President's Message
Dear Chamber Members,
May is here which means Kodiak Crab Festival is around the corner! The Chamber staff have been hard at work coordinating all aspects of our 60th Crab Festival- our Diamond Jubilee- taking place May 24th to the 28th. We have a phenomenal logo this year designed by coast-guardsman Jon Finnerty. All of our hoodies, shirts, kids clothing, and more is available for purchase at the Chamber Office, so be sure to stop by. You can find more information on Crab Fest on our
website
and by following our
facebook page
for daily updates.
As we prepare to welcome thousands of visitors to our island, we also want to take the time to do a little spring cleaning. I hope you will all join us for our annual
Community Clean Up Day
taking place this Saturday, May 5th. Stop by the high school parking lot anytime between 9am and 1pm to pick up trash bags and stake out your section of the borough. I want to mention a special thanks to Leisnoi Inc, for their continued sponsorship of this event, and to the Lions Club who will be serving up a free hot dog lunch to all Clean Up Day participants. The Chamber has been hosting an annual Clean Up Day since 1986, and are excited to continue to spear head this effort.
May also marks the beginning of Kodiak’s tourist season, with our first cruise ship pulling into port on May 4th. We are excited this month to have Discover Kodiak hosting our
Business After Hours
. I encourage you all to stop by to learn more about what to expect this season and connect with this great organization.
Happy Crab Fest!
Quyanaa -
Thank You
Stacey Simmons
President
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Chamber Hosts Annual Community Clean Up Day
Each spring as the snow melts, residents of Kodiak notice a buildup of litter along the sides of roads and in their neighborhoods. That is why since 1986, the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce has been holding an annual
Community Clean Up Day
the first Saturday every May. This year Clean Up Day falls on May 5th, and has been made possible by a generous sponsorship from Leisnoi, Inc. Kodiakians are invited to stop by the high school parking lot between 9am and 1pm, to pick up bright yellow trash bags and choose any location to clean up from a large map of the borough. The Kodiak Lions Club will be present, serving up a free hotdog lunch.
Participants should leave filled bags curbside by 1pm, so they can be picked up by one of the volunteer collection trucks, provided by Alaska Waste, Brechan Construction, Kodiak Lawn Care, the City of Kodiak and the Alaska DOT.
Working in coordination with community partners, Clean Up Day is also a chance for residents to do some household cleaning. That day at the high school, Threshold Services Inc. will be collecting household electronics to be recycled free of charge and NRC Alaska, under contract by the Borough, will accept residential hazardous waste.
Nick’s Auto and Salvage Yard participates in Clean Up Day each year by accepting residential metals free of charge. For large items, the Landfill will be accepting up to 250lbs of garbage for free that day.
“What makes Community Clean Up Day so successful each year is that everyone comes together to do their part. We have families that want to clean the streets in their neighborhood, groups of coworkers that clean up woods near their office, or sports teams hitting areas near by the schools and fields.”, remarks Trevor Brown. “You can really see a notable difference, which is not only great for us as residents, but for our local businesses getting ready to welcome thousands of people during the 2018 tourist season.”
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Member Spotlight: Discover Kodiak
Since its inception Discover Kodiak has been a member organization, targeting tourism based industry and catering to the many visitors attracted to Kodiak Island. Recently, in July of 2017, Discover Kodiak came under new leadership with Director, Aimee Williams at the helm. Now firmly settled in to her position, Aimee is looking forward to exploring new paths of connection.
Namely, Aimee is asking questions about how to evolve and stay relevant in an increasingly digital world. Aimee hopes directed attention to Discover Kodiak’s social media and web-based platforms will allow them to reach a broader base. She notes unlike with traditional print advertising, “You don’t have to physically go to Germany to attract German tourists.”
In conjunction with a renewed digital presence, the Visitor Center operated by Discover Kodiak is also getting a significant facelift. The remodeled Visitor Center, completed by Chamber Member Lightfoot Construction, will be unveiled this month in time to welcome over 20,000 cruise ship passengers arriving in Kodiak this season. “We took out a wall to make more floor space and are updating to a more modern look. The new L shaped floor plan will give us the opportunity to spread out the information we offer, breaking up brochures and handout by categories clearly delineated with new signs by the Alaska Rug Company.”, explains Aimee. The new Visitor Center will also offer merchandise that is more upscale and higher quality. Discover Kodiak is collaborating on several custom items with local companies such as canvas bags from Trap House Outdoors, and will continue to seek community partners for future inventory.
Aimee hopes the new space will also encourage locals as well as tourists to stop in. “As a long time resident before accepting the position with Discover Kodiak I never would have thought to stop in for a trail map.”, Aimee admits. This is a reality she seeks to change seeing Discover Kodiak’s real function as more of a Welcome Center, filled with information relevant to both tourists and newcomers to the Island.
Members, tourists, and locals alike are encouraged to come by Discover Kodiak’s upcoming
Business After Hours
on May 11th 5:30-7:30pm. Enjoy refreshments, door prizes, and get your first peek at the remodeled Visitor Center.
Pictured above: View of the Visitor Center. Photo courtesy of Discover Kodiak.
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Gear Up For Crab Festival
Official 2018 Kodiak Crab Festival merchandise is on sale at the Chamber Office stop by for hoodies, tees, magnets, key chains, and even reusable bags! All merchandise and this year's Crab Festival Poster is available in our
online store
!
Also don't miss out on the Big Deal! Pick up your Carnival Pre-sale tickets available at the Chamber and at participating locations around town including:
Best Western Kodiak Inn, Big Ray's, Cost-Savers, First National Bank Alaska, and Sutliff's True Value!
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3 Tactics to Grow Your Small Business with LinkedIn
There are over 30 million small businesses in the United States, but only half of them will make it past five years. Ensure your small business is in the successful half and capitalize on how LinkedIn can evolve your business. Here are three ways to grow your business using LinkedIn:
1.
Create & Promote a LinkedIn Company Page
LinkedIn members are
50% more likely to buy
once they’ve engaged with your business on LinkedIn. But they can’t connect with you if you don’t have a LinkedIn Company Page. Personal profiles don’t have the same marketing, advertising, and recruiting features as Company Pages, making them less effective at promoting your business. As you create your page, think about the kind of impression you want to create among potential customers and employees.
Here are some simple ways to get the word out:
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Announce the launch of the Company Page on your personal LinkedIn profile
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Link to your Company Page in the footer of your marketing emails or newsletters
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Embed a
Company Follow button
onto your website so visitors can easily follow your LinkedIn Company Page
2. Build an All-Star Team
LinkedIn has helped 75% of job switchers make informed decisions about their careers, making LinkedIn a top recruiting network for entrepreneurs.
Career Pages allow you to target audiences with a personalized look into your company, culture, and
job postings
. They give you dedicated Life and Job tabs on your Company Page that attract and engage relevant applicants.
In addition to creating Career Pages, have employees share job postings and “day in the life” content as well. This gives visitors a genuine idea of what it’s like to work for you and adds to your authenticity. If you have a few employees who lead the pack in sharing content, consider linking them to your Company Page’s Life Tab. Watch our video below on how to use the Life Tab to attract the right talent for your company:
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3. Hire Freelancers
You’ve probably had an employee who took on a task outside of their domain. You might have even done it yourself a few times. While the effort is commendable, learning on the fly can also be detrimental.
Finding the right talent for the task isn’t as tricky as it once was, even if you can’t afford the
average salaries
of full-time employees.
LinkedIn ProFinder lets you post projects, get free proposals, and hire trustworthy professionals all in one place. ProFinder pairs you with local professionals to ensure you have the best
freelance
experience. With 172 professional services available on ProFinder, it’s easy to find the perfect professional. LinkedIn vets all the professionals on the platform to ensure they are qualified and leverages your network to find freelancers your connections have used.
This article was submitted by Allison Ray, Search Marketing Specialist at LinkedIn Talent Solutions.
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President
Stacey Simmons
Past President
Rick Kniaziowski
Vice President
Julie Bonney
Secretary/Treasurer
Jeff Sanford
Board Members
Susan Johnson · Ellen Simeonoff · Tyler Kornelis ·
Aaron Walton · Brian Lickfield · Lindsay Knight ·
Alex Turner
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City of Kodiak Representative
Mike Tvenge
Kodiak Island Borough Representative
Michael Powers
USCG Base Representative
Capt. Jeffery Good
USCG Air Station Representative
Capt. Mark Morin
KEA Representative
Darron Scott
Discover Kodiak Representative
Aimee Williams
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