WESST BLOG

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) is a national campaign dedicated to raising awareness about domestic violence every October.  Domestic violence is best understood as a pattern of abusive behaviors–including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks as well as economic coercion–used by one’s intimate partner against another (adult or adolescent) to gain, maintain, or regain power and control in the relationship.  In the United States, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience domestic violence. Financial abuse occurs in 99% of domestic violence cases but remains one of the less commonly understood forms of domestic…

 
Read More...

Boujee on a Budget, Brightburn Academy, and City Refillery Featured at 10th Annual Soiree

At our 10th annual Silver Soiree, we celebrated three impressive WESST small business clients: Lauren Wenderoth, owner of The Village Refillery; Kate Padilla, owner of Brightburn Academy of Irish Dance; and Christina Starr, owner of…

Read More...

10th Annual Silver Soiree Raises $183k

On Thursday, September 5, WESST hosted its 10th Annual Silver Soiree, our signature fundraising event, which marked our 35th anniversary and raised a significant $183,000 to support WESST’s mission to be a home to entrepreneurs….

Read More...

WESST Named 2024 SBA New Mexico Microlender of the Year

We are thrilled to announce that WESST was named the winner of the 2024 SBA New Mexico Microlender of the Year award! Our Lending Team includes Sandro Tonini (VP of Lending), Melissa Williams (Loan Operations…

Read More...

The Four R’s of Entrepreneurship: An Inspiring Conversation with Debbie Johnson

One of the joys of my role at WESST is getting to know the amazing women in our community who have significantly impacted the entrepreneurial landscape. One of these women is Debbie Johnson! Debbie has…

Read More...

Announcing the WESST CAP-Ability Project

In 2023, the Minority Business Development Agency (U.S. Department of Commerce) announced the “Capital Readiness Program,” a grant competition that sought applicants who: (1) help socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs build capacity; (2) provide access…

Read More...

Melissa Toland Williams Co-Facilitates Training at CBA’s 10th Annual Credit Building Symposium

Credit Builders Alliance (CBA) is an innovative national nonprofit network dedicated to building the capacity of a diverse and growing network of hundreds of nonprofits across the country. CBA was created by and for their…

Read More...

“A Place for us to Grow and Blossom”: Celebrating the WESST Atrium Mural Completion

On March 9, 2023, WESST hosted a Ribbon Cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of a two-story, 408-square-foot mural, designed and painted by New Mexico artist and former WESST client, Jodie Herrera. The mural features…

Read More...

SBA Administrator and Congressman Visit Las Cruces

On February 22, Isabel Guzman – the 27th SBA Administrator – and Congressman Gabe Vasquez, visited Las Cruces to meet with small business owners on the ground. A highlight of their visit was Full Circle…

Read More...

WESST Staff Volunteers with IRRVA

In December, WESST’s staff from across the state gathered in Albuquerque for our biannual 2-day Statewide Staff Meeting. The WESST team traditionally spends a segment of our winter Statewide Staff Meeting giving back to our…

Read More...

Supporting the “Little Guys” – Thank You for 20 Years of Service, Kathy McCormick!

Kathy McCormick was born in a small Arizona cotton community. She was 6th grade valedictorian in her class of six, if that gives you an idea of how small it was! When Kathy’s dad got…

Read More...

How to Protect Your Accounts from Getting Hacked

You log in to your favorite social media site and notice a string of posts or messages definitely not posted by you. Or, you get a message that your account password has been changed, without your knowledge….

Read More...

WESST Pop-up Shop Spotlight: 3BlindMiceCrochet

After a two-year hiatus, WESST is excited to host the 5th annual pop-up shop  (Oct. 14th 11a-4p, 609 Broadway Blvd NE) where you can shop locally and find unique Made in New Mexico products and…

Read More...