Not many people can say they founded a company focused on creating “fake termite spit.” Or that they later invented heated yoga mats and heated mouse pads.
Jeff Bargiel can check both of those boxes.
As the program director for entrepreneurship at CNM Ingenuity, Bargiel is an accomplished entrepreneur in his own right. In his role with CNM Ingenuity, it is his job to support startups as they try to take an idea or product to the next level.
He does this by overseeing programs like ActivateNM, Job Training Albuquerque and the Hyperspace Challenge, among others. In two years alone, Bargiel said Job Training Albuquerque — which supports businesses through workforce training — has helped 100 local, small businesses create 200 new jobs and $9.1 million in annual wages.
His next big career goal? To continue to grow CNM Ingenuity so that more people are in turn able to grow their businesses.
What's your favorite New Mexico attraction? Ojito Wilderness. Because it is a beautifully varied landscape, only one hour away and empty. Just the place to pick up and go if you need to disconnect. But, if you want to tell a good story, try renting a night in a decommissioned missile silo outside Roswell.
What makes you one of New Mexico’s most outstanding professionals under 40? My purpose is to be a multiplier for New Mexico’s people and economy. Every day, I hear success stories from entrepreneurs, employees and students whose lives have improved because of a program in my portfolio at CNM Ingenuity. Then they go on to improve the lives of others. … I was lucky to have joined CNM Ingenuity with so many amazing programs started and a team eager as me to see them grow.
In what ways beyond your job description do you give back to the community? Volunteering for the New Mexico Out Business Alliance, the Albuquerque Wildlife Federation for habitat restoration and my husband and I are becoming licensed foster parents.
