Business Students Help Market Pendaries Resort

Las Vegas, NM – Interns from New Mexico Highlands University developed a new website and internet marketing campaign for Pendaries Village Resort that is increasing online business for the mountain golf course resort in Rociada, N.M.

According to Ron Payne, Pendaries general manager, the resort has realized a significant increase in business activity from the new website www.pendaries.net

From March to May, unique visitors to the website increased 192 percent and unique inquiries from the website increased 282 percent.

“By all accounts, the work these students have done for Pendaries is phenomenal,” Payne said. “It has been a great experience and provided a significant increase in business activity”.

Pendaries worked with the internship program at the university’s School of Business, Media and Technology on the project. Marketing professor Heath Anderson supervised the interns in overhauling the Pendaries website and implementing a search engine marketing campaign aimed at generating more online business for the resort.

The students used tracking technology to develop a baseline understanding of business originating at the old Pendaries website.

Then business major Laureal Richardson created the new website. He worked with Tess Oliphant, a sports management major, to implement and manage the marketing strategy, including using search engines like Google.   

Margaret Young, dean of the School of Business, Media and Technology, said the internship program is part of a larger effort to expand relationships and collaborations between Highlands and the business community in Northern New Mexico. 

“The internship program is part of a strategic initiative to give students real-world experience, while also doing our part to help businesses in our area benefit from what we do,” Young said. “Over the next few years, our goal is to have competitively chosen interns from all business function areas working with small businesses throughout our service area.”

Prospective employers interested in learning more about the internship program may contact Young at 505-425-7511 or young_m@nmhu.edu