JEDC News, June 2016

JEDC Wishes You a Happy Independence Day!

Denmark & Norway District Heating Systems

Earlier this month a delegation from Juneau went to Copenhagen, Denmark at the invitation of the Government of Denmark. The delegation from Juneau was invited to see first-hand district heating systems being employed in Copenhagen and talk with local government and private company representative involved in this work. In Copenhagen, 98% of the heating demand of the city is delivered through district heating systems, making them a leader in the world. After visiting Denmark, the delegation traveled to Drammen, Norway and saw a state-of-the-art seawater heat pump providing heat from the Norwegian fjords to the residents of this small city outside of Oslo.

In Juneau, Juneau Hydropower is developing a project to deliver heat to homes and commercial buildings in Juneau using a District Heating system, powered by seawater heat pumps. The initiative to develop a district heating system was announced at the 2016 Innovation Summit, which resulted in interest from the Government of Denmark and the invitation to learn more about the Denmark experience.

STEM Summer Camps Keep Young Minds Engaged During Summer

JEDC offers science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) summer camps to help fill the summer days with activities that will inspire and challenge over two hundred children and prepare them with problem solving and teamwork skills. The camps, taking place at Thunder Mountain High School, include EV3 Programming, SeaPerch, the new Girls Rock Robotics!, and WeDo LEGO Robotics.

After much demand, the popular EV3 Programming is now offered as a full day camp. This program will have campers using Mindstorms software to program LEGO EV3 Robots to complete various challenges.

SeaPerch campers will learn to completely assemble Remotely Operated Vehicles, test them, and launch the vehicles underwater. Each student will leave camp with their very own SeaPerch robot!

The NEW Girls Rock Robotics! camp aims to increase girls' participation in STEM fields and encourage them to aspire to STEM careers. This summer camp teaches girls how to use Mindstorms software to program LEGO EV3 Robots to complete various challenges. According to the Association for Women in Science , women represent 50 percent of the American population and capacity for innovation, but represent only 24 percent of the STEM workforce. These camps expose young girls to embrace STEM and the many opportunities it brings throughout their lives.

WeDo Programming is for the youngest campers. They will learn how to make LEGO alligators that chomp and monkeys that move!

The STEM summer camps are for kids in grades 2 through 8. You can visit the website HERE to sign up today.

Camper Builds an Alligator out of LEGOs!

Thank you to our Summer Camp sponsors for making these opportunities possible for the next generation!

SURVEY: STEM Resources -- A Juneau Schools and Community Collaboration

The Juneau School District invites you to help bring more active, integrated, and real-life STEM experiences to Juneau Schools. Juneau schools is creating a searchable database that teachers will be able to use to find specific STEM volunteers from the community to supplement their specific curricula. Please take the survey HERE.

Alaska Start-Up Week -- July 23-31, 2016

The statewide Alaska Start-Up Week is a week of events and celebration of our Alaskan communities that builds momentum and opportunity around innovation and entrepreneurship. Startup Week is a cornerstone statewide event in the "Year of Innovation", a statewide effort to strengthen and diversify Alaska's economic base through improved access to effective resources and mentors to grow entrepreneur ecosystems; engage export and import substitution businesses to innovate, and engage the next generation through K-12 outreach.

JEDC is planning events to celebrate this week and will collaborate with other local organizations in this effort. JEDC and the Juneau Chamber of Commerce are planning a special luncheon during the usual Chamber Thursday luncheons during this time. Other exciting events are in the planning stage so stay tuned for more details! Contact Dana if you want to get involved.

JEDC Funds Development in Southeast Alaska

If you have a project that will create or retain jobs in Southeast Alaska, JEDC could be the partner you have been looking for. The Southeast Alaska Revolving Loan Fund bridges the gap between what banks will finance and what the business community needs. Our goal is to provide financing for viable projects that will create and retain quality jobs and help to diversify local economies in Southeast Alaska. JEDC operates several community-based loan funds and one region wide loan program that serves smaller communities throughout Southeast Alaska. JEDC seeks to work with healthy companies that have excellent potential for growth, that will provide increased employment in Southeast Alaska, and will help diversify our economy. Call or email Margaret O'Neal to discuss your project financing needs.

Alaska Airlines Receives Award for Guard and Reserve Support

Our long time supporters, Alaska Airlines, will be receiving the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their support of the Guard and Reserve. Congratulations to Alaska Airlines! For more information on the award, please visit the Alaska Airlines blog.

Thank You for Joining Us at the FIRST Celebration Luncheon!

Thank you to those that joined us in celebrating some of Alaska's FIRST teams at the BP Energy Center in Anchorage earlier this month. The teams had such a great time meeting more of the professional community that they hope to join and add value to in the future.

One of the robot demos from Team #568


Thank you to BP for hosting the luncheon at the beautiful BP Energy Center!

Frostbyte Team #3980 demonstrates the robot they built this year.

FIRST students had Q&A sessions with our sponsors.

Featured Economic Indicator:
Gender and Employment in Juneau, 2014

The median earnings for female full-time, year-round workers ($46,361) is 71 percent of that for male full-time, year-round workers ($65,483) in Juneau, according to the census bureau's 2010-2014 five year estimate. [1] One significant factor in this statistic is the difference in pay for the different types of jobs typically held by men and women in the workforce. Male-dominated industries in Alaska have higher wages and tend to be in extraction, construction and building trades. Female-dominated occupations tend to be lower wage and in service and care-providing sectors. In the chart below the major industry sectors in Juneau are each represented by a bubble. The size of the bubble shows the total number of workers in the industry. The placement of the bubble is determined by the percent of workers who are women, increasing from left to right, and the average annual wage of the industry, increasing from bottom to top. The highest paying jobs, in natural resource extraction and construction, employ only about 10 - 12 percent women. On the other side of the chart, educational and health services, employing 73 percent women, has an average annual wage falling below the overall average annual wage in Juneau.

[1] American FactFinder, Selected Economic Statistics, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates, DP03 dataset

Investor Spotlight: Hecla Mining Company

"Mining is a cornerstone of a diversified Southeast Alaskan economy and the Hecla Greens Creek Mine is proud to support JEDC's efforts to strengthen the mining sector as well as its initiatives that seek to promote economic development throughout the region."

-- Mike Satre, Manager of Government and Community Relations, Hecla Greens Creek Mining Company.

Greens Creek is an underground silver, zinc, lead and gold mine operated by Hecla Greens Creek Mining in Southeast Alaska about 18 miles southwest of Juneau on Admiralty Island. It is in the Tongass National Forest, near Hawk Inlet and lies partially within the Admiralty Island National Monument. The mine operates around the clock, 365 days a year, and employs about 415 people. In 2015, Greens Creek produced 8,452,153 ounces of silver, 60,566 ounces of gold, 61,934 tons of zinc, and 21,617 tons of lead. Mine production started in 1989 and today Greens Creek is one of the largest and lowest cost primary silver producers in the world.

Learn more about supporting the work of JEDC and consider an Investment in Juneau.

Become a 2016 JEDC Investor

We invite you to invest in Juneau by becoming a JEDC Investor. Show your support of the work we do to forward Juneau and Southeast's economy.

By supporting JEDC you are supporting the long-term economic success of Alaska's capital city, and creating a business climate that in turn supports your business or organization.

To learn more about our investor program, please visit www.JEDC.org/investors or send an email to Dana Herndon.