STORIES OF IMPACT

At WESST, we believe the heart of our mission is best told through the journeys of the entrepreneurs we serve. In our Client Stories section, you’ll find inspiring accounts of New Mexican business owners—at every stage of their ventures—who have been transformed through WESST’s consulting, training, lending, and incubation support. These stories highlight how we partner with clients to turn ideas into thriving, sustainable businesses, showing the real impact of guidance, financial tools, and persistence.

From wellness centers, retail brands, and service businesses to manufacturing and tech enterprises, each narrative underscores how tailored resources, mentorship, and belief in their vision helped these founders overcome obstacles, build confidence, and grow with purpose.

Warriors Karate

Refugio ‘Cookie’ Flores teaches all levels of karate up to and including black belts, provides individualized exercise training for small classes of students and teaches kick-boxing. He provides support through his years of training to address discipline issues, help students focus on positivity, and build both mental and physical toughness. Cookie learned karate when he was a teen and continued studying the art until he became a certified instructor and could have his own st

HEALTH, WELLNESS, & BEAUTY

Zentra Wellness

Dr. Lisabeth Detwiler, DOM, is the owner of Zentral Wellness, a Chinese medicine dermatology clinic. The business offers acupuncture, Chinese herbs, massage therapy and beauty services. Their goal is not only to offer remedies for skin problems, but they also assist individuals in managing stress, pain and various other health concerns from allergies, fertility to weight loss. Lisa utilizes many alternative medicine modalities (including acupuncture, herbs, nutritional cou

HEALTH, WELLNESS, & BEAUTY

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