Juneau Economic Development Council NEWS | April 2022
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The SEABIA Home Show is THIS WEEKEND!
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2022 Juneau Home Show
Dates: April 23 10AM - 6PM April 24 Noon - 5PM
Location: In-Person at the Nugget Mall, Juneau, Alaska
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After a 3-year hiatus, the Southeast Alaska Building Industry Association’s Juneau Home Show is BACK!
Come visit the Nugget Mall this weekend to view our awesome exhibitors, participate in family-friendly activities (with prizes!), and eat delicious food. We hope to see you there! Admission is free for all ages.
The 2022 Home Show will feature a range of local industry experts.
Follow us on social for updates and all JEDC program happenings!
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2022 Juneau Maritime Festival |
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May 7, 2022
11 AM - 5 PM
@ Peratrovich Plaza (dock behind the Downtown Library)
Come celebrate Juneau's rich maritime history, culture, and commerce with your friends, family and colleagues! This annual event continues in 2022 on the beautiful docks of Downtown Juneau.
Activities will include:
- Seaside Sippin' (beer tasting)
- Salmon fillet contest & tote bailing contest
- U.S. Coast Guard Search & Rescue demonstration
- One People Canoe Society landing performance
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Sign-ups are also available for the tug-o-war contest and fillet contest. Visit the event website and navigate to the "activities" tab to sign up!
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2nd Round of ARPA Grant Funding Update:
Extension & Criteria Change
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The Alaska State Legislature appropriated $90 million from the State's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) COVID State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSLFRF) toward a tourism and business relief grant program to be administered by the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED). The State of Alaska recently announced a deadline extension & an expansion of criteria.
The Round Two application period is open through 5:00pm April 30, 2022 and businesses who did not qualify for the first round are encouraged to apply. You can review the list of criteria changes here.
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Take a look at just a few of the many assets that we are proud of and continue to develop as part of our core areas of focus. |
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Attracting Individuals to Live & Work in Juneau, Alaska |
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Developing Talent Statewide |
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Local Frequency Rewards Program |
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Local Frequency & Local Spending
The Local Frequency is a unique rewards program: in addition to serving as an app-based, customizable rewards system for local businesses, the underlying philosophy behind the project involves keeping dollars local! A multitude of case studies and academic analyses show that shopping at locally-owned small businesses (as opposed to shopping online or at large corporate chains) helps strengthen the local economy.
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Are you a local or independent business?
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Southeast Alaska Business Climate Survey |
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This annual survey gauges the economic health of the Southeast Alaska business sector. Your responses to this survey will help determine statewide as well as Southeast priorities and will guide policy makers on how to best support your industries and communities.
All individual responses are 100% confidential. Any questions can be directed to Rain Coast Data.
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Southeast Eldercare Coalition |
JEDC is working with the Juneau Commission on Aging as they establish a regional Southeast Eldercare Coalition. Their goal is to bring eldercare providers from across Southeast together to identify and solve mutual issues, share program information, and be a collaborative force for change.
Are you interested in joining the next meeting? Email our program lead Robyn Mesdag for details. rmesdag@jedc.org
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FIRST LEGO League & FIRST Tech Challenge |
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It's time for the FIRST Championship!
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FIRST in Alaska is celebrating the end of a great season. While our tournaments here at home are finished, three outstanding Alaskan teams will be competing in Houston later this month. Gadget Girls from IDEA in Fairbanks will be representing our FIRST LEGO League teams, while FTC 16660 Cyberwing from West Anchorage High School and FTC 16880 Cyberian Tigers from Matsu Career Tech will be playing in Alliances with FIRST Tech Challenge teams from around the world. Watch them play at https://www.firstchampionship.org/watch.
Three outstanding FIRST Tech Challenge team members will also be recognized as Alaska’s Finalists for the prestigious Deans List Award. Kristie Kulbeth and Aiden Pietan from Thunder Mountain High School along with Adalia Deach of Skagway have been invited to a special celebration at FIRST Championship.
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STEM Summer Camp registration is opening soon! |
Get ready for our exciting new STEM summer camps! We’re changing things up and bringing in the NEW robots! We plan to run camps for 1st through 12th graders, so keep an eye on our website at https://www.jedc.org/stemak/home
so you can get a spot as soon as registration opens up. Space will be limited, so you won’t want to wait.
We are also looking for a few good camp counselors, aged 16 and up. Contact Alyson at acooper@jedc.org for information.
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Support the FIRST® in Alaska Program
Along with These Statewide Sponsors
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Indicator of the Month: Mariculture Industry |
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Alaska has untapped mariculture potential. When it comes to the development of new Alaskan industries, mariculture stands out as a prime candidate. This is due to a variety of reasons. First, there is a high market demand for many ocean products that can be cultivated through mariculture, particularly in parts of Asia, but also globally. Second, Alaska's unique habitat and lengthy coastline create ideal conditions for the growth of products like oysters, sugar kelp, geoduck, blue mussels, king crab, and more. However, there are some barriers to entry that make it difficult for the sector to quickly grow. These include high start-up costs, lack of toxin testing capacity, permitting, and more.
In 2015, the mariculture industry was worth $1.4 million, employing 55 paid workers. The Alaska Mariculture Development Plan outlines a vision of a $100 million mariculture by 2038. Mariculture has the potential to be a sustainable and profitable industry, since Alaska's coastline is well-suited for cultivating many desirable ocean products.
Another major benefit of the mariculture industry is its potential benefits for the environment. Mariculture can be done sustainably, helping to develop healthy coastal ecosystems. Unlike other major Alaskan industries such as oil/natural gas and mining, which are extractive in nature, mariculture is sustainable. Other potential benefits include the removal of carbon/de-acidification of the ocean.
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2022 Alaska Angel Conference Finalists |
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The Alaska Angel Conference increases the number of angel investors in our statewide startup ecosystem by pairing experienced angel investors with novice investors and leading them through a structured 12-week process of identifying, filtering, selecting, and managing a group angel investment. In the process, we help nurture the companies and mentor the founders who apply for funding and award a $100k+ investment into one of the startups that apply.
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All the participating startups gave their second and final pitch on March 29th and 30th, and the investors met on March 31st and selected 5 finalist companies who will continue through the remainder of the conference. The finalist companies are: Prismatext, North Star Tutors, Aquagga, Airhounds, and Kartorium (The Innovation Summit Pitch Contest winner!).
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JEDC Secures Grant Funding for Entrepreneurship Program |
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JEDC, in coordination with CBJ, applied for and received $15,000 through NLC's City Inclusive Entrepreneurship Program. The funds will be used to support an inaugural cohort of entrepreneurs through a 10-week Kauffman FastTrac program administered and delivered by JEDC here in Juneau. JEDC intends to help 10-15 entrepreneurs either create a new business or add new services or products to an existing business. Amongst the entrepreneurs, JEDC will aim for 70% of our cohort to be Native Alaskan, minority, LGBTQ+, or women. Amongst the business sectors, we will encourage products or services in existing clusters, including key subsectors such as winter tourism, mariculture, and Northwest coast arts. Stay tuned for more information in the near future! |
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Creating more childcare capacity in Juneau by assisting new or existing
childcare providers to access, improve or expand the physical infrastructure needed to deliver a quality childcare program to more families.
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Southeast Alaska Revolving Loan |
If you have a project that will create or retain jobs in Southeast Alaska, Juneau Economic Development Council could be the lender you've been looking for. |
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JEDC
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Garrett Schoenberger, Chair
Dr. Karen Carey, Vice Chair
Jake Carpenter, Treasurer
Melissa Kookesh, Secretary
Aaron Morrison
Rodney Hesson
Marc Guevarra
Alexander Kotlarov
Jill Weitz
Raymond Paddock III
Mayor Beth Weldon
Michelle Bonnet Hale, CBJ Assembly Liaison
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JEDC Five Areas of Focus
- Help Make Juneau a Great (Capital) City
- Strengthen Key Regional Industries
- Develop Talent
- Promote Entrepreneurship & Small Business Development
- Deliver Economic Services
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We invite you to invest in Juneau by becoming a JEDC Investor. Show your support of the work done to advance Juneau and Southeast Alaska's economy.
Supporting JEDC impacts the long-term economic success of Alaska's Capital City while creating a business climate that bolsters your business or organization.
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If you find JEDC News to be of interest and value, please forward the newsletter to your friends and colleagues.
Executive Director
Juneau Economic Development Council
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