WESST Blog

In our next Staff Spotlight we are very happy to introduce and welcome Dave Vedera! In his new position, as the Vice President of Client Services, Dave will oversee WESST training programs and consulting services, including WESST’s regional office network. Dave recently joined the Staff, but was no stranger to WESST having participated on the WESST Board of Directors for six years and served as the Board Chair in 2013. 

What made you want to come to work for WESST?

I provided consulting to WESST in 2009 and was impressed by the extraordinary staff and the quality of the Board of Directors. I quickly embraced the passion for serving the community and the belief that the most effective way to enable economic impact was by investing in and expanding entrepreneurship.

What was your very first job?

I started working for McDonalds when I was 15 and at a time when they were integrating process improvements to improve efficiency and consistency in making something as simple as hamburgers. I was hooked and have incorporated process improvements into everything I do ever since. If only I had bought a franchise or two back then!

What’s your favorite part of working here?

The compelling empathy present in every team member to serve anyone who simply wants to improve some aspect of their life and/or their community through business ownership or entrepreneurship. Having been a business owner, I am also proud to be part of an organization which thoughtfully and earnestly takes just as much time guiding people through a process to help them understand that they might not be ready now and how to better prepare for the “right” time to enter into solo entrepreneurship.

What do you do when you’re not working?

I embrace the philosophy of work hard and play hard. When I am way from the work environment, I treasures family time, serving on youth mission trips, traveling, cycling, dancing, and enjoying just about every outdoor recreational activity with my wife Karen and our dog Oreo.

What do you wish people knew about WESST?

The complete and comprehensive value that WESST provides. In 2019 we will celebrate 30 years of serving entrepreneurs and business owners across the state of New Mexico. We were started by an amazing group of women with a powerful mission to serve women. Today, while holding true to that core mission, we serve anyone across New Mexico with a passion to start or grow a business through consulting, trainings, business incubation, and micro-lending.