The process of supply chain management impacts consumers every day, whether they are buying groceries locally or ordering products online. Knowing the tricks of an effective and timely supply chain is important, and College of Business students can gain hands-on experience in this field through the Supply Chain Entrepreneurship Center program.
Launched in 2021, the program aims to connect local, national and international businesses with faculty and students of the College of Business to promote, generate and enhance supply chain entrepreneurial activity in the areas of supply chain management, artificial intelligence and business analytics solutions.
“We’re trying to establish NMSU as the supply chain school for the region,” said Victor Pimentel, assistant professor of supply chain/business analytics and CSCE program director. “We’re fighting to open new classes. We’re fighting to get more students into the major. We’re working with students, taking them on trips, competitions, training. When they graduate from our program, they do great things.”
Students who participate in these competitions have attracted attention from top business leaders and innovators from around the world, some of whom have visited NMSU.
“Last fall, we took four undergraduate students to the 2023 GM/WSU Case Competition, hosted by the Department of Global Supply Chain Management at the Mike Ilitch College of Business in Detroit, to determine the ‘Best Supply Chain Program in the Nation,’ and they did overwhelmingly well,” Pimentel said. “They’re interacting with big companies. The former CEO of Starbucks visited our school, and the CEO of one of the largest real estate companies in Arizona, with $1 billion in assets, came into my class and said he was impressed with our students. They’re interacting with the right players and learning from people who’ve made it.”
Some of Pimentel’s graduate students are collaborating with local companies to further their research and publish their findings.
“Recently, one of our papers won a President’s Award,” he said, “Our students have landed good jobs, they’ve been recognized, and we’ve had current students come back with job opportunities. It’s been a lot of work, but we’re seeing it pay off.”
One of the most unique and rewarding aspects of studying in the CSCE program is having access to one of the supply chain’s largest ports of entry, located on the U.S.-Mexico border.
“We work across two countries, Mexico and the United States, and even crossing borders can be a challenge if you don’t know how to do it right,” Pimentel explains. “Our students are able to do it the right way. We visited Lear’s maquiladora in Juarez, Mexico in early 2023 and sat down with the company’s global vice president. We presented our research, toured the factory, and chatted for two hours.”
Pimentel said experiences like this inspire students to pursue their passions and motivate them to keep going.
“They’re not only learning lessons from their professors, but also from people who have been through the same walk of life,” he said. “By interacting with these people, they understand that there is no glass ceiling for them. They realize their potential and they understand that there is nothing they can’t achieve if they really want it, so it’s very inspiring for us.”
Many students go on to make the business world a better place after graduation, and many more return to the College of Business to share their experiences and help others follow the same path.
“For those of us involved in this program, nothing gives us more joy than seeing our students succeed,” Pimentel said. “Having former students come back and still want to collaborate, still want to help develop and inspire the younger students is why we do what we do. For me personally, that’s why I’m a professor – I want my students to succeed.”
Pimentel said it’s inspiring to see where his students started and how far they’ve come using the expertise they gained in the CSCE program.
“NASA alumni debrief with us every month, and they’d love to hire some of our students,” he said. “We have a student who’s been working in construction with her dad since she was 4 years old. Last summer, she went to Europe with her mom for eight weeks. It’s a little change of pace, but that’s what we want. We’ll learn their stories, what inspires them, what their ambitions and goals are. It’s amazing to be a part of their journey. That’s why I’m at NMSU: to help kids achieve their dreams.”
As for the future of the program, Pimentel said it will continue to help students not only achieve their career dreams, but succeed in life in general.
“It’s a lot of fun, fulfilling work, you get to travel, meet new people and be involved in multiple industries at the same time. It’s well-paid and well-respected. There’s no reason why a student who goes into supply chain can’t have a fulfilling life,” he said. “Geographically speaking, we couldn’t be in a better place right now. There will only be more business and job opportunities for students. We’re really excited about what’s coming.”
A version of this story first appeared in the latest issue of the Faculty of Business Annual Report. Read the issue here.
