Success Stories

He started growing in his garage about 12 years ago. It was an interest he developed in high school after he went vegan and he was trying to get more protein in his diet without eating so many beans. “Beans get old really fast,” said Estevan Hernandez, owner of New Mexico

The Chaco Trade Center is a small convenience store that has provided some necessities for the Navajo people living in the Pueblo Pintado community. The store has a coin-operated laundromat, mailboxes, propane sales, and a gas station. It is the only commerce that provides gas and propane in about a 70-plus-mile

For more than four decades, the Samaritan House in Las Vegas has provided shelter, food, and job training for unhoused residents living in the San Miguel County area. A group of citizens from a local Presbyterian church initially created the nonprofit as a center for transient youth in the Northern New Mexico

Cathy M. Elliott Elderly residents and those living in some rural areas in New Mexico don’t have to leave their assisted living facilities or drive far to receive dental help.  Dental Care In Your Home is a full-service mobile unit created in 2010 by founder Cathy M. Elliott, a University

After nearly three decades in business, the owners of Santa Fe-based Reflective Jewelry have endured the many challenges of entrepreneurship, including three recessions, but the biggest challenge of all was theft. But Helen Chantler and Marc Choyt are thriving and recently had their best year in 10 years after an employee

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 family

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

When Doris Sandoval, co-owner of SSC Construction, talks about the single-family homes she’s built for clients living in New Mexico’s Pueblos, she takes pride in the final product. “It’s my home before we give it to you,” says Ms. Sandoval, who is a citizen of San Felipe Pueblo. “If it

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