valuable experience and allows businesses to develop their markets.

"The Enchantment Organics project is an excellent example of the collaboration between the NMSBA Program and the Anderson Schools MOT program allowing students to apply the business skills they are developing to a real market issue. The students are able to earn money to support their education while helping New Mexico small businesses."

Hundal agrees.

"I have greatly benefitted from this program. By working directly with clients, I have developed the confidence and skills that will prepare me to successfully enter the workplace immediately after graduation."

Students and their faculty advisors in the Management of Technology (MOT) Program assist small New Mexico tech companies in analyzing markets, competitors, value propositions, the disruptive technology commercialization path, and financial forecasts. The consultations are free of charge to New Mexico tech companies are for-profit small business located in New Mexico and pay or file gross receipts taxes to the State of New Mexico. The NMSBA funding pays for student time as well as faculty mentorship.

For more information about the NMSBA program at the Anderson School of Management go to: http://csed.mgt.unm.edu/SBAP/ or contact one of the faculty advisors: Dr. Sul Kassicieh (Kassicieh@mgt.unm.edu), Dr. Steve Walsh (Walsh@mgt.unm.edu), or Dr. Craig White (white@mgt.unm.edu).

For more information on Enchantment Organics, call Timothy Strosnider at (505) 730-8932.