BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Our latest installment of Koffman Innovations features a Mexican company that struggled for years trying to determine how to access the U.S. market, until it discovered New York’s Soft Landing program.

Bmate Consulting works with energy companies providing guidance in areas such as process and performance management, strategy review, geology, infrastructure, cost reduction and efficiency. In Mexico, it works primarily in the extraction of oil and natural gas and the delivery of those fuels to refineries. It believes it can not only provide the same sort of services to American energy firms, but also assist businesses here that support the energy industry with getting a foothold in Mexico.

Managing Director Erick Saavedra says his firm began the process of trying to establish a presence in the U.S. five years ago but kept running up against organizations that wanted large upfront fees with no guarantee of results.

Saavedra says that because the New York Soft Landing program housed at The Koffman is free for participants, he can trust the advice he receives is motivated by a desire to promote economic development.

“We stopped just saying. ‘Okay, let’s go sell immediately.’ Instead, let’s learn. Let’s learn about them, let’s learn about the country, how it is, what they want. Because probably the service that we want to provide is not the best thing that we can do,” said Saavedra.

Saavedra says his company is also looking for opportunities to expand their services to the clean energy sector, which is a lower priority in Mexico. And he says Binghamton is an appealing place to locate because of the affordable cost of locating here and all of the valuable connections he’s received through Soft Landing and the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator.