Author Archives: Admin

SBA Loans Offer Low Interest Rates

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Popular pies from L’il Willie’s Shenanigans, the Red River ice cream and sweets shop owned by Kelley and Steve Cherry.

Kelley and Steve Cherry were so pleased with the experience of securing a loan to buy one commercial building in Red River that they want to buy another building the same way.

The couple worked with Century Bank to obtain a U.S. Small Business Administration 504 loan to purchase the building they previously leased for their 3-year-old ice cream and sweets shop, L’il Willie’s Shenanigans. They hope to use the same strategy to buy the building from which they’ve operated Shotgun Willie’s Café for the past decade.

The appeal of 504 loans is that interest rates are fixed at a significantly lower rate than traditional banks offer for commercial real estate loans, and borrowers get lots of help from lenders and the certified development companies that evaluate 504 loan packages for the SBA. The nonprofit Enchantment Land Certified Development Company played that role for the Cherrys.

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Program Pairs Businesses with Unique Expertise

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The New Mexico Small Business Assistance Program was enabled by state legislation to bring the “technology and expertise of the national laboratories to small businesses in New Mexico to promote economic development in the state…” In exchange for a tax credit, New Mexico’s national laboratories and their partners work one-on-one with small businesses and entrepreneurs to solve problems that are often seen as roadblocks to business growth. NMSBA Program assistance ranges from product analysis and testing to inventory and manufacturing management, with myriad others in between. Businesses can learn about the program at an event in Santa Fe from 2:00 to 4:00 pm on May 20, 2025.

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WESST Named NM Microlender of 2025

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The nonprofit business development organization WESST has been named the New Mexico Microlender of the Year 2025 by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Known best for its workshops and business consulting, WESST has a loan fund that offers microloans to qualifying businesses that work with its consultants.

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Learn about Robotics

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Manufacturers can learn about robotics for business use at a day-long demonstration workshop in Albuquerque on May 8. New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (New Mexico MEP), a nonprofit organization that helps manufacturers increase profits and competitiveness, is hosting the robotics firm FANUC, which will lead the demonstrations. The event is free, but registration is required because space is limited.

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Get Your Deep Tech to Market Faster

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The deadline to apply for The New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program (NM LEEP) is fast approaching. Applications are being accepted until May 8, 2025, from technology entrepreneurs ready to obtain two years of individualized assistance to commercialize their technology. The program pairs deep-tech entrepreneurs with the unique talent and technology of Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories, matching LEEP fellows with seed capital and a large network of mentors, customers, and investors. The current application period is for the 2026 cohort.

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Historic Childcare Center to Double Capacity

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Christina Kent Early Childhood Center (CKECC), Albuquerque’s oldest continuously operating childcare center, is set to significantly expand its services through the purchase and renovation of a new building, thanks to a community-centered partnership with Homewise. The expansion will allow CKECC to double its capacity, offering critical early education to even more families in the Barelas neighborhood and across Albuquerque. 
 
Established in 1919, CKECC has served the Albuquerque community for over a century, providing high-quality childcare and early childhood education to low-income families. The center, accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), currently serves 62 children in three classrooms and is committed to ensuring accessible education through a sliding scale tuition model that considers both income and family size. Through its participation in the NM PreK program, CKECC also offers free tuition for 3- to 5-year-olds. 

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Learn to Use QuickBooks to Manage Business Finances

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April is Financial Literacy Month, and for business owners, that means getting business finances in order. The business development organization WESST is offering a workshop in Santa Fe from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on April 22, 2025, to teach business owners how to use the QuickBooks financial and accounting software.

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