Enchanted Gardens, LLC is a retail business that promotes a gardening lifestyle. They specialize in desert flowering plants, perennials and herbs. Enchanted gardens also offers top-of-the-line gardening tools, garden art, and other garden products.

Melanie is the founder of Zia Queenbee Company, a growing business that is challenged on a daily basis to meet the huge demands of the important Queen Bee marketplace. Because of the high quality of Melanie’s Queen Bees, demand exceeds her ability to deliver. In addition to maintaining a business built upon high quality, she must also train new beekeepers to meet the expectations of her growing clientele.

Ph.d, Author, Spiritual Teacher, Entrepreneur Kamala Easton is an intriguing woman and a motivated entrepreneur. Kamala’s niche is her embodiment of a spiritual and passionate black woman who embraces and shares her extensive experience via the written and spoken word. She has worked with and learned from some of the most renowned spiritual teachers in [...]

Sitting across the desk from Kristen, one would not think of her as a power house, willing to make a leap of faith for what she believes. Her quiet nature seems almost shy at times. However, this somewhat reserved woman is an example of many who have a dream, gain training and/or education in their field, and step out to make that dream come true.

After getting his degree in air conditioning and refrigeration service and units, Shane Walker decided to go on his own and start his own company rather than work for someone else. Walker Air Refrigeration and Service was born.

Surrounded by the aroma of roasted beans and the tranquility of motherhood (a wonderful combination together), a person has to wonder how this small home-based business evolved. The owner, Rebecca “Beck” Rosnick, pats her new son atop the shoulder as she tells the story of a dream that almost never happened.

Daniel Sedillo had been working at Peter Piper Pizza store in Roswell, NM since he was sixteen years old. He had managed the store for five years. After all the hard years of learning, Daniel was given an opportunity of a lifetime. The owner of the franchise wanted to sell the Roswell New Mexico location…

Patricia Mcclure-Reedy has been a busy woman for the past nine years. Tesoro Integrative Health Center is the third business she’s opened since 2003 when she started selling her Wild Child Creations tie-dyed clothing line at the Artist’s and Farmer’s Market in downtown Las Cruces on Saturday mornings. She continued teaching full time while trying…

Crazy Maizy’s Fabulous Popcorn Factory: A Small Business Startup Success Marilyn Mayse has been a huge supporter of WESST for over 15 years. Last year, she approached Jennifer Craig, WESST’s Regional Manager in Las Cruces, as a client with the idea of opening a gourmet popcorn storefront, offering an array of sweet and savory popcorn…

Krysia Boinis has much to be thankful about these days. The last couple of years have been of whirlwind of success for the young Taos, New Mexico-based entrepreneur and long-time WESST client. The private label natural lip balm manufacturing company that she founded with her husband, Greg Martin, gave her the hands-on…

A Small Business Line of Credit from WESST Is Helping Ground Floor Build a Strong Foundation for Growth. When Matt Kreitman and Robbie Lipworth opened Ground Floor LLC in July of 2007, they had no reason to anticipate the storm that would soon engulf the national property market. Fortunately, their business strategy – by necessity [...]

Rochelle Williams not only stands out in the male-dominated construction industry, her dedicated work ethic has driven Construction Reporter to thrive during the recession. The only locally owned-and-operated business of its kind in New Mexico, the company publishes an online bid calendar that covers public and private commercial construction projects out for bid in New Mexico and surrounding areas.

Medical Practice Solutions offers medical billing and credentialing services to health care providers. The firm currently employs 18 people and has experienced consistent growth in its 18 months of operation, adding one or two new clients each month.

Juanita Finger is a talented artist-entrepreneur who hopes to one day have the craft of bead weaving recognized as a legitimate art form. She came to WESST in 2010 seeking assistance with marketing, website development, and sales techniques to help her grow her startup bead weaving business, Tokay Beaded Art.

When Silvia Terrazas first came to this country, her driving entrepreneurial desire kept her focused while she tackled two major barriers: 1) She spoke only Spanish; and 2) Her son was born with one foot which required new prosthesis’s as he grew. Regardless of the adversity she faced, Silvia’s strength and tenacity were instrumental in helping meet business goals.

In 2007, Nancy started Recycle Runway, an environmental education entity that uses fabulous couture garments that Nancy creates from recycled “stuff” to capture the attention of people worldwide. As she has advanced her mission, she has encountered numerous challenges that would daunt the energies and focus of the most seasoned professionals.

Yet, Nancy remains steadfast in her commitment to succeed – as an educator, as an artist and as an entrepreneur.

Artist-entrepreneur Agnes Chavez came to WESST in 1996 hoping that a little marketing guidance could take her art business to the next level. That same year, the emotional rewards and tangible results that she was experiencing from teaching young children Spanish helped her realize how she could combine her love for art and language into a marketable, viable business: teaching Spanish to children through art, music and games. She called her new business, Sube, which means “rise” or “ascend” in Spanish. That’s exactly what Chavez has been doing with her business ever since.

For Diane Holloway, reaching a low point gave her the momentum to leap from pastry chef to successful entrepreneur. She moved quickly from no job prospects to using a $5,000 SBA microloan from WESST to grow a trio of eateries. Now, Holloway’s sought-after destinations sit within a single city block in Silver City, New Mexico: Diane’s Bakery & Deli, Diane’s Restaurant, and The Parlor.

Biomoda was the WESST Enterprise Center’s very first tenant, moving into some 4,000 square feet of space in January of 2009, just a month after the certificate of occupancy was issued for the new building. The move provided the company with a ready infrastructure – from phone and internet lines, to a laboratory space, to a dedicated receptionist – and helped it continue the growth that has seen its value on the stock exchange increase ten-fold in the past year.

Organic skin products may seem like a relatively new concept in the ever-growing “green” market place, but Krysia Boinis and Greg Martin have been in the business since 1996. The roots of this organic skin care manufacturing company began with Krysia making candles in her garage. That process evolved into Krysia forming a line of private-label, hot-pour skin care products. Krysia could see a niche sprouting in the natural cosmetic industry and wanted to enter the market.

As a therapist working with adults with developmental disabilities, Matt Poel was often frustrated by the limitations he saw imposed on his clients by the agencies that provided their residential care.

“It was so restrictive,” says Poel, 34, who admits to being a long-time champion of the underdog. “I kept thinking, `Just let them try it! Who cares?’”

Jeanette and Martin Candelaria are growing a profitable and successful business in an industry where many companies are struggling. Their combination of extremely high quality printing and mailing services along with a positive attitude and flexible customer service keep the customers and jobs flowing.