Brian Ramos
Senator Cortez Masto and U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman visited three local small businesses. La Bencinda Cantina owners Vanessa Ballito and her husband Raul Martinez are family-owned businesses that, like many others across the country, contribute to the local economy and make a difference in the community, Friday, June 28, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Tuesday, July 2, 2024 | 2:00 AM
Vanessa Barreato, a native of Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, opened La Vecindad with her husband in 2018. The Las Vegas-based authentic Mexican restaurant was an instant success, and the couple recently opened a second location, La Vecindad Cantina, on Sahara Avenue.
The bar’s property was purchased with a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration, which visited Ballito and her company last week. Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, chatted with the owners in the colorful dining room, calling the food “delicious” and asking Ballito questions.
“For us, starting a business is not easy,” she told them, at one point breaking down in tears.
Ballito told The Sun she was proud of her family-owned business’ expansion, particularly noting the number of jobs it has created in the local community. She expressed gratitude for the support from both patrons and organizations like the SBA.
“The tools are there,” she said. “The information is there. I think the reason a lot of people, entrepreneurs, don’t succeed is because we don’t know that we have access to this help right away. And I’m proud that I was able to ask for help, because it was a learning process and the help was there. I was able to get help, I learned a lot as an entrepreneur, and I want to continue to grow my business.”
Guzman’s stop at La Vecindad Cantina was the first stop on the SBA’s nationwide “Small Business Boom Tour,” which kicked off in Las Vegas on Friday. Along with Cortez Masto, Guzman also visited Artcore Printing & Signs, a Latino-owned and family-owned business, and Renuoil, a large Latino-owned recycling business.
When asked why he decided to kick off the SBA tour in Las Vegas, Guzman noted that Nevada has seen a surge in new business applications, “incredible innovation” and is rebuilding its infrastructure — something he credits Cortez Masto with.
“And it’s also an opportunity for small businesses to increase revenue,” Guzman said, “so as money comes into the state, we want to make sure that small businesses are part of that opportunity.”
She highlighted the tremendous opportunities on the horizon for small business development, citing job creation, revitalizing and supporting American industry, and the future of the clean energy economy, and noted the importance of existing small businesses that have weathered hardships with government funding and other resources.
“If you look at the vision of the second generation, they’re starting to join the family business and help carry on the tradition,” Guzman said of his hopes for small businesses at Art Collection, where his party was welcomed by the families behind the businesses. “And I think as you travel around the country, you’re going to see examples of the same.”
Cortez Masto praised the Biden-Harris Administration for not only supporting small businesses in the face of the adversity of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also for its efforts in advocacy and education to help entrepreneurs recognize the opportunities available to them to succeed.
“It was unusual, especially here in Las Vegas, with the Strip being closed,” she said. “Everything was closed. The businesses, the small businesses that are the backbone of the industry, everything here was closed. They were struggling. So as we opened our doors again, part of it was to help small businesses thrive.”
Sofia Salas del Pozo seemed to agree, telling The Sun how important government support for small businesses is to unify communities, and how important it is for entrepreneurs to be aware of grant and loan opportunities.
Del Pozo, Renuoil’s chief marketing officer and general counsel, stepped up to lead the company with his family after the death of his father, who founded the company more than 15 years ago.
Renuoil, which sorts recycling items on-site at many Las Vegas hotels and casinos, originally sold its services to companies through an asset recovery program, in which employees would separate and sanitize accidentally discarded glassware and other hotel property before returning it, del Pozo said.
It has now grown to become a source of sustainable practice for many of our partners.
During a tour of Renuoil’s facility by Guzman and Cortez Masto, a visual display showed the weight of recyclables the company processes each week — from plastic bottles to bags — and Del Pozo spoke about the company’s efforts to turn discarded recyclables into products like biofuel and fertilizer.
And while the pandemic may have brought some unexpected events for Renuoil, del Pozo said he believes the business is “back on track.”
“You can’t have an economy without small businesses,” she told The Sun after the SBA and Cortez Masto left ReNuOil, the tour’s final stop on Friday, “so we know how important small businesses are, and it’s critical that we continue to foster their growth.”
katieann.mccarver@gmg vegas.com/ 702-259-4059 / @_katieann13_
