One of Only 12 States to Successfully Apply for Grant Which Could Reach $750K

The New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services (NMDVS) has been notified that its Veterans’ Business Resource Center (VBRC) is one of only 12 winning applicants of a $150,000 grant by the Veterans’ Business Outreach Program of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

This is the result of the VBRC being officially designated by the SBA as a Veterans’ Business Outreach Center—another result of the grant application process to secure the first-year $150,000 funding and possible four yearly option extensions. The grant will result in the doubling of what the NMDVS currently budgets for veterans’ business development. According to the NMDVS, one out of every seven of the New Mexico’s 22,000 small businesses is veteran-owned.

“I can’t begin to tell you how extremely excited we are about this news,” said New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services (NMDVS) Cabinet Secretary John M. Garcia, who is also a member of the nine-person national SBA Veterans’ Business Advisory Board and a past president of the National Association of State Departments of Veterans’ Affairs.  “This grant will greatly help us expand our commitment to help veterans who want to start a small business or expand their existing operations. And given the current poor state of the global economy, the timing couldn’t be better.”

“We believe in helping to create prosperity for veterans and their families,” said NMDVS Secretary Garcia. “This not only helps them--it also helps the rest of the community through the goods and services created by these veteran-owned businesses. It’s a ‘Win-Win’ situation for everyone, and this grant will only help us to better achieve this goal.”

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