Meet the Juneau Welcome Guard Team

If you've spent any time Downtown Juneau this summer, you've likely seen a member of the Juneau Welcome Guard helping pedestrians safely cross the street and coordinating traffic flow throughout the day. Operated by the JEDC through a partnership with Tourism Best Management Practices (TBMP) and funded by the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) through the approved use of marine passenger fees, the Juneau Welcome Guard program plays an important role in keeping downtown moving throughout this visitor season.

With approximately 1.7M cruise passengers projected to visit Juneau in 2026, thousands of people navigate downtown either on foot or aboard buses, tour vehicles, taxis, delivery trucks, bicycles, and personal vehicles every day.

Left to right: Chiril Stephanov, Kevin Voss (Supervisor), Kurt Dugaqua, Julian Mercian, Pavlo Orle, and Aren Buchheit

At present, the 2026 Juneau Welcome Guard team includes 30 seasonal employees representing a remarkable diversity of backgrounds, life experiences, and nationalities. Team members bring perspectives from across the region, throughout the United States, and countries around the world, reflecting the welcoming spirit that defines Juneau.

Every day, they work together as a team to support smooth pedestrian flow, reduce congestion, and help keep tours, deliveries, appointments, and business operations on schedule. Behind the scenes, the Juneau Welcome Guards participate in regular team training to include communication, standard operating procedures, and emergency response protocols. Their visible presence contributes to a downtown environment that is safe, organized, and welcoming for residents, employees, and visitors alike.

As the season continues, JEDC invites the community to support the Juneau Welcome Guard team in simple but meaningful ways. Please follow their directions at crosswalks, use designated pedestrian crossings, drive attentively through busy downtown corridors, and remember that these employees are working hard to keep everyone safe.

A smile, wave, or kind word of encouragement goes a long way and reminds our Juneau Welcome Guard team that their efforts are appreciated. We recognize that helping everyone move through downtown safely and efficiently is essential to the success of our downtown businesses and the overall experience visitors take home with them. Together, we can create a downtown experience that reflects Juneau at its best—safe, friendly, and welcoming for everyone.

Suicide Basin Expected to Fill Between August 8-12

Review the Impacts of Glacial Outburst Flooding

This year's glacial outburst flooding is expected to happen in August. As everyone prepares, it's worth revisiting the economic impact of the 2024 flood: over $13.4 million in total property damage, about $750,000 in lost wages, $5.8 million in aid received, and $2.4 million received from flood insurance.

Beyond the cost, the 2024 Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Survey Final Report documents the human impact, too. In addition to financial strain, respondents shared concerns about physical danger, health, loss of work, emotional toll, stress, and daily life disruptions. More than half of respondents reported significant mental health effects from living with repeated flood risk.

We would like to thank the Alaska Community Foundation for making this project possible with grant proceeds from their Social Justice Fund.

Read the full report to understand the impact and community concerns.

JEDC and the University of Alaska Southeast have also partnered to launch a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Business Impact Map available to the public. This tool shows how different flood levels, ranging from 8 to 20 feet, are projected to affect businesses throughout the Mendenhall Valley and surrounding areas to help business owners assess their risk.

For more information about JEDC's flood preparedness resources, including access to the GLOF Business Impact Map, please visit our website or contact us directly.

Girls Rock Robotics Camp

A Week of Building, Coding, and Launching

Brought to you by:

THANK YOU to this year's Camp Funders & Sponsors!

Funding Partners ($5,000+)

Camp Series Title Sponsors ($2,500)

Individual Camp Title Sponsors ($1,000)

STEM Leaders ($500)

STEM Motivators ($250)

Economic Indicator July News

Juneau’s economy relies heavily on seasonal workers, especially in tourism, hospitality, and related sectors. To better support this vital part of our workforce, we are seeking your input with a brief survey tool. We want to understand how different people experience Juneau as a place to live and work. Your perspectives will help shape programs that make Juneau more attractive and sustainable for seasonal employees. 

Government Decline 

The 106-job drop in Government (6,715 to 6,609) is almost entirely a Local/Tribal Government story (-61) plus Federal Civilian (-51), barely offset by State (+2). That breakdown lines up with real events: a federal government shutdown that lasted a record 43 days before ending Nov. 13, 2025, plus mass federal firings that began in mid-February under the Trump administration — a direct reversal of 2024, when federal civilian employment had actually posted the largest gain of any sector, up 6.1%. State Government's near-flat reading fits reporting that state job cuts appear to have bottomed out, with a slight uptick in 2024 for the first time since 2012 — that stabilization looks like it held into 2025 rather than reversed. 

Traded and Non-Traded Sectors 

Traded industries produce goods and services that are sold outside the local economy — bringing new money in from elsewhere — even when the work itself is delivered locally. In Juneau, this includes mining and tourism-linked activity (transportation and warehousing, lodging, tours), since the demand originates from outside visitors rather than local residents. Non-traded industries by contrast serve local demand — retail, health care, financial services, and similar sectors exist because residents need them, and their size tracks local population and spending rather than outside demand.  

The Traded sector's jump (4,625 to 4,647) is consistent with real strength: mining employment hit an all-time high in 2025 on record commodity prices, and cruise tourism, measured by passenger counts, also hit an all-time high. That shows up directly in the industry chart — Mining (+27) and Transportation and Warehousing (+42, plausibly tourism-logistics driven) plus Construction (+25), tied to the capital projects pipeline (homes, new cruise dock(s), icebreaker homeporting prep) flagged as a near-term growth driver.  

The non-traded sector decreased by 379 jobs in 2025, comprising the bulk of Juneau’s total 463 net decrease in total employment. The 6,842 figure for 2025, however, sits within Juneau's historical range for the sector (2015-2023 ran roughly 6,500-7,200), so it appears to be a one-year contraction since the 2024 spike in non-traded employment. For context, it's a smaller move than the 2019-2020 pandemic-era drop (-8.2%), but it's the largest single-year decline in non-traded since then. 

Bottom line 

Total employment fell about 2.5% (18,561 to 18,098). The public sector (mainly federal, plus local government/school district pressure from local tax relief measures that reduce revenue available for local government programs) is contracting for identifiable policy reasons, while the trade-exposed private economy — natural resources and mining, and tourism-linked transportation — is expanding to a record level. Juneau's growth is increasingly leaning on a narrow set of traded-sector industries to offset a structurally shrinking government footprint. The share of Juneau’s tourism employment (combined Transportation & Warehousing and Leisure & Hospitality sectors) has increased from 29% of the workforce in 2010 to 46% in 2025. 

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After a year serving as JEDC's Youth Robotics & STEM Coordinator, we want to say thank you to Luke Wild for everything he brought to our STEM programs!

Pictured here at the Juneau Robot Jamboree this past December, Luke served as a volunteer from Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) Northwest, an AmeriCorps program. He helped plan and run K-8 LEGO robotics tournaments across the state, supported new team recruitment, led summer STEM camps, and provided steady support to coaches and teams throughout Alaska.

We wish you all the best!

Imagine if every Juneau household chose to spend an additional $20 each week at a locally owned business instead of purchasing the same goods or services elsewhere. With approximately 13,200 households (U.S. Census) in Juneau, that would represent roughly:

• $240,000 in additional local spending every week; and
• More than $13.7 million each year flowing directly to Juneau businesses!

Economic research tells us that these dollars don't stop with the initial purchase. Local businesses use that revenue to:

• Pay employee wages and benefits.
• Purchase goods and services from other local businesses.
• Hire accountants, contractors, mechanics, printers, and professional service providers.
• Invest in building improvements and equipment.
• Support nonprofit organizations, youth programs, and community events.
• Generate local sales tax revenue that helps fund public services.

This ripple effect—known as the local multiplier effect—means that one local purchase creates additional rounds of economic activity as money continues circulating within the community before eventually leaving the region. For Juneau, even modest changes in consumer behavior can make a meaningful difference. An additional $13M in annual spending at locally owned businesses has the potential to support existing jobs, create new employment opportunities, strengthen entrepreneurship, increase commercial occupancy, and reinforce the long-term vitality of neighborhoods and businesses.

Of course, no one can buy everything locally, nor should they be expected to. However, when a local business offers the product or service you need at a competitive value, choosing local is more than a purchase—it's an investment in the community we all share. Small decisions, multiplied thousands of times, become a stronger Juneau economy.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. Juneau City and Borough includes approximately 13,167 households.

As Juneau and other Southeast Alaska communities continue working to attract full-time, year-round residents, JEDC is asking seasonal workers to share their experience. Now in its third year, the Seasonal Worker Exit Survey gathers feedback from seasonal employees about what shapes their decision to stay in or leave the communities where they work.

These insights helps local businesses and civic leaders better understand how to retain more of the workforce that already knows and loves Southeast Alaska.

If you employ seasonal workers or know some that recently left Juneau, please pass along the survey link below, or send us a distribution list and we'll handle outreach directly.

Juneau will need to rapidly develop new housing units to support U.S. Coast Guard personnel and families tied to the future homeporting of the USCGC Storis. We understand that the the Coast Guard now intends to seek approximately fifty (50) new homes in a Request for Proposal (RFP) to be published later this summer.

JEDC is actively working with Builders, Developers, and the Coast Guard. In an already-constrained market with limited construction capacity, any approach must reduce risk and capital burdens for local contractors and ensure that new units are standard, market-quality homes that add to our community's overall housing supply.

Contact Brian at bholst@jedc.org if you are Builder or Developer and want to learn more!

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