The results of two recent surveys by the Haines Chamber of Commerce paint an upbeat picture of operating a local business.

“People aren’t as glum as generally I’d expect them to be. People think Haines is a good place to do business,” said chamber executive director Debra Schnabel.

The Business Retention and Expansion Program survey was 10 months in the making, based on 41 in-person interviews with local business owners and managers. Results are posted on the chamber of commerce website at http://www.haineschamber.org.

Results of a second, online survey completed by 15 businesses are in the latest chamber newsletter. The Baker Strategy Group solicited the chamber to participate in the free, online survey.

The business group already is using survey results to direct programs it offers, including in marketing and customer service, said Schnabel.

“It’s a tool for us to identify needs. Now it’s up to us to develop programs, and initiatives or even policy recommendations to the borough to create an environment where some of those changes can occur,” she said.

For example, the cost of freight was a concern cited by several businesses, but the Chamber is unlikely to land a competing freight company, Schnabel said.

“Bigger issues, like cost of freight, broadband, those things, will be worked out in the marketplace,” she said. “Those are larger issues we aren’t going to tackle by ourselves.”

The planned Haines Economic Development Corporation may be more instrumental in finding solutions or working to create the kind of environment where those kinds of issues are addressed, she said.

In the larger survey, created by the Alaska Department of Commerce, local business owners cited “quality of life,” “proximity to home” and “access to customers” as top reasons for operating businesses here.

Disadvantages included the “high cost of freight,” followed by “limited market due to population,” and “seasonality of sales and work.”

Most of the participants were from small businesses with an average of 10 employees. Of the 392 total employees reported, 50.2 percent were full-time, 22.5 percent were part-time, and 27.3 percent were seasonal, the survey results said.

As for employee recruiting, the results were split between businesses having difficulty attracting applicants, and ones that did not. Most businesses said they did not have a problem with employee turnover.

Some responses to the question of recruiting included: “People don’t want to work over a certain amount of hours and jeopardize access to benefits like Denali Kid Care,” and “People want full-time, year-round employment instead of having their hours cut in the winter.”

“Time-management skills” was the top answer regarding topics that would be valuable to the businesses polled. “Customer service” and “marketing” round-out the top three.

Sixty-eight percent of businesses said their current property allows for expansion, 26.3 percent said their current property does not allow for expansion, and 5.3 percent said they were unsure.

Respondents cited market conditions as the primary reason they are choosing not to expand at this time, the survey results said.

Eighty-five percent of respondents said they have not used any local, regional, state or federal programs to help their business. Fifteen percent said they had.

“The way to revitalize an economy is by using existing businesses that were built with passion,” Schnabel said about the survey results. “The results will help identify what passionate business owners can do.”

Survey questions ranged from employee recruitment and employee turnover to changes in products, and local versus internet shopping for business purchases. Owners and managers from grocery stores, mineral exploration companies, real estate companies, construction firms, tour companies, lodging facilities, media, manufacturers, restaurants, bars and other businesses participated. The survey was tailored slightly to fit each one of the businesses.

In the Baker Strategy Group survey, 85 percent of business owners polled said they have “an optimistic outlook for their business over the next 12 months.” Sixty-five percent recommend Haines as a place to do business.

According to poll results, more than half of businesses polled expect to hire more people this year. Ninety-three percent expect to remain in Alaska and 33 percent of businesses expect to grow.

When it comes to living and running a business in Haines, employers were very positive; 81 percent believe that Haines has an unparalleled quality of life and 57 percent say Haines has an educational system “second to none.” But when it comes to hiring, only 39 percent see the area as having a large pool of skilled, educated and talented applicants.

The view of community leadership was mixed. Sixty-percent of respondents found leaders of non-profit to be effective. Forty-seven percent of those polled said private businesses had effective leadership and 25 percent said there was effective leadership in government.

Lower healthcare costs, lower energy costs, simpler regulations, more available skilled labor and lower taxes were identified as the top challenges for business in 2017 in the survey.

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