Since founding the IT firm Wildflower, Inc. in 1991, visionary leader Kimberly deCastro grew the company from a one-woman operation to a successful government supplier, handling millions of dollars in contracts. Under Kimberly deCastro’s direction, the firm obtained federal HUBZone status and has provided a much needed economic stimulus to Sante Fe, New Mexico.

1. How Hubzone
Status
Benefits a
Community
Kimberly deCastro

2. Introduction
– Since founding the IT firm Wildflower, Inc. in 1991, visionary leader Kimberly
deCastro grew the company from a one-woman operation to a successful
government supplier, handling millions of dollars in contracts. Under Kimberly
deCastro’s direction, the firm obtained federal HUBZone status and has provided a
much needed economic stimulus to Sante Fe, New Mexico.
The Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone ) program was established
through Congressional action in 1997 to improve employment and economic
opportunities in disadvantaged urban and rural areas. Census tracts where
unemployment rates are well above the state or national average or where most
residents earn 80 percent or less of the state’s median household income can qualify
as HUBzones.
If a small business is located within a HUBZone and at least 35 percent of their
workforce is local, it can gain special consideration for federal contracts worth
millions of dollars. As of 2019, more than 6,700 businesses hiring more than 40,000
employees are registered with the program. HUBZones can be found in all 50 states
and have been attributed to significant drops in poverty and unemployment.