June E-Newsletter | Seminars to Attend, Business After Hours, Productive Procrastination

President's Message

Happy Summer Solstice!

Crab Fest was a huge success again this year! I know I always breathe easier when the ferry arrives with the Golden Wheel rides and games! A big thanks to Chamber Executive Director, Sarah Phillips, aka “Crab Fest Queen”, and her staff, Anastasia and Mallory. Thanks also to the Crab Fest Committee, a multitude of volunteers, sponsors, vendors, too many to name!! We had the usual Crab Fest weather, some really nice days, some really rainy days and everything in between. It DID rain on our parade, but I would say a good time was had by all in spite of this. Senator Sullivan was here for Crab Fest. He pardoned, “Sheldon”, the king crab, which is probably the country’s first. This event will go down in history, and I am sure “Sheldon” is the most pleased of all. Senator Sullivan also placed 3 ^rd in the Survival Suit race! The undefeated legend, Sam Rohrer, came out of retirement to do this race with Senator Sullivan! Senator Sullivan is already planning to come back to Kodiak next year! Overall, the Crab Fest was well attended, and I think all of us had a fun time. There is some great Crab Fest gear left, so go by the Chamber office to pick up yours!

Our June Business After Hours will be at the downtown Arctic Chiropractic clinic location! This will be held June 20 ^th from 5:00-7:00pm. Arctic is in the former Family Chiropractic location, the Center building, just the other end of the downtown Subway. Doctor David Prentice in new to Kodiak, but he has hit the ground running, he joined the Chamber, Arctic is a PIKE sponsor, joined Kodiak Morning Rotary, had a booth at Crab Fest, and has embraced Kodiak as his new home and is involved in everything!! There will be the usual door prizes, including 30 and 60 minutes massages, split-the-pot, food and beverages, so please plan to attend!! It will be fun!

June 16 ^th is Father’s Day! Try to support Kodiak local businesses when you treat Dad to gifts, flowers, dinner, or all of these.

There is a series of seminars and presentations in June including a presentation from the Small Business Administration about obtaining loans, and Helena from the Czech Republic visiting and presenting about the Czech economy. Details can be found below or by calling 486-5557.

I would like to personally thank everyone who participated in the May 4 ^th City Wide Clean Up! An amazing effort by the whole community!! And what a difference it makes! Many groups will continue cleaning up all summer, the Chamber Litter Patrol, the Lions and the Rotary Clubs! Thank you all!

Please continue to give us membership leads and also consider upgrading your current membership to PIKE (Partners In Kodiak's Economy) Sponsorship, so the chamber can continue adding to their growing schedule of programs! Call Sarah at the office for details and hear the benefits.

Sincerely,

Lindsay Knight

President

Our Sponsors

Member Spotlight |

NWFF Fire Safety & Supply

Environmental Contracting Solutions, Inc (ECS) has operated in Kodiak since 2014 as a single source health, safety, and environmental consultancy. ECS has responded to oil spills and performed asbestos abatement, lead testing and soil sampling In Kodiak and throughout Alaska. Last September, ECS opened a safety supply store on Mill Bay Road, across from KMXT.

Now ECS is pleased to announce that it has merged with NWFF Environmental, an Oregon based national spill response company. Ryan Sharratt and the owners of ECS combined with NWFF to provide Safety and Health, Business Continuity Planning, Quality Control Management, Environmental and Spill Response services in three states - Alaska, Oregon and Washington.

The safety supply store is moving to a new location and will be open for business in the building that was formerly owned and operated by Scuba Do. The new business name will be NWFF Fire and Safety Supplies. NWFF will continue the fire extinguisher service and testing business that Sandy and Verlin Pearson have managed for several years. The shop will also include a full range of safety supplies that includes hearing protection, respirators, safety gear and a range of personal safety equipment.

James Glenn will manage the new business that will open on July 1 ^st, however, both Sandy and Verlin will stay on to help transition to the new business format. NWFF is committed to providing the same level of exceptional customer service that Sandy and Verlin have provided over the years.

Since opening the safety store last September, ECS, now NWFF, has found that there is a constant need for safety training. NWFF’s staff includes subject matter experts in the areas of fall protection, confined space entry techniques, forklift training, hearing preservation and many similar topics that are critical in helping employers to provide a safe work-place for employees, while complying with OSHA standards and requirements for workplace safety.

NWFF was the first to respond to the recent oil spill at the Buskin River. The NWFF team also responded to an oil spill from an abandoned barge in Women’s Bay. Meanwhile NWFF team members continue to provide on-site safety training for both public and private organizations in Kodiak.

At NWFF, our commitment is straightforward – to provide technically qualified and integrity-based consulting services to our clients. The new Fire and Safety store will continue the tradition of exceptional customer service and will continue to seek ways to meet the changing needs of our growing customer base. Stop by and check out our new location on July 1. We look forward to serving Kodiak’s fire and safety supply needs.

Business After Hours | Arctic Chiropractic

Arctic Chiropractic is hosting an evening of health, wellness, and pain relief! Learn all about all they offer, from Chiropractic Care to Massage and Physical Therapy, all while touring their new Downtown location. Take advantage of special discounts and give aways!

Kodiak Chamber of Commerce Announces Sarah Phillips as New Executive Director

The Kodiak Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the hiring of Sarah Phillips as its new Executive Director. Phillips was previously the Community Relations Director with the Chamber and during that time, she established a new social media presence and helped boost Chamber membership. She has consistently demonstrated the capacity to plan and organize Chamber events.

The Executive Director of the Chamber is responsible for developing new business relationships, promoting community events, and working with the current members to further the goals of the business community. The departure of the previous Executive Director, Frank Schiro, made Phillips his logical replacement. Their harmonious working relationship has made for a smooth transition and the successes that were made during Schiro’s tenure will continue to add value to the Chamber.

Phillips is honored to accept her new role as Executive Director and is looking forward to building on the relationships and programs from her time as the Community Relations Director. Phillips is an accomplished sales professional with extensive knowledge of promotion, communication, and management. She brings ten years of experience and a Master of Business Administration to her position.

“We are very pleased to announce this transition” stated Lindsay Knight, President of the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce. “Sarah will bring consistency and creativity to the Chamber’s programs and continue to foster the Chamber’s commitment to the community.”

A Look At Crab Fest 2019

SBA Business Loans – What Lenders Look For and Tips for Winning Them Over

Take the next step to start or grow your business and join us for an interactive session where you’ll learn:

How to get access to capital through the use of SBA Guarantee Loan Programs
Criteria used by loan officers to evaluate a loan request, also known as, the 5 C’s of Credit
Preparing to meet with your lender and what lenders look for
Resources to help you prepare

When: June 25th at 5pm OR June 26th at 12pm

Where: Chamber of Commerce Conference Room

Who:Nelida Irvine works as a Lender Relations Specialist for the U.S. Small Business Administration in Anchorage, AK. Nelida’s background includes 30 + years of combined experience in business and economic development, financial management, marketing, and event management. Prior to working for SBA, she worked for the private sector, state government, and owned an event management business. Nelida is the point of contact for SBA’s Guarantee Loan Programs in the State of Alaska. Her main responsibilities include assisting SBA lenders with support and training in areas such as: loan structuring, loan processing, loan servicing, liquidation guidance, eligibility and compliance of SBA lending procedures, policies and regulations, as well as, marketing SBA programs and services to Alaska diverse small business communities. In addition to her main responsibilities, Nelida is, also, the District International Trade Officer. Nelida has worked at SBA for 13 years. She has a B.A. in Hospitality Management from Alaska Pacific University.

RSVP: Space is limited for each session, so please RSVP as soon as possible to secure your spot. RSVP's can be sent to Chamber@Kodiak.org. Please state what business you are with, names of those attending, and the session you will be attending.

Crab Cab Winner Announced!

For as long as many can remember, the end of Crab Festival has always been marked with the Crab Cab Trip Give Away. Stickers are handed out and start appearing on bumpers and windows all over Kodiak. This year, the winner is Paula Matchian, she works at KANA and she’s never been to Hawaii. Paula was an avid attender of Crab Cab Sticker Parties, and even had her license plate called out on the radio!

Congratulations to Paula, we're already envious of your soon to be dream vacation!

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies Now Available for Comment

SWAMC CEDS Report

The draft 2020-2024 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference is now available for review and comment. The deadline for getting comments to us is June 30, 2019.

SWAMC CEDS

Kodiak CEDS Report

It is time for public review of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the Kodiak Region – 2015 to 2020. Feedback is due on June 30, 2019. Feedback will be utilized for the re-write of the CEDS during 2020-2021 project period

Kodiak CEDS

Do Your Part to Save the Ferry!

The legislators representing our region and coastal AK are working together to try to find a path forward that still includes the Alaska Marine Highway. However, Anchorage and Interior AK are home to the majority of votes in the House and the Senate, so we need to reach them through their constituents . Many of them still many not realize the impact losing the AMHS will have not just on coastal Alaska, but on the entire state.

This is where you come in! As a business owner, you have a power not many of us have and it could be the strongest tool available to fight for our AMHS service!

You have the ability to reach and influence other businesses in Anchorage and Interior AK, of which you are a customer. Just follow the steps below:

Make a list of all the businesses you spend money at when you take the ferry to Anchorage and beyond
Copy/paste the text below into your email
Replace each {BRACKETED PLACE HOLDER} with your information or edit the message as you see fit.
Email this to each of your vendors, suppliers and business associates in Anchorage and on the road system in Alaska, and urge them to contact their legislators immediately!

E-Mail to Send

Attention Landlords, Maintenance Crews & Real Estate Professionals

The Kodiak Island Housing Authority invites you to "Meth" Remediation Training. The program has been designed for any landlord who wants to have their maintenance Crew trained to test their apartments for “Meth” and the process to remediate the “Meth” if the test comes back positive. Mark Shepard will be your guide through the program in the Harbor Room at the Best Western Kodiak Inn.

Please register for the June 12th & 13th program by selecting the link below.

Registration & Schedule

Economy of the Czech Republic Presentation

Join us for a free evening of Education and Culture with Dr. Helena Fialová, who is visiting Kodiak from the Czech Republic!

Dr. Fialová will be presenting information about the past, present, and future economy in the Czech Republic. Come with questions, because the last 30 minutes of the presentation, Dr. Fialová will be available.

Dr. Helena Fialová is an instructor in the School of Business and the School of International Relations at UNYP. Dr. Fialová has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Economics, Prague. She is considered an expert in the field.

She has worked on numerous research projects, many of which have dealt with macroeconomic forecasting of the Czech Economy. She has been a visiting Lecturer at universities in Japan, California, Hawaii, Chicago, Belgium and the UK.

She has written numerous textbooks on macro- and microeconomics and the business cycle, as well as several dictionaries of business and economic terms in Czech and English. She is continuously publishing academic articles in various scholarly economic journals. Dr. Fialová is a visiting Faculty at the University of Economics, Prague (VŠE); Czech Technical University (ČVUT), Faculty of Engineering and the MBA program at the Masaryk Institute of Advanced Studies.

When: June 13th | 7:00pm-8:30pm

Where: Kodiak College - Room TBD

The Chamber of Commerce will be providing light refreshments and have $50 of door prize give aways!

Please RSVP to Chamber@Kodiak.org by June 12th.

Productive Procrastination:

What They Don't Tell You About Entreprenuership

Starting your own business will solve everything that’s wrong about your job, your life and more importantly, about how you feel. Becoming an entrepreneur will give you more flexibility, more freedom, more joy, more recognition, more meaning and hopefully on the long run, more money. Right?

The reality of being an entrepreneur is much harder than most people are willing to open up about. In a culture where successful entrepreneurs are idealised like rock stars it's easy to feel like we're not good enough when comparing ourselves to the picture that’s painted by social media.

Mark Leruste exposes the truth behind the life of the every-day entrepreneur and why it’s important that we talk openly and truthfully about the pressures and struggles associated with starting a business and what it actually feels like.

Finding your path isn’t always a straight line. It usually takes hits and misses and trying many things out. This is how it was for Mark, whose journey towards his dream career started when his video CV, ‘A dream job would be nice’, went viral on YouTube and helped him land a position as Country Manager at the Movember Foundation. There, Mark raised €2.8 million for men’s health and inspired 110,000 fundraisers to sign up at Movember.com, winning multiple awards along the way.

Four years into the job, it became clear that Mark couldn’t ignore his entrepreneurial itch anymore, which had been around since he was 12 years old. So, against conventional wisdom, he decided to turn his passion into his full-time job and took the plunge to found The Unconventionalists, a weekly podcast, talk show and coaching & training business helping organisations and individuals find their voice.

From making Nelson Mandela’s right hand man cry to asking Tim Ferris about his fear of failure, Mark is an expert at using his warm manner to tease out the truth & create moments of honesty.

To date, Mark has worked with hundreds of unfulfilled professionals and frustrated small business owners and has interviewed more than 200 world-class leaders, entrepreneurs, athletes, politicians, CEOs, authors and adventurers from around the world, providing him a ring side seat in understanding how ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things.