Los Alamos Chamber honors local businesses, Del Norte Credit Union

Del Norte Credit Union took home the Chamber’s 2026 Community Partner of the Year honor as Los Alamos business leaders turned Duane Smith Auditorium into a showcase for the county’s small-business economy.

The Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce held its annual awards event on May 1, using the night to recognize the 2026 Business of the Year recipients and the year’s nominees. Chamber Director Sandy Jones told local businesses that the goal was to honor the work people do all year and create a night when everyone could be recognized, even if they did not win in their category.

That message carried extra weight in a county where economic life is shaped by a relatively small number of major employers and by the independent businesses, service providers and nonprofits that fill in the daily gaps. Awards like these do more than hand out trophies. They give public visibility to the storefronts, offices and community partners that residents rely on for everything from banking and professional services to sponsorships and local hiring.

Del Norte Credit Union’s recognition also underscored how the Chamber sees community investment as part of the business story, not something separate from it. In Los Alamos and White Rock, local firms are often judged not only by what they sell but by whether they show up for school events, nonprofits, civic projects and other parts of community life that keep the county connected.

The Chamber’s emphasis on nominees, not just winners, also reflected the reality of a local economy that depends on a limited pool of employers and on businesses that can be seen and supported by neighbors. A gathering like the one at Duane Smith Auditorium creates a rare moment for those businesses to be acknowledged together, while also giving owners, staff and community partners a chance to network and build morale.

The awards night was therefore more than a ceremonial stop on the Chamber calendar. It was a snapshot of what is succeeding in Los Alamos right now: businesses and partners that are visible, rooted in the county and willing to invest back into the place where they work.