Tag Archives: LiftFund

LiftFund Supports Women-Owned Businesses

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Women entrepreneurs often start businesses to provide a future for their children.

The number of women-owned businesses has increased exponentially in the last 20 years, and many of them have been helped by small business loans and training that supports the unique needs of women. Aleia Shipman’s story is a great example of the passionate women who gain assistance and loans from lenders such as LiftFund and other nonprofit Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to start businesses and provide for their families.

In 2016, Shipman knew she needed to make a change, not only for herself but for her three children. She had been working in sales at a chemical company for 10 years helping the owner grow the business despite the resistance to her creative ideas and solutions. Shipman turned her frustration into opportunity and decided to branch out on her own. That’s when she founded 3G Chemical Solutions, LLC.

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Program for Doña Ana Business Startups

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The nonprofit lender LiftFund is offering an online workshop on Monday, September 16, to help entrepreneurs in Doña Ana County navigate the sometimes murky and challenging path to starting a business. Owners of businesses that are already operational are also encouraged to attend. The workshop is part of the Doña Ana Small Business Program, which guides entrepreneurs from business concept to operations.

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Doctors Need Capital Too

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Martha Manquero-Butler witnessed firsthand the difficulties elderly patients face when trying to access health care. As a doctor at Texas Tech El Paso’s residency program, she helped by visiting patients where they were located instead of asking them to go to a clinic.

A few years later, with the support of family and savings, Manquero-Butler launched New Light Primary Care to bring the art and science of medical house calls to El Paso. It did not take long for the three-person practice to grow to 30+ employees who served more than 800 patients by 2017.

That’s when the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce referred Manquero-Butler to LiftFund, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), for a commercial real estate loan that would help her acquire a building to serve as a base for staff and patients.

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Gas Service Company Grows with Help from LiftFund

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After years of working for a large corporation in the gas & propane industry, Randy Peralta decided to pursue his own entrepreneurial project that would allow him to draw on his experience and be his own boss. In 2021, Peralta launched Gas Register Specialty Services, known as GRS Services, a mobile gas meter calibration company. Peralta’s specialty business serves commercial clients from Lea to San Juan counties.

While 28 years of technical experience in the propane industry were imperative for the nature of work that GRS Services set out to offer, operating a sole proprietorship did not come without its challenges.

“Having experience in the propane industry did not necessarily prepare me to handle all of the business and operational aspects,” said Peralta, adding that while he learned a lot in the field during his years in the industry, financial reporting and project management were new to him. He also needed to attend what he calls ‘meter school’ to be able to legally calibrate both electronic and mechanical meters.

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Conference Aims to Inspire Female Entrepreneurs

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Tactical training, strategic networking and inspirational speeches from three entrepreneurial trailblazers highlight a two-day WE Mean Business virtual conference July 7 and July 8.

“WE” stands for women entrepreneurs—the target audience for this event, which will link aspiring business owners to training, financing and mentoring opportunities.

Conference organizers are the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Arrowhead Center and WESST, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that supports minority business owners and entrepreneurs and hosts U.S. Small Business Administration Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) at its six New Mexico locations. Other sponsoring partners include LiftFund, a CDFI whose diverse clientele is dominated by minority and female business owners; the Minority Business Development Agency Business Center; and Peacock Law PC, which specializes in intellectual property and tech commercialization.

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