Vasquez Hosts Small Business Administrator in Las Cruces

LAS CRUCES, N.M.  – On Wednesday, February 22, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) visited local businesses along Main Street and attended the Farmer’s and Crafts Market of Las Cruces before hosting a small business roundtable with U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. The roundtable featured a diverse array of small businesses, who discussed their successes and challenges and ways the SBA could better support small businesses.  

“There are over 150,000 small businesses in our state, and they account for 99 percent of all businesses in New Mexico,” said Vasquez. “Our national economy–and our local economies–are built on the backs of small businesses. That’s why I’ve hosted a series of  small business roundtables in diverse communities over the last month. My goal is to ensure that we can build local, generational wealth by supporting entrepreneurship. Understanding their challenges,  as well as their successes, allows me to support policies that directly impact job creation in New Mexico.. One thing is clear–we need to ensure that SBA’s resources are well-known and accessible to all of New Mexico, especially our rural communities across the district. I look forward to bringing the SBA to future workshops across the district.”

Rep. Vasquez spent the morning speaking directly with vendors along Main Street, visited Organ Mountain Outfitters, and Zia Comics. Following the visits, Vasquez convened a meeting of small business owners alongside SBA Administrator Guzman at Las Cruces’s only makerspace, Cruces Creatives. After the event, Vasquez and Administrator Guzman visited a local restaurant with small business leaders and supporting development agencies, before finishing the tour in La Mesa at Full Circle Mushrooms. Throughout the day, Vasquez reaffirmed his commitment to supporting small business owners in NM-02 and across the nation. 

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