Brad Gordon earned a degree in marketing from New Mexico State University in 1978. He graduated near the top of his business school class, a major accomplishment for someone who had failed in previous attempts to obtain a degree at other Midwestern universities.

A career counselor in Los Angeles advised him to attend college in New Mexico where his earlier academic records would not be considered and he could start anew, giving him a chance at re-building a GPA needed to enter graduate school someday.

Coming from Indiana, Gordon experienced severe culture shock when he first arrived. "I really felt like a stranger in a strange land," said Gordon. "I remember how desolate everything was or, as I would later learn, appeared to be." Gordon said. Things began to turn around for him when he got to know the community.

"They were very warm, honest and genuine people," he said. "The community really mirrored the countryside. The people, the landscape, the natural beauty, along with the school’s faculty and curriculum, really won me over.

He finished his bachelor's degree in business administration in two and a half years. The school became his pathway to graduate school. Gordon went on to earn an MBA at the University of Southern California.

New Mexico State provided several things that schools he previously attended did not, including smaller, more intimate classes. "I was in classes with 35 students," he said. "I got to know my instructors and they got to know me on a very personal level. They encouraged and engaged you. I was impressed with the caliber of instructors; and the course material was on a par with the larger schools I had attended."

In appreciation for what he gained at New Mexico State, Gordon donated 10,000 shares of Celgene stock valued at over $500,000, to the College of Business. The college is establishing an endowment in the name of Dr. Robin Peterson, a marketing professor whom Gordon credits for his academic success. The college hopes to build this fund into an endowed chair.

Since finishing school Gordon worked in venture capital and then turned to launching several companies in tandem with other entrepreneurs. Since 1981 Gordon has been involved in the startup of eleven companies, mostly in the biotech field. "Failure is one of the many steps on the road to success," said Gordon, now Vice President of Finance and Corporate Planning for Celgene Corp., a New Jersey-based biopharmaceutical company just named to the Forbes Fast Track 25.

“At New Mexico State I learned to believe in my abilities and talents, and to put them to use in an impactful way" Gordon said. “I learned how to succeed."

Stan Fulton