“Great workshop with ideas I’ll use right away,” and “I want to go to the bootcamp,” were among many favorable comments following Jon Schallert’s presentation in August on community reinvention and making a business a destination.
The workshop was a condensed version of the two and a half day “boot camp” presented by Schallert in June at Longmont, CO that was attended by six local businesses and representatives from the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Development Center. The program has been enabled by financial support from Los Alamos National Bank and the Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation.
The presentation was attended by an attentive and participatory audience of about sixty business owners and interested individuals from the Los Alamos area. The morning meeting was followed by an informative marketing roundtable and question/answer session.
Later in the day Schallert spoke in a public meeting with community members including representatives of County Council, State Legislature, Los Alamos School district and others. Schallert spoke to the current environment for small business operators, his impressions of Los Alamos, the businesses he has started working with here and how small businesses here can be supported. Several good suggestions were discussed on “business friendliness” of state and local government and how the community could help in supporting businesses. All attendees left with constructive ideas about what would be helpful.
The six merchants who went through the bootcamp at Longmont expressed a strong desire to pursue ideas presented in their businesses and to mentor or assist others in achieving results in theirs. The group also has strongly recommended other local business owners attend a future boot camp to help move the business community forward. Three local business people have already stepped forward to express their interest.
The Chamber is wanting to hear from additional interested individuals. Please contact Katy Korkos (661-4816) or Don Wright (661-4854).
Other things discussed was the desire and need to continue to keep their efforts to improve their businesses and the community in the public eye. Possibilities include training seminars open to the business community sponsored by the Chamber and the SBDC that would include some or all of the participants.