An Anchorage Economic Development Corporation publication in partnership with the Alaska Journal of Commerce
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TUBBS’ BEER POUCH TAKES OFF AFTER 12 YEARS IN THE MAKING
ALSO INSIDE: Q&A WITH INDIEGOGO FOUNDER DANAE RINGELMANN SPICING UP HOUSEWARES AEDC ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Hello and welcome to the Alaska Innovator magazine. The Alaska Innovator is a magazine designed to share stories of innovation and entrepreneurship happening right here, in Alaska. Anchorage Economic Development Corp. and the Alaska Journal of Commerce partnered more than a year ago to develop the first edition. And here we are today – with two publications printed in 2014. AEDC was developed to grow and diversify the Anchorage economy. Entrepreneurs are one way we can work to achieve this goal, by supporting the growth of new business in Anchorage and the surrounding area. This past July, AEDC partnered with many different organizations around Alaska to collectively host Alaska Entrepreneurship Week. During the weeklong event there were classes, seminars, fairs and luncheons held around Alaska — all to help bring attention and provide the support and resources our Alaska entrepreneurs need to be successful. In our last Innovator issue, we had stories of entrepreneurial success and inspiration. This issue has a unique flavor to it — we are taking a look at innovators and entrepreneurs in Anchorage and Alaska, who have made their mark on the food scene — be it with blogging, brewing or building innovative new products. Thanks for reading the Alaska Innovator. We hope you enjoy this issue. The AEDC Board of Directors and the staff of AEDC would also like to sincerely thank the Alaska Journal of Commerce for partnering with us again on this inspiring publication. Cheers! Bill’s Marvelous Po
megranate Martini
2 parts Permafrost Vo dka 1 part Triple Sec 3 parts POM Pomegra nate Juice A splash of Key Lime Juice Crushed ice
Bill Popp President & CEO, AEDC
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Freeze your vodka, ma rtini shaker and marti ni glasses for at least 30 to 45 minutes. Re move from freezer. Fil l sh aker with crushed ice until half full. Add liq uid ingredients. Shak e un til shaker frosts over again and it starts to freeze to your fingers . Pour immediately int frozen martini glasses o . Kick back and enjoy !
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INSIDE 301 Arctic Slope Ave. Ste. 350 Anchorage, AK 99518 P: 907-561-4772 F: 907-563-4744 www.alaskajournal.com
WHAT’S INSIDE:
INN VAT R : Q&A INDIEGOGO FOUNDER DANAE RINGELMANN 4
Managing Editor Andrew Jensen editor@alaskajournal.com Production Manager Maree Shogren maree.shogren@morris.com Graphic Designer Derek Schoenfeldt derek.schoenfeldt@morris.com Reporter Tim Bradner tim.bradner@alaskajournal.com Reporter Elwood Brehmer elwood.brehmer@alaskajournal.com Reporter Molly Dischner molly.dischner@alaskajournal.com Photographer Michael Dinneen dinneenphoto.com Advertising Director Tom Wardhaugh tom.wardhaugh@morris.com Advertising Coordinator Genevieve Turley genevieve.turley@morris.com Account Executives Ken Hanni ken.hanni@morris.com Jada Nowling jada.nowling@morris.com ON THE COVER Kevin Tubbs of Wasilla shows off a growler-sized Beer Pouch at the Glacier Brewhouse in Anchorage, with special thanks to Head Brewer Kevin Burton for making his workspace available.
What’s New
7 BUILDING A WEB COMMUNITY ONE RECIPE AT A TIME 14 KINGS OF CANNING 26 ANCHORAGE BUSINESS SPICES UP HOUSEWARES
Cover Story FRESH BREW
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Entrepreneurship Week ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK GOES STATEWIDE
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JUNEAU SHERBERT WINS AEDC PITCH-ON-A-TRAIN CONTEST 20
Kidpreneurs WHAT’S DINNER LIKE AT YOUR HOUSE?
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Gretchen Loves Anchorage FAVORITE PLACES IN ANCHORAGE TO... 18
Photo/Michael Dinneen/ Michael Dinneen Photography
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Q&A
QA &
with Danae Ringelmann By Valerie Walsh, Anchorage Economic Development Corp. Answers edited for length
Danae Ringelmann co-founded Indiegogo in 2008 with a mission to democratize fundraising and has since helped to propel the company into the world’s largest crowdfunding platform. Today, as Indiegogo’s Chief Development Officer, Danae is focused on driving total customer satisfaction and steering the company’s employee culture and value initiatives. Prior to Indiegogo, Danae was a securities analyst at Cowen & Co. where she covered publicly traded entertainment companies including Pixar, Lionsgate, Disney and Electronic Arts. Danae also focused on cable network, NFL, newspaper and hedge fund clientele while at JPMorgan’s Investment Bank and Private Bank. Danae was named a “Top 50 Women Innovators in Technology” by Fast Company, a “Most Influential Women in the Tech Industry” by ELLE and a “40 Under 40” by Fortune and San Francisco Business Times. AEDC: Why should an entrepreneur choose crowdfunding? Danae: Well first of all, I’ll say crowdfunding is actually not a good word for the industry because a lot of people think of it as a field of dreams where you just put up an idea, walk away, and the money just shows up. Really what Indiegogo is about, is being an alternative funding channel — but it’s also a 4
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way to engage the audience, test your idea, build an audience, and refine what you’re offering — so it’s way to get smarter, faster as well. Someone should choose to do an Indiegogo campaign if they need to raise a little bit of money to move a project forward, if they’ve got something that they know — or think they know — that the community would want as well, they have customers — or think that they have customers — but they want to put it to the test, as well as a way to test what they are offering. One example is a woman who started a gluten-free macaroon business, called Emmy’s Organics. Ten months into it she had an opportunity to distribute her macaroons in a regional grocery store chain. The only problem was that she was required to update her packaging, which was going to cost $15,000. As someone who had just taken out a $10,000 loan a few months prior, she did not have $15,000 sitting on the sidelines, but she didn’t want to give up out on this huge opportunity to grow. So she went back to the bank to ask for the money, and they pretty much said “congrats, but there’s no way we’re giving you more money until you pay back your first loan,” so she essentially was locked out of the traditional capital system. So rather than give up
and go slow, she said, “no I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity,” and went on Indiegogo and raised $15,000 in three weeks. And she raised that money from her community; her customers, friends and family and all of the people who wanted her business to grow. In the process of all of that she actually built her customer base. So her customers then funded and shared it with their friends and family, so she then actually attracted more people. So that’s a great example of someone who used Indiegogo because they couldn’t access funding and wanted to take their business to the next level. She ended up re-doing her packaging, and within six months she was distributing not just in that regional grocery store chain, but in 40 states across America. So huge growth, she started hiring people, creating jobs — it was amazing. The second example is someone who wants to build a market and build awareness of what they’re doing. A good example of this is an Indiegogo campaign that went crazy, called Solar Roadways. It was two engineers out of Idaho who had been working for a while on this really cool technology to make roads solar powered — which is impressive in and of itself. A very audacious vision, but the world needs
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fering. A good example of this is a guy who created a product called the Misfit Shine, which is an activity tracker. The difference with that one was that he was intending it to be an activity tracker that blends in with your clothes and is very elegant; different from some of the other activity trackers out there, that one could argue are a little more clunky and awkward. He went on Indiegogo, raised $900,000 by offering his Shine, but in the process he used our perk-swapping functionality — to test peoples willingness to pay and what they wanted. He offered the Shine at certain price points, and then when they got claimed he would offer the exact same thing just at a higher price point and he’d swap perks in and out to test all this. And he actually learned that people were willing to fund the black Shine over the silver Shine, and willing to pay
$50 more for the black than the silver. In the end his funders started asking for things like bracelets and necklaces, which defeated the purpose of being not clunky. So he was like, “well, I’m arguing with my customers so just let me put it to the test.” He threw up a campaign with bracelets and necklaces and (Danae snaps) they got claimed overnight. In the process he actually discovered a whole new revenue stream and learned about a whole new customer need that he didn’t know existed. The interesting thing about him is that he had already raised venture financing — he had the money to launch. But in the process of doing an Indiegogo campaign he learned more about his customers and what they wanted than any traditional investor could ever give. So it made him smarter, faster. So, in a way Indiegogo
Photo/Andre C. Horton
people to think that big to actually change it. So they used Indiegogo to raise money to prototype their product and get it into the market, so they can keep proving that it’s working, and with that, they could then go really big. And so they used Indiegogo, and raised about $30,000 — and then their campaign went through the roof. We ended up helping to promote as well and they ended up raising $2 million. The goal of that was to, yes, raise money for their project — but if they really wanted to, they could have gone to some incubation, accelerator, somewhere because their technology was really cool, but they really wanted to build awareness. So they used Indiegogo not only as a way to raise money, but to as a way to build awareness and build their market engagement. A third example is someone who uses Indiegogo to really refine their of-
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is right for people who are locked out of traditional finance. It’s also becoming a way for people to get ready for traditional finance. We had one campaign where an entrepreneur couldn’t get a venture capitalist to call him back for this light that he invented. So he just said “screw it, I’ll just do it myself,” and he went on Indiegogo, raised $400,000 and by the time his campaign was over, investors were calling and wanting to get in. AEDC: What advice would you have for someone in a rural community who’s considering crowdfunding? Danae: I would just think about what you’re trying to achieve, and who it’s going to benefit. I mean, in the end, what Indiegogo is about is creating a market before the market. So it’s going to the people that you were hoping to be your customer or fan in the end anyways, it’s just going to them up front. So that’s why Indiegogo’s not just a fundraising exercise it’s also a marketing exercise and market research exercise. So I would just think about what their hypothesis is, for who would want to experience whatever that they’re building. And then, start thinking about how to connect with them, then start reaching out and letting them know that you’re going to be making this happen, and if you want to be part of this campaign - kind of test the waters per se, and let them know before you launch. AEDC: What is the future of crowdfunding? Danae: First of all, hopefully we’re not using the word crowdfunding, because it’s not the right word. Really, this is not the right word either, but it’s people-powered finance. We’re all funding things. So actually the future of this industry, I like to say “future of funding” is all of us funding the future. So in the past we were reliant on 6
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gatekeepers: Banks, venture capitalists, basically nodes where funding was getting trapped and bottlenecked. That’s working in that old world when you want to be able to deploy capital in a massive way — it’s easier to hoard it then deploy it — and that’s the system that works, it’s better than no system. But now that we’ve connected to the internet, which is decentralizing everything, why shouldn’t we be decentralizing finance too? And literally distributing the power to the hands of everybody in aggregate to decide what matters. So I envision the future, where if a community wants a coffee shop to happen in their neighborhood, you know, somebody launches a campaign that day, distributes out to the neighborhood and everyone can fund it (Danae snaps) with 5-10 bucks right there and then, and boom, within a week you know if everyone wants that coffee shop or not, funds it and it happens. Same thing, you’re at a music concert and you know, maybe it’s a band from across the country and it took a lot for them to get out here, and at that very moment the band’s going to say, “Do you want us to come back next year? We’ll perform again.” And everybody whips out their phones, presses a button and boom, crowdfund their next visit. So that’s the nature of what it is — it’s everybody funding what matters to them. AEDC: One more question for fun, what advice do you have for entrepreneurs? Danae: So actually if Indiegogo does its job right, we are going to prove to the world that creativity and entrepreneurship doesn’t just happen in Silicon Valley, it’s everywhere. AEDC: Oh, we believe that here! Danae: Right! I whole-heartedly believe that. My advice to entrepre-
neurs is don’t think you have to move to Silicon Valley; the most important thing is to make sure what problem you’re solving is something you deeply care about. And if you’re not quite sure, ask yourself why you’re doing it. And whatever answer you give yourself, ask yourself why again until you get five whys, or six whys, or seven whys, until you get to a place that’s super root — like it’s almost like an irrational belief. And if you get to that place you know you’re working on something really meaningful to you. And entrepreneurship is hard, and there will be lots of ups and down, and what will get you through the hard part is knowing you are doing something out of great meaning for yourself, or what matters to you. Second piece of advice is: action and attraction speak louder than words. Do whatever you can to test your assumptions. Everything you think you know is just a hypothesis. So be ruthless in testing everything you think you know, whether it’s who you think your customer is, what problem you’re solving, what solution you have. Be as objective as you can. Be married to none of it. I always say be obsessed with your problem but don’t be married to your solution. Be open to changing it and pivoting it, so that, if with the right obsession with the problem you will actually get to a solution that works, that moves the needle in a true way. The third piece of advice I have is just don’t wait for perfect. You’re never going to figure out in your head, so just, get out of your head, get into the world. Test things and see what the feedback is and keep iterating from there. If you try to get perfect in your head, you’ll never get there and you’ll never start. Valerie Walsh is the communications director for Anchorage Economic Development Corp. and can be reached at vwalsh@aedcweb.com.
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SPICE RATCHET Founder: Kelly Dyer Launched: 2008 Spiceratchet.com
Spice Ratchet founder Kelly Dyer, right, and daughter Josephine Dyer
By Molly Dischner
Alaska Journal of Commerce Anchorage-based Spice Ratchet is a locally-run kitchenware business that takes a global team. Founder Kelly Dyer registered Spice Ratchet LLC in 2008 after she and her family moved to Anchorage from Dallas. At the time, she and her daughter, Josephine Dyer, were running the business from Anchorage, but her brother was creating the products in Taiwan. The enterprise grew out of a desire to help her brother, who has factories in China and Taiwan, expand to U.S. markets. Her first product was a grinder, the Spice Ratchet. It uses a ceramic grinding mechanism, which, at that time, was new to the American market.
Since then, she’s expanded to a range of products and sales models. Spice Ratchet sells its products online, and Kelly also spent the summer selling her products at the Saturday Market in Downtown Anchorage. She also travels to trade shows, and uses a distributor — New Jersey-based Harold Imports — to help get them into retailers throughout the country. Each of the kitchen devices Spice Ratchet sells is something Kelly knows is useful in the kitchen, including the Blossom trivet, her second product. The Blossom earned its name because it looks like a flower, Kelly said. It can snap together with additional blossoms for a customizable size, and can be used as a coaster, a trivet, or even to wrap around a hot dish. “It really resolves a lot of problems,”
Kelly Dyer said of the Blossom trivet. She also has a patent on the snap design that connects one trivet to another. Since then, Kelly has also developed other items, including a grinder designed specifically for flax and sesame seeds, and a grater that works on several products. “It’s called the Choco.Nut.Cheese Grater because it can grate chocolate, nuts and cheese,” Kelly said. Coming up with new products is an ongoing effort. “In the housewares business, you need to always come out with new ideas,” Kelly said. Often, it’s challenges in the kitchen or suggestions from her customers that help her develop new products. “My customers give me a lot of inspiraSee SPICE RATCHET, Page 11
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ANCHORAGE BUSINESS SPICES UP HOUSEWARES
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ALASKA FROM SCRATCH
Maya Evoy has received nearly five million page views since launching in October 2011
Founder: Maya Evoy Launched: October 2011 Alaskafromscratch.com
By Molly Dischner
Alaska Journal of Commerce Maya Evoy’s Nikiski kitchen is at the heart of her work. Evoy runs the website Alaska from Scratch, a food blog that she, and her husband, have built from scratch. She started in October 2011 with just a few readers — friends and family who saw her post a link to it on Facebook. Since then, she’s received 4.9 million page views, and she now has about 100,000 to 200,000 hits per month, coming from all over the world. Despite the traffic, the website is just an amalgamation of her passions, shared with the world. Evoy has longloved cooking, writing and photography. Her husband helped her bring those interests together. “I started because my husband is a web developer and he noticed how much 8
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I loved writing and photography and food and he was the one who originally encouraged me to write a food blog,” Evoy said. Her passion for cooking as a way to nourish others when she was a young child. She learned to cook sitting on her grandma’s counter. “I would help her make homemade wheat bread, and we would knead the dough together,” she said. Her family is still at the heart of her work — every post is, essentially, about feeding her family. “If it’s a great recipe that I think is a keeper, I put it on the blog and tell people how much my family loved it,” Evoy said. The recipes range from Alaska foods, like salmon and uses for the cranberries that can be picked locally, to other creations, like waffle breakfast sandwiches and key lime cake.
Her favorite post is a recipe for Superfood Salad with Pan-Seared Salmon, Evoy said. That’s not to say it’s always easy to think of a new recipe. With 422 posts and about 400 recipes, from time to time Evoy has trouble thinking of new ideas. Evoy said she turns to local markets to see what is fresh. “It’s like writer’s block; it’s recipe block,” Evoy said. “You get stuck in a rut and need to look outside for inspiration and see what’s fresh and local and let yourself get inspired by what’s available.” She also turns to other food writers for inspiration. “The food community here in Alaska is really small and tight-knit,” she said. Community is a focus of the site, Evoy said. It’s what has built most of her readership. “Social media is really huge,” she
Photo/Courtesy/Maya Evoy
BUILDING A WEB COMMUNITY ONE RECIPE AT A TIME
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said. “It’s about building a community around what you do. It’s a way to genuinely interact with the people, with your readers, and genuinely care about what’s going on with their lives.” Evoy uses a variety of social media sites to reach out — Instagram, Pintrest, Twitter and, of course, Facebook. On Instagram, Evoy shares Alaska photos along with food photos. That’s the place where she has the most followers — about 29,000. Pintrest is her second biggest social media site. There, she has about 10,000 followers. That actually drives more traffic to her website than Instagram does. Evoy said the recipe for success on Pintrest, so far as she’s found, is taking excellent photos. She shares those photos and links to recipes on her website, but Pintrest is also where she provides some different content, including recipes
that inspire her from other bloggers. She also has an Alaska style board. That offers her social network a more complete picture of what she’s interested in and how she lives, she said. Evoy said what is most popular is not always predictable. Her most viewed recipe is a broccoli salad with sunflower seeds and cranberries. That has received 261,000 page views since it was posted in July 2012. Sometimes, what drives traffic is simply links from other media. She’s been featured on The Today Show and Buzzfeed, and each of those drove readers to her site. She also writes a column for the Alaska Dispatch News, and her Alaska readership has increased since she started that in January, she said. Beyond content, Evoy said her advice to others trying to build their social media presence is to be genuine.
“My biggest tip would be to build a community, to build relationships with people, and not just be a self-promoter,” she said. Evoy said social media is more than just a way to build her website. She’s also made real connections with some of the people she’s met through social media that are interested in food writing. “I’ve met a fair handful of people now that I’ve connected with through blogging,” Evoy said. The connection across the miles is one of the things Evoy enjoys about blogging. “I feel like being a food blogger and providing good recipes is a way to nourish people from afar,” she said. Molly Dischner can be reached at molly.dischner@alaskajournal.com.
Superfood Salad with Pan-Seared Salmon Ingredients • 1 3-ounce wild salmon fillet, pin bones and skin removed • 1 ½ cups kale, chopped • ½ cup cooked quinoa • ½ of an avocado, chopped • ¼ cup pomegranate arils
Photo/Courtesy/Maya Evoy
For the Honey Mustard Vinaigrette: • 1 garlic clove • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard • 1 tablespoon honey (or to taste) • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil • salt and pepper to taste Instructions 1. Season the salmon filet with salt and pepper. In a saute pan over medium-high heat, pan-sear the salmon until golden and cooked to your liking (I like mine medium, which only took 2-3 minutes per side). Set aside and allow to rest. 2. Add the dressing ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth and emulsified, about 30 seconds. Set aside. 3. Add the kale to a bowl and massage it with your fingers firmly for 30 seconds to tenderize. Stir in the cooked quinoa. Drizzle the kale and quinoa with half of the dressing and toss to combine. Top the dressed kale and quinoa with the chopped avocado and salmon filet. Sprinkle with the pomegranate arils and drizzle everything with the remaining dressing. Serve.
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SPICE RATCHET Continued from page 7 tion to come up with new ideas,” Kelly said. She’s also able to work with designers who bring new ideas to the process, and to help make her ideas a reality, and she’s able to collaborate with the Research and Design departments from her brother’s factories. “We work with talented people, helping them enter the U.S. market,” Kelly said. Her newest products are a series of silicone lids for wide-mouth mason jars that debuted at an Atlanta show in July, called uCaps. Since then, sales have taken off. The most popular was designed to hold flowers in place. It features an adaptation of Spice Ratchet’s signature blossom design, with the petals cut out so that flowers can be stuck through. The line also includes two other caps — one replaces a traditional lid (but not
for use in canning), the other has a spot to put a straw through, turning the mason jar into a to-go cup. As the business grows, it’s still a familyaffair. The office is behind the family’s South Anchorage home, and Kelly keeps a stock of Spice Ratchet products in sheds out back to sell to local vendors and for website sales. This winter, Kelly’s husband Jim also left his job in the telecommunications world to focus on Spice Ratchet. Kelly also relies on other contractors to help make the business run, including help with social media and the website. Social media has a large role in developing a business, especially one that involves relationships across the country and online sales. “It’s gone from something that was nice to do a little bit of, to something you have to do a lot of,” Jim said. The Dyers are also planning for future growth — including getting help with
search engine optimization, and expanding into foreign markets, such as Canada and Europe. Kelly is not just passionate about utility in the kitchen. She also hopes that her products will help show people that “Made in China” doesn’t mean that something is poorly made. “The product coming from China can be a good quality, well-designed product,” Kelly said, getting emotional. Although there’s a push for products to be Made in America, and Jim said the company is looking to see if they can find American factories to collaborate with, Kelly believes that the product coming from overseas can be high-quality. “I’m from Taiwan — I believe in good quality, good design,” she said.
Molly Dischner can be reached at molly.dischner@alaskajournal.com.
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FRESH BREW
Kevin Tubbs pours a glass at the Glacier Brewhouse from one of his Beer Pouch growlers.
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Cover Story
Twelve years in the making, Tubbs’ invention selling millions worldwide By Elwood Brehmer
Photo/Michael Dinnen/Michael Dinneen Photography
Alaska Journal of Commerce
For growing Alaska breweries, it’s not just about pop-tops and longnecks anymore. Some of the state’s beer makers are breaking from tradition and pouring their products into new containers that maximize the flavor and shelf life of their suds. In Wasilla, longtime home brewer Kevin Tubbs has devised the Beer Pouch, a soft plastic container that protects libations, or any liquid for that matter, in ways that others just can’t. “Brewers are a very, very innovative lot,” Brewers Guild of Alaska President Jim Roberts said. Tubbs, the former proprietor of Yukon Spirits in Anchorage, said the Beer Pouch came about as a way to get more local beers on the shelves of his store. At one point, Yukon Spirits offered more than 500 brews from all the corners of the globe, but getting the best Alaska had to offer was difficult, he said. “I was watching them strip all the Bud and Miller off my shelves every 120 days because the beer was aging out,” he said. “I watched that happen for years and I started wondering, because I’m a brewer, why? What’s going on with this beer?” So, 12 years ago, Tubbs went to work and eventually he came home with the Beer Pouch, designed to protect its contents from two of beer’s three biggest enemies and the downfall of nearly all food and drink: light and oxygen. Protect-
ing beer from its third nemesis, heat, is up to its caretaker. Tubbs said his innovation adds 50 percent to a beer’s shelf life over a glass container, which “is like having wolves tend to your sheep,” he said. The plastic pouch, like a can, blocks light from deteriorating fresh beer. It also eliminates the air exchange that occurs in capped bottles, or growler jugs, much like a can. Additionally, it can be “burped” to remove the air trapped inside a bottle or can, Tubbs said. For any air that remains inside the Beer Pouch after it’s filled, there is an oxygen scavenger disc on the underside of each cap that acts like a “roach motel” for oxygen molecules, Tubbs described. The Beer Pouch still manages to go another step beyond aluminum thanks to its liner; it doesn’t flavor its contents. It does all that without taking up hardly any space. “If I was going to create a container that was easily usable for our local guys it had to be easy to ship,” he said. Startup brewers face economy of scale challenges when packaging their products. Canning and bottling equipment is a major investment, which might require increasing output, thus straining growth capacity and putting product quality risk. Filling 32- or 64-ounce growlers onsite is the best way to get the freshest beer, but the beer eventually goes flat and it limits a brewery’s market to local customers — not to mention the jugs are big, bulky and fragile. A case of six half-gallon growlers holds 200 pouches. “It seemed ironic to me that I could have beer from Vietnam (at Yukon Spirits) but not from Moose’s Tooth across the street,” Tubbs recalled. Where bottling lines cost, the Beer Pouch allows the brewer to make money on the first beer packaged, he said. While liquids have been put in plastic pouches or bags for years, Tubbs said, “The secret sauce was in creating a cap and seams for carbonated beverages.”
The seems on the pouch are sealed ultrasonically — with high frequency mechanical sound waves that molecularly bond the halves of the package, making for a seal many times stronger than can be achieved with heat — a design characteristic that did not come without sacrifice. “My kids learned to dive for cover because I had so many samples that would explode,” Tubbs said. After 12 years of pitches, trade shows and trial and error, the Beer Pouch seems to be on its way. Since late last year when the final, basic pouch design was developed, Tubbs has shipped variations of his original soft growler to distributors in 14 countries and several states. He said he’s sold more than a million beer pouches and nine million wine pouches. A spot on NBC’s Today Show in May helped. “Millions of viewers will do some amazing things for your website,” he said. “Next thing we knew we were hearing from breweries in Ethiopia, Belgium and Germany and Italy and customers who wanted them for wine.” Serving-sized pouches have become popular at concerts and sporting venues as an alternative to glass Tubbs said — “places where they don’t want things being thrown at the referee. You get hit with a bottle, there’s a problem. You get hit with one of these pouches it’s like getting hit with a pillow.” A few of Tubbs’ new customers extol the “green” virtues of the Beer Pouch in their marketing. In California, they are available by retail as the Eco Growler, an aseptic, or minimal, and recyclable package. SpotWine LLC, of East Hartford, Conn., touts that their pouch-packed wine reduces fuel consumption during transport by half over traditional bottled wine. Everything Tubbs has earned from the Beer Pouch has gone back into the product to-date, he said, and now that he has established Outside markets he will be focusing on serving Alaska breweries, an important, but admittedly small market.
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KINGS CANNING
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King St. Brewing expands business to six-packs By Elwood Brehmer
Alaska Journal of Commerce
King Street Brewing Co. co-owner Shane Kingry
emulates some of the company fans who have taken to snapping photos of themselves with its new cans around Alaska.
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Cover Story
Since they started canning, Kingry has been getting photos of people with King Street beer in some classic Alaska locales — mountains, lakes and streams, he said. Going from barrels and growlers to filling individual packages can be a big leap for craft breweries. Automated canning equipment is a major investment for a small operation. Canning takes time and growing, by nature, requires more beer. For startup brewers like Walukiewicz and Kingry, that means more time at King Street — both still hold full-time day jobs. “I have an extremely supportive wife and family,” Kingry said. On this particular day, he was brewing at 4 a.m., before work as a computer network engineer. Then it was back to King Street for the Innovator interview, back to his day job, and finally back to the brewery for the evening to prep for canning on his next “day off,” Kingry said. Simply storing the yet-to-be-filled cans can be a nightmare, according to Roberts.
“You run into a real estate problem, especially for a small brewery like King Street that’s stuffed into a commercial area like it is,” Roberts said. “Where would another outfit like that put 40-foot containers of cans.” Kingry said labeling their own cans for the three types of beer going in them has allowed King Street to break down the large volumes can distributors require. They buy one container of generic cans and label them three ways, as opposed to buying three containers worth, each with a different stamp. Canning is a step towards becoming full-time brewers, he said, something the pair hopes to do within a couple years. It has moved their product into about 15 retail outlets around Anchorage and gained exposure for draught sales. “Our goal is to meet the demand of Alaska,” Kingry said. Having nearly quadrupled their production capacity in only three years, that might be on the horizon.
Photo/Michael Dinnen/Michael Dinneen Photography
On the south side of Anchorage, King Street Brewing Co. is packaging its fullflavored India Pale Ale, commonly referred to as an IPA, in aluminum cans that open more like a can of soup or veggies than your favorite cold beverage. King Street owners Shane Kingry and Dana Walukiewicz have been in business on their namesake route for three years and began canning their brews about a year ago, well before they had planned. “We didn’t expect to be packaging in a bottle or can for at least five years when we first started,” Kingry said. “We tried canning by hand and it just took off.” King Street Brewing Co. is the first Alaska brewery to offer its beer in a 16-ounce, 360-degree, wide mouth lid, Brewers Guild of Alaska President Jim Roberts. “This top comes off like a can of soup, so you’re left with basically a glass,” Kingry explained. “You get the aromatics, which are so important to the taste perception; plus I find it’s a lot more natural drinking experience than a bottle or a can.”
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Entrepreneurship Week Local crowdfunders Travis Smith and Kyle Aramburo of Hybrid Color Films, Brett Woelber and Chelsea Ward-Waller of Expedition Arguk and Clark James Mishler, author of Portrait Alaska, shared their advice at a forum at Bear Tooth Theatrepub
AEDC ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK GOES STATEWIDE idea to launch in one weekend. With
ity and resourcefulness. There were
more than 50 participants the weekend
more than 30 booths, seven presenters
concluded with participants pitching their
and around 1,200 attendees. Highlights
ideas to a panel of angel investors and
included a camper trailer fabricated to
seasoned startup experts. There were
look like a rocket ship, a cardboard space
AEDC organized the second annual Alas-
nine different teams, with ideas ranging
needle and a room full of robots.
ka Entrepreneurship Week. With the help
from easing the use of bitcoins to fresh
of numerous partners in the community
takes on the classic dog park.
Anchorage Economic Development Corp.
During the last week of July 2014,
Danae Ringelmann, the co-founder of the world’s largest crowdfunding platform,
and around the state, Alaska Entrepre-
The Alaska Small Business Develop-
neurship Week events were held across
ment Center, Anchorage MakerSpace and
Indiegogo, for a lunch forum at Bear Tooth
Alaska, from Fairbanks to Ketchikan.
AEDC teamed up to organize the second
Theatrepub. Before Danae took to the
annual Anchorage Mini Maker Faire, held
stage, AEDC invited a panel of successful
off with Startup Weekend Anchorage
at the Z.J. Loussac Library on July 26.
Alaska-based crowdfunders to share with
on Friday, July 25, at The Boardroom in
Maker Faires are held around the world
the audience their crowdfunding experi-
downtown Anchorage. Startup Weekend
and celebrate the “Maker Movement.” In
ences — what worked, didn’t work and
is a 54-hour business plan competition,
simple terms, a Maker Faire is a family
where participants take a startup from
friendly festival of invention, creativ-
Alaska Entrepreneurship Week kicked
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On Monday, July 28, AEDC hosted
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See AEDC, Page 21
Photos/Andre C. Horton
By Valerie Walsh
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R E N N I D WHAT’S AT LIKE ! ? E S U O YOUR H HER LIFE INES M R E T R O P E R AGE YOUNG R O H C N A N I S FOR STORIE
By Rosey Robards Eighteen-year-old Arina Filippenko grabbed her digital audio recorder out of her locker and strolled the halls of West Anchorage High School. She had one question: “What is dinner like at your house?” Arina was reporting for a youthproduced radio show called, “In Other News” which airs on KNBA 90.3 FM with hopes her story might get picked up by other local and national programs. The idea was that dinner is a story people everywhere can relate to. “Well, a typical dinner at my house would be: my dad comes home, makes some-
thing (whatever he feels like making that night) and we all gather around the table and eat,” a classmate told her. “That’s really boring,” Filippenko replied. “Mmhmm,” her classmate agreed. Not all answers were so simple. One student recalled telling his dad dinner tasted terrible before he fed his dad’s cooking to the dog and opened a can of soup. Another said he was pretty sure his mom told everyone she was out of town because a family friend brought stew for him and his dad. Or there’s this story from a youth who has reasons why she enjoys spending time in her room with her cats rather than at the dinner table: “My mom yells that dinner’s ready and I go up there and the table’s all set. And my mom invites over her awkward boyfriend and I just kind of eat quickly
so I can get out of that weird scenario and go back to my room.” These are the kinds of honest conversations youth have with each other everyday. And for 10 years, Anchorage youth have been putting these perspectives on the air. “Some kids came in and wanted to do a show and it was just the coolest thing to have so many different people coming into the station,” Loren Dixon, program director at KNBA said. “It just rounded out what KNBA should be all about, community.” As a member of the Alaska Teen Media Institute, Filippenko has been paid for her radio stories, taken on contract work and improved her graphic design skills. She’s also found support for her venture to be a go-to photographer for senior portraits. Recently, she led the ATMI teens in running a Kickstarter project, which has raised the radio portion of the program about $4,000. She’s a classic example of a student who utilizes the program to its full potential. This year Filippenko will attend classes at the University of Alaska Anchorage to study business and marketing. She’ll live at home with her mom and grandmother. And what about dinner at her house? Most nights they’ll eat at home. “At my house? My mom and grandma usually eat together in the living room and I sit at the dining room table,” Filippenko said. “My mom usually cooks and doesn’t really let me because she’s afraid I’m going to waste her produce.” Arina is working to perfect a macaroni recipe when she gets a chance. “I only mess it up every other time,” she said. “What’s dinner like at your house?” and 10 years of stories produced by Anchorage youth are available online at alaskateenmedia.org. Rosey Robards is the director of Alaska Teen Media Institute and a freelance writer. She enjoys writing feature stories, especially those that include food, music or art. She can be reached at rosey@ alaskateenmedia.org.
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Kidpreneurs
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Gretchen Loves Anchorage
favorite Places in anchorage to....
By Gretchen Fauske
Spenard Roadhouse
…experience “complete bliss and delight”: Namaste Shangri-La serves flavorful and fulfilling cuisine from southeast Asia. Tip: Order the chai. It’s the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, hot and rich.
Middleway Café
…feel smug about making healthy choices: Middleway Café. The added bonus is in addition focusing on organic and locally sourced ingredients, as well as offering vegan and gluten free options, the food is simply delicious. Tip: From 4 to 6 p.m. smoothies and other goodies are 25 percent off! …enjoy an all-around awesome meal: Kincaid Grill. My pick for the best restaurant in town. The entire dining experience is as good as it gets. Tip: If you’re a group of 6 to 12, reserve the chef’s table for a view of culinary genius at work!
Fire Island Rustic Bake Shop
Kincaid Grill
The Bubbly Mermaid Oyster Bar
…make new friends while quaffing champagne: The Bubbly Mermaid Oyster Bar seats less than 20 people. Once the champagne starts flowing and the conversation really gets going it’s nearly impossible to leave without expanding your circle of friends.
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…go local (and drink really good wine!): Crush. An inventive, regularly updated menu with strong locavore appeal combined with a carefully curated wine list makes this a downtown dining gem. Tip: Visit the bottle shop upstairs for beer, wine, cheese, cured meats and chocolate. …eat a damn good burger: Tommy’s Burger Stop. Verbal warfare has been waged over who makes the best burger in town, but I stand by Tommy’s every time. YUM. Tip: You can pick up Double Musky desserts like Cajun Delight and Double Musky Pie, just in case you haven’t yet achieved a food coma of satiated satisfaction.
…pick-up a to-go order: Moose’s Tooth. Like most Alaskans, I love Moose’s Tooth. I do not love the incredibly long wait for a table. Fortunately, Moose’s Tooth offers the same great pizza for pick-up, and recently just expanded to include a second kitchen for to-go orders only. They even have dedicated to-go order parking. Tip: Ask for a dough ball and make your own breadsticks at home!
…throw caution to the wind and order one of everything: Fire Island Rustic Bake Shop. Okay, I haven’t actually ordered one of everything, but I wish I could! Tip: Tear yourself away from the flakey croissants, colorful tarts, warm monkey bread, gooey cinnamon rolls and the best peanut butter cookies ever and try a sandwich. Surprising combos, like smoked beet or buttered radish and sprouts, yield exceptional results. …grab a drink after work: Sub Zero. The home of the infamous “Classy Trashy” cocktail, creative beverage options abound but you can also order a glass of vino or a beer from one of Alaska’s craft breweries. Tip: Follow Sub Zero on Facebook to stay up-to-date on live music, wine tastings, and theme nights.
Photos/Courtesy/Gretchen Fauske
…think about ordering something healthy, but then order tater tots: Spenard Roadhouse burst onto the scene in 2009, and people have been fighting for parking spots ever since. The drinks are inventive and come adorned with plastic figurines, there’s a new bacon dish every month, and if you do decide to opt for something healthy, the quinoa salad and veggie platter hit the spot. Tip: Brunch is AWESOME.
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…feel upscale while eating pizza: Fat Ptarmigan. The ambiance is cozy-industrial-chic (visit to see what I mean!) and the wood fired pizza is delish. Tip: Wander down the block after your meal and enjoy a scoop or two at the Fat Ptarmigan ice cream shop!
Kaladi Brothers
Photo Credit Goes Here
…caffeinate, re-caffeinate, and sometimes de-caffeinate: Kaladi Brothers has been my go-to purveyor of locally roasted coffee for more than 15 years. Tip: Make sure to stop by on New Year’s Day, when all proceeds are donated to charity. …marvel at the beauty of Alaska: Simon and Seaforts Saloon and Grill. The food is unfailingly good, but the view of Cook Inlet with the sun setting behind Sleeping Lady is GREAT. Tip: Send a friend ahead to stake out a table by the windows. The list above in no way begins to scratch the surface of fantastic dining options in town (in fact, I’m running through multiple egregious oversights in my head: Southside Bistro, Pho Lena, Snow City, Samurai Sushi, Orso, the Gumbo House, Bangkok Café, Sacks… so many!) and I’m sure there are even more that I’ve missed. Make your own list on Facebook, and share it with #PlayingFavoritesDiningAnchorage. Bon appétit! Discover more about great places to dine and loving life in Anchorage, Alaska at : www.GretchenLovesAnchorage.com.
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Entrepreneurship Week
JUNEAU SHERBET WINS AEDC PITCH-ON-A-TRAIN CONTEST By Molly Dischner
Pitch-on-a-Train judges Joe Morrison, left, and Jon Bittner sample the sherbet of winner Marc Wheeler
Alaska Journal of Commerce TURNAGAIN ARM — What is the quintessential Alaska food? Juneau resident Marc Wheeler would like it to be rhubarb sherbet, available at most cruise ship docks in Southeast Alaska. Wheeler won the Anchorage Economic Development Corp.’s Pitch-on-a-Train event July 31 with a plan to expand his ice creamery and coffee shop, Coppa, where he currently sells rhubarb sherbet and other flavors. “The rhubarb stock is a little bit
equity share in the business.
Wheeler said during his pitch. “But rhu-
looked for another local product, and re-
He told the judges that with a larger
barb has a lot of positive associations
alized that Juneau had acres of rhubarb.
freezer and a food truck, he could scale up production and reach the 1 million
for a lot of people. ... Rhubarb harkens
Now, Wheeler makes and sells a
back to those days when we made and
variety of Alaska flavors: the sherbets,
cruise ship passengers who visit Juneau
put up more of our own food, a tradition
blueberry and spruce tip ice creams, and
each year. The business currently takes
we still have in Alaska.”
other varieties, at his shop in downtown
in about $300,000 in revenue each year,
Juneau, about 1.5 miles from where
including $60,000 in ice cream — that
comes from the coffee side of the busi-
cruise ships dock. His wife does the
could be doubled or tripled with dock
ness, but it all began with ice cream
marketing and much of the creative
positioning, he said.
— and that’s where Wheeler believes
work.
Most of Coppa’s current revenue
there’s the most room for growth. He started the business after his wife picked up an ice cream maker at a
His pitch was to expand to mobile food sales right on the docks in Juneau. “We have visions of having rhubarb
Judge Jon Bittner, deputy commissioner for the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, said Wheeler’s pitch won
sherbet in every port from Ketchikan
for several reasons: he has a proven
to Skagway, and someday, coming to
business, he was realistic about his
nity with my daughter,’” he said. “We
Alaska and not having rhubarb sherbet
potential for growth — and the product
can pick raspberries, we have a lot of
will be like going to Italy and not trying
was good.
raspberries in our neighborhood, make
the gelato,” he said.
garage sale. “I thought, ‘what a unique opportu-
sherbet with the raspberries, and sell it 20
When the raspberries ran out, he
investment in exchange for a 15 percent
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Wheeler’s pitch called for a $75,000
“Bribing a judge panel with ice cream is never a bad idea,” Bittner said with
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Photos/Andre C. Horton
salmon jumping out of the Kenai River,”
on Saturdays.”
Photo/Molly Dischner/AJOC
humble. It isn’t as iconic as a king
The other projects were a new water
a laugh after the winners were an-
Putting together the AEDC presentation
nounced.
helped Wheeler and his wife think about
filtration system, a software subscrip-
how to grow, he said.
tion to control unmanned aerial systems,
Wheeler won a three-month member-
Wheeler was just one of several Alas-
fractional aircraft ownership and a way
Airlines miles donated by Travelocity.
kans who presented their business ideas
to use bitcoins on a conventional debit/
com and Kayak.com founder Terry Jones
at the second annual event.
credit card.
ship to The Boardroom, 50,000 American
and 25,000 Alaska Air miles donated by GCI. He also went home with a better idea of how to grow his business, he said. Wheeler was nominated for the AEDC
A panel of judges including Bittner, Jones and others from banks, investment groups and other Alaska organizations heard the pitches, and questioned
Bittner said all of the pitches were well done. “Everybody did a fantastic job,” he said.
the teams at the end of each presenta-
competition because he was a finalist in
tion, pressing them for details on how
Molly Dischner can be reached at
Juneau Economic Development Corp.’s
each business would work as the train
molly.dischner@alaskajournal.com.
Path to Prosperity competition in 2013.
traveled from Anchorage to Whittier.
AEDC: Continued from page 16 what they learned through the process. Local crowdfunders included Travis Smith and Kyle Aramburo of Hybrid Color Films, Brett Woelber and Chelsea Ward-Waller of Expedition Arguk and Clark James Mishler, author of Portrait Alaska. Mid-week, on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, AEDC hosted the Three-Year Economic Outlook for Anchorage, featuring guest speaker Terry Jones, the founder of Travelocity.com; co-founder of Kayak.com and author of ON Innovation. AEDC President Bill Popp gave a presentation on the
Terry Jones, founder of Travelocity.com and co-founder of Kayak.com, signs copies of his book ON Innovation after AEDC’s annual 3-year Economic Outlook Luncheon in Anchorage.
three-year economic outlook for Anchorage. AEDC produces a digital report on
Anchorage to Whittier. The winner of the
Overall, the week was filled with
the Three-Year Outlook. If you would like
competition is featured on the opposite
numerous events and the energy level
to review it, go to www.AEDCweb.com.
page.
was high. We are excited to see what the
Photos/Andre C. Horton
Photo/Molly Dischner/AJOC
The final event that AEDC held during
These events weren’t the only events
next year brings for entrepreneurship in
Alaska Entrepreneurship Week was the
during Alaska Entrepreneurship Week.
second annual Pitch-On-A-Train competi-
Other events included a 1 Million Cups
tion. Five startups from around Alaska
presentation, various classes put on by
director for Anchorage Economic De-
joined AEDC and a panel of judges to
the Alaska Small Business Development
velopment Corp. and can be reached at
pitch their business idea to the judges,
Center and a daylong seminar arranged
vwalsh@aedcweb.com.
while riding the Alaska Railroad from
by the 49th State Angel Fund.
Alaska! Valerie Walsh is the communications
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AEDC MEMBERS Diamond $20,000+ ConocoPhillips Delta Air Lines ExxonMobil Production Company GCI McDowell Group, Inc.
Alaska Airlines, Inc Alaska Dispatch News Alaska USA Federal Credit Union Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility BP Exploration
Platinum $10,000 - $19,999
Alaska Communications Systems Group, Inc. Alaska Integrated Media Anchorage Community Development Authority Anchorage Media Group BDO USA, LLP Chugach Electric Association CIRI CRW Engineering Group LLC Denali Alaskan Federal Credit Union DOWL HKM Flint Hills Resources Alaska, LLC Hotel Captain Cook KeyBank KTUU TV Lynden, Inc. Northrim Bank Ohana Media Group, LLC Providence Alaska Medical Center Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc. USKH now Stantec Weidner Apartment Homes
Gold $5,000 - $9,999
Alaska Channel Alaska Regional Hospital Aleut Corporation Anchorage Fracture and Orthopedic Clinic ASRC Energy Services Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Calista Corporation Clear Channel Radio Creative Lighting & Sound DenaliTek Incorporated Enstar Natural Gas Company FedEx Express Grant Thornton LLP kpb architects Orthopedic Physicians Anchorage Pacific North West Regional Council of Carpenters
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Morris Alaska/Alaska Journal of Commerce Municipal Light & Power Municipality of Anchorage Port of Anchorage Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska
Princess Cruises Shell Exploration & Production Thompson & Co. The Wilson Agency, LLC
Silver $2,500 - $4,999
Alaska Aerospace Corporation Alaska Business Monthly Alaska Executive Search Alaska National Insurance Company Alaska Public Media Alaska Railroad Corporation Alyeska Resort Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Ltd. Architects Alaska Artique, Ltd. AT&T Alaska Better Business Bureau BiNW Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot Blood Bank of Alaska Brews Brothers, LLC Bristol Bay Native Corporation Carlile Transportation Systems Chugach Alaska Corporation Coffman Engineers Inc. Cook Inlet Housing Authority E Street Audio Eklutna, Inc Graphic Works JL Properties, Inc Michael Baker Jr., Inc. Microcom Communications Solutions MINI of Anchorage Northern Air Cargo Odom Corporation Penco Properties Petrotechnical Resources Alaska (PRA) Quantum Spatial Ravn Alaska RIM Architects RSA Engineering, Inc.
Professional Growth Systems Solid Waste Services Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport The Chariot Group Walsh Sheppard Wells Fargo Bank N.A.
Steamdot The Alaska Club The Superior Group, Inc. Tesoro Alaska Company The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts The Boardroom Think Office Verizon Wireless
Bronze $500 - $2,499
3M Accurate Vision Clinic ADSB Technologies Agnew Beck Consulting AK Supply Inc Alaska AFL-CIO Alaska Airlines Magazine Alaska Cargoport, LLC Alaska Growth Capital Alaska Magazine Alaska Rubber and Supply Inc. Alaska Sales and Service Alaska Sausage & Seafood Alaska Salmon Alliance Alaska Small Business Development Center Alaska Waste Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Alyeska Pipeline Service Company American Diabetes Association Anchorage Community Land Trust Anchorage Concert Association Anchorage Fueling & Service Company Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center Anchorage Public Library Apokrisis, LLC Arcadis Arctic Controls, Inc. Arctic Wire Rope & Supply, Inc. Beacon Occupational Health and Safety Services, Inc Bear Tooth TheatrePub
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Bettisworth North Architects and Planners, Inc. Bond Commercial Properties Bradley Reid + Associates Inc. Cange and Chambers CAP Logistics Capital Management & Benefits Inc. Carr Gottstein Properties Chenega Corporation Chenega Energy, LLC Chris Stephens Commercial Brokerage Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce Coastal Television Broadcasting Color Art Printing Co Commodity Forwarders, Inc Construction Machinery Industrial LLC Cooper & Associates, LLC Cornerstone Construction Co., Inc Credit Union 1 Criterion General, Inc. Davis Constructors & Engineers, Inc. DeWitt, Gordon Elwood Staffing Environmental Management, Inc. Excel Construction F.R. Bell & Associates, Inc. Fairweather, LLC Florcraft The Foraker Group Frampton and Opinsky, LLC Furniture Enterprises of Alaska Gina Bosnakis & Associates GMC Contracting Inc Graham Commercial Real Estate Consultants HDR Alaska, Inc. Hilton Anchorage Holmes Weddle & Barcott PC Hope Community Resources, Inc. Horizon Lines Alaska Hot Wire LLC Hughes Gorski Seedorf Odsen & Tervooren, LLC International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 302
Jack White Real Estate Jermain, Dunnagan & Owens, PC Ken Brady Construction Kiewit Building Group Kittelson & Associates, Inc. KPMG Kumin and Associates Lottsfeldt Strategies Marsh & McLennan Agency Matanuska Electric Association Matanuska Telephone Association Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union MatSu Borough Millenium Alaskan Hotel Anchorage Millrock Resources, Inc. Mind Matters Research, LLC MSI Communications Nana Management Services (NMS) National Cooperative Bank Neighbor Works Anchorage Norcoast Mechanical North Pole Economic Development Corporation North Star Terminal and Stevedore Co. Northcoast Mechanical Northern Economics, Inc. NorthWest Data Solutions Northwest Strategies Northwestern Mutual Old Harbor Native Corporation Opti Staffing Group Pacific Rim Media PangoMedia, Inc. Parker, Smith & Feek, Inc. PCL Construction Services, Inc. Pebble Limited Partnership Pfeffer Development Group, LLC PIP Printing PTP Management, Inc. Q Engineers, Inc R&M Consultants Rasmuson Foundation RE/MAX Dynamic Properties, Inc. Reid Middleton, Inc.
510 L Street, Suite 603 | Anchorage, AK 99502 Phone: (907) 258-3700 | Fax: (907) 258-6747 www.AEDCweb.com
CONTACT AEDC President & CEO
Development Director
Communications Director
Bill Popp
Ruth Glenn
Valerie Walsh
bpopp@aedcweb.com.
rglenn@aedcweb.com
Business & Economic Development Director
Will Kyzer
wkyzer@aedcweb.com
@AEDC
AEDCweb
Resource Data, Inc. RLG International Roger Hickel Contracting Inc. Schneider Structural Engineers Sequestered Solutions Alaska SLR International Corp SMG Facility Management of Alaska, Inc. Sockeye Business Solutions Southcentral Alaska Council of Building & Construction Spawn Ideas Inc. Spenard Builders Supply Spenard Roadhouse SprocketHeads, LLC Stoel Rives LLP Strategies 360 UAA-College of Arts & Sciences UAA-Business Enterprise Institute UAA-Community & Technical College Univar USA URS Corporation Visit Anchorage Wallace Insurance Group Weatherholt and Associates, LLC Weston Solutions Wilson Strategic Communications Yuit LLC
vwalsh@aedcweb.com
Live.Work.Play. Director
Archana Mishra amishra@aedcweb.com
Research Director
Operations Coordinator
James Starzec
Tammy Gosset
jstarzec@aedcweb.com
tgosset@aedcweb.com
Anchorage Economic Development Corp
instagram@iloveanchorage
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2014 AEDC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair
Secretary/Treasurer
Timothy Vig
James Hasle
Managing Partner, USKH now Stantec
Managing Partner, BDO USA, LLP
Vice-Chair
Immediate Past Chair
Michael Prozeralik
Joseph Everhart
Managing Principal, President, kpb architects
2014 VOTING MEMBERS Alaska Airlines Marilyn Romano, Regional Vice President
GCI Greg Pearce, Vice President & General Manager, Business Services
Alaska Communications Michael Todd, Senior Vice President, Technology Services
Hotel Captain Cook Raquel Edelen, Vice President of Operations
Alaska Railroad Corporation Dale Wade, Vice President, Business Development
Lynden, Inc. Rick Pollock, Vice President Global Operations
Alaska USA Federal Credit Union Wayne Bailey, Chief Risk Officer
Northern Air Cargo Sami Glascott, Director of Sales
AT&T, Alaska Chris Brown, Director of Business Planning Management Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot Suzanne Cherot, Shareholder & Attorney
Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska Lynn Rust Henderson, Vice President, Sales, Alaska Market
BP Exploration David Van Tuyl, Chief Financial Officer
Princess Tours Bruce Bustamante, Vice President of Community and Public Affairs
CIRI Sophie Minich, President/CEO
Professional Growth Systems William Dann, President
ConocoPhillips Bob Heinrich, Vice President of Finance
Providence Alaska Medical Center Kirsten Schultz, Regional Director, Communications & Marketing
DOWL HKM Steve Noble, Vice President
The Wilson Agency Lon Wilson, President
ExxonMobil Kimberley J. Fox, Public Affairs Manager
Totem Ocean Trailer Express Grace Greene, Alaska General Manager
FedEx Express Dale Shaw, Managing Director, Alaska Operations
Walsh Sheppard Jack Sheppard, President & COO
First National Bank Alaska John Hoyt, Senior Vice President
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Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters Scott Hansen, Business Manager
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Weidner Apartment Homes Gregory Cerbana, Director of Public Relations
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS Alaska Legislators Senator Johnny Ellis Senator Lesil McGuire Representative Mia Costello Representative Lindsey Holmes EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS Municipality Of Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan Larry Baker, Senior Policy Advisor Ernie Hall, Assembly Member Bill Evans, Assembly Member EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS Appointed by the Board AIDEA Chris Anderson, Deputy Director, Credit and Business Development Alaska Pacific University Dr. Don Bantz, President Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Andrew Halcro, President Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Ltd. Chris Schutte, Executive Director Anchorage School District Ed Graff, Superintendent Anchorage Water & Wastewater Andrew Eker, Board Representative
Alaska Region President Wells Fargo N.A.
Susan Gorski, Executive Director Girdwood 2020 Diana Stone Livingston, Co-Chair KeyBank Brian Nerland, District President Lynden, Inc., Past Chair of AEDC board Dennis Mitchell, Vice President International Municipal Light & Power James A. Trent, General Manager Port of Anchorage Steve Ribuffo, Port Director RIM Architects Larry Cash, President & CEO State of Alaska, DCCED Jonathan Bittner, Deputy Commissioner Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport John Parrott, Airport Manager University of Alaska Mary Hughes, Board of Regents
Artique, Ltd. Tennys Owens, President
University of Alaska, Anchorage Thomas Case, Chancellor
Chris Stevens Commercial Brokerage Chris Stephens, President
Visit Anchorage Julie Saupe, President & CEO
Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce
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