November/December 2008
FAN CLUB The FAN club takes place the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. November 19, 2008 LA Historical Society 1921 Juniper Los Alamos, NM December NO FAN CLUB Happy Holidays! January 21, 2009 PEEC 3540 Orange Street Los Alamos, NM
BUSINESS BREAKFAST 1st Thursday of every month at UNM-LA 7:15 - 7:30 a.m. -Networking 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. -Program December No Business Breakfast January NM Health Underwriters Health Insurance Overview Please contact Katy Korkos at katyk@losalamos.org for info on future topics.
WHAT'S INSIDE:
LACDC
pages 1,2,3
SBDC
pages 4
CHAMBER
pages 5-7
MAINSTREET
pages 8,9
LAMVB
pages 10,11
Event Photos page
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Downtown Plan Review The Planning & Zoning Commission launched an effort on October 10th to review the Downtown Master Plan. The Downtown Plan was adopted into the County’s Comprehensive Plan in 2002. It covers the physical area roughly between Canyon School to the east, Oppenheimer Street to the west, Los Alamos Canyon rim to the south, and Iris/Nectar Streets to the north. Key concepts in the plan included providing for increased density of development, allowing for a broader range of uses, relaxing arbitrary design standards and restrictions, and providing a more attractive pedestrian environment. One issue that the review could resolve is to improve the documentation of the plan. At the time of its adoption in 2002, the plan consisted of a selection of pages from a study by the MainStreet Futures Committee together with several modifying statements created by the County Council at the time. The County never took the step of consolidating what was adopted into a unified document, and that has been confusing to some people. LACDC and Chamber Executive Director Kevin Holsapple provided information about the history of the plan and its adoption at a P&Z workshop in early October. “There is very little ‘corporate history’ at the County or on the P&Z with respect to the genesis of the plan and LACDC will work to help with that,” said Holsapple. Chamber members are invited to share their views and ideas so they can be considered through the Chamber’s participation in the review process. Contact Holsapple or Member Services Coordinator Katy Korkos if you would like to offer input. After the plan’s adoption in 2002, it took until mid-2004 to get the County’s Development Code revised to reflect the plan. The Development Code embodies the rules and regulations governing the specifics of land development and redevelopment. Although the plan was initiated in 2000, it has only been fully in effect with complementary development regulations for a little more than four years. Since the plan was conceived, a variety of projects have changed the downtown landscape and several potential redevelopment Designated Los Alamos Downtown projects have been motivated. Two new buildings, 999 Central and an office building at Central Park Square have been built and occupied. A Central Avenue streetscape makeover is nearing completion. And very significant redevelopment projects have been enabled, conceived, and are being pursued at Trinity Site, 15th & Trinity, and Los Alamos Plaza (old LA Inn site). Several other projects have received serious consideration as well.
LACDC News White Rock Commercial Area Plan Implementation A committee of White Rock residents, property owners, business people, and others interested in the future of the White Rock commercial area has been formed by Los Alamos County to work on approaches to implementing the plan for improving White Rock that was completed earlier this year.
Did you miss this? Buffalo Thunder Resort
The plan that has been developed calls for changing the character of State Road 4 within the commercial area to be more inviting to commerce and community uses along they roadway. The committee is working within the County’s new Capital Improvement Program process to bring its priorities to the County Council for approval. “I am interested in this initiative for several reasons,” says Chamber Member Services Coordinator Katy Korkos who is a member of the committee. “I’ll be representing Chamber/LACDC interests, I live in White Rock, and as a former business owner there I think I have valuable perspective to offer from that experience as well.”
UNM-LA
Please contact Katy if you want to find out more about this activity or provide input to her. The steering committee meets once a month, and all meetings are open to the public.
LACDC to report on results of Business Retention and Expansion Survey
Over the past 4 months, Bryan Farmer, Business Development Advisor at LACDC has been conducting extensive in depth interviews with local business owners as part of a Business Retention and Expansion project. The goal of the project is to uncover and address obstacles faced by local business owners. 16 business owners were interviewed and answered several questions ranging from sales performance to facility and equipment adequacy to workforce retention. The questions were aimed to allow business owners to identify specific issues affecting their business. LACDC has analyzed the data and will be presenting the results at the November 13th Business Breakfast. This project is ongoing and LACDC would be very interested in your businesses' participation. If you would like to participate in this project, please contact Bryan Farmer at 661-4862.
Fabulous 50's Diner
Downtown Street Standards A committee has been formed by the County’s Community Development Department to review standards for downtown streets. Discussion of standards includes subjects such as the desired character (i.e. speed, look, and feel), width, pedestrian and bike provisions, landscaping, functioning as part of the circulation system, maintenance considerations, etc. LACDC and Chamber Executive Director Kevin Holsapple and MainStreet manager Jeremy Varela are participating on the committee and are interested in representing collective business concerns as standards are developed. Please contact either of them if you want to find out more about this activity or provide input to them. The first street that the committee is looking at is Trinity Drive. “Trinity is a very tricky street to look at,” says Varela. “It serves an important function as a through street, but at the same time helping it to be more attractive and less of a barrier between the developments on either side of the street is also important.”
LA County Parks & Recreation
Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation
LACDC News LACDC Finding New Ways to be Green
Transitions
Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation is embarking on a new way to distribute publications. This new distribution uses no paper and uses no fuel to take publications to readers. We have already implemented this electronic distribution with the CommunityMatters publication The Essence. You can read the newest issue of The Essence online at www.ReadTheEssence.com. This new capability allows readers to print and email stories, directly click on advertisers and other links mentioned. Readers may also sign up to get alerts when new issues are available. There will still be a paper version of The Essence to be distributed through CommunityMatters participants and other outlets in Los Alamos and White Rock. LACDC has reduced its paper consumption by half by implementing the electronic version. We also plan to publish an electronic version of Mind Your Business. If you would like save paper by subscribing to the electronic version, please send inquires to chamber@losalamos.org.
The Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation says goodbye to Sharon Springer and Meagan Harrison, but welcomes two new additions to our team: Heather Campbell and Clarice Rodriguez. We want to thank Sharon for five wonderful years of service; she will be missed. Heather Campbell will be the new Administrative Assistant for the Small Business Development Center, filling the position held by our beloved Sharon. Heather’s background is in retail and most recently administrative/ clerical environments. She is a single mother with two children: a nine year old daughter and a five year old son. We are happy to have Heather join our Heather Campbell team! Clarice Rodriguez will be our new receptionist at the Small Business Center. Meagan held that essential spot for a year and a half and she will be missed because The Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center have she had a great also taken steps to recycle outdated materials. Working overview of all of the with Los Alamos County and Netuschil Development LACDC’s programs. Corporation collaboratively we have been able to convert Clarice comes to a cardboard only dumpster to a recycle dumpster. "It takes us from ERISA, the a little more effort on our part, but the benefits are worth insurance company for it." says Chelo Rojas, Visitor Center Manager. To learn how the New Mexico Public Clarice Rodriguez your company or organization can be more earth friendly Schools in Santa Fe. please contact Pajarito Environmental Education Center Clarice is a native of Española where she resides with her 662-0460 or the County Solid Waste Division 622-8163. boyfriend and six pit bulls! Clarice is excited to be working Los Alamos County's Utilities Department has a dedicated for LACDC and hopes to be here for a long time. Conservation Officer ,Matt Dickens, 662-8234
November/December 2008
UNM-LA SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER 2008 Fall Workshop Schedule We want to help your business start, grow and succeed!
Upcoming Opportunities Do Your Financial Statements Make 'Cents'? Introduction to Financial Statements 11/11/08 Tuesday 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Small Business Center Fee: $25.00 Financial statements provide information on how a business looks at a specific point in time, or how the business has performed for a period of time. An understanding of financial statements is critical for current and prospective business owners. This training session will include an overview of the following financial statements: the balance sheet, income statement, and the cash flow statement. It will also include an introduction to ratio analysis. Speaker: Rhonda Williams, CPA, Barraclough & Associates
Electronic Wage Reporting...Fast, Easy, Accurate Social Security 2008 Annual Wage & Tax Reporting 11/13/08 Thursday 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Small Business Center Free This workshop is a MUST for anyone involved in the hiring process or in filing W-2 wage reports. Accountants, bookkeepers, third-party preparers, small employers, and large employer representatives from Payroll, Human Resources, Personnel and Systems are encouraged to attend. Find out about the latest changes in the annual wage reporting (W-2) process. Learn how to report employee earnings to Social Security electronically by utilizing the Internet to file large and small W-2 and W-2C reports. Electronic filing is easy and can save you time and money while helping to improve the overall accuracy of W-2 reports. Speaker: Jacquelyn Mirabal, Wage Reporting Specialist, Social Security Administration
UNM-Los Alamos SBDC Announces 2008 Success Client Odalys González Fernández has been a Montessori teacher for the last 20 years and has always had dreams of owning her own school. In May 2006, she began to pursue that dream when she first visited with a counselor at the UNM-LA Small Business Development Center. The opening of the Bilingual Montessori School (BMS) is not only ‘a dream come true’ for Mrs. Fernandez but fills a real need within the community. BMS combines the power of Montessori and Spanish language instruction to develop the young mind and to prepare children to excel as the leaders of tomorrow. Odalys was chosen because of her commitment to follow her dreams, the dedication necessary to follow through with her commitment, as well as her continued efforts in successfully marketing the school. Please visit the website at www. bilingualmontessorischool.com for more information about the school and its mission and goals. Please visit our website, www.nmsbdc.org/losalamos, to view our Events Calendar, learn about our progress or register for any of these workshops. If you have any other suggestions for future workshops or you want information about free, confidential counseling through the Small Business Development Center, please contact Venessa Finn at 661-4805.
Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation
Connections November/December 2008
CHAMBER BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
EMV Studios Michael Young, Owner
Mike Young has a love of kids, enjoys sports, and custom posters. The safety of the kids is and has a knack for action photography, which foremost, and users must log in with a code to he combines in his business EMV Studios, see the pictures. described as “Photography and videography A graduate of Los Alamos High School, Young services specializing in capturing the coolness met his wife Diane while a student at NMSU. of kids: providing the child and loved ones Their three children are frequently called into that captured moment of coolness through service to help Mike at big sporting events such top quality photographic prints, specialty items as the Little League State Tournament held in and DVD video products.” Los Alamos last July. Young has created a simple three-step Although Young is the primary photographer, process for his business of selling prints and the whole family participates in the business. videos through his website. The first step is to “In the end, it’s all about kids, their love of “Invite” him to come and shoot the action. He life, and all of us providing a positive and doesn’t require a deposit or down payment, motivating experience for the kids.” Michael Young & Michael Young, Jr just permission to photograph and access to Young has posted lots of great photos and the action. The second step, “View”, is to go to his secure videos as examples on his website www.emvstudios.com, web-based delivery model, allowing parents and loved ones where he offers prints and videos for sale. His Traffic Catcher a convenient no-pressure method of viewing and ordering page on the chamber website is an example of what members pictures and products of their child’s activity. The third step, can do to make their pages stand out. He can be reached at “Ordering,” allows someone to order pictures as prints, 412-8063. cards or albums, along with a wide variety of specialty items
Benefits of Using a Traffic Cather Page
If you haven’t yet used the “Shop the Chamber” button on the losalamoschamber.com website, now would be a great time to check it out. Members have been doing a terrific job at optimizing their “Traffic Catcher” pages. Once you’re there, have a look at the pages put up by The Los Alamos Historical Society, Village Arts by Marilyn and Ron Brown Realty to see what a great free opportunity this is for members to promote their businesses.
Is your business celebrating an ANNIVERSARY or GRAND OPENING?
The chart below shows just how actively the Los Alamos Chamber website is searched: October 2008 Chamber website traffic statistics
Member Directory Searches Member Exposures (number of time members appeared in search results) Click-thrus to individual members Click-thrus to member Google maps Average (per member with a special offer) number of click-thrus to member special offer listings Calendar inquiries November/December 2008
7,456 183,014 9,578 50 26 15,870
The Chamber wants to help you celebrate! Call or e-mail today for more information on how we can help. Katy Korkos: (505)662-4816
katyk@losalamos.org
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Connections
Chamber News
CommunityMatters wraps up first jam-packed year The past year was a stormy one for many local businesses and organizations that had to contend with the fear of layoffs at the laboratory during last year’s holiday shopping season; this year the crisis in financial institutions and stock market plunge that directly affects people’s spending habits. It is not only retailers that feel the pinch; not-for-profits, business services and laboratory contractors are equally affected in the community-wide belttightening. Last year’s local threat was the spur for the Chamber to kick off the CommunityMatters initiative, which encompassed a wide range of projects, from cooperative promotions to a reusable shopping bag campaign. The initiative had three main goals that meshed perfectly with the Chamber’s larger goals- to facilitate new ways for members to work together and engage the community, to communicate the connections, and to help members get their message out. Those same goals will be incorporated into this year’s program. “We can absolutely see the need for the program,” Chamber director Kevin Holsapple said, “and we will keep the features of the program our members want.” Perhaps the most visible product of CommunityMatters was The Essence of Los Alamos and White Rock, a tabloid magazine which was produced bi-monthly to showcase those essential people, places, activities and stories which make Los Alamos unique; each article in The Essence showcased one or more connections between Chamber member businesses and organizations and the larger community. The success of the publication with readers was measured in a survey, where it was found that 80 percent of respondents had read The Essence and 91 percent of readers would read it again. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed said that they keep their copies of The Essence around the house for several days after they receive it, in order to read all the stories and share them with family members. People who filled out the survey were entered into
Locals Care Becomes More Local
The Chamber is taking a much more active role in the Locals Care shopper loyalty card program, as we have negotiated on behalf of the merchants for the vendor to lower the rates charged to merchants, to make the transactions more transparent for cardholders, not-for-profits and merchants alike, and for local control over cooperative marketing money. Locals Care was picked up by the Chamber last year as part of the CommunityMatters campaign because its goals of keeping Los Alamos dollars in Los Alamos meshed so well with our own mission, but the roll-out by the vendor was not as smooth as we would have liked. We are working with the vendor to streamline the whole program, from the way
a drawing for $100 in Chamber Checks, and chamber member Ben Warner (Caldera Pharmaceuticals) won the drawing. He said he was planning to give the checks to the Boy Scouts, who could then spend them on Scout items at CB FOX- talk about strengthening ties! An optional feature CommunityMatters is the Locals Care shopper loyalty card. More than 500 people in the community have signed up for cards and have spent more than $300,000 connected to their cards at local merchants. The participating merchants have donated more than $6,000 to local not-for-profits in recognition of these purchases. Locals Care was picked up as a feature by the Chamber because it seemed to fit so well with the other goals of CommunityMatters, tying together the merchants with not-forprofit organizations. There have been some issues with the initial implementation that the Chamber is working with the vendor to address. “We have negotiated with the Locals Care company to eliminate the start up fees and monthly fees they were charging to merchants; the merchants are gaining control over the cooperative marketing money that is generated by the program and we’re writing new guidelines to make the whole process less complicated,” Holsapple said. He added that the Chamber will be working with participating not-for profits to help them see more benefits from the program. Holsapple is optimistic about the future of CommunityMatters, saying that Los Alamos often bucks national trends and appears to be insulated from many of the problems that plague other areas. “Los Alamos was not as affected by the mortgage crisis as other towns, but that doesn’t mean we’re protected. We need to pull together as a community and let our merchants and local organizations know how much they are valued.” Learn more about the full range of CommunityMatters activities and results at www.ourcommunitymatters.info
cardholders receive their credits to the way it is presented to the public. We listened to what our merchants had to say, and found that they were missing that connection with the groups that benefit by their donations, so we are now requiring the not-for-profits to be more active and to participate in two events per year to publicly thank the merchants. We’re also requiring each notfor-profit to register 30 cardholders in order to participate. The Locals Care concept is a good one, and we’ll continue to work to improve the program with help from the participants. Watch for even more improvements in the coming year.
Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS! Business Name Bennett Design LLC COMPA Industries EMV Studios Enchanted Trek Travel Fabulous 50's Diner Kraemer & Lane, P.C. LA Handy Gal, LLC Los Alamos Heart Council Los Alamos Orthodontics Mesa Tech North Central Regional Transit District Ponderosa Montessori School, Inc. Sonic Leak Detection Verbal Ink Advantage LLC
Address
Contact Name
2187 A 46th Street LA, NM 87544 1314 Madeira Dr SE Alb, NM 87108 1923 Mendius Lane LA, NM 87544 114 Carlsbad Ave. LA, NM 87544 1325 Trinity Dr LA, NM 87544 1475 Central Ave, Ste 125 60 Manhattan Loop LA, NM 87544 Post Office Box 749 LA, NM 87544 3250 Trinity Dr., Ste A LA, NM 87544 2306 Canyon Glen Rd LA, NM 87544 3600 Rodeo Lane Ste B-6 SF, NM 87507 304 Rover Blvd LA, NM 87544 4384 Center Place Unit A SF, NM 87507 Post Office Box 1463 LA,NM 87544
Riney Bennett Edna Lopez Michael Young Thomas Wyant Lynn Ballew Cindy Hollabaugh Lori Stroup Ann Revelle David Hobson Hong Cai Jack Valencia Joan Ellard William Honohan Mandy Marksteiner
Phone
Type of Business
(505) 412-4118 (505) 823-8421 (505) 412-8063 (505) 672-1981 (505) 662-7772 (505) 662-7205 (505) 662-3055 (505) 662-3526 (505) 662-4555 (505) 662-9772 (575) 664-6006 (505) 672-9211 (505) 982-8414 (505) 515-7001
Contractors, Engineers, Architects Contractors, Engineers, Architects Camera, Photo Travel & Transportation Dining & Treats Attorney, Accountants Home Services Health & Medical Health & Medical Technical Services & Technology Travel & Transportation Childcare, Daycare, Pre-schools Home Services Technical Services & Technology
Chamber Member Anniversaries November
Business Name
CB FOX Pro2Serve Professional Project Services Yeamans Machine Shop, Inc Los Alamos Visiting Nurses Service Cook'n In Style Los Alamos Signs & Sound Bandelier Grill Mark the Electrician Los Alamos Properties Dick's Carpet Care . Alion Science and Technology Black Mesa Golf Club Comcast Spotlight Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza Papa Murphy's Take & Bake Pizza Real Estate Associates Janet Taub Juvenile Justice Advisory Board Marianne Kranker
December Date Joined
11/1/1979 11/1/1995 11/1/1995 11/1/1998 11/17/2003 11/15/2004 11/18/2004 11/1/2005 11/2/2005 11/8/2005 11/7/2006 11/9/2006 11/22/2006 11/22/2006 11/8/2007 11/8/2007 11/13/2007 11/13/2007 11/20/2007
Business Name
Date Joined
Plateau Property Management Pajarito Mountain Ski Area Friends of Mesa Public Library RE/MAX of Los Alamos Lovelace Health Plan James J. Berrigan J & B Data Services Bohannan Huston Adobe Manor Properties LA Shuttle EcTownUSA Intermountain Training Associates
12/1/1989 12/1/1990 12/1/1995 12/20/1995 12/1/1996 12/19/2001 12/31/2001 12/2/2002 12/29/2003 12/15/2006 12/7/2007 12/11/2007
! s n o i t a l u t a r g n Co
Opportunity To Get Youth Involved Know of any students or youth looking for something productive to do this fall? Tell them to view RocktheTop.net for ideas on how to get involved with the community this summer. Businesses/organizations can also search the website for fall help!
November/December 2008
MainStreet News For more information on the MainStreet Program please contact: Jeremy Varela. Phone: 505.661.4844 E-mail: jvarela@losalamos.org
LAmainstreet.com Los Alamos MainStreet Obtains Supplemental Grant Los Alamos MainStreet took advantage of an unexpected and short fuse grant opportunity that came up in August to obtain an $82,000 grant award for enhancements to the Central Avenue streetscape. The award supplements about $200,000 in previously awarded MainStreet grant money that is being used to help finance the Central streetscape work that is nearing completion. The new, supplemental grant is designated for three streetscape enhancements. First is the creation of three to four pedestrian kiosks, something that the Chamber and MainStreet has been advocating to see happen for several years. The kiosks will be maintained by Los Alamos MainStreet and will feature a downtown business directory and current event information. Prospective locations include on Central across from 999 Central, outside the Bradbury Science Museum, near Main & Central, and near the Farmers Market location. A second enhancement is providing for a changeable overstreet banner over Central Avenue to the East of its intersection
with 6th Street. Banners at this location will provide a “visual interest cue,” visible to motorists traveling west on East Road as well as a visual cue to motorists entering Central that they have arrived somewhere. Content of the banners is intended to be managed by Los Alamos MainStreet and will be focused on major downtown events and activities. The third enhancement is acquisition of a wireless public address system that will be deployed along Central to improve the quality and reach of programming and announcements for parades and downtown events. The system will allow experimenting with additional potential uses including seasonal music during shopping times.
MainStreet Eyes Arts & Culture District Designation Recently enacted legislation developed with the assistance of NM MainStreet has enabled the creation of State-designated “Arts & Culture” districts within the confines of existing MainStreet districts. The MainStreet district in Los Alamos is the area covered by the Downtown Plan. Designation of an Arts and Culture district opens the potential for greater flexibility in use of the Local Economic Development Act to support businesses, enhanced tax credits for some renovation investments, and access to marketing support by various State resources. Los Alamos MainStreet has worked to explore the applicability and utility of such a designation here. A concept of creating a “creative and cultural” zone within our MainStreet district received high marks from State authorities and we have been encouraged to seek the Arts and Culture district designation for such a zone. The concept envisions the zone along
Small Project Grants Awarded Our first round of MainStreet Small Project Grants were awarded in September. Those receiving grants were: • Gordons' Concerts ~ Summer Concert Series • LA Fitness ~ 2008 Southern Rockies Natural • Ruby K's ~ Yum Run • LA Arts Council ~ Pumpkin Glow
Central Avenue between the vicinities of Fuller Lodge and the Bradbury Science Museum. Businesses and properties within this zone would be eligible for the benefits that are enabled by the district. This zone is the current pedestrian heart of the downtown and the goal would be to provide focus and support for this important area. Evaluation of this idea is in its early stages, but we will have to move quickly if it is to be pursued. A substantial application would have to be developed in cooperation with a number of affected entities and organizations including the municipal government. Applications are due to NM MainStreet by early January. The application is a competitive process and only two communities in the State would be selected to work toward the designation. Contact Kevin Holsapple for more information or to get involved in the process.
Congratulations to these organizations for qualifying for the grants. MainStreet would like to thank these organizations for bringing events that create an economic benefit to our community. If you would like more information about MainStreet Small Project Grants please feel free to contact MainStreet Manager Jeremy Varela Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation
MainStreet News
For more information on the MainStreet Program please contact: Jeremy Varela Phone: 505.661.4844 E-mail: jvarela@losalamos.org
LAmainstreet.com
Winterfest Los Alamos MainStreet has concluded gathering dates and times of local events for the 2008 WinterFest. We have 14 events activities that will be happening in our community. Most of the events are annual events we can count on year to year. The weekend gets kicked off with a nativity show “Crèches from around the world" and the first performance of DALA's Nutcracker is at 7 pm December 5th. Saturday's festivities begin with the ever popular Kiwanis "Breakfast with Santa." The "Children's Christmas Bazaar" allows children to pick out and wrap gifts for parents as they wait in another room. Make sure you see the "Holiday Farmers' Market" and take in the “Earth Treasure Show." The "Affordable Art Sale" gets underway the weekend after Thanksgiving and runs through January 3rd. Don't miss the "Fuller Lodge Open House" that will feature not one, but two fantastic storytellers and NMDT's "Snowflakes & Stars." After Santa is done with having breakfast with kids he is heading over to CB FOX and will be there every Saturday leading up to Christmas. Be sure to get to CB FOX by 5 pm, and have your chance at Thousands of dollars worth of giveaways. Once all the giveaways are given and pictures are taken with Santa come out to Central Avenue and take in MainStreet's Holiday Light Parade. The street lights are turned off, and businesses and organizations decorate floats in the theme of "A Storybook Holiday" with lights. Make sure to follow Santa's float to Ashley Pond and join LA Parks & Recreation tree lighting ceremony. Free cookies and warm drinks will be available. Come dance the night away at a special Holiday Gordons' Concert featuring South by Southwest. MainStreet will provide free cookies and warm drinks. Please visit www.LAmainstreet.com for full schedule and to sign up for MainStreet's Holiday Light Parade. November/December 2008
Los Alamos MainStreet Assessed by New Mexico MainStreet *This is an excerpt from NM MainStreet's assessment of Los Alamos MainStreet
Each year, New Mexico MainStreet (NMMS) conducts a review of each of its affiliated local MainStreet organizations. The purpose of the review is to identify the strengths and successes of each local Main Street organization, to identify areas of concern and needed improvement, and to offer constructive recommendations for improving the local organization’s operation and projects. To conduct the evaluation, a team of two NMMS representatives meets with each committee (or committee chair, at minimum), the board president, and the MainStreet manager to discuss accomplishments and concerns. The review team then meets with the board of directors to provide a verbal presentation of its findings and recommendations. The findings and recommendations are recapped in this report. In Los Alamos, the annual program review was conducted by Rich Williams, director of New Mexico MainStreet, and Stephanie Redman, NMMS Organization program associate. The MainStreet component of the Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation (LACDC) continues to be very strong, with the organization pursuing impressive, largerscale downtown developments with dogged determination. The organization has made strong progress on the Plaza, the Trinity Place development, and the 15th and Trinity project, which has gone from conception to implementation-ready in less than one year. Los Alamos’ MainStreet program continues to have a strong emphasis on all four points of the Main Street Approach. Additionally, LACDC has: • • • •
Maintained strong visibility for itself and its Main Street efforts through activities, the annual meeting, and the annual report. Maintained a very strong partnership with the County of Los Alamos, with continued county funding and other support of LACDC’s operations and downtown projects. Made inroads with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, particularly through the lab’s sponsorship of the “Next Big Idea” event. Kept a tightly-focused, strategic scope of downtown projects, enabling visible progress and measurable success for the organization; and Utilized the support of an intern to assist with MainStreet activities and public relations.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Go to fyiLA.com for a complete and detailed list of events.
November 2008 14-16 18 21 21 22 22 23 25 28 29
NMDT Ballet Performance, The Wizard of Oz LA Historical Society Lecture Series, Randy Milligan Warren Miller Ski Movie Music Performance, Jon Nakamatsu & Jon Manasse Fall Arts and Crafts Festival Antiques Discovery Day Fundraiser, Turkey Trot/ Crop Walk Author Speak Series, Erika Wurth Art Center @ Fuller Lodge, Annual Affordable Art Sale (runs thru 1/23/09) Holiday Farmers Market
What’s Happening? Los Alamos’ & White Rock’s most comprehensive events calendar
fyiLA.com
December 2008 3 Brown Bag Performance - The Passionate Trumpet 4-6 WinterFest (LAmainstreet.com for schedule) 5 15th Annual Creches From Around the World 5-7 DALA Ballet Performance, The Nutcracker 5-7 LAHS Olions Theater Performance, The One Acts 6 CB FOX Holiday Giveaway 6 MainStreet's Holiday Lights Parade 6 Ashley Pond Tree Lighting 6 Holiday Gordons' Concert, South by Southwest 11-13 LAHS Olions Theater Performance, The One Acts 13 The Night They Missed the Forest for the Trees 14 Community Winds Concert, Christmas with the Winds 18 Author Speaks Series: Doris Francis 31 Hilltop House New Year's Party - Midnight Door Prizes Drawings!
South by Southwest is the featured act at this year's Holiday Gordons' Concert 7pm at Fuller Lodge December 6th
Volunteer Spotlight... Evangeline "Vangie" Hodge
came to Los Alamos in 1979 with her then husband, when they both accepted positions at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. They raised two daughters in Los Alamos, Frances and Antonie, now ages 26 and 30. One lives in Guatemala and one just moved back to Albuquerque from Las Vegas, Nevada. Vangie was born in the Philippines and educated at the University of New Mexico. She has a MS degree in Chemistry. She came to this country because, as Vangie says, "The pastures were greener." She visited several places in the country before ending up in New Mexico and she's so glad she ended up in such a beautiful spot in New Mexico. She has a brother in New Jersey. Vangie went to work at the lab in May of 1979 and has been working there almost thirty years as a chemist doing analytical chemistry on wastewater. This kind of work involves the use of modern technology and instrumentation to keep abreast of the State and EPA regulations.
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At LANL Vangie has been recognized for her excellent work many times. For instance in 1998 she received one of the "Distinguished Performance" awards. Under the Large Team Awards, her team from division CST-9, called the "Non-Mixed Waste Sampling / Chemical Analysis" was recognized. In 2008 she received the "LANL Pollution Prevention Award" from NNSA. Her team project that included nine other employees won "Best-in-Class." It was titled "Wastewater Recycling at LANL." Just to get a feel for what she does at the lab, the description of this project is: "This Radioactive Liquid Waste treatment Facility reduced the amount of reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) that needs treatment by the evaporator. Instead of sending all of the ROC directly to the evaporation, it was recycled to an intermediate storage tank before being recycled and blended with influent. The amount of ROC that is wasted was reduced fourfold and total cost savings exceed $1.3 million per year." She joined the Los Alamos Visitor Center in September 2004 as our volunteer "photographer." She's attended all of our major events over the years from the County Fair Parade to Trick-or-Treat Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation
The LAMVB, a program of the Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation, operates the Visitor Center in Los Alamos and the White Rock Tourist & Information Center (WRTIC). The LAMVB also produces and distributes advertising and marketing materials such as the Los Alamos Visitor Guide. We also maintain the online visitor guide at visit.losalamos.com.
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Visitor Related Activity For September
The approximate number of visitor guides distributed in September 2008 was 6885.
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Total number of inquiries received at both visitor centers was 22, 733.
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LAMVB attended the monthly Santa Fe Lodgers Association networking meeting at Santa Fe Railroad Station where guests are allowed to announce events and extend invitations to their sites. The TOTOMS event was described as well as other major attractions.
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LAMVB submitted annual event information to the 2009 New Mexico Vacation Guide, which is distributed worldwide by the New Mexico Department of Tourism.
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LAMVB assisted MainStreet in planning and recruiting volunteers for the Annual Chamber Golf Tournament September 19 benefiting the United Way of Northern New Mexico and the Halloweekend event in October.
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LAMVB representative attended the grand opening of the Santa Fe Community Convention Center on September 25 and attended the Creative Tourism Conference at the new Santa Fe Convention Center on September 30, 2008.
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LAMVB dstributed approximately 300 coupon books to visitors.
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There were 68 leads received in September from response cards in New Mexico Magazine. LAMVB also sent visitor information to leads provided by the Albuquerque Convention and Visitor Bureau (ACVB).
on MainStreet and has taken some great professional shots we've used in our business newsletters. She is also an active volunteer at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church where she takes photographs of children taking their first communion and photographs of confirmation candidates. She's been a member of IHM since she arrived in Los Alamos. Vangie lives in town, feels comfortable here and says the best thing about Los Alamos is the quietness. She makes friends easily and has many friends in her adopted hometown, Los Alamos. At home she relaxes nurturing her many lush and healthy plants. Her hobbies include photography and dancing. At one of the Los Alamos County Summer Concert Series, she was seen doing the two-step at the Posse Shack to the music of South by Southwest. "I like dancing because it is a lot of fun and keeps me in shape." she says. She discovered she was a natural at it and looks for any chance to get out with her friends to dance. Vangie also likes to travel and just returned from Switzerland and Mexico City where she visited friends, whom she met in Los November/December 2008
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LAMVB recruits, trains, and manages volunteers. The number of volunteer hours logged in September 2008 was 101.5.
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LAMVB publishes and distributes a monthly tourism and visitor business e-advisory monthly to provide information of interest to tourism and visitor oriented businesses.
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LAMVB updates the calendar of events on a daily basis both on-line at visit.losalams.com and in hard copy format which is available in the visitor centers.
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In September, LAMVB assisted the following group meetings/ conferences in promoting and planning or potential events in Los Alamos: • RV Group - 24 RV's in October • Bilbrey Tours, Motor Coach Group 40 Senior Citizens in September • Group of 45 seniors coming from North Carolina August 2009 • Pajarito Trails Runs Festival on October 11 • Statewide Bahai Group in Los Alamos on October 4 • Celine Apodaca, LANL- 9 guest staff coming for several months starting Oct 1 • Motion Events - 45 bicyclists ~ October 9
Alamos through dancing. She's also traveled to Guatemala and Honduras. Her favorite visit so far has been to Guatemala because she spent a lot of time touring the country with her daughter, climbing a volcano and climbing over the canopies of the Mayan ruins. She took some beautiful shots of this visit and can't wait to share them with us. Vangie encourages others to volunteer with the visitor centers because "It's a good experience that allows someone to get to know more about their hometown and meet people."
Vangie Hodge
Vangie always has a smile on her face and is always a pleasure to be with. Thanks Vangie for being a great volunteer and friend!
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Thank you Sponsors
Newsletter Managing Editor: Jeremy Varela- please call 661-4844 for comments and information. Contributions by: Venessa Finn, Clarice Rodriguez, Katy Korkos, Kevin Holsapple, Chelo Rojas, Claire Roybal, Bryan Farmer, Patrick Sullivan, Jeremy Varela
P.O. Box 460 Los Alamos, NM 87544
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