QUARTER IV | 2015
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE LOS ALAMOS COMMERCE & DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
LACDC Business Visitation Survey Beginning in New Year
Trick-or-Treat on MainStreet 2015
As we all know, a thriving local business sector is the foundation of a robust and diversified local economy. The Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation is preparing a comprehensive Business Visitation Survey to collect hard data along with anecdotal data from business owners about the local business climate, both good and bad. In 2004, LACDC performed an extensive Business Visitation Survey in Los Alamos County as part of a Business Retention and Expansion effort. A survey of more than 120 questions was created to gather information from local businesses covering a wide variety of topics including business history, workforce demographics, sales, customers, local business environment, local taxes, and government provided service. Almost 100 businesses participated in the project. The data was analyzed and major strengths and issues were identified. Several presentations were made to stakeholder groups including
local business owners, County staff, elected officials, Los Alamos National Laboratory management, and the public. The identified issues provided for the first time hard data that supported anecdotal evidence. These issues guided LACDC business retention and expansion strategies over the next few years. Several initiatives were started to address the identified issues. It has been over 10 years since that data was collected and much has changed. LACDC staff will again meet with business owners in person to conduct the survey. By collecting and analyzing new data, LACDC can identify the current issues and challenges facing our business community and address them head on. This will once again drive our Business Retention and Expansion efforts over the coming years. This will lead to job retention and creation in both local retail and base economic business sectors. The findings will also help LACDC to
prioritize our strategic goals for the next fiscal year. Our expected outcomes are to interview 75-100 businesses by June 30, 2016. Following this initial “blitz� LACDC will make a series of presentations on the findings to several stakeholder groups. LACDC will then continue to interview 5-10 businesses a month on an ongoing basis to continue to collect data and stay in tune with our local business community. Please participate in the survey if you can. We look forward to your input. You will soon be contacted by LACDC to schedule an appointment, but please feel free to contact us at any time to schedule an interview. We hope this project will lead to enhancing the great advantages of owning a business in Los Alamos and to assist in overcoming barriers that limit growth or expansion.
Tourism Professional of the Year
Events & Reminders
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Georgia Strickfaden of Los Alamos has been named the 2015 Tourism Professional of the Year by the New Mexico Hospitality Association.
Patrick Sullivan, Executive Director
A Note from the Executive Director Season’s Greetings! I can’t believe it’s almost the end of the year! It’s been a very busy autumn at Los Alamos Commerce and Development. We had a wonderful Halloweekend, a very busy Small Business Saturday and a festive Winterfest! Downtown Los Alamos is busier than ever! We now shift gears and begin planning for 2016 events. Please be sure to put the dates for all our events listed to the right on your calendar. But remember that LACDC also plans the ongoing On Tap lecture series which takes place a couple times a month. If you are interested in sponsoring events or getting involved please let us know! We look forward to seeing you downtown in 2016.
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New Mexico Tourism Secretary Rebecca Latham presented Strickfaden with the award during the annual Hospitality Awards event November 10th at the MAINSTREET & CHAMBER Sheraton Uptown in Albuquerque.
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Strickfaden was born and raised in Los Alamos. As a former school teacher and with a passion for showing off the depth and breadthChamberfest of Los Alamos history and its setting in northern New Mexico, Juneshe 11 launched her small van-tour company Buffalo Tours in 1985.
ScienceFest
Her Atomic City Van Tour departs most July 14–17 days at 1:30 p.m. from in front of the Bradbury Science Museum at 15th Street and CentralGolf Avenue. Call 505.662.3965 Tournament for updated tour information and to leave July 29 a message.
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ScienceFest July 14–17
Golf Tournament
Fair & Rodeo
Halloweekend
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Winterfest
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On behalf Fair of & the LACDC staff, Rodeo congratulations Georgia! August 12–14
October 28 & 29
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August 12–14
Hallo
October 28 & 29
Winterfest December 2–4
Fair &
Winte December 2–4
Happy New Year! Patrick LOSALAMOSMAINSTREET.COM LOSALAMOSCHAMBER.COM
LOSALAMOSMAINSTREET.COM LOSALAMOSCHAMBER.COM
Rebecca Latham & Georgia Strickfaden
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Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation
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Commerce & Development News Los Alamos Commerce & Development New Hires Rose Evans recently joined Los Alamos MainStreet as an Event Coordinator. Rose is a Los Alamos native who has studied at the University of New Mexico, the Art Center Design College and Kansas State University. She received her Event Planning Certification through the UNM Continuing Education Division. She is currently pursuing an interior design degree at Santa Fe Community College and is also the Tap Room Manager at the Bathtub Row Brewing Co-op. Rose will be assisting in planning and executing the MainStreet events.
Darla Ridilla, Member Services
Darla Ridilla recently joined the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce to assist with Member Services. She has over 25 years of administrative experience assisting executives in several industries including telecommunications, building/construction materials and non-profit organizations. Darla grew up in Alexandria, Virginia and then spent eight years in Boulder/Denver, Colorado before moving to New Mexico a year ago. In her leisure time Darla is an avid reader and enjoys nature and the outdoors while hiking and riding a motorcycle. She looks forward to putting her skills to work to benefit the Chamber and its members.
April Dukes, Business Development
Rose Evans, Event Coordinator
April Dukes recently joined Los Alamos Commerce and Development to assist with Business Development. April is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and has an extensive background in writing, publishing, fundraising and business development. She will be conducting the Business Visitation Survey and assisting with special projects.
Record Numbers for L.A. & White Rock Visitor Centers In May the White Rock Visitor Center and Atomic City Transit kicked off the Bandelier summer shuttle program, which ran from Memorial Weekend through the end of October. This mandatory shuttle to and from Bandelier National Monument not Quarter IV 2015
only helps with tight parking in the park but allows the White Rock Visitor Center staff and volunteers to educate visitors on what is there to do in Los Alamos County and interest them in making a trip up the hill. During the 6 months of the shuttle season, the Visitor Center staff recorded
almost 77,000 visitors, compared to last year’s counts of almost 52,000, a 33% increase over last year. The Los Alamos Visitor Center also benefitted from the busy shuttle season seeing an increase of 36% over last year.
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Chamber Member Anniversaries October ABBArentals Abe Dispennette State Farm Agency Bill’s Computers & Radio Shack Brian Haigh MD, Psychiatrist, LLC BUILD New Mexico CASA, First Judicial District Dennis R. Kennedy, CPA, PC EDJink Energy Solutions First National Bank of Santa Fe Foorum Hill Stompers, The Holman’s, Inc. The Jemez Agency JT Appliance Service Los Alamos Arts Council Los Alamos Historical Society & Museum Los Alamos Hockey Association Los Alamos Medical Care Clinic, Ltd. Los Alamos National Bank Los Alamos Technical Associates, Inc Metzger Stores Morgan Stanley, Michael Blackwell Neptune & Company, Inc. Reel Deal Theater Reel Deal Theater Screen Advertising Reunion Chiropractic & Wellness Title Guaranty, LLC TRK Management White Rock Science
December 2013 2005 1990 2014 2001 2012 2014 2014 2004 1978 2011 2007 2009 1968 2009 1995 1978 2013 1983 1968 1978 1978 1999 1997 2011 2011 2011 2012 1978 1999
The Abiquiu Inn Adobe Manor Properties Bohannan Huston Ensignal Friends of L.A. County Libraries & Bookstore Gem-Excel, LLC J&B Data Services Jude Heimel & Associates The Lakeworth Group, LLC Los Alamos Taxi Main Street Crowd Pajarito Mountain Ski Area Plateau Property Management RE/MAX of Los Alamos Santa and You Unquarked, The Wine Room
2013 2003 2002 2009 2012 2011 2001 2014 2012 2014 2013 1990 1989 1995 2013 2014
A great gift idea!
November Ascension Financial Group, LLC CB FOX Claire Singleton Translations Edgewater Technical Associates, LLC Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center Houdini’s Magic Kettle Corn Juvenile Justice Advisory Board - LA KJM Auto Body & Glass, LLC Leadership Los Alamos Los Alamos Aquatomics (LAA) Swim Team Los Alamos Farmers’ Market Los Alamos Properties Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service, Inc. Mark the Electrician New Mexico Wine Tours Papa Murphy’s Take & Bake Pizza Peggy Pendergast Food Services Real Estate Associates, PVW, LLC Yeamans Machine Shop, Inc. Zia Realty Group
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2011 1979 2009 2009 2014 2013 2014 2007 2014 2009 2011 2009 2005 1998 2005 2009 2007 2014 2007 1995 2012
Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation
MainStreet MainStreet Events Halloweekend
As darkness fell on downtown Los Alamos Friday, October 30th, grizzly ghouls and creatures populated the streets in search of candy. Rain fell for a while, but the weather did not deter the crowds! Thank you to Dance Arts Los Alamos, High Flyers Gymnastics, Mary Hall and the participants in the Pet Parade and New Mexico Dance Theater for their unique and entertaining performances on MainStreet! Other contributing organizations hosted a number of activities. The Art
Council’s scarecrow contest engaged the community leading up to Halloweekend. Los Alamos Medical Center held a trick-ortreating event at the hospital that was well attended. The Bradbury Science Museum’s High Tech Halloween, the YMCA’s Costume Climb and the Knights of Columbus haunted house were all spooky and fun! Saturday featured more activities with Smith’s Marketplace pumpkin carving, the Pumpkin Glow and the Halloweekend Dance at Fuller Lodge featuring the Nomads.
One thing is for sure, the community responds to this event. This year the weekend produced 14 different activities through 16 different organizations providing 13,000 participants with an overall feeling of well-being and quality of life in our community. Thank you to the LACDC staff, Los Alamos National Bank, Smith’s Marketplace, Los Alamos County, Los Alamos Medical Center and the Los Alamos Art Council for their support and sponsorship. We couldn’t do it without you.
Winterfest
WinterFest weekend was celebrated in Los Alamos December 4-6 with many events, lights and not quite enough snow! Twenty events attracted locals and visitors alike to downtown to celebrate the winter season in Los Alamos. Winterfest kicked off on Friday with the Dance Arts Los Alamos’ Nutcracker on the Hill, offering a local twist to the traditional nutcracker story. The Crèche Show at the LDS Church and the Los Alamos Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Concert were both well attended. Saturday morning the fun continued with the Kiwanis Breakfast with
Santa, the Children’s Christmas Bazaar at Trinity on the Hill and the 22nd annual Earth Treasure Show. Mesa Public Library hosted Art/Crafts & Stories for all Ages and the Fuller Lodge Art Center opened its always-popular Affordable Arts. The Fuller Lodge Open House featured cookie and wreath sales as well as music, dancing and sing-alongs. Santa was spotted at CBFox chatting with kids and having pictures taken. The Lighting of the Holiday Tree in the Municipal Building has become a tradition of its own too! The highlight of the Winterfest Weekend is the Holiday Lights Parade down Central Avenue. The theme this year was “El Nino – Bring It On!” with over thirty parade entries
celebrating winter. The New Beginnings Fellowship Church won first place for its amazing snow-blowing float. Second place went to Los Alamos Medical Center for their festive Santa float. The wintery Elks float won third place and the Bathtub Row Brewing Co-op took fourth place. The crowd followed the last float up Central Avenue for the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at Ashley Pond. With all these thoughts of El Nino, we have surely guaranteed a snowy winter! On Sunday the Winterfest fun kept rolling at Pet Pangaea for pet pictures with Santa Paws and the Pajarito Film Club premiered its first film contest winners at The Nature Center. The weekend wrapped up with the Los Alamos County’s North Pole Workshop & Luminaria Walk at the Posse Lodge and Stables. It was a beautiful end to a fabulous Winterfest Weekend in Los Alamos. Thank you to the LACDC staff, Los Alamos National Bank, Los Alamos County and Ruby K’s for their support and sponsorship. A special thank you to the Los Alamos Police Department for doing a great job for our community. Now we just need some snow!
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Chamber Features 5th Annual Small Business Saturday Biggest on Record
Small Business Saturday
Sub-freezing temperatures and roads coated with black ice put a damper on the morning hours of Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28. but by noon the roads had cleared, shoppers were placing lunch and coffee orders in the restaurants making their way to the local stores. Almost 60 businesses signed up to participate in Small Business Saturday in Los Alamos this year, making it the largest observance since American Express created the day, focused on encouraging local shopping in 2010. Of those businesses, 45 were brickand-mortar locations either on the hill or in White Rock, and the remainder were home-based or remote businesses scheduled to have a display in the temporary Kiosk Mall at 170 Central Park Square. A unique feature of Small Business Saturday in Los Alamos is that while people are shopping, the local businesses are setting aside a portion of their proceeds for nonprofit organizations – most local, some national or international. United Way of Northern New Mexico is a popular charity with the merchants. According to UWNNM Executive Director Kristy Ortega, last year the Small Business Saturday merchants donated almost 6
$3,000 to the organization. This year, UWNNM is the designated recipient of funds from more than a dozen of the businesses registered to participate in Small Business Saturday, and several of those have specified they will be donating 10 percent of the day’s profits. Other non profits that have been designated include Family Strengths Network; Friends of the Shelter; Roadrunner Food Bank; New Mexico Dog; White Rock Baptist Church; Pajarito Environmental Education Center; Los Alamos YMCA; Habitat for Humanity; a village in Lowinio, Vanuatu; Self Help; Girl Scouts; the Horse Shelter; Hope Pregnancy Center; the Environmental Defense Fund; and Panda’s Network. Another unique feature of Small Business Saturday in Los Alamos is that, rather than one day, it is actually more than a week long. The “Where’s Oppie” contest held in conjunction with Small Business Saturday had shoppers looking for pictures of Oppenheimer in each of the merchants’ locations between Nov. 28 and Dec. 6. Social Media savvy shoppers entered the “Where’s Oppie” contest online by posting selfies with the Oppie photos on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #FindOppie. Old school shoppers entered the contest using forms where they wrote down a unique code that was in each Oppie photo
and the name of the business where they found it. Regardless of whether participants entered online or with a written form, a minimum of 10 Oppies were required to enter the contest. Winners were drawn from each version of the contest and awarded a pile of gift cards donated by the participating merchants. There were no requirements on the businesses that chose to sign up. They did not have to be a Chamber of Commerce member. They did not have to donate to a nonprofit. They did not have to donate a gift card as a prize for the “Where’s Oppie” contest. They did not have to participate in the advertising campaigns offered by KRSN, the Monitor and the Los Alamos Daily Post. Everything was optional, making the business promotion as easy as possible on the merchants. The team that organized Small Business Saturday in Los Alamos included Cyndi Wells from Pet Pangaea who built and maintains the www.SmallBizSatLA. com website, representatives from KRSN, the Monitor, the LA Daily Post, CB FOX, The Finishing Touch, United Way of Northern New Mexico Executive Director Kristy Ortega and the LACDC and Chamber of Commerce staff.
Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation
Creative District Fourth Fridays to Continue in 2016 The Creative District organized six rounds of Fourth Fridays in 2015. It’s a work in progress and the best is yet to come: Fourth Fridays will continue in 2016! Fourth Fridays is a monthly event that offers special programming at Mesa Public Library, Bradbury Science Museum, Los Alamos Historical Society, Los Alamos Nature Center, and Fuller Lodge Art Center. Fourth Fridays activities happen all day long, with special programming also in the evenings. The purpose of Fourth Fridays is to encourage patrons to shop and eat locally. During the summer, it is perfectly timed to bring people downtown before the Summer Concert Series takes place at Ashley Pond. Aside from the special
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programming at local attractions, it can also bring awareness to businesses that might be overlooked or products or services that are hidden gems. Businesses have the opportunity to highlight new products, services, special menu items, etc. When Fourth Fridays started there were only a handful of businesses and organizations participating. By the end of 2015 there were more than a dozen groups involved. For 2016 the Creative District asks interested businesses to give us a product or service to highlight and it will be promoted as part of Fourth Fridays. New products, timely products, and little known ones seem to get community members the most excited. We want to give residents a reason to be excited about coming downtown.
FOURTH FRIDAYS Downtown Los Alamos creativelosalamos.com
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The Creative District understands that businesses have many responsibilities and we strive to make being a part of Fourth Fridays as easy as possible. Just give us a product or service to promote by the 2nd Friday of the month and it will be promoted as part of Fourth Friday! Look for the ads on social media, radio, online news and in print. There Fourth Fridays banners and signs too. It is really that easy! Fourth Fridays will resume Jan. 22. For more information or to get involved, email Nicole at nicole@ losalamos.org. May the Fourth be with you.
ON TAP SCIENCE HISTORY NATURE ART 15 minute talk and group discussion hosted by: Bradbury Science Museum Los Alamos Historical Society PEEC at The Nature Center Fuller Lodge Art Center at UnQuarked Wine Room
Brought to you by: Los Alamos Creative District
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Scenes from Halloweekend 2015!
MYB Editor: Ryn Herrmann - 505.661.4807 | e-mail: ryn@losalamos.org | web: www.losalamosdevelopment.com Contributors: Patrick Sullivan, Nancy Partridge, Suzette Fox, Melanie Pe単a, Ryn Herrmann, Natalie Glass, Nicole Kliebert