Heinrich Highlights Economic Opportunity For Local Small Businesses And Labs In NM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) convened a roundtable at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce to highlight opportunities for local small businesses to work with national labs in New Mexico. The roundtable included Hispano Chamber President Ernie C’deBaca, Sandia National Labs Director Steve Younger, U.S. Small Business Association New Mexico District Director John Garcia, and the heads of Applied Technology Associates, Real Time Solutions, Ambitions Consulting Group, Sparkle Maintenance, and TEAM technologies.
“We all know that small businesses are engines of job creation and at the heart of our state's economy. By sourcing locally, our national labs can benefit from New Mexico companies' strong track record of providing quality services,” said Senator Heinrich. “Closer collaboration between our labs, universities, and private businesses can also lead to a stronger local business ecosystem that can position our state as a national leader in emerging high-tech fields that our labs specialize in like clean energy and cybersecurity. I will continue doing everything I can to help both our national labs and local businesses thrive together.”
The discussion focused on the economic impact of local contracting and how to make it easier for New Mexico companies to do business with national labs in the state. Sandia National Laboratories recently announced that for the first time, they will offer a 5 percent pricing preference for qualified New Mexico small businesses, providing them with additional opportunities to compete and grow. Senator Heinrich has been a leading proponent of increasing New Mexico small business contracts with Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Senator Heinrich has worked for years to help New Mexico's small businesses compete in a transparent and fair process for contracts.
“Sometimes it’s challenging for small New Mexico businesses to compete with out-of-state companies or larger businesses,” said Sandia Labs Director Steve Younger. “We’re committed to New Mexico, and we want to give our small businesses a hand.”
“The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber is dedicated to helping small and Hispanic-owned businesses thrive. Many of our members provide goods and services to the military bases and national labs. Now with Sandia’s enhanced commitment to purchase locally from New Mexico companies, our members will be growing, too,” said Ernie C’deBaca, President & CEO, Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce.
“I am grateful to Senator Heinrich for helping grow missions at our military bases and labs while advocating for procurement dollars to land in New Mexico,” said Erin Gandara, Chief Administrative Officer, Ambitions Consulting Group.
