LALBC steering team member Allan Saenz, far left, introduces the panel for the Los Alamos Local Coalition’s February 13 forum: From left, Janice Krisch, director of the Small Business, Lauren McDaniel, director of Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation, and Shanna Sasser, Los Alamos County Economic Development Administrator. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

Attendees of the February 13 LALBC forum included, from left, Los Alamos County Councilor Randall Ryti, Councilor Beverly Neal-Clinton, and LALBC steering team members Anna Dillane and James Wernicke. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

From left, Leslie Linke, Kevin Holsapple and Allan Saenz, owner of SALA Event Center. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

Dan Osborn, Los Alamos County Housing Program Coordinator and County Manager Anne Laurent at the February 13 Los Alamos Local Business Coalition forum at SALA. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

The Los Alamos Reporter on Wednesday met with some of the folks behind the Coalition last month shortly before their hybrid forum February 13 at SALA Event Center. Steering committee members were asked by the Reporter to ask why they have become involved with the Coalition and what their hopes are. Steering team is led 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 have no formal leader, and decisions are made collaboratively.

Anna Dillane, owner of Boomerang and Gaia’s Gifts on Central Avenue was the first to speak up.

“I’m hopeful to put a face on our group. I feel we’re maybe a little anonymous as a Coalition and I feel like telling people stories of why we’re doing this might help people to connect with us a little more,” Dillane said.

Shannon CdeBaca said she felt people are more likely to shop somewhere where they know someone.

“It’s kind of the ‘Cheers’ effect,” she said, adding that any extra visibility helps small businesses.

“We’re trying to lead by example. We’re trying to be as transparent as we can because that is what we would want from the County. We’re trying to be specific but not toxic in discussing solutions about where we think the County can do better, or the Chamber of Commerce or LACDC, but we’re trying not to exclude them. Early on, they thought we were trying to replace all of them, and people began to get very territorial.,” CdeBaca said.

She noted that running a business is not for wimps.

“Allan (Saenz), with one of the most brilliant ideas I’ve ever heard sitting in my chair, and I was shocked that people didn’t flock to it, that the County didn’t fall all over themselves to try to help him,” CdeBaca said.

She mentioned Fleur de Lys, a Los Alamos French grocery and cafe that actually moved their business to Santa Fe, calling it a lost gem, adding that there are several gems that have opted to move out. She said Los Alamos is not even hospitable to nonprofits.

“It just astounds me. Other cities just roll out the red carpet. I love my home town, but they’re just not making it easy”, CdeBaca said.

From her perspective, she said the Coalition would help the situation. The only vested interest she has is being able to lease to small businesses. CdeBaca said she believes in small businesses and said trying to be a landlord and help small businesses is hard.

Holsapple explained the Coalition’s plans for a series of forums where a couple of local small businesses owners would be given a brief timw to talk about a success story or a challenge, or about the local small business environment.

Asked how she why she became involved in the Coalition, Anna Dillane said she and a friend had visited Ruidoso back before the fire and walked through the town.

“It’s such a small town and there’s such a plethora of businesses down there. We were looking at each other and thinking of our lives here and wondering why we don’t have anything like that here,” she said. “That’s why I opened my second business un town (Gaia’s Gifts). There are so many gifts out there and who’s going to do it. Looking around at other communities like Ruidoso, Madrid and Red River, you see the possibilities. You realize that for Los Alamos, the same possibilities exist and ask yourself why aren’t they doing it.”

Dillane said with some changes to the present system to make it easier for people to start small businesses. She said the community is so close, that there are a few things that if they were shifted just a bit “we could have a more business friendly environment in town.

“This Coalition has been my first ray of hope in a long time dealing with local bureaucracy,” she said.

Kevin Holsapple said one of the hopes of the Coalition was to to try and get the Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation, the Small Business Center and other agencies that work with local businesses together to talk about what they each do in the context of each other.

“And do it in a way that it isn’t just a laundry list of things they want to talk about. It’s important to find out what kinds of things they would really like to hear about, keeping it within boundaries. People don’t like going to meetings where it is just a long slideshow presentation without much chance to interact,” Holsapple said.

Holsapple noted that In the most recent National Community Surveys the County has collected, a key theme has been the desire for more to be done to improve the business environment for local businesses. 

“I think there are bright spots, but I also think that so much more could be done if there were more focused efforts.  For me, the Coalition is about trying to drive that focus,” he said.

Asked about the difference between organizations like the Chamber of Commerce and the Coalition, Holsapple said those organizations have an overlapping but broader constituency to represemt than the Coalition has been concentrating on.

“We are focused on ‘local businesses’.   That isn’t the same as the general business community or small business in general.  For me, the ‘local businesses’ I am focused on have local owners and provide everyday goods and services to local customers,” he said. “I believe they are the most endangered part of our overall business community – other segments are doing relatively well.”

Holsapple said he considers the National Community Survey results are a plea for improving support for local businesses.

“I’m encouraged that there are the beginnings of some headway.  Ultimately, I’d like to see it be commonplace that the County government routinely considers and addresses both potential downsides as well as opportunities for local businesses in every important decision they consider,” he said.

The forum held February 13, 2025 may be viewed at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vktgqPvJ5pI

It provided an opportunity to meet members of the Coalition, learn about its mission and connect with key players of the Coalition.

The forum was well organized and moved along quickly. It dives into the challenges and opportunities faced by local businesses in Los Alamos,Los Alamos Business Coalition, and other key community leaders. They discuss survey results that led to the creation of a series of forums, aiming to enhance the local business environment. Key speakers from the Small Business Development Center, Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation, and the County’s Community Development Department share insights on regulatory challenges, available resources, and the importance of collaboration.

The session also includes a spotlight on Village Arts on DP Road by owner Ken Nebel who notes and their ongoing challenges with county infrastructure, as well as comments from Victor Castillo on his journey from a food truck to a Senor Tortas, located in the Smith’s Marketplace.

Panel members were:

Janis Krisch, director of the Small Business Center
Lauren McDaniel, director of Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corp.
Shanna Sasser, Los Alamos County Economic Development Administrator. 

To go directly to a particular section of the video, click below.

01:41 Overview of the Coalition’s Mission

04:53 Survey Insights and Key Findings

08:19 Challenges and Solutions for Local Businesses

09:07 Village Arts

13:23 Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

22:55 Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation (LACDC)

34:45 County Community Development Department

41:22 Pre-Application Meetings: Avoiding Financial Hurdles

43:33 Survey Insights: Educating the Public and Legislative Changes

46:45 Wildfire Concerns and Insurance Tips

47:47 Community Collaboration 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 Regulations

Victor Castillo, owner of Senor Tortas inside Smith’s Marketplace in Los Alamos, speaks about the development of his business since he opened it in other locations. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com