President's Message
Happy Easter!

The Chamber Gang has been busier then all get out, with the 40 th Annual Comfish Trade Show!! My compliments to Frank, Sarah, Anastasia, the entire ComFish Committee; Jeff Stephan, Julie Bonney, Julie Matweyou, Theresa Peterson, Linda Kozak, and all the volunteers that went into making this show happen. Thank you vendors and sponsors! Trident, Samson, APL, AMCC, ASMI, and Kodiak Diesel, thanks for sponsoring all the food events. I really enjoyed all the forums, Representative Stutes, the teams from Senator Sullivan, and from Senator Murkowski’s office, John Moller, Mark Lestor, Rachel Baker, and many other presenters, it was well attended and informative for 2 days straight. To the processors, and the fishermen, thanks for the Saturday events, skill demonstrations and competitions and display of expertise and professionalism! I believe the 2019 Comfish event was an incredible tradeshow!

Thank you everyone who came to the 16 th annual Kodiak Morning Rotary Pancake feed at the Elks Club! Congratulations to Skip Bolton for winning the Chris McVay quilt. The proceeds from the quilt, go to vocational scholarships, they can be turned over quickly. They can usually be approved in a couple days. You can inquire about these McVay scholarships through Nancy Casto, at Kodiak College!

I want to welcome new Chamber member, Vertigo Air! New Chamber PIKE sponsor is Arctic Chiropractic! Dr. David Prentice is brand new to the island, and is really getting out in the community, he is becoming involved with the Chamber and the Rotary clubs! If you know someone that should be a Chamber member or if you are a current member, and interested in upgrading to PIKE, contact Sarah Phillips at the Chamber office 486-5557.

Thank You everyone that attended the St. Patrick’s event at Henry’s that was held on March 17 th . I was out of town, but heard that it was well attended and the best corned beef and cabbage ever! When you are eating at Henry’s, be sure to support the Chamber by playing pull-tabs!

April 6 th is the 30 th Annual Kodiak Arts Council live auction at the Convention Center! “Singing in the Rain”, doors open at 6pm! A major fund raiser for our Kodiak Arts Council!
April 11 th is a Ribbon Cutting and Business After Hours at Bella Aqua Photography, which is located on the Mall, downtown, on the Subway side of the bank. 5:30-7:00pm, with the usual fanfare!

Chamber member, Oceans Church, is combining with the Assembly of God family in April. First combined service is April 7 th ! Easter is on April 21 st this year, if you do not have a church home, please come join us for Easter at Oceans!

April 18 th , Credit Union 1, is hosting a fund raiser for Kodiak Special Olympics. Located at 111 Lower Mill Bay Rd, this event is 6:30-8:30, with food, fun and prizes. Credit Union 1 will match up to $10,000, in proceeds from this event toward Kodiak Special Olympics!

April 20 th is the Women’s Show, at the Convention Center! It is also the Annual, KMXT/Kodiak Athletic Club Bench Press Contest! High Noon, at Kodiak Athletic Club! Bench press half, or full, bodyweight for as many reps as you can. Please come, lift, pledge (this is a fund raiser for KMXT)and cheer everyone on! You could do all three, compete, pledge and cheer!! Our Special Olympic Powerlifting Team will be competing in this contest also!

May 4 th is a huge event, our annual City Wide Clean-up Day!! This is an amazing event! The whole community engages in this great effort to rid our City of the Winter’s debris. Please consider participating.

Sincerely,

Lindsay Knight
President
Our Sponsors
Crab Fest Booth & Event Registration Open
With ComFish ending, that means it's time for Crab Fest planning! We're looking forward to another week of fun filled activities that celebrate everything than makes Kodiak the unique community that we love!
 
Applications for vendors, events, and parade participants are now available! Vendors should take special notice that the Midway layout will be completely new this year to adhere to fire code and electrical requirements. The new layout is necessary to ensure we can still offer the same number of booths that we have in previous years. Food vendors operating with wheels have additional requirements this year and will not be permitted without a tag from the Fire Marshal. Please contact 907-486-8040 to schedule an appointment for tag inspection.
April Business After Hours
Bella Aqua Photography is officially opening it’s doors on a permanent location in Kodiak! Join us for the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting while we celebrate the next step of this Kodiak business on April 11th from 6-8pm.

Come see the new studio! Enter to win a Spring mini session package giveaway, a 60 minute in-home massage from Inner Peace Massage Therapy, baked goods basket from Truitt’s jams jellies and baked goods, one of a kind wall decor from Twisting Oaks Creations, and wildlife coasters from Risha Isom Photography! Sign up for spring portraits at a discount!

As always, the Chamber will be offering split-the-pot and additional door prizes. Please come out and support this growing business!
Newscomer Coast Guard Welcome Bags
 
Summer is right around the corner and that means transfer season! Each year the Coast Guard Spouses Association puts together welcome bags that are distributed to Coast Guard families arriving in Kodiak. The bags are meant to give families a glimpse into what their new home has to offer and help orient them to all the services and selection available in town.
 
Both businesses and nonprofits are encouraged to submit something to be included in the bags. This can be anything from fliers and brochures, to coupons and swag. Those participating must be able to provide 200 of whatever item they choose to include.
 
All items must be submitted by April 30th, and no late items will be accepted. Items can be dropped off at the Chamber of Commerce.
Chamber Welcomes New Board Member
During the March 18th Board Meeting, the Chamber welcomed Sarah Culbertson to the board for a three year term. Sarah comes to the Chamber with a wealth of small business experience as the owner of The Frame Shop. She will also be joining the Small Business Committee. We look forward to her perspective, insights, and collaboration. Welcome Sarah!
Community Clean Up: Save The Date!
Each year the first weekend in May is set aside to clean the debris that has collected throughout the winter. We take time to pick up roadside garbage, dispose of junk vehicles, and get rid of the extra rubbish we've been collecting. It's always dirty, but we manage to make it fun! Lunch will be provided through the Lions Club. Please consider doing your part to keep Kodiak clean and participate in the Community Clean Up Day!
40 Years of ComFish - Still A Success!
We just finished up Kodiak’s 40 th ComFish Commercial Fisheries Trade Show. This year’s show was a resounding success with 40 exhibitors, covering all aspects of the fishing industry, showing off their goods and services. The show kicked off to a packed house at the Kodiak Island Brewery where Rockfish tacos were being prepared in authentic fashion by the Association of Latin Women in Alaska with fish harvested by a local jig fisherman. The event is cosponsored by the Alaska Marine Conservation Council, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, and Kodiak Jig Seafoods. Proceeds supported recertification for Pacific cod harvested by the Alaska jig sector in the Marine Stewardship Council and Responsible Alaska Fisheries Management (MSC/RFM) programs. There was also a full slate of presenters, sharing information on a myriad of topics, including safety, legal issues pertaining to fishing, legislature updates from the state and national level, vessel energy awareness, seafood updates, a conversation with Alaska Aerospace, and environmental topics regarding the Pebble Mine issue and recycling used nets. Trade show attendees had the opportunities to win various door-prizes and two $500 Alaska Airlines vouchers donated by Alaskan Leader Seafoods and Silver Bay Seafoods, as well as daily Split-The-Pot.

During the public reception, culinary delights in the form of protein noodles were donated and prepared by Trident Seafoods, a delicious treat that was enjoyed with beer and wine (provided by APL and Samson Tug & Barge). The exhibitors had time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the comradery of the group at the beer and wine reception exclusively for them, hosted by Cascade Engine and Kodiak Diesel on Friday.

Saturday concluded on the fun side with Processor and Fisherman’s events and tours of the Thelma C. During the processors event, each processing facility had the opportunity to recognize some of their outstanding employees. Trident awarded Employee of the Year to Ronelio Ganancial and Exceeds Expectation award to Enrique Perez. Ocean Beauty Seafood Inc. honored Cristobal Gomez with a Special Recognition certificate and Eduardo Yacas as Employee of the Year. Elpidio Valdez of International Seafood of Alaska was awarded Employee of the Year and Salvador Gale was recognized with his contributions of 14 years of service. Alaska Pacific Seafood awarded Jemerson Albano as the Employee of the Year and Rosita Sacro deservingly received the Longevity Award for her 40 years with the company. Pacific Seafood then honored Jose “Victor” Martinez as Employee of the Year and Andy Viray with the affectionate “Does Any and Every Job with a Smile” award. Congratulations to all!

We want to share our gratitude to the ComFish planning committee volunteers, Jeff Stephan, Julie Bonney, Julie Matweyou, Linda Kozak and Theresa Peterson. Their fresh ideas and constant support were critical to our success. We also could not have had this all come together without the superb planning and promotion by the Chamber’s Community Relations Director, Sarah Phillips, help from our Administrative Assistant, Anastasia Painter, and above-and-beyond volunteer efforts from Aimee Williams, Camilla Jordan, Robin Schiro, Maria and Alex Painter, Poncho Valladolid, Anthony Bopp, Trevor Brown, and Jeff and Karen Stephan, during setup and teardown.

Of course, all of this is made possible by all of our PIKE sponsors with a special thanks to Susan Johnson for the use and assistance during the trade show with our venue, the Kodiak Harbor Convention Center. We’re already looking forward to returning for our 41 st ComFish in 2020, tentatively scheduled for March 26 th - 28 th , 2020.

For a more complete album of pictures, please follow us on Facebook!
Do Your Part to Save the Ferry!

The legislators representing our region and coastal AK are working together to try to find a path forward that still includes the Alaska Marine Highway. However, Anchorage and Interior AK are home to the majority of votes in the House and the Senate, so we need to reach them through their constituents.  Many of them still many not realize the impact losing the AMHS will have not just on coastal Alaska, but on the entire state.
This is where you come in! As a business owner, you have a power not many of us have and it could be the strongest tool available to fight for our AMHS service!
You have the ability to reach and influence other businesses in Anchorage and Interior AK, of which you are a customer. Just follow the steps below:
  1. Make a list of all the businesses you spend money at when you take the ferry to Anchorage and beyond
  2. Copy/paste the text below into your email
  3. Replace each {BRACKETED PLACE HOLDER} with your information or edit the message as you see fit.
  4. Email this to each of your vendors, suppliers and business associates in Anchorage and on the road system in Alaska, and urge them to contact their legislators immediately!
Earthquake & Tsunami Preparedness for Businesses
By: Sarah Philips

The Chamber celebrated Pi Day on March 14th, by hosting seminars to help businesses keep their share of pie after a natural disaster.

Dan Belanger, an Earthquake & Tsunami Program Manager presented crucial information business owners and managers can use to prepare for ANY natural disaster. Two sessions of the same content were offered, one to a packed room at 9AM, and another to a smaller group at 5:30.

Both sessions offered information about the number of businesses no longer solvent within three years of a natural disaster, setting the tone for a deeper understanding of the consqueses of not being prepared. Dan covered preparedness strategies ranging from securing physical assets in your business, to the importance of having a written plan of action that is PRACTICED consistently.

All attendees walked away from the educational seminars more aware, motivated, and with a list of action items they can use to help their businesses, employess, and community to be better prepared.

Are you interested in the content from the presentation, including helpful checklists? Simply select the below button to take the first step in becoming a more prepared business owner/manager. We dare you to
Pre-purchase Crab Fest Gear
Official 2019 Kodiak Crab Festival merchandise is on sale at the Chamber Office stop by for hoodies, tees, magnets, key chains, and even beanies and coozies!

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. Locations to TBA
Board of Directors
President  Lindsay Knight
Past President Stacey Simmons                                  
Vice President Brian Lickfield                  
Secretary/Treasurer Jeff Sanford
Board Members               
Susan Johnson · Ellen Simeonoff · Tyler Kornelis · Julie Bonnie · Alex Turner · Ginny Shank · Sarah Culbertson
City of Kodiak Representative Mike Tvenge
Kodiak Island Borough Representative Michael Powers
USCG Base Representative Capt. Jeffery Good
USCG Air Station Representative Capt. Bryan Dailey
KEA Representative Darron Scott
Discover Kodiak Representative Aimee Williams
Contact Us

Phone: (907) 486-5557
Executive Director: Frank Schiro
Community Relations Director: Sarah Phillips