Daniel Peralta is the Director of the Small Business Development Center located at UNM-Taos. He became Director in July of 2016. Prior to that, he worked as the Business Advisor beginning in 2010. He owned and operated a franchise small business in Taos from 1999 to 2007.
Daniel Peralta attended New Mexico State University and received a Bachelor in Science in Biology. He is currently taking classes at University of New Mexico Taos.
Daniel Peralta has been a board member on the Taos County Chamber of Commerce, Anansi Charter School as well as a grant reviewer for Taos Community Foundation.
Daniel Peralta was born and raised in Taos. He still resides there with his wife and 3 daughters.
Founder and principal of Blue Skies Strategy, Jeanne Athos-Adler has more than 25 years of experience, spanning marketing, strategy, innovation, consumer insights, counseling, and coaching. A multi-faceted leader who thinks as a marketer and researcher with equal proficiency, Jeanne is a seasoned strategic partner who prides herself in exceptional client service. Jeanne’s work has helped shape the strategy of America’s most respected companies and has helped empower growth in individuals and teams, both personally and professionally.
Jeanne’s corporate experience includes working at Frito Lay, Cadbury Schweppes, and Quaker Oats in marketing, strategy, and innovation prior to founding Blue Skies. Her clients at Blue Skies include Fortune 500 companies and leaders in consumer products, as well as retail, private equity and higher education.
She has earned an AB degree in Psychology from Princeton University, an MBA in Marketing from University of Michigan, and an MS in Counseling from Southern Methodist University.
At Blue Skies Strategy, we are currently developing the Blue Skies Ahead Seminar Series with the goal of empowering people to create new opportunities in business and in life!
John Rice is the Founder and President of ASi/Q, LLC a firm specializing in operations management services ranging from launching successful startups and executing business turnarounds to financings, crisis management, and the repositioning of enterprises for sale at optimum market prices. As Board Chair, interim CEO, Director in Charge of the Audit Committee, and in other similar capacities, Rice has been instrumental in building as well as negotiating investor exits for companies ranging from start-up to turnarounds. Rice lectures frequently on breakout growth strategies, crisis management, corporate turnarounds, venture capital, and financial structuring and strategies. He is an honors graduate of Harvard College and lives in Taos and Albuquerque, NM. He is a voracious reader, expert skier, avid cyclist, and a pathetic golfer.
Our Goal & Mission
Taos Entrepreneurial Network – TEN’s goal is to promote healthy, organic rural Economic Development opportunities through business and entrepreneurial support – rural development is increasingly linked to entrepreneurship. Institutions and individuals promoting rural development now see entrepreneurship as a strategic development intervention that could accelerate the rural development process. Furthermore, institutions and individuals seem to agree on the urgent need to promote rural enterprises, development agencies see rural entrepreneurship as an enormous employment potential; politicians see it as the key strategy to prevent rural unrest; and families see it as an employment possibility near their homes which provides autonomy and self-sustainability. To all these groups, however, entrepreneurship stands as a vehicle to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities and to sustain a healthy economy and environment.
The mission of the Taos Entrepreneurial Network is to improve the economic well-being of the citizens of Taos, New Mexico and surrounding communities through community awareness, business education, and creation of an entrepreneurial network. Their vision is that every business entrepreneur in Taos, New Mexico and surrounding communities will be successful according to their own measure and definition.
Outcomes
Since the inception of the program, TEN has resulted in over 500 Taos and Enchanted Circle citizens and entrepreneurs receiving one-on-one consultation with over 90 new businesses started and 43 businesses maintained or expanded. There are also over 150 volunteers on our Network Team who have donated nearly 3,250 hours of volunteer support for project coordination, management and client support. The TEN network of resources has grown exponentially over the last nine years due to our participation within our region.
Taos and most of Northern New Mexico have absolutely no industry other than tourism, which often leads to minimum wage, seasonal jobs. It is TEN’s sincere commitment to assist the local economy by supporting entrepreneurs.
Our Board of Directors
Louis Moya, President, Board of Directors
Jeanne Athos-Adler, Vice President, Board of Directors
Daniel Peralta, Member, Board of Directors
Chris Madrid, Member, Board of Directors
- Jim Peterson, Member, Board of Directors
John Rice, Secretary, Board of Directors
- Richard Kaye, Member, Board of Directors
Aside from the regular monthly meeting, TEN in collaboration with the Taos County Chamber of Commerce and the UNM-Taos SBDC, to sponsor monthly Business Education seminar (which will be continued in the Center for Innovation). Local business and industry professionals volunteer their time to educate those in attendance on various topics including, Human Resources, social networking in business, the secrets to business success, marketing and financial management.
Get Connected
TEN’s goal is to enhance the quality of life in the communities it serves. The specific objective of TEN is “grassroots economic development” focusing on existing and start-up businesses as a critical factor in the economic well-being of our communities. The methodology employs three components, which are designed to leverage and link with other established Business Support Resources throughout our service region in order to avoid duplication and maximize impact.
