Northern New Mexico business owners can learn about the New Mexico Small Business Assistance Program (NMSBA) on December 14 at Project Y in Los Alamos. The event is one of many that have taken place across the state this year and that will continue into 2022. NMSBA program managers provide details about the free business assistance that ranges from testing, research, and development of new products and technologies to manufacturing advice provided by scientists at New Mexico’s national laboratories and NMSBA partner organizations.
Navajo Spirit Southwestern Wear in Gallup was one of 308 companies that participated in the program in 2019. Owners Virginia and Carl Ballenger worked with New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (New Mexico MEP) to balance automation with their existing manufacturing processes so the company could expand sales of its Navajo-inspired southwestern clothing line. The results, which were called out as one of two projects having the most impact in 2019, were impressive: Production increased by 18 percent, which led to a marked sales increase and the hiring of three additional employees.
How to Apply
Requests by individual businesses for assistance are accepted all year while requests by multiple companies working together on a challenge are accepted twice a year. Look for an announcement in early 2022 about the opening of the application period for leveraged projects that allow multiple businesses to work collectively through the program.
In 2020, New Mexico’s national laboratories and their NMSBA partners provided technical assistance to 243 businesses. While 48 percent of those companies are in the manufacturing sector, more than 50 percent are not. Other industries represented include agriculture, retail & wholesale trade, education, healthcare, and more.
The NMSBA info session at Project Y takes place in Los Alamos from 5:30 – 7:00 pm on December 14. Register here.
Apply to the NMSBA Program here.
Click on the image below to hear from Virginia and Carl Ballenger about the assistance they have received from New Mexico MEP.