The small business development organization WESST was named the 2024 Small Business Administration’s New Mexico Microlender of the Year. The award was bestowed on May 1, 2024 at the SBA New Mexico Small Business Awards Breakfast. The SBA celebrates National Small Business Week by honoring outstanding entrepreneurs and resource providers while putting a spotlight on the people who run the 33 million small businesses in the country.

WESST’s Lending Team, which includes Sandro Tonini (VP of Lending), Melissa Williams (Loan Operations Officer), Teresa Rodriguez (Bilingual Loan Assistant), Adriana Martínez Guzmán (Special Programs Manager), Humberto Hijar (Financial Capability Consultant), Angelica Ortiz (Loan Analyst), and Marcela Mendoza-Palacios (Program Coordinator), works with New Mexico small businesses to provide loans, lines of credit, one-on-one consulting, and business management workshops to help them succeed.

WESST, a nonprofit organization with seven locations around the state, utilizes public, private and individual funding to support small business entrepreneurs throughout New Mexico. Read more about WESST.