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History Mission
Vision Values
Board Members Advisory
Board
History
The concept for the BNSL has its antecedents in an earlier bi-national technology
program-the Materials Corridor Initiative-supported by the U.S. Department of Energy
and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT). The Materials Corridor
Initiative (MCI) focused on advanced materials and materials processes that were
energy efficient and environmentally friendly (sustainable) and involved eight U.S.
Universities in the four U.S. Border States, several national laboratories and their
Mexican counterparts. The MCI was designed to develop and bring new materials and
processes to a commercially "deployable" level for job/wealth creation. Of 23 projects
supported over a five year period, 12 were considered at the end as deployable-two
of which actually became new start-up businesses in the border region.
Starting a few years later but in parallel with the MCI, the BNSL concept began
to take shape in the late 1990's within Sandia National Laboratories' Advanced Concepts
Group as they examined border stress and opportunity disparity issues. The BNSL
was viewed as an opportunity for the U.S.-Mexico border region where, by fostering
sustainable economic development, greater border stability, security and transparency
could be achieved. At the outset the BNSL was, and still is, championed by five
key institutions: CONACYT, the U.S. Department of Commerce/Economic Development
Agency (EDA), the Fundación México-Estados Unidos para la Ciencia (FUMEC), New Mexico's
Economic Development Department (EDD), and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). A
plan to create the BNSL evolved during the early 2000's with the strong leadership
of FUMEC and Sandia, combined with the efforts of many other organizations, government
officials, and policy-makers.
In 2003 the BNSL was incorporated as a non-profit entity (the BNSLi) and officially
opened its doors on September 1, 2005. As a bi-national, non-profit entity, the
BNSL is now capable of accepting funding from public and private institutions in
both the U.S. and Mexico as well as able to take the necessary steps to advance
its mission.
Mission
The overall mission of the BNSL is to create bi-national, collaborative partnerships
focused on emerging technologies and to promote and implement economic development
efforts within the border region from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean; thus,
yielding a sustainable, technology-based economy.
Vision
The BNSL will establish strategic bi-national partnerships among the people and
entities in the "triple helix"-business, academia, and government-who will work
together to promote emerging technologies, address critical border issues, and establish
a sustainable, technology-based economy on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The BNSL envisions using distributed facilities and activities appropriate to the
strengths and opportunities of specific border regions. While initially focusing
its attention on the Paso del Norte, central border region, the BNSL expects to
rapidly expand through centers of focus or "nodes" in other regions of the border
as opportunities and resources permit.
Values
"Sustainability" in the BNSL name signifies a focus on environmental and energy
sustainability as well as economic sustainability. The BNSL sees these goals as
mutually compatible since environmentally friendly and energy efficient technologies
are generally positive attributes of any successfull enterprise. The BNSL strongly
values partnerships with the full spectrum of business entities from start-ups to
fully mature and multinational corporations who have an entrepreneurial and creative
vision. While primarily focusing its effort on emerging, and, thus, potentially
culture-changing technologies, the BNSL will also include appropriate small business
start-ups, if they satisfy or significantly contribute to the technology-growth
goals of the region.
Board Members
Gabriel Ortiz Hernan - President
Director General, D'Informatica21
Al Zapanta - Vice President
President & CEO, U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce
Lic. Lucinda Vargas - Treasurer/Secretary
CEO, Plan Estratégico de Juarez, A.C.
Jennifer Sue Bond
Senior Advisor, International Policy Studies, Council on Competitiveness
Ing. Rolando Gonzalez Barron
President and CEO, Gobar Systems Inc.
C.P. Alfredo Román González Fernández*
Secretario de Desarrollo Economico y del Empleo Tamaulipas (*Represented by: Dr.
Julio Martínez Burnes; Director General, Consejo Tamaulipeco de Ciencia
y Tecnología)
Hon. Jaime Oaxaca
Chairman - The Oaxaca Group
Robert Sachs
Co-owner and Chairman/CEO - Team Technologies Inc.
Jorge de los Santos
Director of Pan American Initiatives and Special Advisor to the President, Office
of Pan American Initiatives, Arizona State University
Ing. Sergio Tagliaprieta
Secretario de Desarollo Economico de Sonora and
President of Industrial Vallera de Mexicali, S.A.
Ricardo Valenzuela
President, INTERMEX Financial Corporation
Dr. Mary Walshok
Associate Vice Chancellor--Extended Studies, University of California San Diego
Dr. Gerry Yonas
Principal Scientist and Vice President, Advanced Project Group, Sandia National
Laboratories
Advisory Board
Mike Acosta
Director Border Office - U.S.-Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC) - University
of Texas El Paso
Ricardo Benavides
Director - Research and Development Center, Servicios Industriales Penoles, S.A.
de C.V.
Jose Canales
Consultant
Russell R. Chianelli
Professor - Deparment of Chemistry - University of Texas at El Paso
Gil Cisneros
President and Chief Executive Officer - Chamber of the Americas
Guillermo Fernandez de la Garza
Executiv Director - U.S. - Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC)
Rogelio G. Garza
Director - Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica - Universidad Autonoma de
Nuevo Leon
Jesus Gonzalez
Director General - CIMAV
Frank Hoy
Professor - College of Business - University of Texas El Paso
Gary J. Jones
Manager, International Partnership Development - Sandia National Laboratories
Jose Manuel Mascarenas Haas
Director Ejecutivo - Fundacion Margarita Miranda De Mascarenas, A.C.
Ron Munden
Partner - EPV Group
Miguel Angel Olin
Corporate Technology Director - Vitro Corporativo
Mike Orshan
President - T2B
Patrick Osio Jr.
Editor - Hispanic Vista
Larry Peterson
Partner/Vice-President - Technology Tree
Homero Ramirez
Quality Assurance Director - Technical Vicepresidency Mexico - CEMEX
Leopoldo Rodriguez
Chairman of the Board of Governors - U.S. - Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC)
Lorenzo Rodriguez
CEO - Team Technologies
Jessica Turnley
President - Galisto Consulting Group, Inc.
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