The Chilkat Valley News joins 11 other Southeast Alaska businesses as a finalist in a business competition put on by community development nonprofit Spruce Root.
The annual business competition focuses on organizations with positive economic, environmental and community impact in the region.
Two other Haines businesses,Travis Kukull’s Malo Niśta Catering and Raeann Miner’s Miner’s Gold, are also in the running.
The three were selected from among a pool of 18 entrepreneurs from 16 communities throughout Southeast Alaska that applied to be part of the program in 2024, according to a media release.
The competition includes intensive in-person training in Juneau in mid-September and puts the paper in the running for one of two $20,000 awards to grow their businesses. Businesses will get access to mentors and one-on-one consulting to develop their business models and plans.
Kukull, who is expanding his business this winter, said he’s looking for guidance in developing a ten year strategic business plan.
“There’s not a lot of programs like this for small businesses,” he said. “I think it’s really cool that Spruce Root is doing this and I know a lot of people locally that have benefitted.”
Over the last 11 years of the competition, more than 150 businesses have gotten training and 24 have gotten a total of $720,000 to advance their local businesses, according to Spruce Root.
Kukull said Spruce Root’s focus on supporting sustainable businesses and healthy communities aligns well with that he’s working to build in the Chilkat Valley. He’s currently working on a Master’s degree in sustainable food systems and his business plan will be part of his thesis.
“I’m focusing on building a local food aggregator that teaches classes and shows people how to aggregate local food, process it, store it and live a subsistence lifestyle,” he said. “I think it’s a great lever here in a community where food is so expensive in a grocery store and more people should be doing it whether they’re growing, fishing, or foraging for it – all those things matter here.”
Past competition winners from the Chilkat Valley include Foundroot, Four Winds Farm, and Adventure Harvest.
Other finalists include:
- Aurora Owen of Wildfish Cannery in Klawok
- Dawn Sheets of Triple S Ranch in Naukati Bay
- Yvette Taylor of Taylor2UArt in Klawock
- Benjamin Joseph Matthys of Southeast Sparks in Sitka
- Lance McMullan of Sitkana in Juneau
- Lonnie Guthrie of Pure Alaskan Water in Ketchikan
- Diane Katherine Portner of Natural Connections in Juneau
- Jessica Pyatt of Alpine Physical Therapy in Sitka
- Reine Pavlik of Alaska Soles in Yakutat