SEA breakfast meet showcases Corrales-based exhibit design company

CORRALES — Why is Ideum, a renowned business known for designing interactive exhibits worldwide, based in the village of Corrales?

The question from New Mexico Rep. Kathleen Cates, D-Rio Rancho, brought laughter Thursday from industry professionals who attended a monthly breakfast meeting at Ideum, off Corrales Road. But the response from company founder Jim Spadaccini was a serious one.

Founded in 1999, Ideum was originally based in California but did some business in New Mexico. One day, Spadaccini asked his wife if she thought she could live in the Land of Enchantment, which seemed appealing to Spadaccini since he believed it was tough running a business in California. Ideum officials thought about moving to Santa Fe, but driving through Corrales had its charm, leading Spadaccini to talk with real estate agents who showed him a quaint space within an obscure business complex.

Before Spadaccini's remarks, Fred Shepherd, president and CEO of the Sandoval Economic Alliance, called the village "a hidden gem," a term he believes could also extend to Ideum.

 "There are a lot of hidden gems, and this place here is tucked in and hidden, but there's a lot of magic sauce that's going on here," Shepherd said. 

The sauce he is speaking of may be the touch tables, kiosks and displays Ideum has produced for organizations in more than 60 countries around the world — and not all of them are even on land. While the company did produce an interactive display for a bar on a cruise ship, Spadaccini is also proud of other Ideum projects that have gone to a UFO museum in Roswell, Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., and the Jackie Robinson Museum in New York City. The Robinson Museum includes a scale model of the former Ebbets Field, where the late baseball team member used to play.

Liz Richardson, Ideum's sales and marketing manager, also spoke during the meeting. She said Ideum has new products in the works, including an architecture, engineering and construction drafting table, which includes software meant to replace the physical blueprints many industry professionals use.

During a tour of Ideum, which encompassed multiple buildings within the business complex, Spadaccini showed industry professionals more than displays. He held up 3-D printer-made pucks that can be used on  Ideum touch displays as well as innovative, sturdy frames that attach to touchscreens.

Spadaccini said his company has never hosted the SEA breakfast, but "this seemed like the natural thing to do" since the organization has supported Ideum in the past.

"We were surprised by the number of people; there is a lot of curiosity," Spadaccini said. "I think some of that is because a lot of the things we do wind up in public spaces, so people see little glimpses of it, but they don't always get the back story."

Fran Fernandez, director of the New Mexico Small Business Development Center, certainly came away with the back story of the Corrales-based company, which she had heard of but never visited.

"My biggest takeaway is that we have this company that came from California into New Mexico; (it) is really happy in Corrales, doing some incredible work across the United States and globally," Fernandez said.