Our Sponsors

Member Spotlight: A Balanced Approach

On January 8th, from 5-7, A Balanced Approach was THE place to be in Kodiak! The Chamber was pleased to have ABA kick our year off the right way by hosting our monthly Business After Hours Event.

If you weren't able to join us, Tracy Chandler and her team graciously offered tours of their fitness studio to a packed house! A Balanced Approach is truly about comprehensive wellness and proudly proclaim "Fitness is for all". The Cycle Room, Circuit Room, and Yoga Room each host a variety of classes from Pilates, yoga, barre, and kickboxing, to cycling, circuit training, and personal training, they've got something you're sure to love. Not sure where to start? The first class is always free, so take a chance on something new! ABA also conveniently offers childcare during classes for a small fee.

If fitness wasn't enough, Tracy and her energetic and friendly team, also took time to explain an exciting nutrition and wellness program they facilitate. Balanced Habits Kick Start is "a 28-Day nutrition plan, personalized to you, designed to wake up your metabolism." ABA and the rest of the group support you throughout your journey during weekly private, weigh-ins, and group exercise. During the Business After Hours, they had a sampling of dishes that can be made as part of the program. Let me tell you, they were AMAZING!

Check out everything being offered by A Balanced Approach on their website , or better yet, drop in to take a look for yourself at 3833 Rezanof Drive.

Crab Fest Logo & Poster Winners

It's that time of year again, time to begin planning for the Annual Kodiak Crab Festival!

At the second meeting for the 2019 Crab Festival, the committee had a record number of both logo and poster submissions to choose from with the "Seas the Day - Crabe Diem" theme. After considerable deliberation, the hand-drawn image of an old fisherman in the sea wearing a crab hat by Megan Izett was chosen. With a little editing magic by Sarah Culbertson at the Frame Shop, the image was turned into the 2019 Crab Festival Logo!

We look forward to receiving this year's bright orange merchandise and will let everyone know when it is available for purchase. Stay tuned!

The winning 2019 Crab Festival Poster was created by Aimee Williams from an artistic creation of embroidery string over and original photo. The image will be released when it has been fully digitized.

Congratulations to both Megan and Aimee!

A simple trick to help you speak in public without showing your nerves

Ever given a presentation and felt like your throat was closing up or that there was a big lump in it? Or made an important request of your boss but thought your voice sounded as shaky as Jello on a trampoline?

Turns out, you don’t suffer from some unexplained physical malady. There’s an anatomical explanation for what happens to our voices when we’re under pressure, says speech-language pathologist and University of Pittsburgh professor  Jackie Gartner-Schmidt .

Business After Hours is a social/networking event that is free and open to all!

When: February 15th

Time : 5:30-7:30 PM

Where: Kodiak Athletic Club

3689 Rezanof Drive

This month, Kodiak Athletic Club will be hosting an evening of health and wellness! Join us on February 15th to learn all about all they offer, from personal training to circuit classes. Take advantage of your last opportunity to sign up for the $359 (regularly $559) Membership Special!

Chef Joel will be catering while DJ Marc keeps attendees entertained. Ladies in attendance will be getting a rose, but everyone has a chance at the $500 cash door prize, Kodiak Hana Gift Card, membership prizes, and other door prizes. Don't miss out on this exclusive opportunity to tour the facility, and do a little networking!

We'll also have the ever popular Split-The-Pot for your chance to win half the Chamber collected cash at the end of the evening. The other half of the proceeds go to the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fund.

Come out, have fun, learn a some new healthy habits, and do some good by supporting one of our locally owned businesses.

Thank You Local Businesses & Non-Profits!

By: Sarah Phillips

In the last few weeks, Kodiak has proven itself as a community, in every sense of the word. Yes, we’re a group of people living in the same area but were also a group of people who will come together to support one another when confronted with challenges. Kodiak is filled with deeply intertwined connections. We are an island that relies on fishing as the foundation for our economy, supported by the Coast Guard, environmental government agencies, and many others, which then filters throughout our entire island. In the last few weeks, the plight of our small community has been mentioned in local, state, and national news; everything from the Kodiak Daily Mirror, to Anchorage Daily News, KTUU, the New York Times, CNN, NBC, and the floor of the Senate.

The world is interested in Kodiak because we are unique. We are one of the most heavily impacted areas in the nation due to our remote location and significant percentage of federal worker, Coast Guard, and Coast Guard retiree families; nearly 30 percent. We’re also unique because of the extreme generosity and willingness to help that spans nearly all our businesses and non-profits.

While the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce strives to be business champions, like the businesses we support, we are also driven by the community. Kodiak is a place that has always been willing to lend a hand to those in need, and the Chamber is honored to serve this community and spread the word of generosity. The Kodiak Business Community, whether Chamber members or not, while suffering from their own eroding profits, has stepped up in a profound way to assist those in need. From free meals, food pantries, discounts, and IOU’s, businesses, and non-profits have found a way to be generous during their own lean times. At the Chamber, we take pride in the creative efforts and offerings by so many.

At the Chamber, we ask that once the community is able, to please return the generosity of our local businesses and non-profits by shopping locally and donating to the non-profits helping now. We have consistently said “When you buy Kodiak, you help build Kodiak”. This is as true in the future as it has been in the past. The businesses and non-profits that you were patrons at before the partial government shutdown, will need your support to continue to fuel Kodiak and provide continued future generosity.

During this the partial shutdown, the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce worked hard to create a comprehensive cache of all business and non-profit offerings on our Facebook page. If the shutdown is to resume in three weeks, we will continue the same services. To have your business included, please email [email protected] . For access to the complete list, follow us on Facebook, ask to be added to our email list, or call (907) 486-5557.

Coast Guard Appreciation Dinner

Tickets on Sale Now!

You're invited to attend the Annual Coast Guard "We Applaud You" Appreciation Dinner. The dinner will be at the Kodiak Convention Center Saturday, February 23rd at 6 PM.

Join us for an evening of recognizing individuals of the U.S. Coast Guard who work to make Kodiak a safer community to live, work, and play.The evening will feature a no host bar, a buffet provided by local chefs, and entertainment by Elite Sound Entertainment with photographer and photo booth accessories!

Tickets are $50/person and $500/table. Your ticket purchase allows for a Coast Guard guest to attend free.Kindly R.S.V.P. no later than February 11th to [email protected] or (907) 486-5557.

Coast Guard members will be in uniform, all other suggested attire is cocktail.

Hosted by the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce and possible through sponsorship from BP, KANA, and Matson.

CG Appreciation Dinner Door-Prize Donation Request

On Saturday, February 23rd, the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce will host the 29 ^th  Annual Coast Guard Appreciation Event “We Applaud You” at the Kodiak Harbor Convention Center. This event provides the Kodiak community an opportunity to salute and recognize Coast Guard personnel for their hard work and dedication to making Kodiak a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.

 

A popular part of the evening features door prizes donated by area businesses and only the Coast Guard guests are given door prize tickets. Making a door prize donation allows you to show your appreciation for the Coast Guard as well as have your business recognized at the event. 

If you would like to make a donation, we ask that you contact the Chamber of Commerce at 486-5557 and we will pick up the item from you if needed.   We need to have all items to the Chamber by Wednesday, February 20th. 

Maritime Assessment

As mentioned in last month's Newsletter, The Kodiak Chamber of Commerce was invited to participate in a brief Maritime Assessment by the Southwest Alaska Municipal Council (SWAMC), funded by the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

The intention of this assessment was to review and summarize current resources and challenges in the City of Kodiak and Kodiak Island Borough maritime industry. The assessment is prepared for the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce supported by the Alaska Sea Grant, the University of Alaska, the Alaska MAKE Partnership and Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference. 

Information from these interviews were combined with government and business documents, web sites, surveys and observations to create a detailed report of the services, opportunities and challenges that are currently part of the maritime industry environment that exists in Kodiak. The full report can be seen below.

Photo By: Aimee Williams

ComFish 2019

Planning and registration for ComFish 2019 are underway. This year’s ComFish will take place March 28, 29, and 30. The Chamber is proud to host this important Commercial Fisheries Trade Show every year. In its 40 ^th year, this long running trade show brings together gear vendors, government agencies, and nonprofits involved in every aspect of commercial fishing. Forums on relevant topics are organized every year for the purpose of sharing ideas and fishing information with the public.

The Kodiak Chamber of Commerce works with community partners to offer a variety of fun and informative events surrounding the ComFish trade show. The first meeting of the beloved “Fish Committee”, made up of local fishery experts, will be January 4 ^th . The Committee helps identify those forums and other activities that add to the color of ComFish.

Registrations are already flowing in. There are a total of 43 exhibitor booths available and 17 have already been reserved. We encourage you to get your registrations in early to get the best and most visible booth spaces.

Registrations can be accessed by clicking at this link to our Chamber website.

We look forward to seeing you at ComFish 2019!

Have you considered, or do you have interest in serving on the Board of Directors for the Kodiak Electric Association? There are three Seats up for Election on the KEA Board of Directors. See the button below for full details.

The 2019 USPS Postal Rate Changes go into effect starting January 27, 2019. Here's what you need to know:

1. First Class Mail Packages will be rated not only by weight, but also by distance from your shipping Zip Code.

There is nothing you need to do differently when preparing a shipment. Our software will automatically calculate the correct postage amount.

2. No more Balloon Pricing with Priority Mail and Parcel Select.   

The USPS used to charge light weight Priority Mail and Parcel Select packages with a girth between 84" and 108" a rate based on a 20lb weight. This is discontinued.

3. Postage Statements for USPS Marketing Mail forms have been updated.

Members of the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce have access to the mass mail permit held by the chamber. To take advantage please use the below forms, and note the profit vs. nonprofit difference. To qualify for the nonprofit rate, please complete the application for the post office.

Board of Directors

Contact Us

Phone: (907) 486-5557

Executive Director: Frank Schiro

Community Relations Director: Sarah Phillips