Member of the Lalbc Allan Saenz management team, left, presents the panel for the local coalition forum Los Los Alamos: from the left, Janice Krisch, the director of the small business, Lauren McDaniel, director of Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation, and Shanna Sasser, Los Alamos. Photo by Maire O’Neill/Losalamosreporter.com
February 13 Lalbc Forum participants included, from the left, Los District Advisor Alamos Randall Ryti, Beverly Neal-Clinton councilor and members of the Lalbc Anna Dilane and James Wernicke team. Photo by Maire O’Neill/Losalamosreporter.com
From the left, Leslie Linke, Kevin Holsapple and Allan Saenz, owner of Sala Event Center. Photo by Maire O’Neill/Losalamosreporter.com
Dan Osborn, coordinator of Los Alamo District Housing Program and Anne Laurent District Manager at the Los Alamos Local Business Coalition Forum in Sala. Photo by Maire O’Neill/Losalamosreporter.com
By maire o’neill
maire@losalamosreporter.com
Los Alamo’s reporter on Wednesday met some of the people behind the coalition just last month before their hybrid forum on February 13 at the Sala Event Center. Members of the Steering Committee were asked by reporters to ask why they were included in the coalition and what are their hopes. The management team is run by local business owners and community members, including Leslie Linke, Kevin Holsapple, James Wernicke, Carolyn Cowan, Allan Saenz, John Courtright, Shannon Cdebaca and Anna Dillane. They do not have official leaders and decisions are made cooperatively.
Anna Dilane, owner of the gifts of Boomerang and Gaia on Central Avenue was the first to spoke.
“I hope to put a face in our group. I feel that we are probably a little anonymous as a coalition and I feel like telling people stories as to why we are doing this can help people connect with us a little more, “Dilane said.
Shannon Cdebaca said she thought people were more likely to buy somewhere where they know someone.
“It is a kind of” cheering “effect,” she said, adding that any extra visibility helps small businesses.
“We are trying to lead for example. We are trying to be as transparent as possible, because this is what we would like from the county. We are trying to be specific, but not toxic in discussing solutions where we think the district can do better, either the Chamber of Commerce or LACDC, but we are trying not to exclude them. At first, they thought we were trying to replace them all, and people began to become very territorial, ”Cdebaca said.
She noted that running a business is not for Wimps.
“Allan (Saenz), with one of the most brilliant ideas I have ever heard of sitting in my chair, and I was shocked that people did not gather in it, that the circuit did not fall throughout themselves to try it,” Cdebaca said.
She mentioned Fleur de Lys, a French food and cafe in Los Alamos who actually moved their business to Santa Fe, calling it a lost gem, adding that there are some gems that have chosen to move out. She said Los Alamos is not even welcoming for non -profit.
“I just amazed me. Other cities simply roll the red carpet. I love my hometown, but they are just not making it easier, ”Cdebaca said.
From her point of view, she said the coalition would help the situation. The only interest she has is to be able to rent small businesses. Cdebaca said she believes in small businesses and said trying to be owners and help small businesses is difficult.
Holsapple explained coalition plans for a series of forums where some owners of small local businesses would be given a short mine to talk about a success story or a challenge, or the local small business environment.
Asked how she was involved in the coalition, Anna Dilane said she and a friend had visited Ruidoso again before the fire and passed through the city.
“It is such a small city and there is such an abundance of businesses down there. We were looking at each other and thinking about our lives here and wondering why we don’t have something like this,” she said. “That is why I opened my second UN business city (GAIA gifts). There are so many gifts there and who will do it. Looking around other communities like Ruidoso, Madrid and Red River, you see opportunities. You understand that for Los Alamos, there are the same opportunities and ask yourself why they are not doing it.”
Dilane said with some changes in the current system to make it easier for people to start small businesses. She said the community is so close that there are some things that if they were only moved “we could have a more friendly business environment in the city.
“This coalition has been my first radius of hope for a long time dealing with local bureaucracy,” she said.
Kevin Holsapple said one of the coalition hopes was to try and take the Los Alamos & Development Corporation, the small business center and other agencies working with local businesses together to talk about what each in each other’s context.
“And do it in a way that is not just a laundry list of things they want to talk about. It is important to find out what kinds of things they really want to hear, keeping them within the limits. People do not like to go to meetings where there is just a long presentation without much chance of interacting,” Holsaple said.
Holsapple noted that the latest national community surveys have gathered the district, a key topic has been the desire to do more to improve the business environment for local businesses.
“I think there are bright spots, but I also think that much more can be made if there were more concentrated efforts. For me, the coalition is about trying to run that concentration,” he said.
Asked about the difference between organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Coalition, Holsapple said those organizations have an overlapping but wider electoral to represent than the coalition has been focusing.
“We are focused on ‘local businesses’. This is not the same as the general business community or small business in general. For me, ‘local businesses’ for which I am concentrated have local owners and provide daily goods and services to local customers,” he said. “I believe they are the most vulnerable part of our general business community – other segments are going relatively well.”
Holsapple said he considers that the results of the national community survey are a prayer to improve support for local businesses.
“I am encouraged to have the beginnings of some progress. After all, I would like to see it is common that the district government routinely considers and addresses as possible weaknesses, as well as opportunities for local businesses in any important decision they consider, “he said.
Forum held on February 13, 2025 can be seen in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vktgqpvj5pi
She provided an opportunity to meet the coalition members, learn about his mission, and connect with the main coalition players.
The forum was well organized and moved quickly. It sinks into the challenges and opportunities facing local businesses in Los Alamos, business coalition Los Alamos and other leading community leaders. They discuss the results of the survey that led to the creation of a series of forums, aiming to improve the local business environment. The main speakers from the Center for Small Business Development, the Corporation of Trade and Development of Los Alamo, and the Department of District Community Development share knowledge of regulatory challenges, available resources and the importance of cooperation.
The session also includes a spotlight in the village arts on the PD street by owner Ken Nebel who marks their ongoing challenges with the district infrastructure, as well as comments from Victor Castillo on his journey from a food truck to a Tortas, located in the Smith market.
Panel members were:
Janis Krisch, director of the small business center
Lauren McDaniel, director of Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corp.
Shanna Sasser, Los Alamo District Economic Development Administrator.
To go directly to a separate video section, click below.
01:41 Overview of the coalition mission
04:53 Insights Survey and the main findings
08:19 Challenges and solutions for local businesses
09:07 Village Arts
13:23 Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
22:55 Los Alamos (LACDC) Corporation of Trade and Development
34:45 District Community Development Department
41:22 Pre-appointment meetings: Avoiding financial obstacles
43:33 Insights Survey: Education of public and legislative changes
46:45 Fire concerns and insurance tips
47:47 Community cooperation and future forums
49:18 Victor’s journey: from food truck to community success
01:02:08 Tourism and Economic Development Initiatives
01:09:19 Challenges and Solutions for Small Businesses
01:18:38 Addressing State and Local Business Regulation
Victor Castillo, owner of Senor Tortas within Smith’s Marketplace in Los Alamos, talks about developing his business since he opened it elsewhere. Photo by Maire O’Neill/Losalamosreporter.com