Luncheon to honor minority business awardees

The New Mexico Minority Enterprise Development Week Awards Celebration luncheon — honoring six business and individuals — will be held Oct. 21 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Hotel Albuquerque, 800 Rio Grande NW.

"We all need ... to cheer and honor out esteemed minority business colleagues," said organizers Anna Muller, president of NEDA Business Consultants, and Tina Cordova, president of the NM 8(a) & Minority Business Association in a news release.

The awards are designed to highlight outstanding achievements of minority entrepreneurs and businesses and also to recognize individuals and organizations that have demonstrated leadership and commitment in advancing the minority business community.

This awards celebration luncheon also is a great marketing opportunity to meet government buyers and prime contractors, they said.

This year's minority business awardees are:

• SBA Minority Small Business Person of the Year, Justin Pelayo, president, Americom Automation Services Inc.
• Construction Firm, Saigan Construction, Tim Fogarty, president.
• Retail Energy Firm, Source Technologies LLC, Daniel R. Sandoval, CEO.
• Business Advocate of the Year, Francisco Tapia, director of Small Business Programs, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.
• Access to Capital Award, Leroy E. Pacheco, executive director, The Loan Fund.
• Media Award, Michael G. Murphy, business editor, Albuquerque Journal Business Outlook.

The New Mexico Access to Capital Award winner, The Loan Fund and director F. Leroy Pacheco, were singled out for national recognition as well. The Loan Fund, established in 1989, has lent more than $43 million and helped to create more than 6,000 jobs throughout New Mexico, while maintaining a 97.5 percent repayment rate, the Commerce Department said in a news release.

The cost to attend is $35 per person or $350 for a table of 10.

For more information, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Anna Muller at 505-843-7114.

The Minority Enterprise Development Week program works in conjunction with the U.S. Commerce Department and has been recognized as the nation's premier event for minority entrepreneurs and business owners.

The 2011 National Minority Enterprise Development Week award winners will be honored at a gala on Sept. 30 in Washington, D.C.