State Rep. Kathleen Cates hosted the New Mexico Women’s Spotlight event Aug. 31 at Pasando Tiempo Winery’s new event center.

The networking event featured local women-owned businesses and advocacy groups at the event center, which opened earlier this month.

The event is designed for individuals to meet leaders of women-owned businesses, executives of organizations serving women and female political policymakers. 

“I am very happy. It is a really great opportunity for my favorite people to meet each other,” Cates said. “I want people to meet each other so they can support each other’s campaigns, businesses, advocacy groups. We have museums here and the American Heart Association, just different groups that we want to support. This is how we build our business here in Sandoval County.”

Sandoval Co businesses and organizations that attended at the Women’s Spotlight are:

  •  Lily and Liam Bistro/Upscale Rio/Bella’s Deli
  •  Mulas, which is opening in October in Corrales
  • Nomadic Nutrition
  • Rio Refills
  • Fresh Face Therapeutics
  • American Heart Association
  • R4 Creating
  • Rio Rancho Playhouse
  • Mandy’s Farm
  • City of ABQ Economic Development
  • ABQ First

Lily and Liam, Upscale Rio and Mulas were offering free samples to the dozens who attended the event.

“We’ve been meeting a lot of different business owners in different industries and, yeah, we just have a lot more in common than we might think,” Megan Garrigan, who owns Lily and Liam as well as Upscale Rio, said. “It’s nice to come together and share our work with each other and learn about what we all do.”