PHOTO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich talks with Robert Pimentel at Pimentel & Sons Guitarmakers in Albuquerque, February 20, 2017.
Dear Friend,
Last month I had the pleasure of visiting Pimentel & Sons Guitarmakers, a family-owned small business that has built handcrafted instruments--including the official State Guitar of New Mexico--for the last 65 years. Generations of musicians have played and appreciated the world-renowned Pimentel guitars that capture the spirit and culture of New Mexico.
The Pimentels are the definition of an American success story. Lorenzo Pimentel learned the craft of building guitars as a teenager in Ciudad Juarez. After immigrating to the United States, Lorenzo moved his young family to Albuquerque after falling in love with the Sandia Mountains. After starting his business from scratch, Lorenzo sustained it with innovation, hard work and a commitment to excellence. Four of Lorenzo's sons continued their late father's work as master guitarmakers in their own right. The family continues building sought after one-of-a-kind instruments to this day, employing seven workers and teaching guitar to 80 students in Albuquerque public schools.
Small, locally-owned businesses like Pimentel & Sons are the backbone of New Mexico's economy. As the Ranking Member on the Joint Economic Committee, I am working to focus Congress' attention on policies that support small business owners and entrepreneuers. That includes minorities, veterans, and women, who need an equal opportunity to create and own successful businesses. We must make sure all small business owners have access to capital and loans from community banks and credit unions. Investing in New Mexico's broadband infrastructure will help small businesses across our state find customers around the world and compete in the global economy. I am also constantly looking for new opportunities for local entrepreneurs to take advantage of our state's unique resources--like our national laboratories, research universities, and our growing export-driven trade economy--to create new businesses and private sector jobs.
The economic challenges our state faces are significant, but there are concrete goals that we should be working toward. The way we should measure the success of our economy is if wages go up, parents can afford to send their kids to college, entrepreneurs like the Pimentels can start new businesses in our communities, and workers are able to retire with peace of mind. I will continue fighting for forward-looking policies to create a brighter future for all New Mexico families.
Sincerely,
MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator