WOMEN'S ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY TEAM CORP

FOUNDED IN 1988, WESST IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING A SUPPORT SYSTEM OF CONSULTING, TRAINING, INCUBATION, AND LENDING TO HELP NEW MEXICANS STRENGTHEN AND GROW THEIR SMALL BUSINESSES THROUGH SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODELS, FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT, AND JOB CREATION. WESST OFFERS COMPREHENSIVE BILINGUAL BUSINESS SERVICES FROM THE PRE-STARTUP STAGE THROUGH GROWTH AND REPOSITIONING. OVER THE PAST 3 DECADES, WESST HAS FACILITATED THE START-UP OF 2,760 NEW BUSINESSES, THE CREATION OF 5,688 NEW JOBS AND OVER 11.0 MILLION LOANED TO CLIENTS. HEADQUARTERED IN ALBUQUERQUE, WESST SERVICES THE ENTIRE STATE OF NEW MEXICO THROUGH ITS REGIONAL OFFICE NETWORK IN FARMINGTON, HOBBS, LAS CRUCES, RIO RANCHO, ROSWELL AND SANTA FE. IN 2009, WESST OPENED WESST ENTERPRISE CENTER (WEC), A LEED CERTIFIED MIXED-USE SMALL BUSINESS INCUBATOR IN DOWNTOWN ALBUQUERQUE THAT ACCELERATES THE DEVELOPMENT OF GROWTH-ORIENTED COMPANIES, REFLECTIVE OF WESST'S ABILITY TO PRODUCE ECONOMIC IMPACT, WEC MEMBER COMPANIES HAVE CREATED 428 NEW JOBS, 63.3 MILLION IN PAYROLL AND GENERATED OVER 150.3 MILLION IN REVENUES OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS. THE WEC WAS HONORED AS ONE OF THE "SEVEN HOTTEST STARTUP INCUBATORS" BY CNN MONEY.COM IN 2010 AND 2017, THE WEC WAS AWARDED THE SOUTHWEST STAR AWARD BY EDA. WESST HAS BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF NUMEROUS HONORS INCLUDING THE ETHICS IN BUSINESS AWARD IN 2011 AND AED'S 505 COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD IN 2019. WESST HAS BEEN A LONG-TIME RESOURCE PARTNER OF THE U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND HOSTS SIX SBA WOMEN'S BUSINESS CENTERS IN NEW MEXICO. WESST IS ALSO AN SBA MICROLENDER AND A CDFI COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTION.