March was a busy month for the SWAMC team. We held our annual Economic Summit and Membership Meeting at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage for the first time since March 2020. We had strong member attendance, engaged and knowledgeable speakers, experienced exhibitors, and generous, loyal sponsors over two days. There were KN95 masks available and tables were spread out more than usual for some extra distance between attendees. The Captain Cook team served up some great food, including the special fish lunch on Friday courtesy of Alaskan Leader Seafoods that provided a delicious selection of Bristol Bay sockeye fillets in a French beurre blanc sauce and a miso marinated Black Cod. Alaskan Leader’s products are winners at the Alaska Symphony of Seafood and the their generosity at providing the Fish Friday lunch was enjoyed by everyone.

PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS

There was a tremendous amount of information shared at the conference including how to navigate federal and state pandemic and infrastructure funding for broadband, how to encourage our youth to enter into the healthcare, airline, and marine workforce, identifying new mariculture opportunities in the region, the presentation of the SWAMC Regional Recovery and Resilience Plan (an excellent planning document from McKinley Research) and our special guests, Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer, and Heidi Hedberg, the state’s public health director. Our regional legislators were on hand for a legislative update and conversation with our membership. We have very committed and engaged regional legislators who make time to hear from us and make things happen. We invited gubernatorial candidates for an introductory session. Thank you to Bill Walker for providing remarks for the conference via video, his running mate Heidi Drygas who was present, Les Gara and his running mate Jessica Cook who were both present, and Kenai Mayor Charlie Pierce who also attended.

BOARD ELECTIONS

Several board seats were up for election during the membership meeting. The newly and re-elected board members includ:

• Aimee Williams to a Kodiak Municipal seat
• Steve Minor to an At Large seat
• Carlin Enlow to the Aleutian/Pribilofs Associate seat
• Dennis Robinson to an Aleutian/Pribilofs Municipal seat
• Darren Muller to the Kodiak Associate seat
• Myra Olson to a Bristol Bay Municipal seat



SWAMC said goodbye to long time board member Joe Sullivan who did not run for re-election, and Layton Lockett who stepped down from his municipal seat before the conference. We are grateful for the years of committed service to the region by Joe and Layton and look forward to working with the full board.

Mariculture Cluster Project

After the conference and a few days to catch up we continued working on the Phase II application for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge Mariculture Cluster grant. SWAMC, Southeast Conference, Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District, and the Prince William Sound Economic Development District, have partnered together on this project. If successful, this coalition led by Southeast Conference aims to strengthen the mariculture industry of coastal Alaskan communities. The coalition proposes to support eight projects to develop a viable and sustainable mariculture industry for the long-term benefit of Alaska’s economy, environment, and communities. The proposed projects include an integrated hatching network, incentivizing private investment in developing business, and expanding workforce development programs. SWAMC members have always known that we need to diversify our revenue stream and job opportunities, but living in a remote, coastal region has always been a barrier to that change. With our foundational seafood industry as possible partners for kelp and seaweed growing, harvesting, processing, and engagement from entrepreneurs, municipal leadership, and tribal organizations in the region, this could be a significant step forward in that diversification. The grant recipients should be announced by autumn.

Shirley Marquardt

SWAMC Executive Director

Thank you to all our sponsors of our 2022 Membership Meeting and Economic Summit. We greatly appreciate your support and providing the resources that allow us to provide a quality conference for our membership. Each organization and company is a valued partner in Southwest.

Statewide CEDS Initiative

"CEDS" is a common term in economic development but not a widely known acronym. It stands for "Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy" and these strategies are the cornerstones of economic planning or communities, regions, and states. Alaska DCCED is working with the University of Alaska Center of Economic Development to update the statewide CEDS that is used by the state and local governments to leverage funding for regional economic development work. That's why it's imperative for our Southwest communities to weigh in on this important process. SWAMC is charged with coordinating input from across Southwest for the CEDS update. In coming days and weeks SWAMC will be reaching out to our members and communities to take part in this process. Keep an eye out for these announcements and please plan on providing input.

Have an announcement or story to share with the region?

Let us know! We may be able to include it in our next newsletter.

Call (907) 562-7380 or email mfriedenauer@swamc.org.