WESST, a nonprofit economic development organization that provides business training, consulting and loans to small business, opened a new location in Hobbs. Business consultant and trainer Mara Salcido is now serving clients from inside the Hobbs Hispano Chamber of Commerce at 113 N. Shipp Street.

The Hobbs office is WESST’s seventh location in New Mexico. WESST’s expansion has grown the organization from a single location in Albuquerque in 1994 to its current statewide structure.

For more than three decades, WESST has helped a wide variety of clients at every stage of business. Its focus has been on transforming people’s lives and creating a pathway out of poverty by helping low-income women and diverse entrepreneurs achieve financial self-sufficiency through sustained self-employment. WESST is distinguished in New Mexico as the only organization offering long-term, comprehensive training, one-on-one consulting, and low-cost loans specifically targeted to women, low-wealth, and ethnically diverse clients.

WESST provides services to any New Mexico resident interested in launching a new business or improving the performance of an existing one. Clients have come from all walks of life for help with businesses of all types— retail, professional services, arts and crafts, restaurants and catering, construction, manufacturing, and biotechnology, to name a few. At every stage of planning or expanding a business, WESST is available to educate, encourage and inspire business owners to succeed.

Read an overview of WESST services, and visit the WESST website to learn more.