WESST BLOG
Staff Spotlight: Adriana Martinez Guzman
Adriana joined the WESST team in September 2021. We are happy to have her as part of the WESST family and hope you enjoy learning a little more about her. What made you want to come to work for WESST? WESST’s genuine commitment to serving their community and passion for helping New Mexicans start and grow their business. WESST is filled with amazing and knowledgeable employees who are deeply and genuinely passionate about the work they do. Their culture is supportive, unique and fosters not only their client’s growth, but also their employees’. What was…
“Kentuckian by birth, New Mexican by the Grace of God” A Conversation with Kathie Winograd
WESST’s work is made possible thanks to the support from our generous donors and community leaders. Kathie Winograd, CNM President of 13 years, new Executive Director of Albuquerque Economic Forum, and WESST Visionary, is both!…
Staff Spotlight: Rita Veleta
What made you want to come to work for WESST? I have been a long-time advocate of woman empowerment, access to resources for the underserved communities of New Mexico, and immigrant rights. WESST’s work and…
Staff Spotlight: Katie Knipe
For this month’s blog, we decided to switch things up a little and do another staff spotlight in order to introduce you to Katie Knipe, our VP of Development. Prior to joining WESST, Katie was…
Orange Shirt Day – A Time For Healing, A Time To Share Knowledge
Orange Shirt Day (which is also known as the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation) September 30th is a day to honor the Indigenous children who were forcibly taken away from their families through the…
Boosting Hispanic Entrepreneurs During National Hispanic Heritage Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15- October 15), we honor the achievements of Hispanics across the United States. It’s the perfect time to celebrate Latino small business owners’ contributions to New Mexico’s economy and discuss…
11 Ways to Grow Your Small Business and Celebrate During National Small Business Week
From September 13 – 15, we salute National Small Business Week, a time to celebrate and appreciate the entrepreneurs and small businesses that keep our economic engine purring! WESST once again would like to focus…
WESST Receives $200,000 SBA Women’s Business Center Resiliency and Recovery Demonstration Grant
The U.S. Small Business Administration issued 14 grant awards of up to $200,000 each to organizations in 13 states as part of the Women’s Business Centers (WBC) Resiliency and Recovery Demonstration Grant under the SBA’s…
Announcing more new HOPE Loans!
WESST launched the HOPE Fund (Helping Open Possibilities for Everyone) in 2020, a “no barriers to accessing capital” approach for people of color and low-wealth New Mexicans. We’re proud to announce our second and third…
Announcing the Launch of Our New Website
We’re excited to announce that our new and refreshed website is live. The updated site includes easier navigation, with dropdown menus for both mobile and desktop versions. We’ve also improved the structure of our content,…
Our First HOPE Loan Fund Recipient – Breanna Tso
The HOPE Loan Fund: Helping Open Possibilities for Everyone A key contributor to economic inequality in the United States are the large and persistent racial and ethnic disparities found in business ownership and performance. Barriers…
Interview with James Lopez – WESST Donor and Owner of ABQ Apartment Movers
We are so grateful to WESST’s wonderful community of supporters, from our generous individual, foundation and corporate donors to our in-kind donors who support WESST with their time, talents, and services. James Lopez is a…
Looking to Start or Invest in a Business in an Opportunity Zone? Well, What are Opportunity Zones, Anyway?
Opportunity Zones are a new way to finance projects in underserved areas of our state’s cities, towns, and tribal areas. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 provides for the governor of each state…