WESST BLOG

Congratulations, Agnes! December 5, 2024 Agnes Noonan Retirement Celebration

On December 5, 2024, we gathered with friends from far and wide to celebrate the retirement of WESST’s President of 33 years, Agnes Noonan. Agnes is a visionary nonprofit leader in our community and a trailblazer for women and all New Mexicans who want to start and grow a small business. The WESST Enterprise Center was filled with people who have been inspired and impacted by Agnes’s leadership.   We were thrilled to welcome many community leaders and friends of WESST and Agnes who shared stories and well wishes at the retirement celebration, including the…

 
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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…

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Boosting Hispanic Entrepreneurs During National Hispanic Heritage Month

During 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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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BE INSPIRED: KOB 4 Hosts Digital Summit to Support Local Small Businesses

On December 9, WESST’s partners at KOB 4 hosted “BE INSPIRED to innovate and adapt your business,” a virtual event designed to inspire and uplift small business owners and provide some helpful takeaways to help…

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Get Your Business Online or Expand Your Digital Presence

Digital Media Marketing – WEBSITES, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND E-COMMERCE with Empower by GoDaddy in partnership with AEO. As we have seen in our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic throughout 2020, it is more and more…

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Staff Spotlight: C. Sandro Tonini

In our last blog of 2020, we are delighted to introduce you to Sandro Tonini. Sandro came to WESST at the beginning of September as the new Bilingual Business Consultant and Trainer for Albuquerque, NM….

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