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Loan Fund small business client success stories
Although Juan Zambrano opened his auto repair shop in Santa Fe more than six years ago, his entrepreneurial story actually begins nearly two decades ago as he continues to grow his business and other skills. Mr. Zambrano was servicing mostly non-commercial vehicles for individuals before the 2008 recession when the …
Chris and Krystal Chavez always wanted to own a business but weren’t sure what to go into. Chris, a former truck driver, wanted to work for himself but wanted to have flexible hours. During the pandemic, the couple started candle making and thought that might be a new venue to …
Taos resident Gabriel Trujillo opened his first ice and purified water vending machine business in 2015 adjacent to family-owned commercial property near the Taos Plaza. The self-serve machine dispenses 20- and 10-bags of ice and purified water by the gallon, a business model he felt was good for the environment …
It was a desire to pull a camper that sleeps four with a Fiat that led a Santa Fe couple to an idea to create a super lightweight trailer. Angel Irlanda and Laura Esteves have created the Earth Traveler teardrop trailer, a 300-pound towable camper with different options, including a …
The idea to provide a nurturing and play-based daycare for children of varying economic and ethnic backgrounds started 50 years ago and has grown since. La Puerta de los Niños was created as a nonprofit under the Unitarian Church in Albuquerque with a child-centered philosophy, allowing children to build on …
Melissa Salazar was a manager at a Las Cruces McDonald’s when she and her father, Jaime Salazar, an executive chef at the Holiday Inn, took over La Nueva Casita Café, a Mexican restaurant in the historic Mesquite District in 2005. “My brother was driving through the neighborhood and saw the …
Sandra Marquez opened her first childcare center in 2012 on 4th Street because she liked working with children and saw a need to help people with childcare. She also had previous experience working with children. La Escuelita Learning Center, which has eight employees, takes children from six weeks to 12 years …
Holly Chavez created H2 Academic Solutions, a K-12th grade tutoring center, six years ago with a vision of helping Valencia County youth attain academic success. The Belen-based academic center also offers camps and intensive reading programs. While there is a cost for tutoring, Ms. Chavez, a former teacher, also created …
The print and graphic design shop grew out of a home-based business created in 2010 after Evelyn Reyes quit her job at Savers and wanted to use her graphic design skills. When Reyes left Mexico to move to Las Cruces with her husband, Agustin, she put her career aside but …
It was a desire to have their own private practice and bring much-needed collaborative services to Belen, a small town of 7,400 about 30 miles south of Albuquerque. Jennifer Tafoya-Trujillo, M.S., PA-C, who grew up in Belen, and Cassandra Otero, PA-C, who grew up in Los Lunas, both were in …
Albuquerque Kayla Vallejos has been cooking since she was 13 so it was only a matter of time when she would own her food operation. Vallejos, proud owner of Albuquerque-based Taste of Love food truck that started business this spring, got her start working at Burger King and then moved on to waitressing and …
Apprenticeships for Leaders in Mosaic Arts Albuquerque Founded in 1999 on the idea that the mind should be used to promote the arts among youth and adults, the Apprenticeships for Leaders in Mosaic Arts or ALMA was born. The program provides paid training for youth using the mosaic arts. Youth …
Dub-L-EE LLC & Exotic Blooms LLC It was nearly 10 years ago when Edward Saiz and his son, Eddie J. Saiz, created DUB-L-EE LLC, an Albuquerque general company that has been doubling revenue yearly. Eddie, a certified plumber, and his father who has 40 years experience in plumbing decided to …
(505) 877-8871 Isleta, NM Eleven years ago, while working as a housekeeper for a large Albuquerque hotel, Delia Gallegos dreamed of owning her own restaurant. But she soon realized she needed more than passion to make her dream a reality-she needed to learn about business. So, Delia went to WESST …
2125 Broadway Blvd SE Albuquerque, NM 87102 (505) 247-2979 “GOOD! GOOD! and more GOOD!” exults an online review from a satisfied customer of Albuquerque’s El Dorado Bakery. “This little gem of a bakery is probably one of the finest things in Albuquerque’s South East ‘San Jose’ neighborhood .. . . …
Rio Grande Educational Collaborative www.atriscoheritagefoundation.org Albuquerque, NM When the Atrisco Heritage Foundation lost a significant annual contribution to its Legacy Fund in the 2008 recession, CEO Peter Sanchez was thankful his foundation had an existing relationship with the state’s oldest and largest nonprofit community lending organization. “We …
(David and Juliana Garcia, owners of Pet Planet Hotel & Day Camp)Las Cruces, NM After adopting seven dogs from friends and neighbors, David and Juliana Garcia concluded that Las Cruces sorely needed a business that served animals and the people who love them. The couple bought a van with their savings …
(Christina Montoya, Montoya Transportation owner, with loan officer Cathy Sorenson) Silver City, New Mexico The Silver City economy was thriving in 1996 when Christina Montoya bought her family’s bus company from her parents and continued its contract with the Cobre Consolidated School District to transport students. In 2001, Montoya approached …
http://www.villamyriam.com / http://www.thebrewabq.com Brothers David and Juan Certain grew up in Colombia knowing great coffee. Coffee is a three-generation old family business that dates back to the mid 1960s when their grandfather founded Villa Myriam Coffee. As children, the brothers would run through the fields of their grandfather’s coffee plantation …
Jose Ocampo moved to the United States from Nicaragua in 1980 after his family was granted political asylum here. Following a tour of duty in the U.S. Marine Corps and a few years at the University of New Mexico, he set his sights on being a mechanic and eventually opening …
