Los Alamos Reporter

Leadership Los Alamos Holds Session On Economic Development

Laura Crucet, owner Pig & Fig Café, shares her experience starting and maintaining a successful business. Photo by Kateri Morris

Economic Development 101 panel members, from left, Lauren McDaniel, Ryn Herrmann, Jyl DeHaven, Paul Andrus, Dan Ungerleider, and Peter Mitchell discuss commercial real estate, business expansion and job creation, unique obstacles and opportunities in Los Alamos and surrounding areas. Photo by Kateri Morris

Kathy Keith, second from right, shares about LANL’s current initiatives and opportunities for the workforce, along with Lindsay Mapes, far right, who talked about the NM Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program (LEEP) that helps aspiring entrepreneurs transition their product to the marketplace through mentorship, tech support, testing and development. Photo by Kateri Morris

UbiQD Chief Product Officer, Dr. Matt Bergren, demonstrates their unique energy-generating material using quantum dot technology, which harnesses the power of color and light.  Photo by Kateri Morris

BY KATERI MORRIS
Leadership Los Alamos

In March, Leadership Los Alamos met for an informative session on Economic Development facilitated by Los Alamos Commerce & Development Interim Asst. Exec. Director/Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce Director, Ryn Herrmann, and LACDC Executive Director/LA MainStreet Director, Lauren McDaniel. The day was filled with an array of speakers who gave insight on running successful businesses, the unique challenges and opportunities in the community, the infrastructure necessary to promote economic development and the impact Los Alamos has across the region.

The LLA Class of 2022 and Board of Directors Chairs would like to thank the following individuals for their educational contributions to the session:

  • Dan Ungerleider, LA County Economic Development Administrator
  • Laura Crucet, Pig + Fig Café Owner
  • Paul Andrus, LA County Community Development Director
  • Jyl DeHaven, Real Estate Developer and Associate Broker, Exit Advantage NM
  • Peter Mitchell, NM Economic Development North Central Regional Representative; Deputy Director, Outdoor Recreation Division
  • Kathy Keith, LANL Community Programs Office Director
  • Lindsay Mapes, NM Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program Director (LEEP)
  • Dr. Matt Bergren, UbiQD Chief Product Officer
  • Matthew Schmidt, CEO/President Los Alamos Public Schools Credit Union
  • Ryn Herrmann, Chamber of Commerce Director/LACDC Interim Assist. Exec. Director
  • Lauren McDaniel, Los Alamos MainStreet Director/LACDC Executive Director
  • Kelly Stewart, Los Alamos County Film Liaison
  • Sobia Sayeda, Senior Planner & Staff Liaison to Historic Preservation Advisory Board
  • Christina McCormick, ProjectY Cowork Community & Marketing Manager
  • Patrick Sullivan, Central Park Square, LLC. General Manager
  • Anthony Flores, Boese Brothers Bar Manager
  • The Manhattan Project National Historical Park and LA Visitor Center

Leadership Los Alamos is a non-profit organization whose mission is to identify current and emerging leaders in Los Alamos and surrounding communities, to enhance their leadership skills and deepen their knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing the community. Each class learns about a variety of topics like community organizations, cultural and history, youth, education, local government, economic development, and environmental issues. For more information or sign up for the next class (Sept 2022- May 2023), go to: Leadership Los Alamos – An educational organization dedicated to the future of Los Alamos

Lauren McDaniel, meets with the LLA class in her own workspace to discuss the structure and function of LACDC and all of the community programs it manages. She emphasized the importance of teamwork and collaboration. Photo by Kateri Morris

LLA class member, Christina McCormick shares about Project Y’s collaborative co-workspace for hub startups, freelancers, remote workers, students and entrepreneurs. Photo by Kateri Morris