LACDC representatives from left, intern Kyle Jones, Chamber Director Ryn Herrmann, Antonio Maggiore and Doug Osborn of Bathtub Row Brewing Co-op, LACDC Executive Director Lauren McDaniel, Chamber Member Services Manager Sam McRae and Creative District Executive Director Jacquelyn Connolly gather recently in front of Bathtub Row Brewing Co-op’s container kitchen, which LACDC is helping to outfit with a commercial kitchen thanks to a LEADS grant from the New Mexico EDD. Courtesy/LACDC
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com
Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation (LACDC) is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The independent nonprofit strives to support diverse, local businesses in a variety of ways, through programs such as the Chamber of Commerce, MainStreet and Creative District; management operations of the County visitor centers and a Los Alamos Ambassador program; flexible opportunities for entrepreneurial brick-and-mortar operations through the Los Alamos Research Park, Small Business Center and projectY cowork space; and collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory through the New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program.
LACDC Board Chair Bill Wadt has served on the Board for more than two decades.
“The LACDC is a very unique non-profit economic development organization,” Wadt said. “Most communities have separate chambers of commerce and economic development corporations as well as Main Street programs. In the late 1990s, Los Alamos also had a separate Chamber of Commerce and an Economic Development Corporation. The latter, the LAEDC, was formed back in 1983 with people like Jay Wechsler helping small businesses.
Wadt joined the Board of the then-named LAEDC back in 1998.
“It was an exciting time under the board leadership of Bill Enloe and staff leadership of Kevin Holsapple” he said. “They envisioned creating a single private sector economic development entity by merging the LAEDC, which was financially healthy, with the Chamber, which was vibrant under Suzie Havemann’s leadership, but struggling with red ink.”
Wadt explained that the LACDC was formed from their vision and soon worked with the Department of Energy, LANL, and the County to form the Los Alamos Research Park (LARP) and construct an 84,000 sf building across from the main Lab site. The new LACDC board thought that the LARP would provide a stream of dollars that could be invested in economic development across the County.
“For well over 20 years that model has worked, leading to today’s LACDC, which instills synergism across many programs including strong partnerships with Los Alamos County and the UNM-LA Small Business Development Center,” Wadt said. “The community benefits time after time from this collaboration of private and public sector entities, enabling each to focus on what they do best. When we talk with other communities, they are envious of the economic development organizational model we have in Los Alamos. Looking to the future, I see great opportunities to create a more vibrant business community, building on 40 years of work by dedicated staff and volunteer Board members.”
LACDC
For its 40th year in operation, LACDC is preparing to launch several other support programs for small businesses, including a refresh of its Façade Loan program through Enterprise Bank & Trust, and will be co-hosting a great Fall and Winter line-up of activities and events for the community and visitors. It has partnered with the Los Alamos Community Foundation to launch VolunteerLosAlamos.org, a resource to match local nonprofits with generous individuals who want to donate their time and energy to better the community.
LACDC is also pursuing other new efforts to spur economic activity and diversification, address housing and transit challenges, and more. This includes taking a proactive role in advocating for regional economic collaboration, particularly when it concerns workforce challenges. With encouragement from LACDC Board leadership, Los Alamos County is participating in the latest cohort of the Baldrige-based Communities of Excellence Framework, along with Santa Fe and Rio Arriba counties and Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council.
“We have the personal commitment of County Manager Steve Lynne and the financial commitment of the County, which made participation in this national learning collaborative possible,” LACDC Executive Director Lauren McDaniel said. “The work LACDC spearheads wouldn’t be possible without its tremendous community collaborators. We collaborate with a variety of other nonprofit partner organizations, for-profit sponsors, and government entities, including Los Alamos County, to help achieve our mission and in many cases, our joint goals, of driving local economic progress and making Los Alamos a better place to live and work.”
Enterprise Bank & Trust is one such partner that has continued to sponsor LACDC programs and community activities for decades.
“We have been community partners with the Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation for nearly 40 years because we share a similar vision of improving the lives of our citizens by investing in strategies that fit well in our communities and create opportunities for local people,” said Enterprise Bank & Trust Los Alamos Region President Liddie Martinez, who previously served for several years on the board. She also serves as Director of Community Engagement for Enterprise. “We have been collaborating on these types of projects and programs for decades and are so proud to have had The Small Business Saturday Blue Bucks Program recognized on an international scale for its excellence in innovation. There is little we can’t do when we embark on it together!”
To celebrate its milestone year, LACDC recently launched a series of videos that have been running at SALA Event Center and online to highlight its mission and contributions to the community via the Chamber of Commerce, MainStreet and other programs. The videos can be viewed online, as well as more information about its programs and 2024 sponsorship opportunities at LosAlamosDevelopment.com. Some direct updates about two of LACDC’s most prominent programs are shared here.
Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber of Commerce continues to host a variety of events and programming, and share important resources with local businesses. In June, 10 local businesses were honored as part of the Chamber Business Awards, and the annual ChamberFest Street Fair brought hundreds of locals downtown to enjoy Chamber member businesses. With hiring continuing to be one of the biggest challenges for local businesses, the Chamber has partnered with UNM-LA to organize two recent Job Fairs in the past year, with the next Job Fair slated for Thursday, Oct. 5.
The Chamber is also focusing on child care and after-school care by hosting a Child Care Resource Fair at the Fuller Lodge Lawn on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 6-8 p.m. in partnership with the LANL Community Partnerships Office. The idea is to connect parents to all of the child care resources in town through an engaging in-person event, where food will also be provided. Promotions are also being prepared to highlight Los Alamos and White Rock businesses as part of Small Business Saturday, which takes place the weekend after Thanksgiving.
“Thanks to sponsor Enterprise Bank & Trust, the Chamber will be organizing the popular Blue Bucks promotion again this year, where shoppers and participating businesses can win cash and gift cards,” Chamber Director Ryn Herrmann said.
For information or to participate in any of these events, contact the Los Alamos Chamber at ryn@losalamos.org. Stay tuned for an updated version of the local Holiday Gift Guide as well, for inspiration on how to support local businesses during this upcoming holiday season.
Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District
Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District recently completed the 16th annual ScienceFest. In July, during its 12-day run, MainStreet worked with more than 45 businesses and organizations, and had engagement from thousands of local residents and visitors. It also ran a successful two-month Tuesdays at the Square concert series that featured local artists and encouraged patrons to frequent local establishments in Central Park Square.
Gearing up for Fall, Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District is organizing the Day of Arts and Culture on Sept. 30. Working closely with the Los Alamos Arts Council, this day will feature performances and events 9 a.m. to midnight and will kick off the National Month of Arts and Humanities with special programming running throughout the month of October and ending with the beloved Halloweekend and Trick-or-Treat on MainStreet.
“For 30 years Los Alamos MainStreet has strived to revitalize our downtown, support our business community, and gather our various partner organizations to build economic vitality and community pride,” said Jacquelyn Connolly, executive director of Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District. “The programs we create, the federal and state resources and funding we bring, and the events we manage, are guided by this purpose and we are excited about the momentum we are building.”
In 2022, Los Alamos MainStreet brought in more than $50,000 in funding to the community through technical assistance service requests managed by the state. Through state-supported revitalization specialists, this year MainStreet is working on establishing a Downtown East Metropolitan Redevelopment Area (MRA) in Los Alamos townsite; updating its Arts and Culture Strategic Plan; conducting Phase II of its Lease Rate Study; and assisting local property owners with revitalizing their facades and placemaking opportunities.
Through a New Mexico Resiliency Alliance grant, MainStreet and Creative District will also be pursuing a mural project and pop-up outdoor dining area in Central Park Square. Later in 2023, the program is launching a new interactive map highlighting MainStreet and Creative District businesses in Los Alamos and White Rock.
Los Alamos Business Accelerator
The Los Alamos Business Accelerator program, spearheaded by the Los Alamos MainStreet program and Chamber of Commerce, has helped start six new businesses in town over the past two years. This year the program will evolve to help address some current challenges and business landscape. The 7-week entrepreneurial workshop series (Phase I) will still seek out entrepreneurs who want some assistance in starting a local business, but the Phase II of the program will now focus on potential new food and beverage ideas. Entrepreneurs will be able to test drive their concepts at the Bathtub Row Brewing Co-op’s container kitchen, which LACDC is helping to outfit with a commercial kitchen thanks to a LEADS grant from the New Mexico Economic Development Department.
Applications will open mid-November 2023, with the course work starting in January 2024. Interested entrepreneurs should visit LosAlamosMainStreet.com/Business-Accelerator to be aware of key dates and criteria. Those interested in the program can contact Sandy Jones at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UNM-Los Alamos to begin conversations about their Business Plan, a requirement of this year’s application. LACDC is also collaborating with the Los Alamos Public Library and SBDC this year for the Libraries as Launchpads program, with applications open now until Oct. 1. Los Alamos was selected as one of only a handful of communities nationwide for the 2023 cohort. An ideal program for creative entrepreneurs who are in the early stages of developing their business concept, the Launchpads program (powered by Creative Startups and facilitated by SBDC and LACDC staff through projectY cowork) can help prepare entrepreneurs for potential engagement in the later-stage Business Accelerator.
Editor’s note: Carol A. Clark has served on the LACDC Board since 2018.
Learn more about LACDC Programs:
