Kevin Holsapple speaks at the July 8 Kiwanis Club meeting. Courtesy photo
Allan Saenz speaks at the July 8 Kiwanis Club meeting. Courtesy photo
By BROOKE DAVIS
Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos
On July 8, Kevin Holsapple, Allan Saenz, and Leslie Linke gave a presentation to the Los Alamos Kiwanis Club. They gave an overview of the organization’s structure, initiatives and challenges as well as their individual perspectives.
Holsapple, a former Executive Director of a New Mexico non-profit community and economic development corporation, explained that the coalition is a collaborative organization of local business owners and community members dedicated to fostering a thriving business environment in Los Alamos and White Rock. The coalition is an all-volunteer grass roots group that is free and open to anyone who is in agreement with their mission. They currently have close to 90 members, are leaderless and operate by consensus. A steering team of business owners and citizens drives the group’s agenda.
The coalition has completed several initiatives since forming in November of 2024. Among them are outreach and offer to collaborate with the County, conducting 5 business forums on improving the local business environment, and identifying key challenges faced by local businesses. The coalition encouraged the County Council to engage in a project with Cities Work, an independent non-profit experienced with assessing the business friendliness of local business environments. In addition, they have generated an “Idea Book”, a work in progress collecting practical ideas for improving the local business environment. They have to date six published “imagine” ideas that are available on their website.
The list of top challenges identified that are facing the local business environment in Los Alamos is driving the coalition’s work. These challenges are affordable commercial space and vacancies, a complex and opaque regulatory and accountability environment, workforce shortages and housing costs, lack of support and access to funding for local businesses, and poor communication and underdeveloped tourism.
Saenz is a community builder and owner of internet provider Los Alamos Network and SALA Los Alamos Event Center. Through LA Angels Investors, he works to restore unused properties and support local growth. He believes that Los Alamos has the potential to have a strong and healthy environment for local businesses and hopes that the efforts of the coalition toward that end pays off.
Linke is the “non-business” member of the coalition’s steering team and therefore contributes a different perspective to the group. After retiring from LANL, she served on the Historic Preservation Advisory Board as well as the Los Alamos Historical Society Board of Directors. Having grown up in Los Alamos, she has seen the evolution of business activity in the county and how important local businesses are to the community.
Leslie Linke speaks at the July 8 Kiwanis Club meeting. Courtesy photo